Hardware Asus EeePad 101TC and EeePad EP121 Hands on

yup holding out for the 12" model to replace my 1000HE ^_^ I just hope I can upgrade the ram and the hdd.

 

Start saving hard. Remember: at least £900,--. To be honest I'd think closer to £1200,-- if current Tablet PCs are anything to go by.

These are interesting devices but pitched to a totally different market and functions than the iPad. That is not a bad thing, but don't try to compare apples with oranges.

 

I've written a rather lengthy post about this on my new blog, if anyone is interested. Check it out at http://elepedus.blogspot.com

 

I want one for my university work

 

Wow krayzie, you just predicted the next 5 iPad releases "iPad 5.0 now with new revolutionary sd slot. The game has changed!"

 

don't you mean "don't try to compare apples with computers" ;p

 

+1, what an excellent valid point.

 

10 inch should be the very max screen size

 

Remember that this is not just a tablet, it also converts into a laptop. Moreover, the slate itself is set to be (slightly) lighter and slimmer than the iPad, even though it's bigger.

 

If the big one is released for a decent price and actually runs full windows decent ill buy one. Good replacement for a laptop since I just use internet mostly. It will need usb and dvd though.

 

At least the iPad works. Both Eeepads are still in the mock-up stage (the 101TC just runs a limited interactional demo of the GUI, not an actual functional OS yet and the EP121 is just an empty box). So I guess we shouldn't compare Apples with empty boxes.

 

I'm sure the Asus 121 will perform just fine as the Intel Dual Core CULV processor has more than enough power at 1.3 ghz to run a full fat desktop operating system like Windows 7 w/ Aero unlike the weak Atom (netbook) or ARM procesosrs in the ipad.

Being that the 121 is a PC I'm sure all of us geeks will put our own OS on it especially Chrome OS if it's any good if not then XP Ubuntu Linux or hell Hackintosh.

The ASus 121 has me excited as it is too good to be true but I wonder what Sony is doing?

 

In theory it should. But there is a lot more to a tablet than just the CPU: there is battery life to consider for instance, and above all, the cost. I am kind of worried that all we're seeing is a mock up (in the case of the EP121) and a tablet with a demo of the OS rather than the real thing (in case of the 101TC) when they should be fully working prototypes by now.

 

Asus is getting a claimed 12hours from the UL30 which uses a CULV processor, a spinning drive, and a dvd-rom. A 2 hour battery life I think would not only be foolish, but a deal breaker on such a system.

I have to say though, if this comes in at over £800, I would expect it to be D.O.A., even more so with 2 hours of battery life.

It's cute, I would love it, it would be awesome for me, but at £900 I'll just buy a laptop. It may be slightly larger, but it houses more battery for less money (or maybe a UL30, less money, same power, less costly).

 

Most of the coverage I've seen seems to hint at 8-10h battery life (although I'm not sure whether that is with the built in battery, or with the laptop dock). EDIT: Even the bit-tech article mentions that it is set to have 10h battery life. Obviously, that's what they claim, but I would be surprised if it turns out to be much under 8h (which would suit me just fine).


As for price, it would be great if they could keep it in the iPad's range, but realistically it's probably going to be slightly more expensive. As long as it's sub £1000 (preferably 800ish) I'll buy one, as for me it is a laptop and a tablet in one and worth more than either.

If you want to see more pictures and read a bit more, check out the article on my blog at http://elepedus.blogspot.com

 

Take every manufacturer stated battery life figure and throw it out the window. See what people actually using the device say they get out of one. That goes for any tablet, any laptop - anything powered by battery

 

That's a fine bit of cynicism, right there.

That being said the iPad seems to be meeting and in some cases exceeding the 10h claimed by apple. This means that any device hoping to compete with it must provide real-life figures of at least 75%+ of the iPad's. You can't just put 10h in the press releases and the packaging and hope people don't realise it's only 3. (Well.. you can try, but hopefully asus has more sense than that.)

 

Justified cynicism tbh. Companies do all the time in the bid to get one over each other. "Well Sir, you just aren't using it right, there are certain conditions..." Sometimes they are close, sometimes not, but they are never MORE than what's claimed. You'll never be surprised how long your mobile device is lasting.

But yes, the iPad is the benchmark - other padlets will have to adhere to its level.

 

Be prepared to be surprised. My Centrino-based tablet is rated for 8 hours (with both batteries bolted on); manages more like 5-6 in casual use. I'm looking at the size of the mock up, and I'm thinking that there is no room for a decent capacity battery.

Think: twice as expensive. If that thing comes in at anything under £900,-- I'll be very impressed.

Again: let us see a working prototype; one that journo's can actually play with rather than the HP Slate which Steve Balmer (or some other interviewed HP bod) were careful to never actually leave their hands because really it was an early non-functional mock-up.

 

I don't know. If it's over £1000 it will flop.

That being said CULV chips seem to be more and more popular these days (my mom got a laptop with CULV for £399), so maybe they can keep it under £1000. The CULV processor is also their main weapon in the battery wars. My mum's laptop just keeps going and going. As for the size of the device, remember it is slightly larger (diagonally) than the iPad, so maybe they've been able to use some of that space for a bigger battery.

Don't really know. For me it's the most exciting product this year, and if they manage to get the details right, then I'll most probably buy one. I'm already saving up.