The Asus Transformer separates
The Asus Transformer doesn't really transform. More accurately, it connects. The tablet portion connects to the keyboard and then separates. It's very Enterprise-D in that way.
- Once wrote 50 articles in one month.
A short battery life is bad news for any consumer electronics device, and tablets are no different. Unless we've been recently burned, battery life is that one thing we usually take for granted when looking at device specs, but it's always there, waiting to bite us in the rear when we least expect it.
Now a 16-hour battery life isn't ideal, but it would get most of us through our day with room to spare. For its Transformer tablet, Asus claims up to 16 hours of battery life; however, this figure is based on beta hardware and software and may change before launch.
I'm not exactly sure where they got the name Transformer, as the device doesn't so much transform as separate and then reattach. That is, the tablet separates from the keyboard and then locks back into it, creating a Netbook-like look. Transformer is the name Asus has chosen, and so far it's sticking to it.
It's also sticking to some pretty lofty claims for the Transformer like "fastest Web browsing and multitasking performance," "faster Flash performance," and "up to five times faster gaming performance than other mobile solutions."
As I'm not privy to Asus' benchmarks I can't attest to the accuracy of these claims as yet. The specs are the most impressive I've seen from the company, however, especially compared with its other offering announced today.
- OS: Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)
- CPU/GPU: Nvidia Tegra 2
- Memory: 512MB-1GB
- Storage: 16GB/32GB/64GB eMMC flash
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WLAN 802.11 b/g/n
- Display: 10.1 WSVGA IPS screen with 1280x800 resolution with capacitive touch
- Camera: Front: 1.2-megapixel, Rear: 5-megapixel
- Interface: 2-in-1 audio jack (headphone/mic-in); 1 x card reader, SD (SDHC); 1 x docking port; 1 x Mini-HDMI; stereo speaker
- HDMI Type C (Mini-HDMI)
- Unit dimensions: 271x176x12.9mm, 1.5 pounds
The Transformer will be available in the second quarter and depending on the storage capacity will be priced from $399 to $699. Check back later this week for more info.
