With every electronics manufacturer in the entire universe looking to release an Android tablet in 2011, individual products are all going to need some kind of unique selling point.
This is especially true with Android 3.0 products, because the vast majority of them are all packing near identical innards – namely Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual core CPU platform.
You can check out our Android Tablet round-up to see how this slate measures up against three of its rivals below:
The LG Optimus Pad, then, has its 3D camera. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V has its 8MP snapper. And the Android 2.3-toting HTC Flyer comes with its own Sense UI overlay.
So it makes perfect sense that Asus - the company that gave birth to the netbook - would seek to position its first Android tablet in a niche it knows well.
Ever since the iPad was unleashed on the world like an Apple-scented hurricane in 2010, the humble netbook's days have been numbered. But the problem was that until now, there wasn't a product that truly offered the functionality of a netbook and the portability, convenience and not to mention the pleasure of using a tablet.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is that product. With its detachable keyboard and trackpad dock, it's a powerful Android tablet while on the move, and a functional Android-powered netbook when you're sitting at a desk.
The back of the tablet and the keyboard is covered in a honeycomb-style texture, which makes it quite grippy to hold in your hand.
That said, build quality doesn't quite live up to the impossibly high standards of the iPad 2. The plastic bodywork feels mostly solid, but there's a fraction of give there that slightly undermines what is otherwise a very lovely-looking device.
Another small negative is the size of the thing. The 10.1-inch screen is surrounded by a black bezel and a further metallic surround, which makes the device almost 20mm wider than it would be without them.
It's also slightly heavier than some of the other tablets around. At 680g it's still not exactly heavy, and with the keyboard dock attached it feels about the same weight as a decent netbook.
And there is one enormous positive that we've yet to mention. The price.
The Transformer is available from as little as £379, while it'll cost you just £429 for the tablet and keyboard dock together. That means it's significantly cheaper than the likes of the Motorola Xoom, while offering arguably a lot more.
So does the Transformer offer the best of both tablet and netbook worlds? Or is it a horrible mess in the shape of the Acer Iconia Tab W500? We're about to find out.
Your comments (29) Click to add a new comment
hkeyzer
November 29th 2011
29. Great tablet and I like it.
There are a couple of comments I would add:
Recharging is a issue, as you can not charge from a device with a USB port.
The power cord is stupidly short, will not reach from a desktop to a power point on the floor.
Why couldn't they didn't include a 3mm charging port instead of the propriety 40 pin connector?
Expandable storage in the form of USB ports are on the docking station - one should have been on the tablet so you're not forced to use dock.
The ASUS eeepad microsite http://eee.asus.com/eeepad/transformer/features/ mentions it is ICS upgradable - which is a positive point and something to look forward to.
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heartsonggallery
November 1st 2011
28. I've had my Asus Android tablet (purchased end of September 2011) for over a month and I love it! I do admit it was a splurge though.
I tried the Motorola Xoom and another cheaper Android. Both wouldn't connect to Wi-Fi for me. Easy as pie with the Asus. I figured anything out with no problem except right this minute I'm trying to find out how the USB port works that I just inserted. (That's how I ended up here, hoping to find out.)
Compared to the Xoom that started out costing $800 or so (I had paid $600), this is NOT a cheap product in any way in my view - much nicer to me than the Xoom - very sturdy and very high quality.
I love being able to watch my YouTube video interests on the couch or in bed, check and write e-mail, shop and check my sales on my web sites. It's everything I'd hoped for in a tablet and I hear that the iPad doesn't even have a USB port.
I agree with whoever said the Asus eee Transformer is King of the tablets - at least from what I know and have experienced so far with tablets.
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charelfriendly
October 5th 2011
27. great tablet...i like it
http://tabletpc-id.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-7-7
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chejaras
August 24th 2011
26. I am having my Asus transformer since last two months and I really love this product. This is the best android tablet available in the market. There are some minor issues but those all are because of android 3.2 and will go away with future updates.
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afroboy70
August 10th 2011
25. Further to my previous post I have decided to return the transformer. It just doesn't have enough functionality to justify the cost plus there are still numerous bugs in 3.2. FC on apps, Left loudspeaker quieter than right, Poor flash performance, Limited codec support (even with 3rd party video players installed, Limited number of quality games on the market. It just feels like honeycomb isn't quite a finished product yet. Also the build quality of my transformer is pretty poor. The bezel around the edge creaks and squeeks when I hold it. Doesnt inspire confidence. Shame because I really wanted to love it. I'm going to wait for the 2nd Gen Transformer and keep my fingers crossed.
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fuzzy1969
August 8th 2011
24. I forgot to mention honeycomb 3.2 has a new feature in the sys tray area which allows you to zoom or stretch the display to allow running of lower resolution stuff from the android market place.
