ASUS Eee Pad plans revealed - Android edition in March 2011 for $399

ASUS CEO Jerry Shen revealed the pricing and expected launch dates of the company's upcoming tablet lineup.

The first tablet from ASUS will be the 12" Eee Pad EP121, this touchscreen device will run Windows 7 Home Premium and will feature an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. With a price tag of around $1,000 the device will not be cheap, but ASUS defends the price tag by pointing out that its 12" Eee Pad will come with a docking station with a keyboard that transforms it into a laptop computer. The Eee Pad EP121 is expected to become available in December 2010 or January 2011.

Several other tablets are expected in the first quarter of 2011, the second Eee Pad will be a 10" touchscreen model with an ARM-based processor and Windows Embedded Compact 7. This version is expected in January 2011 for $399 to $499.

The cheapest tablet from ASUS will be an Android-based Eee Pad, it's expected to debut in March 2011 for less than $399. Details about the hardware of the third Eee Pad weren't disclosed.

Asustek currently has a team of over 800 software engineers working on Android but mostly for their smartphone division. Some of those engineers will be transferred to the tablet product division, Shen said.

Source: PC World