ASUSTeK, which pioneered the netbook category, has shown a tablet computer that it expects to rival Apple’s iPad. The Eee Pad was shown Monday, on the eve of the Computex trade show in Taipei.
p
Based on an Intel CULV Core 2 Duo processor, the device has a capacitive touchscreen, a virtual keyboard, and up to 10 hours of battery life. One version, the EP101TC, features a 10-inch screen, and its larger cousin, the EP121, has a 12-inch screen. A keyboard docking station enables either version to become more PC-like and, like the iPad, the Eee Pad is optimized to play media, display e-books, and surf the web. The 10-inch model will reportedly sell for $399 and the 12-inch model for $449. The iPad starts at $499.
p
subhead
ASUSTeK App Store
/subhead
p
An ASUSTeK app store will also be launched, a first for the hardware company. Third-party applications are increasingly becoming a major factor in purchasing decisions for mobile devices. ASUS said its store will be developed in collaboration with Intel.
p
The Eee Pad should not be confused with the Eee Tablet, also introduced Monday by ASUSTeK at Computex. The tablet is designed to be what ASUS described as a humble notepad and e-reader whose 2,450-dpi touchscreen makes it one of the world’s most accurate and sensitive note-taking devices. Page turns on the tablet take 0.1 seconds, which the company said is nine times the speed of page turns on other e-readers.
p
The tablet has a built-in two-megapixel camera, syncs with a PC or notebook via USB or microSD, and is expected to sell for $199 to $299.
p
The 12-inch Eee Pad uses the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, and the 10-inch version has Windows Embedded Compact 7. Basing the two devices on Windows is a noteworthy decision in the competition with Apple. Android has been the…