You heard it right, the MeMo ME370T is set to be the world’s first ever 7-inch tablet to feature a Tegra 3 chipset. That means all the power you could ever imagine on such a tiny slate and probably more and it means that you can play games, HD video clips, you can surf the web and you can do pretty much anything you want at the flick of a switch.

Sporting a 7-inch IPS panel with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution, the Asus Eee Pad MeMo 370T is set to rock the tablet world as we knew it so far with a very competitive price. According to rumors (with emphasis on ‘’rumors), the 7-incher might go for as less as 249 bucks in Q2 of 2012, when it should be made available in the US.

Nvidia Tegra 3 on a 7-incher? That's badass, man, badass!

That’s pretty darn affordable, if you ask me, especially taking into consideration the other features known so far, which include an optional capacitive pen stylus, the running of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, an 8MPx rear-facing shooter with auto focus and 1080p recording capabilities, a 1.2 MPx front-facing camera, as well as WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a microUSB port, a microSD card slot and microHDMI.

As far as internal storage space goes, the Asus MeMo 370T will come in the already classic two versions, with 16 and 32 GB of on-board memory, while the battery should be able to run for up to eight and a half hours between charges.

A nice rubbery finish on the back, a great rear-facing camera and this tablet looks like a winner already!

All in all, the Asus Eee Pad MeMo 370T looks pretty great on paper, providing power like you never saw it coming, a strong battery, all the ports you could wish for and a pen stylus. Oh, right, and the 7-incher is pretty slim and attractive too, measuring a mere 0.5 inches thick and having some nice curves along with a couple of straightforward lines on its body.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited to see this little beast in action, which is why I viewed this following hands-on preview from Las Vegas at least three times already. Oh, heck, I’ll see it one more time alongside you just for kicks:

Via TabletBite.com

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However, the 7-inch tablet failed to hit the market so far and we almost lost hope that it will ever see the light of day, until…

Until we saw it at the 2012 CES in Las Vegas and were promised by the guys at Asus that we will in fact see the tablet launched this year. More exactly tablets, because there are two Eee Pad MeMos after all and more exactly in Q2 of 2012, meaning sometime between April and June.

The first of the MeMo line-up, the ME171, will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and will offer plenty of raw power under its hood. No, it doesn’t feature an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, nor a Tegra 2 dual-core chip, but the next best thing, a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 clocked at 1.2 GHz.

The Eee Pad MeMo is finally official and ready to hit the market.

There’s also 1 GB of RAM and all in all this 7-incher should perform well in both gaming and multimedia playing. The Asus Eee Pad Memo ME171 will sport a pretty nice screen as well, measuring 7 inches in diagonal and featuring a 1280 x 800 pixels resolution.

Other features include dual cameras (a 5 MPx rear-facing shooter with LED flash and 1080p HD video capabilities and a 1.2 MPx front-facing webcam), as well as a large 4,400 mAh battery, reportedly capable of up to eight and a half hours of autonomy.

Not too shabby, if you ask me, and the Asus Eee Pad MeMo ME171 should also come with the works in terms of ports and connectivity, including a microUSB connector, microHDMI, a microSD card slot, Wireless, Bluetooth and optional 3G.

Sexy, sexy, sexy, that's how this 7-incher could be described in three words!

The 7-incher’s design is yet another one of its strongest points, as well as the capacitive pen stylus, which could be optional, but might just be integrated into the ME171’s final price.

And talking about pricing, we know nothing official right now, which means that we can only wait and see what Asus has in store for us… What do you think, does this 7-incher look like an appealing tablet? And if so, how much money would you be willing to pay for this latest Asus gadget?

For a closer look at the Asus Eee Pad MeMo ME171, check out this following hands-on preview from Las Vegas, brought to you by our good friends from TabletBite.com:

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However, there was something missing on the Transformer, and that is 3G connectivity, a feature that has become pretty standard for tablets lately. This should change soon enough, based on a couple of exclusive photos, brought to our attention by Tabletbite.com.

As you can see from the pics below, the 3G version of the Transformer is ready for action and its official release should be just around the corner. The 10-incher will work with full-sized SIM cards, which will be connected in the slot positioned on the left, just below the volume rocker.

