Asus Unveils Quad-Core Transformer Prime Tablet

MojoKid writes with an article in Hot Hardware about the fancy new Asus tablet/laptop hybrid. Quoting the article: "Asus and nVidia have collectively taken the wraps off the next-generation version of Asus's well-received Transformer tablet line. The new system aims to carve out a slice of the premium tablet market that Apple's iPad has dominated for so long. On paper and in pictures, the Prime impresses. The Transformer Prime incorporates NVIDIA's new Kal-El (Tegra 3) processor and is one of NVIDIA Tegra 3's upper-end launch systems. The new ARM-based CPU contains a fifth 'companion core' to reduce and manage idle power consumption and contains 12 GPU cores, up from the eight GPUs in Tegra 2. NVIDIA claims that Tegra 3's GPU is up to 3x faster than Tegra 2, thanks to additional architectural enhancements. Asus is also rolling out a new LCD they're calling 'Super IPS+.' The display's normal brightness tops out at ~500 nits, but the Prime offers an alternate Super IPS mode that pushes display brightness up to 600 nits for use in bright outdoor environments."

Comments

Intruiged

[esocid]

When the first one came out, it was the only tablet that piqued my interest. I like the idea of a dual use, "dockable," tablet since I don't imagine I'd use a tablet much longer after the novelty wore off. Asus has really done something great with this incarnation too, it looks like.

Re:Intruiged

[JoeMerchant]

When the first one came out, it was the only tablet that piqued my interest. I like the idea of a dual use, "dockable," tablet since I don't imagine I'd use a tablet much longer after the novelty wore off. Asus has really done something great with this incarnation too, it looks like.

I won an iPad for free - it sits on my nightstand mostly unused, the 13" laptop still rules: it has a keyboard, it has Windows instead of iOS, and Hulu is free on Windows...

When I do pick up the iPad, it's for things like Angry Birds, Pocket Frogs, etc. It _can_ browse the web, but not as well as the notebook. It does win out occasionally for things like working on the car where it's nice to have the reference handy without worrying about breaking the more fragile notebook, but then it loses again when it's time to hook up the OBDII diagnostic tool to the USB port.

Re:Intruiged

[Dunbal]

it sits on my nightstand mostly unused

You know I hear this often from tablet owners. Tablets have to be the ultimate impulse buy. Very few people actually use them often.

Re:Intruiged

[DinDaddy]

When Win8 comes out, if Asus sells one of these running that OS, it would be a pretty tempting machine. Assuming the Metro ecosystem takes off at all.

Re:Intruiged

[TheRaven64]

I have an HP TouchPad, which was also free. I use it to remotely control music and DVD playback, and I occasionally use it for light web browsing. The App Catalogue seems to be broken on it, or I'd be tempted to use it for RSS reading (it doesn't come with a built-in RSS reader, which is a bit of a WTF for something called WebOS). It's probably more use when travelling, as a portable media player. I think I'd use it a bit more if I had the TouchStone dock - having it sitting on a shelf displaying photos would mean that I'd bother to copy my photo collection to it, and then I'd use it, instead of a laptop, for showing people photos.

But, by and large, I think you're right. Tablets just don't do anything that laptops don't, and most of the stuff that they do, they do less well than a laptop. I mainly use mine via SSH, as it's the fastest ARM machine I have, and that's a pretty niche use case.

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

I use mine daily. The odd webpage check, info lookup. A few games with friends, like scrabble or words. Reading via the kindle app. Last night i watched movies for a while since I couldn't sleep. My experience would disagree with this.

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

Web browsing usage stats don't really bear that out. You may know a lot of geeky tablet owners who can't live without 18 tabs and torrented TV shows/movies.

Re:Intruiged

[darjen]

I have the first Transformer and I use it in front of the TV all the time to surf and play games during the evening. The only thing I use a laptop for outside of work is to talk to the family on skype. I only do that because my external webcam gives a much better picture than the Transformer's built in cam.

Re:Intruiged

[HappyHead]

I use mine frequently, but then it's a first generation ASUS Transformer, with the keyboard add-on. I use it for looking up docs while working on things away from a computer, for reading e-books, as a GPS unit in the car, and when I'm in the server room, I use it to ssh into the servers to test settings. If I didn't have the keyboard, that last use would be nearly impossible, and I'd probably use the tablet less than a quarter of the amount that I do.

Re:Intruiged

[Joce640k]

Which of those things can't you do with a (cheaper) notebook?

Re:Intruiged

[Bill_the_Engineer]

I don't know why you choose to underutilize a very useful device, but not everyone has the same experience.

I have an iPad2 and I use it a lot. I carry it with me between meetings and use it for email, calendar, reading documents, and an occasional terminal session to fix a problem with one of the servers using iSSH. The notepad application is pretty useful, and I've become spoiled with having my meeting notes already in my computer when I do make it to my office. Our office uses an internal wiki and we have web applications that I'm able to use with my iPad. I get exceptional battery life when compared against my netbook and I don't have to open and close the clamshell as I move from meeting to meeting or travel on public transportation.

At home I'll watch netflix on it, or HBO GO. In addition, I can quickly reply to the emails that flood my inbox at all times of the day.

This is my personal preference. I'm sure everybody's is different.

Re:Intruiged

[ackthpt]

it sits on my nightstand mostly unused

You know I hear this often from tablet owners. Tablets have to be the ultimate impulse buy. Very few people actually use them often.

Largely the story with my first generation Tablet - It's OK and has been designated as my travel computer, but is rarely used around the house for anything more than streaming football scores on the BBC while I'm doing other things.

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course they're intriguing. Transformers are robots in disguise!

Re:Intruiged

[chill]

Unless you're sitting at a desk or table, reading documents is much easier on flat device without an attached keyboard.

Also, I used mine when looking to move and checking out houses. (Create custom map with home locations on Google Maps, log in and view map with GPS enabled on tablet.) The 10" screen is much better for things like maps and GPS navigation. Most laptops don't have integrated GPS and carrying a laptop around in a car or on foot is cumbersome.

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

You know I hear this often from tablet owners. Tablets have to be the ultimate impulse buy. Very few people actually use them often.

I use mine at least once a day. It's much easier to read than a phone when you are sitting on the can.

Re:Intruiged

[Tsingi]

I have the first one as well. I like it.

I use it as a remote for my media station, and for a roving doc. Kitchen, workshop. Also to watch news/vids in the kitchen. The kitchen tends to be a lot cleaner with some mobile entertainment.

I'm getting my monies worth.

Re:Intruiged

[cayenne8]

I have to say, I'm actually VERY surprised at how much I use my tablet.

I scored a new nook for cheap (about $135)...and boot it into cyanogen mod7 from the microSD card (will soon root it permanently when I get around to it), but I did it mostly as a fun experiment I saw a friend do..it was pretty much pocket change, so what the hell.

Well, I've found I'm pretty much tethered to it at home whenever I am at home. It follows me to every room I go to.....I'm constantly checking email on it...browsing for info (recipes, grocery store weekly ads, slashdot, shopping for newegg specials, etc).

I honestly didn't think I'd find a use for it...but I find that since I moved recently to a new place...rather than having desktops/laptops/netbooks fired up and running 24/7 in pretty much every room of the house, I now just use the nook tablet and carry it with me wherever I go in the house.

I've travelled with it before, and is fun to take to watch movies (I watched a bunch of riff-trax last trip which was fun) on the plane, etc.

My only complaint would be the lack of camera, gps and 3/4g would be nice for places without wifi when traveling, but honestly, I love the thing and use it like I never imagined. I truly thought once I did the rooting...it would just gather dust somewhere.

I'm thinking with the new nook tablets coming out, used original nook colors will start dropping in price..I might pick up and root a couple more of them to have around the house.

Also thinking of rigging one up to put in my car, and route through sound system for tv/movies/concert videos on the road...fixing up some kind of mount in there to hang it on in front of the stereo maybe.

I'd even considered getting some type of mi-fi maybe from verizon for the car..just to give it internet connectivity for trips out....

Re:Intruiged

[bogolisk]

Does your notebook last 12h, 16h or 18h? An out-of-battery notebook cannot do anything.

Re:Intruiged

[cayenne8]

Which of those things can't you do with a (cheaper) notebook?

I bought a nook color new for $135...rooted it and use that as my tablet (see other post about constant use of it)...

For the money, it can't be beat...and you can get a used nook color these days for about $150 or less. I imagine since the newer nook tablet is coming out, the older nook colors will get VERY inexpensive.

For $135-$150, I'd just have these things laying all over the house for easy access no matter where I am....much more convenient for checking emails, quick browsing than a notebook/netbook.

Re:Intruiged

[Andy Dodd]

Since getting my Samsung Tab 10.1, I haven't used my netbook much.

Since getting a Bluetooth keyboard for the Tab - the netbook hasn't been touched in months.

While the netbook is technically faster, the Tab's OS is more lightweight so in the end gives a much more pleasant user experience, and there is much to be said for having a system that can resume from suspend in well under a second, and can sit in suspend for days, waking up for push email and such. A netbook in suspend takes tens of seconds to resume, at best. So it can't maintain an active network connection and "wake up" to fire a notification when an email comes in, at least not efficiently.

THAT is the real advantage of premium tablets - the form factor of a netbook, but the power management of a mobile phone.

Re:Intruiged

[Quiet_Desperation]

Same here. My iPad follows me around the house. I use it *more* than I expected. I bought an Apple TV (I only just found out it supports Netflix streaming) to go with it, and just rip all Netflix DVDs to the iPad as they arrive. Then I can watch in bed or stream to the big TV in the living room.

Re:Intruiged

[chrylis]

What do you use for an SSH client?

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

It's just nicer and easier with a tablet. Many people, especially those with marketable skills that grant them decent income, will pay for that extra little bit of nice.

It's why not everyone lives in little utilitarian cubes, driving used, gray Tata Nanos while wearing blue sweat pants and white T shirts, even if the geek "brain trust" would have us do so.

Re:Intruiged

[HappyHead]

I use connectBot - the very first release of it I downloaded didn't properly handle the keyboard dock, and I had to get the "development release" from the developer's website ( http://code.google.com/p/connectbot/ ), but that was several months ago, and the fix should be in the main branch by now. The only down side is that it's a terminal connection only, and doesn't do file transfers.

Re:Intruiged

[JoeMerchant]

Unless you're sitting at a desk or table, reading documents is much easier on flat device without an attached keyboard.

For me, at least, my 13" notebook weighs about the same as an iPad (yes, it's VERY light), and I find it easier to read because the 1600x900 resolution screen with brighter backlight is easily adjustable to any angle while sitting in my lap hands free, as opposed to the iPad (1) which is always hands on or precariously balanced.

In the iPad wins column: the notebook can cook toast with it's starboard cooling vent.

Re:Intruiged

[Rob Y.]

I have a Nook Color running Cyanogen mod 7.1, and it's pretty nice. But I almost never use it. The reason - there are 2 of us in the apartment, and Android (gingerbread, at least) is a lousy multi-user system. The Gmail app supports multiple accounts, but doesn't let you sign out of them - so each user can see everybody else's email. Other apps have no multi-account support at all - and they shouldn't have to. Android should just support the multi-user capabilities of the underlying Linux OS. But as it is, there is no way to support multiple Facebook (or even Words With Friends) accounts on the thing. Ditto browser bookmarks and stored web passwords, etc.

Maybe the iPad (and the 'tablet' versions of Android) have true multi-user signon options. If not, they need to get 'em.

Re:Intruiged

[JoeMerchant]

Having experienced the iPad has largely put me off from getting an iPhone, or really any "smart" phone with a little screen. Whatever I would want to do on the "smartphone" that my "dumbphone" can't is already hobbled on the 10" iPad, and is just that much harder on a 4" or smaller screen.

Re:Intruiged

[Buelldozer]

Anecdotal but I bought a ViewSonig G-Tab from woot and rooted it and am running Flashback 10.

I use it constantly around the house. It sees at least 20 hours of use per week.

Re:Intruiged

[Buelldozer]

A Nook Color is $175. Tell your cheap a$$ room mate to go get their own.

Re:Intruiged

[mrand]

We never undock our Transformer that we've had since mid-summer - so we use it more like a netbook. But it really opens your eyes to how certain use cases are really improved used touch screen. Yes, you can get by with a mouse, but there are many things which are really much more efficient with touch. After extended use, my wife and I bought try to touch the screen on non-touch laptops - it is so much more natural than a mouse.

