The Asus Transformer Prime Review

So here’s the continuation of my Asus Transformer Prime review, with my previous thoughts HERE where I have touched on the physical aspect of the tablet in terms of it’s looks, size and weight.

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Now I’m just going to compact my review into a table, answering all questions that I have got since I had the tablet. I have used it in meetings, bought it out with me to events and hang out at cafes with it.

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Not surprisingly, the queries were pretty similar. I mean, everyone knows what’s a tablet by now. Everyone can google for more information. But they want to know is, is it worth buying? How is it different from other tablets on the market? Basically they want assurance of the positive reviews of which they have read or they want confirmation of the negativity they have heard.

So here goes.

Questions & Answers:

Do you like it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I do. I personally like tablets this size and the screen resolution is amazing! It’s solid feel and sleek exterior beats most other tablets on the market.asus transformer prime-1
I think it’s too expensive. Most tablets are below RM2K I think you get what you pay for. One is the Tegra® 3 Quad Core processor, another is because it comes with the mobile dock.
Price is almost similar if you buy a tablet and then buy additional docking keyboard. This one fits perfectly, and charges the tablet for a few hours more once the battery runs low.

Bragging rights:It’s the only tablet running Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Can it replace a netbook/ultrabook? Netbook – yes. Ultrabook no.

It is essentially still a tablet, which functions as an additional peripheral. Not a laptop/work station. And it does not come with a full fledged operating system like Windows to handle desktop applications.
  My suggestion solution?
Use the Polaris Office as it comes with Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Else open up a browser & edit office applications with Google Docs.

What can you use it for? Browsing, emailing, great for social share networks like Facebook and Twitter. Even blogging is not a problem. Light work using Polaris Office and Super Note.Gaming, watching videos on youtube or movie clips.
Note: It can’t play MKV files. We downloaded numerous different apps (free ones) and all played the video without sound!

In the end, I downgraded to watching MP4 videos. Jeez.

Light photo processing on photo gallery. No picasa though.
It comes with a SD card reader, so it was easy for me to transfer my pictures from the SD card to the tablet and update my blog on-to-go.

How is the camera? Pictures are of quality expected of a tablet. Not advisable for night or low light shots, even with flash. Obviously an actual camera does the work better.Specs: 1.2MP (front)/8MP auto-focus (rear) with LED flash, large F2.4 aperture

Video: HD. Clear and sharp enough. Good enough for emergency use. Obviously you’re not gonna make movies with this righttttttttttt?

WIFI/GPS issue

 

 

No problem for the WIFI for me. I have connected to many WIFI spots as I’m on-the-go most of the time and never encountered any problems.GPS: I didn’t managed to use the GPS as I’m so used to my Papago in the car. Everytime I use the GPS, it never occured to me to use the Prime.
Apparently an update from Asus has been released to fix this.
Interfaces On the Pad: 

2-in-1 audio jack (headphone/mic-in)
1x micro HDMI port
1x micro SD card reader
1 x internal microphone
1 x stereo speaker
Mobile dock: 

1 x USB 2.0 port; 1 x SD card reader
Flash support Yes! YOU Apple fanboys, take that!! 🙂
How’s the screen? Fantastic! I love the superbly clear screen. It’s also has a scratch resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass surface so I didn’t have to be gentle worry about scratches and screen protectors.The back is not scratch resistant though, so a back cover is a must if you’re anal about things like that.
External keyboard
On screen keyboard
It does taking some getting used to as I’m always on a 13”ultrabook.This is much smaller and I tend to make typos. It took me 2 weeks to get comfortable with it. Both were wonderfully responsive though.asus transformer prime-2
Feel of the tablet Wonderfully solid.
How do I charge the Prime? 1. Directly via the tablet.2. Charge through the dock. Or just charge the dock and if you connect to tablet then the tablet gets charged as well as the dock.
How was the bundled software? Polaris office was fine.
For photo processing and games and so forth, there’s always the Android market.
There’s never a lack of apps to suit your needs on the Android market (free or paid ones)!
Why else should I consider the Transformer Prime over other brands? The addition ultra-convenient ASUS webstorage with 8G life time FREE space for easy sharing & expandability.
Would you buy it? No. An ultrabook, which is lighter and able to handle all processing tasks is more suitable for my hectic lifestyle.asus transformer prime review-2
Would you recommend this tablet to anyone who’s looking into getting one?

