It’s a cool device
Literally. Some of my past Tablet PCs could have done double duty to fry eggs. Some literally got too hot to hold. Others would power off when they got too hot, not a very good feature for reliability. The EP121 simply doesn’t get hot. Very impressive.
(Screen) size matters
12.1 inch is an unusually large screen size for a slate tablet. The iPad 2 is 9.7 inch, and Android devices range from 7 inch to 10.1 inch. The one other recent Windows 7 slate, the HP Slate 500 (which I also own), has an 8.9 inch screen. Indeed , Asus’ upcoming Windows 7 slate, the Eee Pad TF101, has a 10.1 inch screen.
I can understand why there isn’t an iOS or Android 12.1 inch tablet. With that screen size comes a larger size and weight, detracting from both mobility and use while couch or stall (ugh) surfing.
However, I think 12.1 inch may be just right for Windows 7. Maybe it’s the combination of a desktop OS and desktop applications scaled for a large monitor, but the 8.9 inch of the HP Slate 500 often does not seem enough screen real estate. Outlook with its many panes is a shining example, but there are others.
Additionally, in a business setting, you’re usually not looking at Facebook. Instead, you’re looking at contracts (with their fine print) and other business documents. Maybe I’m just getting old, but a larger screen sure helps when viewing these documents.
For example, a few days ago I was preparing a witness for an upcoming trial. As usually, there are a lot of exhibits. However, instead of bringing a pile of documents or several notebooks, I had the exhibits on the EP121. The exhibits (PDFs) loaded very quickly. My witness easily could read the documents on the large screen. When I wanted to zoom in on a particular part of the document, using finger gestures to zoom worked just fine.
What about 10.1 inch, like several Android tablets and the upcoming Windows 7 Asus Eee Pad TF101? 10.1 inch might be a good choice for Android (or iOS or webOS). But for Windows, I think 10.1 inch is a “tweener inch; too big for true portability, too small for good viewing. I have a similar opinion of the HP Slate 500’s 8.9 inch screen size. So unless you are going to bite the screen size bullet for the sake of true mobility and go to 7 inch, I think that, using a Windows OS, 12.1 inch is the sweet spot for a good screen size and still some modicum of mobility.
Screen (continued)
When my wife first saw the EP121, she was wowed by the screen’s clarity and vibrancy. It’s not pixel density; the screen resolution is a modest 1280 x 800. Instead, in researching this article, I learned that the screen is AFFS. It also has excellent viewing angles.
If a picture is worth the proverbial 1000 words, a video must be worth even more. Accordingly, take a look at the following points in the MTR video to compare the EP121’s screen with the following devices:
5:00 – Motorola Xoom
5:20 – iPad 2
6:12 – HP TouchSmart tm2
The screen is not only beautiful, but tough – Gorilla Glass.
Size and Weight
Take a look at the following points in the MTR video to compare the EP121’s size with the Xoom (5:10) and the iPad 2 (5:15). No surprise here: Larger screen = larger length and width. The EP121 is relatively thin, though as this picture from the MTR Review shows, still thicker than the iPad 2.
As for weight, the EP121 at 2.6 lbs. certainly is heavier than the iPad 2 (1.35 lbs) or Xoom (1.6 lbs). Again no surprise since the iPad 2 and Xoom have smaller screens. However, the EP121 is relatively light to Tablet PC convertibles with similarly sized screens:
HP TouchSmart tm2 – 4.17 lbs.
HP EliteBook 2740p Tablet PC – 3.8 lbs
Lenovo x201t– 3.7 lbs.
In practice, the EP121 is small enough to easily fit in any carrying case I bring to meetings or Court; I don’t need a separate carrying case. The EP121 also doesn’t add so much weight that I need to start a gym membership.
The EP121 is small and light enough that I can hold it while standing or sitting … for a few minutes. After 5 or so minutes, to paraphrase a work out video, it’s “pinch and zoom, feel the burn! inch
In a business setting, I usually don’t need to hold the EP121 for more than a few minutes; the rest of the time it’s propped up on a table. But if you’re thinking of buying the EP121 for web consumption or entertainment while reclining in bed or on a couch, think again. Of course, that’s not really what the EP121 is for. It’s a business device.
Top-Notch, 'Real-World' Review of the Eee Slate EP121 by @genghiskhent http://www.umpcportal.com/?p=23687
#technology Asus Eee Slate EP121 User Review: Many thanks to Jeff Kent (Mobile Barbarian) for sending us this de… http://bit.ly/hX4LUN
Asus Eee Slate EP121 User Review: Many thanks to Jeff Kent (Mobile Barbarian) for sending us… http://goo.gl/fb/MRsQG
Great view. Thank you.
