ASUS lauches new tablet: Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G

The Asus pad transformer TF101G can be termed as the hybrid between the netbook and a tablet. Tablet has always been a great companion for entertainment and some small cool work but when we scratch down to the reality like typing, what everyone really need is a physical keyboard. Asus has seen the problem and came up with what you really need, A tablet to play and net book to work all in one device.

Design

Transformer actually comes in two parts one is the tablet off course and the other is the keyboard dock. Now about the tablet,  its extremely well built. The back side is quite encouraging. Unlike the other tabs with boring backs its backside is patterned and the colour itself is quite good. The tab also posses IPS panel and the glass is scratch resistant for the added protection. The tab is 12.9mm thick and weighs just about the 695g. But still is behind the samsung galaxy sII, which still holds up the crown of the being the lightest and the slimmest tab.

For connectivity we have 3.5 mm audio jack, mini HDMI port and micro SD slot at right side on the left side you will find the sim card slot and the volume buttons. The ports and buttons feel good and gives you a sense of elegance. At the back we have a 5MP camera without flash and in front a 1.3 MP camera for video chat. The TF101G does accept the sim card but it does not offers telephonic conversations. It does have a 16 GB memory, gyroscope, E-compass and stereo speakers.

The Dock

The main feature and what makes the Asus transformer a bit different from the other available tabs is its dock. The dock is not like the other keyboards around you, it’s of the same size as the tab and is patterned with the same design. The dock weighs around 640g, making the total weight of the tab at 1.3kg. 

It has four rubber foots to provide the grip. The function keys are not present but have keys for media, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even one to lock the screen. The touch pad works great and affords two finger touch that means you can zoom or scroll the screen with it. 

 

The dock also consists of the memory card reader and two USB ports. There was some issues regarding the playing of the 1080p videos with the hard drive but it played with the memory card or the internal memory. The dock does have a 24Whr battery in case you are low on your tab. The buttons are little bit crimpy as it happens with a 10 inch tab but the buttons are soft and keyboard is easy to use.

Interface

 The interface is impressive. The tab is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 processor, it supports android's Honeycomb version 3.2.1. Asus has not done any customization other than some menu buttons and the some additional widgets on the screen. Asus has already told that in future the Transformer will be upgraded to android 4.0 Ice cream sandwich, giving a bit of relief to the buyers.

Connectivity solutions

The TF101G has full 3G HDPA+ support and can also work fine with GSM band. As I said earlier the tab doesn't support calling facility but you can still send messages. It also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0. The built in browser works well and the presence of the HDMI out port allows you to connect your tab to a HDTV. 

Camera

Camera is not much impressive and has all the basic functions and options. The video is also not much the video is quite frazzled. So, transformer doesn't make quite a good mark in this section.

All in the box

It seems overall good a device. The asus has provided you with the option of the a tab with a netbook. The price may be a factor as the 3G version costs around Rs. 30000 but at the same time the Wi-Fi version costs around Rs. 43000 which is quite too expensive. 

So, is it worth a buy, well if I say no. I think you mush should wait for some time as the new version of transformer, "transformer prime" could be arriving any time and it would be supported by NVidia’s tegra 3 quad core processor, which would be quite new for a tab.