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fuzzy1969
August 8th 2011
23. I bought one the other day it came with honeycomb 3.1 switched it on the next and upgraded to 3.2 OTA. I really like the unit (ive had asus stuff in the past) plus the keyboard with the battery life and extra expansion is a bonus. I havnt noticed any force closes yet but i havnt had time to use it much. The standard is s-l-o-w but there are alternatives although im not sure if they will integrate with flash 10.3. In the instructions it states you can plug in usb hard drive which is a big big plus, ill plug mine in later to see what happens there a directory called 'removable' near the root of the internal which has all the sd cards and stuff so i guess it'll show up there.
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afroboy70
August 8th 2011
22. I bought this about two weeks ago for email and web surfing (and a big of gaming).
I have to say I wasn't too impressed with the stock browser. some sites like techradar and gametrailers take a while to load and are then slow to navigate. Also how it handles flash video isn't great with lag etc and buffering issues. The 3.2 update came along and I hoped this would remedy the niggles that I had with the tablet. Unfortunately it made things worse, to the point where I actually downgraded back to 3.1. I ws getting force close and lots of issues with iplayer (which I am still getting). I so want to love this tablet but just can't yet. I can't believe the browser isn't more polished as it's a google product. I'm close to returning the tablet actually cos the case is a bit creeky too and may hold off for the transformer2. Is anyone else dissapointed with the browser or have I got a dud unit?
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irich
July 26th 2011
21. Bought yesterday. Initial impressions:
Booted up fine, worked straight out of the box, connected to my netbook without any problems and is recognised as an external storage device so I can drag and drop files without any problems.
Not so goods:
Very reflective screen, also fingerprints really stand out, and the 3.1 update is a nightmare as regards filling in text online. The lag is pronounced and makes editing or filling in web forms very difficult.
Unless this is addressed promptly I can't as yet recommend this product.
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wrongd0g
July 3rd 2011
20. Bear in mind, this review was for Android 3.0, the Transformer already now has Android 3.1, and 3.2 is due soon, but of which address many of the software niggles.
The eee Transformer is easily a 5star tablet, infact king of the tablets IMHO.
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jop
June 28th 2011
19. This is a fantastic product!
More attractive now as well as it has come down in price! - http://amzn.to/jLbPxq
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humani
June 19th 2011
18. hvornår kommer der en 2`er og bliver den en del bedre !??
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holybinch
June 3rd 2011
17. 3.1 DOES fix a lot of the niggles experienced (and rightly listed here)
my main gripe though: non native apps deciding you have to use in portrait mode, and the market (!!!) in landscape! Grrr!
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duskrider
May 26th 2011
16. Just got mine yesterday. Wow, are there ever a lot of bugs in Honeycomb! The device is great though. Can't wait for some Honeycomb patches to fix the many glitches and I can't wait for more Honeycomb specific apps.
One significant thing of note: apps not built for Honeycomb scale much better than I thought, with very little to no jaggies. The biggest issue with non-optimized apps is the poor use of space, but that's about it.
Lots of odd problems with Honeycomb, like Pulse not wanting to authenticate my Google Reader account, the Reader app not letting me go to the store, browser slowdown issues, bad browser rendering, etc. In fact, the TR article on 30 best Honeycomb apps was not readable on the Transformer. I had to use my iPad to find out what to download on my Android device. Not good.
Device feels good in hand though and the screen is nice. I don't have the keyboard yet though, so no opinion there.
The revamped GMail app is really quite nice.
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holybinch
May 23rd 2011
15. I had a preorder at Amazon. Realized that some shops have the tablet, with keyboard, available now.
Ran to TCR and bought it on Friday.
I have to say, I'm really impressed with it so far.
It's kicked my MBP out of my couch, where it replaces it as the device of choice for quick browsing, searches, bookings, etc.
It's not without a few bugs in some non native apps (mainly facebook) but it's smooth, fast, has a great battery life (charged it on Friday, got, as you'd expect with a new toy, a good use out of it) and it held until Sunday late afternoon.
Just because I'd once in a while use it docked (like when deciding to contribute to forums or catch up on long due emails) it would recharge itself, and be ready again for the table experience later.
I'm not going to go in iPad v Android discussion, but I'd recommend this tablet to all my friends (and it made quite a few colleagues green with envy on Friday...)
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run4ulife
May 21st 2011
14. bowest: no need for 3G. Get an android phone (like Galaxy S), install a custom rom and turn it into a mobile AP. You can then connect your transformer to your mobile AP. :)
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seyches1
May 20th 2011
13. I have an iphone 4 synced with my PC. Will the Asus Tablet or any Android Tablet pick up and sync my music on itunes and the iphone with my PC? Thanks.
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rallim
May 15th 2011
12. Great review.
I bought this from Currys about a month ago and i have been looking like mad for the keyboard, does anyone know where to buy it seperate?
I guess I will struggle concidering they want 150$ for it in the states and dont want people buying bulk in the uk and shipping over, but I really want one and currys did not sell it.
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bowest
May 15th 2011
11. I seriously want one of these. Have been holding off buying a tablet until something came up that could match ipads, plus had a keyboard. The only thing missing at present as far as I'm concerned is 3G. Does anyone know when a 3G model is likely to be out in Europe?
Cheers
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