A few months ago I won a competition in which I won a Asus EEE P121 Slate and I’ve been using it a lot more that I thought I would have. I recently moved house and its become the best gadget for on the road and within the house. I thought I would share what we (my wife and I) have been using it for and how useful a Windows Slate really is in a home.
Specification
I actually won the better of the 2 specs of this device with includes
- Intel i5 Processor (x64)
- 4.00GB RAM
- 64GB SSD
- Windows 7 Home Premium
Mobility
My main machine that I work from is a Dell Precision M6400 which is a big, heavy laptop which is great for virtualisation but other than that its hard to move around without straining some muscles!
The Slate came with a Bluetooth keyboard and I was recently doing a lot of coach traveling in around Canada and have the Slate with me. I could set the Slate upright on the table in front of me and use the keyboard on my lap allowing me to relax better on the seat, I was constraint by having a normal laptop on me and the height of the screen.
The battery would last about 4 – 5 hours which covers most journeys.
The built in webcam is very good – while away I used it a lot with Skype catching up with friends back at home and the built is mic didn’t pick up much background within the room.
Since getting back I’ve also brought a Bluetooth mouse as I find sitting on the train, typing away and then using your finger or pen to click can become a bit frustrating but having a mouse solves this problem. Even though I’ve had this mouse I still find myself using the keyboard and using the touch screen features rather than a mouse – I guess it just depends on the situation.
One thing I have found with the case is that it fits very nicely over my car steering wheel allowing me see the screen at a good height while relaxing back in the chair…and no I don’t do this while driving 
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This is one of the times I really enjoy having a touch device. I can use the keyboard on my lap and easily reach the screen to click.
At Home
This is a great device for home – if you are thinking you whether to get one or now – trust me it’s worth it for home!
When we moved into the house we didn’t have the right cable to link the TV up to the aerial and we still don’t.
The slate comes with a mini HDMI port and I had a mini HDMI to HDMI so I can easily link up the device to the TV. This allows us to watch:
- BBC iPlayer
- ITV Player
- 4 on Demand (4oD)
- Sky Player
If we want to watch something that is being played live we can use TV Catch Up and stream it through the Slate on the TV. Yes this does mean the TV only works if the internet is working but we also downloaded some films into the client of SkyPlayer so we have something to watch. (this is also useful when you are bored on a train or in the car waiting for you next meeting)
Sometimes I find the Slate in the kitchen being used to read the Food Recipes off the BBC Food site. If the cooking continues to be this good – I’m happy to find the Slate there 
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I’m a big IE9 fan now its been released but I still have Google Chrome on my Slate and Laptop and yesterday was the day I found Angry Birds for Google Chrome. It works great with the Slate.
Improvements!?!! Yes there are some improvements I would like to see within the OS more than anything else. These are around the touch keyboard is anything – I would like to set the keyboard to allows loads in the same position with the same size keys every time. I would help to learn key placements.
I would also like to have a 3G Sim Card built into the device so i can easily access the internet from anywhere.
Windows 8
This week Microsoft showed off Windows 8 for the first time and used a Slate to do that with.
Dear Microsoft,
Can I please have Windows 8, NOW!
Thanks
Alex
I can’t wait for the betas to come out. I’ll be installing it straight away but can I also make a request. I love the interface and would like some key apps on release.
These include:
- BBC iPlayer
- ITV Player
- 4oD
- Sky Player
- Angry Birds
- A simplified Outlook client
- This is similar to the email client you get on your Windows Phone. Something to quickly view your emails. I can then jump into the full Outlook to do other complicated email stuff.
If you haven’t seen Windows 8 yet – take a look at the video below.
Oh – and go buy a Windows Slate – the best gadget I ever had!
Thank you for the encouraging review. I am also keen to purchase a P121 but I cannot get hold of a copy of the warranty. I live in Malta and will probably purchase on line from the UK or US. I need to make sure that there is a comprehensive warranty that can be upgarded to Europwide or world wide. Could you point me to a site from where I could download a copy of the warranty please as all hinges round it
Thanks for your time and happy slating!
sincerely
Edgar