There are two choices open to you when you are confronted with a Slate style UMPC. You can scratch your head and say, "there don’t be no keyboard here." Or you can ask yourself, "how well can I use this despite the absence of a keyboard?" I asked myself the latter question when first confronted with the R2. This wasn’t the review unit, the R2E, I had for two weeks recently but the original R2H that was shown as one of the very first UMPC devices nearly three years ago. Not having a keyboard seems like a big compromise for any computer because it is the second most used part of any computer, after the mouse. Not having a keyboard bars you from doing most things you would normally do with your computer. And what use is a UMPC that does not even allow you to complete you daily computer routine? If all you want from your UMPC purchase is that it allows you to do what you already do on computers in a conveniently portable package than you probably won’t be excited by the prospect of a Slate style UMPC. I however want a UMPC to go beyond my normal needs and perform different tasks. I therefore was excited by the R2H. [Read on...]

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This very brief bit of info from Current in Australia could be read one of two ways. Either you read it that ASUS is launching a new, tablet version of the Eee PC and you get excited about the prospect of a new sub-$400 UMPC or you take a wider view and consider that ASUS already have 3 versions of the R2 touchscreen devices already on low-power platforms, one that never launched and another two devices launching with Atom. [Click on images about for details.] The current R2E is already a very good value device and a small bit of re-engineering and re-marketing could easily see this launched as a low-cost Eee-branded UMPC. Moving an old design into a new brand to give it a boost makes total sense to me and although it wouldn’t be ‘new’, I’m sure a new price would stimulate a lot of interest.

We’re just finalising a review of the R2E which will be up next week and I’m going to follow up with a post that shows how the R2E is just a re-marketing exercise away from being an R2Eee

Via Liliputing on Twitter.