When we reported earlier in the week that the Asus Eee Pad Slider had passed through FCC approval, there was no official announcement from Asus. However, yesterday, the official press release announcing the device as part of the Asus product line went live on the Asus website. The official launch brings some additional tidbits that further pique our interest in this device.

One of the trends that is disturbing me in the Android infrastructure is the implementation of proprietary solutions to various use-case problems in new premier devices. Asus bundles Asus WebStorage with the Slider as a solution to cloud storage and populating an on-line archive with data you might need to access from multiple mobile devices. It is a nice touch (I guess), and I am sure one or two users will decide to use this solution instead of already existing cloud file services like Google Docs and DropBox, or cloud notebooks like Evernote or Springpad. My main issue is that every time a manufacturer deploys one of these in-house services on a tablet, the app is usually not uninstallable. The problem goes away if you wipe and root, but if you want to just run the device stock, these pre-loaded apps are annoying. It is very clear that the pre-loaded epidemic that plagued desktops and laptops for so long is creeping into the tablet market, as well.

Fortunately, that rant gets any negative take-aways I have from the press release out of the way. Most everything else is good news, or at least enticing news until we see some more definition from various allusions in the release. One of those items is in the area of the Slider’s ports. We were aware of the microSD port, but the Slider’s specs now also call out a 16/32GB Embedded Multi-Media Card (eMMC) port. This is called out as a discrete port in addition to the microSD port, so it makes me wonder if this will be a full-sized port like the Toshiba Thrive and Dell Streak 7 feature.

Also revealed is the fact that the device will be available in both pearl white and metallic brown color schemes. That designation appears to apply to the brushed layer applied to the slide-out keyboard, as can be seen in the pics attached. Android 3.1 will be pre-loaded and Asus indicates an upgrade to 3.2 as an OTA delivery, as we would expect. In case we were not certain before, the launch announcement confirms an IPS display (similar to the one used on the iPad) with a claimed 178 degree wide angle of view.

You can peep the specs in our product database here. A link to the press release is included in the source citations below. There is nothing in the press release on pricing or a release date.

So…is anyone holding off on that Asus Eee Pad Transformer purchase to snag a Slider instead?

Sources:

Gizmodo

Asus Eee Pad Slider Press Release

The pace of progress in the Smartphone world is stunning. Only last week we were excited to see the Droid 2 (Our unboxing video here) with its improved slider keyboard but this week, Samsung take it up a notch with the Epic 4G which has seen a raft of reviews in the last few days. It’s a 4” slider Android 2.1 device running on a 1Ghz Samsung Hummingbird CPU. The Epic isn’t quite available yet (31st August is planned) and even then it’s only available to Sprint subscribers in the U.S. but even if you’re not in that catchment group, it’s one to watch as it’s likely to filter out to other networks and countries. It’s based on the Samsung Galaxy S and given the high-end specs and screen size, this one is something to consider as more than just a phone. Kindle reader, free navigation, 5MP cam, fast ARM-core processor and a promised upgrade to Android version 2.2 in September. Lets not forget that keyboard too which is getting some great reports. 5-row goodness! I’m certainly thinking about selling my X10i for this if it comes to Europe!

Samsung Epic 4G product page.

We’re tracking news on this one in the product database now so click through to find the latest reviews, full specifications list, gallery and a list of comparable smartphones.

Netbooknews had a meeting with Inbrics last week and has just published an update. Inbrics are the company responsible for the M1 MID that we checked out at CES. It’s a stylish device and we’re keen to hear more.

Apparently Inbrics and their partners will be making announcements at CTIA this week but while we wait for that, take a look at the information provided by Nicole over at NetbookNews including exciting news about the upgraded CPU and not-so-exciting news that it might only be a Wifi/BT device. We’re still wondering if Inbrics has succeeded in getting the all-important Google applications suite on the device. An official Google Marketplace would be a first on a non-3G device.

We’re secretly hoping that Inbrics has a 3G, 4.8" slider version up its sleeve. This one is just slightly too small to be the ultimate MID.

Update! Specifications, links, videos of the Inbrics M1 now in our databank.

If Inbrics really can bring the M1 to market for $200 then we’re looking at a very good value MID/Phone but somehow I get the feeling that the mention of $200 was really a ‘CES Press Special’  i.e. whatever you say in Vegas, stays in Vegas!  The market could bear $300 for something like this so there’s no reason it would launch at such a low price.

A capacitive 800×480 screen on Cortex with a full implementation of Android along with a nice design and that productivity-helping slider keyboard makes this a ‘must watch’ device. We would have like to have seen a larger screen for real high-end usage and we wonder how long this device will look ‘high-end’ considering the pace that new high-end smartphones are entering the market but it’s interesting all the same.

Here’s a video of the device at CES a few weeks ago.

Thanks to Netbooknews for ‘helping hands’ on this video.