Without a doubt, ASUS has really managed to tackle the tablet segment from a completely new and innovative angle, all of its models offering physical keyboards, either as an accessory or built right in the device’s body.
OK, we’ll have to admit that there’s only one model providing the last feature mentioned above, namely the ASUS Eee Pad Slider, which is also the subject of the following review.
ASUS tablets – overview
Both the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and ASUS Transformer Prime are accompanied by docking stations featuring built-in keyboards, that are also available as a separate accessory. However, they can also be used without the physical keyboard, which makes them more portable.
ASUS Eee Pad Slider – front view
The ASUS Eee Slate, on the other hand, is accompanied by a Bluetooth keyboard and a stylus. The keyboard allows users to turn their tablet into a notebook, while the stylus also delivers a higher level of precision in controlling the various features the OS has in store.
The ASUS Eee Pad Slider offers a set of features very similar to those of the Transformer, except for the fact that its slide-out QWERTY keyboard is not detachable.
All of the ASUS tablets mentioned above really managed to spend some time in the spotlight and to occupy a specific niche of the growing tablet market.
ASUS Eee Pad Slider – detailed
The technical specs are rather common, the same found on most of the NVIDIA Tegra 2 – powered tablets found on the market.
So, the Eee Pad Slider features a 1GHZ processor, a 10.1-inch multi-touch capacitive IPS display, 1GB of DDR2 RAM memory and 32GB flash memory for storage purposes. Plus, it comes pre-loaded with the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, but users can upgrade it to Android 3.2 (and hopefully, to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well).
ASUS Eee Pad Slider – rear view
As you might have guessed, all the connectivity ports are found on the sides of the keyboard. The Slider comes packed with 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x Mini HDMI, 1 x Audio Jack ports and a microSD card slot. It also sports a 5 Mpx camera module on the rear side, a 1,2 Mpx camera module on the front side and a battery that lasts for up to 8 hours of non-stop use.
As far as we’re concerned, we’ve pictured the Slider as fitting in the office tablet niche. In fact, it’s more of a new type of netbook rather than a very small and lightweight tablet that can be carried around anywhere, with ease.
And that’s because it weighs roughly 960 grams and measures 273 x 180.3 x 17.3 mm, which is a bit far from the standard tablet profile.
We’ve really loved the fact that the Slider is a sturdy, well-built tablet. Its two parts are well connected together and easy enough to operate. However, it’s a bit hard to tell just how resilient the sliding mechanism will prove to be, in time, especially since getting accustomed to the way in which it works may take a bit of time.
ASUS Eee Pad Slider – keyboard
The keyboard seemed to be just a bit crowded, the keys itself being rather small and not particularly finger-friendly (especially if you’ve got some larger fingers). However, they’re pretty well spaced, which is a plus.
Also, there’s no touchpad, which sorts of reminds us of the Sony VAIO P.
The display resembles quite a lot the one found on the ASUS Transformer. We’re talking about an ISP LED-backlit LCD unit, with a 10.1-inch diagonal and an 1280 x 800 pixels resolution.
It’s also quite tough, offering a good level of resilience when faced with bumps and scratches, although this is not something we recommend you to test.
When the keyboard has been slid out, the angle between the base and the display is of 130 degrees, which is somewhat of a minus, as far as we’re concerned, since it limits one’s working position.
In terms of performance, the ASUS Eee Pad Slider fared pretty well, both in games and various other types of applications. In fact, we’ve played some Angry Birds, watched good-quality videos on YouTube and worked a bit in an office-type application. I’ve also managed to synch the email account pretty easily and browsed the Internet quite a lot without a single glitch.
Battery life will reach around 8 hours, but it can last for a couple of days’ time if you don’t use it non-stop.
Unfortunately, for the time being, ASUS has not clearly expressed its plans regarding the Eee Pad Slider, so there’s no way of knowing whether they include an upgraded version.
As a conclusion, we’d dare to say that the SEee Pad Slider is quite a good tablet, an interesting offering from ASUS, proving the company’s innovation prowess. In fact, it’s the type of device you’d want to get if you wanted to benefit from both the advantages of a netbook and a tablet.
ASUS Eee Pad Slider pros:
+ The display is one of the best we’ve come across;
+ Keyboard is always there when you need it;
+ Plenty connectivity options;
+ Comes with a protective case made from a resilient material;
+ Good level of performance in office, multimedia and gaming applications (for Android).
ASUS Eee Pad Slider cons:
- Relatively low level of portability – 960 grams;
- The keyboard is slightly crowded, no touchpad;
- Battery life – 8 hours;
- No 3G.
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