ASUS Eee Pad Slider Likely Coming in September; Specs Fully Revealed

[dgstorm]

It appears from reports that ASUS may be gearing up to release the Eee Pad Slider in September. Also, the full specs have been revealed:

• Android 3.1 installed, with a promised 3.2 upgrade later
• QWERTY-Sliding Keyboard
• 1280 x 800 WXGA display
• Dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
• 1GB of memory
• 5 megapixel rear-facing camera
• 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera
• USB 2.0, mini-HDMI, microSD card reader
• WiFi and Bluetooth

It will come in 16GB and 32GB "flavors" and will probably go for $400 and $550 models respectively. Asus is also throwing in one year of "unlimited ASUS Web Storage."


Source: AndroidTablets.net via Engadget

 

[Malvado]

sweet. i might go out and get this one lol

 

[SwiftLegend]

The concept of the tablet is nice, but the specs aren't impressive enough that I would leave my Transformer for it. Maybe if the camera was better and it had a 1.5 OMAP 4430 or 4460..then I'd get it.

 

[Malvado]

The concept of the tablet is nice, but the specs aren't impressive enough that I would leave my Transformer for it. Maybe if the camera was better and it had a 1.5 OMAP 4430 or 4460..then I'd get it.

Yea the specs aren't that much of an upgrade. But the keyboard is what attracts me lol

Sent from my DROID 3 directly to YOU!

 

[gadgetrants]

Two thoughts:

First, the spec sheets I've seen suggest it will be ~.7 inches thick. The keyboard is a major asset, but at that thickness it will be also run around 2lbs. Not a dainty thing to hold.

Second, I'm betting against $400 for 16GB, and here is my reasoning: MSRP on the Transformer is $400 plus $125-$150 for the keyboard. It's already pretty clear that the Slider will compete with Transformer sales but with the Slider at $400, the Transformer will be demolished. I'm predicting $500 for the 16GB Slider. I'd PREFER $400...just don't think we'll see that price until 3-4 months after launch.

-Matt

 

[SwiftLegend]

Two thoughts:

First, the spec sheets I've seen suggest it will be ~.7 inches thick. The keyboard is a major asset, but at that thickness it will be also run around 2lbs. Not a dainty thing to hold.

Second, I'm betting against $400 for 16GB, and here is my reasoning: MSRP on the Transformer is $400 plus $125-$150 for the keyboard. It's already pretty clear that the Slider will compete with Transformer sales but with the Slider at $400, the Transformer will be demolished. I'm predicting $500 for the 16GB Slider. I'd PREFER $400...just don't think we'll see that price until 3-4 months after launch.

-Matt

Since it's really just a Transformer with a built in keyboard dock, it will probably cost around the combined price of the TF+dock. So around $550. To compete like you said, they will probably drop it down to $500. I think the Transformer with the keyboard is still thinner and lighter, but I'm not sure..

 

[SwiftLegend]

My only hope is that since this is so similar to the Transformer, their roms will be cross-compatible. I have a feeling this will have a lot more development just because of the native keyboard. Booting Ubuntu from an SDcard will probably be on faster than it was for the TF.

 

[gadgetrants]

I held off getting the TF after seeing some "lemon" reports on Amazon...looked like some units had been rushed through production to meet demand. But given how much I love my Droid...I'm drooling over the Slider form-factor. If it runs Ubuntu well...that'll probably force me to be an early-adopter.

-Matt

 

[Detonation]

Since it's really just a Transformer with a built in keyboard dock, it will probably cost around the combined price of the TF+dock. So around $550. To compete like you said, they will probably drop it down to $500. I think the Transformer with the keyboard is still thinner and lighter, but I'm not sure..

But does the slider keyboard also provide extra battery like the dock? I can't seem to find anything about batter life for the slider, but I can't imagine its 16 hours like the TF+Dock. Pus it doesn't have touch pad like the TF, which is a huge minus.

 

[GrillMouster]

The slider keyboard may be a plus, but it does not add extra battery life or ports like the Transformer's accessory dock does. The slider keybaord does add thickness and weight. Since the negatives negate the positives, I hope the Slider is priced as an alternative configuration to the Transformer, not as a premium upgrade.

