Asus March 25 unveiled the Eee Pad Transformer, a convertible tablet and the computer maker’s first slate based on Google’s Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" operating system.
The Eee Pad Transformer will compete with Motorola Mobility’s Xoom and other Honeycomb tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, which will launch in June.
Like the Xoom, the Transformer is powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and has a 10.1-inch touch-screen with a 1280 by 800 resolution, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
However, Asus is touting the expandable QWERTY keyboard docking station, in which the tablet can be situated to allow consumers to access it as if it were a laptop.
The optional dock includes Android function buttons, but also boosts the Transformer’s average 9.5 hours of battery life up to 16 hours. The idea is that users will be able to use the Eee Pad for work.
In concept if not in form factor, the Eee Pad and it’s dock resemble the pairing of the Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone and Motorola Laptop Dock. When connected to the Laptop Dock, the Atrix 4G’s content is ported to a larger computer display, and rendered accessible via a Webtop application and Mozilla Firefox browser.
The idea is that an Atrix 4G user can hook up to the dock to do work. The Eee Pad more or less does the same, but with a tablet latching on to a keyboard.
Asus also stresses the Eee Pad’s qualifications as a machine for media consumption, including support for Adobe Flash Player 10.2.
For more, read the eWEEK article: Asus Eee Transformer Runs Honeycomb with Expandable Keyboard.