      Marc

Re:Intruiged

[EEPROMS]

I have a tablet and a netbook and right now I hardly use the netbook unless I am at home. I think the issue is a tablet doesn't replace a laptop at home but if you are catching a bus/train to work it is an ideal compromise. The logic behind owning a tablet is really dependent on the owner having the time to use it and if they only use the tablet at home and they have a laptop then it is a waste of money in opinion.

Re:Intruiged

[JoeMerchant]

Why I choose to underutilize a relatively lame device, not everyone has the same experience:

carry it with me between meetings

A 13" notebook travels just as easily as the iPad

use it for email

I generally type more than one word responses to e-mails, and even find reading and sorting e-mail easier on a notebook, plus, I don't have to have my hands on the notebook while I read (iPad 2 has a better cover/stand, but still lacks compared to a hinge)

calendar

Granted, calendaring is on-par, perhaps even better in an iPad or iPhone or Blackberry, or even Smartwatch.

reading documents

I still prefer hands-free, and find some documents don't open as easily in iOS as they do on a desktop OS

and an occasional terminal session to fix a problem with one of the servers using iSSH.

Typing is clearly easier for me with real keys, though the iPad touchscreen is certainly an improvement over, say, the Atari 400 membrane keyboard.

The notepad application is pretty useful, and I've become spoiled with having my meeting notes already in my computer when I do make it to my office. Our office uses an internal wiki and we have web applications that I'm able to use with my iPad.

If you've got a built ecosystem that's 100% iOS friendly, more power to you...

I get exceptional battery life when compared against my netbook

Granted, iPad - roughly 9 hours of heavy use, cheap UX notebook more like 5 (though, Asus makes some models that go for 13...)

and I don't have to open and close the clamshell as I move from meeting to meeting or travel on public transportation.

I like the clamshell action, but, then, I still like my clamshell phone too.

At home I'll watch netflix on it, or HBO GO.

I really don't want to pay for Hulu Plus, and Hulu seems to be preying on the device users while still taking pity on cheapskates on PCs.

This is my personal preference. I'm sure everybody's is different.

Clearly.

Re:Intruiged

[Bert64]

You could easily produce a netbook with the same advantages of a tablet, while still having the same form factor including a keyboard.... There were plans afoot to build ARM based laptops, but they seem to have gone nowhere.

Re:Intruiged

[Cederic]

Hmm. Number of times in the last 20 years that I've needed 12h of notebook support without being able to access a power supply: 2

I'm not knocking the convenience of not needing to charge the battery quite so often, but it's hardly the crippling disability you're suggesting.

Re:Intruiged

[arkhan_jg]

I did buy the first one. It's pretty neat, and has been getting regular updates of honeycomb - hopefully it will also get the bump to ICS at some point. While my phone (Galaxy S) is rooted with custom firmware, I haven't felt the need to on the tablet. I did have a froyo-based archos 101 that sucked big time (crappy screen) that went back due a large dead zone, which I was grateful for. The screen on the transformer is nice and sensitive, and not had any problems with it not registering touches, unlike the archos.

I use it in tablet mode mostly when reading the internet on the sofa, though it sometimes comes into the kitchen too - playing something in the background or recipe etc. When I went to France for summer holiday, it came with me instead of my full laptop, and did sterling duty playing music (external SD card), the odd video, light internet browsing via wifi, as well as angry birds and fruit ninja HD of course (the latter two run lovely with the bigger screen); mostly acting as a netbook with docked keyboard except when playing. Didn't have any problems using it on the patio in daylight. If I had a garden at home, I'd use it there too in tablet mode. I did use to read slashdot on it in docked mode at breakfast (my hands were busy with my bowl of cereal), but I'm trying to break *that* habit.

I have to say I've been very happy with it; can't remember the last time I dug out the laptop, and it works very well as a netbook when docked, which also gives a hefty battery boost - and it works just fine as a conventional tablet. Honeycomb might not be quite as slick as iOS, but it gets the job done - and there's a lot more flexibility. Plus it comes bundled with a version of splashtop, which is handy.

I used it today in my meeting with my boss in fact; just trying out handrite with a capacitive pen to jot down handwritten notes and then dump into evernote for later carving into specific job tickets. Bit easier to do that than thumbtype at speed (my boss has a 'slump' sofa seating area, with nowhere for a netbook and you can't easily rest on your knees, or I'd just use it in docked mode).

The new one looks nice too, but frankly I'm perfectly happy with the first gen. Tegra 2 plays every game I'd thrown at it (including heavy beasties like Cordy) so far.

Re:Intruiged

[hairyfeet]

I work with a lot of home users so I hear of such things and I agree and I'd add the Wii to the "We bought it now what?" list. Folks play with the tablets for a few months, the Wii got around 5 or 6 months, then it sits on a shelf. I had a cousin whose kid practically begged for a Wii and when i ran into him I asked how he liked it and he said 'You're right, its collecting dust and John is on steam playing the crazy looking shooter thing (TF2) all the time". My customers that bought tablets? Same thing. some had me get them the fancy and expensive, some went with the small and cheap, they all ended up sitting on the stand in the corner as a more expensive digital picture frame or just turned off.

So I'm having to wonder if its a fad. Sure there are some people that use the far out of them, just as there are some that use the heck out of the Wii, but I'm finding those to be in the minority, at least around here. Meanwhile even my landlady has jumped on the netbook after seeing me enjoying the Indian summer with mine in the picnic area. She even had me come down while all her friends were here the other day since hers wasn't in yet and she wanted me to give them a little demo to show what she was talking about. The atom netbooks were just too slow unless they had ION but the AMD ones are snappy and light.

So while I wish them luck, simply because Nvidia got screwed by Intel (who i think still should have gotten busted for what they did to Nvidia and AMD) I don't see anybody able to take Apple's "I'm hip!" slot and folks don't seem to be really using the things much anyway. Hell even the local college which was formerly Apple land and you would think would be the place you'd see iPads everywhere, what with the free high speed Wifi all over campus, has instead went to the netbooks and smaller laptops. When I asked my oldest who was going there he said 'Yeah well all the guys go to the lounge to unwind with a little TF2 while the girls are all in Second Life". Maybe they'll take off if they can get Valve to port Steam but I can't imagine TF2 on a touchscreen, talk about being pwned.

Re:Intruiged

[datavirtue]

I have a Thinkpad x220 in front of me with 13h batter life. This thing will not die.

Re:Intruiged

[KarrdeSW]

In the iPad wins column: the notebook can cook toast with it's starboard cooling vent.

I would put this in the "notebook wins" column, but I have a somewhat extreme love for toast.

Re:Intruiged

[Rhys]

Have a transformer original with dock. Love it. Not quite as much as my 901 which died, but close. Only less so due to the latching mechanism not being quite as robust as I'd like (easy to knock the tablet part just slightly out of the dock), and because it doesn't have the handy gripper-battery the 901 did which made it super convenient to carry around.

I'd say I use it about 50/50 as tablet/notebook. Its almost always docked, but at lunch I tend to be using it as a web tablet... but sitting at a hands-free angle more convenient than flat or in my lap while I'm eating. Safer for the tablet too...

Re:Intruiged

[kcitren]

What app do you use for the offline GPS capability?

Re:Intruiged

[JoeMerchant]

In the iPad wins column: the notebook can cook toast with it's starboard cooling vent.

I would put this in the "notebook wins" column, but I have a somewhat extreme love for toast.

Me too, problem is, I never seem to have a handy slice of bread when the notebook is in my lap and I am wearing shorts...

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

I really don't want to pay for Hulu Plus, and Hulu seems to be preying on the device users while still taking pity on cheapskates on PCs.

That's not pity, that's seduction. Once they've got you, you'll pay the extra for a mobile device. (More power to anyone who sees the seduction for what it is and takes advantage of the free bait without falling for it, of oourse.)

Re:Intruiged

[kesuki]

my kindle suits me fine, readable in full sunlight for trips, vacations etc, needs a light to be read in the dark, but the 4 month battery life is exceptional, well worth it. has a partial qwerty keyboard for making notes (for students/scholars) highlights and bookmarks work fine, has robot voice and adjustable fonts including size.

this thing on the other hand is a playstation 4 in a tablet, what the hell do you need 4 user cores 1 power management cores and 12 gpu cores? thats about a 8096 bit computer if you do the math. all in one little screen just to play a game or two?

nvidia is infected with a serious virus to need that much hardware to play tablet games.

Re:Intruiged

[Flipao]

Tablets offer a better user experience for media consumption, they are lighter, thinner and have longer battery life than most, if not all laptops currently available .

Stick to your clamshells, eventually you'll catch on.

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's presume it'll be almost as popular as Zunes and Windows Phone phones combined.

Re:Intruiged

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree. I wasn't ever interested in tablets, but the Transformer Prime is really looking attractive, especially with that dock/keyboard. I could definitely part with $650 for one of those.

Re:Intruiged

[HalWasRight]

A Thinkpad x220 starts at more than $850!

Re:Intruiged

[mad flyer]

We don't care what could actually be made or not depending on some corporate lunacy... The topic is aboot what to do or not with device that are available. Not aboot the possibility of time travel one day.

With "if" you can put Paris in a bottle...

Trying to pull a "what if" during an history lecture will get you fired...

Enjoy the possibilities...

Re:Intruiged

[HalWasRight]

1) You can't disconnect the keyboard from a notebook. This makes my Transformer lighter and more comfortable when sitting on the couch websurfing or watching Netflix.
2) You can't use a touch interface on a (cheaper) notebook. I've hurt my finger poking the screen on my work laptop because I've become so used to and happy with having a touch interface.

Re:Intruiged

[Niomosy]

You can use MapDroyd or RMap on Android.

RMap can do directions as well (MapDroyd doesn't do directions or have any lookup capabilities last I tried). It's not the best though. You have to download Mobile Atlas Creator, then create your own map chunks to save which you upload to your device. From there you can load them into RMap. The map sizes that Mobile Atlas Creator allows are a bit restricted so a 6-hour road trip would have you switching maps multiple times. Though the last I looked at it was July.

Re:Intruiged

[ShakaUVM]

When the first one came out, it was the only tablet that piqued my interest. I like the idea of a dual use, "dockable," tablet since I don't imagine I'd use a tablet much longer after the novelty wore off. Asus has really done something great with this incarnation too, it looks like.

I basically had to get a tablet for work, and I dithered a while between the Transformer and an iPad. The iPad has a much cleaner user experience - it scrolls smoothly (all Android tablets will jerk around), text appears slowly on Android browsers, and so forth. I sort of hated the idea of buying into the Apple walled garden, but then again, it would integrate with iTunes, but an Android Tablet would integrate with my Android phone... and so that was a wash. Ultimately I got the Transformer, though, simply for the reason that I can type much quicker on an actual keyboard than an OSK, and I'm pretty good at using an OSK.

If ASUS ever integrates the ability to emulate Windows executables on a Transformer, I think they'd have a killer app on their hands - the attachable keyboard and touchpad means that they can run apps using a native interface, without having to refactor it to work in a touch environment. Then I wouldn't need a laptop at all.

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[JoeMerchant]

I tend to disagree about the media consumption - my clamshell sits in bed between me and my wife, holds its screen at a good viewing angle, and handles more media types than the iPad.

One place the iPad experience wins hands down is in playing solitare, it's perfect for that, but for playing one TV show in the evening, the iPad gets put on the nightstand and the clamshell comes out. In the living room, we have a real TV, and otherwise, we don't consume much media, so maybe we're not the target market.

Re:Intruiged

[JoeMerchant]

Oh, and by the way, this article is about the transformer, a tablet that *ahem* transforms into a clamshell notebook with keyboard. I could deal with that, and it could play a bitchin' game of solitare.

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[mjwx]

When I do pick up the iPad, it's for things like Angry Birds, Pocket Frogs, etc. It _can_ browse the web, but not as well as the notebook.

This is what I see Ipads being used for, games, general distractions, idling away the time. For the most part, keeping kids occupied.

I recently went on holidays, I took my 13" Asus laptop and my 10" Acer tablet. The Laptop got used more because it has a keyboard, most of my games installed, more media storage space (640 GB vs 48 GB), a network port and is generally faster (Sandy Bridge i5 v ARM, no competition really). The tablet was only used when I didn't feel like turning on the laptop although it did have the gmail integration going for it.