 

[gadgetrants]

Thanks guys, I completely forgot about the second battery + ports. I still agree with SwiftLegend that we'll see an early-adopter price at $550 or even $600 for the 16GB. Then price should drop like a rock through Black Friday.

Of course, Asus led the Transformer with a $400 MSRP, which caused COMPLETE BANANAS. They've also been a lot slower than others (e.g,. Acer) on the recent price cuts. The issue of built-in keyboard is a real wild-card for me...I see them pricing the Slider like a Transformer+KB combo package, but it wouldn't surprise me if they decided to completely kill the Transformer and lead with the Slider at $450 (or less?). That would probably mean a price-drop to $300 for the Transformer by year-end.

Plus don't forget the Kal-El rumors. If true, that means the Tegra 2 (and maybe even TI's dual-core) will look pretty shabby come next spring.

-Matt

 

[SwiftLegend]

The Tegra 2 already us shabby compared to the OMAP 4430 and 4460 and Sammy's Enoxys.

 

[gadgetrants]

The Tegra 2 already us shabby compared to the OMAP 4430 and 4460 and Sammy's Enoxys.

Uhoh, hating on the Tegra.

Actually, the more I learn about Android, the more I discover that "multitasking" is a myth. A few thoughts:

- First, how many Android apps are multi-thread capable? None, afaik (could definitely be wrong). That means that any given app presumably runs in ONE CORE.

OK, but then: I can run several apps simultaneously across different cores, right?

- Not exactly: it looks like the device RAM is the bottleneck. If Android runs out of RAM, it caches background apps--saving their state (e.g., gmail inbox and the message you were viewing 2 apps back)--and then restoring the app+state when you return to it. You have the illusion "it was still running." This happens to me on my Droid (OK, yeah...256MB RAM?) ALL THE TIME when I go back to my browser (it reloads the page!!!). Happens a lot with my gTab (500MB RAM) too.

There are some important exceptions: we can for example run a music player (which stays persistent) while browsing or reading mail. We hear the music (while offscreen) so it's obviously still running.

But then: LOTS of "apps" (actually, services/processes) run in the background, like location sensing, phone, push services, etc. Still, I wouldn't call *that* multitasking.

What's my point? I guess it's that: All those cores sound awesome, but multitasking on an Android device isn't quite the same as it is on a PC. (Sidenote: Nvidia is claiming that another advantage of Kal-El will be battery life. If so, then my analysis is not so relevant.)

-Matt

 

[SwiftLegend]

Uhoh, hating on the Tegra.

Actually, the more I learn about Android, the more I discover that "multitasking" is a myth. A few thoughts:

- First, how many Android apps are multi-thread capable? None, afaik (could definitely be wrong). That means that any given app presumably runs in ONE CORE.

OK, but then: I can run several apps simultaneously across different cores, right?

- Not exactly: it looks like the device RAM is the bottleneck. If Android runs out of RAM, it caches background apps--saving their state (e.g., gmail inbox and the message you were viewing 2 apps back)--and then restoring the app+state when you return to it. You have the illusion "it was still running." This happens to me on my Droid (OK, yeah...256MB RAM?) ALL THE TIME when I go back to my browser (it reloads the page!!!). Happens a lot with my gTab (500MB RAM) too.

There are some important exceptions: we can for example run a music player (which stays persistent) while browsing or reading mail. We hear the music (while offscreen) so it's obviously still running.

But then: LOTS of "apps" (actually, services/processes) run in the background, like location sensing, phone, push services, etc. Still, I wouldn't call *that* multitasking.

What's my point? I guess it's that: All those cores sound awesome, but multitasking on an Android device isn't quite the same as it is on a PC. (Sidenote: Nvidia is claiming that another advantage of Kal-El will be battery life. If so, then my analysis is not so relevant.)

-Matt

Not hating on it. Just stating facts. BTW, I have a TF and X2...both use Tegra 2.

 

[gadgetrants]

Not hating on it. Just stating facts. BTW, I have a TF and X2...both use Tegra 2.

You know I was joking, right?

More importantly, I was hoping you'd reject my multi-core account and set the record straight!

-Matt