Showing posts with label ASUS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASUS. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
ASUS Transformer Prime bootloader unlocking tool now available
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Asus Padfone Confirmed For MWC 2012 Launch
Yesterday we heard a rumor hat Asus would be showing of their new smartphone and tablethybrid device, the Asus Padfone at this years Mobile World Congress which takes place in Barcelona next month.
Now Asus has confirmed that the Padfone will appear at MWC 2012, and sent out invites, which you can see below, featuring the new Asus Padfone.
We are looking forward to seeing the new Asus Padfone, a device which we first heard about early last year, and it is made up of a 4 inch smartphone and a 10.1 inch tablet which are docked together to form one device.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Asus Transformer Prime Bootloader Unlock Tool Coming In February
Asus made the announcement on Twitter, and the company has confirmed that they will make the bootloader unlock tool available for the Transformer Prime in February.
Just got word that the root tool for the @ASUS #TransformerPrime should be coming in February. ^EJ
Asus originally said that the Transformer Prime came with a locked bootloader was due to Google DRM, and after they received quite a large amount of feedback they decided to release the tool for the device.
As soon as we get some information on exactly when in February Asus will release the bootloader unlock tool for the Transformer Prime we will let you guys know.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Asus Announces B23E Business Notebook
Asus has added a new notebook to their range with the Launch of the Asus B23E, which is designed with business users in mind and features a 12.5 inch LED backlit display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.
processing on the Asus B23E comes form a choice of Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7processors and you can have up to 8GB of RAM and up to 750GB of storage via HDD.
Other specifications on the Asus B23E notebooks include Bluetooth, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, one USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a USB and eSATA port, a smart card slot, VGA, an express card slot, HDMI and audio jacks.
It also features a 48whr battery and comes with a range of security features which include a fingerprint reader and more, it will come with Windows 7 and the Core i7 model will retail at around $999.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sony Tablet S vs Asus Eee Transformer Prime
Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a tablet that is enjoying a lot of publicity in the run up to its expected December release. But this isn't all that surprising when you consider its pakcing a next-generation chipset and bleeding-edge hardware.
It's important to look past the 'power is everything' mantra though, as Apple's iPad 2 has decisively proven, and with that in mind we've selected a stellar Android tablet – the Sony Tablet S – to hold up against Asus' new creation to get a view of exactly how much it offers.
Display
The Asus Eee Transformer Prime ships with a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD display with a resolution of 1280x800 and a pixel density of 149PPI, which is well above average in the current market.
Sony's Tablet S is similarly well equipped too, with a 9.4-inch TFT operating at 800x1280 and boasting a pixel density of 161PPI.
While similarities are undoubtedly evident, the Asus' Eee Transformer Prime's more modern screen tech easily takes the tape ahead of Sony's good, but unspectacular display.
Winner - Asus Eee Transformer Prime
Software
Both tablets run on Google's very capable Android operating system, specifically version 3.2 (Honeycomb) which has been optimised to provide a solid experience on tablets.
The platform features re-designed core applications, new holographic-style UI which includes a new persistent 'action bar' for user alerts and a spiffy new keyboard to make typing from your tablet easier than ever.
Beneath the aesthetic refinements Honeycomb offers the same excellent basic functionality that every other iteration of the OS provided. It's customisable, very easy to use and has a huge app catalogue for users to select from in the form of Android Market.
One area to watch out for is the lack of tablet-specific applications on Android. Sure, it's something that Google is working with developers to improve, but right now Honeycomb is meagrely catered for in terms of unique apps.
Winner - Draw
Camera
Sony's Tablet S features a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus, image stabilisation, geo-tagging, face & smile detection and 720P video capture, which performs well and is capable of producing some top-quality images in good conditions.
The device also features a secondary 0.3-megapixel camera for video calling.
Asus' Eee Transformer Prime ups the ante with an excellent 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging and 1080P video capture, as well as a secondary 1.2-megapixel snapper for video calling.
Images and videos produced by the Asus were way above our expectation and, in our opinion, the best quality that we've seen on any Android tablet to date.
Winner - Asus Eee Transformer Prime
Power
The Asus Eee Transformer Prime boasts a quad-core 1.3GHz CPU and ULP GeForce GPU, giving it a huge advantage over any other tablet on the market, and many laptops too.
As you would expect apps run at full-tilt on the device, and games are handled perfectly thanks to the cutting edge graphics technology.
In addition to its mammoth chipset the Transformer Prime boasts 1GB RAM, 32 or 64GB on-board storage and support for micro SD cards up to 32GB in size, making it easily the most powerful tablet on the planet right now.