I'm not at all displeased with my Iconia Tab, but it's no laptop replacement, not by a long shot and I can do more on my Iconia then I could on an Ipad such as use USB storage or plug in a USB keyboard. However It cannot replace a laptop, a tablet sits in between a phone and a laptop and cant really do the job of either.

Re:Intruiged

[JoeMerchant]

You know, there's a car analogy brewing here... I bought a Miata in 1991 (call it the iPad), but I kept my Honda Civic (call it a cheap Dell desktop). A few years later, I traded the Honda for an old Pickup truck (call it "big iron"). Years after that, the old Pickup was replaced with a new 1999 pickup (the computer analogy is slipping, but you get the idea...) The Miata was turbocharged in early 1997 (processor upgrade?)

Anyway, while the Miata is fun, and I have kept it around all these years, and I do use it for some things, including my daily commute, if I were ever forced to choose a single vehicle, the Miata would almost certainly not be the choice - I'd be a sad to see it go, but it just doesn't do everything I need.

Very much the same for the iPad, except that it's even less useful than the Miata, and I am just not as attached to it. Of course, when I bought the Miata, I was just borrowing computers from work (and school before that), so, even though they're cheaper, computing devices are much easier to live without than cars...

Re:Intruiged

[baptiste]

I have the Transformer as well and it's been an interesting fight between my trusty Acer Netbook and the Transformer... Short story? I still have and use both and still haven't really migrated to one or the other. My Netbook is great. 2GB mem upgrade makes it usable for my tons of tabs, occasional Google Doc or LibreOffice runs - even can manage to edit the occasional Picasa photo without too much pain. It's a great form factor, the 9 Cell battery means long run times, and the screen is crazy bright (LED) - at night the dimmest setting can seem to bright. I may throw an SSD into it for fun. This has and continues to be my main 'away from the desktop' computer. I take it with me everywhere, bouncing WiFi off my phone when needed. The tablet is interesting. First - the keyboard is not perfect. The keys are too far apart and I find myself having a lot of trouble typing on it, but that may be me. Either they require too much travel to 'tick' or my hands just don't fit it well. The touchpad is RIGHT under the space bar and I found myself clicking with my thumb ALL the time - I turned it off the first week or two and haven't turned it on since. All that said, I leave it in the keyboard almost all the time. I hate touch typing on the screen. But when I need the tablet mode, it's SO easy to just pop out and keep going. The biggest adjustment (at first) was how many apps had no keyboard shortcuts. I'm a shortcut type - the less I need to touch a mouse the better. Simple Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V were foreign to many apps, which makes sense for an OS rooted in phones with no keyboard. The lack of support for some Google apps and other big ones on Honeycomb was criminal (No google voice? No netflix?) But to their credit the apps have gradually gotten better and better. More and more adding keyboard shortcuts they always should have had, battery life improving, and overall unlike most 'upgrades' anytime apps get updated you often notice the improvement. To me the tablet is fun. LOVE watching full length movies and not seeing the battery meter drop in realtime or have the device almost too hot to touch. Playing Angry Birds is, of course, much more fun using your finger vs a touchpad. Email is just fine using the GMail client and web browsing with Dolphin is decent (too many other browsers default to mobile mode which is crazy with a 10" screen) Google Docs on Android is an abomination, but hopefully will improve. So the tablet can take the place of my netbook for the basic email/web stuff and media viewing. Beyond that though? Not seeing it. At all. I'm just more efficient on my NetBook. Maybe that will change, but for now, I still find myself picking a device based on what I expect to do after work. Not sure that's bad, but seems inefficient.

Re:Intruiged

[baptiste]

One funny thing I forgot to mention is with my Acer Netbook and Transformer Tablet being pretty much the same size, I've caught myself reaching to touch the Acer screen way too often, so I guess I'm getting used to using 'touch' vs a 'touchpad' a bit more than anticipated!

Re:Intruiged

[bmd256]

You can also cache google map data ahead of time and the directions app will work with that.

Re:Intruiged

[darjen]

I don't even have the keyboard for my transformer. Never bought it because I wasn't too sure how much I really needed it. I don't generally use mine to type all that much. I mostly just use it for reading. Google reader's tablet version is pretty decent and I spend a lot of time there. And some angry birds on a tablet is great when I get tired of reading. I could never get into playing it on a phone screen. I like the 10 inch version of the game much better.

Wonder how that Parts supply chain is going

[ackthpt]

Last I looked the floods were still going strong in Thailand. Nice pictures and a bit of a surprise they didn't wait for CES to unveil it (but that's a crowded place with a lot of chatter to rise above.)

Re:Wonder how that Parts supply chain is going

[Anonymous Coward]

It seems unlikely that this tablet will include a spinning hard drive, so I don't think the Thailand flooding has any real relevance. SSD supply was not affected.

Re:Wonder how that Parts supply chain is going

[icebraining]

Supply wasn't, but price probably will, considering it's a substitute good.

Re:Wonder how that Parts supply chain is going

[ackthpt]

It seems unlikely that this tablet will include a spinning hard drive, so I don't think the Thailand flooding has any real relevance. SSD supply was not affected.

A great many other bits and pieces are manufactured in Thailand, aside HDD and support.

Regarding other matters of substance, I sped down to the asian grocery and loaded up on foods I eat, which are from Thailand. Supplies will be drying up because logistics have been hammered as much as manufacturing.

Looks real nice.

[Anonymous Coward]

One can only hope that this is the future of tablets.

Companion

[Anonymous Coward]

So it comes with a companion cube? Nice.

Re:Companion

[bughunter]

It's a Transformer, so wouldn't that be an Energon Cube?

Re:Companion

[kesuki]

and with 5 cores of cpu and 12 cores of gpu it should use about 1.21 gigawatts to run the bastard. they must have a zero point module(zedpm) instead of a battery to get the power life they claim.

no seriously gpus are 512-bit computers 12 of those plus lower power arm with 5 32 or 64 bit cores?

i know they're making them as the atomic level these days but it's still ridiculous...

wainting for 1920x1080p

[Surt]

Not buying until you can watch videos on a tablet without horrible scaling artifacts. Give me a native 1920x1080 tablet already!
(I really hope someone does this before the ipad 3, because I'd really rather not buy ipad).

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[jordanjay29]

Do you know how crazy that is? I have 1920x1080p resolution on my 17" laptop, and text gets insanely small. Now consider stripping 7 inches and reading that on a 10" screen. It'd be impossible!

What they need is better scaling algorithms, not higher resolutions.

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[chrylis]

Halfway decent graphics systems scale text to dot pitch. If your text is illegibly small, either you have your display set to 6pt or your display manager needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 1990s.

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realize they've had 22" 3840x2400 desktop monitors (IBM T220 and descendants) for a decade now? I have one, and use it, and set my goddamn fonts to an appropriate size instead of whinging about how small they are by default. Any manufacturer integrating a 1080p screen in a tablet will set the scaling right, so that's not even an issue.

And there's any numer of phones with 250-350 PPI (WVGA or so in a phone-sized display), and people can read text on them just fine -- because the text is scaled corrrectly.

Try being less of a retard, OK?

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[jordanjay29]

It's not illegibly small outside of websites (especially tech blogs, for some reason) that think they should still style their sites with pt size fonts, instead of em. Using CTRL+ helps, but it's still a bit ridiculous. I'm just saying that the same resolution on a 10" tablet would be insanely tiny, mostly for the reason of those same websites. Everything else might scale, but the web would still be an awful place to venture.

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[Surt]

They just need to jump font size. Readability will be fine. Apple is going 2560 for ipad3, btw, so if it can't be done, apple is in trouble. :-)

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[Cederic]

Call me primitive, but I have almost no 1920x1080 video sources. I still use SD TV feeds, I don't own a Bluray (or HD-DVD) player and although Youtube will supply 1920x1080 video, at a range of two feet I just don't need to run it at full screen anyway.

Computer games I run at 1920x1080, and I'd love that resolution on smaller devices, but for video? On a 10" screen? Well, thank you I guess, for offering to fund the technology advances the rest of us will eventually benefit from.

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[Goaway]

Halfway decent graphics systems

You all those ones that don't actually exist?

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[White Flame]

I've got a couple of T221s and I use an appropriate font size as well: 4pt. I have LOTS of text onscreen, and yes, my eyes are very good at reading microprint et al.

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[shutdown -p now]

You all those ones that don't actually exist?

Gnome actually did it for a long time now. Windows doesn't do it automatically, but it lets you manually set DPI to whatever value you want.

For some mysterious reason, OS X is the only one that exposes no way of scaling UI uniformly (there is a property one can set, but it breaks way many things).

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[shutdown -p now]

It's not illegibly small outside of websites (especially tech blogs, for some reason) that think they should still style their sites with pt size fonts, instead of em. Using CTRL+ helps, but it's still a bit ridiculous. I'm just saying that the same resolution on a 10" tablet would be insanely tiny, mostly for the reason of those same websites. Everything else might scale, but the web would still be an awful place to venture.

A browser does not have to interpret "px" as a literal hardware pixel - IIRC there's even the wording in the current CSS spec that says so. So it's perfectly legal for it to scale text sizes specified in px to look decent on the screen. Similarly, it can scale any bitmap images as needed.

Think about it this way: iPhone 4 has over 300dpi, but it still renders websites just fine. Why would using a bigger screen with the same DPI suddenly cause problems, if everything is done right?

Re:wainting for 1920x1080p

[PsychoSlashDot]

Do you know how crazy that is? I have 1920x1080p resolution on my 17" laptop, and text gets insanely small. Now consider stripping 7 inches and reading that on a 10" screen. It'd be impossible! What they need is better scaling algorithms, not higher resolutions.

Disagree. I happily have been running in 1920x1200 on my 15" Dell for six years. By insanely small, I assume you mean "appropriate for people with healthy or corrected vision". Pixel-based screen real-estate is the number one feature I base purchasing decisions on for anything involving a display these days. All the other metrics are important but I don't see all those cores or Gig of flash memory. Low-res means time lost scrolling. Might as well get a good display and slower processor at that rate.

What a nice GPU

[Anonymous Coward]

Still slower than the one on the iPad 2 though. :/

what the

[unity100]

fuck is 'mind share' ffs. if you are going to be paying money you are probably still BETTER off with ipad, WHY exactly ? because it is a weaker, less capable device than asus's transformer in the article ?

you are saying that your ipad can run windows 8 ?

Re:what the

[Sockatume]

"Mind share" is "even your grandmother knows about the iPad".

Re:what the

[unity100]

so what is he trying to say ?

Re:what the

[Anonymous Coward]

"mind share" is why "video cassets" has been equivalent to "VHS cassets" for as long as I can remember.

Re:what the

[Anonymous Coward]

What he is saying is that he thinks you should be a sheep and buy an ipad because you should want to look like part of the crowd. I personally don't understand why you should care whether grandma has heard of your tablet. I believe you should buy the product that meets your needs and your wallet can afford end of story.

Re:what the

[CanHasDIY]

so what is he trying to say ?

That Apple fanboys would sooner go a-grave robbin' to suck Steve off some more, than purchase something that might actually be useful.

At least, that's what it sounds like to me.

Re:what the

[Anonymous Coward]

"Mind share" is "even your grandmother knows about the iPad".

Even your grandmother knows about the Kindle Fire. Game on.

Re:what the

[bogolisk]

So the OP means: "Get an iPad so you can look like your grandmother" ! hmmm.

Re:what the

[Sockatume]

Yeah, the cachet of the Kindle amongst ordinary people is really amazing. I've had all kinds of older relatives expressing an interest. That the Fire will be a success seems like a sure thing.

Re:what the

[Sockatume]

He's saying that nobody knows what the fuck a Transformer Prime is except that Michael Bay invented it in Japan in the '80s.

Re:what the

[Anonymous Coward]

Ashatt.

Re:what the

[CanHasDIY]

Here's a bucket of water and a rag; now go wash the sand out of your vagina, anonymous fanboy asshat.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[Sockatume]

It's got twice the capacity at any given price point. From my perspective one of the first tablets that's both price and feature superior to the iPad. And I say that as an inveterate iPhone user that's never previously considered a non-Apple tablet.

