CES 2013 Video: ASUS Transformer All-in-One Merges Windows 8 and Android
Subject: Systems | January 8, 2013 - 01:29 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: Transformer, ces 2013, CES, asus, all-in-one, AIO
There is a new category of computer coming out this year that revolves around tablets that are bigger than you might be comfortable with. We saw the first example of this with the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon launched yesterday in the form of a 27-in AIO with a 2 hour battery life. ASUS was demonstrating another one they are calling the Transformer AIO that actually goes a step further by combining standard Core processor technology in the base and Tegra 3 technology in the display.
The AIO is an 18.4-in 1080p system with standard Intel Core i5 and Core i7 platforms running the full version of Windows 8. However, the user can push a button on the side of the system to switch on the fly between Windows 8 and an Android system powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 3. Even better, you can remove the display from the Transformer AIO (hence the name) and use it as a rather large tablet with 4-5 hours of battery life AND you can stream the Windows 8 system to it via wireless display technology.
It is a really slick system - check out the video below!
PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
This morning at Computex it is ASUS in the spotlight
Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 4, 2012 - 01:02 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: windows 8, ultrabook, taichi, tablet, computex, asus, transformer book, Transformer
ASUS has been showing off its new mobile products at Computex, as you can see from Ryan's pictures below this post. You can catch all the PC Perspective coverage by checking this page, as all Computex related content will show up there. With all the fancy new products, the more pictures the better which is why you should also check out the coverage The Tech Report put up. They snapped a few photos of the dual display Taichi which doesn't have a lid, instead there is a second independent touch screen display on the back which takes the idea behind ASUS' Transformer series to a whole new level. That doesn't mean they abandoned the Transformer though as they also showed off three brand new Ivy Bridge powered Transformer Books and two separate tablets, the 600 and the 810 with the Tegra powered 600 running WinRT for ARM and the 810 running Windows 8 thanks to its Atom processor.
"We're rarely surprised at trade shows these days, but Asus CEO Johnny Shih saved something special for the end of his press conference today. After discussing everything from cloud storage to all-in-ones to notebooks and tablets, he pulled out one more thing: the Taichi. It looked like any other notebook, and Shih took great pleasure in showing off the "beautiful black mirror finish" on the top panel. I couldn't help but shake my head and sigh; the glossy finish was covered in fingerprints and smudges."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Nvidia reveals driver support for Windows 8 preview release @ The Inquirer
- Gigabyte goes dual-port Thunderbolt at Computex @ Kitguru
- Gigabyte’s first A85X socket FM2 motherboard @ Kitguru
- ARM Expects 20-Nanometer Processors By Late 2013 @ Slashdot
- Fujifilm FinePix T400 Review @ TechReviewSource
- CoolerMaster Joint Contest @ NikKTech
ASUS Transformer Book is Ultrabook and detachable tablet
Subject: Mobile | June 4, 2012 - 11:35 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: windows 8, transformer book, Transformer, tablet, computex, asus
Another in a line of announcements from ASUS today is the Transformer Book, an Ultrabook with a detachable tablet. I find it interesting that ASUS chose to go with the "Transformer" brand for this machine that is x86 and Windows based rather than ARM and Android based. Engadget has a lot of photos and details, including information about the hardware included within: an Intel Ivy Bridge-based Core i5/i7 processor, 4GB of memory, an SSD for storage and 11, 13 and 14-in screen sizes.
Image source: Engadget.com
Since these are taking the Ultrabook name we have a general idea of the physical traits including the thickness and performance found within. In the standard notebook mode we can see the Transformer Book with its high resolution screen, backlit keyboard and single surface touchpad.
Image source: Engadget.com
The design of the Transformer Book is very familiar to users that have seen other Transformer tablet models. One interesting aspect noted by Anandtech is that the base of the Book (the keyboard and touchpad) will actually include a discrete graphics chip leaving the tablet alone to operate on the Ivy Bridge graphics alone.
Image source: Engadget.com
Here is the Transformer Book in its tablet-only form and it should operate like just about any Windows 8-based device.
I am very interested to hear about the battery life of these Ivy Bridge-based tablet devices and how much of an extension you'll get when utilizing the keyboard base.
Check out the video from Engadget below!
Transforming ASUS' Eee Pad by shoving an Ice Cream Sandwich into it
Subject: Mobile | March 19, 2012 - 12:25 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asus, Transformer, ice cream sandwich, android 4.0, eee pad, eee pad transformer
The new ASUS Transformer Prime may have had Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, as its OS for a while now, but only recently has the same been true for the original Eee Pad Transformer. The Tech Report upgraded their Transformer with the approved version of ICS and took it for a spin. Many of the advantages they found were tied directly into the ASUS version which allowed the tablets base functionality to be integrated with the OS as opposed to being an app running on the OS. That is not all however as they described the OS upgrade as feeling more like a hardware update thanks to the increased fluidity of the tablets responsiveness.
