This game has a bevy of options including four playable characters, two game modes, and two full maps. These options will expand once the full version of the game is released, but for now it’s time to practice your death skills in a limited fashion. The beta test includes a soldier, mutant, assassin, and a dancer – we’ll leave that last one to you to see for yourself. The two game modes available here at the start are DeathMatch and Zone Control, with the first being a shoot-die-regenerate model with a clock and lots of red.

This release is made specifically for you beta testers out there to try out for free and give lots of feedback to NVIDIA and the creators of the game, Madfinger. With your massive amount of destructive tools on-hand and a perfectly playable iteration out right this second, you’ll have to stop yourself every once in a while and write down your thoughts – you’ll get lost in the destruction if you don’t.

* Weapons – Bandit (SMG), Vega (Attack Rifle), Big Boy (Machinegun), Spate (Plasma Rifle), Mace (Shotgun), Osog (Sniper), Sh*tStorm (Rocket Launcher)
* Gadgets (Sprint, Medi Kit, Ammo Kit, Flash Bang, EMP Grenade, Frag Grenade, Sentry Gun, Mine)

Your feedback can be sent in-game with the Feedback button – make it so! This game will be out in full rather soon, so you’d better get your practice time in right this minute. You can find yours truly in the game at username “Burnsy” – let’s have a round or two! You can download the game now – again, for free – on the [Google Play app store]. Go for it!

I’ve certainly seen some of my compatriots and associates attempt to use a tablet to do work – lots of different kinds of work – and it just does not add up. When I reviewed the ASUS Transformer Prime, it was the first device that struck me as a “tablet first, notebook second” type of device that could make the cross-over a possibility in the real world. As it turns out, the price of the combination of the tablet and the keyboard dock racked up to be not that far from a used MacBook Air – or any number of notebook devices that could do at least as much in the work department, not to mention the entertainment department.

As it stands, it appears that mobile operating systems like Android and iOS, when sized 7-inches or larger, are at a point where their price does not make a good enough case for the consumer to choose them over a notebook if they want to do work. The market does not reflect this, of course, as the companies that make notebooks and tablets have come to understand – in quite a few cases, not all – that sensible choices in the computer consumption universe aren’t always the ones that are made. Instead we’re seeing tablets appearing more exciting than notebooks, notebooks being less newsworthy while tablets take the headlines – almost without fail.

If I had to make a cutoff where the tablet size starts and the smartphone (or in some cases “phablet”) size stops, it’d be a 7-inch display. Samsung made this distinction when they released the original Galaxy Tab, and it stuck. The word tablet should only apply to devices with 7-inch displays or larger with no physical keyboard and a touch-sensitive screen.

The difference between being able to do work on a smartphone and being able to do work on a tablet is the size of our hands. When we type on a smartphone – for the most part – we do it with our thumbs, and some people can do it really, really fast. Typing on a tablet is not so natural. We’ve not had keyboards as small as a smartphone up until very recently in our collective human past. The physical keyboard made for our hands – a standard-sized keyboard that is – has been around for many generations.

When it’s natural to type on an absolutely flat surface without physical feedback – see any number of science fiction films in the past 10 years – then it’ll be time to go to work on the tablet. Until then, the tablet is something you should buy only if you expect to use it to play games and watch videos.

We had a bit of a hands-on look at the game just yesterday that you can witness by heading to the post entitled Vector Unit brings Beach Buggy Blitz to TegraZone and hands-on. Once you’ve experienced the excellence, head to the TegraZone and download the game absolutely free! Or if you’re currently without a device that works with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, you’ve got another option.

We had a lot of fun with the last tablet giveaway working with our NVIDIA Tegra Hub – so much fun that we’ve decided to do it again, right here and now! You’ve got the chance to win one of three Tegra-toting tablets (listed above and below) – all you’ve got to do is follow these simple steps!

Rules:

1. Head to [this Facebook post] and if you haven’t already, “like” our Facebook page at [facebook.com/slashgear].

2. Select your favorite Tegra-toting device or NVIDIA TegraZone game from our ever-expanding [Tegra Hub] and comment on the Facebook post with a link (from the hub) along with some select words on why you love it so much – or why you want it so much, if you wish!

3. Sit back and wait for the end of the contest, and hope you get picked!

This giveaway starts on Friday, September 7th, 2012 and runs until Friday, Sept. 14th at midnight. We’ll pick a collection of our favorite entries and from that set we’ll choose three winners at random – we’ll announce the winners on Monday, September 17th on Facebook and right here in this original giveaway post!

Competition is open to residents of the US only, over the age of 18. One entry per person. Family members of NVIDIA, ASUS, Google, Vector Unit, and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified Android Community forum post; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.

The winners will be contacted by an Android Community/SlashGear staff member ON FACEBOOK upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected.

Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners agree that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to Android Community, SlashGear, NVIDIA, and Vector Unit.

Prizes consist of two 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablets and a Transformer TF201 Prime tablet and keyboard combo. There are no other alternative for prize winners unless this prizes become unavailable, in which case Android Community reserves the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizes provided by NVIDIA and Vector Unit. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to giveaway [AT] slashgear.com.

This device is made to bump up the power of your media-loving Transformer device and will do just that, and just that only. It’s mad mostly of a lovely aluminum and has a vast array of precision drilled holes which allow the beats to come forth from your device connected to the speakers underneath. This dock is meant to stay in your home, but should you feel the need to bring it with you in your backpack, you’ll be happy to know that it currently weighs in at just 450g – that number isn’t final though, so we’ll just have to wait and see how that bit turns out.

This device is 34.1mm tall, 140.4mm from front to back, and 220mm in length, so it will fit into your backpack, but it wont exactly seem invisible to you when you toss it in. You’ll be able to use USB 2.0 with its single type A full-sized port and it does also have a full sized SD card reader if you want to add some storage to your device when you’ve got the tablet plugged in.

No word yet on if this device will be able to play audio when the tablet is not plugged in via its docking port, but we do know that there’s no Bluetooth as of yet. Have a peek and let us know if it seems like the accessory for you!

The first of these games – as seen above – is Dead Trigger, a first person shooter right up along the lines of Shadowgun, made here to destroy no less than a whole host of zombies! Don’t let your guard down or it’ll be green curtains for you!

Second is Puddle THD, a game that takes what the Tegra 3 can do for real-world physics and pushes it to the wonderful world of aquatics. Your task is to make a puddle of water get from one place to another – don’t get to hot on the trigger though, because just like real water, this puddle is wily.

Next is Deamons Score, a “break-beat” action game made in the world of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 for 3D graphics that’ll have you pushing forth with depth-of-field effects, bloom effects, rim lighting, and dynamic shadows. Get ready to fire some oversized pistols – this game is not for kids.

Bounty Arms will have you knocking your enemies out cold – or straight up killing them – as you side-scroll through this 3D action game with co-op play and particle effects made possible by the Tegra 3. This game is made playable for the first time at E3 along with several of the other games here made available for the first time on Android.

Finally there’s Heroes Call. This game is made to take your RPG skills to the next level with high resolution light maps, weapons, armor, and collectable items galore, and multiple characters moving through a highly detailed fantasy realm. All of this on your mobile device. Prepare yourself!

Each of these games will be available immediately if not soon via the TegraZone for your Android device – make sure you’ve got Tegra 3 under the hood or you’re out of luck!

[via NVIDIA]

Sonic’s newest adventure here has both you, Sonic, and your best buddy Tails rolling full speed through another set of robotic enemies galore complete with a whole new set of abilities as you do so. You’ll be speeding through a stack of levels right out of the box with frame rates as close to the original console version of the newest Sonic game – and with full HDMI output (on your ASUS Transformer Prime, for example) and a wired or Bluetooth controller, you’ll have the full Sonic experience at your fingertips.