As an Asus laptop owner

[Dunbal]

I hope they make their tablets of a higher quality than their laptops.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[darjen]

I have an Asus w3v laptop that is nearly 10 years old. Still using it with Ubuntu today. The battery doesn't work any more, even with a new battery. so it mostly just stays plugged in now. but I don't really have a problem with that.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[milbournosphere]

I've owned two eeePCs, and they both have wonderful build quality. Not the best screens in the world, but they feel very solid. Perhaps their laptops are held to a different standard than their laptops, but in my experience, ASUS builds their small stuff very well.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually the First Asus Transformer is pretty amazing. It is by far the best tablet out there for the price (lower in cost than the Ipad2, but with the same screen (only bigger 10.1) and has the same hardware as the Xoom but is faster). I spent several months researching different tablets until I found the Transformer. If the new one is anything like the first, it will be fantastic. It also has a really good battery life w/o the dock (which gives you an extra 7+ hours). It charges very quickly. You can also get the dock for about 100-115 from Amazon if you want it. I do not have it and do not use it, but the tablet I use all the time and love it. Asus also has had very good customer service for those that had issues with the Transformer and needed to RMA them.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[Oswald McWeany]

I concur- the eeePCs were very well made for the price.

The screens do not take having a heavy Cuisinart electric griddler dropped on them from a height of 6ft... but other than that they're OK... and the computer part still works even if the screen doesn't.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[Anonymous Coward]

I gave my son an eeepc when he was 5, he's now 8 and it still works, he's given it a beating too. Him and my 3 year old daughter use my asus transformer almost daily without any breakage. I'll pitch in my vote for reasonably good quality.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[Andy Dodd]

My Eee 100HA is very well built, so is my Asus G51vx.

The only reason I went for a Samsung Tab 10.1 instead of a Transformer is because third-party charging cables for the Asus didn't exist yet, and official charging cables were insanely expensive AND out of stock everywhere. I was NOT going to buy a device that could become semi-permanently unusable just by losing one stupid cable.

Yeah, the 10.1 also has a proprietary connector, but at least it is one shared with the original 7" tabs and hence was readily available.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[Joce640k]

My EeePC 900 is still going strong after four years of daily use.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, it would be good to have something better than the best, but I doubt that's what you had in mind.

Re:As an Asus laptop owner

[Anonymous Coward]

I have an eeePc which is going on 4 years old and still working fine - only issues have been a couple of rubber bumpers coming unglued. I would rate the build quality as the highest for any laptop device I've owned.

Loved it so much we bought a full size laptop for my wife, which is of even better build quality -- solid.

I also own a 1st generation transformer and the build quality is also high; the device has no flex and the plastic parts hold solid to the glass parts. It's even taken a tumble or two without a problem.

hardware arms race trap

[Anonymous Coward]

Hardware will only take you so far. You need to build the ecosystem and differentiate yourself in software. Apple knew that. Everyone else competes in hardware specs.

Re:hardware arms race trap

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, the software which manufacturers puts on their computers makes a difference. I don't like neither OSX nor walled gardens so I don't buy Macs and other Apple gadgets. The hardware is good but I can buy about the same machine for less money from someone else. If they were just a manufacturer like HP or Lenovo I could be typing this on an Apple. That didn't prevent Apple from getting rich so I concede that you have a point. Anyway I'm very happy that there are manufacturers competing on hardware and on prices, because that's all I need.

Kal El Details

[Vigile]

This post over at pcper.com links to a good story on the Kal El "companion" core: http://www.pcper.com/news/Mobile/ASUS-Unveils-Prime-World%E2%80%99s-First-Quad-Core-Android-Tablet

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/NVIDIA-Reveals-5th-CPU-Core-Upcoming-Kal-El-Tegra-SoC

Questions about this device

[Anonymous Coward]

1. What is about this device that will attract the average, non-technical buyer? (How are all these awesome tech features useful)

2. Will Asus continue to support this device with new Android release assuming they have to make some additions to each release to support the "companion core" for low power consumption?

3. Will Android automatically make use of all the additional horsepower in this computer or do applications have make explicit use of it?

4. What's the battery life with all the different CPU and GPU cores all ramped up?

Re:Questions about this device

[Anonymous Coward]

For your first question:

1. It's the thinnest tablet in the market.

2. It comes with a nicely integrated detachable keyboard to write long emails and documents.

3. It can run the the latest games, and you can watch HD videos at great frame rates.

4. It comes with Android Marketplace, and integrated with Google Services.

Re:Questions about this device

[Locutus]

they are what's required to run Windows 8. Since it's not ready yet, Android get the initial buzz but this is most likely designed so that Microsoft can say they have a table OS which competes with the others. I'll have to go back and look at how much RAM it'll have since there's little doubt that will have to be doubled or more for Windows 8.

IIRC,it was the Asus CEO who apologized for showing an ARM based Android netbook a couple of years ago and Microsoft was at his side.

LoB

Re:Questions about this device

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd like to augment response #1.

I use an original Asus Transformer w/ dock as my mobile business device. This involves using office WiFi while going to meetings, or tethering to my phone. I use email natively on the tablet, but most of the work functionality comes from using our Citrix VDI setup. The trackpad and keyboard are extremely useful here, as I can use this tablet device to access a fully featured Windows desktop, if that's what I need.

So far, I'm mostly unimpressed with Apps on Android. I don't currently have an iOS device, so I have little to compare with.

Tablets are toys in general, but the Transformer bridges the gap to being a useful business device for me mostly because we have infrastructure in place to make it useful.

Re:Questions about this device

[Anonymous Coward]

IIRC,it was the Asus CEO who apologized for showing an ARM based Android netbook a couple of years ago and Microsoft was at his side.

It wasn't Android, it was Xandros Linux (not the best distro, mostly the choice was politics, which is never a good reason), on an Intel Atom processor (I think it was the EeePC 901 - this was an upgrade from the Celeron processor in the previous models, but still x86 based), and when they switched that line over to Windows, the price went up, and the sales went down.

Re:Questions about this device

[itsdapead]

1. What is about this device that will attract the average, non-technical buyer? (How are all these awesome tech features useful)

As you've spotted, the public don't buy tablets on CPU/GPU power specs: tablet CPUs only come with two speeds: fast enough, or not fast enough.

The potential USP of this is the keyboard dock. However, methinks they need to get the price of the original Transformer plus the dock down to the iPad price of $499 rather than trying to sell on specs.

Must admit, the Asus tablet offerings have always looked more likely to tempt me away from an iPad to me than Samsung and Motorola's iPad clones - at least they're trying to distinguish themselves from Apple.

Re:Questions about this device

[bogolisk]

1. It has the best (claimed) battery life (when used with the dock) 18h. Kal-El, with 40Mbps video capacity, should (in theory) handle any kind of HD video including BR rips. NEON+quadcore should be good for games (NEON wasn't supported in Tegra-2).

2. The 4+1 is transparent to the OS, according to Nvidia.

3. Linux kernel will scale and spread tasks among avail cores. whether a game will spread intensive jobs to multi-threads? well it depends on the game...

4. Do you play games all the time? well get a console then.

Re:Questions about this device

[gnasher719]

The potential USP of this is the keyboard dock. However, methinks they need to get the price of the original Transformer plus the dock down to the iPad price of $499 rather than trying to sell on specs.

Tough sell. The biggest advantage of the iPad compared to a laptop is that it is easier to carry, and easier to use in a casual situation, because it is just one flat square compared to two flat squares connected with a hinge as a laptop. A tablet with keyboard dock loses that advantage, so you'd rather take a laptop with you, or leave the keyboard dock behind.

Re:Questions about this device

[timster]

Not sure that the keyboard dock will prove that popular with the general public. It's almost forgotten now but Apple sold a keyboard dock accessory for the original iPad on release day. They don't bother to make it anymore due to low sales, but the iPad is still compatible with Bluetooth keyboards (as it always was). The general public hasn't had much interest in that either, though a small Bluetooth keyboard plus a small iPad stand is occasionally useful for sending email or using SSH while traveling or whatever.

Re:Questions about this device

[Locutus]

really? I thought it ended up showing up at Qualcomm's booth because it was their prototype and it was their ARM chip running it.

LoB

Re:Questions about this device

[Anonymous Coward]

It's possible that it was a separate incident, but I do remember an incident with the presentation for the 901 and the MS rep not being happy that the one demoed was the Linux one.

Re:Questions about this device

[IANAAC]

A tablet with keyboard dock loses that advantage, so you'd rather take a laptop with you, or leave the keyboard dock behind.

Why would that lose any advantage? You have a dock you use sitting at a desk or whatever, and use the onscreen keyboard while you tote tthe tablet around away from the dock,

It's not an either/or situation. Personally, I love the idea of something that versatile.

Re:Questions about this device

[arose]

There is a difference between a keyboard dock and a keyboard dock that turns your tablet into a full featured (hardware wise) netbook and recharges the tablet almost doubling battery life. The later is an obvious feature for anyone (whether it's one they care about or not), the former makes the experience smooth as silk. The setup is marginal (snap in place), there is no teardown until you decide to disconnect. If you need to go you just close your netbook and leave. If you plan to write on your tablet and generally have more of a computer replacement the Transfomer line us the best choice out there. If all you want is a web appliance/media consumption device it is still highly competitive, due to the IPS screen if nothing else.

Re:Questions about this device

[shutdown -p now]

methinks they need to get the price of the original Transformer plus the dock down to the iPad price of $499 rather than trying to sell on specs.

They're pretty much there - 16Gb version costs $389 on Amazon, and the dock goes for $119, so it's only $10 more expensive than iPad 2.

What more, the 32Gb version costs $448 - whereas for iPad the same jump is +$100 - so a 32Gb Transformer with a dock is cheaper than a 32Gb iPad 2 without one...

Re:Questions about this device

[shutdown -p now]

Tough sell. The biggest advantage of the iPad compared to a laptop is that it is easier to carry, and easier to use in a casual situation, because it is just one flat square compared to two flat squares connected with a hinge as a laptop.

I don't see how it's much easier to carry - you'll still put it in a backpack or a bag, in which case being 8mm thicker is not really going to matter much, and other linear sizes are the same. The biggest advantage of a tablet, IMO, is that you can hold it in your hands while using it, which is more convenient for certain activities and certain positions. You can do that with Transformer just the same - just undock it, and leave the dock in the bag.

Re:Questions about this device

[makomk]

I remember the iPad keyboard dock. It was impossible to use the iPad on your lap with it attached and you couldn't adjust the angle of the screen either.

Their doing it wrong...

[Anonymous Coward]

Why, why, WHY do they make the displays brighter and battery life shorter when you can put a transreflective display in?
Transreflective displays are sunlight readable. They are DESIGNED for high ambient light conditions. Sure, they cost more but wouldn't you want to cut your backlight battery drain by 90% in the sun?

Re:Their doing it wrong...

[marcosdumay]

It has a 12 or 18 hours (depending on the configuration) battery life. Extra life isn't that relevant.

Anyway, I don't understand why people use backlights on led screens. Shouldn't the screen already be bright enough? Also, as far as I know, transreflective display only works for LCD. For using that they'd need to make their device thicker, and somewhat less apealing.

Re:Their doing it wrong...

[Anonymous Coward]

This is not an LED screen, it's an LED backlit screen. If they were using OLED it wouldn't say IPS display.

Wouldn't you rather have 20 to 30 hours of battery life? If you were traveling for a week you might not need to take a charger. It just bugs me when the obvious superior solution is ignored for a bigger marketing number. Oooh look, 600 nits! It must be better than 500. I hope it dims down nicely. I like to keep my screens around 100 nits peak brightness when indoors. It's getting harder and harder to get a display that goes dim enough to not give me headaches. At least IPS displays have good color and contrast.

Re:Their doing it wrong...

[Anonymous Coward]

Nothing marketed as an LED screen is an LED screen. The screens that actually have an LED for each subpixel are all OLED, and marketed as such. LCD screens can be backlit with CCFL tubes or LEDs, and the latter are frequently referred to as "LED screens", but it's bullshit -- the screen is still LCD, and as such can be transflective.

BTW, the reason for not going transflective -- because every transflective screen I've seen sacrifices contrast and saturation in moderately bright light vs. typical transmissive screens in similar devices with their backlight all the way up, and most of them have somewhat poorer color (poor saturation and/or tinted) even in low light. Personally, I'm willing to accept that in exchange for good readability in direct sunlight (and saving power while doing it) but it's a tough sell when the image is visibly worse in a big-box store where you're trying it, and you have to take on faith that it'll work better in bright sun.

Re:Their doing it wrong...

[shutdown -p now]

What kind of transreflective screen technology is out there today that's working well and giving decent picture quality?

(Pixel Qi, from my personal experience with Notion Ink Adam, ain't it).

Fuck everything, we're doing...

