Product Listing

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer - It's Morphing Time

By Sidney Wong & Seow Tein Hee - 10 Aug 2011
Launch SRP: S$898

Conclusion

Transforming the Tablet Scene 

To be honest, the flood of tablets this year made each new device's arrival to the market nothing more than ripples on the water surface. This is especially true for Android tablets where many brands release their tablet models one after the other. There are not much differentiation among Android tablets as most run the stock user interface. Fortunately, there is the HTC Flyer with its unique Scribe technology and Sense user interface. However, the Flyer runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, an OS that is not optimized for tablet use. The arrival of the Honeycomb-powered ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is timely in making a big splash in the tablet scene. 

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer lives up to its "Transformer" namesake. If you need a tablet that can double up as a simple notebook, this ASUS delivers just that. It is perhaps a reflection of what the future will be of the notebook industry catering to the general mass of casual users.

ASUS brings an innovative idea to the tablet scene with its optional keyboard docking station for the Eee Pad Transformer. In fewer than five steps, ASUS transforms the tablet into a full fledged mini laptop. This is very useful for people who are always on the go and do not like the hassle of carrying a tablet and a laptop on the go. The keyboard docking station not only provides the functionality of typing on physical keys, it also boosts the Transformer's battery life up to 16 hours. This is more than sufficient for anyone who is out working.

Besides adopting the tablet-optimized Honeycomb OS, ASUS adds minor but useful tweaks to the user interface. The additional ASUS widgets such as the Weather and Mail widgets make it easier for you to view information on the home screen instead of accessing the apps. The pre-installed apps such as Polaris Office, MyNet and MyCloud enhance the functionality of the Transformer. Most importantly of all, ASUS is one of the fastest brands in pushing out updates for its devices. It is the first tablet in the market to get the update to Android 3.2, which fixes some bugs and boosts performance.

However, the Transformer is not without its flaws. The highly reflective screen spoils an otherwise good viewing experience on the Transformer. In addition, it is a fingerprint magnet, making the screen look dirty after a while of usage. As with most other tablets, the camera performance of the Transformer is sub par. Although tablets are hardly used for taking photographs, a better camera will help in the multimedia aspects of the Transformer. Last but not least, the Transformer (without its keyboard docking station) could not last more than five hours in our intensive battery tests. Docking it with the keyboard will make the Transformer heavier, which will defeat the purpose of having a mobile device to work on the go. On the other hand, most notebooks don't fare any better on this aspect either without being plugged to a power outlet. The good part is that the tablet on its own could last for about a whole day for casual usage and you can imagine that it would last even longer with the keyboard attachment.

So while the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer might seem like a perfect device to take on the go, it has limits to what it can do based on its OS, processing power and battery life. It all boils down to your personal expectations and usage patterns.

At the retail price of S$898 (Eee Pad Transformer and the Docking Station), we felt that it is reasonable considering that we are getting the docking station (with a keyboard and battery pack in it). Compared with the Apple iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi model which cost S$668, Motorola Xoom 32GB Wi-Fi (S$888) and Acer Iconia Tab A500 (S$799), the Transformer would seem overpriced. It really depends on what you want from a tablet. To us, it sounds acceptable to spend an extra $100 or more to get a keyboard and extra battery pack as you may need to spend more if you get other tablets and their accessories.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience reviewing the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, especially with the keyboard docking station. We sometimes felt that we are not using a tablet but a laptop instead. We like the dual functionality of the Transformer, where we can easily switch between a tablet and a laptop as and when the situation calls for it. We applaud ASUS for bringing something so refreshing into the tablet scene, and look forward to more innovative and creative offerings from them. With that, we end our review and wholeheartedly bestow it our Most Innovative award.

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8.5
The Good
Innovative keyboard docking station
First to get Android 3.2 upgrade
Handy ASUS Apps
The Bad
Reflective Screen
Poor battery life
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