The Transformer 3G should be up for sale in a month or two

Besides the 3G connectivity, the new Transformer will not come with any other changes in terms of design or features. That means you will get the same elegant and fashionable gadget, powered by a 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM and sporting a 10.1-inch IPS capacitive multi touch display with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution. You will also be able to hook up the 3G version to the optional keyboard dock and ”build” your own netbook.

And while we would highly recommend getting the new 3G Transformer as soon as it will be made available (in late November or early December, based on the current rumors), the equation is actually more complicated.

Same design, same power... only with 3G this time

Asus is planning to release practically at the same time as the 3G Transformer the Transformer 2, a gadget which could run the upcoming Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Furthermore, the slate should also feature a quad-core Tegra 2 Kal-El processor, far superior than the current Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset. On the other hand, the Transformer 2 will only come in a Wi-Fi version.

In terms of pricing, you should expect the new model to go for 100 bucks more than the original Transformer.

In terms of pricing, the 3G Transformer should go for around 450-480 bucks, while the Transformer 2 is expected to start at around 500 dollars. In other words, the price tags will be very close and it remains to be seen if the 3G version of the very popular Android slate will not have come a little bit too late…

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3. Asus Eee Pad Transformer versus iPad 2 – tablets go mano a mano

We are going to quickly compare and contrast these two slates, trying to find out which one of them is more capable and more reliable.

Design and display

While the two tablets are very similar in terms of design, there is a huge difference that can be noticed from this point of view. The Transformer, on one hand, can be used either as a stand-alone tablet, either in conjunction with the optional keyboard dock, while the Slider is a kind of hybrid between a tablet and a netbook, featuring a built-in slide-out keyboard.

Both tablets are extremely functional due to their keyboards, both are very solidly built and both look elegant and chick, having that certain something to make them a bit different from other Android tablets on the market. The Slider is of course much heavier and bulkier than the Transformer, but the Transformer, when connected to the keyboard dock, gains a great deal of weight and becomes heavier than the Slider and less portable.

In terms of display, both tablets feature an identical 10.1 inch multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, with an IPS panel and 1280×800 pixels resolution. However, the Slider’s screen comes with a bit wider bezel.

Asus EEE Slider next to the Asus EEE Pad Transformer

Performance, software and storage

The two tablets are almost impossible to distinguish in terms of performance and storage. They are both powered by the 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, they both feature 1 GB of RAM memory, as well as 32 GB of internal storage. The cameras are also identical, while in terms of software the Transformer runs on Android 3.2 and the Slider on Android 3.1. However, the differences are almost negligible, considering that the 3.2 version of the operating system does not offer much more than the 3.1.

Connectivity and pricing

The similarities between the tablets continue when talking about connectivity, both of them featuring WiFi and Bluetooth compatibility, as well as mini HDMI ports. However, the Slider offers an USB 2.0 port, while the Transformer features two USB ports, but only on the keyboard dock.

In terms of pricing, the Eee Pad Transformer is currently available for about 500 bucks, while the optional keyboard dock costs another 150 dollars. On the other hand, the Slider is not yet up for sale, but it should cost around 550 dollars, which is more expensive than the Transformer itself, but more affordable than the Transformer along with the keyboard.

Wrap-up

While it is extremely difficult to say which one of the two tablets is better, one thing is for sure. The two gadgets are targeted at different people with different needs.

If you want a more portable and fun slate, you will have to choose the Transformer, while if you need a more functional, but less portable device, the Slider is the better tablet.

All in all however, both the Slider and the Transformer are beautiful, fast and reliable gadgets and neither one will disappoint you if you decide to buy it.

More details are available in the thorough comparison over at tabletbite.com , the place where we found the clips you can get below. First one includes details on exterior and keyboards.

While the second talks about software, battery life and prices.

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Tablets and netbooks went their separate ways, sort of. Both were introduced as ultra portable computing solutions, with the netbook being a shrinked laptop, both in terms of size and performances, while tablets were signaling the future- touch screens, apps, open source software. Netbooks were aimed more at traditional computer users, which needed a small form factor Windows computer to use on the go in the exact same way they use their normal, 17 inch laptops.

