ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet price and release date officially set

Last month, at the AsiaD: All things Digital conference in Hong Kong, ASUS has officially announced the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, a promising sequel to the Asus Eee Pad Transformer tablet. This is the second Android tablet released by the manufacturer and will be the first slate powered by the new quad-core processor Nvidia Tegra 3. Just like its predecessor, this device can be used as a standalone tablet or as a tablet-like gadget having a mobile keyboard dock. The company has also revealed the price tag for the new Prime model, which will come in 32GB or 64GB versions and is going to be released in December.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime will be running Android 3.2 Honeycomb but is expected to receive an over-the-air Ice Cream sandwich upgrade. The 1.3GHz quad core processor makes it without a doubt the most powerful Android device there is, but that is not the only improvement the Transformer Pad received. It has a better 8MP camera on the back ( unlike the first generation which has an only 5MP camera ) that can film 1080p clips and has a LED flash. There is a 1.2MP front camera for video calling as well.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime

The display is a 10.1-inch ( 1280 x 800 ) multi-touch LCD which gives users a wide 178° viewing angle, according to the manufacturer, using Super IPS+ ( In-Plane Switching ) technology. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, GPS, a micro HDMI slot, a microSD card slot, 3.5mm audio jack and SonicMaster audio. If you buy the mobile keyboard dock, you will get a full size USB and SD card slot too. Eee Pad Transformer Prime’s 22Wh battery life will last up to 12 hours but the optional dock can add 6 more hours.

The new slate should be available in Amethyst Gray or Champagne Gold colors and is 8.3mm ( 0.33 inches ) thick while weighting 586 grams (1.29 pounds). It should also come with apps such as SuperNote and Polaris Office already installed. Without the dock, Transformer Prime is thinner than Galaxy Tab 10.1, iPad 2 and its predecessor which means that first-gen Transformer dock won’t be compatible.

The Eee Pad Transformer Prime will have MSPR ( manufacturer’s suggested retail price ) of $499 for the 32GB version and $599 for the 64GB one. The optional mobile dock accessory is going to cost $149 when the tablet will be released in early December.

Via: Engadget