Asus Eee Slate EP121 (64GB)

• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 23 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Right on! - A Real Computer masquerading as a Tablet

  by Don Cox on February 15, 2011

  Pros: * Real power, with real software capabilities.
  * Great digitizer and smooth handwriting ink.
  * Good to very good touch interface (I was initially concerned about this).
  * Perfect for note taking in class or at work.
  * Windows 7 64-bit is solid.

  Cons: * Marginal battery life.
  * Weight with included cover is too much. It is better "naked".
  * Lack of accessory options (such as covers, etc.) otherwise good with standard interfaces.

  Summary: I have an iPad. I like the iPad's form factor and battery life, but that's about it. I didn't need to drop the bucks on a tech ...

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  Summary: I have an iPad. I like the iPad's form factor and battery life, but that's about it. I didn't need to drop the bucks on a tech toy which I then had to purchase a number of not-quite-right applications; I needed something more useful for productivity (that still allows for hand-writing). The ep121 fits the bill nicely. It is a bit heavy (about the weight of a MacBook Air), with only about 3.5 hours of "typical" use on battery. But man, it is the best digitizer I've used in years. OneNote and ink, online sync? heck yeah! My use requirements: Class and work notes that I can sync across devices and locations; need a full office suite; need Wi-Fi (not cell data); need USB connections; light-enough-device. And yes, I feel quite used and abused by Apple for my iPad. I'm not a hype-guy, but man, that iPad was a mistake.

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  9 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Great business tablet; good for consumer, high price

  by Seth_Miller on May 16, 2011

  Pros: Lots of power in a slate device
  Comes with accessories
  Durable
  Full windows; no lockdown
  Open system
  Active digitizer

  Cons: Heavy
  Very glossy screen
  High price for consumer
  Battery is great for a laptop, poor for a pad; average of three hours

  Summary: I had never handled a slate/pad device for more than a few seconds before the Asus EP121 Slate arrived at my home. My excitement was piqued by this product ...

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  Summary: I had never handled a slate/pad device for more than a few seconds before the Asus EP121 Slate arrived at my home. My excitement was piqued by this product because of its claim of being "The world's most powerful tablet device".
  
  Although I tried to be as unbiased as possible and give my honest review, there is no such thing as unbiased. My idea of a slate/pad device is shaped by the iPAD. I have never used the iPAD for more than a few minutes and most of what I know of it is from reviews and opinions of peers.
  
  When I arrived at my home last week, I thought that the fairly large box sitting on my kitchen floor was far too big and heavy to be the pad device I was expecting. Sure enough the 15.5"x10"x3.25" box inside had the clear labeling of an Asus product.
  
  The product is packaged well with the device right on top as you open the box and all of the accessories underneath it. I was a little surprised at how heavy the box and the device itself was until I found out what was contained in this relatively small package.
  
  The slate itself is a little under 12.5 inches wide (in horizontal orientation) and 8.25 inches tall. It is less than three quarters of an inch deep. I looked up the specs to relate what I was holding to the computing power it was capable of.
  
  The EP121 has a Intel Dual-Core i5 470um at 1.33GHz with integrated graphics. The premium model that I was testing had 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 64GB solid state drive. The screen is 12.1 inches (hence the model EP121) and is capable of 1280x800 display resolution. These hardware specs are about the same as my desktop at my work. Once I made the comparison and realized the amount of power I was holding, the unit didn't seem quite so bulky.
  
  The rest of the items in the box include a basic user manual, support DVD, power cord, cleaning cloth, stylus and refill nibs, tool to replace stylus nibs, a leather cover/folio and a bluetooth keyboard with a set of batteries.
  
  When looking at the screen of the device before it's powered on, the glossiness is almost overwhelming and if anyone has used the device before you, the screen looks like a smart phone display after having a half hour phone conversation on a humid day. If you want this thing to look nice and perform well when using your fingers, it will need to be cleaned often.
  
  There are numerous ports and connections on the sides of the unit. On the left side from bottom to top in a horizontal orientation is a speaker, an SD card reader, USB 2.0 port, internal microphone, another USB 2.0 port, a combination mic in/headphone out audio jack, mini HDMI port, a volume up/down rocker, charging port and charging LED. The USB ports are covered by somewhat difficult to open covers; probably assuming they would not often be used.
  