Tablets, on the other hand, were the must have for a newly emerged demographic of gadget enthusiasts, which wanted a more intuitive and entertainment driven experience than what a laptop could offer. The Transformer, as the name says, changed the status quo, as this 10 inch slate comes with a docking station/keyboard and offers a very similar setup to a netbook…at least on the outside.

Build, design and physical characteristics

Netbooks are much more lightweight and slim than laptops in the 13.3-14 inch spectrum. A netbook weighs around 1 kg usually, with older versions being a little bulkier. Also, some 11.6 and 12.1 inch netbooks are even thicker and heavier, but we won’t deal with them for now, as the Transformer is a 10 inch slate and we want the two categories to have the same screen size.

Anyway, it’s hard to say exactly how thick and heavy a netbook is, considering that manufacturers have different designs and these details can vary according to specs, battery etc. The Transformer, on the other hand, is 0.51 inches thick and 680g heavy, but when put together with the docking station, the duo is really close to netbooks.

Each manufacturer tries to come up with a special design for their netbooks, but most of them have a plastic finish in order to keep prices down. Other use more pretentious materials, but overall a netbook is sturdy and solidly built. The Transformer has a plastic finish and feels sturdy, but it’s not as tough as most netbooks out there. The back has a patterned finish, which is also plastic, and that is similar to the one on a line of Toshiba netbooks.

The Transformer and its docking station form a device strongly resembling a netbook

As for ports, netbooks usually have USB 2.0 ports, some of them have USB 3.0 ports, card readers, VGA/HDMI slots and audio jacks. The Transformer doesn’t fall much behind, although tablets are not necessarily hailed for having a wide selection of ports. Asus’s slate has microSD and miniHDMI slots, while the docking station has a couple of USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader and a standard HDMI port.

Hardware and performances

Netbooks traditionally run on ULV processors, both from Intel and AMD. Current netbooks run either on Intel Atom processors, mostly newer types, like N550, N570 or even the recently launched N2x series, or on AMD Fusion chips. Fusion processors have built in HD graphics, but 10 inch netbooks usually pack slower versions, like the C-50 and recently the C-60, as better processors are aimed at larger netbooks and even laptops.

Atom chips are either single core, running at speeds between 1 GHZ and 1.66 GHZ, while dual core ones have a maximum speed of 1.66 GHZ. Atom processors can deal with basic tasks like browsing, playing SD videos, and editing texts, but anything else will choke this fragile ULV processor. That’s why very rare and rather expensive netbooks are entertainment devices, the ones packing either a ION dedicated video card, like the Asus 1015PN, or an integrated HD graphics chip from AMD.

The Transformer comes with a dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor that can natively deal with 1080p playback (does not support hardware H.264 decoding though, thus many Full HD files won’t play properly on Tegra 2) and decent gaming. The tablet definitely offers a better entertainment experience in comparison to virtually any netbook. The netbook’s advantage is that it can deal with multitasking and productivity tools maybe a tad better, but that mostly happens with dual core chips, which tend to be on mini laptops which are more expensive.

Also, some Atom chips might have better power saving technologies than a Tegra 2 chip, but that depends on the configuration and user routine. All in all, the Transformer offers better performance in almost every aspect in comparison to mainstream/entry level 10 inch netbooks.

Netbooks usually have a tough chassis, most of the time made from plastic

Display

Almost all 10 inch netbooks have a 10.1 inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. Some offer matte displays, but in an attempt to sell gloss as class, many companies use highly glossy screens, which are both horrible to use outside and attract fingerprints and smudges. In order to keep prices down, most manufacturers use mediocre displays, which lack good viewing angles and brightness. Also, excepting just a few convertible netbooks, most 10 inchers don’t have touchscreens.

The Transformer, on the other hand, has an IPS display, similar to the one on the iPad 2. It has great viewing angles and a 1280 x 800 resolution, beating what netbooks have to offer. Also, it supports touch input, but this is not such a great argument against netbooks, as having touch input and Windows in the same scenario doesn’t really means anything good. Unfortunately, the screen on the Transformer is also glossy because Asus added a Gorilla Glass layer, which protects the device from scratches.

Software

Most netbooks (dare I say all of them?) run on Windows 7 Starter which is a diet version of Windows 7. It needs less resources to run and occupies less hard disk space, but also has limitations, like accepting a maximum of 2 GB of RAM. Still, it will be able to deal with text editors, browsers, media players and basically any type of Windows app you’re familiar with.

