Last years set of windows 8 tablets were a great start to getting windows 8 into the ultra mobile arena. The Atom processors in them kept them thing, cool, and energy efficient all while allowing us to run a full windows operating system halfway decently. They weren't perfect, with limitations like usb 2.0, 2gb of ram, poor graphics, and a sometimes lackluster desktop performance. Intel sets to out do itself with the newer Baytrail chipset giving better processing and video performance as well as compatibility with newer technologies. With windows 8.1 a while slew of new tablets are being released with newer processors and other updated specs, the Asus T100 is one of the first.
Design: If you have used a transformer pad, you will be in a familiar territory. The T100 has a glossy back with the usual Asus logo coming out of the center. It is comfortable and has a decent enough grip to it. The front compared to some other tablets has a decent bezel but nothing to bad, it helps when holding it so you don't accidentally touch the screen. On the right you have the micro usb (for peripherals and charging), micro hdmi, micro sd, and headphone jack. Top has power, and left includes a volume and windows start button strangely (the front windows button doesn't do anything). One bad thing is I am putting an sd card in to stay, and it kind of sticks out a little on he side which could eject it easily or have more of a chance of damaging it.
On the bottom you have the port connection the the keyboard. This snaps and locks in to the keyboard to kep it steady and from disconnecting. Overall the feel of the tablet on the keyboard is pretty good, it feels for the most part like a laptop (as well as looks like one albeit a tiny one). The provided keybaord looks good, it has a polished metal look and some good weight to it (which helps with the weight of the tablet).The size is fairly is tiny, which is expected and because of this kind of hard to type on, I wouldn't try a very huge typing session. The only thing That I really don't like is the mouse pad, it works for pointing but the clicking goes far to deep and is just hard to use overall.
Display: The display looks pretty nice, it has good angles, good color and just really for the price doesn't disappoint in the slightest.
Battery life: I haven't had any trouble with it so far but I haven't actually paid enough attention to give an accurate say on it. It looks like I could get the advertised 11 hours, some reviews have claimed they got up to 12 hours even. I will try and update once I get a better read on it.
Software: Windows 8.1 seems to have some decent additions to what windows 8 already offered. As I have said in other reviews windows 8 I think it is the most dynamic mobile operating system right now. I have used many android tablets, as well as Ipads and while they are all great in their own right windows 8 just takes the cake. Apple has the most apps (especially tablet apps) , Google is a good mix of openness and a large amount of tablets apps. Windows 8 doesn't have a ton of table optimized applications, but the ability to have a full windows desktop applications is just awesome. It runs a smooth touch interface tablet when I need it for that, but if I really want to do business I can do it with this and run real windows programs such as photoshop, flash, steam etc.
Performance: Bay trail performance greatly meets my expectations. Almost all of the performance woes I had with clover trail are gone. The desktop lag I had is now pretty much gone, applications and windows open pretty much immediately. I had issues with websites like hulu before and now it runs without any issues. The metro touch interface is as smooth as ever, dual apps work like a charm as well. I've also tested the gaming ability, with some older and newer games just to test out the video capabilities.
The first game I tried was Elder Scolls V: Skyrim , I know right , is this thing ever going to start? Well after a lengthy load session I got in and at lowest settings I got a 10-15fps really not the worst performance ever though not really playable. From there I tried some more realistic titles
Bastion For some reason stuck at 20fps, probably a glitch between the hardware and software.
League of legends At low settings a very playable 40fps which is just great!
Half-life 2 At medium settings I got around 40fps
Far cry 2 low settings 20 fps
Torchlight high settings 40-50 fps
Rollercoaster tycoon 3 high settings 40+ fps
Tony Hawk HD 15 fps
Legend of Grimrock 40-50 fps medium settings
Flatout 2 40-50 fps
I figure that should give a pretty good idea of what to expect as far as older games, it really doesn't do bad at all considering it is a 10 inch tablet ultra thing tablet, with 11 hours of battery and no fans.