[milbournosphere]

...five cores. http://www.theonion.com/articles/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades,11056/

Asus Transformer User

[Anonymous Coward]

As a current owner of the first Transformer, I am highly anticipating the release of the successor tablet. As a consumption device, it does everything I need (browser, Netflix and communication apps) and the dock makes it even more usable. Also, I like to customize my devices with roms or completely different OS's which means I stay far from the Apple ecosystem. This next step in processing power means that my casual-use computer is less likely to be used because my tablet can handle it.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[MaXMC]

It's the second tablet that is both price and feature superior to the iPad/2.

The first transformer was the first one, this is the second one..

Value compared to normal laptop?

[edxwelch]

The top model is $750? Couldn't you get a much more powerful ultrabook for that - with a real OS?

Re:Value compared to normal laptop?

[HappyHead]

1) You could also get a much more powerful desktop workstation for that, yet laptops and tablets still sell. Perhaps because they're targeted at different markets and uses.

2) Android is a real OS. It runs on more than half of the smartphones out there, and nearly all of the non-ipad tablets. It has the advantage of running properly on ARM chips (which require less power and produce less heat), without losing 90% of it's application base like Win8 for ARM does. (Win8 can be run on ARM systems, but the majority of Win8 compatible applications won't, as they require x86 architecture.) The application base available for Android is very large, with a marketplace that is much more developer friendly (and thus has more content) than the apple equivalent for iOS.

3) The top model only sells to obsessive geeks (like me. I admit it - I have the top model of the first generation) and is of no interest to the majority of buyers, who would purchase the lower end model (less memory and storage), for a much lower price.

Re:Value compared to normal laptop?

[shutdown -p now]

Transformer gets 15-16 hours of battery life when docked (the dock has batteries, too). Asus claims that Transformer Prime will get 17-18 hours.

I've yet to see a netbook that would match that, much less a powerful ultrabook. And part of the reason is the OS.

It costs $650

[Anonymous Coward]

$750 with the extra RAM. It's a tablet priced like a full-size laptop, in this economy.

It looks nice, but it's toast.

Re:It costs $650

[marcosdumay]

It is a powerfull computer, with a longer battery life and lighter than any full-sized laptop you'll find out there. Also, it has a touch screen, and can be used as a tablet. There is no mention of networking, but I bet it is capable of both WiFi and 3G

As cons, there is no option of spinning disk, no carring lots of data. And it is small (altough that can be a pro for some people).

I'd need to know if it is powerfull enough to run emacs on a TTY before buying one ;)

Re:It costs $650

[Anonymous Coward]

Wifi, but no 3G.

Re:It costs $650

[Daetrin]

$750 with the extra RAM. It's a tablet priced like a full-size laptop, in this economy.

It looks nice, but it's toast.

"No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."

Terrible news...

[Oswald McWeany]

This is absolutely terrible news and I'm angry at Asus for releasing this tablet.

Now, not only are most new laptops and netbooks more powerfull than my desktop- but now a tablet is too.

Screw you Asus!

Oh well, maybe I can afford to upgrade to a Raspberry Pi this christmas if I can catch it on a 50% off sale.

Re:Terrible news...

[AmiMoJo]

Don't worry, it has rounded corners so won't be on sale for long.

Re:Terrible news...

[cayenne8]

This is absolutely terrible news and I'm angry at Asus for releasing this tablet.

Now, not only are most new laptops and netbooks more powerfull than my desktop- but now a tablet is too.

Screw you Asus!

Oh well, maybe I can afford to upgrade to a Raspberry Pi this christmas if I can catch it on a 50% off sale.

Hmm...you might also consider looking to get into a better paying job, so you can buy newer and better toys as they come out....?

:)

Remember, he who dies with the most toys....wins!!

Re:Terrible news...

[Oswald McWeany]

Job pays fairly well.

Wife and kids take it all. Would anyone like to buy a child?

Re:Terrible news...

[Surt]

There are lots of people who would like to buy your child, are you sure you want to sell?

Re:Terrible news...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes seems they have gone like others and went down that road of giving people what they really don't need or want we need to perfect the pc first or laptop before we jump into another short term market winner, i think myself that tablets are over rated and will not last long who wants to carry around with them a massive brick with a screen that would cost more than the tablet itself to replace if broken and the case of cannot be upgraded easy, i say fix what is broken before ditching the pc market.

Jonathan
good affordable website design

Decepticons rule

[firester]

I'm waiting for the Transformer Megatron

Re:Decepticons rule

[Anonymous Coward]

I came here for this.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows 8 runs on ARM, and the previous Transformer was a huge success.
Deal with it.

for me killer apps are video, reading in bed

[Chirs]

I got a touchpad on firesale. It came in handy for preloading videos to watch on long trips since the battery life is substantially better than my laptop. It's also *very* useful for reading at night when I've got a toddler in my lap and I don't want to turn on a light for fear of waking him.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Challenge for tablet makers

[Tharsman]

Give me a big tablet, between 12 - 21 inches.
Give me a tablet that runs windows.
Give me a tablet that has a stylus, and turns off automatically touch display once the stylus goes out of it's enclosure.
Give me that, for less than 700 (would pay up to 1000 for a 21")

Let me clear one thing: I own an iPad. i wont replace it with an android tablet, and I doubt any potential iPad consumer will change it's mind towards an android tablet.

Artists, though, may still find an iPad problematic because finger drawing is... not cool, and I dont want to wear a glove, and the thing is too small to do proper art.
I also want to use my current art software for windows, photoshop included.

Asus, ironically, has something close Link, but its too expensive. They want 1050 for a 12" tablet. I'm tempted, but the price is just too high.

I want a tablet that will do things that Apple will just not aim for. Stop trying to sell android tablets to people that want iPads and start making tablets for people that want more than just an iPad!

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[decipher_saint]

Wacom makes a capacitive stylus for drawing on the iPad.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[bogolisk]

at 21", it would be a tabletop and not a tablet.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Tharsman]

iPad still not big enough
I still have to wear a glove if you dont want to have your hand accidentally touching the screen generating imput and messing up your stuff
Also, although some fun drawing software is available for the iPad, no photoshop, no illustrator, etc etc.

I have one of those styluses, does not cut it due to the previous 3 points.

I love my iPad, but I also aknoledge it's limits.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Tharsman]

Having had dead tree art pads that been way bigger than 21", and done work on them while laying back in the couch, I would beg to defeer.

Im not asking for a travel sized tablet, I want an art studio tablet.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Anonymous Coward]

Due to the increased lever arm of a 21" screen the glass would need to be far thicker than on existing tablets or breakage would be trivial (and no, "orangutan" glass or whatever isn't going to solve this). So you are talking about a seriously heavy device which you aren't going to be using while laying back on the sofa anytime soon.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Telvin_3d]

So... you want a Wacom Cintiq? All the way from 12" to 24". Of course they start at $1000 and top out at $2600. Why? Because making a photo-quality touch screen with high enough precision and low enough latency to mimic paper is damn expensive. It's also heavy and bulky, with the smallest 12" model weighing 4.4 lbs and 3/4 of an inch thick.

And they still need to plug into a computer.

And none of this will show up in tablets for the foreseeable future. Because if it could be done cheaper or lighter or more portable Wacom wouldn't have spent the last decade as the only company making them.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Shompol]

Give me a big tablet, between 12 - 21 inches. Give me a tablet that runs windows. Give me a tablet that has a stylus, and turns off automatically touch display once the stylus goes out of it's enclosure. Give me that, for less than 700 (would pay up to 1000 for a 21")

Here you go! 23" for $599, prepare to pay less for "12 - 21 inches". Your dream came true years ago, where have you been?

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Tharsman]

I know of those.

But I dont need the high resolution capabilities of a Cintiq, nor presure sensitivity (the real expense drivers on those products) and the computing pieces dont have to be any more powerful than a mid range computer shipped 3-4 years ago.

Mind you, I love Wacom products and if they managed to somehow pull out a completely wireless Cintiq, i'd be all over it.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[NerdyLove]

The Pogo Sketch stylus would likely work with any tablet... http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/b8dd/?srp=2

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Tharsman]

The page you requested may no longer exist on Dell.com :-/

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Surt]

Differ. Which I offer to you only because your message was sensible and it made me think that might have been a phrase your heard and therefore didn't know the spelling.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like this is what you want: http://phandroid.com/2011/10/12/by-zeros-studio-pen-shows-off-with-chris-chavez-caricature/

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Anonymous Coward]

Bit out of your price range, but you could always get a cintiq and duct tape a netbook or similar to the back lol. Can't beat that touch sensitivity and resolution.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Daetrin]

Stop trying to sell android tablets to people that want iPads and start making tablets for people that want more than just an iPad!

Believe it or not, there are people interested in tablets but who don't like the iOS interface. In fact given that there are about twice as many people who own an Android phone as who own an iPhone it seems likely that there could be an equally big market for a well done Android tablet. I don't disagree that they should _also_ try to do things that the iPad doesn't, but there's plenty of room in the market for regular tablets as well and there's no reason they shouldn't try to fulfill both needs.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Shompol]

Sorry, this is due to Dell's extensive use of cookies, meaning links become invalid after session. Links on Newegg actually work: here's the same thing on Newegg

These are big tablets, 15-23 inch. They are somewhat hefty, but keep in mind that

1. 20" will always be bulky

2. Windows 7 requires quite a bit of processing power in order to be all it can be

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Anonymous Coward]

The Asus EP121 is an awesome value. If it was a bit lighter/thinner and had a transformer-like dock I'd buy one yesterday. We have one for work and it's a nice piece of hardware. Awesome screen + digitizer, comes with a bluetooth keyboard and protective case, and is no slouch in the performance parts (decent SSD, Core i5, 4 GB RAM).

Comparing that tablet's price to an iPad or Galaxy Tab is men versus boys (respectively; one's a real computer, the other two are child's play).

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[cgraves]

I've been looking for such a tablet as well. It would be great to properly make artwork and take notes with a stylus and run some of the usual software.

I was thinking about the Asus slate for a while, but now I have my eye on a Samsung tablet that they just released. The Samsung Series 7 Slate. It is very similar the Asus but slightly lighter, thinner, more widescreen, and longer battery life. Similar price. It looks like they are not quite meeting demand yet since it is sold out most places. There are a few configurations with 64gb or 128gb SSD drive and different "bundles" with dock and/or bluetooth keyboard and/or stand case. Best Buy Business, Microsoft Store.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Sockatume]

HP has been making things like that for ages. You should be able to get one of the older models on sale for under $1000, and it'll probably run Windows 8 when it comes out.

Re:Challenge for tablet makers

[Anonymous Coward]

Let me clear one thing: I own an iPad. i wont replace it with an android tablet, and I doubt any potential iPad consumer will change it's mind towards an android tablet.

I was a potential iPad customer. Went out to buy one. Saw and tried out the original Transformer (the old, slower dual core model), fell in love and bought it.

At work, rather than take a laptop to meetings I often take the transformer - with that extra battery in the keyboard it goes forever. Many of my colleagues, who are primarily apple fans (we're do iPhone/Pad development), are amazed if, during the meeting, I decide to unhook the screen to lean back in my chair and my netbook suddenly becomes a tablet in front of their eyes. I'm now not the only one in the office with a Transformer - even amongst folk who have iPads to develop on and use for the office have personal Transformers... I bet someone will have the T2 soon.

I want a tablet that will do things that Apple will just not aim for. Stop trying to sell android tablets to people that want iPads and start making tablets for people that want more than just an iPad!

That's what the Transformer is, just not in the way you described.

how about just better scaling?

[Chirs]

You're basically talking about Apple's "retina display" scaled up to a 10" tablet. That would require a fair bit of power to push those pixels around, a fair bit of storage space for 1080p video, and then you're just stuck scaling smaller video up.

A more reasonable current goal would be better hardware scaling.

Re:how about just better scaling?

[UnknowingFool]

And that's not talking about the practical aspects of getting hardware cheap enough to be made in volume or reducing the power consumption to be usable. I suppose we all wish it but we don't think about the practicalities of it. Just like flying cars or how slashdotters wanted Wifi on the iPod in 2001.

Re:how about just better scaling?

[sarhjinian]

^ This. It was really irritating to find out that all the Tegra 2 tablets can't play back hardware-accelerated H.264 high-profile content.

I keep my PlayBook around mostly because this is one thing it can do.

Re:how about just better scaling?

