Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime vs LG Optimus Pad

The tablet market is awash with quality devices, all vying to end up in your shopping bag this sales season, but which tablet will give you the most for your money?

Do you choose power before portability? Should you opt for a device with expandable memory? Or should you just cast all research aside and just choose the biggest, fastest, most expensive device on the market?

Well, we're here to help you wade through the myriad statistics on offer, as we take the latest, greatest tablet from Asus, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, and weigh it up against one of last year's surprise packages, the LG Optimus Pad.

Display

Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime is kitted out with a stunning 10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD display that is super responsive and glorious to behold.

The screen operates at 1280 x 800 and features a pixel density of 149PPI, which is more than enough to provide some of the crispest visuals around.

The LG Optimus Pad offers up an 8.9-inch LCD touchscreen that holds its own against the mighty Transformer Prime, with a resolution of 768 x 1280 and a thoroughly impressive pixel density of 168PPI.

The extra clarity is certainly not to be sniffed at, but we aren't sure it's enough to make us turn our backs on an inch more screen space and the deeper colours of the Asus.

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Power

LG's Optimus Pad is powered by nVidia's Tegra 2 chipset, with the dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHz. The perennially reliable ULP GeForce GPU takes care of the visuals, and makes gaming an enjoyable experience on the device.

The Optimus Pad also boasts 1GB RAM and 32GB of on-board storage, but offers no support for removable memory.

Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime has yet to be bested in this round though, and it's easy to see why when you take a look at its spec sheet: 1.3GHz quad-core CPU, ULP GeForce GPU, 1GB RAM, 32 or 64GB of storage and support for Micro SD cards up to 32GB capacity.

There really isn't a tablet to touch the Transformer Prime when it comes to horsepower and we expect it will remain that way for a while yet. So if power's what you're looking for you've found the device for you.

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Software

Both of these tablets are powered by Google's Android OS, specifically version 3.0+, otherwise known as Honeycomb, which was tailored for tablet use.

LG's Optimus Pad ships with version 3.0 of the software, while the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime leaves the factory fitted with version 3.2, which offers support for visually improving apps on larger devices and the odd bugfix thrown in for good measure.

Honeycomb itself is a fast, fun affair, with plenty of apps available, a new, richly designed UI and some neat notification tweaks, as well as updated core applications. It's eminently customisable, offers full flash browsing and largely does anything your netbook can do equally as well (with the help of the right app, naturally).

There a few idiosyncrasies that prevent Honeycomb from keeping up with Apple's iOS though. For example, the lack of Android 3+ applications is hugely detrimental, and you'll also have to contend with the odd crash, which is something we didn't enjoy, but overall it's a decent platform that will continue to improve.

Winner - Draw


Form & Build

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263 x 180.8 x 8.3mm, 586g
LG Optimus Pad - 243.8 x 150 x 12.7 mm, 621g

There's no denying that both of our contenders here are well built. They feel solid, balanced in the hand and reassuringly heavy, without being overly cumbersome.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is arguably the better looking of the two, and at nearly 4mm thinner than the Optimus Pad it's definitely the more comfortable to use, and also the more portable, but the LG's effort is by no means big or unpleasant to look at.

One aspect that we like about both tablets is that they feel, and largely are, durable. There's nothing worse than holding a shiny, expensive device and worrying about it hitting the floor with a smash, but both of these devices give off the 'we can take it' vibe that will make you want to pick them up and play with them (NOTE - We aren't saying that they'll take being bounced on your floor, so don't try!).

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Camera

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime features the very best camera that we've seen on a tablet to date.

The 8-megapixel primary shooter, which offers geo-tagging, autofocus, LED flash and 1080P video capture, is a great performer which is fully capable of capturing print-worthy images in good light and captured video is of a generally high standard too.

The device's secondary 1.2-megapixel camera is perfect for video chatting and rounds off some very nice photographic capabilities.

The LG Optimus Pad features dual 5-megapixel primary cameras capable of capturing stereoscopic (3D) images and also offers an LED flash, geo-tagging, autofocus and 1080 2D video capture, and 720P in 3D.

LG's contender also has a nice 2-megapixel secondary camera which is great for video calling.

While it's a great performer, the general standard of still images is significantly lower than that of the Transformer Prime, and all the bells and whistles can't make up for a good, standard snapshot, which is largely all a tablet is going to be used for.

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

As we've come to expect, Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime has blown another contender out of the water!

We're fast running out of superlatives to describe this little box of tricks. It's as powerful as a netbook, as portable as a notepad and has all the top-tier features of a high-end smartphone; there really isn't anything on the market to touch it, save for Apple's iPad 2.

LG's Optimus Pad is a nice enough device, but it doesn't excel in any single area, while the Transformer Prime excels at nearly everything.

Put simply, if you're in the market for a tablet you should either buy the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime or the Apple iPad 2; and that only holds its own against Asus' device thanks to its killer OS!