  The top side from left to right has a power button/slider and LED, a keyboard button, orientation lock switch and a slot for the Wacom Digitizer pen, also known as the stylus. By default the keyboard button is simply a shortcut to show the on-screen keyboard at any time, although there are also several ways to bring it up from the screen. The right side simply contains another speaker towards the bottom and the bottom of the device does not have any ports or connections.
  
  The included bluetooth keyboard is quick and easy to set up and link to the device. Switch the keyboard on, which should automatically put it into discoverable mode. Double click the bluetooth icon in the lower right hand corner of the screen and click add device. Type the security password that comes up directly into the keyboard and press enter.
  
  The Wacom Digitizer pen (referred to from now on as the "pen") is not your ordinary pen/stylus. It actively works with the slate in multiple ways. One of the more common cons of most touch pad devices is that there is no "hover" option with the cursor, because the surface of the device will only react when touched and touching, by default, dictates an action. In the case of this pen, the slate senses its location while it is held within approximately a quarter inch of the glass. This makes it easy to hover the mouse just as if using a desktop. When using the pen, the slate is sensitive to the pressure applied. The most obvious evidence of this is when using the ArtRage program and using a pencil or shading feature. The package comes with replacement nibs which are the plastic inserts to the pen. There is also a tool to help replace the nibs.
  
  The unit startup is very quick with the powerful processor and solid state drive, despite being a complete Windows operating system. It boots up a lot quicker even than my smart phone with a proprietary OS. The installed operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium with a couple of extra programs from Asus. The OS is of course configured exactly for this device with tablet extensions enabled and wizards galore. I knew this unit had Windows 7, but I was expecting something a little more locked down in the way of a smart phone or iPAD, but this device is as open as if installed from scratch on a full desktop computer.
  
  Keep in mind that Asus packed a lot of computing power into a relatively very small space. The unit will get warm and the heat expelled will vary in temperature depending on what the user is doing. You will also hear and feel the warm air from the cooling fan which seems to blow heat only out of the top left vent (in horizontal orientation). Way to go Asus. I know quite a few other laptop manufacturers that should take a hint and expel heat in a strategic location.
  
  The first thing I did after power-up was to download the Google Chrome browser to compare a piece of software not necessarily designed or configure for this device. The install was a piece of cake, very automatic and gave no indication this was not a typical Windows desktop. The only usability difference I could find is that the flick and scroll functions of the touch screen did not work in Chrome automatically as they do by default in Internet Explorer. After a quick search, I found a plugin for Chrome that fixed the flick and scroll functions.
  
  The web cam testing was pretty basic. The only thing I really use a web cam for is Skype and on a much more seldom basis, YouTube response videos. I used the native Windows Movie Maker program to record a short video using the web cam and the built in microphone on the left side. The quality was good and sound was surprisingly clear. The functionality is what I would expect for a monitor mounted web cam.
  
  ArtRage Studio is an included program that gives an art easel interface with over a dozen tools for creating digital art. This program is obviously included because it is a perfect compliment to a tablet device with a touch screen interface. I didn't spend a lot of time in this program, but it appears to have a massive following according to the number of posts on the ArtRage Forums. This is a great tool to show off the obvious advantages to a touch screen device and appears in almost every review YouTube video post I have seen. If you are an artist (I am definitely not), this type of program will have an obvious incentive.
  
  One of the more useful tools I found was the device settings for the "ASUStek Touch-NB" device contained within the control panel. It is more easily found as the picturesque icon in the task panel. The links contained are the most useful for finding programs and settings specifically pertaining to this device. Also contained is a digital version of the user manual, which although not extensively detailed is worth taking a look at for basic operations. There is also a link for the Amazon eReader, games, applications, multimedia programs and utilities. This screen is a good place to start.
  
  The EP121 has an accelerometer and is able to rotate the screen depending on the orientation the user has the unit in. It is not as quick as a smart phone. The screen is changing resolution and takes a couple of seconds between changes. This ability can be suppressed by switching on the orientation lock next to the power switch. I was surprised at how well this works. It seems only advantageous to switch to portrait mode when browsing the internet or using a word processor and taking notes. The resizing is accurate and operationally clean (no obvious bugs).
  
