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The Mobile Docking Station transforms the Transformer into a netbooklike clamshell that weighs just under 3 pounds when combined (the docking station itself weighs 1.41 pounds). Though I wish that the USB ports weren’t protected by covers that I’ll often have to remove to reveal them, and though I regret that the space bar depresses below the bezel separating it from the touchpad, those are minor drawbacks. And Asus got this crucial part of the equation right. The Transformer gets its name, of course, from its companion piece, the $149 Mobile Docking Station. On the whole, the keyboard was responsive. Also, the keyboard sacrifices some of its QWERTYness–by having its Z and S keys stacked, for example. For example, it didn’t work consistently when filling in fields in the Web browser. Unfortunately, this feature behaved a bit unpredictably in my testing. The keyboard incorporates Google’s predictive text, too, another native first for an Android 3.0 tablet. The keyboard appears to occupy about the same depth as the regular Honeycomb keyboard, but with the added benefit of the number row (a native first among Android 3.0 tablets). The redesigned keyboard has a row of number keys up top and keys in both the number row and the first letter row are slightly taller than the ones on the rest of the keyboard. The stock Honeycomb keyboard is available as an option, but by default the Transformer uses Asus’s own keyboard. In particular, the back/exit button represents its function with a looping return arrow–an improvement on the stock Honeycomb’s chintzy back arrow that looks more like a bookmark symbol.Īnother big change involves the Asus keyboard. Asus replaced the standard Honeycomb nav buttons (three light-blue outlines that serve as the primary navigation aids at the lower left of the screen) with three white, solid button formations that are crisp and distinct.
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When I first turned it on, I noticed immediately some pleasant user-interface improvements that Asus made to stock Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).įor starters, the core navigation buttons are dramatically better. My full review of the Transformer is in progress, but I wanted to share my initial impressions after spending some hands-on time with the tablet. But after spending time with the Transformer ($399 for the 16GB model, $499 for the 32GB version) and its matching keyboard dock, I think Asus is on to something. On its own, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Tablet doesn’t look as if it’s about to set the tablet wars on fire.
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