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Update Rolling Out to the Original ASUS Eee Pad Transformer

With its followup a bit hard to come by after its December release, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is in the midst of yet another update. No, it isn’t an upgrade to Android 4.0. The new software instead aims to fix a number of minor bugs and further tweak the performance of the dual-core tablet. The update can be pulled down to the Transformer via ASUS’ home-brewed update app.
[via AndroidCentral]

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ASUS Not Phased By Hasbro Lawsuit – Continues Rolling Out Transformer Primes

Like water off a duck’s back, ASUS seems to be unphased by their legal troubles with Hasbro. Despite being slapped with a lawsuit — which has to do with ASUS taking advantage of Hasbro’s “Transformer” and “Prime” trademarks — it’s all business as usual for the Taiwanese company who expects to continue pumping out Transformer Primes to meet demand. ASUS also claims to have held their own internal studies and found “no issue” with the Transformer Prime and it’s association with Hasbro’s popular tv shows/movies/toys. This is great news for those who have been planning on picking up the supertablet with the lawsuit having no affect on supply — for now.
[FocusTaiwan via TheVerge]

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Asus projects as many as 6 million tablet sales in 2012

The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is king of the hill for Android tablets at the moment, despite an embarrassing objection from an entirely different kind of robot. Now Asus CEO Jonney Shih, who revealed the tablet himself at a conference months ago, says the company expects to sell at least three and as many as six million tablets next year. Taiwan Economic News reports the quote, noting that a considerable number of Transformer Prime units are experiencing WiFi difficulties, though Asus has already begun a replacement program for affected customers.

The original Eee Pad Transformer was one of the most popular of the initial Android Honeycomb tablets, due in no small part to its relatively low $399 starting price and attacheable keyboard. Though the Transformer Prime is $100 more expensive (and rightly so, with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and a truly stunning all-metal frame) the company continues to sell the original, setting up two tiers for tablet competition. The first Transformer has sold 1.8 million units worldwide.
Android tablets are still nowhere near as popular as the iPad, but the gap has been closed considerably. Thanks to low-cost tablets like the Nook Color and Nook Tablet, which aren’t just cheap but reliable as well, Android’s market share in the tablet world is beginning to see the same accelerated growth that began its current boom in the smartphone market. Fourth-quarter sales could be as much as 40%. With 7-inch tablets hitting hard from the low end, and quad-core tablets bringing the fight to the iPad on the high end, 2012 looks promising indeed for the platform. And we still have 1080p screens and open source Ice Cream Sandwich tablets to look forward to, not to mention Asus’ very own Padfone, due early next year. [via SlashGear]

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Hasbro sues Asus over Transformer Prime name

There’s no question that Asus knew about the association with a certain mega-popular toy line when they christened their follow up to the original Transformer as the “Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime”. Anyone born before 1990 will remember the Transformers action figures and cartoons, and anyone born after 1990 will recognize the Michael Bay films. Hasbro, the original creator of the transforming toys, didn’t take kindly to Asus’ free bit of nostalgic nomenclature. According to MocoNews, the toy manufacturer is suing the electronics manufacturer over the name, claiming that it could be confused with the series protagonist Optimus Prime.

The idea that a 40-foot fictional robot/truck/BAMF could be confused with a 10-inch Honeycomb tablet is pretty ridiculous. But saying that Asus didn’t know about the geek value of a name like “Transformer Prime” is also pretty ridiculous, and Hasbro might just have a legitimate concern that fans might think it’s somehow sponsoring or associating with the product. Verizon’s DROID line falls into the same camp, but they’ve licensed the name from Star Wars production company Lucasfilm, and even created a Star Wars themed version of the Motorola DROID 2. LG’s in hot water as well if they ever decide to release a phone named the “Optimus Megatron”.

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Canadians Beginning to Receive Transformer Prime Units

It looks like the first group of North American citizens are beginning to receive their ASUS Transformer Prime units in the mail. Canadian reader Mark has reported receiving his through UPS. Check your tracking number from your respective retailer to see if yours is inbound.

United States customers have also reported that device shipments have headed out from various retailers, including a new tip received by us today that GameStop was shipping orders from today and customers should begin receiving them tomorrow (overnight shipping). Hopefully everyone can enjoy some sweet ice cream before Christmas.
All of this lines up with word from our ASUS rep that the ASUS Transformer Prime will, in fact, be available in North American markets starting this week so we’re sure more than a few of you should see it on your doorsteps or in store shelves in no time. Be sure to let us know if you’ve gotten confirmation that your order has shipped! [Thanks Mark and everyone who sent this in!]

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[Deal] Pre-Orders ASUS Transformer Prime Return To Amazon

One of the hottest gadgets of this holiday season, the Transformer Prime, is scheduled to be released the week of December 19th - that would be any day now starting today. In anticipation of the launch, Amazon re-launched pre-orders for all four color/size combinations after they went dark, disappeared completely, and even got cancelled in some cases shortly after the first wave was sold out. Here they are:

• TF201-B1-GR - 32GB Amethyst Gray
• TF201-B1-CG - 32GB Champagne
• TF201-C1-GR - 64GB Amethyst Gray
• TF201-C1-CG - 64GB Champagne

 

Additionally, every Transformer Prime order comes with a free one-day shipping option:

FREE One-Day Shipping: Buy select products sold by Amazon.com, and select one-day shipping when you check out.
The one-day shipping cost for select products will then be deducted from your order total on the final checkout page.
Here's how (restrictions apply)

For those in need of a spec recap, it's coming right up:

