I’ve had the ASUS EP121 for a little while now and I thought I’d share my thoughts.
This is certainly a slick little tablet and spans the gamut from tablet to Windows type laptop.
The version I have is the 64GB/4GB version.
First off, the display is very nice. It is glossy though, so for people that dislike glossy that might be a problem (using it outdoors etc).
It is on the heavy side….. if you want to show off your photo album by passing this around at a party, it’s probably a little too heavy for that.
The wireless keyboard and mouse makes it easy to use as a laptop replacement.
The device supports auto-rotation, which is somewhat slow. There is a “bug” in that your user account must have admin privileges to auto rotate.
It is equipped with a stylus, which is pretty much a must have for Windows 7, since so many programs are menu operated.
It works pretty well but I’d like to see some nice Tablet oriented apps….which I haven’t yet seen. Like an Explorer replacement, good tablet oriented games, etc. The few I tried from AppUp seemed lame and not even full screen? Most of the app up stuff barely used a fraction of the screen real estate.
Speaking of AppUp, the appup website advanced search feature doesn’t even display properly when it is set to portrait mode. Hello? Intel?
As a musician, I think a device like this could be perfect for playing “Virtual Instruments” live at gigs, etc, recording, and various and sundry things one might do with a laptop.
I was able to connect it up via MIDI to my drum kit and rock out with it.
However, as far as audio goes, it wasn’t straightforward to record audio into the unit, as it uses a 3.5mm combined headphone/mic jack.
Therefore I’ll have to get an outboard USB audio interface…. certainly a little unfriendly for the musician wanting to record audio in the field.
It has one SD slot, which is nice (1 more than the iPad has 
but it really should have 2; that way you could load one SD slot with your MP3s, etc, and still have a free SD slot to put in your latest digicam photos etc.
I wouldnt want to have to pull out my music to put in my photos….
It has 2 USB ports (2 more than the iPad and they are extremely snug. I have to hold the tablet with two hands and use a third hand to wriggle the USB device in and out.
This is a little silly. They should be looser than normal so if someone trips on a cable it doesnt pull the device onto the floor, whereas these are the opposite.
Performance wise it is a snappy little machine and browses the web very handily etc. I havent really pushed it too hard but I was able to play DVDs over wifi with no issues.
It does a great job on youtube as well…
I have the device for a tablet app project I am working on. It works very well for that.
But given the heft, the somewhat subpar audio capabilities, and the price, as well as mediocre battery life, I’d personally wait another few months to see what comes out.
If you need a device like this now, however, for whatever reason (development, reviewing photos and other graphic media assets with clients, etc), this is the Windows Tablet to beat.
Jordan