Above you’ll see the game being played on the ASUS Transformer Prime, the screenshots also being taken from that tablet. This version also has a multiplayer co-op mode like all good Sonic games should, this available over your own home wireless network, and you’ve got full console-level graphics on all the Tegra 3-toting devices on the market today. This game is available on the Google Play app store and through the NVIDIA TegraZone this week.

UPDATE: Link will go live later today – stay tuned!

UPDATE II: The game is now live! Check it out on TegraZone or straight on Google Play! Note also that the game is now officially called “Sonic 4 Episode II THD” – grab it!

For those of you that have never played a Sonic game in the past – it’s a side-scrolling timed action game where you control Sonic the Hedgehog, a character with the ability to run at super-speed and crush his enemies with his spinning abilities. In this game you get to work with Tails, a multi-tail fox with the ability to fly through the air with these tails in many exciting ways. Your enemy is Dr Robotnik, a robot creature effectively bent on turning the natural world to electronics – you’ve gotta stop him, stop him at all costs!

Have a peek below at our timeline of hands-on experiences with every Tegra 3 device on the market (and about to be on the market) so you’ll have a good idea of what machines this game will be best on once you’ve got it downloaded. Get ready to smash Dr Robotnik once again with the most advanced version of Sonic for the mobile platform ever released!

This application will allow you an intense range of abilities as far as touchscreen editing of your photos goes, and right here on the 10.1-inch display of the Transformer Prime, there’s no greater place to make it happen on Android! Have a peek at how well this pre-release version of the software is working here during CTIA 2012 in Barcelona.

The developers at Nik have been working with the NVIDIA crew to bring on the Snapseed app to the Android market on the Tegra 3 first and foremost, this processor being an ideal entry point for the app as it’s got all the power the app will ever need. The app wont necessarily be released on the Tegra Zone as many of the Tegra-optimized games are as it really isn’t a game when it comes down to it, but it will certainly be released to the Google Play App Store soon!

The game you’re looking at here is one chosen by NVIDIA and Phosphor Games to help show the Tegra 3′s impact on the mobile gaming space – in fact, at the moment you’re only going to be able to play this game for Android on a device with a Tegra 3 processor because of the intense graphics and awesome gameplay involved inside. NVIDIA’s quad-core 4-PLUS-1 technology embedded in the Transformer Prime will bring you new elements never before seen in the game’s short history: “detailed enhancements such as higher polygon count, animated textures, water effects and dynamic particle effects” amongst other elements to be sure. You can download the game and play it through completely for free via the NVIDIA Tegra Zone and the Google Play App Store starting this week!

UPDATE: We’ve found our winner! His name is John Walker and he wrote this amazing poem for the win!

“I would love an Asus Transformer Prime tab from Slashgear
Using it for all of the things I love, don’t you fear
I will be playing games on it, that’s no doubt
And even if I don’t win it, I won’t pout
I will use it for my work with Wounded Warriors charity
and steal some of my neighbor’s wifi, but only sparingly
I’ll use it for Twitter and Facebook and maybe eMail
But one thing’s for sure, the quad-core processor will never fail
If my fingers get tired, I’ll have the keyboard dock
To rest it on my lap and type away at my portfolio and stock
I’ll make sure to share the tab with my little brother
And even design a birthday card with photoshop for my mother
Maybe I’ll keep updated on Android news, that would be cool
I could even research my thesis paper by my outdoor pool
I’ll keep all of my photos organized and post with on Instagram
Or maybe use the photos to keep in touch across the country with my fans
My fans from my automotive blogging sites I post on
And use WordPress on the tab, writing English only, no Klingon
Well, this poem is over, but my love for the Transformer Prime
It will remain forever, because of its power and beautiful design.”
- Walker

The Game Pack up for grabs here includes one of each of the following:

• ASUS Transformer Prime (Amethyst Gray, 32GB)
• ASUS Keyboard Dock
• AMEX $25 Gift Card
• Powerbag Messenger Tablet bag to carry your winnings!

To enter:

1. “Like” us on Facebook: at facebook.com/slashgear/ and leave a comment in this Facebook thread: http://tinyurl.com/6pq3quz telling us one or more ways you plan to use the Transformer Prime tablet or what Tegra 3 optimized games you can’t wait to play – including Dark Meadow, of course!

2. Winners will be selected like so: we’ll pick a set of our favorites and put them in a hat to pick at random on April 30th!

You may only submit ONE entry to Facebook and only ONE comment will be chosen (if it’s awesome enough to be chosen!) Below lies the technical bit of the giveaway, note the requirements physical location especially.

Giveaway begins April 26th, 9:00AM PST, and ends April 30th, 12:01AM PST barring any complications finding the winner. Winner will be announced here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook/Google+ pages.

Competition is open to residents of the US only, over the age of 18. One entry per person. Family members of NVIDIA and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.

The winner will be contacted by a SlashGear staff member upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners agree that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to Android Community, SlashGear, Phospor Games, and NVIDIA.

Prize consists of a pack including one ASUS Transformer Prime tablet, one Transformer Prime mobile dock, one AMEX $25 Gift Card, and one Powerbag Messenger bag. There is no other alternative for prize winner unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear reserves the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by NVIDIA and Phospor Games. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to giveaway[AT]slashgear.com.

Have a peek at our hands-on with the Transformer Prime and the Transformer Pad TF300 and see what we mean. These two devices are relatively similar to one another save for a few choice points which allow ASUS to lower the price of the TF300 significantly. They both have the NVIDIA Tegra 3, they’ve both got a 10.1-inch display, and they both have that fabulous keyboard dock that’ll have you confusing your netbook loving friends in no time.

The big differences are hardware specifications which, if you didn’t have the two next to one another, you might never have otherwise noticed. The Prime has an IPS+ display while the TF300 has just an IPS display, the keyboard on the TF300 is has a plastic mouse button rather than an integrated button under the touchpad, and the bulk of the casing on the Prime is metal while the TF300 is plastic. The TF300 is also just a bit thicker than the Prime for reasons unknown, the TF300 has an upgrade to Bluetooth 3.0 where the Prime has 2.1, and there are different color options for both!

Have a look at our full review collection of these two devices starting with the ASUS Transformer Prime review (with Honeycomb) moving on to the ASUS Transformer Prime with Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade review then hitting on the ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 review. We’re voting for the less expensive model until we figure out a reason to stick with the Prime – it’s good!

Transformer Prime tablet: $499 (32GB)
Transformer Prime dock: $149
Transformer Pad TF300 tablet: $379 (16GB), $399 (32GB)
Transformer Pad TF300 dock: $149

Hardware

This device is a tablet computer but is able to turn into what’s essentially considered a notebook computer – or Wi-fi connected netbook, if you prefer. The keyboard dock here is reminiscent of the Transformer Prime and the original Eee Pad Transformer before that, and continues to be a pleasure to use like they were. The touchpad still needs tweaking if its going to have anywhere near as much quality as OS X does with the MacBook or the MacBook Air, but this has as much to do with the software – which really isn’t quite fully prepared for a desktop mode as such – as it is about the pad hardware itself.

If you plan on gaming on this machine with games that require you to have a mouse, I suggest finding a compatible USB mouse – which will plug in nicely as this units dock does indeed have a full-sized USB port. The dock itself also has a full-size SD card port and a port where you’ll be able to plug power into the wall or into your PC for desktop connectivity. The tablet then has a microHDMI port, a port for a microSD card, volume, power, and a headphone jack. ASUS doesn’t quote any special augmentation or especially fine quality parts for its headphone port, but it does sound perfectly fine for the basic media and gaming you’ll be experiencing with it.