• 10.1-inch SuperIPS + display with Gorilla Glass
• 1.3GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 Processor with 12-core GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 32GB or 64GB internal storage with microSD card slot
• microHDMI port
• 8MP F2.4 rear shooter with continuous flash for video recording, 1.2MP front camera (1080p camcorder!)
• 8.33mm thin
• 586g (1.29 lbs.)
• 12 hour battery life playing 720p video, 18 hours with keyboard dock
• Metallic spun finish
• Two available colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold (show below, respectively)
• Android 3.2.1 - will be updated to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as soon as possible after release
• $499 for 32GB model, $599 for 64GB, and $149 for the dock

Now all we need is that "Temporary out of stock" blurb to change to "In Stock" in my favorite pleasant green.
Thanks, Zachary Rodriguez and others!
[via: Android Police]

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ASUS Transformer Prime hitting Australian shelves in January

The ASUS Transformer Prime is said to be hitting the US before Christmas (December 19th?), but for Australian retailers – expect to see the device in early January of next year. The price is yet to be confirmed, but the Transformer Prime may end up seeing an instant OTA update to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) due to the delayed release. In my opinion, this tablet is the best announced thus far for the year – so once updated to ICS, the best will just get better.

This news was gathered directly from an ASUS (Australia) tweet, so it’s official. We’re not sure the cause of the actual delay in the states to December 19th, but there had been rumors of WiFi issues. To give you a rundown on the tablet’s specifics, it will sport a 10.1-inch SuperIPS display and 1.3GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 Processor.

It’s the first quad-core tablet, and has some excellent benchmarks. The best feature by far, is the capability of to connect to the lapdock keyboard with the included touchpad. It’s finely tuned, and looks just like a laptop when clamped shut. And with 12 hours of video on a single battery charge, there’s not much this tablet doesn’t offer.

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ASUS Transformer Prime pre-orders available from EXPANSYS

ASUS and their hotly anticipated quad-core tablet the Transformer Prime has been causing a bit of a stir lately. Selling out everywhere before it’s even available and multiple online retailers having to turn away pre-orders. I know many of our readers have been looking for a place to order so today we have some great news — Expansys-USA has opened up pre-orders and you can get one now, but you’d better hurry.

What’s even better is the fact they are also allowing a coupon code making the Prime just $480 for the 32GB version. Just apply the coupon “20OFFLS” at checkout and you’ll have the best deal around — on the best tablet around. The online retailer isn’t listing quantity like the did with the Galaxy Nexus, or a shipping date but at least they’ll throw in free shipping.

A few recent rumors went around that the Prime was being delayed for WiFi issues but we experienced zero issues while enjoying it for a full review. All the details and more are available below from our new Story Timeline. We have heard scattered reports that Canada’s supply might be a bit low and delayed but last we heard from ASUS everything was on track and as planned for the US.
Head down to EXPANSYS if you are still interested in a pre-order before they are all gone.

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Sony Tablet S vs Asus Eee Transformer Prime

Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a tablet that is enjoying a lot of publicity in the run up to its expected December release. But this isn't all that surprising when you consider its pakcing a next-generation chipset and bleeding-edge hardware.

It's important to look past the 'power is everything' mantra though, as Apple's iPad 2 has decisively proven, and with that in mind we've selected a stellar Android tablet – the Sony Tablet S – to hold up against Asus' new creation to get a view of exactly how much it offers.

Display

The Asus Eee Transformer Prime ships with a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD display with a resolution of 1280x800 and a pixel density of 149PPI, which is well above average in the current market.

Sony's Tablet S is similarly well equipped too, with a 9.4-inch TFT operating at 800x1280 and boasting a pixel density of 161PPI.

While similarities are undoubtedly evident, the Asus' Eee Transformer Prime's more modern screen tech easily takes the tape ahead of Sony's good, but unspectacular display.

Winner - Asus Eee Transformer Prime

Software

Both tablets run on Google's very capable Android operating system, specifically version 3.2 (Honeycomb) which has been optimised to provide a solid experience on tablets.

The platform features re-designed core applications, new holographic-style UI which includes a new persistent 'action bar' for user alerts and a spiffy new keyboard to make typing from your tablet easier than ever.

Beneath the aesthetic refinements Honeycomb offers the same excellent basic functionality that every other iteration of the OS provided. It's customisable, very easy to use and has a huge app catalogue for users to select from in the form of Android Market.

One area to watch out for is the lack of tablet-specific applications on Android. Sure, it's something that Google is working with developers to improve, but right now Honeycomb is meagrely catered for in terms of unique apps.

Winner - Draw

Camera

Sony's Tablet S features a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus, image stabilisation, geo-tagging, face & smile detection and 720P video capture, which performs well and is capable of producing some top-quality images in good conditions.

The device also features a secondary 0.3-megapixel camera for video calling.

Asus' Eee Transformer Prime ups the ante with an excellent 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging and 1080P video capture, as well as a secondary 1.2-megapixel snapper for video calling.

Images and videos produced by the Asus were way above our expectation and, in our opinion, the best quality that we've seen on any Android tablet to date.

Winner - Asus Eee Transformer Prime

Power

The Asus Eee Transformer Prime boasts a quad-core 1.3GHz CPU and ULP GeForce GPU, giving it a huge advantage over any other tablet on the market, and many laptops too.