The Sony Tablet S features a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with ULP GeForce GPU and performs excellently as a result. The device also offers up 1GB RAM and either 16 or 32GB of storage for your consideration too.
On any normal day the Tablet S' drive-train would be perfectly impressive, but the Asus Eee Transformer Prime is a bit of a bully in the power department, making Sony's device look a little bit laboured.
Winner - Asus Eee Transformer Prime
Form & Build
Asus Eee Transformer Prime - ?, 8mm thickness, 586g
Sony Tablet S - 241.2 x 174.3 x 10.1-20.6 mm, 625g
Sony know a thing or two about design and its acumen is easy to discern when looking at the Tablet S.
The device is beautifully crafted and features a very unique fold-around form factor which balances it and adds to its ergonomic qualities superbly.
At 625g it's no lightweight, but rather than feeling encumbered holding the device we felt that the little bit of extra ballast added to its comfort.
Great work, Sony!
The Asus Eee Transformer Prime is a nicely designed device and with its thick bevel and minimalist good looks reminded us of a certain other fruity tablet that shall remain nameless.
The Transformer Prime is a decent weight, and luxuriously thin at just 8mm too. We really couldn't fault it aside from feeling that the Sony just felt more premium. Far from scientific, we know, but the feeling was something palpable and, heck, palpable matters!
Winner - Sony Tablet S
Well, perhaps unsurprisingly the newer, higher powered tablet has won the day.
The Asus Eee Transformer Prime is, quite honestly, a beast of a tablet. It's fast, sleek and offers excellent performance on the whole, including peerless photographic performance.
It's only let-down really is the lack of tablet-centric applications, but that can't be attributed to the hardware. Once things improve in that department the Asus Eee Transformer Prime will be a true force to be reckoned with.
In defeat the Sony Tablet S is a fantastic device though. It's nicely designed, well built and has solid performance across the board but it just couldn't hold a candle to Asus' next-gen device, and as such we really can't recommend you choose one over the former, unless you can pick one up for a song.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime vs Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition
We take a look at the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime to see how it stacks up against Motorola’s new Xoom 2 Media Edition.
Form
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263x180.8x8.3mm, 586g
Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition - 216x139x9mm, 386g
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is one good-looking device. The chassis is made from spun aluminium, giving it an interesting texture and the build quality is second to none.
Other elements which are pleasing to the eye include the nicely sized and spaced bezel around the screen, elegantly shaped corners and a svelte 8.3mm thin profile.
Overall it’s very minimalist in style which goes well with the futuristic-looking metallic finish. The attachable keyboard dock is as thin as the main tablet and equally stylish.
Motorola’s new generation of Xoom tablets have had a complete redesign, which is quite striking to behold. Instead of the usual rectangular shape Motorola has echoed the design of its Razr smartphone handset with angular and tapered edges and corners.
Again the bezel space around the screen is a flattering size and aluminium has been used for the construction of the outer shell, though not quite as extensively as on the Asus.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition is extremely light and thin coming in at 386g and 9mm thick – that’s an 8.2-inch tablet which is lighter than many 7-inch tablets.
We think both devices, despite being very different, have fantastic design elements and are very appealing to look at.
However, the Xoom 2 Media Edition is just that bit more eye-catching with some very individual styling.
Winner – Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition
Display
The Xoom 2 Media Edition has an unusually sized display at 8.2-inches – the first of its kind. It’s a TFT capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch and made from toughened Gorilla Glass.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition has an unusually sized display at 8.2-inches – the first of its kind. It’s a TFT capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch and made from toughened Gorilla Glass.
The resolution clocks in at 1280x800 pixels giving a pixel density of 184 pixels-per-inch (ppi).
The Transformer Prime has a larger screen at 10.1-inches and uses a Super IPS + LCD technology, which results in a much brighter display.
It’s a capacitive multi-touch screen, again made from reinforced Gorilla Glass, with the same 1280x800 pixel resolution at a lower pixel density than its rival at 149ppi.
The Motorola’s display may be smaller, though not by much, but it’s got a much sharper picture and higher pixel density making it our choice this round.
Winner - Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition
Storage
Motorola’s tablet is a little limited on storage space, especially with a name like 'Media Edition.' At 16GB and no card support there's not much to play with here.
Motorola’s tablet is a little limited on storage space, especially with a name like 'Media Edition.' At 16GB and no card support there's not much to play with here.
So what's a user to do? Simple: use Motorola’s MOTOBLUR cloud service to stream content directly from your home computer, which supposedly works even if you’re miles away (we're talking a different country here), to the slate.
