14 DAY TRIAL // Of course, since Apple finally launched the iPad, other companies are no longer so reserved about launching their own tablet PCs. MSI has already revealed plans for a $500 slate and HP is already far enough along that it was able to release an official video of its own product. Preparing to join the tablet party is ASUS, whose Eee pad was hinted at back in December. Most recently, the company confirmed the tablet's existence.
TechRadar folks recently scored an interview with the ASUS Corporate Vice President, Eric Chen. The company VP confirmed that the tablet was in development and outlined some of its functions. The device will be based on the NVIDIA Tegra mobile platform and will boast the mandatory touchscreen and also 3G connectivity. Unfortunately, the ASUS Vice President proved to be rather tight-lipped when it came to the actual product specifications. Nevertheless, just the use of Tegra implies that the Eee Pad will be capable of flash playback, which is already an advantage over the iPad that does not boast this feature.
"A slate? Yes, sure. We have the Eee Pad. Which right now is still under development. Basically, it will have an ARM CPU and a 3G connection so you are always connected to the Internet, so just like with the Eee Book you are always connected," Mr. Eric Chen said. "And you can choose to play video or something, when you like. Now the key is how to combine the content together. That will be the key. We have studied how people will want to connect to their content and also how they want to interact with the user interface (UI)."
Chen also commented on the fact that the iPhone itself was successful not for its call quality, but for its UI function. He stated that, "You look at the iPhone, for example. The reason the iPhone is so successful – and call quality is really not that good – is the UI function, I think, is just the best. So this is also the way that we need to improve."
TechRadar also made some inquiries into ASUS' near-future plans for its UL Series and also for the Eee Readers and Eee Pad. According to John Swatton, the company's UK marketing manager, ASUS is already negotiating deals with Telcos and content providers. This means that the actual product launch should not be too far off.