ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A1 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer (Tablet Only)

I was lucky enough to wake up early today and go to Memory Express in Edmonton and they had one. Stores received a limited amount of tablets and they were all sold out within hours, including here on Amazon. I've been playing with this thing for hours now and so far I've only had great experiences with it.

The main feature for me is the remote desktop: you can access your PC, whether it's a Mac or a PC, if they're both connected to your home wi-fi connection. You can control your PC from anywhere and use all of its features. I watched a HD movie and worked on MS Word docs, everything went smoothly.
The tablet doesn't weigh much for its size and the IPS screen is amazing, it's the same screen used on the iPad 2. I'm not a person who needs to buy products made by just one brand. I like Apple and I own a iPhone 4, but when it came to deciding which tablet to buy, I went for the Transformer because it offers me a tablet/netbook function, the best of both worlds.
The tablet itself has a microSD card slot so I already have 32GB more to use it. The docking station (which can be purchased by 149.99) has 2 USB ports and 1 SD Card slot.
You can edit Microsoft Office docs on it using Polaris Office, it's great and this app comes pre-installed on it. Playing mp3s or acc files on it it's great too. You can use the app MyNet to play music from your own PC or Mac, via bluetooth.

I'm playing SNES games using SNESoid app and using a Wiimote/Classic Controller via Bluetooth and everything works great! It has native email (which Blackberry Playbook doesn't) and you can sync your calendar and contacts easily. It has full flash compatibility. For $399, there's nothing on the market with these specs. The Motorola Xoom has similar specs and it costs $200 more. It doesn't give you the option to attach a docking station with all those slots. When I buy computers, I want to be able to upload content to it easily, or transfer files from it easily as well. The Apple system is ok but needing iTunes for everything is kinda like a dictatorship. I had to jailbreak my iPhone to be able to play SNES games on it, or even listen to music on Grooveshark. That's where the Android Market comes in.

You can download any apps you want, any developer can create apps for it, it's a "free" system. It's not as wide as the App Store, but it's getting bigger and bigger by the minute. I downloaded the Kindle app and already transferred all my e-books to it (I also own a Kindle and I love it).

There are some quirks that have to be tweaked with Honeycomb 3.0 OS and that's something Google is working on. That's easy since updates will be released (an update is scheduled in 2 days). So that will improve the overall performance of the OS. But I honestly didn't have any issues with it, I really like Honeycomb 3.0 so far.

I definitely recommend this thing for people who want to use their tablets as an extension or even a replacement to their laptops. Asus has hit a home run with this one, since it costs much less than anybody else and its specs are great. It's hands down the best purchase I've had under 400 bucks.

The docking station is sold out anywhere else but I pre-ordered it on Amazon and I'm hoping to get it in a couple of weeks. I'll post a video with the combo once I get everything up and running. I'm a iOS person who's welcoming Android with open arms!

Review Update: Apr 29 2011 - Ok, so I've been using my Transformer for a few days so I'd like to add a few pros and cons to this review.

Pros: beside what's been mentioned above, I noticed that:

- multitasking is really easy on the Transformer. You can quickly jump from one app to the other, check e-mails, browse something on Wikipedia, listen to music and even have your Skype session open at the same time. I was chatting with my dad and multitasking and had no issues. The Skype app needs updates, but that's nothing to do with Asus.

- File Manager: this feature is great! You don't have to hook up your Transformer to your computer all the time to move, copy or paste files. You can create new folders and even transfer files from your microSD card straight to it. I transferred a movie from my microsd Card folder (path is root\removable to access microSD files) to my Movies folder and it was very quick. And I didn't need to plug it in in order to access or move the files.

- Widgets: Your Desktop Area (Or Asus Launcher) is very wide so you can add many widgets to it, and they're very handy. That's something that can't be done on the iPad 2. Mind you Widgets can affect the speed a bit, but nothing noticeable at all. Those people running speed tests between iPad 2 and the Transformer need to bear that in mind.

- Weight: believe it or not, it doesn't feel heavy at all for its size.

