ASUS to launch Eee Pad Transformer Mini?

by Steven Mostyn - Jan 3 2012, 12:07

With ASUSTeK (ASUS) having already seen its line of Eee Pad tablets scoop plenty of critical acclaim (i.e., Stuff Magazine’s ‘Gadget of the Year’), is the Korean electronics giant now aiming its computer technology at fans of ultra-ultra portable devices?

That could certainly be the case, according to a Notebook Italia report, which claims to have uncovered a pre-release press shot of a tantalizingly diminutive Eee Pad variant.

Although ASUS is yet to either confirm or deny the existence of the pictured device, initial media reaction points to it being either a specially shrunken edition of the existing Eee Pad Transformer, or perhaps a redesigned and realigned version of the delayed Eee Pad Memo.

If it is indeed a 7.0-inch take on the Eee Pad Transformer, it will likely need to support an accompanying mini keyboard dock to fully qualify as a ‘proper’ Transformer.

However, that keyboard would surely need to be oversized for maximum user comfort, which would doubtless look ungainly. Yet, a pleasing streamlined 7.0-inch dock would pop the pseudo laptop bubble where the appeal of genuine ease-of-productivity is concerned.

If the photo showcases a re-imagined Eee Pad Memo, on the other hand, then existing whispers surrounding the device suggest a freestanding 7.0-inch Eee Pad entrant powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor, and supporting 1GB of RAM.

Other features expected aboard the Memo include Google’s Android mobile operating system (version 4.0), a touch-screen resolution of 1280x800, and network connectivity via 3G and Wi-Fi.

Given that CES 2012 kicks off on January 10, we don’t have long to wait before ASUS reveals all—or not, as the case may be.

This is just a punt, but we here at Tech Herald Towers wouldn’t be surprised to see ASUS re-brand an aesthetically-adjusted Memo as a Transformer device, especially given the plaudits its versatile tablet line has already garnered.

Is it not better to keep prospective buyers focused on that which they already recognize as a quality product, rather than ask them to get excited about something that’s seemingly slightly left of center?

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