Asus Says Transformer Tablet, Notebook Sold Out in UK

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer may be hotter than many, including Asus itself, expected, according to the company's press release on Monday. Initial demand for the Android tablet and laptop combo device "has been far beyond our expectations," Asus said, and the first UK batches have completely sold out. Is this a sign that a worthy iPad/iPad 2 competitor is finally around the corner? Or is this merely PR spin to increase interest and manage expectations?

It may be a little bit of both. Our interest was piqued when the Transformer first went on pre-sale: the 10.1" tablet on its own boasts the latest specs (Honeycomb OS, dual-core Nvidia Tecra 2 chipset, HD screen) and offers great laptop-like flexibility with the power-boosting full QWERTY dock.

Competitive pricing further sweetens the deal. The tablet with keyboard may be offered in a bundle in the US for a discounted intro price, according to Tom's Guide, but even when purchased separately at the expected US $399 price tag for the tablet and $149 for the dock, the Transformer may give the $499 keyboard-less iPad 2 a run for its money.

Part of the reason the Transformer has sold out completely in the UK (since its April 6^th on-sale date), however, is "stock delays due to additional testing procedures" by Asus on the device. Just as low inventory has fanned desire for the iPad 2 , low availability of the Eee Pad Transformer is no doubt contributing to the high interest and demand Asus is reporting.

Asus says there'll be greater stock availability in the UK at the end of April/early May. Here in the US, we're waiting patiently for the Transformer to land, and should perhaps expect the first units to fly off the shelves around the end of April as well. If the UK demand is any indication, maybe it's time to get in line?

Source : Asus Says Transformer Tablet, Notebook Sold Out in UK

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Tablet Launched

Asus has introduced a new Eee Pad Transformer tablet with a full size Mobile Docking Station that allows it to be used as a notebook. New Asus Transformer tablet runs the Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb update with Asus' new MyWave User Interface on the top of it. Housing a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, the Transformer tablet has a 10.1-inch touchscreen display, dual-cameras and an HDMI out. The company noted that the tablet would be available in 16GB and 32GB storage capacities for a price range of $400-$700 approximately.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer tablet has 10.1-inch IPS panel-based Corning Gorilla Glass capacitive touchscreen that supports 1280x800 pixel resolution. Its big touchscreen is capable of full 1080p HD playback and also has Adobe Flash Player 10.1 support (one can update with Flash Player 10.2 once product is made available officially). The most important feature of the Transformer tablet is that it houses 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and 1GB RAM that will not only power the tablet but will also ensure smooth full HD playback.

At the back panel lies a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and a 1.2 megapixel at the front usable for the video chat. Other features of the Transformer tablet include Wireless-N and Bluetooth support for wireless connectivity. For physical connectivity, the tablet offers USB port, built-in card reader and HDMI out port. Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb running Transformer features Asus MyWave UI layered on top of it and has WaveShare network media sharing system along with other features. 

Transformer also includes Gravity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, E-Compass, Gyroscope and GPS for location based services.

Asus offers an optional Mobile Docking Station which is basically a full QWERTY keyboard to be connected with the tablet. The QWERTY keyboard has Android function keys. Apparently, this mobile docking station is claimed of extending the battery life of the tablet to up to 16 hours. Otherwise, the standalone tablet offers up to 9.5 hours of battery life which is as much as that of the recent Eee PC netbooks.

Long battery life is an important feature and the Apple iPad 2 offers 10 hours of battery life. But what the tablet does with mobile docking station is exceptional - access and control the PC as well as Mac systems using MyCloud feature.

The new Asus Eee Pad Transformer joins the league of Android tablets - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Motorola XOOM. Quite interesting. Now, we'll have wait to see whether Asus makes this tablet available globally soon.

Click here to view Asus Eee Pad Transformer Tablet specifications.

 

Source : Asus Eee Pad Transformer Tablet Launched