Overall my conclusion is a real giant thumbs up to this new generation of windows tablets. It did everything it's predecessor did but better. Asus itself gives a really great deal here including the keyboard that works well for what it is. The only thing I wish this tablet had is dual digitizer pen input which if you have ever used it on these makes things a lot easier sometimes. Spending extra on a Surface Pro tablet might have some performance advantages but you lose a lot of mobility and battery as well. Looking at the other platforms I really encourage you to give windows 8 a go, it really has a lot of advantages to possibly consider switching over to this newer tablet market.
You can check out my videos of the T100 at http://www.youtube.com/user/th3drow?feature=watch
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Asus was the manufacturer of the best motherboards available 25 years ago. They know hardware well. My Linux based EEE PC 1000 was my device of choice for years, before the days of tablets, because it was so portable. The T100TA is about the same size, weighs a fourth as much, has respectable processor power, and mine has been running on battery for about 7 hours now and seems to have a quarter tank left. Like the EEE, this device put good electronics in an ok package.
It would make my fingers hurt to do any serious, all day, writing on this keyboard. The right shift key is tiny. I wish they made the comma and period keys smaller instead. That was plain dumb. The touchpad is not what you get with a Thinkpad or a Mac; but it's far superior to sacrificing half the screen and using a touch input. The screen is perfectly fine, not as crisp as my son's Nexux 7, also made by Asus, but it looks sharp and crisp next to my two year old Thinkpad. The sound is good. Importantly, it can charge up with my micro usb cables from my Samsung devices and my son's tablet. The dock/keyboard is pretty much an external keyboard with a usb3 port. The upside of that is it doesn't get hot. In the real world, this internet counts.
I have been using Window 8 since it came out and 8.1 still feels awkward to me. Using my Thinkpad, I keep touching the non-touchscreen after only having this for a day. Use a touchscreen and you won't want to go back. I'm loving Bing News. To look at my information choices in a landscape format is comfortable on my eyes. Ebooks work well on this in that format as well. The recipe app can be used on a kitchen counter better than a tablet because it holds itself in place and it's way better than a big notebook which hogs the counter.
Internet Explorer let a website popup a commercial which blared at me while my wife was sleeping and I couldn't turn it off before she woke up. I killed the popup box but the audio kept going until I exited Explorer. I installed Firefox and made it my default browser because it has plugins to protect me from those shenanigans.
Are you a Kindle books user? This is the best device I have ever used for Kindle books. This counts a few tablets, including a couple Kindles. The reason is simple: Like a book, a tablet gets hard to hold after a while for those of us who have a hard time putting down a book. This sits on your lap, on a chair or in bed, and doesn't get hot or hurt your wrists holding it. The spacebar turns the page and seeing pages side by side feels right to me.
If this were an expensive device, I would give it three stars. If the software was more user friendly, I would give it five. Some reviews have noted that Amazon's vendor is charging more than retail for it. I would wait for it to come to $399. I just ordered a 64 GB SDXC card and should have done so when I ordered this. It should be good enough to hold enough data for me to get done the things I want. If you want a perfect compact touchscreen convertable computer, look elsewhere and dig deeper into your pockets. I think I'm going to be happy with this, especially after getting more used to the software.
Best Deals for ASUS Transformer Book T100TA-C1-GR 10.1-Inch Convertible 2-in-1
ASUS has done it.
They have made the ultimate tablet/laptop hybrid, the first company to do so without some poor compromise somewhere.
How you say?
FULL Windows 8.1 CHECK
Performance of an entry level laptop with the form factor of a tablet thanks to Intel Bay Trail CHECK
Microsoft Office 2013 Home CHECK
10.1" screen, perfect to hold as a tablet but not too small for a laptop CHECK
Comfortable keyboard, takes a day to get used to, but it works great! CHECK
Docking mechanism that is easy to use and does not tip over CHECK
1366x768 IPS panel, good colors, high resolution, perfect res for 10.1" with no need for DPI scaling CHECK
Webcam CHECK
FAST Wifi CHECK
Built-in speakers that sound better than the average laptop, nevermind tablet? CHECK
USB 3.0, microUSB, and MicroSDXC ports CHECK
Good build quality CHECK
$399 CHECK!!!
What is missing? A back camera... big deal, use your phone! ;) Also is a fingerprint magnet, I'd say that is a minor gripe. This is such an awesome 2-in-1 that ASUS made, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Now back to have some more fun using it!!
