The EEE Slate EP121 -
Asus is not sure what to call this as of this writing. I have read EEE Slate, EEE Pad, EPad and EP121. Of course you could go by one of the two available model numbers. You have the EP121-1A011M which has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of SSD storage and the EP121 1A010M which comes with 4GB of RAM and a whopping 64GB of SSD storage space. We wanted to go for the 1A010M but could not find this in stock anywhere, as a result (and thinking we could upgrade later) we grabbed the 1A011M for this review.

The actual device is 312 x 207.2 x 16.95 mm (or 12.3 x 8.16 x 0.67 Inches). It is not as thin or small as an iPad, but it is a 16:9 Vs. a 4:3 aspect ratio. Apple has argued that 4:3 give you more room to work, but to those of us that really do work (and that includes many MacBook Pro owners) the longer wide screen display is more comfortable. The weight of the EP121 is only 2.6 Pounds this is about a pound heavier than the iPad 2 and only .7 pounds heavier than the first generation iPad.

Getting more into the details the EP121 has a 12.1 inch LED backlit capacitive multi-touch panel that can also use electromagnetic input from a stylus (thanks to WACOM) with 1280x800 resolution.  The panel uses AFFS technology which scores over the IPS panel in the iPad but offering a wider viewing angle (180 degrees Vs, higher contrast and white levels. AFFS also has more authentic color reproduction which makes the EP121 a possible dream for a photographer on the go. AFFS has a few more advantages up its sleeve; you have a much faster response time, low power and guaranteed color and readability in bright lights. Of course the IPS screen is simpler to make and cheaper…. But I guess you get what you pay for.

At the base of the EP121 is what looks like a home button; well it is, but it is also more than the typical home button. When booting (or not in Windows) is acts like an “enter” key. When on your desktop it lets you cycle through you open applications (with the cool 3D visual). The third function comes when you press and hold the button for 2 seconds, then it acts like pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE.  There is also a 2.0MP web cam that is at the upper edge of the screen when in landscape mode.

The home button is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the EP121. With iPad once you are past the home button there is very little to look at, you get a few minor controls, a headphone jack, speaker, and a charging port (on the iPad2 you get a mic and camera). On the EEE Slate EP121 you get the same basic controls; power, volume, rotation lock, head phone jack and a charging port, but also two USB 2.0 ports, a multi card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC), a mini HDMI out port and stereo speakers. Plus you get a button to enable a large on screen keyboard.

The USB ports are covered when not in use. This helps keep dust and other items out of them. After flipping the EP121 over you will see a white plastic case. This is pressed on but still secure and well ventilated.  In all honesty, aluminum would have been nicer as would have been covers allowing easy access to both the memory and HDD slots. I think that this was a big error on Asus’ part as being able to upgrade this slate would add more interest and perceived value. At the upper left hand corner (right if you are looking at the screen) is a small opening. This is storage for the included magnetic stylus.

Internally the EEE Slate is pretty impressive. You get a dual core Intel Core i5 470um CPU (complete with hyper-threading). This is based on the Clarkdale CPU design complete with HD graphics (with dynamic frequency). The motherboard chipset is the Intel HM55 and includes a single SODIMM slot and a mini-PCIe slot (for the SSD that comes with it).For video you get the CPU bound Intel HD GMA. The cooling is also well done, during my testing I did not have any issues with heat including the EEE Slate getting too warm to hold or have on my lap.