"Asus has been quick to roll out Ice Cream Sandwich updates for its Eee Pad Transformers. We take a closer look at the new OS to see how it fares on the Android tablets."
Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
- Sony VAIO VPCSE13FX Review @ TechReviewSource
- HP Envy 14 Spectre Review @ TechReviewSource
- Acer Aspire TimelineU M3: Life on the Kepler Verge @ AnandTech
- Dell XPS 13: A Different Kind of Ultrabook @ AnandTech
- Acer Aspire TimelineU M3: Life on the Kepler Verge @ AnandTech
- Mobile GPU Comparison @ TechARP
- Powerbag Instant Messenger Bag @ TechwareLabs
- Concrete Cases Hook Case – Laptop Bag Review @ Tech-Reviews
- Choiix Wave Stand @ LanOC Reviews
- Life with Samsung's Galaxy Note @ The Tech Report
- My smartphone, the spy: protecting privacy in a mobile age @ Ars Technica
- The Razer Blade @ AnandTech
- Samsung Galaxy Note Review @ Tech-Reviews
- Tablets of 2012: The New iPad, Current and Upcoming Alternatives @ TechSpot
- New Apple iPad 3 Review @ Tech-Reviews
- New Apple iPad Review @ TechReviewSource
- The new iPad (iPad 3) Review @ HardwareHeaven
- Apple iPad 3 @ Kitguru
- RIM BlackBerry PlayBook (2012) Review @ TechReviewSource
MWC 12: ASUS Unveils Infinity Tablets, Dockable Smartphone
Subject: Mobile | February 27, 2012 - 07:00 AM | Matt Smith
Tagged: MWC, Transformer, tablet, padfone, mobile world congress, eee pad, asus, MWC 12, infinity, transformer prime
While attending CES last month, ASUS showed us a Transformer Prime with a full HD display. It looked great, but it did feel as if the branding would be a bit perplexing, as this new model would also be sold as a Prime.
Apparently the company had this thought, as well. They’ve now unveiled the Transformer Pad Infinity Series, a new tablet with a 1920x1200 IPS+ display. It will come in two different variants. One is 4G LTE compatible and uses a Qualcomm MSM 8960 Snapdragon S4 Krait (whoa! Take a breath…) dual-core 1.5 GHz processor. The WiFi version, on the other hand, uses the now-familiar Nvidia Tegra 3. Both models have a 2MP front camera and an 8MP rear camera with LED flash. They also share the same 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage options. The Infinity Series will be available in the same Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold finishes already available on the current Transformer Prime.
(Editor's Note) If you are wondering why the LTE version of the new Transformer Infinity is not using the quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, we are hearing that the NVIDIA part is still not compatible with LTE radio controllers and won't be for another few months. This is also why the new HTC One X smartphone doesn't use the Tegra 3 processor on the AT&T LTE network while other phones in the family do. So will users of the LTE version of the Infinity miss the quad-core design when moving to the dual-core option from Qualcomm instead? While we can't be sure, the new Krait design is a "wider" CPU with a better memroy interface yet still runs at similar clock speeds and it should be faster in single or lightly threaded programs.
This new flagship will slot above the Transformer Prime. But ASUS hasn’t just focused on the glitter and gold – they’ve also taken the wraps off the Transformer Pad 300, which is a new entry-level model. It features a 1280x800 IPS display and uses Tegra 3 in both the 4G LTE and WiFi models. The front camera is a 1.2MP unit and the rear camera is 8MP with LED flash. 16GB of internal storage is your only option. The 300 will offer new blue, white and red color schemes not yet available on any Transformer table
Both of these new models are Transformers, which means keyboard docks will be available as an option. They also include Android 4.0 and quote the same battery life of 10 hours without the dock.
Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) Update For Original Asus Eee Pad Transformer
Subject: Mobile | February 25, 2012 - 12:31 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: Transformer, tablet, ics, ice cream sandwich, eee pad transformer, asus, Android
While the new Tegra 3 powered Transformer Prime and it's Transformer Prime with upgraded display sibling have stolen the spotlight from the original dock-able Transformer tablet, Asus has not forgotten about it. They recently began pushing out an Over The Air update to bring a tasty Ice Cream Sandwich to the Asus Transformer (original)!
