So far the Asus Transformer devices are still the most exciting tablets/hybrid devices with Android on the market. And that’s too bad because I wish other manufacturers (say Samsung) would start making such devices, too. Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll see more such devices once more powerful chips are available like Samsung’s dual core 2 Ghz Exynos 5250 chip. Perhaps the only reason they aren’t doing this yet is because they still don’t think these devices are powerful enough to be used as a laptop.
But at least Asus is not waiting around, and they keep pushing out Transformer devices, and this time they are launching another one called Transformer Pad 300, that is supposed to be a lower-end Transformer Prime, that costs $120 less, and yet it has almost the same features as the Transformer Prime.
The only difference is that it’s made out of plastic instead of aluminum, which actually makes the GPS work, it’s only clocked at 1 Ghz instead of 1.3 Ghz per core, which probably allows Asus to save on battery, too, and it has 16 GB of storage instead of 32 GB. Still, the device seems to be well worth its price, although it still seems Asus is charging a little too much on the integrated keyboard. Maybe it’s time to bring that keyboard under $100.
Samsung may not sell as many tablets as Samsung yet, but that’s probably because they don’t spend as much money on promoting it over all the world as Samsung does. But they are still making the type of devices I would like the most. And what I’d like to see in the future from Asus is a 11.6″ Transformer with a dual core 2 Ghz Exynos 5250 or a dual core 2.5 Ghz S4 with Adreno 320, sometime by the end of the year. It would be a bonus if it had a 2560×1600 resolution, and if they’d also sell S-pen like styluses with active digitizer for those of us who want to draw on them.
French online retailer Tablette Store currently has the tablet up for pre-order at €500, while US retailer J&R will soon have the tablet available at $380.