New Gadget 2011

We feel like if you're going to buy an Eee Pad Transformer, you may as well spring for the $150 docking station - you know, the thing that makes the tablet so noteworthy. And we don't need to remind you it also happens to be a solid value proposition: the dock brings not just a full keyboard, but two USB ports, an SD card reader, and up to seven hours of extended battery life. There must be some people content with just the slate, though, because ASUS is rolling out a trio of accessories that offer pieces of the docking station's functionality. Head on over to Amazon Germany and you'll find individual USB and SD adapters for �19 ($27) a pop. And though it's not listed with the adapters, NetbookNews also spotted a �29 Euro ($41) stand with a USB port, SD slot, and headphone jack. Before you get too excited, though, Amazon is saying the adapters will ship one to three months from now, which leaves you quite a bit of time to save up for the full keyboard dock. Just saying, folks.
source: Engadget

It arrived but a few months ago, and already ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer has been eclipsed by quite a few of its Android-toting brethren. That said, it's still one of the most uniquely designed Android slates on the market, and those who believe in it seem to be unshakably loyal. If we had to guess, we'd say ASUS is already well on its way to conjuring up the second generation of this here tablet, and we'd love for you to telepathically send over a few tips on how to do it best. Or, you know, drop your suggestions in comments. Would you up the screen resolution? Change the aspect ratio? Tweak the matching dock? Tone down that glossy finish? The floor's yours.
source: Engadget

The Asus Eee Pad MeMo could very well be the next big thing in the world of tablet news, but it seems that it might not be the case after all, especially when there has been a delay accompanied by a June shipping date promise. What was originally introduced in January early this year has failed to yield any fruit, so it does seem as though the Asus Eee Pad MeMo will not see the light of day this year � or even in the next.

No idea on what is behind the hold back or apparent cancellation, but we do hope that Asus would at least step forward to inform the masses as to the reasons so that we need not play the guessing game at all. Just what was the MeMo supposed to carry? Read on about it in the extended post.

Well, this 7? device is said to be powered by Google's Android 3.x Honeycomb operating system, sporting a pressure-sensitive stylus that would come in handy for note taking sessions or even cobbling your own digital artwork.

Not only that, the Asus Eee Pad MeMo is said to ship with a Bluetooth headset known as the MeMIC. Asus got even more ambitious and declared a glasses-free 3D display into the tablet, making it sound far too good to be true � which might eventually lead to too high an ambition to be realized.
source: Ubergizmo

Fan of Asus' sleek and competitively specced Eee Pad Transformer, but still haven't committed your credit to its 10.1-inches? Well, if this bout of rumor-mongering proves true, you might want to put the wallet down until early fall. Harbinger of supply chain gossip Digitimes is reporting that the electronics maker has just enlisted Wintek to provide touch panels for its next gen tablet, slated to launch this October. The parts supplier is said to be working in tandem with HannStar Display to ramp up production should this iteration be met with its predecessor's unforeseen popularity. Adding more ambiguity to the speculative fire, ASUS' Chairman Jonney Shih recently confirmed to Forbes that an updated Transformer is on its way, saying only that it'd be very �impressive,� and would be available before CES. Jonney didn't comment on the upcoming slate's supposed use of Nvidia's quad-core Kal-El, but with the chip's promised August launch date, we wouldn't rule it out.
source: 2DayBlog.com

Over the weekend, Asus chairman Jonney Shih told Forbes that the company is currently working on a sequel tablet to its popular Android-powered Eee Pad Transformer. Shih wouldn't reveal any details in regards to screen size or launch date, but promised that it would be �impressive.�

There's speculation that the follow-up tablet will sport Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 (Kal-El) SoC slated for a September release. The current Transformer tablet, costing around $395 without the docking keyboard, uses Nvidia's dual-core Tegra 2 SoC and a high-resolution IPS display. According to Forbes, it's been the top-selling tablet on Amazon for the past two weeks; Shih claims the company shipped 300,000 units in June and 400,000 in July.

Outside the Transformer tablet, Asus currently has the 12-inch Windows-powered Eee Slate on the market, and still has the 10-inch Eee Pad Slider and the 7-inch 3D-enabled Eee Pad MeMo slated to arrive in the coming months. Shih said that Asus will unveil even more tablets before the end of the year.

"We're running so fast, we can't wait until [the January] Consumer Electronics Show," he said.

On Monday afternoon, Asus officially launched the Eee Pad Slider tablet which features a slide-out keyboard, Google's Android 3.1 �Honeycomb� OS (upgradeable to v3.2) and a 178�-wide viewing angle IPS display. It also arrives in pearl white or metallic brown.