Cons: ok, so here it is:

-smudges on screen - it's a fingerprint magnet but all tablets are, so not a big deal. I'm cleaning it whenever needed using a nice cloth (the one that I use for lenses) with a bit of water/alcohol and it looks pristine after that. Let me know if you find a better way to clean fingerprints.
It doesn't need wiping on a daily basis. I looked it up and for IPS screens, the best way to clean it is to use a mix of distilled water and alcohol, but I'm using tap water. I like this thing so much that I would buy another one tomorrow if something happened to it! (wait, maybe not tomorrow, it's still sold out everywhere)

-HD video playback in Fullscreen mode using the YouTube App: ok, this might be Honeycomb-related and therefore something that can be dealt with via future updates. You might notice a bit of choppy frames here and there. I find the iOS more stable for this type of playback. But there's no problems playing HD video from your microSD card or even if you upload a HD video to the Transformer hard drive, you won't have problems watching it. There's more than enough RAM to support HD video streaming.

-charger: I'm planning on using it all the time, so the cord is not long enough. If I have it on a desk, I need a power bar or outlet really close by, to leave it plugged in if I wanna save some battery. Well, tablet + docking gives you 16 hrs of battery... so you really don't have to have it plugged in. But this suggestion could be emailed to Asus so they could release a charger with a longer cable, that would be sweet.

Other observations: Camera: not that great, it's an average camera. Am I gonna use it for super important pics? Definitely not, I got a nice camera for that. But for daily use, it's not too bad.

***UPDATE June 13*** - I've been using the TF for 6 weeks now, and I also have the keyboard dock, which I got 2 weeks ater getting the tab. I can safely say it has become my main "go to" device: web browsing, music, movies, games, word processing, reading books and comics, news, remote desktop, you name it. I still use my PC and my smartphone but not as much as I use the tablet.

- For people who wonder if light bleed gets worse as time goes by: I was lucky enough to get a unit with no light bleed other than a tiny spot (barely noticeable) on the left side of the tablet, and it's been the same since day 1. But compared to my friend's iPad, I can safely say mine has no light bleed whatsoever. Some of the newer batches got units with really bad lemons but I think this was due to ramping up the production like crazy. I heard they manufactured 300,000 units in June so I think they'll improve their quality control dept and make spanking sharp units now.
- Honeycomb 3.1: Asus was one of the first ones to release the 3.1 update and it fixed the YouTube app HD video issue (at least on mine). I think 1080p is overkill on a 10.1 inch screen so the 720p HD on the YouTube app works like a charm. Playing movies straight out of a SD card or USB drive is easy and there's no lag either, so feel free to pack lots of multimedia and play straight out of them without having to use your device's internal memory.

Touchscreen is much more responsive, browser is faster, animations flow more smoothly, full gamepad compatibility via USB, better "relationship" between dock and tablet. What really bugged me about 3.0 was that when I used the dock a lot of features seems to be toggled on/off. That has never happened after 3.1. So, overall, the update fixed a whole bunch of bugs and made the experience even better.

- Wrapping it up: battery life is great, using the keyboard to type long texts is handy... and I was able to tether the TF to my iPhone via w-fi, so now it works as a 3G-like tab. I've done both bluetooth and wi-fi tethering. Wi-fi is faster but bluetooth saves battery life. I basically do it to use Google Maps and GPS, and it's been great so far. I know they're releasing a 3G Transformer in the summer, but I don't need one since I don't wanna pay more fees to my carrier, and sign another 1 year contract just for more data plan. I can use this as a 3G alternative whenever I need a bigger screen. It works with the iPhone and I know it does work with Android devices, but I'm not sure if works with Blackberry phones. Let me know if you wanna know more about tethering and I'll be glad to help.

6 weeks after purchasing the TF, I'm still very pleased with my device.

Toshiba Thrive 10.1-Inch 32 GB Android Tablet AT105-T1032 Black

I pre-ordered the 32gb thrive here on Amazon, but became impatient and went to a local store, only to see them. We love this guide so that a second of my husband of 16 GB.

Toshiba

First - no - I do not work for Toshiba. But I fell in love with the brand a little over a year ago when I bought a new laptop Qosmio, and is by far the best team I ever had. I love today as the day I got it, so when I discovered I had a Toshiba tab Android, I had to take a serious look.

