The tablet wars seem to be heating up, and a company with one of the better products on the market seems intent on grabbing market share from Apple any way it can. To that end, Asus has a new model based on its excellent Transformer design.
The new Asus Transformer TF300T is making its way to Australian shores with the same Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor seen in its well-reviewed Transformer Prime model.
In fact, the new machine shares much of its design and specifications with the sibling, including a GeForce graphics chip, 1GB RAM, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3, 8 megapixel rear camera, and Google Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” operation system. The screen is still a 10.1 inch 1280×800 screen, although unlike the Super IPS screen usable in sunlight on the Prime, the TF300 features a regular IPS similar to the first Transformer and the Apple iPad.
The design is also very similar to the Prime, with Asus offering a keyboard dock with extra battery capable of adding an extra five hours of life on top of the 10 hours the tablet has by itself.
Like in the last models, the keyboard dock features an SD card slot and USB port, while the slate itself features a microSD card reader, micro HDMI port, and 3.5mm headset jack.
The new machine also comes with a new price, and at $499 for the tablet only or $599 with the keyboard dock, it’s clear the Asus is gunning for the audience keen to spend a little less on something with quality.
While Asus has said that the new Transformer will arrive with two configurations –16 and 32GB – the company hasn’t specified which price tag goes with which. At this point, we’re assuming the $499 model without the dock has 16GB of storage, while the $599 Transformer with keyboard dock is supplied with 32GB.
Still, at just under $500, the Transformer TF300T is now cheaper than the cheapest new iPad ($539), a move few manufacturers were interested in taking when we asked in March.
As to whether or not consumers will see the price as the motivating factor, only time can tell, but it sure can’t hurt.
why buy a netbook when this will do the same thing and be a little more convenientÂ
Different devices. There’s more software for a netbook, but this will probably offer more battery life and portability.Â
So when it comes down to it, it seems that it’s $40 cheaper than the equivalent iPad. Questions: is it as easy or easier to use than an iPad? What comes with it as far as standard apps, and how many useful apps are available? I use a Mac at home, PC at work & am comfortable with both. Are there apps available equivalent to Pages, Garage Band, etc – I bought a guitar connector and can plug straight into garage band, I transfer Pages file from Mac to iPad, etc. Any review of new technology needs to give consideration to what you can do with it, not just the physical specs. It may be an iPad killer or not, but I can’t judge from this review
Very different. This wasn’t a review, either. We’re waiting on a review unit, but it should be around the corner.
Android’s biggest downside is the lack of productivity apps, so no, you don’t get GarageBand, but I suspect there will be other competing apps around the corner.
You can check out the review of the Transformer Prime here, which will be very similar:Â https://gadgetguy.com.au/product/asus-transformer-prime-tf201/