Asus Transformer?

chrismscotland · 26 Sep 2011 at 10:38

I've been looking at getting a tablet to replace a netbook/laptop for when I'm travelling.
I got to the point that carrying a 13" laptop along with my work laptop was silly when all I was really doing was browsing and watching video.

I tried a Motorola Xoom and its nice but I found it a little heavy to hold while reading.

I really like the Asus Transformer, on its own its lighter than the Xoom and grippier, and the keyboard dock seems an excellent idea, as much for the easy USB access, MicroSD slot and extended battery as the physical keyboard.

I was just wondering what folk thought about it v other tablets and perhaps even v netbooks, as I've noticed some of the HP/Toshiba netbooks with the new AMD chips looks very cheap, cheaper than the Transformer with the dock.

Scrutinize · 26 Sep 2011 at 12:01

if all you are doing is just browsing and a bit of office + media and don't need a laptop for heavy productivity based tasks such as autocad, creative suite etc then the asus transformer is a clear winner

you won't really go wrong with the amd fusion chip netbooks for performance, but battery life and vfm is still a concern. real world may still only come up as 4-6 hours (depending on which reviews you read). plus if you didn't like the bulk of the other tablets, would you really want the bulk of the netbook?

chrismscotland · 26 Sep 2011 at 13:46

mrk1@1 said:
if all you are doing is just browsing and a bit of office + media and don't need a laptop for heavy productivity based tasks such as autocad, creative suite etc then the asus transformer is a clear winner

you won't really go wrong with the amd fusion chip netbooks for performance, but battery life and vfm is still a concern. real world may still only come up as 4-6 hours (depending on which reviews you read). plus if you didn't like the bulk of the other tablets, would you really want the bulk of the netbook?

Well its really more for video and net browsing along with playing some SNES/Mega Drive games when I'm away from home, but being able to view and edit word, excel and powerpoint would be good too.

I did wonder how big the Transformer would be when "docked" if its roughly the same size/weight as my old HP Mini 311 was then its fine but I wouldn't want anything larger.

I'm almost of a mind to pickup a Xoom 3G with the free bluetooth keyboard that I could use if I want to type, especially as it would be cheaper overall then the Transformer.... and I reckon I could live with the weight.

Skidder · 26 Sep 2011 at 14:23

there's quite a lot of info on the transformer in the phone and tablet section thread.

I have one and it's great for what you need. the let down for me is that the office suites for honeycomb are not as capable as the transformer so some of the productivity potential is not maximised but for what you are after it's great.

Semple · 26 Sep 2011 at 14:25

I have one as well, great purchase.

Scrutinize · 26 Sep 2011 at 14:27

chrismscotland said:
Well its really more for video and net browsing along with playing some SNES/Mega Drive games when I'm away from home, but being able to view and edit word, excel and powerpoint would be good too.

I did wonder how big the Transformer would be when "docked" if its roughly the same size/weight as my old HP Mini 311 was then its fine but I wouldn't want anything larger.

I'm almost of a mind to pickup a Xoom 3G with the free bluetooth keyboard that I could use if I want to type, especially as it would be cheaper overall then the Transformer.... and I reckon I could live with the weight.

sounds like a reasonable plan.

have you considered the 11.6" lenovo x121e notebook/netbook?

£400 for the fusion E-350 variant or £370 for the intel i3 if buying direct from lenovo

ocuk thread here

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18295203

chrismscotland · 26 Sep 2011 at 14:38

Thanks for the replies folks, I had thought about one of the HP/Toshiba AMD powered laptops but ultimately I think the 10" screen is too small for Windows the 11.6" might be a shout but again its probably just going back to what I had before.... a tablet is really my preferred option.

Seems the Transformer is cheapest here at OCUK actually at £413 which is really good, I hate choosing things!

I'd have preferred something with 3G built in, its one of the reasons I ditched the wifi only Xoom as its a pain having to keep my Mifi charged all the time, although I've read that a rooted Transformer can use a USB 3 Modem which is handy.

Skidder · 26 Sep 2011 at 14:44

chrismscotland said:
Thanks for the replies folks, I had thought about one of the HP/Toshiba AMD powered laptops but ultimately I think the 10" screen is too small for Windows the 11.6" might be a shout but again its probably just going back to what I had before.... a tablet is really my preferred option.

Seems the Transformer is cheapest here at OCUK actually at £413 which is really good, I hate choosing things!

I'd have preferred something with 3G built in, its one of the reasons I ditched the wifi only Xoom as its a pain having to keep my Mifi charged all the time, although I've read that a rooted Transformer can use a USB 3 Modem which is handy.

i just tether to my phone, would rather have one 3g contract than 2

chrismscotland · 26 Sep 2011 at 15:30

Sadly I've got a Blackberry Bold 9900 which doesn't have the Wifi Tethering function, I've got a Three Mifi on contract that I used with my laptop and work-laptop so I've got a spare 15GB data sim to use, I'd imagine the Xoom 3G would be able to be used as a Wifi Hotspot like the older Android phones can.