Although tablet sales have exploded worldwide, creating a successful tablet isn’t such an easy task as it may seem. Alongside Apple’s iPad as the undisputed market leader, other manufacturers have to distinguish themselves from everyone else in order to attract buyers. ASUS’ engineers have successfully done this with their Transformer model, which enabled tablets to create useful content as well as consume it. A few months later, ASUS is presenting a new tablet with a somewhat different concept, which took us by surprise, so we eagerly got down to testing it.
If Transformer was a tablet that could convert to a netbook when needed, Slider is both a tablet and an ultra-portable netbook simultaneously. Whereas Transformer concentrated on user comfort when inputting text via the keyboard, Slider concentrates on maximum mobility with relatively frequent input. At first glance, it looks like a typical upper-class tablet. However, a good finish and an unusual colour choice announce something extra to an experienced eye. After a short while spent in looking “around” the device, it becomes visible that this tablet can be opened, which only serves to further fuel interest. After a less-than-swift deployment process, the mechanism clicks when the final position has been reached, leaving the screen fixed at an angle of about 60 degrees. Working with the device like this feels natural when you have a hard surface such as a desk at disposal, but its low weight and small dimensions make lap work unstable at best. Although the opening mechanism seems trustworthy (especially during actual opening), the fully opened position doesn’t seem perfectly firm, and we’d like to see a bit more tightening in this respect.
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All remarks are crushed when the keyboard is opened, though, as Slider occupies very little room even when fully deployed like this. Of course, the main reason for this is the exclusion of a touchpad, which is rendered useless when you have a touch-sensitive screen. The keyboard is of acceptable quality, good enough for typing a longer e-mail or document. It’s definitely not your primary tool for everyday work, though, and less bending would have contributed to a better overall impression. Although relatively small, the keys are clearly separated, and if you’re familiar with blind typing, it’s very easy to get used to the new keyboard. Expectedly, Android environment shortcuts are also making an appearance, which might be confusing to Windows users at first, but only for a short while.
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The outer edge contains a USB host port, which has to be commended in particular, as the lack of one was Transformer’s main flaw. The USB port acted flawlessly, working with mice and keyboards, and handling all USB disks, even HDD-based and NTFS-formatted, with ease. The edge also contains volume regulation buttons, as well as the power/lock button and the microSD card slot, enabling users to extend memory for up to 32 GB. There was even enough room left for a mini HDMI connector, one which is much more usable than a micro HDMI port, as the cables are much more widely available for the former. Next to it is a large charger connector, which suggests that there may be additional accessories available for the device in the future, such as a docking station. The speakers are hidden around here somewhere, and we can’t escape the impression that they had to be sacrificed for the higher cause. They are powerful enough for normal use, but we wouldn’t have minded them being a little louder. Whereas they can be comfortably used while the tablet is kept open, closing it results in the sound becoming supressed and warped, so don’t even consider using them for serious purposes in this mode - watching films may not be as taxing, but playing some of the phenomenal games Slider is capable of with this sort of sound just ruins the entire experience.
The box also contains the manual and USB-equipped charger for the tablet, as well as a very nice Targus carrying bag. The bag is done in a faux leather fashion and fits Slider perfectly, removing the need to search for a carrying bag that would fit your new device, as well as any worries that you might damage it in transport.
