You heard it right, the MeMo ME370T is set to be the world’s first ever 7-inch tablet to feature a Tegra 3 chipset. That means all the power you could ever imagine on such a tiny slate and probably more and it means that you can play games, HD video clips, you can surf the web and you can do pretty much anything you want at the flick of a switch.

Sporting a 7-inch IPS panel with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution, the Asus Eee Pad MeMo 370T is set to rock the tablet world as we knew it so far with a very competitive price. According to rumors (with emphasis on ‘’rumors), the 7-incher might go for as less as 249 bucks in Q2 of 2012, when it should be made available in the US.

Nvidia Tegra 3 on a 7-incher? That's badass, man, badass!

That’s pretty darn affordable, if you ask me, especially taking into consideration the other features known so far, which include an optional capacitive pen stylus, the running of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, an 8MPx rear-facing shooter with auto focus and 1080p recording capabilities, a 1.2 MPx front-facing camera, as well as WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a microUSB port, a microSD card slot and microHDMI.

As far as internal storage space goes, the Asus MeMo 370T will come in the already classic two versions, with 16 and 32 GB of on-board memory, while the battery should be able to run for up to eight and a half hours between charges.

A nice rubbery finish on the back, a great rear-facing camera and this tablet looks like a winner already!

All in all, the Asus Eee Pad MeMo 370T looks pretty great on paper, providing power like you never saw it coming, a strong battery, all the ports you could wish for and a pen stylus. Oh, right, and the 7-incher is pretty slim and attractive too, measuring a mere 0.5 inches thick and having some nice curves along with a couple of straightforward lines on its body.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited to see this little beast in action, which is why I viewed this following hands-on preview from Las Vegas at least three times already. Oh, heck, I’ll see it one more time alongside you just for kicks:

Via TabletBite.com

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2. Asus Eee Pad Memo- stylish 7 inch Android Honeycomb tablet with an artsy twist
3. Asus EEE Pad Transformer- 10 inch Honeycomb tablet easy to switch to a netbook

The slate has a metal finish which looks quite classy in the pictures made available, coming (for now) in two color options: Amethyst Grey and Champagne Gold. The Prime weights 586 grams and is approximately 8.3 mm thin, being on par with Apple’s iPad 2, but just a little heavier than Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10. You can choose between 32 or 64 GB of storage, but in both cases you’ll be able to go for additional cloud storage, thanks to Asus’s WebStorage service.

Nothing too impressive when it comes to connectivity, as you get WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, so no 3G, an option that other top companies offer, at least as an expensive add on. This limits the usability of the device, but not by much and you’ll also save money by not having a data plan linked to the slate.

The Primes comes with a Super IPS+ 10 inch display. The panel is said to be better than the one on the iPad 2 and other Apple products, as it has better viewing angles, better brightness and color quality. Also, it has double the responsiveness current tablet have, so the experience should be faster and more accurate.

The Transformer Prime looks like a luxury product- good thing it's not priced likewise

Battery life is another stunner, as Asus claims that the slate will be able to run on a single charge for about 12 hours and 18 hours if you add the docking station- we’ll just have to see it in order to believe it. Ports include miniHDMI and card reader, as well as a second card reader and USB 2.0 port on the keyboard, while the camera system has been improved. In front you have a pretty standard 1.2 camera, while in the back you get an 8 MP camera, with a f2.4 aperture, which means you’ll be able to capture more light and thus better pictures than with most tablet cameras.

 The OS on board is Android 3.x, but an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich will be made available as soon as the OS is out. Besides that, you get a bunch of Asus and third party apps- everything from a fancy note taking app to media players and game environments. The Prime will sell for a minimum of $499- the 32 GB version, which is the same price of the 16 GB iPad 2 and the 16 GB Galaxy Tab 10.1. The 64 GB will cost 100 bucks extra, while the docking keyboard goes for $149. Fingers crossed for early reviews!

Related posts:

1. The Asus Eee Pad MeMo 370T 7-inch tablet will rock your world with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor (video)
2. DosPara’s Prime Note Cresion, ASRock Multibook G22: Are they netbooks?
3. Asus EEE Pad Transformer- 10 inch Honeycomb tablet easy to switch to a netbook

We are going to quickly compare and contrast these two slates, trying to find out which one of them is more capable and more reliable.