[Surt]

ipad 3 is going to 2560. I just don't want to wait for it, nor do i want ipad. I just want android at that resolution.

Re:how about just better scaling?

[kesuki]

with those specs it should be able to play h.264 the only thing that would make it not play in that resolution is a virus, or counterfeit parts. or lack of codecs.

Re:how about just better scaling?

[shutdown -p now]

ipad 3 is going to 2560

How do you know? Everyone said that about iPad 2, and look how that ended up.

Re:how about just better scaling?

[Surt]

Well, it's obviously all rumor until the hardware hits the street, but all of the potential display manufacturers for ipad3 are now bragging about their 2560 displays and clearly trying to win apple's affection. That wasn't true during ipad 2's timeline, so I'd say this makes it much more likely.

Re:how about just better scaling?

[PsychoSlashDot]

with those specs it should be able to play h.264 the only thing that would make it not play in that resolution is a virus, or counterfeit parts. or lack of codecs.

Lack of codecs it is. The only players that try to do this basically do software decoding instead of hardware-assisted decoding. Why? Because there isn't a Tegra 2 hardware codec for H.264 high-profile.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[shutdown -p now]

Asus sold 1.5 million of the first Transformer in 2011. Granted, it's not an Apple-magnitude number, but then Asus ain't Apple either. And I bet it still translates to some nice profits.

The "mind share" argument is quite weak in tablet wars. Even though iOS may look as dominant as Windows was back in the day, it does not really translate to significant difference in apps - pretty much everything worthwhile on iOS has just as good implementations on Android (whereas vice versa is not always true because of limitations on third-party apps in iOS). So things like price, form factor and quality are more interesting. And Transformer, of all Android tablets, has a lot of unique things to offer.

No 3G

[Anonymous Coward]

What a shame.

Re:No 3G

[EmagGeek]

Why? It's extra cost for most people who don't need it because they can tether it through their Android phone.

My first thought

[MonsterTrimble]

What the hell is the battery life on one of these things? Three minutes?

Re:My first thought

[Anonymous Coward]

Upwards of 12+ hours.

Re:My first thought

[HappyHead]

Well, TFA says 12 hours without dock, and 18 with the keyboard attached. Since they also claimed 9.5 hours without and 16 with dock for the first model, and mine actually does manage that level of battery life on a regular basis, there's a good chance that it's accurate.

Incidentally, the 16 hour battery life on mine involved actively using the tablet for the whole period, web surfing, playing angry birds and a few other games, downloading and watching a movie, transfering 600MB of music files via USB thumb drive and playing music for several hours, editing a spreadsheet, and doing programming on my server via ssh.

Re:My first thought

[mjwx]

Well, TFA says 12 hours without dock, and 18 with the keyboard attached. Since they also claimed 9.5 hours without and 16 with dock for the first model, and mine actually does manage that level of battery life on a regular basis, there's a good chance that it's accurate.

Whilst we all know there are lies, damn lies and manufacturer specifications, Asus is fairly accurate with it's battery life. I have an Asus U30SD and running on the GF 520 I get 6-7 out of the 9 hours promised by the marketing material. If I switch to the Intel IGM I'd get 8. This is real world, if I did it under Asus' laboratory conditions I'd bet I'd get the full 9. I was able to game on the GF520 for 5 hours before having to plug it in (playing World of Tanks).

Whilst I dont beleive any manufacturers specification (especially the cult of the fruit) as they're all done in lab conditions using specially rigged scripts, I would expect to get 9-10 hours of real world use of the promised 12 (or 7-8 out of a promised 9.5 which has also been bandied about on this thread).

Current Transformer User

[Taimat]

I picked up the Asus Transformer when it first came out earlier this year, and I love it. It works great. I do disabled the touchpad and use a usb mouse however, and then touch the screen when needed. Since VMware has a View client for android, I can take my tablet with me when travelling and use only it. I no longer need a laptop to take. I can watch movies, etc. The downside - HDMI output. (I've read this is a problem with the current Tegra chip in the transformer) That the scaling on hdmi output is slightly off - the top and bottom of my output is cutoff on all my TVs. Granted, they are not expensive TVs that can be adjusted to compensate for that however. They battery life is great, and the Dock constantly keeps the tablet fully charged, so when you disconnect, it's full. It has been very responsive. I think this tablet will end up being the biggest (how big is another question) competition for the iPad. I'm glad I got this instead.

Re:Current Transformer User

[shutdown -p now]

One other nice thing about it - it can mount USB hard drives (when docked), and it understands NTFS as well. So you can buy a 1Tb 2.5" external USB drive, put all your video etc collection on it, and plug it in when desired. I don't know of any other tablet that can do that.

It's a pity that it doesn't support USB DVD drives, though (yet?).

Re:Their[sic] doing it wrong...

[jordanjay29]

The tablet's barely competitive with the iPad's price point as it is. I'm sure the cheaper option for mass production was to boost the screen's brightness and pump up the battery time than invest in a different screen technology. Consider that it's probably not that much of a stretch for their production factories to switch from Transformer 1 to Transformer 2 with similar technologies, and you have the answer for much of your question right there.

Also, it's they're not their.

Only 1GB of RAM?

[Resol]

Doesn't that seem a little light? Especially if the intent with the keyboard is to usurp the laptop?

Re:Only 1GB of RAM?

[Taimat]

1Gb of ram for android is quite a lot actually. I use the current Transformer, and I don't have any issues. I run a lot of different apps, and don't use a task killer, or reboot. My Droid X however, (with 256MB) is very under powered.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[HappyHead]

Asus sold 1.5 million of the first Transformer in 2011.

Added on to this point is that Asus was sold out of the first Transformer for the first six months after it was released - stores that got them in stock ran out within days, and online retailers were severely into back-order. (My own order was placed as back-order number 3754 for that product, with that reseller. Had I been willing to do without the keyboard, I would have only been back-order number 2000 or so in a different list.) If Asus had been able to produce more than 1.5 million units, they would have sold them.

All in all, I would say the product was worthwhile and profitable for them to produce, and their corporate shareholders were well served. From market interest and past example, they will likely spend the first few months of the new Transformer also sold out and back-ordered.

there are tradeoffs

[Chirs]

First there aren't a lot of $750 ultrabooks that I'm seeing. A Samsung series 9 is more like $1000.

Second, even an ultrabook is going to be heavier and physically larger (especially when opened) than a tablet and the battery life won't be as good.

Re:Intrigued

[Anonymous Coward]

That depends on whether or not you have kids. It's hard for me to get my son to turn if off at bedtime. It's an expensive toy, I know.

In any case, I would use it a lot more if it had a decent text editor and facilities for compiling and downloading to various microcontrollers.

What's the *actual* battery life

[AdrianKemp]

12 hours; 25Wh Li-polymer Battery
18 hours pad with dock; 25Wh (pad) & 22Wh (mobile dock) Li-polymey Battery

If 22Wh gets me 6 (extra) hours battery, then 25Wh will get me ~7 hours.

7 hours is nearly enough, assuming that 7 hours is full wireless productivity. I'm guessing though, that as with most battery life estimates that's high and you'll get more like 6 (aka. not enough for a work day).

If I'm right about this, it means that I can't really go without the dock and this is a laptop that the screen can detach from. That's neat in and of itself and might be a product worth looking at but it's somewhat distinct from a tablet that happens to have a keyboard dock.

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[HappyHead]

The keyboard's battery doesn't provide a fully proportional increase in battery life. First, it has to power the keyboard itself and any indicators on it, second it also needs to power the USB and other ports that are added to the mix.

The way the keyboard dock's extra battery works, is that aside from powering it's own functions, every time the main tablet's charge goes below a certain level (94% on the TF101), the keyboard's battery is used to recharge the main tablet, unless the keyboard battery is below 4% charge, in which case the USB ports are disabled, and battery power is used only for running the keyboard itself. This isn't the most efficient means of powering things, and reduces the amount of functional time the Wh from the dock are going to provide, but it does mean that the keyboard battery will drain almost completely before the main tablet's battery even starts to empty out.

Incidentally, to achieve maximum battery life, it is best to disconnect the keyboard once it's charge reaches 0%, as it will then be a drain on the resources of the main tablet. That means you've got (from their estimates, which were very accurate for the TF101), 6 hours of guaranteed keyboard use, probably another hour or so with keyboard still functioning and not draining regular power, and then a further 12 hours if you disconnect the keyboard (or likely 10 to 11 hours if you leave it on).

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[AdrianKemp]

So I can assume from what you say that they're basing the 6 hours dock life on having a constant 500mW load from the USB port? (I say that because the dock would seem to draw an effective ~600mW overall and I can't imagine the keyboard itself using much)

If 12 hours is an honest assessment of the battery life, then I'm going to buy the shit out of it when it comes out...

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[HappyHead]

Well, my TF101's dock lasts around 5.5 hours with a USB drive plugged into it the whole time (and 6 to 7 without). Honestly, it's the first time a portable device's battery has really impressed me.

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[AdrianKemp]

Well you've convinced me to keep tabs on its release.

The only thing left is for me to see it running Android truly well. I don't really doubt that it will but I've been surprised at how poorly some devices have in the past.

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[shutdown -p now]

It's hard to say anything specific about Asus' claims for the new device, since it isn't actually out yet. But the numbers they gave for the original Transformer - which is to say, 8-9 hours undocked and 15-16 hours docked, hold true in my experience as an owner, and folks on XDA forums have been reporting the same, so I'm going to trust them on the new figures until proven otherwise.

Either way, even if it's not any better than the first TF, it still beats all tablets and netbooks on the market today by a large margin...

The only not-so-nice thing about it, as compared to iPad, is that it drains much faster when idle. iPad, if you just leave it lying around, will easily last for several days before being completely drained. Transformer will die by the end of second day or so - I think this is because it does a lot more stuff in background, and specifically keeps networking alive, and keeps checking for emails etc. There's an app in the Market that auto-disables networking when tablet is locked - that way, it gets similar idle battery life to iPad.

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[AdrianKemp]

I have an iPad now, and frankly I charge it every day (that I use it) anyways.

Also I've gotta say that the iPad shutting down networking intelligently pisses me off on a semi-regular basis, even if it does make standby last a legitimately long time

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[shutdown -p now]

Well, to each it's own. The disadvantage of shutting down networking is that you're not going to get any related notifications (which is very much visible on iPad, where, when you unlock it, you get a barrage of "new mail" popups come in one after another - for all the stuff that happened while it was sleeping, and it has just now found out about). But then I don't depend on my tablet for timely notifications - that's what the phone in my pocket is there for. A tablet mostly lies around until I have some use for it, so I find it convenient that it doesn't discharge when not used.

The good thing is that you have a choice in this case, unlike with iPad.

Re:What's the *actual* battery life

[AdrianKemp]

Mmm, yes it isn't so much the notifications that annoy me... It's that "intelligently" isn't intelligent enough. It'll shut down the networking sometimes while downloading a large app (1GB+), and resuming app downloads isn't exactly graceful

9,5/16 hrs tablet/t+keyboard. We're getting there.

[Qbertino]

An off-the grid uptime of 9,5 and 16 hrs is pretty impressive. And it looks less shitty than the regular transformer. Andorid tablets are really starting to get interesting. And this device is a serious competitor to the Chromebook market. They weight probably is somewhere nearly the same as Chromebook/MB Air, the price is simular to the Samsung 5 Chromebook and the batterytime is twice as high as both. Plus it's a tablet with all the touch stuff for when you really can use it - like photo presentations and stuff. Very neat. Personally, I'll take a serious look at it as soon as it arives.

Bottom line:
Well done, Asus. Nice piece of hardware that appears to be.

Great line at the end of TFA

[sootman]

"Somehow, in all the excitement over the iPad 2, OEMs have apparently forgotten that netbooks became popular precisely because they didn't cost as much as full size noteboooks."

Technology-wise, it looks like a great little device, but I just don't see it selling in worthwhile numbers. $499 for the tablet itself puts it squarely in "Why should I buy this instead of an iPad?" territory, and $650 for the tablet and keyboard puts it into "Why should I buy this and not a regular laptop?" land.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

I bought my netbook largely because it was smaller and lighter. The lower cost was more or less a bonus.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

Because I can connect to as many computers as I choose. Upgradeable memory via microSD.No need for iTunes. Less expensive. I have more reasons but the main ones are that it's not the walled garden of the iPad

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

I know why I would want to buy this instead of a regular laptop.

