Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I was lucky enough to wake up early today and go to Memory Express in Edmonton and they had one. Stores received a limited amount of tablets and they were all sold out within hours, including here on Amazon. I've been playing with this thing for hours now and so far I've only had great experiences with it.
The main feature for me is the remote desktop: you can access your PC, whether it's a Mac or a PC, if they're both connected to your home wi-fi connection. You can control your PC from anywhere and use all of its features. I watched a HD movie and worked on MS Word docs, everything went smoothly.
The tablet doesn't weigh much for its size and the IPS screen is amazing, it's the same screen used on the iPad 2. I'm not a person who needs to buy products made by just one brand. I like Apple and I own a iPhone 4, but when it came to deciding which tablet to buy, I went for the Transformer because it offers me a tablet/netbook function, the best of both worlds.
The tablet itself has a microSD card slot so I already have 32GB more to use it. The docking station (which can be purchased by 149.99) has 2 USB ports and 1 SD Card slot.
You can edit Microsoft Office docs on it using Polaris Office, it's great and this app comes pre-installed on it. Playing mp3s or acc files on it it's great too. You can use the app MyNet to play music from your own PC or Mac, via bluetooth.
I'm playing SNES games using SNESoid app and using a Wiimote/Classic Controller via Bluetooth and everything works great! It has native email (which Blackberry Playbook doesn't) and you can sync your calendar and contacts easily. It has full flash compatibility. For $399, there's nothing on the market with these specs. The Motorola Xoom has similar specs and it costs $200 more. It doesn't give you the option to attach a docking station with all those slots. When I buy computers, I want to be able to upload content to it easily, or transfer files from it easily as well. The Apple system is ok but needing iTunes for everything is kinda like a dictatorship. I had to jailbreak my iPhone to be able to play SNES games on it, or even listen to music on Grooveshark. That's where the Android Market comes in.
You can download any apps you want, any developer can create apps for it, it's a "free" system. It's not as wide as the App Store, but it's getting bigger and bigger by the minute. I downloaded the Kindle app and already transferred all my e-books to it (I also own a Kindle and I love it).
There are some quirks that have to be tweaked with Honeycomb 3.0 OS and that's something Google is working on. That's easy since updates will be released (an update is scheduled in 2 days). So that will improve the overall performance of the OS. But I honestly didn't have any issues with it, I really like Honeycomb 3.0 so far.
I definitely recommend this thing for people who want to use their tablets as an extension or even a replacement to their laptops. Asus has hit a home run with this one, since it costs much less than anybody else and its specs are great. It's hands down the best purchase I've had under 400 bucks.
The docking station is sold out anywhere else but I pre-ordered it on Amazon and I'm hoping to get it in a couple of weeks. I'll post a video with the combo once I get everything up and running. I'm a iOS person who's welcoming Android with open arms!
Review Update: Apr 29 2011 - Ok, so I've been using my Transformer for a few days so I'd like to add a few pros and cons to this review.
Pros: beside what's been mentioned above, I noticed that:
- multitasking is really easy on the Transformer. You can quickly jump from one app to the other, check e-mails, browse something on Wikipedia, listen to music and even have your Skype session open at the same time. I was chatting with my dad and multitasking and had no issues. The Skype app needs updates, but that's nothing to do with Asus.
- File Manager: this feature is great! You don't have to hook up your Transformer to your computer all the time to move, copy or paste files. You can create new folders and even transfer files from your microSD card straight to it. I transferred a movie from my microsd Card folder (path is root\removable to access microSD files) to my Movies folder and it was very quick. And I didn't need to plug it in in order to access or move the files.
- Widgets: Your Desktop Area (Or Asus Launcher) is very wide so you can add many widgets to it, and they're very handy. That's something that can't be done on the iPad 2. Mind you Widgets can affect the speed a bit, but nothing noticeable at all. Those people running speed tests between iPad 2 and the Transformer need to bear that in mind.
- Weight: believe it or not, it doesn't feel heavy at all for its size.
Cons: ok, so here it is:
-smudges on screen - it's a fingerprint magnet but all tablets are, so not a big deal. I'm cleaning it whenever needed using a nice cloth (the one that I use for lenses) with a bit of water/alcohol and it looks pristine after that. Let me know if you find a better way to clean fingerprints.
It doesn't need wiping on a daily basis. I looked it up and for IPS screens, the best way to clean it is to use a mix of distilled water and alcohol, but I'm using tap water. I like this thing so much that I would buy another one tomorrow if something happened to it! (wait, maybe not tomorrow, it's still sold out everywhere)
- 1080p HD video playback on Fullscreen mode using YouTube App: ok, this might be Honeycomb-related and therefore something that can be dealt with via future updates. You might notice a bit of choppy frames here and there. I find the iOS more stable for this type of playback. But there's no problems playing HD video from your microSD card or even if you upload a HD video to the Transformer hard drive, you won't have problems watching it. There's more than enough RAM to support HD video streaming.
