ASUS Eee Pad Slider Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 4, 2011 6:48 PM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Eee Pad
- Tegra 2
- Asus
- Honeycomb
- Mobile
- Android 3.2
- Eee Pad Slider
- NVIDIA
Final Words
For the users who are happy living in the consumption-only world of today's tablets, the Eee Pad Slider is not for you. It's bulkier than the Galaxy Tab and has significantly worse battery life than the iPad 2. If what you're looking for is another tablet, the Eee Pad Transformer is likely a better buy. The Eee Pad Slider on the other hand talks to those users who want a tablet but also want to be able to type out a long email when they have to. Or carry on an IM conversation while on the couch. The Slider is the best marriage of tablet and keyboard that I've seen to date.
For a pure tablet in the Android world I prefer the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (or 8.9), but if I were stranded on a deserted island with only one Honeycomb tablet it'd probably be the Slider. Being able to quickly move between browsing with my finger and typing out emails is a huge selling point for me. If you're not bothered by tablet ergonomics, the Slider likely won't do much for you. But if you are, the Slider is pretty awesome.
In fact, the Slider enabled enough of a notebook experience that I began wanting more notebook features. Primarily a faster processor and better multitasking support. I dare say that I wish the Eee Pad Slider was running Windows 8, simply because I found myself wanting to do two things at once more on the Slider than on any other tablet. On other tablets I'm less likely to want to multitask between apps that involve a lot of typing, but on the Slider it's almost a non-issue. Google and Apple beware, multi-window multitasking is an obvious fit for these tablets and Microsoft will deliver it late next year.
Then there's the problem of pricing. Although the Slider is arguably the most flexible tablet we've reviewed, you still ultimately need a PC somewhere in your life. I would've been happy with the Slider at the Eee Pad's starting price of $399 (perhaps pushing the Eee Pad down further).
My standing recommendation for anyone interested in a new tablet is still: wait if you can. With Kal-El tablets now due in November (delayed from August) the wait shouldn't be too much longer. If you must buy today, ASUS' Eee Pad Slider delivers a lot of what made the Eee Pad Transformer so great but in a smaller form factor. If you want an Android tablet with a keyboard, the Slider is really the only way to go.
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secretmanofagent - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
"The keys are hardly full sized, I measured x mm compared to mm on Apple's chiclet keyboard."Should there be numbers there?
Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
Yes there should, fixed :)Take care,
Anand
Death666Angel - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
"I measured 14 x 11mm compared to 16mm2 on Apple's chiclet keyboard."Do you spot the mistake? In this scenario, the Apple keyboard has keys which are 4mm x 4mm = 16mm², whereas the Asus has 14mm x 11mm = 154mm². You probably meant to write (16mm)² or somesuch. :D
Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
err you're very right, fixed again :)Take care,
Anand
Zink - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
So in depth. Are you using a teleprompter?tsnorquist - Thursday, October 6, 2011 - link
Of course not, he's not the president =)mythun.chandra - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
Good job on the video/review! :)Hope to see more of them moving forward.
Death666Angel - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
"the tablet form factor combined with a responsive touch UI simply means you can do these things in a more relaxed position."All you people seem to have quite uncomfortable desks! :D The only place that is more relaxing and comfortable in my house than my desk and desk chair is in bed, snuggling with my wife. ^^
quiksilvr - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
The Transformer with Dock is 2.9 lbs. This slider is 2.1 lbs. Yes it is cheaper than Transformer + dock but I have seen combo sales all the time, and considering the holiday season coming up, I wouldn't be surprised to see Transformer + Dock selling for $399 with a case for good measure.To me, thickness isn't really an issue with something like a tablet. It's 10 millimeters thicker (barely 0.4 inches), but you get:
1) An extra USB port
2) A full SD card slot
3) A trackpad, giving a much more PC feel
4) Pretty much the equivalent of "lugging" a light netbook around
5) Ridiculously high battery life (that in itself is worth the extra $70. 15 hours vs 7 hours is a no brainer)
So in short, I would recommend the Transformer + dock when there is a sale. Newegg had a combo sale for those two for $399 (not anymore) so that gives me high hopes for this holiday season for other retailers to mimic it.
TrackSmart - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
I'm glad the Transformer serves you well, but I've already got a laptop that weighs just 3 lbs.The idea of a 2.9 lb (or even 2.1 lb) tablet with keyboard is not appealing. It's basically laptop weight, but not as useful for real work due to the limitations of Android/IOS productivity software.
My ideal tablet would be less than 1 lb and have a much smaller form factor. Imagine how small the 7" galaxy tab would be if it had hardly any bezel. It would be about 4" x 6" and about 12 ounces. The size would be perfect for rapid thumb typing. And I could fit it into a coat pocket. Perfection.