Galaxy and icons in brief

Before learning about Prosper, I was seriously considering the new 10 "Galaxy Tab. I was coveting the 8" model for some time, but it just was not ready to jump. So when the 10 "came out, I had to go through a local dealer to try a practice and I have to say, I loved the screen is alive and beautiful -. The interface is clean and is super sensitive and thin .. but definitely the first thing I noticed was that no entry of any kind;. any SD slot, USB, no nothing The sales rep said it is because everything tends to "cloud." Well That is fine, but I like the control of products, not products to control myself (hence why I'm not a fan of Apple's product line iShackle.) I am in favor of "the cloud "Amazon and get one here for my music, but I am among those who prefer to have my own locally stored material. I also like to get into the intricacies of my peripherals and use them on my own, so you do not have entries in the Galaxy was a big disappointment for me. I left the store feeling disappointed, as he was not the right time to buy a pill. But I was infected by the virus, so I went home and began researching other tabs.

Reviews here on Amazon convinced me Iconia Acer Asus was better than Transformers. And the Acer had USB ports, so I'm happy with it. But I was never a big fan of Acer, so he was not itching yet. But then I found the Toshiba thrive, and yet be so highly impressed with your laptop, I immediately felt a connection to flourish.

Each entry may need

The development has SD card, USB, mini USB and HDMI in size. And for me, this is where overrides the flourishing of competition - Toshiba only "gets" that make products that end users remain in control and offer a truly liberating experience. I have an HDMI port on my Toshiba laptop size too, and let me tell you, that completely changed my computing experience! My laptop is connected to a plasma TV 50 "and I use a wireless keyboard and remote to turn a mouse. Let me tell you, once you use a computer that way, not just back does not. Then all those Tickets to thrive was a major deciding factor for me - and once again, Toshiba stands head and shoulders above the rest in this department I hope to connect the tablet to my HDTV and the gates and onboard SD and USB ensures .. that I have all the freedom and control of information that have come to expect.

Color Display

When I first saw the peak of my local electronics store, I was a little worried about the screen was not as vibrant as the Galaxy. But then I remembered to thrive is an automatic brightness function, so I was wondering if this was the saturation limit in any way. I was easily able to find and navigate through the setup menus in the shop again, off automatic brightness - and voila! - The display of success was so vibrant and rich as the Galaxy! The colors and clarity are nothing short of stunning. I hate to say this, but the screen is probably better than my 50 "plasma (only a couple of years, which makes it a relic in the world of technology.)

Ease of use

For me, the true test of any piece of technology is the ability to use straight from the box without the help of user manuals. I have a new printer and recently had to mess with it for several days, because the installation is not configured correctly - and in my book - which is a sure sign of a piece of junk. Thrive This, however, was very simple and easy to get the hang of a few minutes there in the store. Of course, this is both a testament to how Android 3.1 Toshiba thrive. Anyway, I was doing everything from surfing the net, to customize the configuration interface and all in a matter of minutes, all there at the store - no user manual, nothing. I even linked to my phone just for fun. The interface is so smooth and responsive, and Tegra CPU is clearly a beast, no lock, blocking or delay of any kind. Everything was fast, smooth and clean as it should. In fact, Thrive carried and protected the best YouTube videos of the Galaxy, although there may be many reasons why, if all the Wi-Fi store.

Back Rubber

Some may not think much about it, but believe me, is very impressive and makes a thriving like velvet in my hands! It also gives me confidence in terms of durability and quality construction compressed. On the other hand, both the Galaxy and the icon has a round surface, hard and smooth, and as a result, I personally found it much more difficult to hang. I am disabled and drop things easily, so I was never quite sure who owns the Galaxy or icons. All these guides are just a few weeks old, and it is worth noting that the back of the Galaxy and the icons are scratched and scratched to the point of making them look addict. Of course, both are models of monitors in a high traffic store, but the physical condition of the two guides after only a few weeks in an exhibition suggests can expect the same points for their personal use at the time. By contrast, the rubber base ensures that no scrapes or scratches thrive on my account or anything I drop. And if he uses, I can buy a new pedestal in one of six cool colors.