As you would expect apps run at full-tilt on the device, and games are handled perfectly thanks to the cutting edge graphics technology.

In addition to its mammoth chipset the Transformer Prime boasts 1GB RAM, 32 or 64GB on-board storage and support for micro SD cards up to 32GB in size, making it easily the most powerful tablet on the planet right now.

The Sony Tablet S features a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with ULP GeForce GPU and performs excellently as a result. The device also offers up 1GB RAM and either 16 or 32GB of storage for your consideration too.

On any normal day the Tablet S' drive-train would be perfectly impressive, but the Asus Eee Transformer Prime is a bit of a bully in the power department, making Sony's device look a little bit laboured.

Winner - Asus Eee Transformer Prime

Form & Build

Asus Eee Transformer Prime - ?, 8mm thickness, 586g
Sony Tablet S - 241.2 x 174.3 x 10.1-20.6 mm, 625g

Sony know a thing or two about design and its acumen is easy to discern when looking at the Tablet S.

The device is beautifully crafted and features a very unique fold-around form factor which balances it and adds to its ergonomic qualities superbly.

At 625g it's no lightweight, but rather than feeling encumbered holding the device we felt that the little bit of extra ballast added to its comfort.

Great work, Sony!

The Asus Eee Transformer Prime is a nicely designed device and with its thick bevel and minimalist good looks reminded us of a certain other fruity tablet that shall remain nameless.

The Transformer Prime is a decent weight, and luxuriously thin at just 8mm too. We really couldn't fault it aside from feeling that the Sony just felt more premium. Far from scientific, we know, but the feeling was something palpable and, heck, palpable matters!

Winner - Sony Tablet S

Well, perhaps unsurprisingly the newer, higher powered tablet has won the day.

The Asus Eee Transformer Prime is, quite honestly, a beast of a tablet. It's fast, sleek and offers excellent performance on the whole, including peerless photographic performance.

It's only let-down really is the lack of tablet-centric applications, but that can't be attributed to the hardware. Once things improve in that department the Asus Eee Transformer Prime will be a true force to be reckoned with.

In defeat the Sony Tablet S is a fantastic device though. It's nicely designed, well built and has solid performance across the board but it just couldn't hold a candle to Asus' next-gen device, and as such we really can't recommend you choose one over the former, unless you can pick one up for a song.

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ASUS confirms Transformer Prime will be available on launch day

Yesterday some rumors started floating around that the ASUS Transformer Prime had been delayed after weeks of pre-orders selling out. Apparently someone from Phandroid received word that an online retailer was canceling orders due to hardware and WiFi problems and the Prime would be delayed until next year and after the holiday season. We are happy to report this is not the case.

Today we’ve reached out to ASUS for an official statement and are happy to report they will be on sale come launch day, December 19th nationwide.
Here’s what ASUS had to say:

We are trying to confirm who released this statement and for what purpose right now. At this point, we still show to be on schedule to start shipments the week of 12/19. I will provide an update once I have additional information.”

From what we are hearing and from the statement provided by ASUS everything is on track and still scheduled for a full launch as expected. Obviously they are still tracking down where and why NCIX reported such a problem. If there were indeed an issue I’m sure we’d have heard of it especially with more online retailers expecting availability on the 12th and a full launch on December 19th.
As it stands right now all systems are a go and the Prime will be here just in time for everyone to finish their holiday shopping. We will be sure to update with any additional information.

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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime vs Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition

We take a look at the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime to see how it stacks up against Motorola’s new Xoom 2 Media Edition.

Form
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263x180.8x8.3mm, 586g
Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition - 216x139x9mm, 386g
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is one good-looking device. The chassis is made from spun aluminium, giving it an interesting texture and the build quality is second to none.
Other elements which are pleasing to the eye include the nicely sized and spaced bezel around the screen, elegantly shaped corners and a svelte 8.3mm thin profile.
Overall it’s very minimalist in style which goes well with the futuristic-looking metallic finish. The attachable keyboard dock is as thin as the main tablet and equally stylish.
Motorola’s new generation of Xoom tablets have had a complete redesign, which is quite striking to behold. Instead of the usual rectangular shape Motorola has echoed the design of its Razr smartphone handset with angular and tapered edges and corners.
Again the bezel space around the screen is a flattering size and aluminium has been used for the construction of the outer shell, though not quite as extensively as on the Asus.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition is extremely light and thin coming in at 386g and 9mm thick – that’s an 8.2-inch tablet which is lighter than many 7-inch tablets.
We think both devices, despite being very different, have fantastic design elements and are very appealing to look at.
However, the Xoom 2 Media Edition is just that bit more eye-catching with some very individual styling.
Winner – Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition

Display
The Xoom 2 Media Edition has an unusually sized display at 8.2-inches – the first of its kind. It’s a TFT capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch and made from toughened Gorilla Glass.
The resolution clocks in at 1280x800 pixels giving a pixel density of 184 pixels-per-inch (ppi).
The Transformer Prime has a larger screen at 10.1-inches and uses a Super IPS + LCD technology, which results in a much brighter display.
It’s a capacitive multi-touch screen, again made from reinforced Gorilla Glass, with the same 1280x800 pixel resolution at a lower pixel density than its rival at 149ppi.
The Motorola’s display may be smaller, though not by much, but it’s got a much sharper picture and higher pixel density making it our choice this round.
Winner - Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition

