Apple iPad finally has a competitor, with Asus announcing the launch of its Eee Pad. The flagship EP121 Eee Pad features a 12-inch screen and houses a dual-core CULV Intel CPU whirring away under its hood. Also, it would run Windows 7 and support Adobe Flash. However, the features that make the Eee Pad much more versatile include connections for USB and HDMI and an SD slot.

The Eee Pad also features a dock connection. But unlike the iPad, it's on the 'long' edge, thus it’ll be in landscape format when docked. The dock itself will be available in two versions: desktop and notebook, a concept that Asus calls 'multi-mode'.

While the desktop version provides a separate keyboard and a simple stand for the screen to sit in, the notebook variant integrates the keyboard with a stand that you can then fold shut for easily carting around.

Besides Eee Pad, EP101TC too was launched, which is a device of similar concept but uses a smaller 10-inch screen and runs only Windows Embedded Compact 7 with a custom interface slapped over the top of it. Its custom screens are impressive with a fine balance of flashiness and basic practicality.