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| | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review: ( 214 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
355 of 361 found the following review helpful:
 Well designed Jan 30, 2011
By Pwiffo
I've had the Asus Slate for about a week now, and I've put it through its paces. Overall, I'm really impressed.
Summary:
Pros
+ It's like it was was made for OneNote - stylus input and handwriting recognition are incredible
+ Screen is very bright and crisp, great viewing angles
+ Touch input experience is good as well, supports pinch zoom, etc
+ Fast, responsive, boots quick, runs Win7 apps well, good experience with office suite
+ Email and Web browsing is surprisingly easy with either touch or stylus input
+ Can handle some higher end games, though not a gaming machine
Neutral
= Was expecting it to be too heavy but was pleasantly surprised that is was not
= Was expecting the Win7 touch experience to be terrible, but it wasn't bad
= Is expensive but not bad if you compare it to a laptop with a core i5 and active digitizer
Cons
- Battery life is dismal
- Password entry is not fun, wish it had a fingerprint reader
Important tip - make sure to install the optional firmware update to the digitizer from Windows Update.
Details:
I've been keeping an eye out for a machine like this for years to use at work. I don't like using laptops to take notes. The flipped up screen and noise of typing is distracting to a conversation. This machine offers an experience like using pen and paper with all the advantages of electronic notes.
The combination of a good digitizer, the great handwriting recognition and palm reject of OneNote, and the general design of the tablet itself help make it the best machine I've seen for taking notes. The tablet is relatively heavy but still quite comfortable to hold in the palm of my hand or crook of my arm. It also rests well on a table. The stylus pops out of the tablet itself so you aren't forced to use a case (I don't). The tablet is quite thin and there is a solid border for gripping that keeps you from inadvertently touching the screen.
The screen itself looks really good - very bright and crisp. It will likely be the first thing you notice when you pick it up. Touch interface is also snappier than I expected, though the pinch zoom is not quite as smooth as the iPhone/iPad.
I was surprised with the email and browsing experience (use Outlook, Gmail, and Firefox). Clicking on links and small icons really isn't as hard as I was expecting, the touch keyboard works ok, and windows picks up handwriting pretty well. You aren't going to write a page long email easily, but there is always the ability to use a bluetooth or usb keyboard and mouse if needed.
Windows apps work fine, similar experience to a core i5 laptop. Gaming isn't too bad. Civ5 works well enough, and I would expect most puzzle and strategy games to work. Will not do as well on games where you worry about fps. Videos look great, again much like a core i5 laptop.
Wish the battery life were better. On the highest brightness setting, I get about 3hrs. I can squeeze 4-5hrs if I lower it a bit. This means I have to charge it half way through the day, which is a pain.
Password entry is also not great. You have to use the touch keyboard, and for security reasons it doesn't light up the keys. Makes it easy to screw up. Wish the tablet had a fingerprint reader or some other support for easier password entry.
Overall, I am very happy with this tablet. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a machine to use at work or school (or at home if you use windows apps or the office suite a lot).
Observation:
I've been following the marketing from ASUS for this tablet, and I think they have it wrong. They've been comparing it to an iPad. That'd be like Toyota comparing the Prius to a sports car. It doesn't make sense. Both the Asus Slate and iPad are fun in their own way, but serve very different purposes. Use the right tool for the task.
166 of 172 found the following review helpful:
Good Windows 7 Tablet Jan 30, 2011
By Eagles Fan
I think the EP121 is the best windows tablet to date. It's well designed and performs pretty well. I plan to use these devices at work during client meetings and presentations.
What I liked:
- It's Windows 7 so we will be able to use it in a corp environment. Clients want us to use iPads but compatibility, security, and flash support just isn't there yet.
- It already comes with the keyboard and stand. Please factor that in with the price.
- Has bluetooth and many of the ports I expect to use.
- The screen is a nice size so you can demo applications or slide desks on it to a small group.
- The unit isn't heavy so you can hand it around to people.
What I don't like:
- Windows 7 touch interface isn't as good as other touch interfaces. Hopefully this will improve over time
- The cost of the ep121 will probably make it a non-mainstream device.
- If they sold this without the keyboard, I could use one I already have and save money
- Like the other reviewer said, a finger print reader would rock.
Who should buy it:
- Those that want a tablet experience AND the ability to run windows 7 applications.
- Those that want to use a tablet in a corporate environment, as this tablet should meet security requirements.
Who shouldn't buy it:
People that want to mostly surf the web, consume media files, play games, etc., should consider cheaper options available (ipads, android tablets, etc.).
Eee Slate vs iPad:
I wouldn't say that these devices compete with each other. The iPad is great for consuming content while I see the Eee Slate being more of a productivity tool. Coupled with a keyboard, the Eee Slate is basically a laptop. When Asus releases some android tablets, we'll see how well they stack up.
53 of 54 found the following review helpful:
Amazing tablet, just learn how to use it! Mar 26, 2011
By DoubleE
Overall:
The EP121 has definitely exceeded my expectations so far.
It is fast! I have tested Office 2010 and Visual Studio 2010 professional and they have worked without a hiccup.
Inking is excellent and gets better as you use it. This is the tablet to have if you want to do more than surf the web!
BTW, you have to use Onenote with this tablet.
If your into gadgets, you will feel a little tingle the 1st time you use Onenote to jot down some ideas. This is how tablets should be!
As far as video:
Flash, Youtube and Netflix all work flawlessly in HD.
I had no issues using the HDMI to hookup to my Panasonic 50". It looked great and there was no screen clipping.
Battery life:
I am currently getting between 3.5 - 4.5 hours under normal use (Screen at 30%). Not great, but not bad for a tablet with these specs.
Screen:
The screen is excellent, in fact at full brightness, it will burn your eyes!