Design and display

While the two tablets are very similar in terms of design, there is a huge difference that can be noticed from this point of view. The Transformer, on one hand, can be used either as a stand-alone tablet, either in conjunction with the optional keyboard dock, while the Slider is a kind of hybrid between a tablet and a netbook, featuring a built-in slide-out keyboard.

Both tablets are extremely functional due to their keyboards, both are very solidly built and both look elegant and chick, having that certain something to make them a bit different from other Android tablets on the market. The Slider is of course much heavier and bulkier than the Transformer, but the Transformer, when connected to the keyboard dock, gains a great deal of weight and becomes heavier than the Slider and less portable.

In terms of display, both tablets feature an identical 10.1 inch multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, with an IPS panel and 1280×800 pixels resolution. However, the Slider’s screen comes with a bit wider bezel.

Asus EEE Slider next to the Asus EEE Pad Transformer

Performance, software and storage

The two tablets are almost impossible to distinguish in terms of performance and storage. They are both powered by the 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, they both feature 1 GB of RAM memory, as well as 32 GB of internal storage. The cameras are also identical, while in terms of software the Transformer runs on Android 3.2 and the Slider on Android 3.1. However, the differences are almost negligible, considering that the 3.2 version of the operating system does not offer much more than the 3.1.

Connectivity and pricing

The similarities between the tablets continue when talking about connectivity, both of them featuring WiFi and Bluetooth compatibility, as well as mini HDMI ports. However, the Slider offers an USB 2.0 port, while the Transformer features two USB ports, but only on the keyboard dock.

In terms of pricing, the Eee Pad Transformer is currently available for about 500 bucks, while the optional keyboard dock costs another 150 dollars. On the other hand, the Slider is not yet up for sale, but it should cost around 550 dollars, which is more expensive than the Transformer itself, but more affordable than the Transformer along with the keyboard.

Wrap-up

While it is extremely difficult to say which one of the two tablets is better, one thing is for sure. The two gadgets are targeted at different people with different needs.

If you want a more portable and fun slate, you will have to choose the Transformer, while if you need a more functional, but less portable device, the Slider is the better tablet.

All in all however, both the Slider and the Transformer are beautiful, fast and reliable gadgets and neither one will disappoint you if you decide to buy it.

More details are available in the thorough comparison over at tabletbite.com , the place where we found the clips you can get below. First one includes details on exterior and keyboards.

While the second talks about software, battery life and prices.

Related posts:

1. Asus EEE Pad Slider gets unboxed – impressive based on first look
2. Asus Eee Pad Slider vs Apple iPad 2 – what should I choose?
3. 3G Asus Eee Pad Transformer leaked photos

Tablets and netbooks went their separate ways, sort of. Both were introduced as ultra portable computing solutions, with the netbook being a shrinked laptop, both in terms of size and performances, while tablets were signaling the future- touch screens, apps, open source software. Netbooks were aimed more at traditional computer users, which needed a small form factor Windows computer to use on the go in the exact same way they use their normal, 17 inch laptops.

Tablets, on the other hand, were the must have for a newly emerged demographic of gadget enthusiasts, which wanted a more intuitive and entertainment driven experience than what a laptop could offer. The Transformer, as the name says, changed the status quo, as this 10 inch slate comes with a docking station/keyboard and offers a very similar setup to a netbook…at least on the outside.

Build, design and physical characteristics

Netbooks are much more lightweight and slim than laptops in the 13.3-14 inch spectrum. A netbook weighs around 1 kg usually, with older versions being a little bulkier. Also, some 11.6 and 12.1 inch netbooks are even thicker and heavier, but we won’t deal with them for now, as the Transformer is a 10 inch slate and we want the two categories to have the same screen size.

Anyway, it’s hard to say exactly how thick and heavy a netbook is, considering that manufacturers have different designs and these details can vary according to specs, battery etc. The Transformer, on the other hand, is 0.51 inches thick and 680g heavy, but when put together with the docking station, the duo is really close to netbooks.

Each manufacturer tries to come up with a special design for their netbooks, but most of them have a plastic finish in order to keep prices down. Other use more pretentious materials, but overall a netbook is sturdy and solidly built. The Transformer has a plastic finish and feels sturdy, but it’s not as tough as most netbooks out there. The back has a patterned finish, which is also plastic, and that is similar to the one on a line of Toshiba netbooks.

