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ASUS Eee Pad SL101 slides through the FCC, still misses promised May release
Sure, it's not unusual for gadgets to miss their shipping targets, suffering months-long delays as they jump through the varies hoops necessary before a release. Fortunately, ASUS can now check FCC approval off the Eee Pad Slider's to do list, with the Honeycomb QWERTY tablet receiving a green light from the feds late last week. ASUS has already confirmed August availability in the UK (after previously promising a May ship date), so we can only hope that the same timeframe applies stateside as well. We're also curious to see whether or not ASUS was able to use this unexpected delay to beef up supplies, so the Slide doesn't suffer a hangup similar to that of its Transformer cousin. The company has yet to confirm Slider pricing in the U.S., though we imagine those details will be revealed along with a shipping date within the next few weeks.
ASUS delays Eee Pad Slider, stretches the definition of 'soon'
That promised May release for the Eee Pad Slider shifted to a rather more ambiguous "soon" a little over a month ago, and now we're sad to report it's moving further back still. ASUS has an update on its UK Facebook profile indicating that the QWERTYfied tablet will now be shipping there sometime this Autumn, taking this extra time to throw up some surveys and better "understand what is important for our customers." That sounds dangerously close to the company's feet getting a little cold as it prepares to launch the most interestingly designed Honeycomb slab we've yet seen, but maybe if everybody leaves some encouraging comments we can get this reluctant bride out of the limo and down the aisle, already.
Eee Pad Transformer caught playing nice with PS3 controller (update: hands-on video)
Earlier this week the Eee Pad Transformer scored itself a sweet upgrade in the form of Android 3.1, and with it came USB host support. When we did our hands-on with the Honeycomb update we couldn't demo the feature because, well, the Xoom doesn't have any USB ports. But that Transformer keyboard dock has a pair of 2.0 jacks and someone was kind enough to post a YouTube vid of a PS3 controller and the ASUS tablet getting their game on. Theoretically, this should work with any USB gamepad, including those for the Xbox 360. The only drawback? You've got to be wired in -- no Bluetooth support here. Follow the break to see it in action and satisfy your Android-loving curiosity. [Thanks, Ben] Update: We managed to have a quick go on the same setup at Computex, and the tethered PS3 controller worked perfectly. Unsurprisingly though, we had no luck with the Bluetooth connection. Quick hands-on video after the break.
ASUS Eee Pad MeMO to come with glassesless 3D IPS display (update: video!)
Remember how we speculated that the final Eee Pad MeMO may come with a 3D display, courtesy of its teaser? Turns out we were right after all, as ASUS' Jonney Shih has just confirmed a glassesless 3D, 1280 x 800 IPS display for this 7-inch Honeycomb slate, which is now dubbed Eee Pad MeMO 3D. We're also told that the accompanying MeMIC Bluetooth headset will be thrown into the box, though we're still waiting on dates and prices. Until then check out the gallery below and hear our first second third impressions in the video after the break. %Gallery-124761%
Android 3.1 update for ASUS Eee Pad Transformer leaks out
ASUS' official Android 3.1 update should be coming soon enough, but Eee Pad Transformer users that just can't wait now have another option at their disposal. A seemingly final version of the update leaked out over the weekend and, by all accounts, it appears to work just fine. Of course, there aren't a ton of surprises considering that it's stock Android 3.1, but the early reports suggest that performance and general responsiveness have been improved (with the exception of JavaScript performance, which has actually taken a bit of a hit), and the 3.1 upgrade also enables a new firmware update for the Transformer dock, which brings with it some bug fixes and a new power saving mode. Hit up the source link below for all the information you need to install it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Eee Pad Transformer gets overclocked to 1.4GHz, deemed less than stable
While many of you continue your quest for an Eee Pad Transformer, some folks, predictably, have already figured out how to overclock it. Netarchy over at the XDA forum posted a custom kernel allowing hackers to crank the tablet's clock speed to 1.4GHz, the same peak reached by the ViewSonic G Tablet. Beware, though, that performance at that speed has proven unreliable, so for now the dev recommends a more modest 1.2GHz to avoid data loss, a meltdown, and "injury of assorted puppies." Par for the course, really.