Honest reviews on ASUS Transformer Book T100TA-C1-GR 10.1-Inch Convertible 2-in-1
I've been using this unique machine for about five hours now. Before I review it, I want to give some context: I regularly use the Nexus 10 for mobile computing with a keyboard arguably the best screen you can buy on a tablet. I also have the first Nexus 7. I have tried to present on my nexus 10 and it crashed the projector. So I have been using my Asus 1201n running Win8.1 to handle all MS programs.
Enter the Asus T100. I didn't buy it for the tablet option, though that is useful. I bought it (from B&H for $399 64 gb I live in Canada and it came in two days) for a few reasons 10 hrs of Microsoft usage without plugging in. Good touchscreen. Light (very important must fit in my small MEC shoulder bag with Nexus 10 and a book without strain). Smaller than my 12 inch. Fast processor at least four times faster than the Atom dual core in my Asus 1201n, which really was cutting edge in Sept. 2010 (still pretty solid).
My initial verdict.
Screen you won't be upset. Any rendering problems are Microsoft's and not due to the pixel count. Asus's reading mode turns the screen a yellow hue, but may help the eyes. Touch functionality is exceptional though reviewers say it only has 5 pt touch, not 10 (which used to be standard not sure why this has been reduced though I never use 10 fingers on the screen at once). Track pad is also quite good, though I'm not a clicker I like to double tap which this does well.
Charging slow but this is the first charge. Haven't discharged it yet.
Keyboard cramped compared to my Asus 12 inch netbook. Cramped compared to my bluetooth motorola android keyboard (which is superb). But But But in five hours I feel like I'm already about 50% adapted to the key layout. Way better than typing on the screen. Definitely takes some getting used to.
Processor and performance Snappy. This is not an i5 chip, for sure. But I'm not really waiting for anything to load when I use apps which happens on my three other win 8 machines. This is my fastest machine it feels like a work horse to me, but I don't do video editing and I don't play pc games. I do regularly use ppt, vlc, youtube ripper, lots of chrome. Let's say I'm an aggressive word processor, browser, ppt user. This is ideal for me, though I could enjoy a 12 inch screen. The biggest issue that makes the screen feel cramped is simply the small Win8 text rendering which can be adjusted.
My advice I'd buy this over a Chromebook. I'd buy this over the high priced but attractive looking Yoga and any other Win8 running Mac Book Air competitor (definitely buy it over a surface you'd have to be crazy to pull the trigger on a surface pro over this baby). The 2gb of ram is much speedier on this machine than the 4gb ram in my Asus 1201n (that I upgraded). I haven't had a ram issue yet and I'm running lots of programs and apps simultaneously.
For what it is worth, I agree with most everything said in this review: http://techreport.com/review/25537/asus-transformer-book-t100-convertible-notebook-reviewed
Enjoy!
Update after two days of use:
The battery is exceptional. I used the computer from 9-12, then 1-2, then 3-7 and I had 28% left. From 5:30-7 I was presenting over powerpoint, and also playing film clips. It also accepts a charge from my anker external battery pushing my mobile work time up to double the reported 10 hrs. The only problem I found with presenting is that some of the film clips seemed dark. I'm not sure if this is because the micro-hdmi to VGA converter has difficulty or because I tinkered with the screen's colours and contrast ratio and the projector interpreted this differently.
I'm adjusting to the keyboard, but like many reviewers have noted the right shift key is small and I often miss it. Please note: the two feet of the hinge, which touch the table when the screen is up, can scratch a wood finish very easily. I produced three scratches at home before I figured out what the sound was. Like one reviewer as well, my keyboard had a slight warp that made it wobble. I've bent it back into shape. So some parts of the construction seem needlessly cheap, like the warped keyboard and the glossy and sometimes flimsy back of the tablet. Less like the Nexus 10 back and more like the lid to my old Asus 1201n. You don't notice the flex until you pick up the screen in tablet mode and then it definitely seems less sturdy than either Nexus (one of which Asus made shame shame). Like many have mentioned, I would pay $100 more for this T100 if it had a resolution that rivaled the iPad or Nexus and a sturdy aluminum back.
