Asus Eee Slate EP121-1A019M 12.1 Inch Tablet PC (Intel Core i5-470um,4GB, 64GB SSD,Bluetooth, 2.0 Mega Pixel Webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium) + Bluetooth Keyboard and Case.

The Asus EP 121 is a great device, it has the power that I need for everyday work and meant I could stop carrying my heavy laptop around. I had no problem writing, although for longer documents the keyboard is definitely a must; saying that the on-screen keyboard is great to use. In all the input methods are fantastic and although the pen takes a little getting used to if you are new to pen input once you are used to not using a mouse it is more comfortable.

Contrary to what many people say there is no issue using Windows 7 with a touch screen that I found.

So why the 3 stars? Well firstly the screen kept on picking up my palm as I was writing so other Windows would pop up; I know from speaking to other people this shouldn't be any issue as other convertible tablets don't do this and have been around for well over 10 years. On the battery life I could only get 2 hours from it surfing the web or general working and for me that is a long way from the 4 hours that Asus state.

I love my eee slate - and that's an understatement.

Toyed with the idea of an ipad for a long time but was put off by the lack of compatibility with my core software and the lack of a digital pen.

Sure, the eee slate is a bit bigger and twice as heavy but who cares when you've got quadruple the productivity potential! I've already had about 4 colleagues trying to steal it from me in meetings (only had it in work for 2 days).

The digital pen is lovely and responsive; that together with autocorrection writing directly to Word etc is scarily accurate and efficient. People have .doc copies of my meeting notes before they've even got back to their desks.

Yeah, the battery life isn't as great as others but again, the possibilities with this tablet make up for that for me. The keyboard is nice and responsive and the screeen is crips and clear.

I wish it wasn't as expensive as it was but blimey it's earned it's keep for me already!

If you want the convenience of a tablet but the power and scope of a PC this is definitely the one for you. It's much more than a glorified media player - can't recommend it enough.

My background: I work in IT as a Systems and Software Manager.

Knowledge of Asus: Over the last 10 years or so have built around 20 PC's and Workstations using Asus motherboards and GPUs. Asus have generally been my brand of choice as not one of those systems has failed to date. Obviously some have been scrapped, but still never a problem in their working life!

The Asus eee Slate...

I was hoping to write a glowing review of this tablet. It had everything minus an easy way to change the battery and a dedicated GPU. I was obviously fully aware of both of these aspects prior to my purchase and thus as it ticked so many other boxes I went ahead with my purchase.

From this point things went wrong...

Asus's quality control (QC) appears to be almost non-existent with this product. In the last week I have had 3 of these units delivered by Amazon and all of them have been faulty or damaged in one way or another. The only praise I have is for Amazon themselves who have been fantastic throughout. I even reported the problem with the 2nd unit on Sunday and had a 3rd replacement by Monday AM. I have never had to use this returns service but it was an example to other companies. I obviously would rather have never had to use this service, but still it made the hassle less than the disappointment.

So what was wrong with the units...

The first:

Powered on and CPU (or system fan) was on at full rpm. This thing was noisy, so much so it makes the one that someone else recorded on youtube look quite! The only way I can compare it was to say on a size to noise ratio it was comparable to a rack server. There were also a few stuck pixels which again disappointing given the size of the screen and the total cost. The fan remained at this speed throughout the final Windows set up and subsequent reboots.

The second:

Perfect electronically, whisper quite. But the buttons at the top of the device were damaged. Again for a new device you do not expect this and so it went back.

The third:

Powered on; nice and quiet but no screen output, totally blank. It was running, as within a minute or so it did start to get warm and the fan kicked in slightly. I would guess this one maybe had a faulty GPU/CPU given they reside on the same chip.

So as I write this the third device is awaiting collection and with real regret I have had to opt for a refund. I really wanted this device, but I would have been foolish to have gone for a fourth replacement. I would have been constantly concerned about the ability of the device to last a year and beyond. OK in the first year you have a warranty but I believe with Asus you must pay inbound shipping regardless (need to check). Not only this, but I would then probably be without my tablet for several days at minimum. Also like for like replacements would worry me given how much I take care of my things. (Basically look the same as day one a year later!)

So I really cannot recommend this device. It needs some negative feedback as I really do not want people thinking it is great as it clearly carries more than its fair share of risks in terms of failures at present. Perhaps if those who have written positive reviews could come back on here in a years' time to confirm their devices are still working I would happily revise my comments to say I just ran into bad luck. If mine had worked like theirs then I am sure I would have been singing the praises of the device.

My advice: Hold off making a purchase until there is more feedback on the internet regarding the long term reliability of these. At present given how new these are there are no reports following their long term use/reliability.

Finally, thanks again Amazon; I'm just sorry Asus have let you down.