On the hardware front, the tablet uses Nvidia's dual-core Tegra 2 SoC while featuring a front-facing 1.2MP camera and back-facing 5MP camera. The screen is protected by a layer of scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass and supports up to ten simultaneous inputs. There's also a 16x32 GB eMMC slot, a USB port, a Micro SD card reader, and a mini-HDMI port.

According to Asus, the tablet also comes packed with applications such as MyNet, MyCloud, and MyLibrary.

�MyNet easily streams digital media wirelessly to home network devices, so HD videos or music can be played on HDTVs or desktop PCs,� the company states in a press release. �MyLibrary consolidates downloaded books, magazines, and newspapers in one easy-to-browse profile, while MyCloud is a total cloud solution that provides access to digital content such as music, videos and photos. Users can even use MyCloud to remotely access and control their PC or Mac systems and access applications to extend the capabilities of the Eee Pad Slider.�

So far pricing and actual availability hasn't been released, so stay tuned.
source: 2DayBlog.com

With devices like the Motorola XOOM and Samsung Galaxy Tab stealing their fair share of attention, The success of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer was a bit unexpected. But successful it has been, shipping 300,000 units in June and an additional 400,000 in July. The dual-core Honeycomb tablet wins points for its combination of pricing, specs, and features including a detachable keyboard, the essence of the Transformer.

It should come as little surprise, then, that a sequel is already in the works. Poppa Asus Jonney Shih confirmed as much, going so far as to call the in-development tablet impressive, even at this stage. Without any details to go on, we can only speculate about what to expect and when to expect it. We know one thing: we wouldn't mind seeing Asus move forward with NVIDIA's next-gen quad-core Tegra chip at all.
source: Android Phone

So yesterday we had two possible candidate days from the US and Germany for the launch of Android 3.2 on the UK Eee Pad Transformer, now today Asus UK has given us a firm date for the specific UK launch of the latest Honeycomb upgrade � August 2nd.

This date comes via the company's ever helpful Facebook page. We've taken a screencapture of the happy news. Thanks for asking, Tim:

Sooner or later we're going to have to surrender to the massive weight of public opinion and just buy one of these tablet things. It's where all the action is.
source: Eurodroid

After having been updated to Android 3.1 last month, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is now ready to run what is today Google's latest operating system version for tablets � Android 3.2. Asus tweeted yesterday that the update's rollout would begin today, unfortunately without saying anything about what territories will get it first. So it's probably safe to assume that Transformers sold in the US will start getting it today.

On that note, Liliputing has uncovered that Asus Germany expects to start pushing the update on August 5. So for those of you in Europe, a few more days of waiting may just be required.

The update will naturally come over-the-air, your tablet will notify you about it and you can then download and install it.

The biggest thing to come with this version of Android isn't something Transformer owners have any use for. Namely, that's proper support for tablets with resolutions smaller than 1280�800 (which has become the standard for 10.1-inch devices).

Aside from that, the update also brings a new type of compatibility zoom for applications designed for smartphones and not optimized for tablets. This should ensure a better experience while running such apps on your Honeycomb tablet. Last, but not least, media sync from the SD card is now possible.
source: Unwired View

Asus has published some information regarding the forthcoming Android 3.2 update for its amazingly popular Eee Pad Transformer tablet, with two separate claims pointing to an arrival of the 3.2 release over the next week or two.

The company's Twitter account says it'll launch the 3.2 Honeycomb update on July 28, but we wouldn't be surprised if that's a US-oriented timeline. However�

�the company's German Facebook profile says August 5th. So either way, it's pretty imminent. Link via Liliputing.
source: Eurodroid

Folks missing out on Netflix on their Android tablets (quite a handful) will be glad to know that for Android smartphones, Netflix is gradually increasing support for the larger display-toting devices. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer is one of those devices that don't have official support for the app, but through the sideloading of a particular build on a rooted Transformer, the app runs without a hitch.

