ASUS Eee Slate EP121-1A011M 12.1-Inch Tablet PC on sale

J. Bosworth Say: ASUS Eee Slate EP121-1A011M 12.1-Inch Tablet PC
Graphic Artist Dream Tech, 2011-04-29
This review is for: ASUS Eee Slate EP121-1A011M 12.1-Inch Tablet PC
I won't spend any time going over the points that everyone else has. Its a great piece of hardware. Fast, light, bright, tough, effective, powerful, expensive, and a battery hog. Anyone who says otherwise is just wrong. I am a demanding tech enthusiast and I would recommend this thing with *very few qualifications*.I purchased this thing several weeks ago, specifically because I watched a review favorably comparing it to a Wacom Cintiq tablet. It's the damn truth. Whether you are drawing with the included Artrage software, or photoshop cs5 (or one of the many other available apps), you will be *pleasantly surprised* with how snappy and effective it is at faithfully translating your marks. Simply put, you may very well forget you are not drawing on paper with a pencil, pen or whatever else you may choose to illustrate with. I took it to life drawing last week, and... I may not need a paper tablet / pen & ink ever again. Its that good.I will say this - if you, like me are not able to find the 64 gig version, the 32 gig version is simply too small to use (as windows take like 20 gigs out of the box). I picked up an 80 gig intel PCIe SSD and a 4 gig stick of ram, and dropped it in easily and quickly. You will need an external disc drive to get to the included recovery disc, but cracking the thing open and swapping parts is a snap. The other point I will make - Axiotron makes 3rd party styluses that mimic the standard wacom versions - and have a couple buttons to boot. Its cheap ($30) - and works immediately. You will need to install other drivers to get pressure sensitivity working in pshop, however.As far as comparing this thing to other tablets. Don't. Its not an iPad. If you want a device that is purely for entertainment, get something else. This makes for an expensive and heavy iPad. But, if you are a graphic artist (or anyone else who needs to write longhand into a digital device) you simply can't go wrong.Desired updates for future versions:- higher resolution. Its pixel density is similar to a 21" 1080 monitor, but you are only getting 1280 x 800 of it. Frankly, its a non-issue. But more pixels are always welcome.- higher capacity battery. Expect to have your adapter handy. Enough said.- dedicated GPU. The ep121 sports an integrated Intel GPU, and its not all that. But you're not going to be using this thing to run Crysis, so that weakness is somewhat mollified. That being said, it would be a welcome addition.All in all, 5 star tech.

Eagles Fan Say: ASUS Eee Slate EP121-1A011M 12.1-Inch Tablet PC
Good Windows 7 Tablet, 2011-01-30
This review is for: ASUS Eee Slate EP121-1A011M 12.1-Inch Tablet PC
I think the EP121 is the best windows tablet to date. It's well designed and performs pretty well. I plan to use these devices at work during client meetings and presentations.What I liked:- It's Windows 7 so we will be able to use it in a corp environment. Clients want us to use iPads but compatibility, security, and flash support just isn't there yet.- It already comes with the keyboard and stand. Please factor that in with the price.- Has bluetooth and many of the ports I expect to use.- The screen is a nice size so you can demo applications or slide desks on it to a small group.- The unit isn't heavy so you can hand it around to people.What I don't like:- Windows 7 touch interface isn't as good as other touch interfaces. Hopefully this will improve over time- The cost of the ep121 will probably make it a non-mainstream device.- If they sold this without the keyboard, I could use one I already have and save money- Like the other reviewer said, a finger print reader would rock.Who should buy it:- Those that want a tablet experience AND the ability to run windows 7 applications.- Those that want to use a tablet in a corporate environment, as this tablet should meet security requirements.Who shouldn't buy it:People that want to mostly surf the web, consume media files, play games, etc., should consider cheaper options available (ipads, android tablets, etc.).Eee Slate vs iPad:I wouldn't say that these devices compete with each other. The iPad is great for consuming content while I see the Eee Slate being more of a productivity tool. Coupled with a keyboard, the Eee Slate is basically a laptop. When Asus releases some android tablets, we'll see how well they stack up.

Pwiffo Say: ASUS Eee Slate EP121-1A011M 12.1-Inch Tablet PC
Well designed, 2011-01-30
This review is for: ASUS Eee Slate EP121-1A011M 12.1-Inch Tablet PC
I've had the Asus Slate for about a week now, and I've put it through its paces. Overall, I'm really impressed.Summary:Pros+ It's like it was was made for OneNote - stylus input and handwriting recognition are incredible+ Screen is very bright and crisp, great viewing angles+ Touch input experience is good as well, supports pinch zoom, etc+ Fast, responsive, boots quick, runs Win7 apps well, good experience with office suite+ Email and Web browsing is surprisingly easy with either touch or stylus input+ Can handle some higher end games, though not a gaming machineNeutral= Was expecting it to be too heavy but was pleasantly surprised that is was not= Was expecting the Win7 touch experience to be terrible, but it wasn't bad= Is expensive but not bad if you compare it to a laptop with a core i5 and active digitizerCons- Battery life is dismal- Password entry is not fun, wish it had a fingerprint readerImportant tip - make sure to install the optional firmware update to the digitizer from Windows Update.Details:I've been keeping an eye out for a machine like this for years to use at work. I don't like using laptops to take notes. The flipped up screen and noise of typing is distracting to a conversation. This machine offers an experience like using pen and paper with all the advantages of electronic notes.The combination of a good digitizer, the great handwriting recognition and palm reject of OneNote, and the general design of the tablet itself help make it the best machine I've seen for taking notes. The tablet is relatively heavy but still quite comfortable to hold in the palm of my hand or crook of my arm. It also rests well on a table. The stylus pops out of the tablet itself so you aren't forced to use a case (I don't). The tablet is quite thin and there is a solid border for gripping that keeps you from inadvertently touching the screen.The screen itself looks really good - very bright and crisp. It will likely be the first thing you notice when you pick it up. Touch interface is also snappier than I expected, though the pinch zoom is not quite as smooth as the iPhone/iPad.I was surprised with the email and browsing experience (use Outlook, Gmail, and Firefox). Clicking on links and small icons really isn't as hard as I was expecting, the touch keyboard works ok, and windows picks up handwriting pretty well. You aren't going to write a page long email easily, but there is always the ability to use a bluetooth or usb keyboard and mouse if needed.Windows apps work fine, similar experience to a core i5 laptop. Gaming isn't too bad. Civ5 works well enough, and I would expect most puzzle and strategy games to work. Will not do as well on games where you worry about fps. Videos look great, again much like a core i5 laptop.Wish the battery life were better. On the highest brightness setting, I get about 3hrs. I can squeeze 4-5hrs if I lower it a bit. This means I have to charge it half way through the day, which is a pain.Password entry is also not great. You have to use the touch keyboard, and for security reasons it doesn't light up the keys. Makes it easy to screw up. Wish the tablet had a fingerprint reader or some other support for easier password entry.Overall, I am very happy with this tablet. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a machine to use at work or school (or at home if you use windows apps or the office suite a lot).Observation:I've been following the marketing from ASUS for this tablet, and I think they have it wrong. They've been comparing it to an iPad. That'd be like Toyota comparing the Prius to a sports car. It doesn't make sense. Both the Asus Slate and iPad are fun in their own way, but serve very different purposes. Use the right tool for the task.