Hey guys, This is my first review. I have been wanting to review about so many things since a long time,but time hasn't been my good friend.
Anyways, I will be reviewing the Asus TF101 tablet or I must say 'cum' Ultra book/Netbook.
I got this piece for Rs 30,500 from Lamington road just a few days back. This is a 16gb one, which is enough for me at the moment. Let me tell you I am completely a newbie to the Android/Tablet pc environment. So I have been
playing around with it since the time I got it. Wasn't patience enough to reach home and unpack it, did it in the train instead. I could see commuters drooling over it already.
Ok, let us start.
The Asus TF101 is a sleek looking device that packs powerful features with the Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS and also powered an NVIDIA Tegra2 1.0 GHz dual-core CPU, Not the forget the IPSDisplay!!
These are the specs below.
This tab comes with 1GB ram and also has an integrated UI (the ASUS waveshare Interface). It hosts a wide range if applications like Mynet, MyLibrary,Mycloud..etc etc
[page]Design:
This tablet's built quality is undoubtedly the best. Its not slippery like the ipad thanks to its unique texture pattern making it grippy and portable. The tablet actually transforms into a netbook after attaching it to the mobile docking device or keyboard making it look smarter.It has a brown metallic finish that's classy yet understated.
On the left side of the Transformer is a power/screen activation button and volume controls, and a headphone, miniHDMI, and a microSD card slot are on the right. The bottom has a proprietary 40-pin connector for attaching the tablet to the keyboard dock or to the power cord. The keyboard section has the same 40-pin proprietary port on its left as well as a USB port. Another USB port and SDHC card slot line the right side.
In addition to storage drives, peripherals such as mice can be plugged into the Transformer's USB ports; the device recognized a USB drive, SD and microSD cards, and a mouse instantly--I was even able to use its scroll wheel.
Display:
Now a days I can see that everyone has a craze about IPS displays and this one has one by a resolution of 1280 x 800. The viewing angles were just amazing. The touch is very responsive.
While playing Angry Birds, I was able to aim accurately. However, when docked, the screen became less responsive. I had to press harder before the Transformer would register my inputs, or it would select something instead of scroll. I almost felt compelled to use the keyboard.
[page]Touchscreen Keyboard:
Instead of the stock Android keyboard, Asus included its own on-screw keyboard with number row at top. The keys are large and well laid out, bu the width of the TF makes it difficult to type using your thumbs in landscape mode. Even in portrait mode, my short thumbs had trouble reaching the center of the screen.
Audio:
Two speakers on both the sides left and right were OK enough to produce good and loud sound. Netbook quality sound.
User Interface:
The TF presents the standard Honeycomb interface. Things I liked about Honey comb are such as the unobtrusive notification system, interactive widgets, tabbed web browsing, and contextual menus as you jump from app to app. I also liked how easy it is to customize the five home screens and that you can drag and drop e-mail messages in Gmail into folders. Guess what? I still haven't figured out how to close the applications. Downloaded app killer instead.
When you tap the recent app button in the bottom left corner of the screen, you'll see thumbnails of the last five programs you had opened but you can't close them from this view.
Camera:
The camera (rear facing 5mp) was good enough at capturing colours but the video recording wasnt that crisp. This is where the tablet lacks I suppose. I'd prefer the ipad's camera instead. The front-facing 1.2-MP camera showed similar quality, but was good enough for video chats over Wi-Fi using Skype. Finer details were lacking.
Picture clicked below
Performance:
The TF101 sports a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. Its CPU Benchmark score( mobile smartbench) of 3,125 was nearly identical to the G-Slate (3,120) and a little higher than the Moto Xoom (2,995), but it came in behind the Acer Iconia A500 (3,214). However, the Transformer's AN3DBench score of 8,579 was well above the G-Slate (7,277), the Moto Xoom (7,571), and the A500 (6,938).
Keyboard:
The dock keyboard is very comfortable to use. Keys are widely spaced between each other (island keys).
Android Market:
Currently, there are only 62 tablet apps featured in the Android Market, which is measly compared to the 65,000+ apps for the iPad. However, there are still some compelling choices, such as Documents To Go, Google Sky Map, Fruit Ninja.
Battery Life:
ASUS claims combination of the dock and the tablet will provide up to 16 hours of battery life. In the Battery Test (web surfing via Wi-Fi), the slate portion of the Transformer lasted approximately 8.5 hours. After the Transformer's battery ran down, I connected it to the fully charged dock, which recharged the tablet to 38 percent.
[page]Verdict:
Well, this is the hardest part. Can't really say that it's a VFM choice. Overall a great buy. The battery life is the real plus for me. Software and the keyboard works great. The color of the device is a golden brown which looks kind of luxurious. A convenient keyboard dock, sleek design, and low price makes the TF a favorite Wi-Fi-only Honeycomb tablet.The finish is great and so am not at all disappointed.
Only negative I see is the proprietary charging point and lack of accessories. I am finding it difficult to find any sort of accessories including a spare charger online or in stores.
Pros: Fast Nvidia Tegra processor; Elegant design; Wide viewing angles; Long battery life especially with dock; Keyboard dock adds versatility; Lighter than other 10-inch Android tablets
Cons: Touchscreen less responsive when docked; Some software glitches; Docking should have been easier
USB port^
Thank you for reading!
Regards,
Nishant Pinto.
Click here to view the article
Anyways, I will be reviewing the Asus TF101 tablet or I must say 'cum' Ultra book/Netbook.
