The Asus Eee Slate EP121 is big. It's bigger than any other tablet in the current crop of iPad challengers, and more powerful too. But, as Jaws from the James Bond films would tell you, being beefy brings as many problems as it does rewards.
The Slate will be available with either 32GB or 64GB of storage. UK pricing and release dates are yet to be confirmed.
Eee Slate great
Its giant screen measures 12.1 inches diagonally, which makes the Slate the largest tablet we've seen. The specs are equally impressive: it's powered by a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor clocked at 1.3GHz, with 4GB of RAM. On top of the 32GB or 64GB of solid-state storage, you can add more memory by slipping in an SD card.
The Slate includes just about every accoutrement you could expect from a tablet. Alongside the SD card slot, there's an HDMI socket, as well as two USB ports. There's also a stylus hidden in the side if you prefer writing to tapping, but you don't need it -- the touchscreen is capacitive, so you can smear and tap your greasy fingers all over it. Up at the top are the power switch, a button to lock the screen orientation, and a Bluetooth button that lets you pair the tablet with a keyboard when your arms get tired.
Using the stylus isn't obligatory, as the Slate has a capacitive touchscreen, like the iPad.
The 12.1-inch screen and roomy memory are handy for watching high-definition video. The 1,280x800-pixel screen lets you watch 1080p films, and, unlike the iPad, Flash video is also supported. That's all very well, but this is really a business tablet for business people doing serious business.
Eee Slate hate
As with André the Giant, the Slate's size is both its biggest blessing and greatest curse. Tablets are generally meant to be portable, and easy to whip out and use wherever you are, whether sitting, standing or lounging about. Because they're flat, tablets need to be held or propped up, so, when they reach a certain size, they're just not comfortable to use. Even though it's lighter than it looks, the Slate definitely pushes the limits of tablet portability.
Even with our manly muscles and giant man hands, we'd hate to have to hold the Slate in one hand for any length of time. And you will have to hold it in one hand, because we found that even our enormous ham-hock hands and thumbs designed for hitchhiking wouldn't meet in the middle when we held the Slate in two hands. It's definitely not a tablet for the pixie-fingered, unless you want to build up your biceps as you browse. It's also definitely not a tablet to go travelling with.
There's another reason why you won't want to stray too far from home with the Slate: its formidable computing power eats up battery life like nobody's business. It depends on what you're doing, but the Slate will usually only offer a couple of hours of use before the battery conks out.
The Slate runs Windows 7, which recreates your desktop experience, but with finger prodding required, instead of a mouse and keyboard. Windows isn't specifically designed for touchscreens, however, so some icons and on-screen bits and pieces can be small and fiddly when you're using your fingers.
Outlook
If the iPad is a sports car that's been stripped of features but remains high on élan, the Asus Eee Slate EP121 is a tank. It's loaded with every weapon in the tablet armoury but it's not suited to venturing far beyond the office. You wouldn't go into battle in a TVR kit car, but you wouldn't take a tank on the train either.
Edited by Charles Kloet
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters
User reviews8
Add your review
hosa 7 February 2012
Comment: is it possible if android work on its hardware??
Wayne Lee Streeter 28 April 2011
Good: Presure sensitivity, computing power, size, functionality
Bad: Battery life
Comment: It is exactly what I want from a laptop and a tablet put into one fine little package. Alot of people complain about the battery life but, from the look and functionality of the device, it doesnt seem like it was made to be very portable. Just semi-mobile. Which I wouldnt mind because it would be plugged up 90% of the time anyway.. Its like having a Cintiq that can be mobile for 3+ hours. Sounds like a win win to me.
This is the tablet I have been waiting for. IPad crushed my hopes when I found out that it couldnt run flash videos or be used as an artistic tablet. Which is why i never bought one. I like that Asus didnt try to make it like the iPad at all. People really need to stop comparing this to iPad. Can you use an iPad as a laptop replacement? No because it is basically just a giant iPod Touch. Can you install actual programs on a iPad. No only apps that you have to purchase from some app store. Can you use and iPad as a tablet pc in any kind of way? Besides web browsing and the fact you touch the screen to navigate, no you cant. These things are all the things that the Asus Eee Slate offers. If those things dont mean anything to you then you are better off with an iPad or an Android. But if those things do mean something to you then short battery life is an extremely small price to pay for all that the Asus Eee Slate offers.
Now if they would just make another model that doesnt have the add ons that I dont care about, like the webcam, added software that I will never use, and the bluetooth keyboard, that is a little bit cheaper..... How about an artist edition model Asus Eee Slate where the only thing that comes with it is the operating system and the case? "Without all those added features im sure they could drop the price to a more economic price. At the price it is now, you can get a high end laptop with better battery life and GPU. Just a thought, I'll end up getting one at the end of the year anyway, most likely. If they still have some left by that time.
navster 25 March 2011
Good: The Power and the ability to do everything the windows has to offer
Bad: none
Comment: The boot time ia apporxmetly about 12 seconds very quick, the battery is very good compared to laptop running i5, has solid state memory no hard drive so saves power of compared to a rorating hard disk, you can increase your battery life by a couple of hour if you can go to control panel and change the power options to balance plan. use sleep option on the tablet it will wakes within 2 seconds. on sleeps it's battery lasts for 4 days.
The pen which is very accurate and i never have problem selecting buttons and drop down list. Asus have special software that runs along side so you don't hare to enter full URL address. so getting around the internet is a breeze.
hand writing recognition on windows 7 will read the poorest scribble. windows 7 learns as it goes along so the accuracy get better near to 98%.
any power hungry application such as photoshop, office 2010 suite, even 3d games is not a issue.
built in mic, ideal for voice recognition.
the tablet is well built and feels very solid.
Not be compared to a ipad. windows tablet is in a class of it own.
See all 8 user reviews