The one thing I wanted was a device that I could use to read PDF docs... in a respectable manner. Then with the information learned from the docs, begin writing code based on it. That would nice to have.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

Its more powerful than an iPad; also the attachable keyboard allows for producing, in addition to consuming. A regular laptop does not have the nice touch screen and the option of a tablet form factor. This looks like the perfect device for someone that travels allot. You can carry the tablet around to take notes, check email, etc., then use the keyboard when your back at the hotel/office.
Also, even though people rave about Apples UI's not all of us like it. I am trying out OSX now, and find the "Apple way" is often inferior to say KDE.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

"Somehow, in all the excitement over the iPad 2, OEMs have apparently forgotten that netbooks became popular precisely because they didn't cost as much as full size noteboooks."

Technology-wise, it looks like a great little device, but I just don't see it selling in worthwhile numbers. $499 for the tablet itself puts it squarely in "Why should I buy this instead of an iPad?" territory, and $650 for the tablet and keyboard puts it into "Why should I buy this and not a regular laptop?" land.

Why should I buy this instead of an iPad? Because it's not an iPad, if I wanted an iPad I'd buy an iPad. It's amusing, you sound exactly like all the Mac fanbois I know who are convinced the only reason anyone would want anything other than an Apple product would be because it's cheaper.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

because it's more powerful than an iPad, has a better camera, more RAM, more storage
all this while being lighter and tinner

The real question is why would anyone buy an iPad instead of this?

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Solandri]

Technology-wise, it looks like a great little device, but I just don't see it selling in worthwhile numbers. $499 for the tablet itself puts it squarely in "Why should I buy this instead of an iPad?" territory

32 GB Transformer Prime - $499
32 GB iPad 2 - $599

16 GB Transformer - $399
16 GB iPad 2 - $499
16 GB iPad (if you can find one) - $399

Also note that non-Apple products get much steeper discounts at retail. The original Transformer ($399 retail) could widely be bought for $350, and occasionally dipped as low as $320. The biggest sale I've seen on a new Apple product was 10%, and those are exceedingly rare. Normally you're lucky to get a $499 iPad 2 for $480.

and $650 for the tablet and keyboard puts it into "Why should I buy this and not a regular laptop?" land.

I'm tired of arguing this with people who "don't get" tablets. They're selling by the tens of millions. Obviously there's something to them that you don't see that makes people willing to fork out near-laptop prices for less-than-laptop features. If you don't understand their appeal, then that's something you need to figure out for yourself. Not for tens of millions of people to suddenly "come to their senses" and see them as the waste of money you think they are.

I personally don't use one and prefer a full-powered laptop, but I help a lot of family and friends shop for computers and can see why the tablets appeal to them. There's also a cross-demographic whose computing needs are met by a tablet, but who would also like a full keyboard and trackpad for occasional data entry without losing the tablet form factor or having to buy/sync two devices. That's who the Transformer is aimed at.

Long-term, I think this (and the Atrix) are the future of mobile computing. The CPU, memory, and storage will sit in your cell phone. The display and keyboard will be separate devices which connect (physically at first, but eventually wirelessly) to create a "tablet" or a "laptop". If you can live with a 4" display when leaving your house, just bring your phone. If you will be doing something which needs a bigger screen, bring the display to create a "tablet". If you'll be doing a lot of data entry on your trip, bring the display and keyboard/trackpad/mouse to create a "laptop".

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

I see the performance numbers and battery and go WOW.
its batteries get longer life while doing twice as much as an ipad, while giving me access to a real keyboard.
add that HDMI port, USB ports, extendable memory, and ICS (IOS infuriates me to no end as an iphone user) and it will be quite a useful piece of electronics.

Alas, I actually use electronics as more then a status symbol, so I must be in the minority.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

Technology-wise, it looks like a great little device, but I just don't see it selling in worthwhile numbers. $499 for the tablet itself puts it squarely in "Why should I buy this instead of an iPad?" territory, and $650 for the tablet and keyboard puts it into "Why should I buy this and not a regular laptop?" land.

Why should I buy this instead of an iPad? Because it's an iPad, if I wanted an iPad I would buy an iPad. It's amazing how many people (read: fanbois) are out there who've convinced themselves the only reason anyone would want anything non-Apple would be because they want something cheaper.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[scot4875]

$499 for the tablet itself puts it squarely in "Why should I buy this instead of an iPad?" territory

No, at $499 it remains in the "why should I buy this at all?" territory, along with the iPad itself, which is exactly what the line you quoted points out.

When I first got wind of the iPad I thought it sounded like a cool idea; I'd have even bought one had they come out at a reasonable price point. But $500 is way too fucking much to pay for a media consumption device, and that's 90+% of the use cases for every tablet in existence today.

--Jeremy

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

"Somehow, in all the excitement over the iPad 2, OEMs have apparently forgotten that netbooks became popular precisely because they didn't cost as much as full size noteboooks."

Technology-wise, it looks like a great little device, but I just don't see it selling in worthwhile numbers. $499 for the tablet itself puts it squarely in "Why should I buy this instead of an iPad?" territory, and $650 for the tablet and keyboard puts it into "Why should I buy this and not a regular laptop?" land.

I think a lot of people said the same thing about the iPad. I think running anything other than iOS is plenty enough reason to buy it instead of an iPad.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[brentrad]

If you can live with a 4" display when leaving your house, just bring your phone. If you will be doing something which needs a bigger screen, bring the display to create a "tablet".

Like this? http://www.labnol.org/gadgets/asus-padphone/19460/

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

For one number: 12 hours runtime.

Re:Great line at the end of TFA

[Anonymous Coward]

But this was greatly correlated to your being a massive faggot.

Disappointed.

[bughunter]

I was expecting it to be painted red and blue and convert between a netbook and a Cab-over truck.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[sarhjinian]

And it'll likely fail to come close to the iPad's sales figures.

It's not about price and feature parity, it's about interface and usability. Maybe, maybe ICS won't suck like Honeycomb or BlackBerry Tablet OS both did out of the gate, but I'm not holding my breath. Google and the OEMs don't seem to want to sweat the details, and the details are important in this market, otherwise the tablet becomes a rarely-used toy.

We've piloted all three. The iPads are the only devices people still use; the Android devices and the PlayBooks were returned because people found them too frustrating to use versus a normal PC and/or a smartphone.

Consumers don't care about Super-X-Hyper-AMOLED screens, Tegra-5-General-Zod chipsets or Adobe Flash/Java VM/Lisp/REXX (hah!) support. They that it works and isn't annoying, and they'll forgive a spec sheet difference. Tablets are not PCs, and can't use the fifty-percent-more-megahertz tactic. Hopefully Asus and Google will learn this before they're firesaling these at a loss while Apple's selling less-capable hardware at a premium.

Really want something bigger than a 10in touchpad

[Phizzle]

I am willing and able to pay for a 12-14 inch touchpad if someone would make one, and I am sure I am not the only one. 7 inch is a joke, 10 inch is borderline functional, and I might as well beat the jokers to the punch with "THATS WHAT SHE SAID" :) Seriously, maybe instead of trying to be another metoo and knock off the iPad, how about a bigger touchpad?! This can be the itch that consumers dont even realize they have that some smart manufacturer can scratch. The marketing campaign practically writes itself with juvenile taglines like BIGGER THAN iPAD. Manufacturers seem to be afraid to cross the line in the sand drawn by Steve...

Re:It's the Size

[Anonymous Coward]

Ten inches is too big to be truly portable

Queue penis jokes in 3..2..1..

Quattro Technologically Advanced Shaving System

[ahoffer0]

I remember when the disposable razor companies Gillette and Schick had an advertising war that centered on whose razor had the most blades. It all started when the Gillette Mach III hit the market and introduced the world the safety razors with a third cutting blade. Until then, the ignorant masses had been shaving with safety razors that possessed only two blades. After an advertising campaign that would have make Coca-Cola jealous, Gillette unveiled the "Quattro Technologically Advanced Shaving System". In a triumph of engineering prowess, Gillette added a fourth blade to their razor cartridge.

These events changed my world because the price of most razor blade cartridges sky-rocketed to fuel ad campaigns. I now have less money for food and four-core tablet devices

Re:Quattro Technologically Advanced Shaving System

[Anonymous Coward]

You shave? Please leave your geek card at the door..

Re:Quattro Technologically Advanced Shaving System

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah, real men use tweezers.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[MaXMC]

Have you piloted all three?

I own a Transformer with a dock and I use it about as much or more than my colleagues use their iPads.

At last!

[Ant P.]

An ARM platform fast enough to run Windows Mobile!

Re:At last!

[mjwx]

An ARM platform fast enough to run Windows Mobile!

Dont worry, MS is keeping up by making Windows 8 on ARM tablets. To bring back that classic WinMo feel of sluggish, buggy OS's with poorly designed interfaces.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[sarhjinian]

A Transformer? No. We piloted Xooms and Optimus Pads (depending on the carrier) as well as the PlayBook.

What we didn't see was much adoption of hardware keyboards for any of them---most people seemed to forgo the keyboard and go with the touchscreen. Is the Transformer's dockable keyboard any better than any of the inline Bluetooth options for the iPad et al?

iPad does not need iTunes either

[SuperKendall]

Because I can connect to as many computers as I choose.

So can an iPad.

No need for iTunes.

Same thing for the iPad.

The upgradable memory and cost are valid points, but given how easy it is to swap stuff on and off the device most people can live with what an iPad ships with. As for cost, well, you get what you pay for. If I have a laptop I want a really functional laptop, not some wimpy crippled thing.

But... will it run Linux?

[cpghost]

Seriously? I'm interested in ARM assembly programming, including systems programming, and if that beast would run Linux/arm, FreeBSD/arm or some other open platform OS' ARM port, it may get interesting. OTOH, if you have to jailbreak it first with some dubious hack or be stuck with some version of Android, I'm not (yet) interested.

Re:But... will it run Linux?

[MLCT]

Possibly/probably. I don't know if this falls within your definition of dubious hack, but the 1st gen transformer is the subject of a drive to get it running ubuntu:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1191141&page=125

it is still an active and ongoing project, and so-far they have most components working though it is pretty hands-on.

The transformer appeared on my radar precisely because folks were getting ubuntu to run on it natively. And the word natively is important, as any other implementation of linux on an android tablet that I have seen involves lots of pseudo tricks such as running it on top of android and vnc'ing in to it - or variations on that theme. These folks have got ubuntu running as root from the internal ssd rather than an sd card. And hopefully if they can do it for the 1st gen then they will have a go at the 2nd as well.

Not as good as Asus providing support for this - but I get the feeling that a lot of people want to keep us in walled gardens these days - even android ones.

Getting in that price range, but not quite

[Quila]

But for only $250 more you can have a full-blown 11" MacBook Air with a desktop OS and a Core i5. It's even about the same size.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[marsu_k]

What we didn't see was much adoption of hardware keyboards for any of them---most people seemed to forgo the keyboard and go with the touchscreen. Is the Transformer's dockable keyboard any better than any of the inline Bluetooth options for the iPad et al?

It has a built-in battery, which is great; when docked, the tablet recharges itself automatically from it, and you're not wasting energy on Bluetooth. And a regular SD card slot (the tablet part has microSD) and two full-sized USB ports (which accept even a mouse if you're so inclined, NTFS support is also available). I use mine exclusively for non-work-computing and have been very satisfied with it, but YMMV.

Where the f... is 3G capability?

[Anonymous Coward]

I just don't get it.

Why don't the Android tablet manufacturers realize that they're shooting themselves in the foot by offering a vastly inferior product to the iPad, and then wonder why no-one buys Android /tablets/ (as opposed to Android /phones/ which outsell iPhones by far by now). The critical point is 3G capability. The iPad has it. Has had it almost from the start. Came bundled with mobile data plans.

Yet every new Android tablet first says "Oh, you can wait for 3G for another 3 months or so. After all, who'd want to be MOBILE with their mobile device..."
Tablets are totally pointless for me without 3G, b/c I don't only want to use them on the couch at home. Here in Europe there's cheap data plans everywhere, you only need to have a 3G modem to use them with.

Re:Where the f... is 3G capability?

[marsu_k]

I already pay for a data plan for my phone, why would I want to pay for another one? I simply tether to my phone when needed.

Re:Where the f... is 3G capability?

[EmagGeek]

First of all, 3G is obsolete, so there's no reason to include it.

Second, why pay for a second data plan when I can just tether the tablet through my Android phone? Or, does Apple not let you do that?

Re:Where the f... is 3G capability?