There are two models per color, again we’ve got Royal Blue here in its 16GB configuration. There’s also a 16 and 32 GB configuration for each model, the Torch Red and Iceberg White models coming in June – pricing on all of these models is always $379 for the 16GB tablet, $399 for the 32GB model, and $149 for the keyboard dock. The Royal Blue version is expected to be delivered on the 30th of April with online retail availability starting the week of April 23rd.

With prices like these, expect this Transformer to sell as well as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 given that ASUS and NVIDIA decide to advertise it at least as well as the Transformer Prime. This is key as there is of course still significant confusion in the Android tablet market as to the difference between tablets and the simple understanding that yes, it’s possible that you could be doing things on one tablet that you wouldn’t be able to on another. That said, this Transformer is going to be the top performing tablet in your house if you’ve only ever had Android tablets before and haven’t yet picked up the Transformer Prime.

According to ASUS, several hardware upgrades have happened since the Transformer TF101 including the camera and video capabilities of the unit. You’ve got an F2.2 aperture on this 8 megapixel camera and a slightly different camera interface out of the box to bring the quality up to a level that’s ready to take on the rest of the tablet industry easily. Head down to the Camera portion of this review to see the quality of this machine’s shooter. Also note that there’s no flash this time – so watch out for the dark!

Inside you’ll find Bluetooth 3.0, RAM at 1GB using new DDR3, and the tablet alone weighs in at 1.30 lbs. The dock weighs about half that, so expect about 2 pounds in your backpack with the full package. The tablet and keyboard together are just a bit thicker than the original Transformer Prime but are essentially the same dimensions otherwise – the tablet alone is 7.11 x 10.35 x 0.38-inches.

Aside from the slightly awkward nature of having the display half of your notebook being the heavier of its two halves, this product is extremely similar to the Transformer Prime. With the prime you’ve got metal, here you’ve got plastic. This unit isn’t completely made of plastic, of course, but big portions of its casing are – this for some will be a low point compared to the Prime as the Prime’s metal looks and feels high quality. For others though, the decrease in weight means an easier to handle unit.

The display is also very similar in that it’s also an IPS technology-based panel, but here you’ve just got IPS and not IPS+, so you can’t burn your eyes out quite as easily here with this new model. This is another place where a feature has been cut to make way for a slightly lower price for the unit. Each of these small changes makes for a product that is still certainly high-end but just ever-so-slightly less impressive than the Prime. Have a peek at the hands-on video above to see both units side-by-side.

Software / Benchmarks

The software experience you’ll have here is strikingly similar to what we see on the current most updated version of the Transformer Prime. Both units work with Android 4.0 or higher and both use a version of ASUS user interface additions to that base software experience that makes them advanced beyond all non-ICS tablets in the market and unique in and of themselves for their hardware-specific features. ASUS leaves Android’s basic Android 4.03 Ice Cream Sandwich experience alone for the most part, adding only a few changes that make the experience, again, ASUS’ own.

Have a peek back at our hands-on with Ice Cream Sandwich on the Transformer Prime as well as the gaming video below to see what you’re working with on the tablet version of Ice Cream Sandwich as well as NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor. This chipset is quad-core with 4-PLUS-1 technology meaning it has a fifth low-power CPU core that turns on only when the other four cores are not needed. With this ability, Tegra 3 devices are able to conserve energy and preserve battery live in a very efficient way. See the battery section below for details on power.

The games you’ll be playing here come from the Tegra Zone, an app and ecosystem which NVIDIA provides all Tegra-toting devices made with Android. This isn’t the only place you can find games, of course, the Google Play app store being packed full of them, but NVIDIA has created this portal for you to find games developed with their crew to be optimized for the Tegra 3 multi-core environment. Have a peek at a few examples in the hands-on video with the TF300 here:

NVIDIA pushes Gaming as one of the best ways to experience the full power of their quad-core processor here in the TF300. You’ll be seeing Glowball, Guerilla Bob, Soulcraft THD (beta) and Temple Run. Compare these two the same and similar games on the Transformer Prime Gaming Hands-on and you’ll find a very similar experience.

You’ve also got to consider high-powered tasks from all corners of the software world, on the other hand – the Tegra 3 able to handle each of these as well, each of them quite well. Have a peek at a set of benchmarks here that are not to be missed, and remember to compare them to the Transformer Prime review as well!

Camera

The camera on this device is, as stated above, an 8 megapixel shooter with the ability to record 1080p video as well. There’s an F2.2 aperture for sweet snapping and the camera interface has changed ever so slightly from the original build on the Transformer Prime. Have a peek at the camera interface here:

Next have a look at some 1080p video as well as several snapshots taken in various conditions with the back-facing camera on this device. Again compare and contrast them with the quality of the Transformer Prime which has essentially the same setup but with no flash for taking photos in the dark.

Battery

The TF300 is no exception to the rule that Tegra 3 devices are able to conserve energy very effectively. Because of the fifth low-power core here, the TF300′s battery is able to last it a fantastic amount of hours both with and without the bonus battery housed in the keyboard dock. ASUS quotes eight and a half hours for the tablet alone and a bit more than 13 hours with the dock doing normal “Real World Testing”. We’ve found similar results, getting more like 7 hours of streaming video and/or playing games and 10 to 12 with the dock attached. The real “wow” factor is in, again, the power-saving mode and the ability of the 5th low-power core:

Also note that the times this battery chart shows the tablet as “charging” are when it’s plugged into its keyboard dock only – not into the wall. Having two slates of hardware to hold big batteries in makes this device as one big whole an intensely battery-sensitive machine.

Wrap-Up

Here we have the slightly less expensive version of the most well-rounded and powerful Android tablet on the planet. The qualities that allow this model to cost significantly less than its bigger brother are not bothersome to me, and I see no reason, save for one, why a person wouldn’t just go with this TF300 model over the Transformer Prime. That reason is, of course, the flash for the camera – I think it’s safe to say that most people don’t use their tablet as their primary photo and video machine, but if they do, that little LED can make or break a purchase.

After that though, everything on this device is high quality and ready for action. Even the plastic casing which replaces the fabulous ring-spun aluminum on the Prime is of a quality high enough to run with the top tier of the Android tablet world. It even has a ring-spun texture so you know it means business. ASUS hasn’t just created a lower-cost model of the Prime here, they’ve re-done the Prime with the essentials it needed to be the top-quality Android tablet in the field and offered it here with the name ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 with a much more pleasing price tag. Pick one up right now!

According to a comment on ASUS Italy’s Facebook page (poorly converted to English by Google Translate below), outside of the US, Taiwan and certain European countries, the Transformer Prime was billed as offering “localized” positioning rather than full GPS suited to in-car navigation. That means, the company argues, that no “broken promises or misleading claims” about the Tegra 3 tablet’s abilities were made.

“Guys confirm that the initiative is reserved for those territories where Prime was marketed with the GPS between the specifications of the product. So mainly the U.S. and Taiwan. In Italy Prime has been marketed under a Localized atore and not with a GPS “Full” as car navigation. Function that we believe the rest is useless in combination with a tablet. Customers who bought Prime has done with the understanding that GPS is not present, then from our side there were no broken promises or misleading claims. We do not understand then what the reason of your critical Riccardo . Among other things, the satisfaction level of users who bought Prime is very high. In sharp contrast with what you say. It means that the product performs its function very well” ASUS Italy [machine-translated]

ASUS actually removed mentions of GPS navigation from Transformer Prime specs after the first complaints about the tablet surfaced. Therefore, it’s only those who got in early – basically, back in 2011 prior to the amendments – who will be eligible.

