Asus Unveils Quad-Core Transformer Prime Tablet 274
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."
Intruiged (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3)
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
Re: (Score:2)
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 (Score:5, Insightful)
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: (Score:3)
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
Re: (Score:3)
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.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
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
Re:Intruiged (Score:5, Informative)
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: (Score:3)
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
Re:Intruiged (Score:4, Informative)
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: (Score:2)
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 i
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
What do you use for an SSH client?
Re: (Score:3)
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/ [google.com] ), 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.
for me killer apps are video, reading in bed (Score:3)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
Which of those things can't you do with a (cheaper) notebook?
Re: (Score:3)
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: (Score:2)
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: (Score:3)
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
Re: (Score:2)
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 convenien
Re: (Score:3)
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: (Score:3)
So make one as a project. There's a voltmeter and oscilloscope attachments for the iPad. Make a microcontroller interface.
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:3)
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
Re: (Score:3)
wainting for 1920x1080p (Score:2)
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).
how about just better scaling? (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
^ 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: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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. :-)
DPI (Score:2)
As an Asus laptop owner (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:3)
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
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
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
Kal El Details (Score:2)
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 [pcper.com]
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/NVIDIA-Reveals-5th-CPU-Core-Upcoming-Kal-El-Tegra-SoC [pcper.com]
Fuck everything, we're doing... (Score:5, Funny)
Terrible news... (Score:5, Funny)
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: (Score:3)
Don't worry, it has rounded corners so won't be on sale for long.
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:3)
Job pays fairly well.
Wife and kids take it all. Would anyone like to buy a child?
Re: (Score:2)
There are lots of people who would like to buy your child, are you sure you want to sell?
Decepticons rule (Score:4, Funny)
Challenge for tablet makers (Score:3)
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 [asus.com], 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: (Score:2)
Wacom makes a capacitive stylus for drawing on the iPad.
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
So... you want a Wacom Cintiq? [wacom.com] 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 po
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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! [dell.com] 23" for $599, prepare to pay less for "12 - 21 inches". Your dream came true years ago, where have you been?
Re: (Score:2)
The page you requested may no longer exist on Dell.com :-/
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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.
My first thought (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
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
9,5/16 hrs tablet/t+keyboard. We're getting there. (Score:2)
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
Great line at the end of TFA (Score:5, Interesting)
"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: (Score:3)
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
At last! (Score:2)
An ARM platform fast enough to run Windows Mobile!
But... will it run Linux? (Score:2)
upgradable OS? (Score:2)
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.
Important message from ASUS (Score:5, Funny)
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.
what the (Score:2, Insightful)
you are saying that your ipad can run windows 8 ?
Re:what the (Score:4, Insightful)
"Mind share" is "even your grandmother knows about the iPad".
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
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: (Score:3)
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: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:3)
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 devi
Re: (Score:2)
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?
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
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 diff
Re: (Score:3)
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 l
Re:Doubt it will cut into Apple (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
Supply wasn't, but price probably will, considering it's a substitute good.
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:3)
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
there are tradeoffs (Score:3)
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.
Getting in that price range, but not quite (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
LoB
Re: (Score:3)
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 t
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
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 wh
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
$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."
Re: (Score:2)
It's a Transformer, so wouldn't that be an Energon Cube?
Re: (Score:2)
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
Re: (Score:2)
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.