The Asus Transformer Prime will be announced on Nov. 9, said Chairman Jonney Shih at AllThingsD‘s AsiaD conference today as he pulled it out and showed it off. Like the original Transformer, which has been selling well since its debut in April, the Transformer Prime will be a traditional touch tablet, but have a keyboard dock that it can attach to, making it about as functional as a netbook. The new transformer is super thin, measuring only 8.3mm thick, which is thinner than the iPad, which measures 8.8mm, but not quite as thin as the new Motorola Droid Razr, which is only 7.1mm thick.
Under the hood, the Transformer Prime will use Nvidia’s new quad-core Tegra 3 processor, features a 10.1-inch screen (standard), and has a battery life of around 14.5 hours with the keyboard dock attached. It also has USB and HDMI ports. There’s no word on if it will ship with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or not, but we hope that Asus provides an update to the new OS as soon as Google releases the code in November.
We’ll find out more on Nov. 9, but for those looking at getting a lightweight laptop for travel, this new Transformer could be a good deal.
(Image via Engadget)
I hope they add a 3g/4g option on this. It can’t truly be a mobile device if I’m confined to areas with wifi.
I agree. I’d like one with an option for a data plan.
Looks like I may have something to put on my Christmas list if it’s not tooo expensive.
I need to buy 4 with 2 docking stations for christmas. I pray they stay under $400
32GB version for 499, 64GB version for 599, and dock is 149. The old Transformer with 16GB will go for 399, and the 32GB version for 449.
Not a bad price for the product itself, but dang, that dock is spendy!
With tablets hitting $200-$300 and Netbooks going for around $300-$400, this $650 investment is quite a bit, especially for an OS like Android that still can’t multitask as well as Windows in some ways. Don’t get me wrong, I’d really like one, but I don’t think it should cost quite this much.
So what you’re saying is there will not be a 16G for the Prime? Only 32 and 64?
Is this for work?
No Ian this is not for work. This is for my 2 kids and my daughter in-law. My daughter and daughter inlaw go to college so i wanted to get them the docking station also then one for my son and ofcourse, one for ME!!! My daughter is at Texas A&M on the track team and travels ALOT and loves her music and movies. I was going to get 3 iPads but after my IT guy at work told me about the transformer, the family did their own research and decided on it. The excitement came when i realized i can get 4 Transformers for the price of 3 iPads. This is their Christmas gift.
Wow, what a great parent you are! I am jealous. You will need to let me know what you think about it. If you like it, I might get one for the family too. Although we do have the 1st gen iPad at home. My wife wants a laptop for her and our girls too.
I still want to know what the price is!!
Me too. This is a definite purchase option for me. Either this or a netbook of some kind. Need battery life and portability but with a dash of power.
Next question… Can I put Ubuntu on it! lol
Yep, I’ve officially just crapped my pants! Now they just have to keep the price point low! I would like to see no more than 399, but I expect it to run around 6-800.