[pookie13]

For example we have data plans here in Finland that include two sim cards for 20 € (inc. VAT) or single sim card data plan for 14 € / month (also inc. VAT). They both have unlimited speed and no data cap.

I personally waited for this tablet, but since it doesn't have 3g I ordered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 64 Gb. I am also planning to get another data plan for the tablet because tethering eats up battery super fast.

Re:Intrigued

[Quiet_Desperation]

So make one as a project. There's a voltmeter and oscilloscope attachments for the iPad. Make a microcontroller interface.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[Anonymous Coward]

Does it load a different UI when in docked mode? That would make it all the more killer. I would want to run a normal Linux distro on it, instead of Android, load KDE in dock mode, and a tablet UI (enlightenment perhaps, don't know what else is out there) undocked. If you need apps, there are Android emulators.

Re:Intrigued

[JoeMerchant]

That depends on whether or not you have kids. It's hard for me to get my son to turn if off at bedtime. It's an expensive toy, I know.

Amen, I often curse the iPad's 9 hour battery life when trying to pry it away from my 8 year old - if it would just die after one or two, it would make one less child psychology challenge for me.

DPI

[HalAtWork]

The iPods/iPhones with 'retina display' have a much higher resolution but the text is the same size. Just because you change the DPI doesn't mean everything else should appear smaller. A good GUI should be able to handle these things, and I'm sure Android can handle it.

upgradable OS?

[pbjones]

Until Android devices become upgradable OS devices, they doomed to be throw-away toys. I want a device where new features can be added to the OS, at least for a couple of years, and not be stuck the only having the version of Android that it shipped with. And please don't reply with the 'app for that' crap! I want to buy a device with 3.0 that can be upgraded to 4.0.

Re:upgradable OS?

[Rastor]

I'm confused, is this a troll? ASUS has stated quite publicly that THIS is a 3.x device which will be upgraded to 4.0.

Re:upgradable OS?

[brentrad]

My original Asus Transformer has gotten at least *four* OS updates from Asus since I've had it - and that was only two months. And Asus has publicly stated in multiple venues that it for sure WILL get the next version of Android - 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, most likely by the end of the year. These updates come directly from Asus and I get a notification when they're ready to install. So far they've fixed issues, added features, and even added free (useful) apps like a full-featured drawing and note-taking program. Asus has only done very light skinning to the stock Android 3.0 Honeycomb, so they don't have to do a huge amount of testing before releasing updates (contrast this with HTC, with their custom Sense UI, which frequently takes months and months to push out updates - if they update your phone at all.)

Buy a tablet from a cell provider where they control the updates, and you're taking your chances about whether they'll release timely updates. I wanted full control of my tablet and didn't want another monthly bill, so I had no need for a tablet with 3G - I can wirelessly tether to my smartphone if I'm somewhere WiFi isn't available.

Re:upgradable OS?

[pbjones]

thanks for the info, I'm not Trolling, just generalizing.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[marsu_k]

Not really - the virtual keyboard is automatically disabled, as is display rotation, but otherwise it's pretty much the same. Rooting the Transformer is very trivial, but I'm not aware of any Linux ports yet.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[Andy Dodd]

Every Intel-based tablet to this date has been an utter and complete failure... Intel + Win8 = good way to put an epic failure onto the market.

Important message from ASUS

[gblues]

The ASUS enrichment center would like to remind you that the companion core will never threaten you and, in fact, cannot speak. In the event that the companion core does speak, the ASUS enrichment center urges you to disregard its advice.

Old Age

[kryliss]

It must be my old age starting to kick in but the more portable and light devices become, the more I just want to leave it all at home and go for a nice walk without any electronic devices with me, even a phone. Humans have survived for countless millenia without such devices and these days people feel damn near helpless without them... Why does a person need the ability to check email, or browse the web or stay "connected" in every room of their house? Probably the same people that will have to check the internet for how cold/hot it is outside instead of just, *gasp*, opening the damn door and stepping outside..

A: Because it disrupts the flow of a message

[DNS-and-BIND]

Q: Why is starting a comment in the Subject: line incredibly irritating?

Re:A: Because it disrupts the flow of a message

[RivenAleem]

What if it is used specifically for the effect of adding a dramatic pause in your sentence?

Nits?

[ben_kelley]

What? No nits jokes so far? C'mon people!

I wonder if this tablet is safe for use in education.

a slice

[farble1670]

The new system aims to carve out a slice of the premium tablet market that Apple's iPad has dominated for so long.

and they think throwing around terms like "quad core tegra 3" and "12 core GPU" is going to do that?

no one even asks how fast or powerful the ipad is. the answer is just as fast, and as powerful as it needs to be. all software for it runs smoothly and without delay, and that's all that matters to most users.

the article lists the price at about 100 USD less than an ipad 2. android tablet manufacturers will never understand, it seems. the ipad is the gucci, the mercedes of tablets. there's a market for toyotas, they are good cars ... but people aren't going to pay the same price for a toyota as they will for a mercedes.

Re:a slice

[enrevanche]

If iPad is Mercedes, then there is plenty of room for BMW, Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche, Tesla, Lexus, Audi, Saab etc.

In any case, there are many different Mercedes models, many of which are not only as fast as they "need to be."

As the sophistication of tablet applications increases, the current tablets will not be fast enough, so ones that do push the processor/memory envelopes will remain useful longer.

Re:a slice

[farble1670]

not the point. no android tablet is a mercedes, or an audi, or a porsche in the consumers' eyes. consider a real gucci purse, or a knockoff. sure people buy lots of knockoff fake gucci purses, but they don't pay the price of the original. the knockoff only attracts at a bargain price. this is irrespective of actual quality.

outside of a few android geeks, ipad is what everyone wants. it has great reviews, great word of mouth. people that have it love, and people that don't have it know someone that has it and have heard how great it is. this isn't the case for android tablets.

Re:a slice

[enrevanche]

no, the point is that this may be the case now, but according to you, they should just give up a cede the entire market to Apple forever

Re:a slice

[brentrad]

I've had several friends and co-workers buy an Android tablet after seeing mine. One was a geek, one was not.

You do realize that Android tablet sales are now about 25% of the tablet market, when only a year ago Android tablets were only about 3% of the market? The momentum is building.

Re:a slice

[farble1670]

they should just give up a cede the entire market to Apple forever

jeez man, reading comprehension?!

the article lists the price at about 100 USD less than an ipad 2. android tablet manufacturers will never understand, it seems. the ipad is the gucci, the mercedes of tablets. there's a market for toyotas, they are good cars ... but people aren't going to pay the same price for a toyota as they will for a mercedes.

^^^

Re:a slice

[farble1670]

that's interesting and i wouldn't have guessed that ... but ... the problem for android tablet manufacturers is that it's 25% spread across 10 (20? 30?) manufacturers, versus 75% all to apple.

i'd also be curious to know what percent of the android tablets are the cheap chinese knockoffs. i'd expect it to be high, as those *are* actually at a price point that makes them attractive compared to an ipad. that would reenforce my point.

Re:a slice

[brentrad]

I haven't seen any of the cheap Chinese knockoffs out in the wild - I think people in general stay away from those since they're so obviously cheap crap. ALL tablets are Chinese made though, even the iPad.

Doesn't seem like all the Android tablet manufacturers are too worried about sharing a smaller piece of the pie - since every technology manufacturer out there has a tablet out or plans for one. Just because Apple make multi-billions in profit, doesn't mean that a smaller manufacturer wouldn't be perfectly happy with a couple million in profit. Asus is currently the second-biggest selling tablet manufacturer, and they seem perfectly happy with that. I actually expect to see more manufacturers copy their ideas (keyboard dock, etc.) now that they're selling decent numbers and are coming out with their next version.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[shutdown -p now]

Is the Transformer's dockable keyboard any better than any of the inline Bluetooth options for the iPad et al?

Yes. There are three big differences.

First, the hinge lets the docked tablet fold - in other words, when docked, it works exactly like any netbook. Also, unlike the various "keyboard cases", the hinge actually locks the tablet in place, so this thing can be held on your lap while typing - again, exactly like a netbook. This (being able to use it and type on it on your lap) is probably the single biggest use case that I've found missing with all keyboard docks for other devices that I've seen.

The second difference is that the keyboard includes a trackpad. It's not obvious why it is important - all it gives you is a mouse pointer that can be moved around to operate controls - but I've found it to be quite convenient to use in lieu of the touchscreen when surfing websites where I'm actively writing (such as e.g. Slashdot) - since you no longer need to move hands from keyboard to screen and back again. It also shines when you use remote desktop software that is mouse-aware.

The third difference is that Transformer dock includes a battery pack which essentially doubles the battery life (to 15-16 hours). They've also made it right in that, if docked, the dock battery will discharge first, and only then the tablet battery.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[shutdown -p now]

From market interest and past example, they will likely spend the first few months of the new Transformer also sold out and back-ordered.

My understanding is that, initially, they didn't know what kind of sales to expect - remember, this was shortly after people realized just how bad Xoom flopped. So the initial manufacturing run was very conservative - IIRC they only had 100k tablets made at launch - which went away in days due to overwhelming interest. Now that they have seen the interest and tweaked production to match, they're pumping them out fast enough that there's no wait list, and I'm sure they could manufacture even more if there was bigger demand.

Anyway, for the second launch, they know what to expect, so I hope we won't have a two-month shortage this time (and I won't have to chase 15 different websites to see which one finally has them in stock before they're sold out again, as I had to with the first one).

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[shutdown -p now]

Every Windows-based tablet to this date has been an utter and complete failure

Fixed that for you. The problem is really with the "Windows" part, Intel is just a prerequisite for that. As well as other things that make them unattractive - small battery life, heavy etc.

But that is precisely what Win8 in general, and its support for ARM in particular, is intended to fix.

Great info

[gabrielnagy]

Great info. I love looking around the web when I, Carpet Cleaning Radlett am not cleaning the house finding interesting blogs and information like this. Great to see some off the wall posts rather than the normal same old posts that are everywhere. oh well better get back to the cleaning!

Re:It's the Size

[brentrad]

I think you're definitely right about tablets replacing the PC for non-tech types. Since I've started carrying my Asus Transformer around at work to our sites, I get asked all the time about it. They say they've been thinking about getting a new computer, but ask if I think it can replace a computer. And for the casual user surfing the web and sending emails, it definitely can. But if you need to use Photoshop or some other heavy-duty apps, definitely not.

In my experience though, my tablet doesn't necessarily replace my computer, it actually more acts as an additional computer less capable than my desktop, but way more portable and convenient and able to perform about 90% of my most common computer uses. For traveling or hanging out at home it's really convenient to have a tablet that's instant-on and small and light (and solid state memory so you don't have to worry about the hard drive.) And I find the 10 inch screen the perfect size - big enough to show an entire web page or see most of the details in a digital picture I just took with my full-size digital camera (and pulled out the micro-sd card and put it into the slot in the tablet - I LOVE that feature.)

Really though, they're not for everyone. If you really want Windows, feel free to get a netbook, there's a lot of good ones out there. I wanted something that was new and an alternative, and designed for a touchscreen. Once you get used to it, having a touchscreen AND a keyboard (I have the Transformer keyboard dock) is really quite efficient. I find scrolling on a web page with my fingers on the touchscreen way more comfortable than using a mouse or touchpad. And for traveling for pleasure, a tablet is great, I never once found myself wishing for a laptop during a recent trip, and it was so great having a battery that lasts an entire day without having to worry about finding an outlet.

Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple

[sarhjinian]

I don't actually have own an iPad now and am typing this, or trying to and having it stutter and lag, and on an LG Optimus Pad running Honeycomb. But the point is that salesnumbers, among nerds and non alike, the show the iPad far ahead, I and for good reason : it is better to use.

If "pointing out the obvious " is advertising, and then I'm sure guilty as charged.

Why not pressure Google into doing better instead of of burying your head in the sand and dismissing contradictory opinion-holders as sheep?

Re:It's the Size

[AngryDill]

For me, my 7" tablet is ideal. I take it almost everywhere and I can comfortably hold it in one hand while I write,drink, etc. With the other. If I had a 10" tab, I think I'd leave it home more often than not.

I ponder lately:

[justforgetme]

How difficult/easy/impossible is it to actually put an archlinuxarm.org on it?

Because if its doable I'm sold on the Optimus. err... the Transformer Prime.

BTW: by doable I mean a permanent install, no dualboot / flashCard idiocy.