Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime has launched in India
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime has launched in India –
Asus has finally launched its much-awaited Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime in India. Announced about four months ago, the device had its India launch on 01.03.2012.
The tablet as per Asus is the world’s first quad-core CPU tablet. Running Android 3.2 Honeycomb (with a free upgrade to Android 4.0), the device has a unique design. It can be used as Tablet or Smartphone or notebook, what else you want; you are getting three features in one device. Its name reflects exactly as a transformer that can be transformed to any mode as you desired with a full QWERTY keyboard dock.
The device has a 10.1-inch LED backlight WXGA super IPS+ Gorilla Glass display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.
Powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, the tablet sports a 1.2 megapixel front camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera and has 1 GB RAM. It also includes a micro HDMI port and a micro SD card slot.
At 8.3mm, it is thinner than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Apple iPad 2.
The device has metallic spun finish, and is said to be finger print resistant. But the disappointment here is that the tablet has no standard micro-USB connector.
Globally, the company launched the keybaord dock as an optional unit for around $150, while in India there is no such option available to users. The keybaord dock comes bundled with the tablet. However, it is believed that even when dock is attached, the tablet is thinner and lighter than a standard netbook.
Also, the company only launched the 64GB model only while, internationally, the Eee Pad Transformer prime was launched in two variants – 32GB and 64GB.
In addition, Asus has introduced the Wi-Fi only model. The company has not launched the 3G + Wi-Fi model in India. Also, there are no such plans to launch the 3G + Wi-Fi version of Transformer Prime in India.
Asus has priced the 64 GB variant at Rs 49,999.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Features-
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime: Build
We’ve often been critical in the past that Android tablets (Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 aside) generally lacked the wow factor of the Apple iPad 2. Thankfully the Prime has taken design inspiration from the Asus UX31 Zenbook, housing its beefy specs in the same sleek spun metal finish.
The 10.1-inch screen tablet, which boasts sturdy Gorilla Glass, fits snug in the hands, however the rounded corners on the edges of the tablet did initially pinch a little at our palms. Physical buttons are limited to standby and volume control with the addition of micro HDMI and Micro SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
To turn your tablet into a laptop, a small connector snaps into place to combine the Chiclet-style keyboard with a simple slide switch to release the slate. Aligning the tablet is relatively stress-free and feels secure when in place.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime: Keyboard dock
The Chiclet style full QWERTY keyboard and trackpad is similar to the type found on the 10-inch Asus Eee PC, with additional storage support courtesy of built-in USB 2.0 port and SD card support to expand the already impressive 32GB/64GB of on board storage and year’s free Asus cloud storage.
The keyboard feels a bit tight in terms of layout but did provide great travel while the trackpad is perfect for web browsing and navigating.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime: Camera
We are yet to really see the merits of shooting pictures with a tablet but the Prime, with an eight megapixel auto focus camera and flash proves you can get great snapping quality on your tablet. The Prime struggled slightly in darker conditions but in better lighting produced images which had great clarity and sharpness.
The same can similarly be said about the full HD video recording while the 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera performed well when we put it to the Skype video call test.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime: Battery
The estimated battery life is 18 hours, that’s 12 hours for the tablet and another 8 hours if you have the slate hooked up to the keyboard. Compared to the Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, that’s an extra couple of hours of usage over both, which is always a plus for portable kit.
Technical Specifications as per Asus.com-
 |
10.1″ LED Backlit screen with Super IPS+ (1280 x 800) 10 finger multi-touch, Corning® Gorilla® Glass |
 |
Android™ 3.2 Honeycomb (1) (Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgradable) |
 |
NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Quad-core CPU |
 |
1 GB |
 |
32GB / 64GB (2) EMMC + 8GB life time ASUS WebStorage (3) |
 |
802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR |
 |
1.2MP (front), 8MP Auto focus (rear) with flash / F2.4 large aperture |
 |
PAD: 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone / Mic-in); 1× micro HDMI port 1 × Micro SD Card Reader; Internal Microphone & Stereo SpeakerMobile Dock: 1 × USB2.0 port ; 1 × SD Card Reader |
 |
G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, E-compass |
 |
Yes |
 |
Yes |
 |
ASUS launcher, @Vibe Music, ASUS WebStorage, MyLibrary, MyNet, MyCloud, File manager, ASUS sync, SuperNote, App Locker, App Backup, TegraZone, Polaris Office |
 |
12 hours; 25Wh Li-polymer Battery (4) 18 hours pad with dock ; 25Wh(pad) + 22Wh(docking) Li-polymer Battery (4) |
 |
263 × 180.8 × 8.3mm ; 586g (pad only) / 263 × 180.8 × 8~10.4mm ; 537g. (dock only) |
Resources –
You may also like to see-