ASUS Memo 370t: $250 ICS, hdmi, 7" 1280x800 IPS, Quad core Tegra3

[David Marseilles]

Stunned this hasn't been posted here yet. If I missed the thread, apologies.

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-33378_1-573...-price-of-two/

B&N has an extended holiday return policy for the Nooks that I'm very strongly considering taking advantage of. This is huge. The tegra 3 is nice, sure, but it's the resolution jump, the video out, I presume USB host without waiting for hackers to unlock it, and the value of having your device maker recognize your ownership of the device that really sway me.

I think I read a far less certain guesstimate for the rumored google nexus tablet with a similar price range, so summer should be an interesting time for tablets. I think maybe I should wait until summer. I like to own my devices for extended periods.

[Guns4Hire]

News section.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=164714

[Greg_E]

And best of all... No lawsuit from Hasbro (or whoever) for the use of the word Transformer and Prime together.

[David Marseilles]

I don't read the news threads, so forgive me if this too has been posted. Rumor is swirling that the 370t or a slight downgrade of it will be the rumored Nexus Tablet priced at $199.

http://techland.time.com/2012/03/05/...-nexus-tablet/

The second update is that sources in India expect the 370t to be available there in May. The previous was window was broader: Q2. While this isn't US specific, I do think it still helps narrow the window.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

I don't read the news threads, so forgive me if this too has been posted. Rumor is swirling that the 370t or a slight downgrade of it will be the rumored Nexus Tablet priced at $199.

A $50 price drop doesn't bode well. What would get cut?

• RAM?
• CPU?
• display?
• resolution?
• storage?
• card slot?
• bluetooth
• cameras?
• GPS?
• compass?

A quad core Fire/Nook just to achieve a price point is not desirable.

[David Marseilles]

Storage is probably the most likely. It doesn't really affect the rationale for the device so long as the card slot remains intact.

But remember, you're not trying to make up $50 with material cuts. Like Amazon and unlike Asus, Google does have a book, video, music and app store to recoup from, and unlike in the case of cell phones, there's no carrier to pay off. Content subsidy is a possibility here.

[tubemonkey]

If this scenario plays out, I hope it's just a drop from 16GB to 8GB and nothing more.

Before Amazon released the Fire, it established an app store and then beefed up other digital content. Today, Google rechristened Android Market to Google Play and polished its content - apps, books, games, movies, and music.

Kinda looks like they're readying their store for a possible device release

[wallcraft]

Google could also afford to gamble on quantity. If they guarantee to buy multi-million units the price may come down a bit.

I'm not convinced the 7" screen size is a sweet spot for tablets, but it does have the advantage of being the furthest away from the iPad. That said, I like my Kindle Fire and a 1280 x 800 display (and other add-ons, such as GPS) and Ice Cream Sandwich in a similar package would produce a significant competator.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

I'm not convinced the 7" screen size is a sweet spot for tablets,...

Anything much larger is an automatic no buy for me. Larger devices don't fit my definition of portability. If only 10" tablets existed, I'd get a 10" netbook.

[HansTWN]

Wake me up when they have a 10" or even better a 12" Mirasol tablet. These incremental advances over my TouchPad really can't get me excited enough to upgrade every year.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Anything much larger is an automatic no buy for me. Larger devices don't fit my definition of portability. If only 10" tablets existed, I'd get a 10" netbook.

The same here... A 10" might be nice if you only use it while sitting on a desk or couch. And I find it too big for normal novel reading as well.

The only reason I'd like to get a 10" is because of comic books...

[David Marseilles]

When I first started looking at 7" tabs, it was mainly due to pricing. When I actually bought a Nook tablet and held it for a few weeks (before returning it so I could get this), I became a believer, both in the size, and that I wanted a higher pixel density (I found video to be wonderful, but reading less so). The way I use a tablet, I wouldn't want anything bigger, though certainly I understand my way isn't for everyone. Anyone who would prefer this particular package at 10", see the new transformers.

I've been nursing a crush on mirasol and pixel qi for far too long. I had hoped that after the Notion Ink Adam, there'd be a flood of devices from major manufacturers. There hasn't even been a flood of news, just a trickle. Basically, I give up. The 370t can be my touchpad until something real, and probably until the 2nd gen of something real shows up.

[Jabby]

I have an 8" (Ainol Novo8) which has a 1280X768 screen. Way to much. 1280X800 would be much worse on a 7" screen.

The problem is that much of the text is to small to read and the smaller touch area makes it difficult to make selections - in some cases VERY difficult.

I had to root the Novo8 it to change the display profile which gave some relief but never quite got the job done.

If this were a 1024X640 (same aspect ratio), I'd be all in. Maybe Asus will find a way to get around this problem. I sure hope so because otherwise this looks like a real winner.

Regards - John

P.S. It would also me nice if it had a volume rocker switch.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

The 370t can be my touchpad until something real, and probably until the 2nd gen of something real shows up.

Call me a cynic but I'm not holding my breath on a $250 T3 7" device releasing this summer. It's just too good of a price/product My gut feel is it's a stall tacit to keep people from buying existing 7" form factors. Then when the day comes it will be priced higher, stripped down, or delayed even longer.

=X=

[David Marseilles]

Originally Posted by =X=

Call me a cynic but I'm not holding my breath on a $250 T3 7" device releasing this summer. It's just too good of a price/product My gut feel is it's a stall tacit to keep people from buying existing 7" form factors. Then when the day comes it will be priced higher, stripped down, or delayed even longer.

=X=

Delays and changes from early product announcements aren't exactly uncommon, and don't require a nefarious motive. I too have expressed skepticism about how they get that price point with that hardware without the subsidy system the booksellers have at their disposal. If the Google rumor is true, that's at least one path to a low price point.

One non-nefarious motive for an early device announcement that you know you'd have to do heavy, heavy volume to profit from is to see how people respond to it and the particular features. Might they be checking to see just how important the lack of a front-facing camera is based on how many people/press outlets complain about it?

It could be a very different product come summer, true enough, but I have a good feeling about it and I won't let you bring me down with your relentless realism.