My thoughts on Slider tablets

Yesterday we got a peek at the Asus EEE Slider Pad which the company expects to release in May 2010. The EEE Slider Pad is a Android device powered by a 10-inch Tegra 2 processor.

Asus Eee Slider

Today, TechRadar posted some information on a Samsung slider tablet, the TX-100. For more details on the device you can follow this link the the TechRadar article.  But in brief the TX-100 is a 10-inch tablet running on Windows 7 and powered by an Atom processor. Essentially, it is a touchscreen netbook.

Samsung TX-100

The TX-100 is expected to come out by March 2010. 

I have some reservations about these new type of devices. The Asus Eee Slider Pad is a tablet with a keyboard built-in. This one looks like will be even more cramp than a typical 10-inch netbook keyboard. You can actually already get a keyboard with either the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab but as a separate keyboard. 

Apple iPad with keyboard

The advantage of the Asus Eee Slider Pad, it is more convenient to carry it with the keyboard around. The disadvantage is that you have to carry the keyboard around even if you have no plans of using it. Ultimately, it will come down to thickness and weight. I find the 9.7-inch 1.5 pound Apple iPad, a bit bigger than I would like. Most people find it to be just about right. The Asus Eee Slider Pad should be at least a half pound heavier than a Apple iPad.

As for the Samsung TX-100, the concept of a touchscreen netbook it nothing new. Unless, Samsung plans to heavily customize Windows 7 and some essential software (which it actually did for the Galaxy Tab), I do not see this becoming a very popular product. HP offered a touchscreen on its excellent Mini 5102 netbook in 2010 and it was not very popular. An article from Liliputing explains why here.

HP Mini 5102 touchscreen netbook

Samsung has sold 1.5 million Galaxy Tab's since its release. Apple sells more than 1.5 million iPad's a month. Both these devices are still fairly expensive. I think providing lower cost options may have been enough for this year.

While I do not begrudge innovation, I see this as a slide back. Touchscreen PC's are nothing new. By detaching the keyboard Apple created something light enough for people to use as a mobile device that was even more portable than a netbook. With that stroke, plus a very friendly user interface and excellent battery life, Apple created the most exciting new product for 2010. The new spin on the tablet from Asus and Samsung appear to be a step back.