One thing that doesn’t work on Starter is touch based input. So there’s no flexibility when it comes to user experience on a netbook- you have a keyboard, a touch pad and that’s about it. The advantage is that most people are familiar with Windows, even if at a basic level, and you don’t need time to adapt to the requirements of a netbook’s software.

A tablet, like the Transformer, is a completely different ball game. It runs on Android Honeycomb 3.1 and all its apps are optimized for touch, which is a UX paradigm still in its infancy. Sure, geeks and people dealing with technology from an early age won’t have problems with Honeycomb, but this is still a relatively small niche.

Android has alternatives for most Windows apps, like dedicated browser, text editing tools, media players. Also, unlike Windows 7, that supports a limited selection of apps, the Transformer can run basically thousands of apps (including some great looking games), which can be bought from Android Market.

The Transformer's IPS screen delivers astonishing viewing angles

Sure, most of them are designed for earlier versions of Android, but will run decently on Honeycomb as well, and dedicated 3.x apps are being released all the time. Overall, Honeycomb is a more versatile, intuitive and fun OS, but needs time for getting used to, while Windows 7 Starter, although limited in functionality, will appeal to virtually any computer user out there.

There are also a few netbooks out there, with stronger hardware, that run on Win 7 Home Premium, which offer a complete OS experience.

Battery life

Since their inception, netbooks were meant as highly autonomous machines and thus battery life is very important when looking for a netbook. Ultra cheap netbooks come with 3 cell batteries, that offer around 4 hours of autonomy, but for a very little extra investment, around $20-30, you can get a bigger battery that grants around 8 hours of battery life. There are some netbooks that can go on a single for even more than that, like the Asus 1015PEM, that can go on a single charge for more than 10 hours.

The Transformer’s built in battery is rather modest for a tablet, as it can go on a single charge for about 7-8 hours. However, if you’ll add the docking station keyboard, you’ll get a combined 13 hours of battery life, but you’ll have to pay an extra 150 bucks for the device.

Prices

The netbook market is highly varied when it comes to prices. Entry level netbooks, with older Atom hardware, can be found for a little over $200, while newer devices, running on MeeGo, are available for $199. Better spec-ed netbooks, with dual core processors, better resolution and dedicated video cards can cost as much as $400, some of them even more, if you want more RAM than the stock 1 GB, better OS and superior battery. You can check extensive netbook pricing categories here and here.

The Transformer goes for $384, the 16 GB version, or $494, the 32 GB version, being more expensive than some of the most expensive netbooks. Also, the docking keyboard station will cost you an additional $150, making the entire package cost at least $535.

Netbooks come in many colors, but most of them have a pretty bland design

Wrap up

The Transformer seems to be a more attractive machine in terms of hardware and performance, but the netbook has its own category and purpose. Netbooks are mini laptops, usually pretty affordable, which are there to complement the computing routine of users “on the go”, as the cliche goes. Tablets, on the other hand, with the Transformer as a worthy front man, comes with a different approach to leisure gadgeteering, so to say, proposing a very intuitive UX, touch input, keyboard extension, so much flexibility when it comes to customizing the appearance of the software and the apps to go with it.

But a tablet will cost you more, will drain the battery faster and will generally have a weaker build. In the end, it’s all about what you seek from an ultra portable device, with the Transformer being the recommended choice for those being more revolutionary or passionate about new technologies, while a decent netbook will fit the bill perfectly for those just looking for more of the same Windows experience they master for many years.

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Design and display

While there are positive, but also negative things that can be said about the Eee Pad Slider’s design, portability and functionality, one thing is for sure. The tablet is original, innovative and could also be considered a technology pioneer. Asus’s new slate comes with a slide-out keyboard which makes it more of a hybrid between a netbook and a tablet rather than a simple tablet. The Slider is quite heavy and it is clearly bulkier than its main opponents on the market, but it is solid and the materials’ quality is extraordinary.

Despite the tablet being extremely functional, the sliding mechanism is far from great, giving that it is impossible to adjust the viewing angles according to your needs. The keyboard itself is also a little bit faulty, the keys being quite small and the spacing between them a bit uninspired, to say the least.

