asus-eee-pad-what-you-need-to-know
Asus has made its move into the tablet market, showing off a selection of devices at the recent CES in Las Vegas.
Asus Chairman Jonny Shih told TechRadar that while he admires Apple for offering "great innovation" he also felt that it provides "very limited choices for the customers."
So what has Asus got to offer that's different with its Eee Pad range?
The Asus Eee Pad isn't one machine: it's four.

Asus unveiled four tablet computers at this year's CES show: the Eee Pad Slider, the Eee Pad Transformer, the Eee Pad Memo and the Eee Slate EP121. For more on the Transformer, read our Hands on: Asus Eee Pad Transformer.
The Asus Eee Transformer specifications include a real keyboard. The Asus Eee Transformer specifications - Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1280x800 10.1" display, twin cameras, HDMI and built-in card reader - include a full size keyboard. Dock the Transformer and it - yes! - transforms into a laptop.

The Asus Eee Pad Memo specifications include a 7-inch display
Asus has packed a lot into the 7-inch Eee Pad Memo specifications: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz dual core processor, 512MB of RAM, up to 64GB of solid state storage, GPS, twin cameras and the usual wireless options. You also get a mini-HDMI to connect it to your TV and what Asus calls a MeMIC "Media Phone Extender", which is a fancy name for a stereo headset.

The Asus Eee Pad Slider specifications include a slide-out keyboard
As you might expect from a device called the Slider, this Asus Eee Pad has a slidey bit: a keyboard that enables the tablet to double as a netbook. The 10.1"-inch screen is paired with a Tegra 2 dual core processor, twin cameras, HDMI and a card reader, and it's just a matter of time before someone uses the phrase "The Amazing Slider, Man" in a story about it.

The Asus Eee Slate EP121 is a PC in disguise
Calling the EP121 a tablet is pushing things somewhat: the Asus Eee Slate EP121 specifications include an enormous 12.1-inch display, a Wacom digitiser pen for handwriting recognition, a Core i5 processor and Windows 7, and it's more than a thousand dollars. Asus showed it running Photoshop CS5 while playing the A-Team movie, which gives you an idea of the kind of horsepower it has.
The Asus Eee Pad software is Android
Initial plans to make Eee Pad tablets run Windows were dumped - although Windows turns up in the EP121 Tablet PC - and the Eee Pad Transformer, Eee Pad Memo and Eee Pad Slider will all run Android. It's possible that that they won't get 3.0 Honeycomb, though: Asus said the OS version is 2.3, aka Gingerbread, but has since claimed its comments were "a mistake".
The Asus Eee Pad UK price hasn't been confirmed yet
Dollar prices have been released, though: the price of the Eee Pad Slider will be $499 to $799; the price of the Eee Pad Memo will be $499 to $699; and the price of the Eee Pad Transformer will start at $399 without the dockable keyboard - it's $699 if you want that too. The Asus Eee Slate EP121 price is currently $1,099 in the Microsoft Store. At current exchange rates that's about £825 including VAT.
The Asus Eee Pad UK release date will probably be in the summer
The Asus Eee Slate EP121 ships later this month in the US, and the other Asus Eee Pad models will go on sale in the US in April and May. We'd expect a UK release shortly afterwards.