Thickness

Yes, Thrive is probably twice the thickness of the Galaxy, but I'm fine with that. Especially because it is not all that much heavier. I think the extra thickness is due to the USB and HDMI inputs of the Galaxy is. Personally, I prefer having a guide a little thicker, with all the entries you want, a wafer thin guide has a USB dongle hanging from it that you always have to remember to take. It is smaller and thinner is always better, at least not to my liking. I do not want a screen 10 wafers "thick I have a fear of falling or anywhere, or easily get scratched or broken. The Galaxy did not feel very durable, and Iconium. While the added thickness and rubber back to prosperous feel more durable;. how could survive being accidentally dropped, or placed on a table with rubber backing to help him survive minor spills with disability, I need something durable, and the end seems to thrive will last much more easily and the icons and the Galaxy is not a super-thick tablet here;. is still very thin is very light;. if not, my hands cramp and I can understand at first.

Wider body - more to get my paws On!

The booming is a bit larger than both the Galaxy and icons - the size of the screen is the same in all three, but to thrive box is about half an inch wider, which is great because it gives me an advantage little more to cling to without covering your fingers on the screen. I have big hands, so it all adds up to a good thing for me. In general, the flourish only feels better in my hands, and much more resistant and durable.

Screensavers

I am a fan of the "helicopter blade" screen savers and have been using in all my touchscreen devices for years. I went ahead and ordered a full body shield for my 32gb thriving pre-order. But after getting my hands on my husband's 16 GB thrive, I realize that I do not want to cover the bottom of my velvet rubber growing, with a screen saver. They have not arrived yet, but hopefully we can use the back of the shield in front of our 16GB thrive (the two parts seems to be the same shape and size.) If not, no big deal, otherwise we will guard screen. I am a big believer in the screen saver and saved me from accidental scratches more than once.

Entertainment Hub

I read that the tablets are trying to advantage for the channel that connects all your devices - TV, mobile phone, computer, etc, and after receiving such thrive in my hands, I can see how many pills you can fill that void. I love my laptop Qosmio, but I prefer not to take it out. And my smartphone is great, but the screen is too small to enjoy surfing the net over him. But now, with Prosper, you can stay connected and continue to enjoy an experience full of movement, or even at home, all in the palm of my hands. I've never been on social networks, but I realize that for someone with limited mobility, this could be my conduit to the outside. I totally can see how to use this guide in a social aspect while watching TV would be to extend and improve my expertise. I can only get on Twitter, too, and prosper all that thanks to this! Duh - I'm starting to get because the name is to begin with!

Replaceable Battery

Some people may make sense. But I just had to replace the battery for my Harmony remote is expensive and is only 2 years. So for me, having a replaceable battery in one tablet face is huge! No other brand offers this, but to thrive.

Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1-Inch, 32GB, Wi-Fi)

Although I bought this for my wife as a birthday present in the pre-launch sales in New York, I used much more widely than it has so I bought a second tab 10.1 of Amazon for me. As background, I also I have a good amount of experience in the use of Motorola Xoom (no other pills with Android, though) and a second iPad. Anyway, here are my thoughts comparing the two with 10.1 Tab iPad. I will not make a comparison with Xoom Motorola (which, as of writing this review, is 10.1 Tab 's major competitor Android) as the two products are very similar. I will leave the Xoom / Tab 10.1 decision for you. Here are my thoughts:

Operating System / Interface / Web Browsing - slight edge to run Android Tab 10.1 3.1 (Honeycomb). This may simply be a personal preference, and they do not like products (such as iPad 2), which are blocked. I feel a company has no right to tell a customer how he / she has permission to use a product (like Apple does with them). However, the Android OS 3.1 is super fast and goes along with the design philosophy of open source Android operating system and color, Tab 10.1, ultimately, can be configured. Out of the box, you can easily customize a tablet Android 3.1 the way you want, and if not, is a free software out there that let you do that - no hacking / jailbreaking required. 10.1 Interface Tab 's is much cleaner than the iPhone 2, which can become very messy for applications you have installed. I also note that there seems to be a real noticeable difference in speed / performance (page loading, etc) for both products. So we're very tight now, but clearly Tab 10.1 is on the verge of something - Flash. Enough said.

Battery - 2 iPad strong advantage. Both the 10.1 and the two iPad Tab are classified by 10 hours. Keep the screen 75% of maximum brightness, I think between 7-8 hours in Table 10.1 and 90 hours to 10 in an iPhone 2. This may be the result of the brightness of the screen while watching the sheet 10.1 has a slightly brighter screen 100% of the iPhone 2. In any case, two IPAD has a greater battery life.