The device is still snappy. Chrome seems ridiculous on this machine though. I held it up on my Nexus and used all the screen controls (pinch to zoom...etc). Then I showed my wife what Chrome couldn't do in Win8.1. IE puts Google to shame here.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for ASUS Transformer Book T100TA-C1-GR 10.1-Inch Convertible 2-in-1
The ASUS Transformer Book T100 delivers a ton of value in a mostly compelling package. The beauty of today's computing devices is that consumers are no longer forced to buy one-size-fits-all, and instead, have the choice to buy what best fits their needs. I've used the ASUS T100 (64GB) over the past couple of days, and while I wouldn't consider it powerful/comfortable enough as primary computing device, I think it makes great sense as a secondary machine, especially with the advances in cloud storage.
From my perspective, the ASUS T100 is basically a tablet with the ability to become a mini-notebook. Whether you will love or hate it strongly depends on what your intended application and expectations are. I plan to use the ASUS T100 for both work and recreation, with note-taking, email, web browsing, presenting, and video playback being the most common tasks, and from my initial impression, it does these jobs quite well. While I found the keyboard a bit too cramped for my liking (smaller-than-normal keys + tighter spacing + my big hands = not very happy), and wasn't too keen on the touch/clickpad (doesn't always respond to the first touch, two-finger scrolling can be a bit jerky, loud and hollow-sounding click), it wasn't a deal-breaker considering the price point. The keyboard dock is really usable, and I appreciated having it when I was typing longer emails and editing office documents.
The ASUS T100 features a Intel Atom Z3740 Quad-Core processor which is exceptionally power efficient and much better performing than previous Atoms, though it is still slow compared to traditional notebook/ultrabook processors. For example, the year-old "low-end" Pentium 2117U, rated at 17W TDP, is more than twice as fast as the Atom Z3470 in single-threaded workloads though it can also draw ~4X more power. The Z3740 is pretty even with the Pentium in multi-threaded workloads, through the slower single-threaded performance will be more evident with slower app/program launches, etc.
At the end of the day, I like the ASUS T100. ASUS has developed many 2-in-1 transforming solutions in the past and its expertise shows in the T100 ~ while made of the plastic, the overall build quality and precision is good for the price. I more or less agree with the specifications such as as the CPU and 64GB of eMMC, though I think 2GB of RAM is too stingy, especially since it cannot be upgraded later. Overall, I think the ASUS Transformer Book T100 is a much needed breath of fresh air and I'm excited about the future possibilities.
Notes:
1) Compared to the ARM versions of Microsoft's Surface RT and upcoming Surface 2 (non-pro), the ASUS T100 offers an exceptional value proposition by bundling Office 2013 and being compatible with regular Windows software.
2) For my own computing needs, I found the combination of a portable machine with good battery life, paired with a powerful desktop to be ideal. The "good-enough" performance of the ASUS T100 along with great battery life and ability to fall back to full-blown Windows makes it well suited for this role.
3) Web Browsing and Document editing on Microsoft platforms is generally a great experience. Internet Explorer on both Modern and Desktop modes is fully functional and delivers a rich web experience with Flash, Javascript, HTML5, etc. Office 2013 allows for native viewing and editing of documents which is something iOS and Android sometimes have difficulty with.
4) Office 2013 Home and Student is pre-installed and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and One Note. A serial number for activation is in the box.
5) The charging cable is Micro USB but is very short by laptop standards. It attaches to the tablet side instead of the keyboard dock. The USB port on the keyboard dock is on the LEFT side.
6) The Windows 8.1 UI feels very fluid though App/Program launches can be sluggish.
7) Free space on the 64GB version is ~ 37GB. Windows 8 has a built-in recovery mechanism which allows you to re-install/repair Windows or remove all user files.
8) The T100 supports Microsoft's Connected Standby feature which means it only sips power in the suspend state so you don't need to turn it on/off frequently. Modern Apps such as email are refreshed periodically even in suspend so the live tiles are "fresh" when you resume the system. Resume from suspend is nearly instantaneous. It should be noted that desktop apps are suspended during Connected Standby so they are not refreshed.
9) Boot times are quick ~ the system can boot to the start screen in
