Asus Eee Slate EP121 (64GB)

Pros: Looks, Recovery DVD, Screen Orientation Lock, Durable Screen, Responsive Input Screen, Fast HD (actually SSD)

Cons: 65GB HD, half of which occupied. I can't even imaging using 32GB HD. Case could have been nicer. Bundled keyboard is ho hum. Fixed battery, just like iPad.

Summary: Always dreamt of using Photoshop while sitting on a sofa, sipping wine, and eating cheese. Tired of working at a table, hunched over, fussing with the mouse and tablet. Now I can actually do some serious graphics work using the touch screen, just as comfortably as sketching, all the while slouching. Yes, I'm that kind of person.

Eee Slate is a slick slab with an homage to iPad, with bare minimum of switches, buttons, and connections. There is no assignable button. Bluetooth and WiFi are controlled by software, which is actually better than switches. And I seem to be doing fine with just the connections provided. It's sturdy. I pick it up by the corner without worrying, though I might regret this later. Screen is a delight. There is not a single compartment panel or even a screw on the back. Rest it on the lap and rotated it as you work. One of the few real switches on the Eee Slate is the Orientation Lock Switch, to prevent it from jumping from landscape to portrait. Comes in very handy when you start rotating the slate, and you will be rotating the slate to see the screen! Your hand does get in the way on a slate PC, something that does not happen on a traditional PC with mouse. And it allows you to draw at a comfortable angle. It's extremely quiet. To hear the fan, I literally have to place my ear on the vent. It stays cool. Important when it's on your lap.

Bad news: if you want to work efficiently with Photoshop, you'll need a real keyboard! Virtual keyboard is just obtrusive. Even the Input Panel Tab on the left side of the screen gets in the way of tool selection. I disabled the tab feature. Eee comes with a full size Bluetooth keyboard, off the shelf Microsoft unit, but I find it inconvenient. They should have left it out and let us select a keyboard based on our individual needs. I'm using the Ultra-mini Keyboard by Smk Link. It's a size of a game pad, and can be nestled beside you or placed on the armrest. Because it's small, you can tap key combinations that are spaced apart, like Control and plus (+), with one hand, though it requires some wrist twisting. The only bummer is that its requires a USB dongle, which sticks out of the slate. Sort of gets in the way when you hold the slate upright. Bluetooth model would have been nicer, though probably less reliable.

You'll also want to disable touch and work exclusively with pen input, or else you'll accidentally click on something with your palm while trying to position your pen. For general purpose, tapping with you finger is fine, and actually fun, but not while working on Photoshop. You need the precision of a pen. The ability to disable touch input is what makes this slate suited for graphics. By the way, the slate input is not pressure sensitive, at least not for my version of Photoshop!

You'll also need to adjust your clicking. With tap and hold enabled, when you hold a tap, it becomes context-click (right-click). What may not be obvious is that when you first tap, the machine waits until you either release (click) or move (drag). Linger too long, context menus pops up. You just have to be aware of this and change your clicking habits. It's fine once you get used to it, though I still do get an occasional context-click while trying to be exacting, like when adjusting a path.

To run Maya, you'll have to improvise the Middle Button, since it does not exist. Not even an option anywhere. My solution is to reassign one of the keys (I used the Windows key) using free AutoHotKey with a script like this:

*LWin::
SendEvent {Blind}{MButton down}
KeyWait LWin
SendEvent {Blind}{MButton up}
Return

Be warned that if you use this, as soon as you press the Windows key, you've clicked the Middle Button. Move the cursor by hovering the pen above the screen, without touch it. If you touch the screen, it immediately becomes a regular click. Other programs will have different requirement, and it may be necessary to reassign other keys.

I also want to note how much I appreciate the fact that Eee Slate comes with Recovery DVDs. I bought several computers with no recovery disks, and having to make your own is a real bummer. For Eee Slate, you can even make a recovery USB Flash Drive, though not as easily as the manual suggests. There is no magical program to help you. You need to make a bootable USB Flash Drive using Windows' Disk Part, then copy the files from the two disks. Then when you want to restore the computer, just turn the computer on with the USB Flash Drive plugged in. In less than an hour--I timed it--you'll be up and running. Very nice.

I think ASUS did an excellent job. I love working with the Eee Slate.

I hope this review helps you make an informed choice. Enjoy!