Resolution / screen - the edge of the tab strong 10.1 's 1280 × 800 screen in front of an iPad 2 1024x768. If you think this is insignificant, which is very bad. This means that the Galaxy 10.1 Tab screen has a resolution of 30% higher than the iPhone 2. You'll notice the difference in everything you do - and not only when viewing movies and photos. The higher resolution makes it much less eye strain, especially when reading web pages. Also, the format of the card 10.1 "widescreen s seems to work much better to see something in HD. It's a shame that the iPad 2 uses the aspect ratio of 4:03 die because there are a lot of wasted real property on the screen in the form of black bars when viewing anything in widescreen. With Tab 10.1, the screen is completely filled with the video.

Photography - Strong to the page edge 10.1. Tab iPad 10.01 2 hits out of the water here and is not even close. The Guide is compared to the 2.0 megapixel camera (versus 2 IPAD 0.3 megapixels) and 3.0 megapixel camera, looking back (IPAD 2 vs. 0.7 megapixels) camera. Of course, never replace the S & P / SLR / camcorder with a pill, but it is good to have a camera that can take a decent photo / video when you're in a hurry.

Portability - Even. The chip is an insignificant 1.10 0.03 pounds lighter and thinner than 0.2 mm the iPhone 2.

Cachet - clear advantage for the iPad 2. Apple has a monopoly on this topic, it seems. Apple is only the most fashionable products. Most likely no one will look at a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and think "Wow, that looks great. I need one." I'm not saying that the 1.10 tab is ugly, but the brushed metal finish on the iPad look and feel a little better.

Price - even. Samsung I'm really surprised not to undermine the IPAD two prices, even for $ 50.

This is the second leading cause of death iPad as reported here and there in the media? Honestly, no, but that is because most consumers buy Apple iPhone 2s are loyal to the brand - not necessarily thinking of buying the best product. I really wish I could rate 4.5 stars with 10.1 Tab. For reference, if I were to write a review of an iPhone 2, I would give it 4 stars. Tab Dar 10.01 5 stars seems a bit too generous I feel the lack of an SD slot and slight plasticky feel perceived disadvantages, as is the price (which is not less than a second iPhone with the same amount of memory). And giving Tab 10.1 4 stars seems a disservice because I think ultimately it is a tablet in the circulation and, in my opinion, definitely has an advantage over the iPhone two.

MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch, 32GB, Wi-Fi)

Xoom When I started a week ago, I called and I was amazed. I can use multiple devices, and my first impression was not stellar Xoom. However, I could see the potential, so I went with it, I have some applications, I began to learn the interface and the depth of shots.

At some time during the two days of using Xoom really hit me. Xoom and IPAD are like chess and checkers. When you get to play chess (or attempting to use Xoom, in my analogy surprisingly) feel overwhelmed and confused. You can not really do well, you do not understand the options, not just a great first impression. On the other hand, their first game of checkers (or use the IPAD) is likely to be very good. It's not complex, plus all the options and concepts are obvious and easy to understand and his first game will be very similar to the hundredth.

But as they begin to understand the Xoom (or chess) that really starts to grow on you. You know what I can do, how to do the incredible depth and capacity of the device. While the iPhone (or women) players are still more or less the same experience time and again, with Xoom every day experience with the device makes it more powerful and enjoyable to use. In the end, Xoom does a much better device than any other competition, it just takes some time to learn what you can and getting the most out of it.

As can be seen in the last three paragraphs was not exactly impressed with Xoom to start. I was not even sure it would replace the current arrangements for most things. However, for two days I started to really "get" the device.

This first happened when I had to watch and note that someone sent me a PDF document. I downloaded my e-mail, and was able to really put in the memory of Xoom wherever I wanted in any folder I wanted. Wow, that's fine, you can do in competition. Then I was able to open a PDF reader of fantasy, with this program (which I find on the market costs). I went through and did what I needed (a tool of incredible free hand drawing, which was very easy), so I jumped back to e-mail, attaches the PDF file you just edited and sent. Now maybe not only hardworking, but I do not think this is possible in a competition. That the freedom to download files, you need to do, and then send them back. I've always used the iPhone requires files to be something like Dropbox, which is fine, except that he would have done what I did without using a computer impossible.

