Asus Eee Pad Tablet Coming in July; iPad Beware!

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Despite the first not-so-good review the HP Slate got, the Windows 7-based tablet seems to be the main iPad competitor so far. Unfortunately we have no idea when HP will feel comfortable enough to launch the device so in case the iPad simply doesn’t cut it for you then you’ll be surely looking for an alternative soon.

Such a machine could be the Eee Pad expected to arrive this July. You can’t say you weren’t expecting an Eee Pad ever since you heard Apple was making its own tablet. After all, Asus almost has everything it needs to build such a tiny computer since it has been making various netbooks for a couple of years now.

Netbooks have roughly the same size of a tablet. Just ditch that keyboard, replace the LCD with a toushcreen panel and modify the OS in order offer a competitive touch-based user interface. It should be pretty easy, shouldn’t it?

Well it apparently is since Jerry Shen, chairman of Asustek Computer announced at a conference in Taiwan that the company will launch the Eee Pad at Computex 2010 and in late July customers will be able to purchase it in stores.

Unlike the iPad however, the Tegra-based Eee Pad will come with USB support, integrated webcam, Adobe Flash and it will run Google’s Android OS. The device is expected to be priced anywhere between $479 and $510 although we don’t have any specific numbers at this time. Furthermore this price is going to be available to consumers “after bundling with telecom carrier services” which sounds like you’ll be required to get a 3G plan with your Eee Pad later this summer.

Will the Eee Pad become a successful iPad competitor? Asus expects to sell 300,000 units this year which suggests that this device might not be the one we’re looking for to combat Apple’s tablet.

On a different note MSI is also working on its own tablet PC, the M Pad which should arrive in Q3 2010, but we don’t have any information regarding it yet.