Storage
Motorola’s tablet is a little limited on storage space, especially with a name like 'Media Edition.' At 16GB and no card support there's not much to play with here.
So what's a user to do? Simple: use Motorola’s MOTOBLUR cloud service to stream content directly from your home computer, which supposedly works even if you’re miles away (we're talking a different country here), to the slate.
We understand the logic: everyone needs to flock to the cloud. But what if you're not bothered about the cloud? Surely it'd be better to give consumers the best of both worlds, like Apple does with its iPad and iCloud?
Apart from the internal storage, the Xoom 2 Media Edition is also packing 1GB of RAM to assist the processor in its duties.
Asus’ Transformer Prime is much more handsomely equipped on internal storage with options for 32GB or 64GB onboard. It also has 1GB of RAM like its opponent but unlike the Motorola it has a card slot with support for microSD up to 32GB.
We have to side with Asus on this one.
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime


Processor Both devices use ARM Cortex-A9 processors but they’re getting very different results thanks to distinctly varying configurations.
Motorola’s Media Edition Xoom 2 is equipped with a dual core processor clocked at 1.2GHz running NVidia’s Tegra 2 T20 ‘Turbo’ chipset and ULP GeForce graphics processing unit (GPU).
With the Transformer Prime, Asus has ramped things up a bit, it’s still using NVidia technology but this time it’s the new Tegra 3 ‘Kal El’ chipset, which means a quad core processor clocked slightly faster at 1.3GHz.
The GPU is the same as the one found in the Xoom 2 Media Edition.
The end result is that both are very slick customers and can run whatever you throw at them with a good degree of finesse.
However, having seen the Transformer Prime and Xoom 2 running side-by-side we have to say the Transformer Prime really is on a completely different level.
It is just so quick delivering silky smooth performance for multi-tasking, viewing media, gaming and navigating the Android interface.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition is no slow coach but the lightning fast Transformer Prime leaves it standing. In fact we’d go so far as to say the Transformer Prime is easily the best performing Android tablet to date.
Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Operating System
These are both Android tablets and each ships with Honeycomb 3.2 – the most up-to-date version of the tablet-specific build.
The Asus Transformer Prime will be receiving the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0 update in early 2012, which should add plenty of new functionality and features.
It’s currently unknown whether Motorola’s Xoom 2 Media Edition will get the same treatment but with a launch so close to the release of ICS we’d be pretty surprised if Motorola hadn’t planned ahead.
With both tablets using the same operating system there’s nothing to distinguish between them here.
Winner - Draw

Camera
Motorola’s Xoom 2 Media Edition has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, just like its larger cousin, at a resolution of 2592х1944 pixels with 720p quality video recording.
Features include LED flash, autofocus, digital zoom and geo-tagging, along with a 1.3-metapixel secondary camera.
It’s actually a very nice camera for mid-range shots but gets a bit fuzzy when you zoom in with the digital zoom.
The Transformer Prime’s main camera is rated at 8-megapixels and a resolution of 3264x2448 pixels. Video capture is 1080p and the Asus features an LED flash, touch focus, autofocus, geo-tagging and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition makes a good go of things but the Asus Transformer Prime wins out here.
Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Final Thoughts
The Xoom 2 Media Edition is a decent offering and if you want to keep your music, films and other data on a PC to access remotely you’ve got a very slick, purpose-built device with Motorola’s 8.2-inch tablet.
However, in terms of both overall performance, versatility and longevity the Asus Transformer Prime really does come out miles ahead of the Motorola and indeed much of the competition.

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UK pre-orders for Asus Transformer Prime launch at Clove

If you are in the UK and have been counting the days until you could buy the Transformer Prime for yourself, this is your day. You can now hop over to Clove and pre-order the Transformer Prime tablet in two different packs.

You can get either the Prime in 64GB flavor with no keyboard accessory or you can opt for the 32GB Transformer Prime with the keyboard accessory for the same price. Either of the tablets will set you back £459 or £550.80 with VAT. One big benefit of that 32GB version with the keyboard accessory is that the battery life is 18 hours with that keyboard attached.
Other than the storage and keyboard, both are the same. Both versions rock a 64GB of internal storage, they both have 10.1-inch screens, and WiFi. The processor is the NVIDIA Tegra 3 and there is a mini HDMI output too. The pages for both versions show January for stock to come in with a ship date somewhere in that area.
[via SlashGear]

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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime vs Apple iPad 2

It's fair to say Apple's iPad 2 has enjoyed relatively unimpeded dominance in the tablet market. The device is powerful, user friendly and just oozes with Apple appeal, making it a sure-fire hit. But now we're starting to see tablets from Apple's competitors roll-out with some striking design features of their own.

Foremost among these contenders to the iPad 2's crown is Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime, a device that may have a silly name but is rather more smart when you dig below the surface. Will it offer enough to topple Apple's tablet from its lofty perch, though?