-charger: I'm planning on using it as my laptop, so the cord is not long enough. If I have it on a desk, I need a power bar or outlet really close to leave it plugged in if I wanna save some battery. Well, tablet + docking gives you 16 hrs of battery, so you really don't have to have it plugged in. But maybe this is something that can be emailed to Asus and they could release a charger with a longer cable, that would be sweet. I guess it's better to wait and see how the docking station charger looks like and then have a better idea on how the setup is going to be.
Other observations: Camera: this is not really a con, it's just to say that it's a good camera, like the one on my iPhone 4. Am I gonna use it for super important pics? Probably not, I got a nice camera for that. But for daily use, it's more than enough with its 5MP.
That's all I have so far : )
Click Here to see more reviews about: ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A1 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer (Tablet Only)
Some things are meant to go together Transforming the Conventional into the Unconventional With a slim, lightweight design and a 10.1-inch WSVGA IPS capacitive displaymade from durable and scratch-resistant glass that is viewable at angles up to 178°, the versatile Eee Pad Transformer is the perfect tablet for anyone who wants to enjoy multimedia on the move, but still wishes to have easy access to the web, email, and other productivity applications. A custom user interface provides easy access to the many features of the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system, while the NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 chipset provides full support for Adobe® Flash® 10.2,1 smooth HD video conferencing and playback, a lightning fast web experience, and incredible mobile gaming performance. The optional docking station turns the Eee Pad Transformer into PC mode with a QWERTY keyboard, while extending battery life up to 16 hours.2 Front and rear cameras make for easy video chat and digital photography, which can be played back in video on HDTVs via a mini HDMI output port, making it a true mobile entertainment device. Awards Received "… the best Android slate we've seen"– Computer Shopper "A convenient keyboard dock, sleek design, and aggressively low price make the Eee Pad Transformer our favorite Wi-Fi-only Honeycomb tablet."– Laptop Magazine "Of all of these new entrants, the Eee Pad Transformer impresses us most so far—and not just because of its low price tag. The 10-inch slate is lighter than competing Honeycomb tablets, features an IPS screen for wider viewing angles, and plugs into an optional keyboard dock that adds more battery life. It's this kind of combo that could prove a hit with the back-to-school crowd, as well as mobile professionals who want to take notes in meetings. The dock adds a reasonable $149 to that rock-bottom $399 price."– Laptop Magazine "… the Honeycomb tablet to get.."– Anandtech
Key Features
10.1-inch WSVGA IPS capacitive pressure-sensing multi touch display for brilliant HD entertainment and intuitive navigation. 178° viewing angle (1280 x 800)
Powered by NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 mobile processor for best web experience with up to two times faster browsing, hardware accelerated Flash, and console-quality gaming (Learn more)
Front (1.2 MP) and rear (5 MP) cameras for face-to-face video chats and on-the-go video and picture capturing(Learn more)
Mini HDMI port to supersize your entertainment to compatible HDTVs and external displays (Learn more)
Optional Docking station with QWERTY keyboard adds additional 6.5 hours of battery life, to instantly turn the Transformer into PC mode with up to 16 hours of battery life 2 (Learn more)
Learn More
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We also back our commitment with the industry's most comprehensive warranty.
1year North America warranty
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What's in the Box
ASUS EeePad Transformer TF101
User manual
Power adaptor with USB to 40 pin connector
Warranty card
Specifications
OperatingSystem: Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) Platform
Display: 10.1-inch WSVGA IPS capacitive multi touch display built with durableand scratch-resistant glass; 178° viewing angle(1280 x 800)
Chipset: NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 Mobile Processor
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Wireless: 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
Storage: 16GB eMMC Flash (Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 32 GB (functionality requires future software upgrade)
Camera: 1.2 megapixel (Front); 5.0 Megapixel (Rear)
Speakers: SRS Sound
Card Reader: Micro SD Card Reader
Input/ Output: 1 x Mini HDMI, 2-in-1 audio jack (head phone/mic-in jack), internal mic
Battery Pack: 24.4 W/h Li-polymer battery (up to 9.5 hours)1
Dimensions: 10.67" x 6.89" x 0.47" –inches (W x D x H)
Weight: 1.5lbs
Color: Espresso
© 2011 ASUS Computer International. All Rights Reserved. ASUS is a registered trademark of ASUSTeK Computer. All specifications and terms are subject to change without notice. Please check with your supplier for exact offers on selected models. Products may not be available in all markets. Product may not be exactly as shown in photos. All trademarks are registered to their respective companies. ASUS shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. 1 Adobe® Flash® 10.2 support requires an upgrade available online. 2 Actual battery life varies with usage. Operation lifetime subject to product model, normal usage conditions and configurations. 3 Rated number 1 Windows-based PC maker in PCMag.com's Service & Reliability Report 2010. Rated number 1 PC brand according to SquareTrade, the leading direct-to-consumer warranty company (for more information visit http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/ ). Rated number 1 reliable PC maker in Q2 2010's RESCUECOM report http://www.rescuecom.com/2010-2nd-Quarter-Computer-Reliability-Report.html
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