The display is a 10.1-inch IPS touch-screen, identical to the one featured by the Eee Pad Transformer, and offers bright and crisp images as well as great colors at a 1280×800 pixels resolution.

Asus EEE Pad Slider brings a fresh, innovative design

Performance, storage and software

The dual-core 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, the 1 GB of RAM memory and the Android 3.1 Honeycomb Operating System ensure an extremely fast and reliable technical configuration for the Eee Pad Slider. In terms of storage space, things are also looking good, considering that the tablet comes in two versions, a 16 GB and a 32 GB one. The Slider seems more than capable when it comes to video calls or photos too, considering the 5 MP rear-facing camera with LED Flash and Auto Focus and the 1.3 MP front-facing camera.

Connectivity, battery life and pricing

The Slider features WiFi and Bluetooth compatibility, as well as HDMI. It comes with a micro SD card slot and a full-size USB 2.0 port, which means that Asus provides everything you might need in terms of connectivity and ports with the Slider. Looking at the battery life, things appear decent, the new Asus tablet supposedly offering about six hours of autonomy.

As far as pricing is concerned, everything is still in a blur, giving that the device has not yet been released in the United States. It should cost anywhere between 450 and 600 dollars, but other than this we can’t take any other guesses.

More details are available in the unboxing video you can find below, from our tech friends at tabletbite.com .

Overall, the Asus Eee Pad Slider looks extremely appealing at a first sight, especially for users who target functionality at a tablet or who look for a powerful and fast technical configuration. However, until the slate will be officially released and will be tested and analyzed in detail, it is difficult to state whether this could really be a gadget to watch on the tablet market of today.

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You might ask yourself why you need a keyboard for a tablet in the first place (isn’t that the purpose, to use the touch screen), but considering that most of these new tablets have 10 inch screens, it’s not always easy to use them as touch input devices all the time.

And considering they have the fire power and screen to do more netbook like stuff, why not shoot two rabbits at once?

Back to the Slider, and as the name says, the device has a keyboard sliding from behind the screen- all you have to do is gently push the edge of the tablet forward and you have access to the keyboard, while the screen angled above it- true, not the most fantastic viewing angles you might want.

The keyboard is small, but it's better than an on screen keyboard

The tablet is powered by a Tegra 2 dual core processor and comes with Android Honeycomb, so you might expect some serious performance from this one. On top of Android, Asus will splash their own theme, called “My Way”, which comes with themes related to music- like taking artwork from your favorite albums and use them as wallpapers, loop a song in the background. You know the drill (or if you don’t, here’s a good way of getting used to it ).

The tablet comes with DLNA support, which means you can stream content from compatible DLNA devices you have around you. With a good WiFi connection, you’ll be able to stream 1080p content on the tablet, without having to store the media on the Slider. Asus apps load a little slower than we expected, as each of them takes about 2 seconds to load, but this might a problem Asus will address in the final, ready to sell units.

But what makes this tablet unique is of course the slide out keyboard. It’s a QWERTY keyboard, kind of half the size of one you’ll find on a netbook, for example. It’s a little cramped, with keys very close to each other, but considering most people are familiar and kind of natural with small buttons from smart phones and some on screen keyboards, this shouldn’t be a decisive problem, as the learning curve is pretty short.

The keyboard is half the size of one on a netbook

Although everything looks small and slim, the keyboard and tablet are actually solid and all the moving parts seem up for it. It should take many, many slides before the mechanisms will start to wear over (and by that time, you’ll probably change a couple of other tablets). Even with the keyboard attached to its back, the Slider is really thin, being actually a little thinner than the Samsung Sliding PC 7, which was a device similar to this, meaning it also had a sliding keyboard.

The screen is very good, as it comes with a 1280 x 800 resolution and support for multi touch. HD content and games will run flawlessly on it. There’s also a HDMI slot, SD slot, two cameras (rear facing 5 MP and front facing 1.2 MP). For now, there’s only WiFi and blue tooth, but Asus says a 3G model will be available later on. In terms of storage, you can choose between 16 or 32 SSD, but you can add to that via the SD slot.

The Slider is slim, even if it packs the slide out keyboard

System memory comes in two versions- 512 and 1 GB, while the battery should go for as much as 6 hours. This is not by any means cheap, as the cheapest version will cost 500 bucks, while the top configuration will go to $800- you’ll be able to buy the tablet sometime in May, when they will appear on the market.

