Asus is the company that introduced the first netbook to the market, their Eee PC small laptop which has been massively popular every since its release. While some people may still love netbooks the technology and computing enthusiasts are slowly starting to take an interest in tablets PCs and various forms of touch devices. Several manufacturers have developed and already scheduled a release date for many such products. Ever since consumers found out what a touch computer or phone could offer, with the help of Apple’s iPad and iPhone, the request for such devices has recorded massive growth. The touch technology is definitely getting close to becoming the new standard for most types of devices. Amazon’s e-reader, while it simply serves for viewing e-books, was also a great success and sold out in the few days after its official release, proving that the touch technology can be implemented in a wide variety of products and there’s no real need to equip huge screens with a million colors to grab the attention of the consumer (although most people will probably admit that they love big colorful screens).
Asustek is also planning to join in on the whole tablet fun with a long awaited Eee Tablet that is said to feature an 8-inch touchscreen. The tablet should be introduced officially in October this year. According to PC World the Asus tablet won’t make use of digital ink or specialized e-reader screens to boost battery life.
Asustek product engineers have revealed that the tablet will have an 8-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels that can display 64 shades of gray. It will however not feature backlight. People who are familiar with digital ink e-reader screens have come to the conclusion that backlight leads to tired eyes. While reading a backlit LCD screen, users are basically looking into a light, just like in the case of a normal laptop or desktop computer screen. For this reason Asus has avoided equipping the Eee Tablet with backlight to make reading more comfortable for its users. The Eee Tablet will run a Linux OS, but not Google’s Android mobile operating system, as some rumors have suggested in the past. Jerry Shen, CEO of Asustek declared that the Linux distribution running on the tablet was developed by the manufacturing company itself.
Asustek’s CEO also mentioned that the name of the product might change to Eee Note. This could be done to avoid confusing people and leading them into believeing that the product is a tablet PC. The Eee Tablet will also include a web browser and WiFi, proving Internet access. Students will be able to enjoy taking notes on the new tablet as Asus has made sure to equip
it with writing software. A stylus will allow students to jot down whatever it is they want to remember. The onboard software then digitizes the notes. To make it even easier for students, Asus also added a 2 megapixel camera which can for example be used for taking pictures of a teacher’s whiteboard, instead of writing all of the information down. Moreover,
studentscan choose which way its best for them to ‘take notes’ as the tablet will also feature a digital audio recorder. Moving on to another important detail, battery life, Asustek claims that the Eee Tablet will offer about 10 hours of usage until it’s battery finally runs out of juice. This should be plenty for students who usually spend under 10 hours a day at school or studying. The tablet will feature 2GB of Internal memory, and if there’s need for more, its user will also be able to add to that capacity through a MicroSD card slot.
As mentioned before, the Asus Eee Tablet, or Eee Note if the manufacturers finally decide to change its name, will be launched worldwide in October this year. Asustek representatives also noted that the device will get to the eager hands of gadget reviewers somewhat earlier, around mid-September.