 

 

 

 

Yes, if you are looking for an Andriod tablet.
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So is there anything else that anyone would like to ask me? 🙂
You can read about my first impressions (more pictures too) HERE!!

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This Post Has 33 Comments

  1. ulric

    Good review…answers all my questions…decided that an ultrabook suits me better! =)

    1. rebeccasaw

      Thanks Ulric! 🙂
      That’s what a review is for right??

      1. ulric

        Oh yes…u got it spot-on…now my headache is what ultrabook to get…or shud I get a more powerful 13.3-inch slim notebook?…hehe =)

      2. rebeccasaw

        Samsung just launched theirs today! But no event launch. I just got press release.
        And Dell’s nx month.
        I have so far been to the launch of:
        1. ACER ASPIRE S3
        2. Asus Zenbook
        3. Lenovo U300S
        4. Toshiba Protege Z830

    1. rebeccasaw

      I love it love it love it! 🙂 Totally looks good carrying it around for sure!

  2. eyriqazz

    wahh,saw denaihati there..great guy, love to read his blog….

    1. rebeccasaw

      Oh yes?? Yup Mr denaihati is a great fella! 🙂
      This was a meeting for a big campaign for some bloggers (incl him) by my company Rouge communications. But you’re on contract right? Else I can give you some campaigns as well.

    1. rebeccasaw

      yup, very gorgeous piece of technology there 🙂 !

  3. Simple Person

    Very details….
    how many % market share Asus intend to capture?

    1. rebeccasaw

      Yikes! Can’t believe I forgot to add in the price.
      It’s RM2199. Let me know if you’re serious. Will ask if there’s special rate 🙂

  4. Akulah Pak Lan

    I guess the dock in keyboard must be expensive. I have one of samsung tablet. But asus version looks better. Btw i love asus. Use to have one, but being stole.

    1. rebeccasaw

      Oh man! Stolen!! Was it a laptop?
      The transformer prime looks good eh? 🙂

      1. Akulah Pak Lan

        Yes stolen asus lappy that i used to play games.

        Asus tablet looks better than samsung. But never tried it before. Android still have problem in battery issue. It suck quite fast compare to apple

      2. rebeccasaw

        this one got no battery problm at all! really! 🙂

      3. rebeccasaw

        Let’s watch out fr the PadFone!
        If u wan Zenbook – it’s good too.

      4. Akulah Pak Lan

        Lets wait for it. but planning to get slim lappy. Macbook seems good for my requirement. But normal la, expensive

      5. rebeccasaw

        Ahh MAc. Don’t la. Hahaha

      6. Akulah Pak Lan

        Seriusly addictted to MAC. Can install windows somemore. 2 OS. woho! haha

      7. rebeccasaw

        Ahh then if ur an Apple fanboy, then u should stick to it

  5. Fiona

    I want to get a tab..so do you recommend this to be the 1st choice? And do you knw where can I get it?

    1. rebeccasaw

      Hi Fiona
      Depends on what you’re using it for. Do u need an attached keyboard?

  6. sofia

    i reaaally want to get this tablet! i’m so used to using a laptop, just want to change la =) but my concern is whether it is suitable for students? since we need to do a lot of assignments using word, excel and powerpoint. that is my main concern, aside from how it performs whilst playing games..

    1. rebeccasaw

      hAHAHAH .. ok ok.. so when are you getting it!? 🙂

    2. sofia

      i mean, does Polaris office adequate for doing assignments or is it just for basic use or i should just opt for a laptop instead?

      1. rebeccasaw

        Oh no.. Polaris can’t do everything that Ms Office can do.. basically it’s still a tablet.
        An ultrabook would be a better choice in this case.

  7. CK

    Hi,
    I have been looking for the ASUS Prime for some time, and I have a few questions in mind before I go and get it
    (1) Can this asus prime connect to usb printer directly ? considering I don’t have a wifi printer or anyother PC or notebook.
    (2) Can I type without the dock / keyboard ?
    (3) What are the differences between polaris office and MS office ?
    (4) Can I connect the ASUS prime to my external hard disk ?
    (5) Do you know when will the ASUS Transformer Pad infinity TF700 going to launch ? What is the price range ?
    Thanks

    1. rebeccasaw

      Thanks for your comment CK!
      Let me get back to you.

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