ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Android tablet (preview)
- — 10 November, 2011 12:03
ASUS has announced the successor to its Eee Pad Transformer and its called the Eee Pad Transformer Prime. It's the world's first quad-core Android tablet and like its predecessor, it boasts an included, detachable keyboard dock that transforms it from a tablet into a notebook-style device.
• ASUS Eee Pad Transformer review
• ASUS Eee Pad Slider review
The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime may have a long-winding name that sounds like it belongs in a Transformers movie, but it certainly looks very impressive on paper. It's the first Android tablet in the world to run a quad-core processor, in this case NVIDIA's 1.3GHz Tegra 3 chip.
NVIDIA says the Tegra 3 processor that powers the Eee Pad Transformer Prime will result in five times the performance of the Tegra 2 CPU used in many current Android tablets. It also promises much better battery life — ASUS says the Transformer Prime is good for 12 hours video playback by itself, and up to an excellent 18 hours if the included keyboard dock (with built-in battery) is connected. If these figures translate to real world experience, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime will have better battery life than Apple's market-leading iPad 2.
ASUS has clearly worked on the design of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, too. It's just 8.33mm thin and weighs only 586g. This is a significant improvement over the original Eee Pad Transformer which measured 13mm thick and weighed almost 700g. The back of the Transformer Prime is constructed from aluminum and has an attractive looking swirl design. The tablet will be available in two colours — Amethyst Gray or Champagne Gold.
The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime has a 10.1-inch Super IPS + display that's coated in Gorilla glass. The screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800 and ASUS also claims the use of technology that enhances brightness for better outdoor viewing. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is powered by 1GB of RAM and has either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory along with a microSD card slot. It also has a micro-HDMI port. The optional keyboard dock adds a full-sized USB port, a full-sized SD card slot and a multi-touch trackpad, making for an impressive lists of ports.
Disappointingly, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime doesn't have 3G connectivity, so its a Wi-Fi-only tablet. An 8-megapixel rear camera with continuous flash will handle photography and 1080p HD video recording, while a front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera can be used for video calls through services like Skype.
ASUS will initially ship the Eee Pad Transformer Prime with Google's Android 3.2 operating system, but an over-the-air update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is now available. Its a shame that the tablet won't come standard with the latest version of Android, but its obvious it was well in the works before Ice Cream Sandwich was unveiled.
The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime is now available in 32GB ($799) and 64GB ($899) models through major Australian retailers including Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys.
Comments
eeeipad
Thu 10/11/2011 - 21:28
so disappointing that asus tried to market its latest transformer prime with WIFI only without 3G, i rather buy ipad2 with the 3G than to wait, its mad!
AM337
Fri 11/11/2011 - 01:02
@eeeipad Yeahhhh.. that's what the wireless tether on my bionic is for! 4G ftw!
corwin1681
Fri 11/11/2011 - 01:12
Yeah, who cares about not having 3g/4g on eee pad? My year old G2 has internet that I already pay for, and I can share it for free, which is exactly what I do when I use my XOOM (but I really want transformer prime!!!!)
yeabilo
Thu 17/11/2011 - 14:18
There is a mistake on Pros "Attractive design that's just 13mm thick" that article describes "It's just 8.33mm thin and weighs only 586g."
that make me laugh lol
yeabilo
Thu 17/11/2011 - 15:16
Pros: "Attractive design that's just 13mm thick." from the article "It's just 8.33mm thin and weighs only 586g."
Matthew Perkins
Thu 17/11/2011 - 23:35
I'm really looking forward to it. My initial fears of no 3G were sated when I saw it had a built in gps, despite no 3G #winning . Fast, sleek, light and all day battery life is going to see this as a winner of a product. I'm looking forward to seeing how windows 8 will run on this as well when it comes out. Dual booting android and win 8 anyone?!
Su-has
Sat 19/11/2011 - 06:58
^^ its 13mm thick with docking station and tablet alone is just 8.33 mm thick.Got it you idiot.lol...
aqriel
Tue 06/12/2011 - 13:05
Anyone know if i'll be able to use my external HD via the USB port??
aqriel
Tue 06/12/2011 - 13:05
Anyone know if i'll be able to use my external HD via the USB port??
C J
Sat 07/01/2012 - 00:29
Great to see that someone is upping Apple and best luck to u ASUS keep bring the best stuff out. I will be getting one.
Nick
Thu 10/11/2011 - 15:35
looks like its be a great tab
does available in US in december mean we can just get one on ebay?