In case you missed it, our own Matt Smith did a review of the new Android operating system on the Transformer Prime here. While the original Transformer is running older hardware, users are reporting that aside from minor app glitches performs fairly well on the Tegra 2. And if you've been living under a rock for the past two years, he also wrote up a nice review of the original Eee Pad Transfomer.
According to Maximum PC, users are reporting that the update was mostly a success and the performance was decent, though there seems to be a few instances of app glitchy-ness. It will just take some time to work out the kinks in updating the older hardware, and in general I think the update is a great thing for Asus to provide, especially this late in the game. Perhaps we will start seeing some discounted Transformers, though we may also see them become more valuable and go for a few more dollars now that they are updated to the new ICS OS.
It is nice to see Asus continuing to support their products with new updates. Have you received the ICS update on your Transformer yet? Let us know what you think of the performance and new features in the comments below!
Introduction, Interface
The Prime seems to have no trouble achieving notable firsts. It was the first tablet with a Tegra 3 processor to go to retail, and now it’s the first tablet to have official Ice Cream Sandwich support. The update, scheduled originally for January 12th, actually went live after a surprise announcement on January 9th during Nvidia’s CES conference.
Since we still have our Prime review unit, this update provides us with a unique opportunity to compare Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich side-by-side on the same device. This update is important for the Prime - and all upcoming Android tablets - because the operating system is something that’s currently holding back a number of products with great hardware.
Honeycomb was never an OS that impressed me. It’s often jerky, lacks elegance, and has poor app support. So long as Honeycomb was the version of Android shipping on tablets there was simply no chance for an Android tablet to defeat the iPad 2. The software simply wasn’t up to the high standard set by iOS.
Ice Cream Sandwich is a chance at redemption. The rumors have spread like wildfire. Various sources have reported improvements including better multi-core support, a faster web browser, improved notifications and much more. Official announcements have generally limited themselves to commenting on feature improvements, however - going into the ICS update I didn’t have any expectations for performance improvements because none were ever provided by Google. Nvidia also never set any expectations about the improvements, if any, we’d see from Tegra 3 processors running ICS.
Now that the Prime is updated we can test ICS out for ourselves. Let’s jump in, starting with the interface updates.
Continue reading our review of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the ASUS Transformer Prime!!
CES 2012 Day 2 Podcast - 1/9/12
Subject: Editorial, Shows and Expos | January 10, 2012 - 04:45 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: ultrabook, Transformer, spectre, podcast, memo, Intel, hp, envy, CES, asus
PC Perspective CES 2012 Day 2 - 1/9/12
Join us tonight as we talk about our second full day of CES 2012 - including Digital Experience, ASUS, more from OCZ, Thermaltake and more!!
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The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
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Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Josh Walrath, Matt Smith and Allyn Malventano
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
CES 2012: ASUS Updates Transformer Prime with 1920x1200 Display
Subject: Mobile, Shows and Expos | January 9, 2012 - 12:33 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: transformer prime, Transformer, tf700t, CES, asus
The ASUS Transformer and the newer Transformer Prime are often considered the best Android tablets on the market and the most likely to be able to compete with Apple and its iPad in 2012. Our own review from Matt Smith tells the same kind of story and is definitely worth a read to get some context for this news today.
At CES 2012 ASUS is unveiling a new version of the Transformer Prime with the TF700T suffix that adds a couple of really nice features including a high-resolution 1920x1200 screen and a new 2.0 MP front camera for HD video conferencing. These replace a 1280x800 resolution screen and a 1.3 MP front camera.
The current Transformer Prime that might already be outdated...
Also worth noting is a change to the back plate on the device that ASUS claims "should enhance WiFi, BT and GPS performance." Some users had complaints about WiFi issues and this should address it, if you are willing to pay the higher price for the better hardware as well.
Expect to see this selling for $599 to $699 when it is available this quarter.
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
Introduction, Design and Ergonomics
The original ASUS Eee Pad Transformer was a bit of an upset in the tablet market. Before its launch, there was no particular reason to believe that ASUS would be able to provide a better product than any of the many other PC manufacturers entering the Android tablet fray. Sure, I like most of the ASUS products that I’ve been able to review, and I believe they have some good engineers. But they also had no experience beyond a few Windows tablets and convertible tablets.
Yet they were successful. At the time I called the Transformer "the best Android tablet on the market today” and gave it with a Gold Award. Consumers apparently agreed, as it flew off shelves with such speed that ASUS has decided to debut a follow-up only half a year after the original hit the market.
Continue reading our review of the ASUS Transformer Prime tablet!!
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