Display

The screen is the heart and soul of any decent tablet and both of our contenders are able to give plenty in the display department.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime offers up a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD that operates at a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and has a pixel density of 149PPI, which is pretty impressive.

The screen is striking, with sharp detail, vivid colours and pleasing viewing angles and it's big enough to enjoy movies and other media, without having to screw your eyes up and resort to painkillers after 15 minutes.

The iPad 2's display is equally as impressive. It's 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT operates at a resolution of 768x1024 pixels and has a pixel density of 132PPI which is good, but on this occasion not good enough.

The iPad 2's screen performs exceptionally, though, and is responsive to the lightest of touches making it a pleasure to surf the Web.

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Power

Beneath the stunning screen technology lurks the engine room, and what is secreted therein usually makes or breaks a tablet in today's market.

Apple's iPad 2 is imbued with a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU clocked to 1GHz and also offers a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU to take care of the eye-candy and gaming.

Disappointingly, though, the iPad 2 only has 512MB RAM, leaving it well behind the leading tablets from other manufacturers.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a heavy hitter. Far too heavy for the iPad 2. The device is driven by a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and offers up a ULP GeForce GPU, which will have any game you throw at it running full-tilt.

On top of the monster processor the device also boasts 1GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of on-board storage, compared with the iPad 2's 16/32/64GB options.

It will come as no surprise to you that the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime wipes the floor with the iPad 2 in the power stakes and we're quite sure it would out perform many laptops and desktops too.

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Software

The iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS platform, the latest iteration of which, version 5.0, is simply fantastic.

It's so easy to use a toddler could get things done in short order and has enough visual appeal to excite the most discriminating design student.

In addition to its simplicity and power, the device also has at its disposal Apple's App Store, which is brimming with apps, many of which have been designed with the tablet in mind.

Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime runs on version 3.2 of Google's Android OS, which is a specially tweaked version of the OS, designed for tablets only.

It's attractive, powerful, offers a ton of customisation options and benefits from Google's Android Market, which is full of apps, many of which are free.

Where it falls flat, though, is tablet-specific apps, or more appropriately the lack thereof. Many of the titles on offer, though, excellent in smaller resolutions, appear misshapen and out of whack on the tablet's screen and this is a massive let-down for a device that's otherwise incredible.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Camera

The iPad 2 has a 0.7-megapixel primary camera (yes, you read that correctly) which is, to be fair to it, quite the let-down.

The device does capture 720p video and offer a secondary VGA camera for video-calling but 0.7-megapixel? Come on, Apple!

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is much more in keeping with current form and offers up an impressive 8-megapixel snapper with LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging as well as 1080p video capture and a 1.2-megapixel camera for video-calling - much more the ticket!

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Form and Build

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263 x 180.8 x 8.3mm, 586g
Apple iPad 2 - 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm, 607g

Straight off the bat it's easy to see that both tablets are well built and pretty to look at.

The iPad 2 positively reeks of Apple's design standards and its minimalist facade and simple good-looks lend a certain style to the tablet that has often been copied but not yet bettered.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is no ugly duckling, though, it's thin, sleek and looks premium, in fact it looks very much like the iPad 2 which is no bad thing.

Overall, the iPad 2 just has that je ne sais quoi that Apple strives so hard to breed into its devices, and for that reason we love it. We don't dislike the Transformer Prime mind, but it just isn't an iPad 2.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Conclusion

So Apple's tablet has had its cards. Its time at the top of the tablet tree has come to an end, and Asus' new Eee Transformer Prime is the new device in residence.

With a superior chipset, brighter, clearer screen and quality camera the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a fantastic piece of hardware, one which is going to be very difficult to top.

Apple's iPad 2 can hold its head up high, though. It's still a brilliant device, but technology has moved on and it now needs to concentrate on growing old gracefully - we just get the feeling that Apple's pricing policy won't allow that to happen.

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Asus’ goal for 2012 is to beat Samsung in tablets

Asus has offered up a glimpse of what it wants to do in 2012 at its global sales meeting held this week. Part of the goings on at the meeting was to set the shipment goals for the four major product lines next year. The company has announced that it expects to ship more than 22 million notebooks and netbooks next year reports DigiTimes. The specific number Asus is shooting for internally is 23.8 million units.

When it comes to tablet PCs Asus is a bit more specific. It wants to ship at least three million tablets shipped with an internal goal reportedly set at 6 million tablets. That would put Asus ahead of rival Samsung in the tablet market. Asus may well do that with the Transformer Prime looking like one of the best Android tablets to land so far.
The big number of notebook shipments that Asus expects next year would put it ahead of Dell and put it in the running for the third largest notebook vendor globally. The bulk of the shipments will be notebooks at 19.3 to 19.8 million units, netbook shipments are expected to continue to decline.
[via SlashGear]

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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Sleeve spied on video

We have spent our share of hands on time with the Transformer Prime and really like the tablet. I am sure we aren’t the only ones looking forward to the tablet hitting the market. A video has surfaced on Facebook that shows off a new accessory for the Transformer Prime that is really interesting. The accessory is the Transformer Prime Sleeve.