ASUS: Eee Pad Transformer delays due to demand, not component shortages
We're sure you heard the rumors when hanging out in your ASUS fanboy haunts, wearing your ASUS logo hats and medallions, talking your crazy ASUS lingo with your fellow ASUS scenesters. Or maybe you thought something was up when Amazon sold out immediately. Either way, there has been plenty of chatter in the gadgetsphere as of late about the Eee Pad Transformer. Why is it so hard to find? Are component shortages to blame? Quality control issues? We've heard plenty of speculation, and now ASUSTek spokesperson David Chang is weighing in on the matter. According to Netbook News, the company has seen overwhelming demand for the device, and is currently planning to put 100,000 units on the street in May, followed by an additional 200,000-plus in June. "If the demand continues to increase substantially," said Chan, "then we will have to continue to ramp up production in order to fulfill our customers' demand." You know, that's exactly what we would do if we were in that situation!
Supply chain issues limit ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer production to 10,000 a month?
So, it seems that ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer has been hard to find, at least in part due to reasons other than customer demand. According to Netbook News, the Taiwanese company is having trouble sourcing the supplies needed to build the tablet / keyboard combo in sufficient numbers. For now, that means only 10,000 Transformers a month -- a fraction of the 300,000 ASUS was reportedly hoping to make. Word on the web suggests components in greater quantities are coming soon, and production will ramp up significantly in June. Until then, would-be owners will have to go the beg, borrow, or steal route to get one. Investing in a horseshoe or four-leaf clover might not be a bad idea, either.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer goes on sale in US, immediately sells out at Amazon
The US had to wait for its Eee Pad Transformer launch a little longer than the rest of the world, but it's finally gotten its wish today and consumers' reaction seems to have been nothing short of voracious. Amazon's order page for the $400 Android 3.0 tablet appears to have gone from "in stock" to "out of stock" within mere minutes, while Target -- the supplier fulfilling orders on behalf of Amazon -- also lists the Transformer as presently unavailable. ASUS' own Where To Buy page leads us to a bunch of dead ends as well, with Best Buy being the only retailer we can currently find with stock in the US. We can't say for sure whether we're looking at overwhelming demand or just limited supply, but it's hard to argue with ASUS' excellent value proposition here: a 10-inch IPS display, a dual-core SOC and a feature-rich tablet OS all for less than four Benjamins. You'll just need to be quick on the trigger if you want one. [Thanks, Noah]
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer hits US on April 26th for $399
We recently deemed the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer the "best Honeycomb tablet yet." Admittedly that was before we got our hands on the T-Mobile G-Slate, but it's still an awfully nice hunk of glass, and now we know just how much you're going to have to pay to get one -- and exactly when you can plunk down that credit card. The 10.1-inch Transformer with its 1280 x 800 IPS panel and 16GB of storage will cost you $399, while the 32GB version will set you back $499. That docking station, which kinda sorta turns it into a laptop? That costs $150. Units are expected to hit retail on Tuesday, April 26th, meaning you have just five days to scrounge together four or five Benjamins -- plus tax, of course.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (UK edition) review
The world's love affair with tablets may have been bubbling along under the surface for a while, but it really got started in earnest during CES 2010. Back in those wild days, you could see 15-inch jumbo screens, TV tuners, and even hybrid pseudo-laptops stalking the tablet area of your favorite trade show. ASUS was there too, of course, though it still believed in the upstart smartbook category -- a modernized take on the netbook that relied on an ARM CPU and a mobile OS to extract more battery life out of a lighter, thinner device -- and was busy showing off a seductively slim prototype of just such a machine. Alas, nothing came of that Neo concept, most likely because it was relying on Android 1.6 and a Tegra 2 system-on-chip that was then still months away from hitting the market. %Gallery-121404% Today, however, is a different day. The 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 is finally being produced in volume, Google has evolved Android to version 3.0, specifically targeting higher-resolution displays, and ASUS has abandoned the idea that a keyboard is crucial to mobile computing. No, wait, that last bit's still there. The Eee Pad Transformer is a 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet very much in keeping with the current trend, but it also has an optional keyboard dock that turns it into a, you guessed it, instant smartbook. So, does that mean you'll get two devices in one or has ASUS been overly ambitious and compromised too much? We got to grips with the £380 16GB WiFi-only model and its keyboard buddy (£430 when bought as a pair) in an effort to find out. Answers await just past the break. %Gallery-121419%
ASUS Eee Pad Slider making the jump from Tegra 2 to Atom Z670?
