PCFormat Forum Archive

Taipei, Taiwan (November 9, 2011) — ASUS has officially announced the world's first tablet featuring the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor – the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Cooperatively working with NVIDIA® to launch the first quad-core tablet in the world, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime features the innovative ASUS exclusive mobile dock, presenting a harmony of beauty and strength. ASUS CEO Jerry Shen says, "The combination between the Eee Pad Transformer Prime and Tegra 3 is the perfect fusion to deliver an uncompromising tablet experience. Together, we bring a whole new mobile computing experience to consumers around the world”. Echoing that sentiment, NVIDIA’s President and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang states, “The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a category-defining product. Powered by Tegra 3, it brings us into a new era of mobile computing, in which quad-core performance and super energy-efficiency provide capabilities never available before. With Transformer Prime, ASUS has once again led the industry into the next generation.”



In addition to having superior multimedia performance, the Transformer Prime also boasts an 8.3mm ultra slim metallic spun finish with enhanced features including audio powered by ASUS SonicMaster technology, an 8MP rear auto-focus camera with LED flash and battery life rated for up to 18 hours* when combined with the mobile dock. Pricing will range from $499** to $599**, with the mobile dock an optional accessory priced at $149**. An official launch event with live demonstration is scheduled for early December when ASUS will unveil what happens when the Eee Pad Transformer Prime meets Ice Cream Sandwich.



Incredibly slim
Featuring an incredibly slim form factor, the Transformer Prime is a svelte 8.3mm thin and the only metallic tablet that weighs in at a mere 586g. It brandishes a metallic spun finish design made of aluminum for a secure yet extremely comfortable grip that comes in two gorgeous colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold.



Ultra performance
The Transformer Prime is the world’s first tablet to feature NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra® 3 processor, creating a new breed of high powered tablet devices. With the quad-core CPU, 12-core GeForce® GPU and vSMP technology, the Transformer Prime delivers the best and fastest experience for tablet based multitasking, web browsing, full HD video playback and of course, games.



Unrivaled visual acuity
The Eee Pad Transformer already boasts a wide 178° viewing angle IPS display, protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass, but the Transformer Prime goes further, upgraded with a brighter Super IPS+ screen that enhances the brightness of the screen for a better outdoor reading experience. A 1.2MP front camera allows for video conferencing while an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash takes brilliant photos thanks to a large F2.4 aperture, back illuminated CMOS sensor, touch-to-focus depth of field and low light noise reduction to provide the clearest and sharpest photos. A first for any tablet, the 8MP camera on the Transformer Prime also has the ability to take full 1080p HD video.



Supreme sound
The Transformer Prime houses impressive audio, powered by ASUS exclusive SonicMaster technology, renowned for crisp and acoustically accurate audio. It produces crystal clear sound with a wide sound range, increased sound fidelity, and distinct vocal enhancements not found on any other tablet in the market.



Unlimited productivity
The Transformer Prime is offered in both a 32GB and 64B model along with a micro SD card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jack and micro HDMI port so sharing both what’s inside and on screen is quick and easy. However, the function that gives the Transformer Prime its namesake is the mobile dock, which gives new meaning to the term versatility. The innovative and convenient design seamlessly provides the user with a keyboard and touchpad, along with limitless expandability options via the USB port and SD card slot. Alone, the Transformer Prime has a battery life of up to 12 hours*, but when combined with the mobile dock, it lasts up to an incredible 18 hours*, the longest battery life of any tablet. Preinstalled application SuperNote is fantastic for its ability to take, draw or record notes, while Polaris® Office is great for staying productive with the ability to read and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-2007 version compatible) files.

*Battery life may vary based on usage.
**Pricing will vary by country and SKU.

For the full PR, please see this link:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12287926/PR%20A ... 0Event.zip

When can we expect it here in SA? And when is the 3G model likely to show itself?

+1 To Monty's question. Also want the 3G model...

I hate when it says * battery life depends on usage when you have it on standby only for that time but like 1 hour if you run a game.

You also hate DRM, Sony, and a lot of other things. We find it very entertaining.

Why would anyone buy anything else after this? Brilliant. Want!

Monty wrote:You also hate DRM, Sony, and a lot of other things. We find it very entertaining.

Well love makes the world go round and since it hasnt stopped spinning yet you have no reason to be worried ..yet.

