Alternatives

[mittmark]

Correct, and it scores a 5.8 on the CPU with the Windows Experience Index. Pre-ordered mine last night on Amazon. But as others have pointed out, I think the EP121 and Slate don't really match up well. The EP121 will wipe the floor with the Slate in terms of performance but the Slate looks to have much better battery life and is a full pound lighter. For on the go the Slate wins. For performance the EP121 is clearly the winner. And if you need a Wacom pen then there is no choice but I do find the Slate to be a great note taker, that would be the device I'd take to a meeting.

I really can't express enough how much I like the size of the Slate. It's the smallest screen size for Windows to still be decent with touch. 7" is too small for Windows.

Heat, I'm with you exactly. I preordered the EP121 last night from Amazon, but am having 2nd thoughts now. It's too big, and they don't talk at all about battery life which is scary. My current thought is back to the slate 500 but HP...? What gives? They're not talking about it at all at CES. Not a word from Microsoft during their presentation at CES. They raved about the EP121. Here we go again, how long do I have to wait for the tablet pc with a pen for note taking, light, easy to carry with reasonable battery life?

[thadwald]

The reason why HP slate's successor (if there is one) is not at CES could be because HP does not see it as a consumer device.
The intel Oaktrail is the slate's Silverthorne platform's successor and is the only option that is remotely competitive with ARM devices, hence its selection for devices with small form factors. None of the Oaktrail devices are shipping at the moment and none will be for a few months. If HP has an Oaktrail slate in the works, they will probably upgrade it quietly and advertize it to businesses, if at all.
...
On the other hand, the Motion tablet is not a consumer device either, yet it made an appearance at CES. Maybe HP (Rick) fears that announcements of future products would cannibalize current sales...which I think is a valid theory because most of the other devices represent new product lines. This (product timing) is the reason why Apple quit CES.

[e-schreiber]

The reason why HP slate's successor (if there is one) is not at CES could be because HP does not see it as a consumer device.

I think it's simpler than that. HP tends to fall asleep on the bench and miss the buses. That's all. I don't remember HP showcasing the TM2 last year either. So this is just HP being HP. They might be focused on something else... God only knows what.

[dceggert]

*Snip
On the other hand, the Motion tablet is not a consumer device either, yet it made an appearance at CES. Maybe HP (Rick) fears that announcements of future products would cannibalize current sales...which I think is a valid theory because most of the other devices represent new product lines. This (product timing) is the reason why Apple quit CES.

That is true about Motion. You can see it throughout their history, they are not really set up to cater to the consumer. 'Poor customer service' has always been leveled against the company but it was never really structured to cater to the 24/7/365 demands of the public.

So along comes the CL900 and it too is not really targeted at the consumer either but it appears to me that it may be trying to bridge the gap more than its predesessors. What makes me think that is:
- CL5 - 3,200
- LS800 - 2,400
- CL900 - "under 1,000"

Maybe they are thinking that lowering the price may result in higher volumes. Their website even mentions they are after the "prosumer." So that is what 'we' TabletPC users are now, Prosumers.

Another company typically targeting the business sale but moving towards the prosumer market is Fujitsu. The same holds for them...more powerful devices for less $'s. Look at the specs on that ginormous T901 they just pushed off the cart.

2011 seems to be shaping up to be interesting if for nothing else than all these companies will want your attention to buy their products. With the 'consumer' tablet rocking the price scale towards the bottom, us 'prosumers' are now starting to see some interesting things for what I would call a bargain compared to the TabletPC of just last year!

[jgjackson]

I think prosumer is the right word. I've used it before on this forum and compared it to the DSLR vs P&S camera market. I for one am drooling over that T901 as a complement to my Slate.

[heatlesssun]

Heat, I'm with you exactly. I preordered the EP121 last night from Amazon, but am having 2nd thoughts now. It's too big, and they don't talk at all about battery life which is scary. My current thought is back to the slate 500 but HP...? What gives? They're not talking about it at all at CES. Not a word from Microsoft during their presentation at CES. They raved about the EP121. Here we go again, how long do I have to wait for the tablet pc with a pen for note taking, light, easy to carry with reasonable battery life?

HP I think will regreat buying Palm. Now webOS has to compete against Windows head to head. The iPad, Android, Blackberry and now Windows. Is there any question that webOS is dead last in this race? The phone market can sustain a lot of platforms, it don't think that the slate market can sustain 5 different major platforms, not for the foreseeable future.

HP made a great device in the 500, maybe too good. I know webOS will be nicer for entertainment but it's NEVER going to the iPad or Android. Windows 8 on ARM is HUGE and that's going to take developer mindshare away from webOS. There's little doubt unless Microsoft really screws up it's execution.

[acerbic]

Maybe HP (Rick) fears that announcements of future products would cannibalize current sales...which I think is a valid theory because most of the other devices represent new product lines.

LOL: ya think that could become the prevalent problem with the Slate 500 sales?

[nnthemperor]

Please, we will not fight together. 6 months ago we have no slates on the radar, now we have many. Real slates with pen. And two technologies instead of only one. And to extreme size 9" and 12" and probably soon middle size of 10". People who have the slate 500 love it. People who will have the Ep121 will love it too, like I love my TM2 that I use as a slate all the day (yes 2 Kilos always with me).
So come on.

Well said Thierryb. For me, I`ve always had my reservations on any screen less than 10". The 12" Asus slate is just perfect for me.
And btw, a forum member presently at CES visited the Asus booth today and they told him Asus will start shipping the slates by next week( actually this week was what the lady told him)

[nnthemperor]

I see a lot of folks posting that they are tired of waiting for the Slate 500 and will therefore be buying an Asus EP121 instead. To those of you thinking about doing this please keep your needs in mind while exploring other options. If you were interested in the Slate 500 for its size, weight, and abilities then you will likely be unhappy with a larger unit.

In other words, weigh the decision carefully in light of what you needed/wanted out of a device. Just getting it quicker is not a very good reason! Be careful!

Not a bad piece of advice though.

[Telstar]

With the Nov. slates being pushed into Feb. now, one alternative is to do nothing.

It is clear to me that even if I receive mine, the supply chain is NOT VIABLE and I cannot recommend that anyone here either buy it for personal use nor adopt it for institutional consideration.

How are they going to deal with battery and warranty issues? What about reliability of customer service? Answer: Expect no service and no ability to deal with problems.

I think the 121 is overpriced and too big and heavy except as a middle alternative to something like the tm2. I think the exopc is priced right, no digitizer, but is too big...and even 2 pounds is too heavy (my Air is 2.13 and I could not hold it up for too long).

So do nothing and see what happens is becoming increasingly viable.


We are unlikely to see much of Asus MeMo etc until Q3-4 if their past pattern is correct. I actually think the MeMo digitizing memo pad has potential for us here if it is priced right ($350-400 max).

The 121 just used currently available stuff...thus no Sandy Bridge or other efficiences, and hence truly terrible battery life. Doing a few assumptive power calculations, with SD video interpolated to full screen and medium brightness only an hour and 45 minutes of life might be had.

The video on the 121 has no discrete GPU nor the efficiences promised in Sandy Bridge...it *has* to generate heat on continuous and flash video...and thus invoke a fan.

PS

Amazon WILL charge its 15% computer restock fee if the 121 is returned...that is $165 to try it out.