However not everybody is tech savvy enough to root their tablets and some people just don't want to root it regardless, and so they've been missing out on the goodness that is Netflix. But all hope is not loss, Netflix might be officially making its way sometime soon to the tablet. According to the Asus website, the Transformer will be getting the Android 3.2 update soon (ETA unconfirmed), which should hopefully let the company load the app onto the tablet. After all, it does list �Netflix� under the Special APP section of the specs page. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed and just wait and see.
source: Ubergizmo

The latest update to Netflix brought support for a boatload of additional devices, but Honeycomb tablets were few and far between on the list. Luckily for owners of the Asus Transformer who took it upon themselves to root their tablet, a patch has been brewed up that will get Netflix up and running with little fuss. Ignore, for now, the Netflix price hikes that may or may not have you rethinking your subscription to the service and enjoy a flick or two on behalf of the kind folks at XDA.
source: Android Phone

You have to love a good deal, and boy is this deal from Staples good. A reader forwarded us this coupon, good through July 31st, for $100 off any tablet purchased through the retailer. Taking advantage of the savings, you can grab the Asus Eee Pad Transformer for only $299, the Motorola XOOM for $399, the Toshiba Thrive for $379, or the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for as low as $399 among others. The coupon excludes the HP TouchPad, Amazon Kindle, and NOOK, but luckily only one of those three runs Android.
source: Android Phone

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer has so far been one of the best selling Android Honeycomb tablets, if not the best selling, and that's thanks in no small part to its price, which is more affordable than the competition. After becoming available in the US, the UK, and in many other territories, the Eee Pad Transformer was finally officially unveiled in India yesterday.

The tablet is the same device that we know and love from elsewhere, and the recommended retail price is Rs. 32,999. That's quite a bit cheaper than the Motorola Xoom, which was launched in India last month.

Let's wait and see if Asus will be able to replicate the success that the Transformer has seen in the US, where it's in the habit of being sold out within hours of being in stock.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer has a 10.1-inch 1280x800 capacitive touchscreen, a 1 GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 16 GB of internal storage, a 5 MP rear camera and a 1.2 MP front-facing camera for video calls, Wi-Fi, and comes with a mini HDMI port.
source: Unwired View

Reports claim that Asus is shipping somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 units of the Eee Pad Transformer per month, which is pretty impressive, especially since Asus appears to have orders for up to 4.5 million units for the second half of the year. You could be very pessimistic and say that shipments and orders do not equal units sold. However, the Transformer appears to be a bright light in what has been a very dark environment for non-iPad tablets so far, especially when it flies off the shelves pretty fast.

Asus is quiet about any numbers, but we know that the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Motorola Xoom were not exactly blockbusters. The most successful tablet next to the iPad may have been the Blackberry Playbook, which strongly leverages the Blackberry platform as an incentive for Blackberry users.

The most promising candidate to rival the iPad appears to be the rumored Amazon Kindle tablet that could debut sometime during this quarter. If platform is what makes a tablet successful, then Amazon should have the best shot at an Android tablet these days.
source: 2DayBlog.com

After a rocky start that saw the Eee Pad Transformer out of stock in most locations for the first few weeks of its launch, Asus is finally catching up with production. According to a report at DigiTimes, Asus is shipping over 400,000 units per month, with the number expected to rise closer to 500,000 in the third quarter. Some analysts believe that sales of the Transformer are slowing and that the device is in fact overstocked in some channels, a stark contrast to its initial launch. Still, reports claim Asus is aiming to move 4 to 5 million tablets in the second half of the year, 3 million of which could be the convertible 10.1-inch Honeycomb slate. New devices including the upcoming Asus Eee Pad Slider will only add to the total.
source: Android Phone

We do know that Asus has big plans for the Eee Pad Transformer, citing 400,000 units to be shipped before the year is over, so here is another piece of news that might just interest you if this tablet is under the survey of your radar. Yes sir, word has it that Asus is now testing Android 3.2 on the Eee Pad Transformer, now how about that? So far, we have heard that the Motorola XOOM will be receiving the Android 3.2 update soon, what with other tablet manufacturers also receiving the latest Honeycomb update to boot before Ice Cream Sandwhich comes around.

Just what will Android 3.2 deliver to the tablet, er, table? Well, it is said that you will get the usual trappings such as a faster boot-up time, the ability to choose your pointer speed, and less keyboard lag amongst other fixes. Not only that, XOOM-specific issues like its SD memory card slot has also been fixed, making us wonder just what else Android 3.2 has in store for the masses. Are you stoked yet?
source: Ubergizmo

ASUS's mighty 2-piece morphing Eee Pad Transformer might be a commercial success, even despite early delays, but it seems there's something amiss with the shape shifting earth-saving tablet nicknamed 'Autobotsus'. Earlier today, the company admitted to an issue relating to the slate's keyboard dock. A post to ASUS' UK Facebook page reads:

�Apologies to anyone who has encountered issues with their Transformer keyboard dock (power drain and charging). The issue is related to the way we configured the device's power management in/out of sleep mode. We will shortly be announcing details on how this will be resolved for our customers.�

Well, hopefully they'll fix it ASAP before the product's name gets tarnished even further.
source: 2DayBlog.com