Asus 'Eee Pad' tablet arrives in July
No pictures of Asus' Eee Pad exist yet, so look at an iPad and to imagine Flash playing on it.
Up for show in Computex this June, then on sale in the months proceeding - likely July, according to our source - the Eee Pad is built using an Nvidia Tegra chip and runs Google Android OS. To further differentiate it from the iPad, there's at least one USB port, a webcam and support for Adobe Flash.
We couldn't get hold of details of the storage or clock speeds of the Nvidia Tegra CPU inside to see how it'll shape up to the 1GHz Apple A4 inside the iPad. We've not seen any images of how Google's Android OS - typically used on smartphones - will look when "oversized" to run on a tablet - all details we're keen to find it all out!
Digitimes got a few details when it talked to Asus Chairman, Jerry Shen, who claimed that the Eee Pad will not be a cheap plastic looking tablet, but instead will feature a more "industrialised" design. If that attracts people to it and if Asus take on board the criticisms of the heavy iPad, remains to be seen (or if the two are in fact mutually exclusive since metal construction and a big battery will always mean a heavy device).
Asus expects to shift 300,000 of them this year alone - which is a low target when you realise that the iPad shifted that in its first day of sales.
Expected to be priced at around $500 for the 3G version, it's certainly not as cheap as the Eee name would imply and we think Asus will have to create an extremely attractive product to get more normal folk to part with that cash.
Are you in the market for a tablet? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyI criticised to iPad for running a phone os. That criticism still stands for the eeePad. I'm not saying put win7 on it, but a tablet-oriented linux distro would be the way to go imo. I am looking forward to seeing the first meego devices of this class, as I think they could really shake things up.
TBH neither do I but the whole "[insert apple product here] killer" mentality is stupid. It just leads to companies trying to clone what apple have done rather than making their own individual product.
I also agree that these devices need their own operating system. win 7 is too slow to compete with a mobile OS, but mobile OS's need more to them. At least Apple designed their own OS for their, "novelty sized ipod touch".
Biggest problem for all tablets tho is the same question Ive leveled at my friends who want an ipad and its "what is it for?"
Several Android devices bigger and more powerful than smartphones are on the market.
Tablets, laptops, entertainment centers, home automation, in-car entertainment, etc.
'We couldn't get hold of details for the clock speed of nVidia Tegra chip'
It's 1GHz. I doubt they'll over/under clock it. The Tegra 2 is rumoured (and makes sense) to be higher, but I don't think there's any official word on that, I don't think it's shipping yet either so I doubt they're using it.
I agree. When a product is marketed as an iPhone or iPax killer, straight away that may hint at the product trying to be like Apple's. If I wanted an iPhone, I would get one. But I don't like its limitations.
Look at what Microsoft are doing with Windows Phone 7: Some very good unique ideas are there. However, they are trying to follow some of the limitations that Apple have / had, such as removing 'Copy and Paste' from Windows Phone 7.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/356497/cut-and-paste-dropped-from-windows-phone-7-series
WHYYYYYYYYYYYY :(
Even if most phone users don't use 'Copy and Paste' between Windows Phone apps, why remove it?
Anyway, I think Asus should drop the Eee PAD name and use something more original, such as 'Republic Of Tampax'.
Hahaha. Nice one. I completely agree about WinMo7. MS have had copy/paste functionality in their OSes for years. I haven't got the faintest clue why they would remove it. It's not enough to say "most people don't need it". Many people don't know how to use ctrl-alt-del on windows - are they going to remove that next?
Anyway, where mobile devices are concerned, I'm really happy with maemo (n900) atm. I can't see a credible contender in that corner of the market.
Yes, these N900s are seriously good devices indeed. HTC Touch HD2 wins for me tho :)
HD2 looks very sleek. Never played with one for long tho. The local O2 shop keeps it locked with a passkey. Best part is its attached to some wire that keeps going off every time you pick it up xD great fun watching people jump when the alarm goes off lol.
Which means it's going to fail
CPU power 1+GHz
GPU Full HD or better (capable)
Battery life over 12 hours at full brightness and playing HD content
Preferably OLED display at 1080p and 10-12"
Then I will buy two at $500 :D
I suspect getting that battery life and a 1080p oled at $500 is going to take a while.
I'd like to see a tablet that can really challenge the iPad, but it seems somewhat hopeless. In essence, even the first crop of these so called "iPad killers" may draw even with the iPad, but a few die hard Apple nut friends of mine said they won't touch the iPad with a barge pole.
Unless someone else pays for it, and then they will sleep with it. But that's beside the point. I think.
this means nothing, apple always sells out new product on the first day, Apple is all about look at me, I got a new pretty shiny thing that kinda works. I'm fairly certain new Apple product sales level out quickly.
Personally I think it's fills the gap between notepad and smart-phone a lot better than the Eee Pad.
Well, that's according to this article:
http://www.laptopshop.co.uk/news/2010/04/apple-ipad-underthreat-from-eee-pad-and-protege/