As for whether that means you’ll get a GPS dongle or not, it’s best to contact your local service center to see if ASUS is operating the free accessory scheme in your country. Still, the way ASUS has handled the situation is hardly ideal, and we can’t blame those users left out for being frustrated.

[via Notebook Italia]

ASUS has just released what they are calling the GPS extension kit application where users that would like the free GPS dongle can register and request one. The only problem here is it attaches to the base of the tablet like we mentioned in our earlier reports, and will take the spot of the optional keyboard dock. Users won’t be able to use both at the same time unfortunately.

While the dongle is free, and manages to come in the same colors the Prime is sold, sadly it’s cheap plastic and very bulky. This little “add-on” will ruin the pure and sleek aesthetics of the slate, but if you need the accurate GPS data it’s worth the request. While it’s nice to see ASUS making an effort to fix the problem with a free adapter, it would have been nice if they caught this before releasing the product worldwide. Do you think GPS is enough of a problem to get one? Or will you be passing on this free GPS extension kit?

Land of Droid managed to get their hands on the dongle, saying what they looked at at was an engineering sample, and the final product will be announced by ASUS shortly. It will use the same locking mechanism as the keyboard dock, sitting flush at the bottom in order to boost the GPS signal to the tablet.A mandatory OTA software update has also been pushed out to Transformer Primes which adds support for the dongle.

The pictures show that the dongle, which will be given to Transformer Prime customers for free, will match the color of the tablet. It will use the same 40-pin proprietary dock connector, and doesn’t look too different from the locking mechanism found on the keyboard dock. Having said that, it also looks rather large to us. Is this something that users will really want to leave attached to their tablets?

There’s also the matter of having to sacrifice a good GPS signal if you’re using the keyboard dock, as you won’t be able to use both at the same time. Then again, it’s better than no GPS at all. ASUS are expected to begin shipping the dongles shortly to existing customers, and you’ll be eligible to receive one if you’re planning on buying the Transformer Prime going forward.

What you’re going to be looking at are the following: Notepad by Catch, Evernote (with Skitch), Autodesk Sketchbook Mobile, and Note Everything. This list is of course limited to apps that can be downloaded and used by ANY Android tablet. Each of these applications has its own set of pros as well as some cons, most of the cons being layout and user interface diversity. What you’ll find is that these apps strengths lie in their ability to connect with one another, the cloud, and essentially any other app in your library, as is very often the case with Android in general.

Evernote with Skitch has a nice ability to bring you into a deep web of connectivity – Evernote is known for that kind of excellence. Autodesk’s Sketchbook Mobile is made more for a smartphone and isn’t quite optimized for the tablet sized screen yet, but offers the most diverse set of paintbrush abilities. Notepad by Catch and Note Everything both have the ability to very easily help you collect a diverse set of notes at the tip of a hat, and both share quite well – as it true with the rest of the apps for the most part.

Sketchbook Mobile will cost you [$1.99 on the Google Play App Store], Evernote [is Free] and Skitch [is Free] as well, Notepad by Catch [is Free], and Note Everything [is Free]. Of course several of these apps also have upgraded versions and in-app add-ons that will cost you extra cash, but the basic functions are free for all.

It should be plain to see that this selection doesn’t quite add up to what the iPad currently has for notetaking and otherwise perfectly optimized media-collecting apps. We’d like to encourage developers (as well as those in a position to support developers) to create apps with much more diverse abilities than these – and in the very near future! And you readers out there: if you know of any other applications that you feel should be added to this list, don’t be shy – let us know!

Face Unlock will make an appearance in the latest update, and the camera firmware system has also tweaked so that it doesn’t need to be updated separately from the main firmware. Minor software changes have been made, such as renaming the Android Market to Play Shop, as well as Play Books, Play Music, and Play Movies.

The lock screen has also been improved: users will be able to control notifications from there, jumping straight into the relevant application instead of having to unlock the screen first. Connectivity options have been adjusted somewhat, with bugfixes for WiFi and support for ad-hoc networks. HDMI output has been fixed to allow portrait or landscape orientation output.

The update should be rolling out to UK users of the Transformer Prime now. ASUS Italy revealed that the original Transformer should be seeing a similar update, although no timescale was given for the rollout.

This new update to the Transformer Prime adds the ability for the tablet to connect to ethernet data (with an Ethernet to USB converter) and allows for Face Direct Unlock – this a feature missing from the original Android 4.0 build released just months ago. Many extra bits have been added as well, including an update to the ASUS Vibe app and myCloud MyLibrary. This tablet can now also show video over HDMI in either landscape or portrait mode, and this release comes with a promise that the TF101G model ASUS will be getting Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well.

Hands-on with Transformer Prime pre-March update

So what’s the holdup for the rest of the tablets out there that don’t rely on a mobile network to get them data? Shouldn’t it only be Google and the device manufacturer who have to work on getting Android 4.0 out to that device? That certainly might seem like the case, but the truth hurts: when you’ve got a tablet out there that a person does not buy on a contract with a carrier, the promise for updates only lasts so far as promised in your initial purchase agreement. In effect, the manufacturers don’t really owe tablet owners anything — ASUS is, in this case, acting to show the customers that they want to remain dedicated to them: and of course want to see additional sales of the Transformer Prime before the next model is released!

As is so very important to mention, President Obama is now a member of Pinterest. There’s a brand new iPhone 5 on the way if Foxconn Taiyuan is to be believed. The Newsstand is now generating $70K a day for Apple. Mozilla is ready to demonstrate HTML5 with BrowserQuest – watch out for Pokemon!

For the iPad you’ll want to check out Tapose for all sorts of courier action. Epson has come out of absolutely nowhere with Android-powered see-through glasses. Samsung has sold a whole lot of Android devices in the short time the Samsung Galaxy Note has been on the market. The Lumia 900 for AT&T will be Nokia white and the new Nokia MeeGo duo has been tipped for Next Billion.

Version 9.4.2.21 of the software will also introduce a new camera firmware update system, which will remove the need to separately update the software for the camera and instead bring it in with regular firmware changes. Other software changes will include the renaming of the Android Market to the Play Store, along with Play Books, Play Music and Play Movies, and ASUS’ Vibe software will go to v2.0 with a better UI and more content.

Users will also be able to control notifications, such as unread messages, directly from the lockscreen, presumably jumping straight into the relevant app and bypassing the homescreen. There’ll be Face Unlock support too.

Connectivity, meanwhile, will also get a tweak, with Ad-hoc WiFi network support and other wireless bugfixes. There’ll also be the ability to choose between portrait or landscape orientation for video displayed via the HDMI output, with the option to scale it to fit the screen or bracket it with bars.

ASUS Italy also says that a further TF101 upgrade is in the pipeline too, addressing more issues encountered by some owners. No timescale for that, however.

[via Android Community and via Notebook Italia]

Hasbro tried to convince the court that ASUS’ Transformer would confuse customers into thinking the tablet was a Hasbro product. They cited existing merchandise, how the Transformer logo had been put on a wide variety of products including USB drives and other computer accessories.

The judge in the case failed to see the argument, saying:

There is nothing gimmicky about the Eee Pad Transformer or the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, nor can it be said that there is any similarity in the use or function between Hasbro and Asus’s products.

If anything, ASUS’ case was strengthened by the fact that the tablet does indeed “transform”, docking with a keyboard to make it appear like a regular laptop. The judge believes that Hasbro waited too long to act, and even the upcoming Transformer Prime doesn’t seem to be an issue in the case.