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Sure, a 10 inch tablet is much more difficult to hold and operate with for a longer period of time, thus many come with keyboards or you can buy them separately and enjoy something really close to a netbook experience.

One of these devices is the Eee Pad Transformer, a 10 inch slate from Asus running on Android Honeycomb. The tablet has a 10.1 inch display with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800.

The screen is rather glossy and will attract quite a few fingerprints as you use it, and some glare as well. So keep it indoor and make sure to have a cleaning cloth with you.

The tablet plus the keyboard look and feel like a netbook

At the heart of the tablet, there’s a Tegra 2 processor, which is said to be the butter for the Honeycomb bread…or vice versa. The dual core processor works great in conjunction with the OS and keeps watch also on the battery life, which on the Transformer is pretty good- you can go on a single charge for about 8 hours.

Like on many tablets, there’s WiFi and blue tooth, as well as GPS and a bunch of sensors, including ambient light sensor, gyroscope and many more. Now, for the keyboard part. There’s a docking keyboard which connects to the tablet in landscape mode, offering a more netbook experience. This way, you also gain an extra 8 hours of battery life.

The tablet connects to the docking keyboard through a hinge and a couple of plastic “lips” that keep the entire system very steady. When you want to remove the tablet, all you have to do is slide the larger latch and off it goes. The entire mechanism feels very solid and will take thousands of connections and disconnections before starting to limp.

The connecting mechanism is easy to operate and pretty sturdy

The keyboard adds some weight, sure, but considering the advantages it brings, it’s a decent price to pay. The tablet is only 13 mm thick on its own, and when placed in a bag or something, you don’t need an extra cover for it, considering that the enclosed keyboard brings all the protection you’ll ever need for it.

There are two cameras, one for video calls in front with a 1.2 MP resolution, and a 5 MP, more potent one, in the back. The front facing camera is positioned in such a way that when you keep the tablet docked, it’s just over the screen. This is good for video calls, as you don’t have to keep the tablet in your hands when doing this. The tablet has a textured finish on the back, which looks more like the back of a netbook than anything else, really.

It’s very tough and when enclosed over the keyboard, you couldn’t say it’s a tablet. In terms of ports, the HDMI and SDHC are located on the tablet, while two USB 2.0 ports and SD/MMC ports are on the keyboard. The tablet has some control buttons, like volume and power, while on the keyboard there are the standard Android buttons.

the tablet, on its own, looks pretty standard

Also on the keyboard, there’s a touch pad, which is good for when you don’t want to lean over to the screen. There are also special buttons for turning blue tooth and WiFi on and off, as well as some media playback controllers. The tablet will not come cheap, that’s for sure. There’s a $499 price tag on the Transformer, which we hope includes the keyboard and at least 32 GB of storage, as well as the 3G module.

If not, the fully featured version might cost as much as $1000. It’s not necessarily a bad price, considering the versatility of the tablet. You can use it both as a tablet and netbook, covering your professional and personal time when it comes to mobile computing.

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But, as always, there’s always standing out in a crowd and one of these examples is the Eee Pad Memo, a 7 inch tablet from Asus running on Android Honeycomb. That’s a surprise right there, a 7 incher packing the tablet tailored OS, which was said it will run at its best on a 10 inch screen.

The Memo is surely classy. When you first pick it up, it feels great in your hand, and it’s not the standard plastic tablet you’re probably all too familiar with. It has a black, glossy bezel going around the screen and just under the display there are the three classic Android buttons: menu, home and back.

Although Honeycomb has on screen integration for these buttons, Asus decided to go for off screen buttons, probably because on a 7 inch device is not that difficult to move from the screen to the bezel.

The 1024 x 600 touch screen offers a great experience on a 7 incher

Under the buttons, there’s a chrome streak which is a little bulkier than the tablet- that’s because it’s actually some sort of a holster for a capacitive stylus. Under that, you get a shinny Asus logo. The capacitive touch screen has a maximum resolution of 1024 x 600 and looks great. It has very good and strong colors, but the downside is that in the sun (or bright light), it might be a little difficult to see the screen. The tablet was designed more to be held with one hand, especially if you want to use the pen as well.

