Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G !

Ever thought of blending an iPad with a dedicated keyboard, like a netbook’s? Sure, we all did. But the folks over at Asus did more than just that with the Eee Pad Transformer TF101. With a 10.1-inch IPS touchscreen display, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer has a docking station that’s identical to any 10-inch Asus Eee PC netbook’s. The intelligent docking station allows the Eee Pad TF101 to transform into a 10-inch Android netbook, if you will, for tasks that otherwise are cumbersome to do with mere swipes. How well does the 10-inch Asus Transformer Android Honeycomb tablet do? Let’s find out.

Design and Build:
There are two aspects to consider regarding the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101’s design and build — treating it as a tablet and a netbook. For a tablet, the Eee Pad Transformer’s 10.7 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches, roughly the same size as the Acer Iconia A500 but larger than the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 750. As a tablet, the Asus Transformer weighs about 680 grams — marginally heavier than the Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, but lighter than the Motorola Xoom and Acer Iconia A500/501 Android Honeycomb tablets.

In terms of size and form factor, the Transformer is one of the better 10-inch tablets out there. Even as a clamshell netbook, when hooked to the extended docking station-cum-keyboard, it tips the scales at 1.32 kg (similar to any 10-inch netbook in the market) and is quite slim with the lid closed measuring just over 1 inch in thickness. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer is an extremely portable device, with or without its docking station.

Its look and feel is unique among tablets, sporting a hard plastic shell with a textured mesh finish that gives the tablet a touch of premium elegance. The mesh extends on to the bottom panel of the keyboard dock. Where the tablet/screen fits into the keyboard dock, the sliding lock holds the two separate parts well, with slight jittering — it isn’t rock solid, nonetheless it’ll do.

Features:
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Android tablet has a 10.1-inch IPS touchscreen display that’s scratch-resistant. The screen has an LED-backlit panel with a capacitive multitouch surface that packs in 1280x800 pixel resolution — greater screen area than the iPad 2, and better quality display than Motorola Xoom and Acer Iconia A501. In terms of core components, the Asus Eee Pad Transfomer TF101 comes equipped with a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and a ULP GeForce GPU on a Tegra 2 chipset. The Transformer further features 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of onboard storage.

 In terms of connectivity ports, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 comes with a microSD slot, mini HDMI out, headphone jack and a 3G SIM card slot along its screen edge; wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1. On the extended keyboard dock, the Asus Transformer has two extra USB 2.0 ports and a 3-in-1 card reader slot. It also has a built-in GPS, accelerometer and gyro sensor. Stereo speakers are placed along the edge of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer.

The Transformer’s screen bezel has a 1.2 MP front-facing camera and a fixed-focus 5MP rear camera for taking photos and capturing video at HD 720p. The bundled OS is obviously Android Honeycomb build 3.2.1 and one of its features lets you plug in a camera directly to the Eee Pad Transformer to transfer media directly. In terms of features and specs, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is one of the best tablets out there — throw in a keyboard dock with a dedicated touchpad, and it has no competition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101g is a dream come true which pairs a very good Android tablet with a tried-and-tested netbook keyboard to create one great product. It's sleek, stylish, and extremely practical and well worth its asking price.