Asus Eee Pad Transformer review

Product Asus Eee Pad Transformer
Website http://www.asus.com
Specifications 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 10.1-in 1200x800 IPS display, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, 271x177x12.98mm, 680g.
Price From £370 tablet only, £429 with keyboard dock

TAIWANESE HARDWARE MAKER Asus' Eee Pad Transformer is one of the more exciting and interesting products to tip up on the tablet scene this year with its well executed, unique design, decent hardware specifications and the latest Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

Asus has broken the mould for tablets with the Transformer and it has done so at a reasonable price starting at just £379. The tablet is one of the few on the market that currently runs Google's Honeycomb operating system that is specifically for tablets, which is a good start, but this alone doesn't set it apart from the competition like the Motorola Xoom.

What does set the Transformer above the rest is its keyboard docking station, which turns the tablet into a netbook style device. This is a brilliant idea and Asus has done a grand job of designing and making this hybrid product.

On its own the tablet is much the same as Motorola's Xoom. They both have a 10.1-in screen, an Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear camera, are just under 13mm thick and run the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system.

It is, however, much better in a few important areas. First, the Transformer is a fair bit lighter at 680g compared to the Xoom at 730g. This isn't as light at the Ipad 2 but we didn't find that the weight caused any problems. Second, Asus has put a much nicer display on the Transformer than Motorola has its Xoom.

The Xoom does have more internal storage at 32GB but the Transformer's 16GB can easily be increased with its microSD card slot, which the Xoom doesn't have. An alternative, or bonus option for expanding the memory with an SD card is using Asus' unlimited Webstorage, which is free for the first year.

On paper the Xoom has a slightly better front facing camera at 2MP compared to the 1.2MP camera on the Transformer, but we found no major difference in the picture quality.

The Transformer has a file manager to ensure that you can keep track of your content between different storage devices. It's a simple and easy to use list system that isn't as fast as the drag and drop style method that we're all used to in Windows, but it is a reasonable effort and it does the job.

Polaris Office is also bundled with the tablet, which can handle, in a pretty basic manner, Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. It can both read and edit files and even though it's basic it does the job and files can be easily transferred to a main computer if necessary. If Polaris Office doesn't catch your fancy then there is always the option of using Docs To Go or Google Docs.

Although the Transformer at £379 is less expensive than the Xoom (£479) and the equivalent Ipad 2 (£399), its build quality has not been overlooked. The back of the tablet is a textured plastic that feels strong, helps with grip and avoids horrible finger marks. The frame of the tablet is metal and the glass is strengthened, making the tablet durable.

Other than the microSD slot, the frame is host to the power and volume buttons, a miniHDMI port, a headphone jack and the power socket. The tablet also has a G-sensor, a light sensor, a gyroscope, an E-compass and GPS built in.