ASUS to Bring 3D Quad-Core Android Tablets to Market This Year

[dgstorm]

Jerry Shen, CEO of ASUS, indicated recently that he believes that quad-core chips and 3D technology were necessary to be competitive in the tablet market and that his company intends to bring these features to their tablets later this year. Industry speculation is that the quad-core chip they will use will be NVIDIA's 'Kal-El' processor, which we shared with you about a few weeks ago. Shen praised Apple's interface and the ecosystem of their tablets, but he also indicated that the internal processors and display technology of their Android products were superior to Apple. This is pretty cool stuff if ASUS can really deliver on their claims.

Source: AndroidTablets.net via SlashGear

 

[jkhonea]

Now THIS is something I really want to see! These could be awesome. I've really gotten to like Asus. They make some very solid products.

 

[Martin030908]

... I still think they'll need to match the price point to truly be competitive.

but I'd like to see these as well.

 

[Jaxidian]

... I still think they'll need to match the price point to truly be competitive.

but I'd like to see these as well.

I agree for only as long as Apple over-prices their products. If they drop to reasonable/competitive prices, then I will begin to disagree.

BTW, cool tablet! The generation of tablets that this one will begin to be a part of is when I'll really buy in. Until then, I'll tinker with my Nook Color.

 

[HamDog]

It's stuff like this that keeps me away from buying anything right now. Technology is just moving too fast. I think $799 is absolutely ridiculous for a Xoom. And the $539 potential price at Sam's club is still a rip-off since so much stuff is right around the corner, such as this Asus. Personally, I'm waiting for the $300 price range, and I may have to wait a year or two till it gets there.

I'm not sure what they mean by 3D. Does that mean you need special glasses like current 3D TV sets?

 

[kptphalkon]

I think they mean along the lines of the 3ds's multiple-screens-in-one setup, where two slightly altered images are displayed (is it side by side or on top of each other?) To give your eyes a stereoscopic effect.

Cool stuff huh...

 

[jodyberry]

OK, but I STILL don't get the whole idea of the tablet.

Big cell phone??

Small laptop without keyboard??

By the time you put on a protective cover, it's almost like carrying a laptop.


Can anyone school me on why I need a tablet if I already have a powerful cell phone and a powerful laptop??

 

[jkhonea]

OK, but I STILL don't get the whole idea of the tablet.

Big cell phone??

Small laptop without keyboard??

By the time you put on a protective cover, it's almost like carrying a laptop.


Can anyone school me on why I need a tablet if I already have a powerful cell phone and a powerful laptop??

Comes down to personal preference. I use it as an electronic portfolio for my plans, to play Keynote presentations for my consulting company, wrote that last quarter of my book on my iPad, keep all of my schedules, calendars and task lists on it. That's just part of how I use mine. And it does a great job of it. And my iPad in it's slip cover is immensely smaller than my notebook. And is big enough to enable two hand typing.

 

[kodiak799]

I don't doubt that for some people a tablet makes sense, but to me (and I should think most people) it only makes sense if you don't already own a laptop (or need all of the laptop features). True, it is lighter (which is kind of irrelevant for me, since I'd carry it in a bag or case just like my laptop) but the only argument I can make for it (personally) is better battery life for watching video vs. my laptop.

I struggled to adjust to a new keyboard on my laptop, and recently switched back to the old one and it was awful. I really don't see how people can easily and comfortably go back and forth between the soft keyboard and full physical one. And for emails, mb posts and longer typing needs I have to have a physical keyboard. I can crank out a quick text or email with swype on my Droid but have not interest in soft keyboards for al my needs.

Give me a tablet with an attachable keyboard (so the screen can be propped up like a laptop for ergonomical reasons) and you have something. I know some options are out there, but again until a tablet can really replace my laptop it's just completely unnecessary to me.

 

[VTRweasel]

ASUS is probably my (AOpen) biggest competitor. We're not going to get into the tablet business though .

Real 3D on the other hand...

I'm also patient and can wait for the droid tablets to come down in price.

 

[kodiak799]

The Xoom is really nice, as a toy like pretty much all tablets still are. Yeah, if the wifi version drops to $300 or so I might think about getting a new toy.

The heat on my laptop is just killing me, so I have been thinking about a netbook or some other cheap option for surfing (tiny smartphone screen and keyboard doesn't work for me).

 

[sidsixseven]

OK, but I STILL don't get the whole idea of the tablet.

Big cell phone??

Small laptop without keyboard??

By the time you put on a protective cover, it's almost like carrying a laptop.


Can anyone school me on why I need a tablet if I already have a powerful cell phone and a powerful laptop??

Today, the impact for you is very low. However, over the next five years, we are going to see the line become blurred even further between cell phones, tablets and home computers.

Think of the Tablet (and associated "docking stations") as the form factor of the future for the average home computer user.

Consider that the Atrix, a cell phone, already has a docking station providing a keyboard and larger monitor. The iPad 2 and tablets of this generation will have Face-to-Face and Skype video chat, offering cell phone like services. Computers can already offer all of these things (including Voice over IP).

Within 3-5 years, for the "average" home consumer, there will be little difference between the three types of devices. While it's true that smaller devices will always be less powerful, it won't be long before they offer all the functionality that the users need.

The result is that you are going to see people replacing things like "laptops" with Tablets. That's not a today thing (your laptop is much more powerful) which is why many people don't see the advantage in using a Tablet. But that's changing -- FAST -- and it is a very real possibility in 2-3 years that you will do 99% of your computer use at home on a Tablet.

 

[kodiak799]

The result is that you are going to see people replacing things like "laptops" with Tablets. That's not a today thing (your laptop is much more powerful) which is why many people don't see the advantage in using a Tablet. But that's changing -- FAST -- and it is a very real possibility in 2-3 years that you will do 99% of your computer use at home on a Tablet.

You nailed it. I don't figure to replace my 1-yr old laptop with another laptop. I'm hoping in, maybe 2 years, to have a beastly smartphone and maybe a tablet and laptop dock for it. Man, ditching the laptop bag and that ridiculous power brick in favor of a phone that fits in my pocket will be simply liberating.

 

[Beardface]

You know whats funny.. everything we thought would be beyond our wildest dreams in terms of technology in the Star Trek franchise is slowly becoming reality. I mean, just look at it...

Cell phones = communicators
Smart Phones = tricorders
Tablets = all the touch screen controls of the ship in The Next Generation

Heck, I saw a segment on 60 Minutes a month or so ago where doctors were able to make a blind man see with a computer chip implanted in the brain.

Crazy when you think about it. I mean, 20 years ago, none of this technology existed. Now, we're talking about glasses-free 3D tablet screens using quad core processing, cell phones and tablets coming close to making computers obsolete...

One can only imagine where technology will be 40 years from now.

 

[Jaxidian]

You know whats funny.. everything we thought would be beyond our wildest dreams in terms of technology in the Star Trek franchise is slowly becoming reality. I mean, just look at it...

Cell phones = communicators
Smart Phones = tricorders
Tablets = all the touch screen controls of the ship in The Next Generation

Heck, I saw a segment on 60 Minutes a month or so ago where doctors were able to make a blind man see with a computer chip implanted in the brain.

Crazy when you think about it. I mean, 20 years ago, none of this technology existed. Now, we're talking about glasses-free 3D tablet screens using quad core processing, cell phones and tablets coming close to making computers obsolete...

One can only imagine where technology will be 40 years from now.

Perhaps we'll send a man to the moon soon!