It takes either a heavyweight advertising campaign or crafty innovation to stand out in the crowded tablet market these days.
A sharper screen or faster processor won't do for brands wanting to step out from the broad shadow of Apple and Samsung, both of whom are making tablets in all shapes and sizes.
Step forward Asus, and its new Memo Pad 7. This isn’t a tablet selling itself on its technical capabilities, but a gadget attempting to act as a fashion accessory.
The design is inspired by the clutch bag or wallet, so think Prada or Gucci as you stroll along with tablet in hand.
The drawback on this is that “Asus” is scrawled across the back casing, somewhat nullifying any attempt to look like you belong among the fashion elite.
Asus, however, deserves some credit for trying to be different, and also producing a device that is not just attractive, but lightweight and pleasing to use.
The 7-inch HD screen is responsive and clear, the Android operating system cruises along, and the 5-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera provide standard snapping capabilities with the addition of full HD video recording. More advanced camera controls are available for those who wish to go beyond point and click.
But back to the design, and I have to question the type of consumer Asus is targeting.
Granted that women will be drawn to a tablet pretending to be a purse, but what about the male population?
Modern man is an adaptable being ready to push the boundaries of fashion – think the man bag – but when it comes to technology either raw power or brand name tends to come out as the winner.
And while the Memo Pad carries out its duty admirably, at Dh1,099 it is only marginally cheaper than the iPad Mini 3.
I know which one I’d buy, and I know which one my male peers would buy too.
Ladies, it’s over to you.
q&a fashionable tablets anyone?
Ian Oxborrow reveals some more insights into the new Asus Memo Pad 7.
So did you get any admiring looks when handling the bag … I mean tablet?
I strutted across the office a few times without even a blink and also gave it a test run in the mall. I gained some attention there, but eyes seemed to be drawn to the dinner I spilt down my shirt rather than the super-cool tablet in my hand.
Louis Vuitton has nothing to worry about then?
No, but before long I expect the top fashion houses to have tablets built into their purses and handbags.
It’s more socially acceptable to be seen with an Apple product than a funkily designed Asus, isn’t it?
Apple certainly has a hard-core following, irrespective of whether its products are actually any good. A colleague at The National labelled Apple fans "sheep" in a blog post and faced a rather furious backlash, and while I won't go down that road, I do believe that consumers should experiment with different brands
Enough of this fashion talk, hit me with a few more technical details.
The Memo Pad features an Intel Atom Z3560 Moorefield quad-core processor running at up to 1.83GHz, has 2GB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of fast on-board storage that can be supplemented with up to 64GB of expandable MicroSD storage. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat and the battery lasts for 11 hours of web browsing or video playback. It comes as Wi-Fi only or on 4G.
ioxborrow@thenational.ae
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