Touch input is accurate and the wacom digitizer is spot on. I'm not an artist, but to me the stylus is awesome.
Since using a 12.1" screen, I don't know how anyone could go smaller.
Some final notes, unlike other ipad and ipad like like devices out there, this is a full featured tablet PC with all the capabilities and power of a notebook. If you don't like something, change it. Windows 7 is fully customizable for tablet use (see below for some tips). Don't believe the tech blogs out there panning windows for a poor touch experience. It will do whatever you want it to... And use the stylus! This, by far, is the way to go for tablet input. Trust me, once you do, you will realize that simple finger touch is not the answer for everything.
If your into games, check out Intel AppUp. They are giving away Angry Birds for free right now. It works great on the EP121.
Tips:
If you create an account as a standard user, the physical buttons (keyboard button, aero flip 3d etc.) will fail to function for the standard user account. Admin accounts work fine.
Asus has an update for the ATK driver which will resolve the issue.
Just install over the current one. Note, even though this driver is dated from Feb. 2011, the tablet I ordered last week did not have the latest update.
[...]
There are also some useful settings for windows 7 which can make using your slate easier.
Sorry if you already know this, but hopefully some users find this helpful.
- You can easily change the window titlebar, border and scrollbar sizes without installing any special window
managers (like origami). Just type "window colors and metrics" in the windows 7 search box.
You'll see a screen that you allows you to change the size of various window attributes.
I especially found that making the window border, and scrollbar slightliy wider made it much easer to use
touch. Changing the Window titlebar size also makes the minimize/maximize and Close buttons larger.
- Learn Windows 7 "flicks", they are definately a great addition for touch controls.
- I also noticed that the on screen keyboard would "change" slightly when typing in password fields. For example,
the OSK no longer had auto-complete and also wasn't highlighting the keys I pressed. A little searching, and I
found out it is on purpose for security reasons (You don't want someone looking over your shoulder see you type
your password). Well, its easy to change, just go into the OSK options and the help will let you know what the
different security settings do.
174 of 190 found the following review helpful:
Amazing Windows 7 based tablet. Jan 29, 2011
By Rakesh Koul
I got my hands on this system recently and I did play with it. I must say I am impressed with it
Pros:
+ Price includes Bluetooth KeyBoard and a folio as well. $100 value at Apple rates. Doesn't come with a docking option.
+ Comes with a digitizer Pen, which is very useful for hand written notes and also helps overcome some of the UI related issues with Win 7 (tiny icons, etc.)
+ The boot time on this system (Press the power button --> desktop is usable) is awesome: 18-19 sec (no initial POST Messages). That is faster than iPad shutdown --> desktop.
+ Media Playback is excellent whether it is H.264 or VC1 content. And the CPU does it so easily
+ Thermal: Excellent. After hours of use (media playback, streaming, etc), the bottom surface is pretty normal temperature. Absolutely no heat. Vents are the top and bottom middle. Fan exists, but is very quiet. Design is good.
+ 12.1" panel size and 1280x800 resolution are a good combination. Text on the screen looks the right size.
+ 2.5 LB: is not too heavy. A smaller size (11.6") could have made it a little lighter.
+ With all the USB, SD, mini-HDMI, etc, it can do everything your regular laptop can do.
Well it doesn't obviously address to Win 7 OS native issues - like hard to touch the window buttons, etc. But if one is looking for a Win 7 based tablet, this is an excellent choice. Also, Windows not having a Market Place like Android/Apple, the usage is still going to be PC type (Start --> Control Panel:)) So, if you don't like that, this tablet will not do any magic. You may wish Microsoft does things differently in Windows 8.
Battery Life: With a 12.1" screen size and a powerful system, you can't expect this system to be performing like iPad. But I think it can easily do 5-6 hrs of continuous use. Check out what ASUS Claims.
Well I have run quite a whole list of benchmarks on this system, but won't post those here. But with a 1.33Ghz Intel Dual Core CPU, this is an awesome system. A 699-799$-ish price tag would make the system a good deal. $1000 base price tag has little too much premium for portability and tablet form factor. that takes a star away of my review.
39 of 39 found the following review helpful:
Everything I was looking for in a tablet Feb 08, 2011
By M. Orzel
First off I I an writing this on my ep 121 using the pen+ handwriting tool. It's awesome to write on a computer and have it actually work properly.
I purchased this item through the Microsoft store since Amazon's pre order system was so screwed up. I paid nearly $100 more, but actually have my computer, as opposed to the poor people still playing the guessing game w/ Amazon.
The computer itself is actually really nice. The screen is bright and the resolution is about right for a display this size. Over all the computer feels big and heavy enough to rot feel like a toy, but still Small and light enough to be easily Portable. The included "leather" folio is a convenient and sharp looking way to protect the computer, and also functions as a stand for the unit. Functionally it feels like any other Windows PC, except it is definitely tuned for touch. While not as precise as Apple products, the touch interface does fairly well interpreting what you want to do. If you don't want to use you finger the compute comes with a nice bluetooth keyboard,and my favorite feature, the stylus. Unlike other styluses the one that comes with the ep121 is robust and feels like a real pen in your hand. I'm actually using it to write this review. You have the option of typing with an on-screen keyboard, or using a handwriting recognition feature. It is much faster than typing, and generally fairly accurate, though while writing this review it has become more touchy, and is grouping words together. While the correction tools are very easy, it is still pretty annoying.
Overall I'm quite happy. Dont shop this against an iPad or other true "slate" PC. This is a full up, no kidding real computer that stands on its own, not an overgrown cell phone chained to a host computer like most tablets out there and the $1100 price reflects that.
Buy this if you want a real computer. If you're just looking for a media toy consider saving your money and going with a mobile OS based machine. You'll pay half the price, but at the cost of half the functionality.
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