Finally, ASUS revealed tablet pre-order and fulfillment orders for the Transformer Prime, which are surprisingly low: “as of February 24, 2012, it had received over 2,000 pre-orders … and that retailer fulfillment orders for the next two months total approximately 80,000 tablet computers.”

[via PaidContent]

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime

One of Apple’s big boasts with the new iPad is the battery life: 9hrs with LTE active. However, how does over 17 hours sound to you? ASUS’ Eee Pad Transformer Prime keeps the innovative battery-equipped keyboard dock of its predecessor but steps up the style with more expensive materials and a slimmer chassis. It’s still thicker than the new iPad, but the upshot is far easier content creation than using an on-screen keyboard.

We fell for the Prime in our original review and the subsequent Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade did nothing to dissuade us, the combination of Tegra 3 and the docking flexibility ensuring it a place in our bag. The only blip on the horizon is the upcoming 700 Series with its 1920 x 1200 display, a step up in resolution from the 1280 x 800 panel on the current Prime, though still short of Apple’s Retina Display. Still, if you’re serious about runtimes and text entry, the Transformer Prime has plenty of appeal.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

One size fits all has been Apple’s strategy with the iPad so far, but Android tablet manufacturers have no such qualms about offering differently scaled slates. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 aims for your jacket pocket, a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display front and center with a sturdy casing that still manages to be just 7.89mm thick. Pixel density of the 1280 x 800 display may be down on what the new iPad offers – 196 ppi versus 264 ppi – but it’s a bright, colorful, rich panel with fantastic viewing angles.

Samsung is arguably Apple’s strongest rival in tablets, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 shows the degree of polish the company can achieve. It’s not cheap – $499.99 with a new Verizon LTE agreement – but it’s beautifully made and very portable; more details in our full review.

B&N NOOK Tablet

Apple’s iPad 2 has been kept on as the entry-level model in the company’s tablet range, now $399, but Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Tablet undercuts it considerably: $249 for the original version, or $199 if you can cope with less storage and memory. It’s a 7-incher like the Samsung, but with a budget focus; however, Android enthusiasts with a mind for tinkering have discovered it’s also a fantastic starting point for hacks and tweaks.

B&N would rather you stuck with its ebook store and app download store, and usability from the reskinned interface is straightforward if unsurprisingly lacking the speed and gloss of the new iPad. Still, at half the price, for web surfing, messaging, ebook reading and multimedia the NOOK Tablet is a solid and affordable choice.

But wait…

More choice is in the pipeline, and not just running Android. Windows 8 marks Microsoft’s push back into the tablet segment, with the first models expected in late 2012. Microsoft has done plenty of work bringing its Metro UI up to speed with finger use, and the new support for ARM processors should mean the traditional Windows tablet bugbears of short battery life, heavy build, mediocre performance and loud fans are all addressed.

More details on all the latest tablets in the SlashGear Review Hub, including our full new iPad review. Any of these tablets catch your eye, or are you still convinced a new iPad is the machine for you? Let us know in the poll below!

The following is part one of a series of iPad 3rd Gen Hands-on posts we’ll be doing, with the next one being a benchmarking post showing the processing power of the new iPad right up against who Apple said they had beaten to a pulp in the graphics department: NVIDIA and their quad-core Tegra 3 processor. We started that battle off in the post called Should you buy the new iPad or an Android tablet? We’ll get deeper into that later – for now we’ll start fresh with the iPad and its Retina display, A5X chip, and 5 megapixel camera.

What we’re dealing with here is a device which essentially alleviates all of the downfalls of the iPad 2. Though it is one of the best selling devices of all time, and has continued to decimate the competition single handedly throughout its lifespan, the iPad lineup has had a display that, while it does look fabulous on its own, is currently trumped by a series of Android tablets with slightly higher pixel counts and brighter lights behind them. The new iPad has no peer in the display department.

Above: the ASUS Transformer Prime

Retina Display

The new Retina display does not blow me away when I look at it, when I’m playing a game, not even really when I’m watching a high definition movie – but being “blown away” isn’t what I want. The new iPad instead has a display that’s so perfectly tuned that I don’t think about its quality at any point while I’m using the device. The display quality is no longer a point of contention here in this device – the viewing angles are immense, the brightness has a range that’s just right, and the pixels per inch are so large that I can’t tell they exist.

There are a series of Android devices coming out soon with high definition displays as well, several of them having been shown off at CES 2012 and MWC 2012. They too have the technology needed to impress the eye to such a degree as to make one’s mind forget that low quality graphics where ever an issue. Just like a fantastic movie full of special effects so fantastic that a person doesn’t even know they’re there, here too is the generation of displays we’ve been waiting for – they’re just great.

A5X Chip

We have yet to compare numbers between the new iPad’s A5X chip and the many processor masterpieces that litter the Android landscape. That said, I must say once more that we’re at a point in our history here in the mobile world where the processors we’re working with are so fantastic that we no longer have to wait more than a few moments for anything to load. Even games with the highest demands for graphics power are loaded in just a few instants, if in any time at all. Have a peek at this hands-on with Infinity Blade II on the new iPad for example:

What a masterpiece! There’s nothing like it in the world, right? Perhaps you should also take a look at a game which shows off the graphics prowess of the NVIDIA Tegra 3, the very processor Apple contended had just 1X the graphics power of the new iPad’s A5X chip. This example comes from Mobile World Congress 2012 where we checked out a multiplayer version of the game Shadowgun – here played on a Transformer Prime with a Logitech gaming controller and played out via HDMI cable to an HDTV – it’s like magic!

Of course these are two very different examples of the power of two very different processors – but therein lies the point. While you might find both publishers and chipmakers speaking up on how superior one processor is over another on a daily basis, the end result here in our undeniably awesome modern world is this: we had nothing like this only a few years ago. For those of you thinking of purchasing a device here in the technologically awesome world we were all born into – check out what these devices can do, figure out which of these fantastic features you want, and just buy them all anyway!

Apple’s new A5X chip is astounding, and there’s been no trace of any kind of hiccup for any function we’ve yet tried out – I don’t expect we’ll find any missteps or breakdowns either. I’ll let you know if there’s anything bad about it, but don’t hold your breath.

Wrap-Up of Part One

Again this is only one of many columns I’ll be writing in the coming days and weeks with the new iPad, a device we fully expect to outsell the last iPad and the iPad before that. Let me and us know what you want to know about it, and I will do my best to answer any question you might have. Meanwhile I’ll be pitting it up against the Transformer Prime in all its quad-core glory soon!

Also be sure to prepare yourself, again, with the review series of tablet reviews we’ve got up to and including the new iPad:
• iPad 3rd Gen Review
• iPad 2 Review
• ASUS Transformer Prime Review
• ASUS Transformer Prime with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Review

Next get your eyes on the newest build of the hacked Android-loving CyanogenMod 9 for TouchPad – complete with Cornerstone multitasking! For those of you in the market for an Android tablet in the coming months – $149 per tablet might be all you’re paying – cheap! For those of you in the Microsoft game, check out the newly leaked Windows Phone Tango for the HTC HD2!

Get in on our brand spanking new Transformer Prime Quad-Core Pack Giveaway if you’re looking to get a tablet (and a keyboard dock, and an awesome Powerbag to carry it all in) courtesy of SlashGear and NVIDIA!

Meanwhile scientists have discovered a way to communicate through rock using neutrino technology. Microsoft is denying that they’ll have an Xbox 720 at E3 2012 – but who would believe such a thing? The next version of Elder Scrolls is coming to the web soon. Jailbreaking for the new iPad is well on its way.

