While at the ASUS booth at CES we heard that “soon” there might be a Tablet PC from ASUS, but the details were so sketchy that I figured it was something far into the future. But it turns out that the very next day, ASUS showcased a working Tablet PC they have dubbed the R15. Rob Bushway links to some details on this terrific looking Tablet.
Outside of the Toshiba M400 (an updated version of the Toshiba M200), the R15 is my next top candidate for “Tablet to Watch.” Why? Partly because I have a good history with ASUS. Over the years I’ve owned several ASUS motherboards and notebooks–all of which have worked very well. In addition, ASUS has a long history with a lot of system builders and build-as-you-like people like me. As a developer I’m not always looking for the cheapest, off-the-shelf items.
Further, in the past ASUS has offered the customization or flexibility that I’ve needed or they’ve offered something just a little different that’s caught my attention. The R15, for instance, has a unique 13″ widescreen display which sets it apart from the other Tablets. And the harddrive is available out of the box at up to 120MB (5400 RPM). The spec doesn’t say anything about resolution or graphics and when we talked with the ASUS rep the day before, they mentioned that some things had not been finalized. If I remember correctly, we were told Q2 (or maybe it was Q3–I wish I’d written it down!) for an estimated ship date. We’ll see how it works out.
I’m so glad to see that ASUS is planning on releasing a Tablet PC. I only wish I could get it now 🙂