We understand the logic: everyone needs to flock to the cloud. But what if you're not bothered about the cloud? Surely it'd be better to give consumers the best of both worlds, like Apple does with its iPad and iCloud?
Apart from the internal storage, the Xoom 2 Media Edition is also packing 1GB of RAM to assist the processor in its duties.
Asus’ Transformer Prime is much more handsomely equipped on internal storage with options for 32GB or 64GB onboard. It also has 1GB of RAM like its opponent but unlike the Motorola it has a card slot with support for microSD up to 32GB.
We have to side with Asus on this one.
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
ProcessorBoth devices use ARM Cortex-A9 processors but they’re getting very different results thanks to distinctly varying configurations.
Motorola’s Media Edition Xoom 2 is equipped with a dual core processor clocked at 1.2GHz running NVidia’s Tegra 2 T20 ‘Turbo’ chipset and ULP GeForce graphics processing unit (GPU).
With the Transformer Prime, Asus has ramped things up a bit, it’s still using NVidia technology but this time it’s the new Tegra 3 ‘Kal El’ chipset, which means a quad core processor clocked slightly faster at 1.3GHz.
The GPU is the same as the one found in the Xoom 2 Media Edition.
The end result is that both are very slick customers and can run whatever you throw at them with a good degree of finesse.
However, having seen the Transformer Prime and Xoom 2 running side-by-side we have to say the Transformer Prime really is on a completely different level.
It is just so quick delivering silky smooth performance for multi-tasking, viewing media, gaming and navigating the Android interface.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition is no slow coach but the lightning fast Transformer Prime leaves it standing. In fact we’d go so far as to say the Transformer Prime is easily the best performing Android tablet to date.
Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Operating System
These are both Android tablets and each ships with Honeycomb 3.2 – the most up-to-date version of the tablet-specific build.
These are both Android tablets and each ships with Honeycomb 3.2 – the most up-to-date version of the tablet-specific build.
The Asus Transformer Prime will be receiving the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0 update in early 2012, which should add plenty of new functionality and features.
It’s currently unknown whether Motorola’s Xoom 2 Media Edition will get the same treatment but with a launch so close to the release of ICS we’d be pretty surprised if Motorola hadn’t planned ahead.
With both tablets using the same operating system there’s nothing to distinguish between them here.
Winner - Draw
Camera
Motorola’s Xoom 2 Media Edition has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, just like its larger cousin, at a resolution of 2592х1944 pixels with 720p quality video recording.
Motorola’s Xoom 2 Media Edition has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, just like its larger cousin, at a resolution of 2592х1944 pixels with 720p quality video recording.
Features include LED flash, autofocus, digital zoom and geo-tagging, along with a 1.3-metapixel secondary camera.
It’s actually a very nice camera for mid-range shots but gets a bit fuzzy when you zoom in with the digital zoom.
The Transformer Prime’s main camera is rated at 8-megapixels and a resolution of 3264x2448 pixels. Video capture is 1080p and the Asus features an LED flash, touch focus, autofocus, geo-tagging and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition makes a good go of things but the Asus Transformer Prime wins out here.
Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Final Thoughts
The Xoom 2 Media Edition is a decent offering and if you want to keep your music, films and other data on a PC to access remotely you’ve got a very slick, purpose-built device with Motorola’s 8.2-inch tablet.
The Xoom 2 Media Edition is a decent offering and if you want to keep your music, films and other data on a PC to access remotely you’ve got a very slick, purpose-built device with Motorola’s 8.2-inch tablet.
However, in terms of both overall performance, versatility and longevity the Asus Transformer Prime really does come out miles ahead of the Motorola and indeed much of the competition.
ASUS to debut display swiveling ultrabook in 2012?
A few days ago we reported that according to a rumor, future ultrabooks could be seeing touch screen functionality. As to whether that will be a feature many will be looking forward to remains to be seen, and it appears to further corroborate those rumors, Digitimes has once again come forward and stated that according to their sources, ASUS will be debuting a new ultrabook in June at Computex 2012 that will feature touch screen capabilities.
It seems that their sources have revealed to them that ASUS is planning an ultrabook for 2012 that will not only be powered by Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processor, but will run on Windows 8 while featuring a swivel based design (as pictured above). This design would allow the ultrabook to transform into a tablet running on Windows 8 with touch screen functionality.
Given how ultrabooks were meant to bridge the gap between bulky laptops and tablets, if this rumor is true, ASUS could very well be blurring those lines with their ultrabook/tablet hybrid. Will this piece of rumor come to fruition? We guess we will have to wait. Until then taking this with a grain of salt is probably just what the doctor ordered.
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