Lenovo is being called the first Windows 8 tablet makers to the market – soon! Apple may be making a MacBook Air-style MacBook Pro soon as well. Intel is showing off their own wares in an Ultrabook Temptations video. Fun stuff all day long coming up!

UPDATE: We now have our winners! Melissa Moruetta and Derek Walling please contact us at giveaway[AT]slashgear.com with your preferred mailing address and phone number – we’ll also be contacting you via Facebook/Google+ to confirm your identities! For those of you not listed here and did enter on [Android Community] – head over there to see if you’re a lucky winner!

The tablet and the keyboard dock are shown in the reviews above, the Tegra 3 offering 4-PLUS-1 technology: not just the four cores you’ll be using for heavy-duty graphics and gaming, but a fifth core for low-power tasks and sleep mode. The Powerbag you’re getting is not unlike the one your humble narrator reviewed during CES 2012, but in this case it’s a messenger bag instead of a backpack. This whole experience is going to blow you away not only right away when you get your hands on it, but throughout 2012 as well as the NVIDIA Tegra Zone gains over 20 console-quality apps.

You’ve got one one, not two, but FOUR chances to win between our contest and the contest going on right now at Android Community – have a peek here at our rules and head over to their contest post to get in on as many chances as possible to win a full Quad-Core Package! Our rules are as follows:

1. “Like” us on Facebook: at facebook.com/slashgear/ and leave a comment in this Facebook thread: http://tinyurl.com/7cpoes4 telling us one or more ways you plan to use the Transformer Prime tablet or what Tegra 3 optimized games you can’t wait to play!

2. “Circle” us on Google+ at +SlashGear and leave a comment in this Google+ thread: http://tinyurl.com/76rmhs7 also telling us one or more ways you plan to use the Transformer Prime and/or which games you’re dying to play.

3. Winners will be selected like so: we’ll pick a set of our favorites and put them in a hat to pick at random on March 23rd!

You may only submit ONE entry to each social networking site and only ONE comment on each social networking site will be chosen (if it’s awesome enough to be chosen!) Below lies the technical bit of the contest, note the requirements for where you’ll be eligible in this tiny world of ours especially.

Giveaway begins March 16th, 12:01AM PST, and ends Friday March 23rd, 12:01AM PST barring any complications finding the winners. Both winner will be announced here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook/Google+ pages.

Competition is open to residents of the US only, over the age of 18. One entry per person. Family members of NVIDIA and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook and G+ page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.

The winner will be contacted by an AndroidCommunity/SlashGear staff member upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners agree that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to Android Community, SlashGear, and NVIDIA.

Prize consists of a pack including one ASUS Transformer Prime tablet, one Transformer Prime mobile dock, and one Powerbag Messenger bag. There is no other alternative for prize winner unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear reserves the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Any questions can be directed to giveaway[AT]slashgear.com.

Contest provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizing provided by NVIDIA. Any questions regarding this contest should be directed to giveaway[AT]slashgear.com.

BONUS: have a peek at some of the games already on the market that show the full power of the Tegra 3 chip inside this beast of a tablet:

The brand new iPad is Apple’s newest effort in the mobile space with a styling not unlike the iPad 2, save for some rather impressive specification improvements. The full list of improvements this device has over its predecessor can be found in the post known as The new iPad vs iPad 2. You’ll find that this device has a battery that lasts for 9 hours on LTE, 10 hours on wi-fi, that the same as the iPad 2 but with twice the battery capacity, this meaning that the Retina display and the 4G LTE modem require a punch of power to be sure.

The ASUS Transformer Prime is a good example of a top-class Android tablet in that not only is it the first tablet on the market with an official build of Google’s newest mobile software Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, it’s in direct competition for chip power with NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. Apple contended at the iPad event this month that their new A5X chip out-does the Tegra 3 in the graphics department without much for hard numbers to back it all up outside “4x vs 1x performance.” NVIDIA has challenged Apple to back up their claims since that day, but we’ve yet to see the results of said battle.

Meanwhile both devices have massively impressive displays up front, the iPad having a 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS “Retina” quality display at 2048 x 1536 pixels. There are several models at this point of the Transformer Prime, the one we’ve reviewed (the original) having 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, the newest model (the Transformer Pad Infinity 700) coming in at 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution. Each of these models has a 10.1-inch LED backlit IPS+ display, this meaning you’ll get a bit brighter action than the iPad, but because they’re not nearly as dense on the pixels, none are quite as sharp.

Both the iPad and the Transformer Prime have 1GB of memory inside – this is pretty standard these days amongst high-quality tablets, both the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Toshiba Excite X10 LE having this amount of memory as well. For internal storage on the Transformer Prime you’ll have the choice of either 32GB or 64GB models with the option to expand by another 32GB with its microSD card slot. The new iPad has three models for size, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, but with no microSD card slot for memory expansion on any of them.

Both the iPad and the Transformer Prime have a headphone jack and their own proprietary dock connector to hook up with your PC. The iPad also has the ability to connect to HDMI with an Apple-made converter cord while the Transformer Prime has a microHDMI port built in. Both units also have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for audio.

One place where the Transformer Prime really appears to shine at the moment is in its set of high-quality cameras. The front-facing camera for the Transformer Prime is 2-megapixels strong while the back is 8-megapixels capable of 1080p video as well as taking flash photos (with its LED flash bulb.) The 2012 edition of the iPad has vastly improved cameras over its older model iPad 2, and they certainly do seem to be taking strides towards an equitable set of video/photo machines, but still don’t look at first to be equalling what Asus has presented. The new iPad has a VGA quality camera up front and a 5-megapixel camera on the back, also capable of 1080p video but having no flash bulb for flash photos. Apple is also very vocal about their “5-element lens” and IR filter made specifically for this camera setup for superior quality photos and video. We’ll see about that soon!

The Transformer Prime, the original that is, does not have the ability to connect to a cellular network, while its newest relative, the Transformer Pad Infinity 700, is able to work with either 3G or 4G – note though that the model that does connect thusly also has a dual-core processor from Qualcomm instead of a quad-core from NVIDIA. This Qualcomm processor is the MSM 8260A/8960 Snapdragon S4 on the other hand again, it being mightily impressive in what we’ve seen of it thus far. The 3rd generation iPad has the ability to connect to 4G LTE, either through AT&T or through Verizon, and we’ll be seeing how fantastic these speeds really can be soon enough.

The Transformer Prime is 8.3mm thin and weighs in at 586g. The newest model iPad is 9.4mm thin and weighs in at either 652g or 662g depending on if you’ve got the 4G model or not. These sizes end up being basically inconsequential when you consider how tiny and impressively light they each are when handled on their own, so do not worry about the differences in anyway – tell them I told you so.

ASUS is unique in its offering of a tablet running Android that also has a custom-made keyboard dock that’s meant to go with it. You’ll be running a rather one-of-a-kind setup with your own laptop when you want it, tablet when you don’t set of hardware. The iPad is, on the other hand, one of the most popular devices on the planet as far as 3rd party technology goes, with accessory makers around the earth trying to get in on the party with their own keyboard dock, case, or otherwise iPad-connected device of any sort. You’ll be able to find essentially whatever you want to add on to this device is the long and short of things here.

You’ll be able to find a Transformer Prime at essentially any large electronics store today for a total of $499.99 USD with no wait in line. You’ll be tossing down a few more bucks for the keyboard dock if you like, but the tablet itself costs the basic $500. For the iPad you’ve also got the least expensive model sitting at that same price, $499.99. Apple also has its many other models ranging from that $500 spot all the way up to the 64GB version on 4G LTE for $829 – that’s some hot potatoes!

Which one should you choose? It really truly depends on what kind of experience you’re looking to have. The Apple mobile operating system iOS is a very different beast from Google’s Android, and they’ve both got massive followings in both the user and developer sectors. You’re not going to be left out in the cold with either an iPad or an ASUS device, you can be sure of that.

If you’re going for the Transformer Prime you can also check out our full review back before it had Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or right after it received the update that made it the first in its class. The new iPad we’ve got hands-on time with already and a full review will be coming in kind when we get our hands on one!

Also remember that we’ve got our very own iPad giveaway going on right now for those of you feeling lucky and desiring the prize more than any other person on earth. Join in now!

How is that any different from the Transformer Prime, you ask? Unwired View reports that Microsoft would be including a processor not only in the tablet itself, but also the keyboard base unit. The processor in the tablet would be optimized for low-power, pointing towards an ARM chip of some kind, while the processor in the keyboard base unit would be focused more on performance. That could mean either a speedier ARM chip, or even an ULV Intel chip.

Right now with the Transformer Prime, you hold the same amount of processing power whether or not you’re docked with the keyboard, which only provides additional power. Microsoft’s vision would see different performance scenarios depending on your mobility requirements, which seems much more appealing.

Not only that, the operating system would adapt to the change. Microsoft lay out in their patent that the device would switch between a “resource-conserving computing environment” when in tablet mode, and a “resource-intensive computing environment” when in laptop mode. This is idle speculation, but that sounds ideal for Windows 8, switching to the Metro interface when in tablet mode, and back to the traditional desktop when in laptop mode.

What they have on display for everyone to enjoy and demo is the NVIDIA Tegra 3 powered Transformer Prime tablet displaying the new Deadzone over HDMI-out to the big screen. Then we got to enjoy some 1-vs-1 using wireless game controllers by Logitech for truly a console quality gaming experience. This was briefly shown at CES but things look even better on the big screen.

The demo truly shows the power of the NVIDIA Tegra 3. Being able to play multiplayer 3rd person gaming with up to 8 players is quite impressive. Shooting others in the face and tossing grenades all sounds great right? SHADOWGUN: Deadzone will have deathmatch, team deathmatch and over 6 levels when it launches. The only issue we see is this will be a freemium game where users wont have to pay to play, but in-game purchases are needed to advance or to upgrade weapons.

Everything looks quite impressive so far from NVIDIA and Madfinger Games. We can expect the title to land in the Android Market sometime near the end of March. We’ll be sure to review all the action once it becomes available.

The theme of this particular teaser is “Red, White, and Blue, what can we play?” and simply must mean that whatever model tablet ASUS is revealing at the events will have a collection of different-colored plastic battery covers. Or it could mean that ASUS has some new bit of software that makes it extra intuitive to do artwork on the tablets they already have. What we’re really banking on here is a combination of both, but mixed in with the model TF300T, a brand new upgraded model of the original ASUS Eee Pad Transformer complete with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and lower-level specs than the Transformer Prime or the Transformer Prime 700 series.

This would fit in with ASUS plan when they released the Transformer Prime to keep with a two-tiered system where the Transformer was an affordable 10-inch tablet while the 10-inch tablet with a premium flavor was the Transformer Prime. Having seen and used the Transformer Prime for many weeks now, we must agree to the idea that this is a premium experience, while the original Transformer should be a bit less expensive than it currently is. Will ASUS surprise us all with a better tablet with a lower cost?

It’s certainly happened before – and it was ASUS that did it! Head back to the announcement of the MeMO $249 tablet at CES 2012 to see what I mean. Then check the timeline here to get up to date on everything ASUS as we head to Mobile World Congress 2012 – we fly out tomorrow!

If you take a peek at the video, you’ll see that it’s quite obvious what ASUS is pushing here, a brand new tablet (or just an upgrade, again,) with twice the amount of pixels on the screen. Twice, that is, compared to the device which must already have been released. So what we’ve got going here is a tablet almost certainly – but possibly something smaller with the same sized display.

So there’s still the possibility that this advertisement is for the ASUS Padfone as well, as there’s a smartphone that plugs into a tablet, twice the pixels for twice the fun. Have a peek at the timeline below to see all the possibilities in both revealed and unrevealed (leaked or teased) items ASUS has presented thus far. We’ll see you at Mobile World Congress 2012!

As ASUS mentions in its rules and regulations for the bootloader unlock tool, “once you activate the App you will not be able to recover your ASUS product (“Original Product”) back to original locked conditions.” This is of course true of any bootloader unlock tool you use, no matter what, so don’t be fearful. On the other hand, if you’ve never unlocked the bootloader on any device you’ve had in the past, it’s probably not the best time to do so just for the fun of it.

Unlocking your bootloader is serious business and is not recommended for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Once you’ve unlocked the device to that level, you reveal what’s essentially the inner bits of its brain, and one false move could result in the whole system going effectively brain-dead. So go and have fun, team, and keep your belt tight for the difficult parts! Get the Bootloader Unlock tool from ASUS and forever cross your fingers!

We’ll be checking out the Padfone even closer than we did at CES 2012 where they had the device combo out on display. This device is a unique (or nearly unique if you count all the copycats that have sprung up in the past few months) in that it’s a tablet with a holster for a smartphone that powers the whole rig. ASUS plans on coming correct with this device as it also brings forth the next generation of its tablet line including the Transformer Prime 700 series and the MeMO $249 NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core 7-inch tablet.

Will you be able to resist such a fantastically powerful tablet lineup, each of them with Ice Cream Sandwich for their Android version without a doubt? We’ll be bringing you the heat from Spain all week long starting this Sunday! Follow all the action through out Mobile World Congress 2012 portal! And of course our lovely timelines which always keep you in the know throughout each device’s history!

However, this is still believed to be the first native port of an OS to the Transformer Prime, something developers have long been anticipating. The Prime currently ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, having been upgraded to the OS earlier in the year, but ASUS opted to lock down the bootloader in what it said was a move to ensure device stability and protect content-owner DRM.

That unsurprisingly didn’t go down well with the developer community, and ASUS was forced to backtrack and promise an unlocker tool. It’s not for everyone, though; using it will void your manufacturers warranty, meaning if you brick your slate, it’s your problem.

We’ve been promised more information on the hack, and it’s only likely to be the first of many modifications made to the Transformer Prime over the next few weeks. We’ll update when we know more.

You can download the bootloader unlock tool, meanwhile, from ASUS’ support site.

[Thanks Steve!]

What this next generation device represents almost certainly is a replacement for the current generation ” target=”_blank”>ASUS Eee Pad Transformer – the original. When the Transformer Prime was announced, ASUS was very clear that its launch did not mean the end of the original Transformer, just that there would be two tiers of tablets (at least two tiers as we would later find out) with the original being priced for everyone and the Prime being priced for the premium crowd. With the original Transformer here getting an upgrade to Tegra 3 quad-core processor for its innards instead of its current Tegra 2 dual-core processor, we’re looking at quite the value proposition indeed!

Given the NenaMark2 benchmark results we’re seeing here, we can see that the device does indeed have a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, a display of a massive 1280 x 752, and Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. This puts the tablet right in line between the Transformer Prime and its much smaller cousin the ASUS MeMO tablet also announced at CES 2012 – it having similar specifications with a 7-inch display.

Will we see this device showing up at Mobile World Congress 2012 aside the ASUS Padfone and the further developed MeMO tablet? We sure hope so! Stick with us all through the end of the month as we head to Spain and see!

[via NenaMark]

The video you’re about to see shows both the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the ASUS Transformer Prime, each of them running Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich, each of them running this first public release of Chrome Beta. You’ll find the experiences to be very similar with slight changes in icons and text locations due to size of display, and the same ability to see other devices as well as pre-fetch data from webpages before they’re needed. Notice though the slight differences – the ability to use the voice recognition engine on the tablet and the same option not appearing on the phone.