Last we heard, ASUS' Eee Pad Slider would pack a Tegra 2 processor just like its counterpart, the Eee Pad Transformer. There's now some pretty strong evidence suggesting that might not be the case, however, with none other than Intel letting slip that the Slider would actually pack its brand new Atom Z670 processor instead of NVIDIA's silicon. That evidence you see above cropped up on Intel's press page following its announcement for the new Atom processor, although it's since been removed -- suggesting that it was either a colossal mistake or, more likely, a reveal that was a bit too premature for ASUS' liking. Update: We've yet to receive any confirmation ourselves, but Tweakers.net says it has confirmed that ASUS will indeed be producing an Eee Pad Slider that has an Atom Z670 processor and runs Windows 7 -- apparently in addition to the Android-based Tegra 2 model.
ASUS apologizes for Eee Pad Transformer delay it won't detail, US launch pegged for end of April
Well, as far as delays go, this is looking like one that ASUS is willing to accept. As the company explains on its Facebook page, demand for the Eee Pad Transformer has apparently been so high that the first few batches have sold out "much quicker' than it had planned. That's left the global launch for the Honeycomb tablet a bit up in the air, with the company only directing folks to its Facebook pages for individual countries for more information, although they unfortunately aren't providing much in the way of details at the moment. That delay apparently won't affect the US launch, though -- at least not to any significant degree. According to the upstart website JoannaStern.com, the Transformer will be hitting the US by the end of this month with a price tag of $399, while the keyboard dock will run you $149. Could we possibly be seeing the beginnings of a tablet price war? Here's hoping. [Thanks, James A]
Transformer rooted before ASUS can get it out the door
When ASUS dumped the source code for its 10.1-inch, Honeycomb-powered Transformer tablet online we knew it was only a matter of time before someone cracked it open and bent it to their will. Before it hit store shelves here in the US MoDaCo founder Paul O'Brien managed to get his hands on one of the upcoming Android devices and, with a little help from Twitter user BumbleDroid, gained root access to the tablet. So, you'll still have to hang out for a bit before getting yours, but at least when it lands you won't have to wait to get your hack on. [Thanks, Alessandro]
Switched On: Pen again
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Last week's Switched On discussed how some next wave notions from a decade ago were trying to reinvent themselves. Here's one more. Surging smartphone vendor HTC is seeking to bring back an input method that many wrote off long ago with its forthcoming Flyer tablet and EVO View 4G comrade-in-arms: the stylus. A fixture of early Palm and Psion PDAs, Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile handsets, slim, compact styli were once the most popular thing to slip down a well since Timmy. Then, users would poke the cheap, simple sticks at similarly inexpensive resistive touchscreens. After the debut of tablet PCs, though, more companies started to use active digitizer systems like the one inside the Flyer. Active pens offer more precision, which can help with tasks such as handwriting recognition, and support "hovering" above a screen, the functional equivalent of a mouseover. On the other hand, they are also thicker, more expensive, and need to be charged. (Update: as some have pointed out in comments, Wacom's tablets generate tiny electromagnetic fields that power active digitization, and don't require the pen to store electricity itself.) And, of course, just like passive styli, active pens take up space and can be misplaced. The 2004 debut of the Nintendo DS -- the ancestor of the just-released 3DS -- marked the beginning of what has become the last mass-market consumer electronics product series to integrate stylus input. The rising popularity of capacitive touch screens and multitouch have replaced styli with fingers as the main user interface elements. Instead of using a precise point for tasks such as placing an insertion point in text, we now expand the text dynamically to accommodate our oily instruments. On-screen buttons have also grown, as have the screens themselves, all in the name of losing a contrivance.