Too big, pass.
@c_davies Asus Eee Slate EP121 User Review http://bit.ly/fMH1KF You asked when it was posted on UMPC Portal
@jkendrick FYI Asus Eee Slate EP121 User Review http://bit.ly/fMH1KF My review posted on UMPC Portal
@Jenna_Ice FYI Asus Eee Slate EP121 User Review http://bit.ly/fMH1KF My review posted on UMPC Portal
@chuongvision FYI Asus Eee Slate EP121 User Review http://bit.ly/fMH1KF My review posted on UMPC Portal
OK so I’m no stranger to 12 inch Windows Tablet PCs and come to the slate form factor and tablet usage scenario from very similar perspectives as Jeff, and I really appreciated his review.
However, I balk at the “not quite a handheld†comment in the lead-in. Certainly, 12 inch slates like this are much bigger than a phone and much heavier than a phone. Certainly, I wouldn’t walk around clutching it for hours on end like a phone or using it one-handed like a phone. However, a primary design consideration that motivated the development of the slate form factor was to enable hand-held computing. Certainly, it’s pretty hard to use any 12 inch clamshell device in a purely handheld manner. You might be able to awkwardly balance the device in one hand or cradle it on one arm and then peck away at the keyboard or push around the pointing device with the other, but that’s not very practical. In contrast, it’s very, very easy to hold a device of this size and weight in one hand/arm and use your free hand to work the active digitizer or the touchscreen directly. Certainly, I wouldn’t want to do this four hours at a time, nor do I. Certainly, I wouldn’t want to do this or several minutes at a time without taking breaks, nor do I. However, it’s not just a slate. It’s also a tablet, and there aren’t many tablet applications in which away-from-the-desk scenarios would need so much constant device-in-hand time. This is why real tablets that are pure slates tend to be larger. Surely, the tablet functionality can be appealing when you’re up walking around or standing or sitting at a desk, but if you’re never up and about then you’re better off getting a purely clamshell tablet or adding a tablet peripheral to your existing desktop or clamshell. Otherwise, if you’re in need of tablet functionality and need to do computing on-your feet or away from a desk, then a slate with tablet functionality is ideal. It’s very hand-held and very productive in the hand.
Good review of the Eee Slate EP121, but that 3+ hour battery life doesn't work on thin slates. http://bit.ly/fMH1KF
Una buona recensione per Eee Slate EP121 – http://bit.ly/fMH1KF
Very good review. Looks like we finally have an affordable and powerful tablet pc. Kinda wish the battery life was better. I saw the device at Frys and liked it.
I can’t think of another Core i5 device at that weight / price ratio. Makes me interested in using it as a video editing slate.
Isn’t this kinda late? I think this came out in October and ASUS is already not starting to sell it in certain places :P
No it was just released. It’s sold out in couple places but amazon.com and newegg.com still have a few.
Last year Asus also showed the EP101tc and I was hoping that there will be a 10″ version of the EP121: bit cheaper and better battery life. But no news on that one it seems (only Android devices which all look fairly similar).
Uhh, I’m pretty sure it’s been out for a while as I was even going to buy it last year
Here’s a user review all the way from January
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmSlqDN20I
Listen to the video carefully, this was after CES 2011 and he just got it from Fry’s and they only started to be sold when he made the video and posted it Jan 29, 2011. In most places it was still only pre-order!
January is when it went on sale. It was officially launched and made available for preorder at CES and started shipping towards the end of January.
Surprised that this huge thing is on this site.
As I mentioned in the intro, in some respects this is ultra mobile. In terms of processing power per gram, it’s very good. Video tablet, photo editing tablet and, as the review says, production level performance.
They need to get a Sandy Bridge ULV Slider with 10.1 inch screen at the same thickness. I think its reasonable enough to do it, but such efforts aren’t done anymore.
Gigabyte might be one to watch at Computex in this respect.
We may have to wait till Ivy Bridge replaces Sandy Bridge and brings the manufacture size down to 22nm before we see real improvement on size and weight. But Ivy Bridge is going to be introduced this year and should start taking over next year…
What you don’t understand is that for high end processors, process shrinks are used for better performance. Rather than seeing equal frequency processors at lower power, we’ll see equal power usage processors with better performance.
Great review! I was actually considering a purchase of this tablet , but what stopped me is the absence of wireless WAN connection. So now I forced to wait for Fujitsu Q550 , although 12 inches screen’s mighty attractive. I use HP TM2 now, and this size of a screen is perfect for me!
I’ve owned it now for over a month, (replacing my Motion LE1400). I Love it, love it, love it! Real Tablet computing for real computer users!