The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF201 or Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a 2-in-1 detachable tablet from the

Asus Transformer Pad Asus Transformer is a series of 2-in-1 convertibles, detachables and hybrid tablet computers, designed and manufactured by Asus, consisting of three major lineups. Asus Transformer Pad Asus Transformer Book Asus Transformer Book is a line of ...

series. It is the world's first Android

tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers ...

with a

quad-core A multi-core processor (MCP) is a microprocessor on a single integrated circuit (IC) with two or more separate central processing units (CPUs), called ''cores'' to emphasize their multiplicity (for example, ''dual-core'' or ''quad-core''). Ea ...

processor, and a successor to the dual-core Asus Eee Pad Transformer. It runs Android 4.1. The Transformer Prime was announced by Asus on 9 November 2011. It was released in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

on 1 December 2011, and in Canada and the United States during the week of 19 December 2011.

Features

The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a tablet computer with a 10.1" IPS+

multi-touch In computing, multi-touch is technology that enables a surface (a touchpad or touchscreen) to recognize the presence of more than one somatosensory system, point of contact with the surface at the same time. The origins of multitouch began at CE ...

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing or ''silkscreening'', a printing method * Big screen, a nickname for motion pictures * Split screen (filmmaking), showing two or more images side by side * Stochastic screening and Halftone ...

with a resolution of 1280x800 and an

Nvidia Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...

system-on-a-chip A system on a chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that combines most or all key components of a computer or electronic system onto a single microchip. Typically, an SoC includes a central processing unit (CPU) with memory, input/output, and dat ...

(SoC). It has an 802.11b/g/n

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

module and a microSD card reader. The optional docking keyboard features full

QWERTY QWERTY ( ) is a keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets. The name comes from the order of the first six Computer keyboard keys#Types, keys on the top letter row of the keyboard: . The QWERTY design is based on a layout included in the Sh ...

keys, touchpad, one

USB 2.0 Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical i ...

port and one

Secure Digital Secure Digital (SD) is a proprietary, non-volatile, flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA). Owing to their compact size, SD cards have been widely adopted in a variety of portable consumer electronics, including digi ...

(SD) card reader as well as an additional battery that increases overall battery life from 12 to 18 hours. There is also a sleeve which protects the tablet when not in use. This has similarities with the , but folds in an

origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a ...

like fashion.

Software

The Transformer Prime shipped with Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich update was released on 11 January 2012 for the Transformer Prime. It was then updated to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on 27 September 2012.

Reception

The tablet has been noted for its graphics performance in games optimized for the , with the water in ''Riptide GP'' prompting a description of "awesome". By contrast, file transfer speeds for writing were one of the slowest in tablets tested. A review unit was rooted in December 2011. Users of the device intending to install a custom ROM themselves were disappointed in January 2012 to discover a locked and

encrypted In cryptography, encryption (more specifically, encoding) is the process of transforming information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plain ...

bootloader A bootloader, also spelled as boot loader or called bootstrap loader, is a computer program that is responsible for booting a computer and booting an operating system. If it also provides an interactive menu with multiple boot choices then it's o ...

. The manufacturer promptly announced work on a tool to unlock the bootloader, the use of which will void the warranty and preclude use of

DRM DRM may refer to: Government, military and politics * Defense reform movement, U.S. campaign inspired by Col. John Boyd * Democratic Republic of Madagascar, a former socialist state (1975–1992) on Madagascar * Direction du renseignement militair ...

content purchased via services such as

Google Videos Google Search (also known simply as Google or Google.com) is a search engine operated by Google. It allows users to search for information on the Web by entering keywords or phrases. Google Search uses algorithms to analyze and rank websites ...

. In a comparison with the original Transformer by the Android Police blog, the Prime was preferred. Two "minor" downsides were quoted: the speakers and the loss of a USB port.

Hasbro lawsuit

On 22 December 2011, toy maker

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...

filed a lawsuit against Asus for trademark violation. Hasbro requested that Asus change the name of the Prime, claiming that the name "Transformer Prime" is using its ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...

'' franchise to sell tablets. Failing the name change, they are requesting that Asus not be allowed to release the Prime, and that they pay punitive damages. Asus said that the Prime's rollout would not be affected. However, a US judge denied Hasbro's request to block sales late May 2012, citing that "the tablets actually do transform".

GPS and WiFi problems

On 30 December 2011, news started to emerge that hardware problems exist in the Transformer Prime with its GPS and WiFi ability. It was suggested in user forums that the problem is a result of the spun aluminium back panel effectively blocking GPS signals, poorly contacting

Pogo pin A pogo pin or spring-loaded pin is a type of electrical connector mechanism with spring plungers that is used in many modern electronic applications and in the electronics testing industry. They are used for their improved durability over other ...

connectors causing further signal loss, and in at least some units, faulty

printed circuit board A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a Lamination, laminated sandwich structure of electrical conduction, conductive and Insulator (electricity), insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes ...

s. The former issue was later corroborated by Asus themselves in a response letter discussing the issue. Asus responded by saying "The ASUS Transformer Prime is made from a metallic unibody design, so the material may affect the performance of the GPS when receiving signals from satellites" they went on to say "this product is not a professional GPS device". Most notably, they then proceeded to remove the GPS ability from the official list of Transformer Prime specs on their US website. ASUS now offers a free GPS dongle shipped to all customers who purchased the Transformer Prime, saying it "may help improve signal reception and optimize the user experience" available until 31 July 2012 (PST).

Third generation model

At CES 2012, the manufacturer announced the successor to the Transformer Prime, the

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity Asus Transformer Pad TF700T or Asus Transformer Pad Infinity - is a tablet computer made by Asus, successor to the Asus Transformer Prime. The manufacturer announced it at CES 2012, less than a month after the original product launch, to launch ...

(previously known as the TF700T), less than a month after the original product launch, to launch Q2 2012. This new model includes a Tegra 3 T33 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz (as opposed to the Prime's T30), and an upgraded 1,920×1,200-pixel-resolution screen, more than doubling the resolution of the prior model. The display was upgraded to a Super IPS+ panel for ultra bright outdoor readability with 178° wide viewing angles. In response to the signal problems, it includes a new back-panel design with the upper part made of plastic to enhance Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS performance. The front camera was boosted from 1.2 megapixels to 2 megapixels. It has improved graphics performance with a 12-core GPU.

References

External links

*
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Review (AnandTech)

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Review (Engadget)

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Review (Cnet UK)

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime review

Asus Transformer Prime review (russian)

Asus Transformer Prime Linux Comptability and howto

{{Android tablets Eee Pad Transformer Prime Tablet computers Android (operating system) devices Products introduced in 2011