  This device is obviously much more than a media consumption tool, but I wanted to make sure that capability was covered anyway. YouTube videos play great, even in full screen all the way up to 1080p HD if you can find them. However, going from 720p to 1080p shows a noticeable difference in smoothness of playback. 1080p seems to be just a little too much for the integrated graphics to handle. Netflix which runs in Microsoft Silverlight ran perfectly in full screen.
  
  The on screen keyboard has two modes; keyboard mode and free-hand recognition mode. When a text field is clicked in the browser, a small icon appears below or above it to pop up the keyboard in the last mode it was used. There is also a pop-out icon from the side that can be docked anywhere on the left side of the screen. A small version of the keyboard can float anywhere on the screen or a full version can be docked at the bottom or top of the screen. The keyboard can also be shown in its last docked position by pushing the keyboard button on the side/top of the unit as mentioned earlier.
  
  There is nothing much special about the keyboard in either mode and could be vastly improved by Microsoft just by adopting some of the mobile keyboard technology such as T9 or Swype. The keyboard is old school hunt-n-peck with the addition of some internet domain shortcuts. The handwriting has a lot more options and learns your handwriting nuances as you go. You can also teach it certain aspects of how you write to provide better recognition. It is worth spending a little time on this if you will not be always using the physical keyboard. It will save you time and frustration in the long run.
  
  This version of the OS comes with some Microsoft games designed specifically for a touch screen as well as the usual suspects of solitaire and minesweeper. They are simple games but they do a good job of displaying the graphics, sound and touch screen capabilities of the device. By the way, these games are designed for finger touch, not the pen.
  
  Most of my computer time consists of remote access of some kind to another network through VPN. I installed Cisco VPN and tried to do a little of everything I would as if I were working from home for a week. This included Remote Desktop to a Windows server, SSH or Telnet to a Linux server, VNC to either Windows or Linux, file transfer, java programs and a half a dozen other activities. Everything worked without a problem. Most of these things were more difficult if I wasn't using the keyboard but the pen worked just fine for getting around the desktop in the absence of a mouse.
  
  Up until this experience with the EP121, I was convinced there were five tiers for consumer compute devices. The smart phone being the smallest of the five is a pure consumption device as well as a phone and is good to always have on my person. The pad device is a larger media consumption tool and should be used when a wifi signal is not present or long battery life is a must. The netbook and notebook are the next two tiers and can be qualified by portability, battery life and capability. Then, finally is the desktop for full non-portable work and play.
  
  The Asus EP121 puts a sixth tier into my scale. I would fit it in between the netbook and the notebook. It has the capabilities of both but also contains much of the media consumption capability of the pad and matches the power of the notebook. Where the slate suffers is with battery life. Although it will outlast my laptop by a good hour or two, the netbook will match or beat it even when working on cpu intensive applications. Of course, the netbook doesn't have near the screen size or resolution of the slate.
  
  Being that I use my computers much more for business than anything, I can see the ultimate use for this device as a C-level executive's or manager's pad. They would still have a laptop, but this would be the perfect device for providing the power, screen size, capability and versatility for someone using it in a mostly or purely business centric way. The consumer can use it as a general purpose slate if they are needing more than a simple media consumption device but not a powerhouse for playing high-end games. If the price tag doesn't bother you, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

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  7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  An actual (Slate) Tablet "PC" for the Serious User

  by Tronn1 on April 23, 2011

  Pros: "It's a PC!" And on the fun side; "It's not very PC!" With this device, you get the best of both worlds! I don't see any other tablets out there running full versions of Microsoft Office applications, (with the ability to ink), or any other true, full pro

  Cons: Not much. I only wish it had a built in WWAN radio, and a desk-top charging dock, or port replicator would be nice.

  Summary: The size is perfect. Not too big and not too small. Light weight, and feels good to handle. Again, if you want the best of both worlds, then look no ...

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  Summary: The size is perfect. Not too big and not too small. Light weight, and feels good to handle. Again, if you want the best of both worlds, then look no further. As far as I'm concerned, this knocks the iPad and all the other tablets, way out the box! Great work Microsoft and Asus!

