This 2-in-1 tablet-phone combo is an
interesting concept, if not a little lacking
There's a strange, definite charm to the
way the ASUS Eee Pad MeMO 171 presents itself. Maybe it's the honesty, like a
steadfast believer of its own creation. It's a 7-inch tablet with a bundled
little Bluetooth phone, and that's what it's gonna be. The concept here is
undeniably interesting, but is it actually a good one?
We like the way the MeMO tablet is
designed, which takes up the design and form factor of a pocket notebook.
There's a business air to it, which we believe is what the MeMO is largely
targeted towards. It's not the slimmest though, perhaps a little bulkier than
we liked, though it's not exactly heavy. The build is solid and it holds
comfortably in one hand.
It's an otherwise pretty standard tablet.
The screen displays decently, and the IPS panel is worthy of mention. You can
extract a stylus from a compartment and use the device like a notebook. It's a
commendable approach, though the stylus itself is just a simple rubber-nub one
that doesn't work as well as proprietary tablet styluses.
Under all that is a 1.2GHz Qualcomm
processor running the show. The MeMO's performance is pretty decent, and it
runs apps just fine and lets you enjoy videos without much hitches. It does lag
and stutter a little, but otherwise it's well enough for your tablet needs.
Now, the bundled Bluetooth phone. Called
the MeMIC, this little device starts off looking cool, thanks to its
translucent screen. It has four navigational buttons, a confirm key, two keys
for receiving/ending calls and one back button. The MeMIC connects to the MeMO
via Bluetooth and the MeMIC app, after which you can make calls or use it as a
media streamer. It's an interesting concept: we see the appeal towards business
tablet users who only needs a basic phone. Unfortunately, it's rather difficult
to view what's on the MeMIC screen without much light.
ASUS Eee
Pad MeMO 171
Price $495
Info www.asus.com
Specifications
Operating System: Android 3.2
(Honeycomb)
Processor: Qualcomm 1.2GHz processor
Frequency: HSDPA 2100 / 1900 / 900
EDGE / GPRS / GSM 850 / 900 /1800 / 1900
Screen: 7-inch 1280 x 800 IPS Panel
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB2.0,
Wi-Fi, microSD, 3.5mm audio, SIM Card,
Others: 5-megapixels camera (rear),
1.2-megapixels (front)
Dimensions: 200.5 x 118 x 12.85 mm
Weight: 400g
|