One side of the bezel is thicker than the other and the weight of the device is only 389 grams, which makes it really easy to use and carry around with just one hand. If the idea of a stylus throws you back to the dark ages of bulky phones and resistive screen tablets, think again. The stylus is actually a treat and not a necessity.

The tablet can be operated flawlessly with finger touch, and the stylus is there for handwriting and drawing, both functions running perfectly. The tip of the pen has a rubbery surface on it, which will detect the pressure you’re using and change the lines and dots on the screen accordingly. The tablet will come with Honeycomb on it, but you should know that Asus will probably throw on top of that one of their UI skins.

The Memo tablet can deliver perfect video thanks to the dual core processor

The tablet has a dual core, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1.2 GHZ, which will make the tablet breeze through apps and will have no problems in detecting and displaying your handwriting. The Qualcomm chip was preferred to Nvidia Tegra 2 because it deals better with phone calls and Asus considers this a very important part of the experience with the Memo.

There will be a couple of versions when it comes to storage, ranging from 16 to 64 GB, and there will be CDMA, GSM and HSPA+ variants to choose from. There are two cameras, a 5 MP one in the back, and a more modest, 1.2 MP in front. There’s a card reader and HDMI port, and the battery should last for around 8 hours of video playback.

Drawing and painting is really fun

The tablet will be released around June, for a starting price of $449. All in all, this is a really interesting and very stylish tablet, that can do everything most tablets can (and maybe a tad better in some respects, like making calls), as well as offering a very imersive handwriting and drawing experience with a pressure sensitive stylus.

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This is where the Linux based Eee Note EA800 fits the bill perfectly, as it’s tailored to offer a great “read and write” experience and a little extra on the side.

First of all, you should know that the EA800 is a stylus input optimized slate and will not work with thumb input. This might put some people off, but considering what the tablet is meant to do, the stylus input is the best choice. Mainly aimed at students and professionals who read lots of documents and write quite a bunch of notes, the EA800 basically doesn’t require touch input.

It has an 8 inch monochrome display, with a 768 x 1024 resolution. That means everything you see on the screen will be black and white, but for reading and taking notes this shouldn’t be a problem. The screen is anti glare, which means you can use it even outdoors. And as we know, many people tend to read and write in cafes or parks, so the EA800 will fit this lifestyle perfectly.

Thr stylus and monochrome display produce an almost pen to paper experience

The screen has 256 pressure levels, which means that the screen detects the pressure you put on the screen via the stylus and will display the lines accordingly. So if you want the lines to be barely visible, just press lighter, or if you want a thick and concentrated line, just push harder. This is especially useful if you’re drawing and some details have to be more visible than others.

As for the practical side of things, there’s a slot above the screen for keeping the pen- so you don’t have to keep it in your bag or something. The tablet has WiFi connectivity, but I wouldn’t use it for browsing too many websites. It can’t display videos or complex animations, and it’s mainly intended as a tool for buying e-books from online stores or Asus’s dedicated portal and for quickly checking some emails.

On the back, there’s a 2 MP camera, which is great if you want to take a pic of a slide show at school or some other documents. There’s also a mic included, so you can record classes or meetings and check them at a later date. In terms of storage, the EA800 comes with 4 GB of internal Flash storage. There’s also an SD card slot, which will support cards up to 16 GB and also a USB 2.0 slot for connecting memory sticks- that’s a lot of books and class notes!

The Linux based interface is simple and effective

Of course, you can store some music on the device as well and use it as an MP3 player. The battery can last for quite a long time, which is only natural, considering the monochrome screen. With WiFi on, the e-reader can go for 10 hours of continuous use or 14.5 with WiFi off.

In standby, you can expect as much as 10 days. The tablet is compatible with ePUB and PDF, but also .doc, .ppt, .xls .txt, .html, docx, pptx, xlsx and many picture formats, including JPEG, BMP, GIF and others.

The EA800 can be connected to computers for transferring data

The EA800 weights about 520 grams, but considering it can store all your books and notes, it’s a very good deal. The e-reader will go for around $230, which is a decent price, considering the anti glare screen and support for all the reading and writing you might want to do on a tablet. We’re not saying this should become your primary tablet, but it’s a good addition for anyone in need of a good e-reader and note taker.

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