ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A2-CBIL 16GB 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer (Tablet and Docking Station Included)

 

 

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I did a tremendous amount of research on tablets, not to buy, but to understand why is it that this new device is a hit. I am a huge iPhone fan (not an Apple fan), but I hated iPad from day one. I just didn't believe it to be a useful tool. To this day, I still believe iPad is a just an iPhone on steroids, made soley for wasting time (the fancy way).

But then I came across ASUS Transformer. Everything about this device blew me away, since I realised that I can actually use it in my everyday life, not just for data consumption. Transformer is actually the only one of its kind that, as the name suggests, literally transforms from a tablet to a netbook. It's powerful, multi-functional, and slick. If you are considering buying this, then don't even think about not getting the docking station. I don't even know why ASUS sells the tablet individually, as it defeats the purpose. How is it a Transformer without the docking station? what is it going to transform to?!

The tablet itself is a bit wider than iPad, but iPad has a bit bigger width. You can think of ASUS Transformer as the widescreen version of tablets. The operating system on this is Google Andorids, which has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the best things about Transformer is that, the tablet has a mini SD card slot, so you can always add memory space if you need. There's also a mini-HDMI output on the tablet. The docking station comes with 2 USB inputs, one SD card slot. The keyboard is very well desigened and it's very easy to get used to typing fast on it. There are a bunch of really useful shortcut buttons on the keyboard as well which help with doing stuff faster. The only thing I've noticed about the keyboard is that it's a bit slow when you're typing. Every now and then, it misses a few letters as you're typing.

The battery life on Transformer is phenomenon. Not sure about 16 hours, but it comes pretty damn close to it.

ASUS Transformer is just the best you can get. I use it everyday for work. I take it to meetings with me to take notes. I've noticed that my meetings have been running longer recently only because it takes at least a few minutes each time for me to showcase my new toy to my coworkers!

Buy it, you'll love it.

I composed and posted this whole comment using my new ASUS Transformer. :)

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is an incredible Android tablet for the price, with a really innovative design strategy.
Time owned: 28 days

Build quality: Great
Display Quality: Great
Dock Quality: Great
Responsiveness: Great
Flexibility: Really Great
Price: Unmatchable

The Transformer is a fantastic product, and is one of the (if not the best) Android tablets out so far. Others offer some better features on the tablet alone, but are usually higher on price and once the tablet is docked fall behind.

The front faceplate is solid anodized aluminum, with the screen being made of the super-solid Corning Gorilla glass. You don't really notice it in everyday use, but it does hold up well. The sides are also made of aluminum, which is quite nice. The rear of the tablet is a textured, fairly grippy plastic. It may seem cheap at first - but in actual first-person use it seems fairly durable. It isn't as solid as the iPad 2 aluminum, of course, but is still quite solid overall. The docking station is built very similarly to the tablet, with the entire front faceplate being solid aluminum, and the sides being made of aluminum. There are rubberized stoppers located around the edges of the faceplate, which prevent the tablet from banging against the dock when closed. There are also 4 rubber feet on the bottom of the dock, giving it more traction when set down.

The USB ports have aluminum covers, which are attached through 2 flexible rubber-esque plastic strips. You usually need to use your nails to remove the covers; but they do add to the elegance of the tablets design. Once you are finished with the ports, they snap back into position.

One thing that is important to many users is the OS update delay - the time it takes between Google releasing new versions of the OS and the manufacterer tweaking it to it's UI. ASUS does quite well in that regard. I recieved my Honeycomb 3.2 update within two weeks of the release, which is quite a good response time.

Speaking of UI, ASUS WaveShare UI revision performs very well, with little added bloatware and great performance around the board. SD cards and USB drives are fully supported with both write and read access from applications. I have yet to use the Mini-HDMI out port, but I expect it would perform well considering the quality of the tablet.

The screen quality is quite good - although I have some light bleed issues, Amazon customer service is great and I will likely recieve a new tablet within the week. Other than these issues, which will likely occur on any tablet, the screen is fantastic. Whites look extremely - white - and colors are reproduced well. The screen is quite glossy, but its definitely not a deal-breaker. DisplayMate actually did a review on all major tablets, with the Samsung Galaxy Tab coming in first, with the iPad having a very close second; but amongst the other competetors the Tranformer took 3rd, also having the best white reproduction of them all.

[...]

The docking station is seamless, with no problems whatsoever. Some pressure is requred to dock it into the latch, but nothing serious. The pressure required also diminishes over time, leading me to believe that it is simply stiff during early use. The keyboard is also quite comfortable to use; even for longer periods of time, and although the arrow keys are quite small it is something you can get used to. The exteneded battery life provided by the dock is also very, very, VERY useful. When the dock is closed, it puts the tablet into sleep, without locking it - making a seamless return to action when opened. There is also a button for disabling the touchpad, which is quite useful when typing.

There are also various function keys located on the dock making it easier to access core system functions. For example, there is a search button which activates any search function available at the time; such as search in the Browser, or search in the Android Market. There is also a home button, which takes you back to the home screen - as well as a Wi-Fi toggle, Bluetooth toggle, keys for adjusting the screen brightness, a browser button, settings button, back button, and others.