ASUS claims Transformer is better than a generic tablet, is probably right
ASUS, you naughty tablet maker, you. Not content with giving your Eee Pad Transformer its own sitcom, you're now coming at the US with an aggressive price and some rather eye-catching promo material to boot. Reminding the world that most tablets come without a keyboard and highlighting your tailor-made solution is all well and good, but did you have to make your "generic" slate look so iPad-ish? [Thanks, Rob]
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer shows up at Best Buy for $400 (update: dock price)
Never mind the cringe-inducing advertising, ASUS has given us a much better reason to care about its Tegra 2-toting Eee Pad Transformer: a $400 price. The 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet (with 1280 x 800 resolution on an IPS display) has quickly moved from its Taiwanese release, through yesterday's UK pricing announcement, to today showing up at Best Buy in the US, so we suspect its global shipping can't be far off at all. With a sticker that's a clear $99 less than the cheapest iPad and a good deal more affordable than its Android competition like the Xoom and G-Slate, the Transformer could yet take the tablet world by storm. Do take note that the keyboard dock that inspires this slate's name is an optional extra, but given the starting price, the whole package might still end up less than what others will ask. Update: Whack attack! Best Buy has pulled the Transformer page and it no longer shows up in search results on the site. Was the price too good to be true? Thanks, Jaime! Update 2: It's looking likely that the price info was accurate, as 16GB and 32GB versions have shown up elsewhere on the web for $400 and $500, respectively, though both are currently out of stock. Thanks, Sam and James! Update 3: Ah, and now we have the price for the dock alone: $149. Thanks, Peter C.!
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and Eee Slate EP121 get official UK pricing
We've heard a fair amount of rumors and speculation about the impending release of ASUS' latest and, perhaps, craziest new slates, and now its giving us the real details -- for the UK at least. The wildly unique Eee Pad Transformer, the first of its kind rocking Honeycomb, is up for pre-order now, with an official release date of April 6th and a price of £379 for the 16GB version and £429 for the 32GB version, each on its lonesome -- you can get the 16GB iteration with the docking keyboard for £429 . Its less flashy companion, the Eee Slate EP121, sporting Windows 7 and an Intel Core i5 processor, hits Britain April 10th for £999, and is ready for pre-order exclusively through Amazon UK through May 1st. Unfortunately, we're still not sure when they'll cross the pond or how much they'll cost when they get here, but we're still fairly certain the Transformer's coming sometime next month.
ASUS rips off Big Bang Theory for Transformer promo, makes it just as unfunny as the real thing
ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer can alternate between being a tablet and a pseudo-laptop thanks to a keyboard / extended battery dock. It also has a Tegra 2 heart and a Honeycomb mind, but the company's opted to focus on its physical uniqueness in a video it's just released marking the new Pad's Taiwanese debut today. Only problem is, Jonney Shih went and listened to his son's idea (no joke!) to theme it around US comedy show Big Bang Theory, replete with Megatron jokes, bad haircuts, and gadget lust aplenty. We'll let you judge how well that worked out after the break.
ASUS to debut Eee Pad Transformer in Taiwan this Friday, Honeycomb confirmed (updated: coming to US in early April)
While we've yet to see other Honeycomb tablets materialize in the shops after the Xoom, news has it that ASUS is about to debut its Eee Pad Transformer back in its home country this Friday. There's still no final pricing to be seen for this Tegra 2 device, but some of our watchful readers have already spotted the stricken-through $799 label -- in US dollars, oddly enough -- on ASUS' Transformer countdown page on Facebook, and hopefully this price tag will cover the docking kit as well. Anyhow, anxious Android fans will be able to order this peculiar 10.1-inch slate -- in 16GB or 32GB flavor -- later this week, so that Taiwanese pen pal of yours will finally come in handy. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: We just heard from our ASUS rep here in the US and it looks like the Transformer will be hitting the US market in early April. No word on pricing yet, but we will keep you updated.