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  4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Can get serious graphics works done while slouching

  by mike2mikeca on April 27, 2011

  Pros: Looks, Recovery DVD, Screen Orientation Lock, Durable Screen, Responsive Input Screen, Fast HD (actually SSD)

  Cons: 65GB HD, half of which occupied. I can't even imaging using 32GB HD. Case could have been nicer. Bundled keyboard is ho hum. Fixed battery, just like iPad.

  Summary: Always dreamt of using Photoshop while sitting on a sofa, sipping wine, and eating cheese. Tired of working at a table, hunched over, fussing with the mouse and tablet. Now ...

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  Summary: Always dreamt of using Photoshop while sitting on a sofa, sipping wine, and eating cheese. Tired of working at a table, hunched over, fussing with the mouse and tablet. Now I can actually do some serious graphics work using the touch screen, just as comfortably as sketching, all the while slouching. Yes, I'm that kind of person.
  
  Eee Slate is a slick slab with an homage to iPad, with bare minimum of switches, buttons, and connections. There is no assignable button. Bluetooth and WiFi are controlled by software, which is actually better than switches. And I seem to be doing fine with just the connections provided. It's sturdy. I pick it up by the corner without worrying, though I might regret this later. Screen is a delight. There is not a single compartment panel or even a screw on the back. Rest it on the lap and rotated it as you work. One of the few real switches on the Eee Slate is the Orientation Lock Switch, to prevent it from jumping from landscape to portrait. Comes in very handy when you start rotating the slate, and you will be rotating the slate to see the screen! Your hand does get in the way on a slate PC, something that does not happen on a traditional PC with mouse. And it allows you to draw at a comfortable angle. It's extremely quiet. To hear the fan, I literally have to place my ear on the vent. It stays cool. Important when it's on your lap.
  
  Bad news: if you want to work efficiently with Photoshop, you'll need a real keyboard! Virtual keyboard is just obtrusive. Even the Input Panel Tab on the left side of the screen gets in the way of tool selection. I disabled the tab feature. Eee comes with a full size Bluetooth keyboard, off the shelf Microsoft unit, but I find it inconvenient. They should have left it out and let us select a keyboard based on our individual needs. I'm using the Ultra-mini Keyboard by Smk Link. It's a size of a game pad, and can be nestled beside you or placed on the armrest. Because it's small, you can tap key combinations that are spaced apart, like Control and plus (+), with one hand, though it requires some wrist twisting. The only bummer is that its requires a USB dongle, which sticks out of the slate. Sort of gets in the way when you hold the slate upright. Bluetooth model would have been nicer, though probably less reliable.
  
  You'll also want to disable touch and work exclusively with pen input, or else you'll accidentally click on something with your palm while trying to position your pen. For general purpose, tapping with you finger is fine, and actually fun, but not while working on Photoshop. You need the precision of a pen. The ability to disable touch input is what makes this slate suited for graphics. By the way, the slate input is not pressure sensitive, at least not for my version of Photoshop!
  
  You'll also need to adjust your clicking. With tap and hold enabled, when you hold a tap, it becomes context-click (right-click). What may not be obvious is that when you first tap, the machine waits until you either release (click) or move (drag). Linger too long, context menus pops up. You just have to be aware of this and change your clicking habits. It's fine once you get used to it, though I still do get an occasional context-click while trying to be exacting, like when adjusting a path.
  
  To run Maya, you'll have to improvise the Middle Button, since it does not exist. Not even an option anywhere. My solution is to reassign one of the keys (I used the Windows key) using free AutoHotKey with a script like this:
  
  *LWin::
  SendEvent {Blind}{MButton down}
  KeyWait LWin
  SendEvent {Blind}{MButton up}
  Return
  
  Be warned that if you use this, as soon as you press the Windows key, you've clicked the Middle Button. Move the cursor by hovering the pen above the screen, without touch it. If you touch the screen, it immediately becomes a regular click. Other programs will have different requirement, and it may be necessary to reassign other keys.
  
  I also want to note how much I appreciate the fact that Eee Slate comes with Recovery DVDs. I bought several computers with no recovery disks, and having to make your own is a real bummer. For Eee Slate, you can even make a recovery USB Flash Drive, though not as easily as the manual suggests. There is no magical program to help you. You need to make a bootable USB Flash Drive using Windows' Disk Part, then copy the files from the two disks. Then when you want to restore the computer, just turn the computer on with the USB Flash Drive plugged in. In less than an hour--I timed it--you'll be up and running. Very nice.
  