The iPad has its smart cover that can turn the iPad 2 on and off when it opens and closes. The new Prime Sleeve for the Asus tablet has an even cooler trick up its sleeve. You can see the sleeve in action on the video below. When the sleeve flap is closed, you can see the lines on the surface where the thing folds.
You can fold it into two shapes with one of the shapes for standing the tablet upright for watching video and such. The other shape props the tablet up at a much lower angle that would be good for typing. It appears that the Sleeve plugs into two of the mount holes for the keyboard add-on. Pricing and availability for the Sleeve is unknown.

[via SlashGear- Thanks dy4me!]

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ASUS Transformer Prime may be at your local GameStop this weekend

Of all places, I bet you wouldn’t expect to see the highly anticipated ASUS Transformer Prime debuting in your local GameStop this weekend. However, there is a catch – it will be on display and not for sale.This will be a great time to give this tablet a test-drive to make sure it’s worth getting for either yourself or as a gift during the holiday season. We can’t imagine you’d be disappointed in the least, but it’s always best to get a personal hands-on before forking over that much money on anything.

Remember, this is the first tablet to sport NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 Quad-Core processor so try pushing it to the limit. As far as reviews go, Chris Burns wrote an excellent one of the device just today – so be sure to check it out. Just like the first ASUS Transformer, the lower dock assembly will be sold separately. Whether or not that will be included within the in-store display is unknown, but they work superbly well together so I don’t see why they wouldn’t.
The best way to find out if your GameStop will be getting any in is to call your local store directly. I’m sure they will know when/what shipments come in. I imagine more popular stores will receive them first, but since this device will exclusively be available in GameStop before other places they could be populated throughout all of them. And if you’re wondering how the Transformer Prime compares to other devices, SlashGear has conducted a great benchmark comparison.
[via Android and Me]

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Motorola Xoom 2 vs Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

We examine Asus’ new Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet and see how it compares to Motorola’s Xoom 2.

Form

Motorola Xoom 2 - 253.9x173.6x8.8mm, 599g

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263x180.8x8.3mm, 586g

Motorola has embarked on a bold but cohesive new design with a number of its premium tablets and handsets including the Xoom 2, Xoom 2 Media Edition and Razr smartphone.

They all feature a rather dynamic looking aesthetic with tapered edges and extremely thin profiles. It’s a look we approve of as not only is it interesting to behold but also makes the brand highly distinctive and easily recognised.

According to Motorola’s official blurb the Xoom 2 sports an aluminium ‘housing’ which makes it 10 per cent lighter than its predecessor, it’s also apparently 33 per cent thinner.

In real terms it’s 8.8mm thick – which is better than many current phones, and weighs 599g, which for a 10-inch tablet is very light indeed.

We also like the spacing of the bezel around the screen which is quite flattering for the tablet as a whole. Generally we think the Xoom 2 is one seriously stylish device.

Asus’ Transformer Prime has also been on a strict diet and is again competing with contemporary smartphones with its svelte 8.3mm thick bodywork.

Likewise it also uses aluminium in its construction, though perhaps more extensively than its rival as the whole thing has been crafted from ‘spun’ anodised aluminium for an interesting textured look.

We should also mention the accompanying keyboard docking station (which can be bought separately) which is supposed to be as thin and light as the rest of the device.

Of course, being a tablet but also a laptop much of the Transformer Prime’s shape and design has been dictated by this dual role.

It’s not as distinctive as the Xoom 2 but it’s still a gracefully designed piece of kit which will wow you with its looks.

Ultimately though, the Xoom 2 has the edge when it comes to visual flair and we have to vote for Motorola’s offering this round.

Winner – Motorola Xoom 2

Display
Both devices have equally large 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreens, they’re both made from tough Gorilla Glass and sport a 1280x800 pixel resolution and a pixel density of 149 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

Each has built-in accelerometer and gyro sensors.

The Xoom 2 has multi-touch, as does the Transformer Prime but Asus' device can boast ‘ten finger’ multi-touch capability for even more versatility.

Motorola’s device has a standard TFT screen while the Asus is fitted with an LED backlit 'IPS +' display.

The Asus Transformer Prime is offering a little more overall here but generally speaking these are both excellent displays and we doubt many people would be disappointed with either.

Winner – Draw

Storage
On storage, the Xoom 2 is part of a new wave of devices which rely more on cloud storage services than internal capacity – a policy which may or may not be successful and only time will tell.

As a result it packs 16GB of onboard space alongside 1GB of RAM but no microSD capability.

Instead, the tablet can connect to Motorola’s own MOTOCAST service for streaming music and video content direct from a home PC across a considerable distance, meaning you can be in a totally different part of the country and it’ll still work.

The Asus Transformer Prime takes a more conventional approach with options for either 32GB or 64GB of in-built storage and 1GB of RAM in either case, it also has microSD capability up to a further 32GB.

We don’t object to cloud-based solutions but aren’t especially fond of the mutually exclusive approach, we’d rather have both onboard and cloud rather than a predominantly cloud bias of the Xoom 2 which could potentially become a handicap in certain situations.

What’s more, cloud or no cloud we still see microSD as a useful bonus and miss its absence when it’s not there. We think the Transformer Prime has the advantage here.

Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime



Processor
Both tablets are powered by ARM Cortex-A9 processors running NVidia chipsets but they’re quite different configurations.

