What is the most office-friendly tablet? A new rival to the iPad goes into battle on April 15 in the shape of ASUS Eee Slate EP121, and has at least one advantage up its sleeve when it comes to business use - it runs Windows.
We first saw the EP121 in January, when it was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It's so unlike many of the tablets out now that we dubbed it the "anti-iPad". The announcement of a $1499 price tag hammers home the fact that this isn't a toy for web surfing and apps.
Under the hood is Intel's Core i5 chip, with 2GB or 4GB RAM and 64GB SSD. The screen is a 1280 by 800 capacitive 12.1in LED backlit with a claimed wide viewing angle of 178 degrees. The EP121 also comes with a Bluetooth keyboard and WACOM digitzer pen.
Curiously, while ASUS is pitching the device as for both consumers and business, the EP121 comes with Windows 7 Home Premium.
Whether there's a market for a "no compromise" tablet that costs the same as a "real" laptop and runs Office, Quicken and Photoshop remains to be seen.
The iconic Apple iPad has certainly made an impact in corporate environments, with business executives surveyed among the early adopters.
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