The Transformer and its docking station form a device strongly resembling a netbook

As for ports, netbooks usually have USB 2.0 ports, some of them have USB 3.0 ports, card readers, VGA/HDMI slots and audio jacks. The Transformer doesn’t fall much behind, although tablets are not necessarily hailed for having a wide selection of ports. Asus’s slate has microSD and miniHDMI slots, while the docking station has a couple of USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader and a standard HDMI port.

Hardware and performances

Netbooks traditionally run on ULV processors, both from Intel and AMD. Current netbooks run either on Intel Atom processors, mostly newer types, like N550, N570 or even the recently launched N2x series, or on AMD Fusion chips. Fusion processors have built in HD graphics, but 10 inch netbooks usually pack slower versions, like the C-50 and recently the C-60, as better processors are aimed at larger netbooks and even laptops.

Atom chips are either single core, running at speeds between 1 GHZ and 1.66 GHZ, while dual core ones have a maximum speed of 1.66 GHZ. Atom processors can deal with basic tasks like browsing, playing SD videos, and editing texts, but anything else will choke this fragile ULV processor. That’s why very rare and rather expensive netbooks are entertainment devices, the ones packing either a ION dedicated video card, like the Asus 1015PN, or an integrated HD graphics chip from AMD.

The Transformer comes with a dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor that can natively deal with 1080p playback (does not support hardware H.264 decoding though, thus many Full HD files won’t play properly on Tegra 2) and decent gaming. The tablet definitely offers a better entertainment experience in comparison to virtually any netbook. The netbook’s advantage is that it can deal with multitasking and productivity tools maybe a tad better, but that mostly happens with dual core chips, which tend to be on mini laptops which are more expensive.

Also, some Atom chips might have better power saving technologies than a Tegra 2 chip, but that depends on the configuration and user routine. All in all, the Transformer offers better performance in almost every aspect in comparison to mainstream/entry level 10 inch netbooks.

Netbooks usually have a tough chassis, most of the time made from plastic

Display

Almost all 10 inch netbooks have a 10.1 inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. Some offer matte displays, but in an attempt to sell gloss as class, many companies use highly glossy screens, which are both horrible to use outside and attract fingerprints and smudges. In order to keep prices down, most manufacturers use mediocre displays, which lack good viewing angles and brightness. Also, excepting just a few convertible netbooks, most 10 inchers don’t have touchscreens.

The Transformer, on the other hand, has an IPS display, similar to the one on the iPad 2. It has great viewing angles and a 1280 x 800 resolution, beating what netbooks have to offer. Also, it supports touch input, but this is not such a great argument against netbooks, as having touch input and Windows in the same scenario doesn’t really means anything good. Unfortunately, the screen on the Transformer is also glossy because Asus added a Gorilla Glass layer, which protects the device from scratches.

Software

Most netbooks (dare I say all of them?) run on Windows 7 Starter which is a diet version of Windows 7. It needs less resources to run and occupies less hard disk space, but also has limitations, like accepting a maximum of 2 GB of RAM. Still, it will be able to deal with text editors, browsers, media players and basically any type of Windows app you’re familiar with.

One thing that doesn’t work on Starter is touch based input. So there’s no flexibility when it comes to user experience on a netbook- you have a keyboard, a touch pad and that’s about it. The advantage is that most people are familiar with Windows, even if at a basic level, and you don’t need time to adapt to the requirements of a netbook’s software.

A tablet, like the Transformer, is a completely different ball game. It runs on Android Honeycomb 3.1 and all its apps are optimized for touch, which is a UX paradigm still in its infancy. Sure, geeks and people dealing with technology from an early age won’t have problems with Honeycomb, but this is still a relatively small niche.

Android has alternatives for most Windows apps, like dedicated browser, text editing tools, media players. Also, unlike Windows 7, that supports a limited selection of apps, the Transformer can run basically thousands of apps (including some great looking games), which can be bought from Android Market.

The Transformer's IPS screen delivers astonishing viewing angles

Sure, most of them are designed for earlier versions of Android, but will run decently on Honeycomb as well, and dedicated 3.x apps are being released all the time. Overall, Honeycomb is a more versatile, intuitive and fun OS, but needs time for getting used to, while Windows 7 Starter, although limited in functionality, will appeal to virtually any computer user out there.

There are also a few netbooks out there, with stronger hardware, that run on Win 7 Home Premium, which offer a complete OS experience.

