Hot on the heels of news regarding rival Acer's tablet plans, fellow Taiwanese manufacturer Asus has announced it will debut its first tablet device this December.

The firm's 12-inch Windows 7-powered Eee Pad EP121 will form its initial entry into the tablet market, with two 7-inch tablets and two 9-inch tablets joining the line up in March 2011.

Two tiered strategy

Speaking to DigiTimes, Asus president Jerry Shen confirmed that Microsoft's OS will initially form the focus on the company's tablet releases, though Android-powered devices – including a 9-inch device sporting Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor - will be added to its roster in 2011.

Indeed, Asus' Android tablets are set to be offered at a cheaper price than the firm's Windows 7 output, coming in at $399 for the 9-inch tablet compared to the $499 charged for the Windows 7 edition.

Like iPad, Asus is also likely to offer both wi-fi only and mobile broadband enabled devices at differing prices, with its 7-inch releases split between the two set ups – the latter coming equipped with 3.5G high speed access.

Back in May, Asus claimed it would serve up an app store for its tablets, in conjunction with both Intel and Microsoft, with Intel chips rumoured to be employed in its Windows 7 line up.

[source: DigiTimes]