Asus Transformer Prime

Discussion in 'Notebooks & Mobile Devices' started by Chai, Jan 17, 2012.

  1. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Finally, I'm 'in' again! :haha: It is a superb device with a number of critical drawbacks, like lack of tablet apps. Then again, it took them so long to develop an iPad compatible Facebook...

    For productivity use, it is by far superior to iPad, especially with its keyboard dock. With the included keyboard dock, the USB port is capable of supporting various USB removable storage devices like a thumbdrive or even a CF card reader, so you can browse your favourite raw DSLR photos directly. I know you can do that with iPad too, but I didn't pay anything extra to make it work (free RawDroid app + generic card reader), and the form factor is no bigger than most netbooks.

    But the lack of apps is a big problem, even some of my regular news app on my phone like BBC News is not available on tablet, not even the compatibility mode.

    Watching Full HD ripped movies is not a problem, even sutitles are supported. Just copy the mkv with srt file directly to the device and install MX Player from market.

    Screen quality is average, maybe I'm too pampered by my Dell U2412M. :haha: Brightness is very good, but not the contrast level.

    Battery life is good, but still not as good as iPad2, but with the docking, it will surpass it which is to be expected.

    Size wise, it is very slightly thinner and lighter than iPad2, negligible differences.

    In terms of OS upgrades, Asus is also one of the fastest to adopt the latest versions. Almost perfect choice for techies, but not for kids. No worries about getting 'destroyed'. :haha:

    Maybe I should write a full review on this, especially when most sites are busy comparing it with iPad2...
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2012
  2. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    LOL!! What do you mean by "no worries about getting destroyed"? :haha:

    BTW, I tried the Transformer recently, and the Camera app actually crashed. Have you experienced that before?
     
  3. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I don't really use the Camera app. But apps do crash from time to time, including my phone and the tablet. But usually it will restore state.

    Kids won't be interested in Android tablet for a number of reasons. It is not as user friendly, and there's also less kids friendly games/apps. :haha:
     
  4. Falcone

    Falcone Official Mascot Creator

    Lol I actually boutgh an Apple blue tooth keyboard for my Ipad, played it for 2 times and left it there collecting dust. Tablet screen is just too small for my old eyes to do serious typing.

    Screen wise Ipad is still better than any non Ipad tablets out there.
     
  5. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    That is because the BT keyboard only has 1 purpose, typing and nothing else.

    Screen wise, it is up to debate, there are pros and cons, and I leave it to the expert for comments since I don't own iPad2 for comparison. Personally, I think it is not perfect, as I hate the dynamic contrast, must find a way to disable it. Super IPS+ makes the screen usable under direct sunlight, but I hardly do that.

    AnandTech - ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime & NVIDIA Tegra 3 Review

    After using it for a while, the keyboard dock is an excellent combo and I highly recommend getting the combo. I find the SD card reader, USB port, and the extra battery very useful. I can copy anything from movies to word documents via thumbdrive and just plug into the tablet like what most would do on a normal notebook.

    The keyboard itself is not that great. Noticed some lag, and the key itself is not as responsive as my full sized notebook keyboard.
     
  6. The_YongGrand

    The_YongGrand Just Started

    That's a cool new tablet. There's that Android 4.0 inside, isn't it?

    Mine's the casual TF101 - it works nicely here, reading documents, annotate them, referring datasheets. (and some games too!)

    The keyboard/docking station is versatile too - but on times the touchpad is disturbing the process of typing. Which means, my thumb accidently touched the touchpad and the thing points elsewhere, typing the wrong thing later.

    I had to shut off the touchpad temporarily if I have to type stuff. :haha:
     
  7. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I'm pretty used to typing on laptop keyboard so I don't have that issue. But thankfully the touchpad can be disabled with a shortcut key, and it is faster to just touch the screen IMO.

    Yup, the only tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich at the moment. TF101 will have it soon next month.
     
  8. The_YongGrand

    The_YongGrand Just Started

    Yeah. Fortunately updating it will be a breeze. The TF101, though it's old by this year's standards, still supports the latest Android OS.

    The Transformer Prime is a four-core - I believe it could support more 3D-rich games in the future. Are there newer games specially for these? :whistle:
     
  9. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Not yet i think. But you can check on the tegra zone for any updates. I dont think they are abandoning tegra 2 so soon.
     

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