Asus’ EeePad Transformer has been available in the United Kingdom for a while. Now, it’s time for U.S. customers to get a taste of the Honeycomb-flavoured Transformer.
You might remember reports that surfaced last week that said Asus’ EeePad Transformer would hit Best Buy and other major retailers by the end of the month. The 16GB WiFi model was said to be arriving with a $399 price tag (and another $149 for the keyboard dock that makes this tablet so unique). Well, it looks as though those reports were correct.
Engadget reports that the device is indeed landing this month, and yes, the 16GB WiFi model will cost $399. Additionally, the 32GB version is priced at $499, and the keyboard dock’s price is sticking at $150. Unfortunately it’s not yet known if there’ll be any special price for those purchasing the two items bundled together, as is the case in the UK. That said, we do know that the units are expected to land April 26 (that’s next Tuesday for those of you unaware of today’s date).
The Transformer boasts a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera, a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera, a 10.1-inch Gorilla glass multitouch display (1280x800), a combined battery life of 16 hours (9.5 hours without the dock), built-in SRS Sound technology for dynamic 3D stereo audio, and a mini HDMI output port. Additional features include 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, a G-sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, e-compass and GPS. The docking station provides a full QWERTY keyboard, unique Android Function keys, an SD card reader, two USB ports and the additional battery.
Any takers?
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Jane McEntegart works in marketing communications at Intel and was previously Manager of Content Marketing at ASUS North America. Before that, she worked for more than seven years at Tom's Guide and Tom's Hardware, holding such roles as Contributing Editor and Senior News Editor and writing about everything from smartphones to tablets and games consoles.
This comes with Andriod right? I think this could be awesome. Though I think I would want to demo it out before buying. Thinking of just my normal Andriod usage on my Evo, I'm not sure what the extra screen space would be as useful for. I guess reading. I still love the little Asus netbooks, my portable "smart terminal" I used to use my old Palm pilot to plug into serial ports and console into them.
It's a $200 netbook (I mean look at the specs, plus no Windows license drops the price further), selling for $400. Oh and to get the keyboard is another $150? Nice.
While 400 for the pad seems fine, 150 for the keyboard/dock does not, in my opinion. And since it's one of the strong points of this device... meh... I still will suggest it, though, to friends looking for tablets but not happy with the restrictions.