  I think ASUS did an excellent job. I love working with the Eee Slate.
  
  I hope this review helps you make an informed choice. Enjoy!

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  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Worth buying if you need a laptop replacement.

  by LzVic on March 7, 2011

  Pros: Very solid hardware specs. Will run all your windows programs without any problem.

  Cons: Battery life is still a lack.

  Summary: Do not compare this to the iPad or any entertainment focused tablet. This could actually replace your laptop if you don't mind carrying around an extra keyboard and optionally ...

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  Summary: Do not compare this to the iPad or any entertainment focused tablet. This could actually replace your laptop if you don't mind carrying around an extra keyboard and optionally a mouse.
  The screen is very responsive to the pen.

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  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  This tablet will only get better with Windows 8

  by ahwooo on September 25, 2011

  Pros: fast, light, it's a real workhorse

  Cons: momentary, brief, screen freezes...could be trim on ssd.

  Summary: I got this a couple of weeks ago for travelling and I love it. Set the brightness to low and you will get 4 hours run time. Put developer build ...

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  Summary: I got this a couple of weeks ago for travelling and I love it. Set the brightness to low and you will get 4 hours run time. Put developer build of Windows 8 on it for latest trip and it was fantastic. The new touch keyboard is so good, I did not pull the bluetooth keyboard out once.
  
  mhatscool(dot)com

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Great Tablet

  by Cascade12 on August 31, 2011

  Pros: I use the tablet for school and it is absolutely perfect. The i5 and 12.1 inch screen is really good for doing work and writing documents. It can do graphics intensive games.

  Cons: The battery life is really bad. I got a max of five and a half hours. The computer can play games but you can't because it's a touch screen. Sometimes the computer freezes and you can't do anything but a hard shut down.

  Summary: The computer is a really great for doing everyday tasks and its not as bad as you think. It will do most everything that you want.Also 64 gigs isn'...

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  Summary: The computer is a really great for doing everyday tasks and its not as bad as you think. It will do most everything that you want.Also 64 gigs isn't enough memory for windows. One last thing, if you want Google Chrome to have multi touch use an extension called chrometouch.
  
  Updated on Nov 20, 2011

  I bought this product back in April 2011. For the last 2.5 months I have been torture testing this device. Its held up pretty well until about 2 weeks ago when it started to shutoff randomly. So I think I am going to get a laptop because windows isn't ready for tablet, nor do I think windows 8 will do it either.

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  1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Perfect work tool

  by CGI_Ram on May 26, 2011

  Pros: Excellent pen input and word recognition. Truly excellent!
  
  Combined with Microsoft OneNote... this baby is a GEM. Your workspace can be paper-free... handwritten notes converted to type.
  
  Add a Samsung SyncMaster C23A750X (wireless docking station) a

  Cons: It's a little heavy.
  
  Screen is glossy which is great for writing, but can be difficult to see when sitting on a table top.
  
  Battery life is just "okay".

  Summary: This is not an ipad. It's a workplace laptop replacement and/or paper-free reality when combined with Microsoft OneNote. The ability to "tag" your notes with OneNote will make ...

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  Summary: This is not an ipad. It's a workplace laptop replacement and/or paper-free reality when combined with Microsoft OneNote. The ability to "tag" your notes with OneNote will make you the sharpest guy/gal in your office (never miss a follow up).
  
  I love it!

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  1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Best windows tablet to date.

  by CEMohan on April 25, 2012

  Pros: Includes Bluetooth keyboard, pen, case. Hard screen is easy to write on. Recognizes pen and finger input automatically, scroll with finger automatically.

  Cons: Sharp movements loosen the battery cable and it won't turn on or charge. You can either send it back and they will fix it, send it back or pop the back off and just unplug/replug the battery. I suggest the second option.

  Summary: Great computer. Is the same thing as the new B121 model. I recommend it to anyone & everyone.

  Summary: Great computer. Is the same thing as the new B121 model. I recommend it to anyone & everyone.

• 4 stars

  looks slick, but not recommend

  by pki118cho on April 10, 2012

  Pros: more portable than laptop, good for note taking at a meeting, good for ebooks

  Cons: relatively heavy, often freeze screens, too short battery life

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