The removable storage performs seamlessly as well on both the tablet and the docking station. MicroSD cards are tricky to insert into the tablet itself, although once inserted you don't usually need to remove it as you can copy files directly to the card from a computer. The built-in music application automatically locates and adds music to your library that are located on the card, being a very useful feature indeed. Videos are trickier, with a third-party player being needed such as MoboPlayer (which performs very well). In addition, the docking station has an SD slot that works very well - although the tablet 'prepares' the 'external storage' which is located in said dock every time it comes out of sleep mode (there is a function in the tablet settings, however, which relates to disabling a function which allows the dock to wake the tablet out of sleep with a keypress. It is on by default. However, by disabling this function it also removes the need to prepare the external storage each time the tablet comes out of sleep. The drawback is increased power usage, likely because the dock is left in a powered state if the setting is enabled).

Overall, the Transformer is a solid peice of machinery which performs very well. The keyboard is very useful, and the extended storage performs fairly seamlessly.

5 stars!

I have had this tablet for almost 2 weeks now. I really like the keyboard/docking station. Saved over $50.00 buying them together. It is well built, functions well and protects the tablet when closed. It is a bit heavy to cart around compared to the bluetooth keyboard for the Xoom but this is not a big deal for me.

This is my first tablet so I can't compare this to the iPad. I don't like the Apple limitations and no flash.

An acquaintance at work has a Motorola Xoom. This is also an Android tablet and he loves it. I chose the Asus mainly because of the docking station with 2 USB ports and an SD slot. Both have the current version of mini HDMI out. For the same money I got the tablet, keyboard and extra 16G memory card. So I effectively got a 32G tablet and docking station for the same price as the Xoom 32G tablet. They have the same operating system and features except GPS. The Xoom BT keyboard does not have the memory slots like the Asus. The Asus docking station also has a battery that extends the time between charges. I have had this for 2 weeks and haven't had to recharge yet. As I say above this is one of the reasons the tablet is a bit heavy for carting around with the docking station. The added features and durability outweigh this by a wide margin though in my opinion.

My only complaint so far is that the Honeycomb software will not authenticate with the network firewall where I work (our firewall looks for a Windows logon to authenticate). I have not been able to get WiFi at work. Also can not tether this with the BB Bold I have. This is a limitation of BB before their new operating system was released (no WiFi hot spot available with my version). We are looking at our company phones to see who we want to go with before we upgrade so I am currently stuck in limbo with the Honeycomb and BB limitations.

It works great with my home network. I am impressed with the ease to set this up and the speed. It is almost as fast as my desktop that is plugged right into my router.

It is still golf season so I haven't spent much time app hunting but will shortly. All in all a very good tablet for the money. I am looking forward to Android Honeycomb maturing and more apps coming online.

I was going to wait for the 3 or 4G version but decided on WiFi as I know I will be able to tether to my phone shortly (why have two data plans?). Also the 3G will cost more and likely be hard to get when first released.

I forgot to add the free memory card with my order. I realized this after I received the tablet. I called Amazon customer service and they looked after this for me. Very prompt and professional.

In summary, a very good tablet from a very good vendor. No regrets.

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5.0 out of 5 stars What I think of ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A2-CBIL 16GB 10.1-Inch Tablet
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A2-CBIL 16GB 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer (Tablet and Docking Station Included)

Just got this for my wife and we're both impressed. Read more

Published 14 days ago by OlderFellow

3.0 out of 5 stars Be careful: Bilingual Keyboard
The Canadian version comes with a non-standard bilingual keyboard (look for CBIL in the product code). Read more

Published 3 months ago by Calgary Ontarian

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice product
The tablet comes with the chinese language installed, which is exactly what my father needed (did I mention it was a gift?~).
Well, after all, ASUS is a chinese company~

Published 4 months ago by megumino2

3.0 out of 5 stars Tablet Schmablet
Background: I use ubuntu linux on my (3) machines. I was buying the tablet to replace a failing laptop for note taking at meetings. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Quartet Listener

5.0 out of 5 stars The Transformer, more than meets the eye!! (Yup, a little cheese)
Quite possibly one of the best tech gadgets I have ever owned. It is easy to use, it looks great, and battery life is outstanding. Read more

Published 6 months ago by mgiardino

5.0 out of 5 stars A few knitpicks; Great overall
For my kin; my nitpicks:
-Due to that nature the screen is too heavy to allow opening the 'netbook' configuration (keyboard attached) without holding the keyboard down... Read more

Published 7 months ago by brandonellery

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the Transformer, the dock, not so much
I've been using my Transformer since late August; it's been great. I no longer use my laptop at home unless I want to use Photoshop to retouch images. Read more

Published 7 months ago by A. Photographer

5.0 out of 5 stars A great tablet
This tablet is awesome, the docking is a must have, its giving it an incredible autonomy. I use it every day an I charge it only twice a week. Really a great one. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Ixany

4.0 out of 5 stars Tablette de qualité... malgré quelques hics mineurs
La tablette elle-même fonctionne très bien. Au début, j'ai eu un problème avec la caméra arrière. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Fred_Desc

4.0 out of 5 stars Great!
This Eee Pad is great! I'm currently using it when I breastfeed. It's small enough for me to use with one hand (w/o the keyboard) but big enough for me to play games or use apps... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Jessica

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