After the short first preview of the ASUS EEE Pad Slider SL101, one of the most awaited 10-inch tablet this year, it’s time to take a look at the first serious EEE Pad slider unboxing, video preview and impressions from our friends at Tabletbite.com.

    There are also a couple of pictures that show the two strengths of the EEE Pad Slider SL101: amazing construction and design plus the slider mechanism, the first of its kind of a tablet that allows a hardware QWERTY keyboard to be hidden behind the 10 inch screen of the ASUS Slider tabet.

    The sliding keyboard reminds me of the one found on the Nokia N97 and E7 smartphones and luckily in this case he have a great system that feels solid and durable. The keyboard itself is a chiclet style one, but unlike the one on the ASUS EEE Pad Transformer docking model lacks a touchpad, so you’ll have to rely on touching to navigate the Android 3.1 Honeycomb OS.

    Amazing build quality and good materials used for construction

    Amazing build quality and good materials used for construction

    Now you have to understand that due to the sliding keyboard the overall bulk of the ASUS Slider tablet is suffering, so it’s far from a thin and light tablet you’re used to. But that’s not the point with the SL101 tablet, as the hardware keyboard is dedicated to those who need to type, a lot. The typing experience is not the best, as noted by the reviewer, as keys are too wide and not tall enough at the same time, plus the keyboard exhibits a little bit of flex during typing.

    The sliding mechanism feels very solid

    The sliding mechanism feels very solid

    As the number of ports, the EEE Pad Slider impresses with mini HDMI, micro SD card slot and full-size USB 2.0 port included. Probably ASUS will update the OS to Android 3.2, as it ASUS EEE Pad Transformer with Android 3.2 Honeycomb update [video]" href="http://www.alltouchtablet.com/touchscreen-tablet-news/asus-eee-pad-transformer-with-android-3-2-honeycomb-10523/">did with the Transformer tablet, bringing better peripheral support and SD card Media sync.

    One note on the sliding mechanism: it acts as a screen stand, but unfortunately with only one inclination angle, so if you’re looking to use the tablet on your lap or in bed you’ll see the screen can’t be adjusted to a comfortable angle. The good news is that the IPS technology behind the display (same as the one in the Transformer) allows for good viewing angles.

    No way to adjust the inclination of the screen

    No way to adjust the inclination of the screen

    Price and availability

    Get more specs and availability details for EEE Pad Slider

    One oddity is the inclusion of a Reset button, recessed on the left side. Reminds of good old’ Windows 98, right? Here are two videos which will show you in detail the ASUS EEE Pad Slider: