ASUS Eee Pad Slider SL101

“Asus take a shot at a tablet all-rounder and almost hits a home run. Apart from the high weight and the mediocre quality of the keyboard, we would consider the main tablet criteria as met. The workmanship is very good and the sliding mechanism works perfectly. Although the screen only has a low maximum brightness (for tablet standards), the viewing angles and colors are on a high level. The battery life of 9:30 hours in the WLAN test shows the competition how the job is done properly. The charge time of two to three hours is reasonable. We liked the quality of the 5 MP webcam a lot. It supplies noise-free, focused pictures in daylight. The optical zoom shouldn't be used though. Asus doesn't make any mistakes in terms of interfaces. Hardly another tablet can present a mini HDMI and, a total of two USB ports with the charging cable (via 40 pin connector).”

“When it came to writing the conclusion of the Eee Pad Transformer review, I could confidently say that those looking for a tablet with a keyboard didn’t have to look any further. But that’s simply not the case for the Slider. While it may have a more clever and innovative form factor, the fact that the keyboard is always present causes it to be the chunkiest tablet on the market. And even then, the keyboard isn’t as nice as the Transformer’s or other third-party docks for the iPad. Yes, the $469 Slider is certainly a head-turning solution and one that may be more convenient for those that constantly require a physical keyboard to accompany their tablet. However, when you can get a Transformer with a better keyboard, a screen that can be angled to your liking, and more than two times the battery life for just $71 more, it seems like a no-brainer. It’s for those reasons that I doubt Asus will sell as many Sliders as it has Transformers — but, of course, something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Asus’ crazy tablet form factor and price one-two-punch.”

“The Asus Eee Pad Transformer with the keyboard attachment earned its extra thickness by providing a more spacious keyboard, a touch pad, and an extra battery. Plus, you could at any time remove the keyboard and just walk around with the tablet itself. Thanks to its girth and weight, the Slider feels bulky and slightly unwieldy to carry compared with other tablets. However, if the idea of typing on a tablet screen keeps you up at night, you'd still like to benefit from most of the advantages of using a tablet, and you don't mind not being able to detach the tablet from the keyboard, the Slider is a worthwhile investment.”

“There’s almost nothing wrong with the Asus Eee Pad Slider. Its worst crimes are that it’s heavy and larger than other, keyboardless tablets. If that worries you, get the new Asus Eee Pad Transformer when it comes out. Then you have the advantages of a detachable keyboard, which has an extra battery, and gives you the flexibility of leaving the keyboard at home, if you need a lighter tablet.”