I got this piece for Rs 30,500 from Lamington road just a few days back. This is a 16gb one, which is enough for me at the moment. Let me tell you I am completely a newbie to the Android/Tablet pc environment. So I have been
playing around with it since the time I got it. Wasn't patience enough to reach home and unpack it, did it in the train instead. I could see commuters drooling over it already.
Ok, let us start.
The Asus TF101 is a sleek looking device that packs powerful features with the Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS and also powered an NVIDIA Tegra2 1.0 GHz dual-core CPU, Not the forget the IPSDisplay!!
These are the specs below.
- Android v3.2 (Honeycomb) Operating System
- 10.1 inch LED Backlight Multi Touch
- 1 GHz Dual Core Processor
- 5 MP Primary Camera
- 1.2 MP Secondary Camera
- Wi-Fi Enabled
- Cloud Computing Support
- Push Mail Support
This tab comes with 1GB ram and also has an integrated UI (the ASUS waveshare Interface). It hosts a wide range if applications like Mynet, MyLibrary,Mycloud..etc etc
[page]Design:
This tablet's built quality is undoubtedly the best. Its not slippery like the ipad thanks to its unique texture pattern making it grippy and portable. The tablet actually transforms into a netbook after attaching it to the mobile docking device or keyboard making it look smarter.It has a brown metallic finish that's classy yet understated.
On the left side of the Transformer is a power/screen activation button and volume controls, and a headphone, miniHDMI, and a microSD card slot are on the right. The bottom has a proprietary 40-pin connector for attaching the tablet to the keyboard dock or to the power cord. The keyboard section has the same 40-pin proprietary port on its left as well as a USB port. Another USB port and SDHC card slot line the right side.
In addition to storage drives, peripherals such as mice can be plugged into the Transformer's USB ports; the device recognized a USB drive, SD and microSD cards, and a mouse instantly--I was even able to use its scroll wheel.
Display:
Now a days I can see that everyone has a craze about IPS displays and this one has one by a resolution of 1280 x 800. The viewing angles were just amazing. The touch is very responsive.
While playing Angry Birds, I was able to aim accurately. However, when docked, the screen became less responsive. I had to press harder before the Transformer would register my inputs, or it would select something instead of scroll. I almost felt compelled to use the keyboard.
[page]Touchscreen Keyboard:
Instead of the stock Android keyboard, Asus included its own on-screw keyboard with number row at top. The keys are large and well laid out, bu the width of the TF makes it difficult to type using your thumbs in landscape mode. Even in portrait mode, my short thumbs had trouble reaching the center of the screen.
Audio:
Two speakers on both the sides left and right were OK enough to produce good and loud sound. Netbook quality sound.
User Interface:
The TF presents the standard Honeycomb interface. Things I liked about Honey comb are such as the unobtrusive notification system, interactive widgets, tabbed web browsing, and contextual menus as you jump from app to app. I also liked how easy it is to customize the five home screens and that you can drag and drop e-mail messages in Gmail into folders. Guess what? I still haven't figured out how to close the applications. Downloaded app killer instead.
When you tap the recent app button in the bottom left corner of the screen, you'll see thumbnails of the last five programs you had opened but you can't close them from this view.
Camera:
The camera (rear facing 5mp) was good enough at capturing colours but the video recording wasnt that crisp. This is where the tablet lacks I suppose. I'd prefer the ipad's camera instead. The front-facing 1.2-MP camera showed similar quality, but was good enough for video chats over Wi-Fi using Skype. Finer details were lacking.
Picture clicked below
Performance:
The TF101 sports a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. Its CPU Benchmark score( mobile smartbench) of 3,125 was nearly identical to the G-Slate (3,120) and a little higher than the Moto Xoom (2,995), but it came in behind the Acer Iconia A500 (3,214). However, the Transformer's AN3DBench score of 8,579 was well above the G-Slate (7,277), the Moto Xoom (7,571), and the A500 (6,938).
Keyboard:
The dock keyboard is very comfortable to use. Keys are widely spaced between each other (island keys).
Android Market:
Currently, there are only 62 tablet apps featured in the Android Market, which is measly compared to the 65,000+ apps for the iPad. However, there are still some compelling choices, such as Documents To Go, Google Sky Map, Fruit Ninja.
Battery Life:
ASUS claims combination of the dock and the tablet will provide up to 16 hours of battery life. In the Battery Test (web surfing via Wi-Fi), the slate portion of the Transformer lasted approximately 8.5 hours. After the Transformer's battery ran down, I connected it to the fully charged dock, which recharged the tablet to 38 percent.
[page]Verdict:
Well, this is the hardest part. Can't really say that it's a VFM choice. Overall a great buy. The battery life is the real plus for me. Software and the keyboard works great. The color of the device is a golden brown which looks kind of luxurious. A convenient keyboard dock, sleek design, and low price makes the TF a favorite Wi-Fi-only Honeycomb tablet.The finish is great and so am not at all disappointed.
Only negative I see is the proprietary charging point and lack of accessories. I am finding it difficult to find any sort of accessories including a spare charger online or in stores.
Pros: Fast Nvidia Tegra processor; Elegant design; Wide viewing angles; Long battery life especially with dock; Keyboard dock adds versatility; Lighter than other 10-inch Android tablets
Cons: Touchscreen less responsive when docked; Some software glitches; Docking should have been easier
USB port^
Thank you for reading!
Regards,
Nishant Pinto.
Click here to view the article
