backtop

Print 74 comment(s) - last by jRaskell.. on Nov 23 at 11:00 AM
ASUS' followup to the original Transformer packs quite a punch

ASUS made quite a splash on the Android tablet scene with the original Transformer. While Motorola's Xoom has been a disappointment, many enthusiasts flocked to the Transformer due to its more attractive pricing.
 
Now, ASUS has announced its follow-up, the Transformer Prime, which is based around NVIDIA fresh new Tegra 3 processor (aka Kal-El). The Tegra 3 features four processing cores, a fifth “companion core” for low-power functions, and 1GB of RAM.

Tegra 3 is based on an ARM Cortex A9 design and doubles the Tegra 2's processing power. A 12-core GeForce GPU handles graphics duties and offers up to a 3x improvement in performance. To say that the Transformer Prime will be a multimedia/gaming powerhouse would be an understatement. 

Tegra 3 delivers all of this while offering up to a 61 percent savings in power consumption.

 
Moving to the actual tablet's design of the tablet, the Transformer Prime now weighs just 1.29 pounds and is just 0.33 inches thick. The 10" screen retains its 1280x800 resolution, but now Super IPS+ to go along with Gorilla Glass. Brightness is pegged at 600 nits and it has a 178-degree viewing angle.
 
Although holding up a 1.29-pound, 10" tablet up to take pictures is going to make you look like a goober, ASUS hasn't skimped when it comes to optics. The Transformer Prime features an 8MP rear camera with an f/2.4 lens and back-illuminated sensor. As is typical of today's high-end smartphones and tablets, it can capture video in 1080p. A 1.2mp camera is included on the tablet's face for video conferencing.

 
When it comes to connectivity, the usual microSD slot and micro HDMI port are included. In addition, the Transformer Prime continues to offer its proprietary interface to attach the keyboard dock that turns the tablet into a fully functional laptop. The keyboard dock adds a USB 2.0 port and a full-size Secure Digital slot.
 
Battery life is listed at an impressive 12 hours for the Transformer -- that figure jumps to 18 hours when using the keyboard dock.
 
The Transformer Prime will be made available for $499 (32GB) and $599 (64GB). The keyboard dock will be priced at $149. The Transformer Prime will ship with Android 3.2 “Honeycomb”, but will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich OTA in early December.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: W8
By Da W on 11/9/2011 2:56:32 PM , Rating: 2
For that matter:

Number of time i used a touch-based mobile OS and i said "damn, i wish we could have a mouse and keyboard":

ZERO

But for the sake of completeness, if you're gonna buy a tablet with an attachable keyboard and trackpad/mouse, might as well use it on a DESKTOP OS with traditionnal OFFICE software.

I never said anything about wanting an ARM Windows 8 tablet. I'm gonna go the brazos route for sure. Don't really care if it's half an inch ticker and you have to charge it every day instead of every 2 days. I usually always plug my laptop every time i can, whici is the point of having a tablet/laptop hybrid.

I'll go one step further: make a thin ARM tablet with an Ivy Bridge i7 + geforce GTX 680M loaded dock.


RE: W8
By jRaskell on 11/23/2011 11:00:00 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
I'll go one step further: make a thin ARM tablet with an Ivy Bridge i7 + geforce GTX 680M loaded dock.


I'm confused. If it's Ivy Bridge i7 (or any i7 for that matter), it isn't ARM, it's Intel. If it's i7, it isn't ARM, so what exactly do you mean by an ARM table with an i7 processor?


"The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong. It's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't have steak." -- Robert Heinlein











botimage
Copyright 2013 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki