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ASUS Transformer Prime: Perfect for business trips (review)

By | March 1, 2012, 3:58am PST

Summary: The Tranformer Prime is the top Android tablet with powerful hardware, and coupled with the optional laptop dock becomes a viable alternative for leaving the laptop at home.

My quest for a tablet/ keyboard combination that will let me leave the laptop behind on short business trips took an unexpected turn with the arrival of the Transformer Prime. The Transformer Prime is a top-of-the-line Android tablet from ASUS that runs Ice Cream Sandwich and has a Tegra 3 quad-core processor. The tablet is as good as it gets in the Android world, and when you throw in the laptop dock the pair is unequaled in capability.

See related:

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The Great Post-PC Experiment — Day 1 Notes

Transformer Prime Hardware specs:

  • Display: 10.1-inch Super IPS+ (1280×800)
  • OS: Android 4.x (Ice cream Sandwich)
  • Processor: Tegra 3 quad-core
  • Memory: 1GB
  • Storage: 32GB (64GB available)
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi, bluetooth
  • Cameras: 1.2MP front; 8MP rear (F2.4), auto-focus, flash
  • Ports: 3.5mm audio, HDMI, microSD slot, dock
  • Battery: 25 wH (12 hours)
  • Dimensions: 263 × 180.8 × 8.3mm ; 586g
Laptop Dock Hardware specs:
  • Ports: SD card slot, USB 2.0
  • Battery: 22 wH (8 - 10 hours)
  • Dimensions: 263 × 180.8 × 8~10.4mm ; 537g

The 10.1-inch screen of the Transformer Prime is nice and bright, and when you turn on IPS+ mode the 400 NITS is bright enough to use in broad daylight. Everything about the Transformer Prime indicates good design and construction, and ASUS includes software that rounds out a great tablet.

The tablet easily pops into the optional laptop dock, which is basically a laptop without the screen. The chiclet keys are nearly full-sized, and are good for touch typists. There is a full row of special function keys that work with the Transformer Prime to perform common tasks. The trackpad with integrated buttons can be toggled on and off with one of those keys. The four arrow keys are excellent for working with the tablet for precise cursor placement.

L: iPad 2 ZAGGfolio case; R: Transformer Prime docked

The tablet and laptop dock turn the Transformer Prime into a no-compromise Android laptop, which makes it a great alternative on business trips. I have been testing the iPad with keyboard cases for replacing my laptop for short periods, and the Transformer Prime has proven to be a better fit for my needs. The Transformer Prime keyboard is better which is important for a writer, and one app available for the Transformer Prime makes it serve my needs better than the iPad 2 I have been testing.

A lot of my work is done online in a browser, and the Google Chrome Beta is as good a browser as the desktop version. Using Chrome on the Transformer Prime is the difference of being able to do most (but not quite all) of my work while travelling, and being able to do everything. I can complete everything I do for my work with Chrome and the Transformer Prime, making it clearly the best fit for my needs.

iPad 2 in case vs Transformer Prime thickness

I’m not saying this is the best tool for everyone, but for my needs I could travel with this kit and leave my laptop at home. That has distinct advantages, the real-world 18 - 20 hour battery life chief among them. There is no need to worry about battery life with the 10 - 12 hours of the Transformer Prime and the second battery in the laptop dock that extends it to the max. Portability is another advantage this has over the laptop, as the tablet in the laptop dock is no bigger than the iPad 2 in a tiny keyboard case. It’s a win all around carrying the Transformer Prime, functioning as a good laptop when needed and a great tablet out of the dock.

ASUS announced a newer model of the Transformer Prime, the Transformer Infinity, at the MWC this week so the Transformer Prime may not be available much longer. Pricing for the newer model has not been given by ASUS. The Transformer Prime as configured has a MSRP of $499 and the laptop dock another $149.

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Topics

ASUS, Laptop Computer, ASUS Transformer Prime, Notebooks, Tablets, Keyboards, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Peripherals, James Kendrick, Review

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long.

Disclosure

James Kendrick

James Kendrick has no affiliations or relationships that need to be disclosed.

Biography

James Kendrick

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long. Prior to joining ZDNet, James was the Founding Editor of jkOnTheRun, a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog that was acquired by GigaOM in 2008 and is now part of that prestigious tech network. James' writing has appeared in many print publications: Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, Information Week and Laptop Magazine to name a few. James' coverage of the mobile technology sector has regularly appeared in the New York Times, Salon.com and CNN/ Fortune online. Not just a writer, James has filmed numerous video reviews and how-tos that have garnered well over a million viewers. He has appeared on local news segments and been interviewed by the Associated Press on mobile technology topics. Additionally, James has been podcasting about mobile technology for years.

40
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Top Rated

Perfect for business
Boan2003 3 days ago
I am using the ASUS TP exclusively now. Like you James I took it with me on a business trip for a whole week and leaving my laptop alone but before doing so I tried at home. It works perfectly. I am not a writer but work as an IT consultant so I obviously do a lot of technical stuff and advising. I have yet to find anything I missed being able to do compared to my laptop.

In fact my company has decided to leave the PC/Macs behind (except for a few things that can only run on PC - but which we can RDP into from the tablets.) In another week the company will be PC-free ;o)

That saves us the license fees to MS too - while we at the same time will be a lot more flexible/portable/efficient.

I am impressed with ASUS while I never really got to think the other Androids or iPads where business ready. Although both are nice for different reasons. I still use my Galaxy 7' as my book reader. The iPad 2 is collecting dust. Sorry to say so.
View in thread

Just In

Tether
ralphjb@... 2 days ago
For me, pretty much anywhere I am likely to use a tablet, I am going to have access to wifi. However, I do have a fall back plan, if I need it - tether to my phone.
Certainly can understand that there are use scenarios, where having mobile broadband is a necessity - say a sales person on the road, or tradesman, etc.

I travel enough that I am able to access airline lounges, which have wifi. Hotels that charge for wifi p1$$ me off and I sympathize. That is the time I am most likely to tether cause I am not paying those b@$t@rds for their freakin' wifi.
View in thread
0 Votes
+ -
Why Android?
swmace 3 days ago
I've replaced my work laptop with an Asus Eee Slate with 4 GB of RAM, 64GB Storage and it's running full blown Windows 7 rather than Android. Why would anyone settle for an Android tablet when you can get essentially the same exact tablet with more RAM and running a real OS?
2 Votes
+ -
Cost
rhonin 3 days ago
I was out looking a newer devices and the $1499.00 USD was a bit of a put off.
0 Votes
+ -
Lol 600 dollars for a Prime plus keyboard
Uralbas 2 days ago
On discount.

Beats anything else out there.
2 Votes
+ -
Battery life
Michael Kelly 3 days ago
Battery life in x86-based devices max out at about 4 hours. If that's a trade off you can live with, then fine. But James made it pretty clear that 4 hours isn't nearly long enough for his needs, and that's not uncommon.
2 Votes
+ -
Huh?
D.T.Long 3 days ago
Size, weight, keyboard, battery life.

"Essentially the same"?

Give me a break
2 Votes
+ -
My question exactly...
thoiness Updated - 3 days ago
Except I replaced my laptop with an Aspire One with 4gb of ram, 500gb HD space, and it's also running Windows 7. No, it's not touch, but my "real" work doesn't get done via touch. That's what my nook color is for.

And battery life kicks butt, and I picked up this dual core puppy on Ebay for $250...

I love my A1 happy happy happy
0 Votes
+ -
Oh yeah...
thoiness Updated - 3 days ago
And I have my regular battery which gets about 6 hours, and my extended that gets about 10? I don't know, I've not needed the extended one yet, but I own it JIC.

And whenever I get in front of an HD TV? HDMI out and bob's your uncle!
1 Vote
+ -
The ASUS Prime has HDMI out as well;
Walkop 2 days ago
the Quad-Core Tegra 3 is perfectly capable of outputting full 1080P HD video. Tablets and Notebooks are a completely different category - although the Prime is the perfect bridge of the two. Don't forget, while it is good for work you can detach it from the dock for media, reading, and other things.

It is extremely versatile, jumping from function to function as needed. That is it's attraction (as well as it's pure power). Storage space isn't NEARLY as high as a HDD, of course, but you can get MSD cards pretty cheap (Newegg had 32GB cards for $29.99 a day or so ago).

Also, the Prime's battery life is basically the highest of any portable device in it's class (or any class around it, for that matter) with it's keyboard dock. That's not to say that the battery life of your Aspire isn't impressive! 10 hours with the extended battery? That's almost shocking.

The price is right, too; you can't beat $250 for a device like that.
0 Votes
+ -
battery
evsoul 3 days ago
I have a laptop for when I need a full OS. But while at airports, on airplanes, or at lunch/meetings etc. I like the idea of 12 hours of battery life, then wait, i don't think it was mentioned here but with the keyboard dock it's supposed to get 18hrs of battery total according to Asus.com. So ultimately I'll use my Lenovo thinkpad when I need a real laptop for work, but for emails, browsing, reading, entertaining, etc. Android has everything I need for work and personal while on the go. Hope that gives you some perspective.
0 Votes
+ -
I don't know....
Samic 3 days ago
Maybe +16 hours of battery life? (TF Prime + Dock)
5 Votes
+ -
Battery
rowdyguy124 3 days ago
I get 18+ out of my Prime with the keyboard. And it will run for days on end if you use it and let it go into sleep mode before you need to plug it in again.
1 Vote
+ -
Why Windows?
jgm@... 3 days ago
I'm waiting for the planned of release of OpenSUSE 12.2 ARM version which should be in July. Then one gets a full OS AND that 12-20 hour battery life!
1 Vote
+ -
A real OS?
Johan Safari Updated - 3 days ago
A real OS? That NEEDS more ram? That's the same one with 5 million and counting viruses available for it? That's the same OS that became so bloated that it's maker decided to rewrite and even drop the "Windows" name? Come on grow up!
8 Votes
+ -
Top Rated
Perfect for business
Boan2003 3 days ago Top Rated
I am using the ASUS TP exclusively now. Like you James I took it with me on a business trip for a whole week and leaving my laptop alone but before doing so I tried at home. It works perfectly. I am not a writer but work as an IT consultant so I obviously do a lot of technical stuff and advising. I have yet to find anything I missed being able to do compared to my laptop.

In fact my company has decided to leave the PC/Macs behind (except for a few things that can only run on PC - but which we can RDP into from the tablets.) In another week the company will be PC-free ;o)

That saves us the license fees to MS too - while we at the same time will be a lot more flexible/portable/efficient.

I am impressed with ASUS while I never really got to think the other Androids or iPads where business ready. Although both are nice for different reasons. I still use my Galaxy 7' as my book reader. The iPad 2 is collecting dust. Sorry to say so.
0 Votes
+ -
Chrome?
@mark 3 days ago
So what is it that Chrome does so much better than the browser on the iPad (or anything else for that matter)?

Sounds like a post in it's own right to me.
3 Votes
+ -
Contributr
HTML5
JamesKendrick 3 days ago
Handles HTML5 better for one thing.
2 Votes
+ -
Whoa!
rhonin 3 days ago
Gotta give this a bit of thought....
Jumping off of the iPad?
You......

Will edit this later after my brain digests this....
0 Votes
+ -
Wifi issues?
DaDsPlayer 3 days ago
There's been a lot of talk about wifi issues and I was wondering if you encountered any?
1 Vote
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Contributr
No WiFi probs
JamesKendrick 3 days ago
I haven't encountered any problems with Wi-Fi or any other kind in my testing so far.
0 Votes
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WiFi fixed
Boan2003 3 days ago
It has been fixed in recent updates. And it was only affecting some of the ASUS TPs. As well as GPS and bluetooth issues.

All fixed in latest update.

I never had any of the problems though.
0 Votes
+ -
the was the early shipments
jlm123hi 3 days ago
yes the early shipments were defective but I haven't had any problems. And since they fixed the random reboot problem it is even better!
1 Vote
+ -
Asus Transformer
thesuperstitions@... 3 days ago
Bought my kids each a Transformer (TF-101) and docking station for Christmas. They both LOVE them!! My wife even commandeers them to watch Chinese programming on TV (via the HDMI display port). A friend has the Prime and he is having similar experience with it. Very versatile. Asus even throws in Polaris software so you can edit Microsoft Office files. Another friend has an iPad and seems to envy some of the features of the Transformer. When the Prime (or its successor) comes down in price, I may have to pick one up for myself!
0 Votes
+ -
Polaris Software - Google Docs
ralphjb@... 3 days ago
I have a longer comment below, but I did want to affirm your endorsement of the Polaris Software. Not only will it work with Office Docs, but you can use it to edit Google Docs. The mobile Google Docs App is AWFUL, basically unusable. Polaris solves that problem.
0 Votes
+ -
I have dumped my Laptop for the most part too
tgschmidt 3 days ago
But with a different device, the Motorola Lapdock 500 with my Droid4 Smartphone. So far I can do most of the week without using a laptop. There are a couple programs from work that I have to use on the laptop but other than that, the Lapdock works great. And battery life is excellent too. Now, they just need to get Chrome for the browser instead of Firefox....
0 Votes
+ -
Unicode fonts
beingsneaky@... 3 days ago
Do androids devices support unicode fonts yet?.. My native language uses unicode fonts to display special letters., plus the language is now on an apple apps. would be nice if we could also make a andriod app to teach the language.
0 Votes
+ -
no native Unicode yet...
Boan2003 3 days ago
but you can get several solutions from the Market like the unicode keyboard:

http://www.appbrain.com/app/unicode-keyboard/uk.co.cwd.unicodekeyboard
0 Votes
+ -
Where is VPN (Layer 3) support?
CyberGuerilla Updated - 2 days ago
Get Junos Pulse + Citrix Receiver working on it, or I can't really take the Transformer Prime seriously as a business tool at all.
1 Vote
+ -
Dittos
ralphjb@... Updated - 3 days ago
I have had my Transformer Prime for a couple of weeks now. Before this, I had a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 along with the Logitech keyboard/case. I had a lot of experience travelling with that combo and found them a suitable laptop replacement. The Transformer Prime with keyboard is a significant upgrade to the prior combo. I do not see ever travelling with a laptop again.