What I didn't say though is I was wondering how well this would work as a laptop replacement? Office is pretty much the corner stone of why you own a laptop but as I havent had a chance to work with a macbook I could be wrong.

I want this for several Reasons.

1. Pathology images.
2. Taking notes and reviewing lecture slides.
3. ???
4. Profit


I'll use a desktop for gaming etc.

Reviews are coming for the Prime. So far so good and I am definitley wanting one, now if only our ASUS bot could give us a indication as to when the South African market would be able to buy it? Might just buy it from expansys...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5163/asus ... 3-review/1

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime & NVIDIA Tegra 3 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on 12/1/2011 1:00:00 AM

Going from making good motherboards to going head to head with Samsung for Google's affection is a pretty big step for ASUS, but it's one that the company has taken and done very well with. None of its peers have made the same transition, especially not while continuing to thrive in their existing businesses. I don't think anyone can say that ASUS' motherboards have suffered over the past several years as the company has transitioned, much like Apple, into the world of being a mobile computer manufacturer.

ASUS' first Android tablet was a knock out of the park. The original Eee Pad Transformer gave us a glimpse of the future with its keyboard dock while delivering a good Honeycomb experience for $100 less than the competition. As many sacrifices as ASUS had to make to reach its price point, the original Eee Pad remains one of the best Honeycomb tablets on the market. But the show must go on and simply being the cheapest on the block doesn't work anymore, particularly with companies like Amazon redefining what cheap means. It was time for a new flagship and today we have that tablet:

Follow the link for further reading. I am on page 4 and I already want this device...

WANT WANT WANT!

I just wish ASUS bot could update the info on availability... Need to know if I can get before my Wedding .

Anakha56 wrote:I just wish ASUS bot could update the info on availability... Need to know if I can get before my Wedding .

Here you go. This guy says that SAffers can expect it in march, which is accurate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xst19oKqVeE

Aw To far away to be a Xmas Will make a killer BDay gift . Thanks for the reply much appreciated .

Good Lord, this tablet, combined with this, this and this makes for a sub-notebook sized PC I may actually want to own...

add a likewise-open analog to the list and i could possibly get marketing to shut-the-front-door over tablets...

Guess what? Sad news everyone (but rusty) the Transformer Prime is delayed indefinitely for bad WiFi range...

http://www.bgr.com/2011/12/12/asus-tran ... port-says/

ASUS Transformer Prime launch delayed indefinitely, report says

ASUS has reportedly delayed the launch of its highly anticipated Transformer Prime convertible tablet. ASUS’s new tablet was expected to launch this week but Wi-Fi issues have seemingly set things back. ”The WiFi range on the TF201 did not meet our quality standards,” a spokesperson from ASUS Canada reportedly told Engadget in a statement. The spokesperson continued, saying that ASUS will not launch the slate until the wireless performance issues are fixed. The Transformer Prime will be among the first quad-core tablets to reach market when it finally hits store shelves, though ASUS did not indicate how long its solution for these wireless issues would take to implement. Pre-orders are still being taken for the Transformer Prime, which starts at $499.99.

Hmm, I see the newer Transformers will ship with Windows 8 as well as Android

I'm not a fan of 8 on notebooks and desktops, but the jury is still out mobile devices and tablets...

I will be more familiar with Windows 8 than I will be with whatever flavour of Android is out when I'm looking to buy...

Do.
Not.
Want. [or need]

GTFO (of here)

jamin_za wrote:Hmm, I see the newer Transformers will ship with Windows 8 as well as Android

When you say Windows 8 and Android, do you mean we get to pick whether we want a Win8 or Android one, or will it dual boot? Win8 immediately makes it R2k+ more expensive.

Bladerunner wrote: Win8 immediately makes it R2k+ more expensive.

Not sure if trolling or just ignorant of how OEM licensing works

jamin_za wrote:

Bladerunner wrote: Win8 immediately makes it R2k+ more expensive.

Not sure if trolling or just ignorant of how OEM licensing works

Let's call it exaggeration. Regardless, it will be more expensive if bundled with Win8, hence my asking.

More expensive by R100 or so...
But you will have a choice between Andriod and Win8 it seems

jamin_za wrote:More expensive by R100 or so...
But you will have a choice between Andriod and Win8 it seems

What choice is that? lol
droid for life or gtfo.