Gadgets Blog » ASUS

While rival company Apple may have beat Microsoft to the initial launch, the computing giant of the ’90s has plans to strike back in a market where they have been hurting: personal electronics. The iPad, hailed as a computing revolution by bringing portable touchscreen technology to a new development point, has been the target of a serious amount of flack from hardcore computer users.

Specifically, Apple’s imposed limitations on the abilities of the iPad have made many customers frustrated, with the lack of third party applications and no way for the device to multitask programs. Combined with recent misgivings about the Apple iPhone 4, the proverbial iron seems hot for Microsoft to strike. In today’s news story, the giant did just that, announcing a line of tablet PCs with the potential to cut into Apple’s market share.

Personally, I’m excited for the Apple iPad to come out just so we can get it over with. I’m a Mac user (my Macbook being my first foray into the world of Apple products), and I can say that, as a whole, it’s a great machine. Apple makes some pretty innovative products and does a great job at being ahead of the curve on technology. At the same time, the level of hype building up to Apple’s upcoming tablet is a bit ridiculous. Will the iPad descend to earth to walk on water and divide by zero? Of course not, so let’s just hold off on singing the praises for Steve Jobs and friends until we can actually get a look at the product itself.

Nonetheless, Apple seems to have kicked off a race to the tablet market, with many companies struggling to get on board as quickly as possible. Today, we’ll take a brief look at other tablets that should be available soon as well as some alternatives that are available right now.

HP Slate

For the time being, the only real gadget on the horizon that could be labeled as an “iPad killer” would have to be the HP Slate, which comes bearing the Microsoft logo. The Slate has a number of features that could improve upon the iPad’s weaknesses. For example, the iPad lacks Adobe Flash support, a serious detriment to multimedia. The Slate comes with a USD 2.0 port, making it more versatile for use with peripheries. Finally, the Slate is slated (pun intended, unfortunately) to run about $550, giving it a competitive price resting in the middle of the various iPad configurations. Sadly, you’ll have to wait a bit longer to get your hands on one, it’s not set to come out til summer.

Google/HTC Cooperative Effort

Sadly for the time being, this can only go down as a rumor, but it’s a highly likely rumor nonetheless. Google and HTC have had a close working relationship in the past, putting out such devices as the Droid smartphone. HTC remains one of the best manufacturers of personal electronics, and the idea of a tablet computer running the Android operating system would provide a great alternative to Windows or Apple models. Such a tablet would be free from the restrictions of the Apple App store and other Apple features that cripple the flexibility of their devices.

Asus Eee PC T91

We featured this netbook last week, and it remains a great choice for those looking for flexible on-the-go computing. In many ways, tablet computers are attempting to fill a place in the market already occupied by the under-appreciated netbooks. This Asus model also has an innovative screen that can rotate into a tablet-like position, enabling it to be operated via touch. While it’s a bit bulkier than the iPad will be, this is not without good reason: it has a full keyboard, something other tablets don’t have.

As the excitement over Apple’s iPad tablet computer continues to build, many gadget afficionados are faced with a tough decision: buy it just when it comes out? Or hold out until upgrades in technology and drops in price occur. Essentially, the iPad is a netbook with some nifty touch-screen technology. Of course, seeing as it comes bearing Apple’s logo, there’s other given pros and cons that are likely to occur as well. If you remain on the fence about picking up the iPad right away, or if you prefer Windows to Mac OS, then today’s Cool Item on a Budget is worth checking out.

The Asus Eee PC T91 represents a combination of netbook and touch-screen technology, and it comes running Windows XP Home, meaning that it’s free from many of the bugs that have plagued Vista. At just 9 inches, the screen is slightly smaller than what has become the norm for other PC netbooks, but this turns out to be an asset for this Asus. The smaller design makes the computer light and portable. The screen itself boasts some solid touch-screen technology, meaning you can operate the computer both with a traditional mouse and keyboard as well as your finger.

If you are suspicious that Windows XP would be difficult to operate on a small touch-screen, you’d be correct. Luckily, the folks at Asus created their own interface, called Touch Gate. This application allows you to swivel the screen on top of the keyboard, creating your own little tablet computer, and then operate a series of applications with some easy finger swipes. The included applications have some neat tricks, especially the Internet Explorer app, although it would have been nice to have similar functionality with other web browsers. With finger swipes and slides, you can easily navigate within the app and to other applications as well.