Like the article author says, this meets my needs during travel: email, Internet browsing, word processing and other document creation/editing. The instant-on nature of a tablet, lightweight, thin and the insane battery-life (no need for a plug during the day - just charge up overnight) makes this the perfect device for me.
0 Votes
+ -
Pen and apps?
DigiMediaMan 3 days ago
My best experience remains my convertible tablet - primarily in that using a stylus with OCR enables comfortable hold-and-write / in lap-and-write that works ANYWHERE and has become extremely efficient. My problem is: (1) heft and low battery life for windows tablets on the one hand and (2) REQUIRED continuous connection, no apparent OCR, write anywhere (on the screen) or comparable apps elsewhere.

I'm also curious as to the apps "successful crossover" users are using... any thoughts?
0 Votes
+ -
Office?
dsf3g 3 days ago
Would love to hear your opinon of the Polaris Office suite that comes bundled with thw Transformer prime (or at least i assume it does, since it comes on the original transformer).
0 Votes
+ -
Polaris
ralphjb@... 3 days ago
Nice App. Works well. I posted above - it also can be used to edit Google Docs.
1 Vote
+ -
Apple Vs Android
pamandua2@... 3 days ago
Rightly there. 1st X I've bought Android device I like it.
1-Its good VALUE for money. 2-Many free apps to download & easy installations. 3-Hardware are STANDARD configurations ie: (power leads,headphone connectors, sd/micro etc).
Apple & Sony product are overprice for a start + on going usages.
0 Votes
+ -
Love mine
nordyj2001@... 3 days ago
I have a Transformer Prime and keyboard dock as well, and love it! I love Chrome on my desktop, but to be honest, I prefer Dolphin for my tablet. To each their own, right? I run Evernote on it for taking notes in meetings, and run Mockups.me when I need to design UI's (I'm a software architect by trade), and have some really nice games for it. All in all, this is a fantastic piece of equipment!
0 Votes
+ -
Welll...
TheWerewolf 2 days ago
"Everything about the Transformer Prime indicates good design and construction..."

If you ignore the GPS and WiFi problems...

That aside, I love my Prime (and I've gotten around the GPS problem by using Bluetooth GPS to tether my phone's GPS to the Prime).
0 Votes
+ -
Yeah but no built-in 3G
zurich1900 2 days ago
Pardon me for throwing a bit of cold water on the Transformer love feast here but there is one pretty valuable (for me at least) feature the ipad has which the Transformer does not. The option for built in pay for what you need 3G. It may come as a shock to some but not every place on the planet has free and/or convenient wi-fi. When I am going out of town on business or on holiday I sign up for as much 3G as I think I will need and then cancel when I return; then I sign up again the next time I am traveling. No need to drive around looking for a Starbucks or someplace when I need to get online, no need to pay sometimes exorbitant wi-fi rates at some hotels and airports (yeah, not every hotel and airport has FREE wi-fi for guests and some have none at all--I have been there). Other than that the Transformer sounds attractive depending on the price.
0 Votes
+ -
Use Phone as Wireless Access Point
heathman 2 days ago
Just use your phones as a wireless access point. Just one click of a button and you can get several gadgets online at once. Getting LTE speeds while doing so is to good to be true while using my tablet.
0 Votes
+ -
Tether
ralphjb@... 2 days ago
For me, pretty much anywhere I am likely to use a tablet, I am going to have access to wifi. However, I do have a fall back plan, if I need it - tether to my phone.
Certainly can understand that there are use scenarios, where having mobile broadband is a necessity - say a sales person on the road, or tradesman, etc.

I travel enough that I am able to access airline lounges, which have wifi. Hotels that charge for wifi p1$$ me off and I sympathize. That is the time I am most likely to tether cause I am not paying those b@$t@rds for their freakin' wifi.
1 Vote
+ -
brian from London
briansturridge 2 days ago
Ive been using my prime now for a few months. Its been a fantastic addition to the family. My daughter uses it for games, I use it for Business matters and my wife uses it for Streaming radio and checking recipes. This is a robust, slick and small sized product that works as a perfect, on the go, travel work station or a family workhorse. Love it ...b
0 Votes
+ -
Best tablet
CJtimes 2 days ago
I consider the Prime to be the best tablet currently available. I've taken it on business trips too and it is perfectly slim, small and light to take on the train and type out some notes with the keyboard, even watch some tv on the way home wink
0 Votes
+ -
Completely agree!!
maevemachine 2 days ago
I too have had my Asus Prime for a few months and have taken it away with me on several business and pleasure trips. It totally solves the problem of needing to travel with something I can type on and is robust yet compact and light. In fact the only problem I have had is when I am at home my son is constantly gaming on it!!!

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