back to article Asus slips out keyboard equipped Android tablet

Asus has outed its Android tablets at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), including one that cannily solves the problem of typing quickly on a touchscreen: it has a drop-down physical Qwerty deck. Asus Eee Pad Slider That's the Eee Pad Slider, and it's joined by the Eee Pad Transformer and MeMO. Transformer and Slider both …

COMMENTS

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  1. spencer

    Battery life...

    This looks lovely.. and the addition of a hardware keyboard makes turns it into something other than a device for media consumption (which is basically all what the ipad is). However, if the battery life is rubbish then I doubt it'll get decent sales.

  2. Neil Hoskins
    Thumb Up

    Finally

    A Psion 7 replacement. Count me in.

  3. K. Adams
    Thumb Up

    Chiclet KB?

    How's the keyboard?

    Real, hard-surfaced keycaps? Or rubbery, gooey, chiclet-style caps?

    A chiclet keyboard could have some comfort advantages, especially with the limited keystroke distance, but could be a right pain to keep clean.

    Otherwise, the Slider and Transformer both look like pretty cool kit...

  4. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    I already invented this

    I spilt coffee on my laptop keyboard, which means I have to use the on screen one or a plug-in usb keyboard to run win7.

    Does this mean I invented the win7 tablet?

  5. David Simpson 1
    FAIL

    Elementary my dear Register.

    The strange mix of capitals is obviously used to highlight the "me" part of MeMO.

    Not exactly up there with Sherlock Holmes eh ?

    1. Darryl

      just a title

      Looks to me like they're highlighting the "MO" part

    2. bolccg
      Thumb Up

      My thoughts

      exactly.

  6. JDX Gold badge

    hmmm

    Won't it be a bit heavy - seems like a netbook might be better? But then I guess you really have to use one in the flesh to know if it's any good.

    1. JEDIDIAH
      Linux

      Sometimes you want it. Sometimes you don't.

      Sometimes a keyboard can get in the way. Other times, it's pretty indispensible.

      Carting around another device for the minority use case is annoying.

  7. Gene Cash Silver badge
    Heart

    Finally

    A keyboard without all the extra wasted space under the spacebar, and a touchscreen instead of the stupid irritating touchpad. *and* it's an ASUS... if it's got decent battery, I'll take one!

  8. headwall
    Coat

    titsup

    Surely a tablet is a netbook without a keyboard. Therefore, a tablet-with-a-keyboard is a... netbook?

    Mine's the coat that has no power pack in the pocket.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      Oh noes it's the crazy label game!

      Since it's not an Atom-based ("Netbook") or other x86/x64 processor ("Laptop") my vote would be for "SmartBook"

      But then again it can be run with the screen only on top, which would make it a "Convertible"?

      But it's also running a tweaked mobile phone OS so would that make it a "Tablet"/"Pad"?

      Anybody know WTF a "Slate" means?

      /Mine's the one with the 3D glasses and other associated buzzworthy items in the pockets

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Boffin

      Difference between a tabler and netbook

      Is that on a tablet, the keyboard can be concealed (usually by means of swiveling the screen 180° and then folding said screen down onto the keyboard) and still be used, while on the netbook, concealing the keyboard renders the device unusable.

  9. Neil Charles
    Happy

    Has somebody finally built...

    ... an electronic day-book for the office?

    "7in Android 3.0 tablet that comes with both a capacitive touchscreen and a stylus "for taking handwritten notes"."

    Yes please. Techies everywhere are trying to use iPads, iPhones, Android phones, variations on Evernote and paper scanned in using the office photocopier to get an electronic notepad that organises your scribblings and makes them emailable. It's about time somebody just built one.

  10. Neil Hoskins
    Megaphone

    It just struck me...

    ... WTF is that under the keys on the "Transformer"? A glide pad? What do you need that for if you've got a touch screen? Why not dispense with the glide pad and have a bigger keyboard?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    These look...

    rather enticing. Hopefully they have prices and screens to match.

  12. Don S.
    Joke

    Having

    read many Taiwanese manuals of the years I can only assume MeMO is a misspelling of MeToo.

  13. Mr Floppy

    How much?

    If the price is right, then I might stop carrying around my eeepc701. One thing you have to say about Apple, they certainly get these other companies motivated. There are more tablets than in a packet of paracetamol.

  14. Tempest
    Unhappy

    ACER? Just make sure you get an extended warranty

    It's not only me, but Acer has a really lousy track record with some things like rubber feet falling off.

    Need a new foot - buy half of a new case. In any event, Acer claims rubber feet aren't covered ny warranty.

    Creative people will realise the demo's found in Acer repair waiting rooms have feet. 'Nuff said.

    1. spencer
      FAIL

      Read the article again..

      ..and this time pay close attention to the company mentioned.

    2. Ragarath

      ASUS?

      Since it it's an entirely different company as pointed out why can't you just buy some off the shelf cheap rubber feet? Or even cut to size pads?

      I'm with Acer on this one. For all they know the pad fell off because you slid it over a rough surface.

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