The Xoom 2 is dual core on the Nvidia Tegra 2 T20 chipset and clocked at 1.2GHz, it also uses an Nvidia ULP Geforce graphics processing unit (GPU).

The Transformer Prime uses the same GPU but is a quad core setup on the NVidia Tegra 3 chipset and clocked at 1.3GHz.

The thing is, both these devices are powerful enough to effortlessly deal with anything you can throw at them, there isn’t any app or game on the market currently which will cause either to break a sweat.

Because they’ll both perform so well you probably wouldn’t notice much of a difference between the two if you ran them alongside each other.

So, in the end it becomes about future-proofing, both are very well future-proofed and will continue to perform well for some time to come, but the quad core Asus will probably outlast the dual core Motorola when the rest of the industry follows down the quad core path and more demanding content emerges.

Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Operating System
These are both running the latest tablet-specific Android build, 3.2 Honeycomb.

Asus has confirmed the Transformer Prime will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0, the new cross-platform build for both phones and tablets, though whether this will happen before 2012 or a short way into it isn’t clear right now.

Motorola must surely be thinking about a similar strategy having released a new Android tablet so close to ICS’s launch but there’s no definite word from the company yet.

We’re expecting it to follow suit sooner or later.

For now though, they’re both on Honeycomb, which is a pretty good system.

It's certainly an improvement on the previous 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone build with much more intuitive control of multi-tasking and customisation and a considerably enhanced web browsing experience.

You’ve also got a huge choice of apps and games on this platform.

It’s not perfect but we find ourselves scraping the barrel for what are comparatively minor gripes.

One which actually does bug us is the touch keyboard because the close keyboard key is right next to the letters/numbers toggle, meaning you’ll continuously be closing the keyboard by accident.

At any rate, they’re both on the same platform so on a pretty even footing.

That will change with time as the Asus gets ICS but it could also change back to an equal level again if the Xoom 2 does too.

Winner - Draw

Camera
For a while now cameras have been an apparent secondary concern for tablet manufacturers, which to some extent is understandable.

However, so too is the notion of ‘having your cake and eating it too’, when it comes to consumer tech anyway.

With these two devices the cameras have received a bit more attention than many of their contemporaries.

The Xoom 2 has a 5-megapixel primary shooter at a resolution of 2592х1944 pixels and capable of 720p video capture. Features include LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging, plus a 1.3-metapixel secondary camera.

Asus has really raised the bar with an 8-megapixel primary at 3264x2448 pixels. Video quality is 1080p and it features LED flash, touch focus, autofocus, geo-tagging and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera.

Both are quite light on the features but decent offerings nonetheless. We think the Asus takes the lead, however.

Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Final Thoughts
The Asus Transformer Prime won in more rounds but ultimately we wouldn’t say it’s a ‘better’ tablet than the Xoom 2.

We think these are both fantastic Android tablets with a lot of potential to last for a good while.

For a distinction between the two we’d say that the Asus will be a more viable choice further into the future but that doesn’t mean the Xoom 2 isn’t a great c

hoice right now.

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December 8 is Transformer Prime

One of the tablets that has us really excited is the Asus Transformer Prime. There had been rumors that the tablet would be launching on December 8 with that date surfacing for shipping on Newegg this week. Asus has now reportedly confirmed to the geeks at NetbookNews that December 8 is the US launch date. That date is a week after the tablet launches in Taiwan.

If you are in Europe and are lusting after the Transformer Prime you will have to wait longer than geeks in Taiwan and the US, the European launch is set for January. We already know all there is to know about the tablet and it sounds to be a very nice one indeed. It will rock the Tegra 3 quad-core chipset for instance and will have an optional keyboard dock that turns it into a notebook and adds extra battery life.
In the US, the 32GB version of the tablet will sell for $499 and the 64GB offering will go for $599. If you want that cool keyboard dock, it will run you an extra $149. The machine comes in gray or champagne colors and both run Android 3.2 honeycomb when it hits store shelves with an Ice Cream Sandwich update coming later.
[via SlashGear]

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ASUS Transformer Prime kernel source code leaked, quickly removed

Last week the official ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime product page went live from ASUS and while we already know plenty about this quad-core packing tablet it was good to finally see everything official. Apparently the same product page over in Germany had the entire kernel source code nicely listed right on the download page last night, but has since been taken down.


While we are still digging for information, taking a look at the US product page we have no such luck and only some USB drivers and a few other unimportant things were available for download. According to our tipster from androidapptests.com the Transformer Prime kernel source code was up and available for download and they quickly snatched it up.

Shown in the screenshot above you can see the kernel (listed around 90MB) the product manuals and FAQ PDF’s as well as some sort of PC Suite application most likely for the keyboard dock. Looking at the date they were just uploaded yesterday so things are looking very new, and pretty close to being ready if you ask me — I just want it already! Apparently the kernel was downloaded before being removed and is available at the source link listed above, but we wont comment further as we are still looking for more information.
The Transformer Prime is set to launch in December so we should start hearing details and seeing more any day now. NVIDIA gave us an awesome demo video showing the Transformer Prime running Android 4.0 ICS earlier this week, and Gamestop has it listed for shipping December 9th. Either way I can’t wait to get my hands on this NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core powered tablet as soon as possible.

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