You’ll find that the nicest looking (or perhaps just the most visually striking) feature is the tabs browser. As you hit the number next to your URL bar – or “Omnibox” as Google has taken to calling it – you’ll see several cards appear. These cards are you tabs, and they can be accessed by tapping, destroyed by swiping, and pushed apart or together – the coolness of this increased by your ability to turn on Tilt Scrolling. This appears to use gravity but actually uses your accelerometer in your device to make the cards appear to move on their own when you tilt your device.

Link Previewing is a feature that Google speaks about in their trailer for the browser but we’ve not encountered a use for thus far. It’s supposed to have links popping up in balloons, essentially, when they’d otherwise be hard to tap. Using these previews has been so off-and-on for us that we’ll wait to show it off in any real manner. Signing in works far better, it allowing you, again, to access the tabs you’ve been using on other machines with Chrome on the fly. Your Chrome iterations also learn from one another for smart URL completion, but watch out if you’re using your Transformer Prime and expect to be able to select one of these pre-typed selections with your arrow keys – that’s not yet integrated.

Another point of interest when comparing the two different sized versions here: Tilt Scrolling is an option for both, but there’s no card tabs in the tablet-based Chrome like there is in the smartphone-based Chrome. You can still push your tabs back and forth in a similar manner above your browser window, but they don’t slide exactly like the smartphone-based card tabs.

Bookmark syncing works between devices, and the whole experience is appearing already to be a much faster and more pleasing experience than the stock Android browser as it stands today. Check the gallery below for some benchmark results as we grab them, and don’t forget to download the browser for yourself. Chrome Beta is available on the Android Market right this minute for free, [download it instantly] for your Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and above device.

The first Transformers took on the code TF201 and TF101, this newest one coming up at TF300T. This could be set to out-do the Transformers currently on the market by having a slightly upgraded casing and the same quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor that the Transformer Prime has – but it’s not likely. Instead since this model looks so very similar to the original Transformer, we must expect that this is a new lower-end model that’ll replace the original Transformer in stores with slight upgrades here and there but nothing so advanced as the Prime.

This falls right in line with what we’ve heard from ASUS on their strategy with their Android tablets, one being the higher-end, that being the Prime, and the other staying with the original Transformer specifications for an everyman tablet. So look out for another radically inexpensive awesome tablet coming from ASUS in the coming months, folks, and don’t be surprised if it has Ice Cream Sandwich aboard when it comes out!

[via Blogee]

The Transformer Prime is Asus’s big attempt to gain momentum in the tablet race, and its major selling point is the ability to turn into what is essentially a fully functional laptop. It’s also making waves as the first tablet to get the ICS nod, but of course there are always risks to being the guinea pig.

Asus has acknowledged that a problem exists, and the company’s technical marketing manager Gary Key was quoted as saying that the team “hope[s] to have a fix available in early February.” This isn’t the first time we’ve seen ICS upgrades present a problem. The Nexus S stopped its update process, and although no one confirmed there were problems with the update file, those who did manage to upgrade experienced similar problems. The Galaxy Nexus, which comes pre-loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich, has not suffered a similar outcry.

[via The Verge]

This update brings with it added support specifically for the ASUS Transformer Prime (recently also updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) as well as the slightly lesser known Medion Lifetab. Also included is added immersion haptic vibration feedback and improved controls for supported gamepads – which, if you’re using a Honeycomb or above, there is a vast abundance of. There’s a whole mess of technical fixes in the mix here and also the ability to install the game to your SD card – that’s just convenient!

There’s improved controls for those of you playing on the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY as well, and the Gamestop specific Wireless Game Controller is now fully supported. It’s time to update, ladies and gentlemen, and make sure not to do those crimes in front of the police! Finish it up and keep cracking until the next generation from RockStar – which is sure to come this year!

Also note: there are a few fakes out there today for this game, make sure you’re downloading the real authentic Grand Theft Auto III from Rockstar Games, Inc. — linked here in the Android Marketplace.

The build you’re seeing here is what you’ll get when you update your ASUS Transformer Prime to ICS, and the first thing you’ll see is that it’s not Vanilla. The way ASUS has worked with Android 4.0 is in a way that makes it NEARLY Vanilla, that is completely unmodified by the manufacturer, but they’ve done some cool changes themselves. They’ve not only done a good job in not taking too much out or adding too much back in in this build, and you’ll see right away that the system is slick as ever.

The icons for the basic built-in applications have been changed to Ice Cream Sandwich loveliness, and interfaces have been changed to several basic Google-built apps. None of the apps are all that different from what you’ve seen in our original Ice Cream Sandwich review save their size except for the camera app which has been modified to work with the tablet’s bigger form factor. Like Honeycomb you’ll see that both the lock when you wake the tablet up and the controls on the camera app are sitting on the far right, complete with circular controls for things like zooming in and out.

You wont find the same shutter speed you saw on the first ICS device out there, the Galaxy Nexus, simply because that’s a feature built into the device, not the software. Similarly you will not find the facial recognition screen unlock – we’re guessing this is because there’ve been so many problems surrounding the lock thus far that ASUS decided to hold off on it for now for their device here. The settings menu is updated to the full ICS experience, complete with “developer” controls – head to the Force GPU Rendering option for a lovely GPU treat.

Have a peek at the images above and below as well as the hands-on video to get a full look at this build, then feel free to ask any additional questions you’ve got about the system in the comments below. Additionally if there are any tests you’d like done on this tablet with this version of Android on it, ask and you shall receive!

That can be quickly rectified with some subsequent hacking, of course, getting you back on track with your unofficial modifications. Early feedback on the new GPS performance seems generally good, with owners reporting more satellite locks than previously, even when indoors.

Meanwhile, ASUS has a second solution in store, but it does require a whole new slate. The new, 1080p-capable Transformer Prime 700 Series has a redesigned rear panel which, ASUS reckons, improves not only GPS performance but that of wireless connectivity, including Bluetooth and WiFi. However the Prime 700 (aka TF700T) isn’t expected to go on sale for several months yet.

[via Android Community]

Exactly which products ASUS has in mind is unclear. The Transformer series currently consists of three models, the original Transformer - of which a 3G version already exists – and the Transformer Prime launched late last year, along with the new Transformer Prime 700 series with a 1080p-capable display and redesigned back cover for improved wireless performance, announced at CES last week.

However, with the success of both Transformer and Transformer Prime, more products in the series seems likely. ASUS also revealed the Eee Pad MeMo at CES, though it is not part of the Transformer series and, so far, there’s no sign of a 3G-enabled version.

Back in early December, ASUS Germany first broke the news that no UMTS/HSPA version of the Transformer Prime would be offered, claiming demand for 3G-enabled tablets was too low to make it worthwhile.

Successor to the much-loved Eee Pad Transformer, the 10.1-inch tablet also has WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS and twin cameras. ASUS says it delayed the UK launch so as to give retailers enough stock to clear their pre-orders, but that more units are expected “over the coming weeks.”

In the meantime, of course, ASUS has revealed the Transformer Prime 700 series, a variant on the original Prime but using a 1080p-capable 1920 x 1200 display and sporting a redesigned rear panel to boost wireless and GPS performance. The surprise reveal at CES this week has left some Prime early-adopters fuming, though ASUS doesn’t expect to have the Full HD version on the market for a few months yet.

So, grab a Transformer Prime now – complete with the Ice Cream Sandwich update – or hold off and pick up the 700 series version later in the year? Let us know what you plan to do in the comments.