Another moment "WOW" came when I wanted to get some e-book device. Now, in my Apple products is usually pain, you connect the device to your computer, open iTunes go, please go to determined in a given area, and a particular feature, and if you do everything you can drag on your ebooks to the reader. Xoom was pretty simple. For ebooks I had in my team left them in the Dropbox, so downloaded Xoom, and the file manager that Xoom easily moved to a "Books" folder that I new Documents folder. Quick, quick, easy and done in the device, not the PC.

However, what really surprised me was when I wanted some books on the web. Using a normal browser I was able to just download directly from the Internet on the device. Then use the File Manager again and just moved into the correct folder. That really impressed me was disconnected from my Tablet PC, I could surf the web all, everything is downloaded, and then use them all without having to tie my team. I was hooked.

With my new enthusiasm does not require my computer to use the tablet was a forum for the development of Android developers to the application here had posted a lot of interesting applications that were in beta or wanted to promote. In the devices of the competition the only way to get an application through the portal is sanctioned and controlled, not as the Android (and therefore Xoom). Using Xoom browser bounced me around the forum, I downloaded the beta application, and then was able to install easily. Again, this is the device, and these applications were not approved, awesome.

Another example of something that caught my attention was on my third day with the device. I was using the application of CNN (which is free and optimized compressed, have a look) and I saw a video of a story that I found very interesting, but it was one of those is just a teaser, and the rest is in another site. When I got these videos on my iPhone I have only to try to remember to watch them on a computer, since it is inevitably based on flash. Not so in the Xoom, I wrote the address, the flash loads fine, and I was watching the video in full screen without problems.

This growth process more comfortable with the team and learning what he could do was in the last days. At every turn he would find something amazing that was not possible on the boards of the competition. I discovered the glory of widgets (custom workspaces that display little time or news, or whatever). I found some live wallpaper (wallpaper animated movement that can change and adapt to things like climate). I kept finding new impressive features and uses.

One thing I want to play in what is perhaps more technical than the rest of my analysis is the screen. I use my tablet for reading ebooks I started using pills for a while and found a job very well for this. I do most of my reading at night before bed, to the backlit display is really useful compared to a traditional reader. Anyway, one thing that always bothered me about the iPad as an eReader is the pixel density (the number of pixels (or square blocks of color) in every inch of space on the screen) is very low. The iPad is about 130PPI (pixels per inch). Was so low that it really gave me eyestrain remarkable to read the device, I could see the pixels, and it was not really a great reading experience. This was so pronounced that in the last month I actually had most of my reading on a 4th generation iPod Touch. Had a smaller screen, but a higher pixel density.

Anyway, Xoom has a very marked increase in pixel density resolution y. With its high resolution that is approximately 33% more pixels than the iPad, approximately 300,000 extra pixels. This is something you can immediately see when you look at the text. It is much softer and easier to read on Xoom. However, the downside is that the iPhone has a different type of screen has better viewing angle and color / contrast. In my case I do not care much, I think the pixel density to be 1000 times more important than small improvements in color and viewing angles, but I feel I should mention it.

My point in these last two paragraphs is that Xoom is a much better device for displaying text that any resolution of the lowest competition. If you are looking for a pill to read newspapers, books and websites, then you should Xoom or other pills of a high resolution view. In my opinion the resolution on the IPAD 2 / IPAD is not enough for the text.

Welp, this is really starting to long, so I guess it must end. I know this is not an opinion, as usual, you read it, but I really wanted to give people an idea of ​​the experience of using Xoom to only give the facts and the collapse and comparisons. The Xoom is a device that improves exponentially the more you use. After a few days of use I can not really imagine going back to the limitations and frustrations of the competition. However, on my first day I was so impressed, so make sure you stick with it and get used to it. Now I'm going to dinner with me and I'll take my Xoom, which is streaming live video via the embedded Flash of wonder, the competition will be on the platform (probably in the foreseeable future).

Just want to talk I'm giving four stars Xoom, it is not perfect. Reference after I'd probably use Xoom IPAD / IPAD, two, three stars. There are still improvements that can be done with tablets. I really feel like Android and Xoom are on track, but that's not what I would call a perfect tablet is the best that is available now (for myself).

I hope someone will find my review helpful, please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have in the comments.