Engadget have just posted images, a video and their thoughts on the ExoPC Slate after being able to play with it at Computex and they seem to have come away quite impressed with the slate device.

The device is slightly larger than the iPad but weighs about the same, has two USB ports, an SD card slot, HDMI out and had a front facing camera. Inside it features 1.6GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB SSD, 2 cell batter lasting for 5 hours on a single charge and can playback back 1080p videos because of a Broadcom Crystal HD chip. This all makes for encouraging reading, although perhaps slightly more storage wouldn’t go amiss Engadget are actually more impressed with the responsiveness of the unit and the custom UI of the unit.

The ExoPC Slate is expected to be released in September for around $599 ~ £450. If you want to see some more pictures of the device Engadget have quite a few just waiting for your viewing but you can see the video below.

I think it very encouraging that Engadget seem so impressed with the device, they certainly know what they are on about and its not unknown of them to belittle Microsoft’s attempts to compete with Apple’s offerings; its not always wrong of them to belittle though.

Edit: Things are suddenly looking better and better as Engadget have another two Windows 7 slates to show off. First up is the Asus Eee Pad with Intel’s Core 2 Duo CULV processors, Windows 7, and a reputed 10-hour battery life and from the image it looks to have at least 1 USB slot and headphone/microphone sockets and front facing camera. There will also be dock/keyboard accessory available for those who need to do some proper document creation.

New: Engadget have posted a video of the EeePad.

The second Windows 7 slate comes from MSI, the WindPad, and will be packing Intel Atom Z530 processor and Windows 7 Ultimate with two USB ports, an HDMI, it should output 720p, a webcam and a screen resolution of 1024×600. The device should be out later this year for about $499.

New: Engadget have this video of the MSI WindPad.

Engadget have only had a few minutes time with the WindPad and none with the EeePad. They found the WindPad’s build quality to not be all that great, possibly due to it being made entirely of plastic. They were also concerned with the speed of device reporting that it takes a few seconds for an application to open.

I really like the look of the EeePad I just hope its quick enough to compete with the iPad, if it feels sluggish then this wont do well.

Edit: I think the hybrid functionality of the EeePad with its notebook like appearance when connected to the dock will be a killer feature, rather than creating a new market sector for a product they are making the notebook more functional, I am now really looking forward to this device.