Battery life

Since their inception, netbooks were meant as highly autonomous machines and thus battery life is very important when looking for a netbook. Ultra cheap netbooks come with 3 cell batteries, that offer around 4 hours of autonomy, but for a very little extra investment, around $20-30, you can get a bigger battery that grants around 8 hours of battery life. There are some netbooks that can go on a single for even more than that, like the Asus 1015PEM, that can go on a single charge for more than 10 hours.

The Transformer’s built in battery is rather modest for a tablet, as it can go on a single charge for about 7-8 hours. However, if you’ll add the docking station keyboard, you’ll get a combined 13 hours of battery life, but you’ll have to pay an extra 150 bucks for the device.

Prices

The netbook market is highly varied when it comes to prices. Entry level netbooks, with older Atom hardware, can be found for a little over $200, while newer devices, running on MeeGo, are available for $199. Better spec-ed netbooks, with dual core processors, better resolution and dedicated video cards can cost as much as $400, some of them even more, if you want more RAM than the stock 1 GB, better OS and superior battery. You can check extensive netbook pricing categories here and here.

The Transformer goes for $384, the 16 GB version, or $494, the 32 GB version, being more expensive than some of the most expensive netbooks. Also, the docking keyboard station will cost you an additional $150, making the entire package cost at least $535.

Netbooks come in many colors, but most of them have a pretty bland design

Wrap up

The Transformer seems to be a more attractive machine in terms of hardware and performance, but the netbook has its own category and purpose. Netbooks are mini laptops, usually pretty affordable, which are there to complement the computing routine of users “on the go”, as the cliche goes. Tablets, on the other hand, with the Transformer as a worthy front man, comes with a different approach to leisure gadgeteering, so to say, proposing a very intuitive UX, touch input, keyboard extension, so much flexibility when it comes to customizing the appearance of the software and the apps to go with it.

But a tablet will cost you more, will drain the battery faster and will generally have a weaker build. In the end, it’s all about what you seek from an ultra portable device, with the Transformer being the recommended choice for those being more revolutionary or passionate about new technologies, while a decent netbook will fit the bill perfectly for those just looking for more of the same Windows experience they master for many years.

Related posts:

1. Asus EEE Pad Transformer vs Slider – battle of the EEE Pads
2. 3G Asus Eee Pad Transformer leaked photos
3. Asus Eee Pad Transformer versus iPad 2 – tablets go mano a mano

Design and display

Considering that we are used to seeing very similar devices in terms of design and that most of the 10-inch tablets look very much the same, the iPad 2 and the Asus Eee Pad Slider could not be more different. Apple’s tablet is currently one of the lightest and slimmest tablets on the market, measuring 7.7 x 9.9 x 1.8 inches and weighing only 1.3 pounds. On the other hand, the Slider, which comes with a one of a kind slide-out keyboard, is considerably bulkier and heavier. Asus’s tablet-netbook hybrid measures 10.75 x 7.09 x 0.7 and weighs a hefty 1.95 pounds.

The differences are also notable in terms of materials from which the two devices are built. The iPad 2 has an aluminum solid casing, while the Slider successfully combines plastic, matte surfaces, as well as glossy and chromed materials.

In terms of display, the Slider features a 10.1-inch touchscreen with 1280×800 pixels resolution, better suitable for video content, while the iPad 2 comes with the trademark 9.7 LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with IPS technology, which is more versatile and faster than any other tablet screen available now.

Apple iPad 2 next to the Asus EEE Pad Slider

Performance and software

Technically speaking, the Slider should be faster, giving that it is powered by the Tegra 2 processor with 1 GB of RAM memory. However, the iPad 2, with its Apple A5 chipset and 512 MB of RAM, is at least as bit as fast as Asus’s hybrid, due to its almost impeccable Apple iOS 4. Talking about operating systems, the Slider runs on Android Honeycomb 3.1, which means that it is quite capable and reliable too.

Connectivity and pricing

The Slider’s biggest advantage in front of the iPad 2 is probably the connectivity and the integrated ports, considering that it is compatible with Bluetooth and WiFi and features HDMI, as well as a full-size USB 2.0 port. The iPad offers a 3G version that the Slider does not, but lacks HDMI, as well as USB ports.

As far as pricing is concerned, the iPad 2 starts at 499 dollars( the 16 GB Wi-Fi only version) and increases gradually up until a $715 price tag( the 64 GB 3G model). The Slider, on the other hand, is not yet up for sale, but it should cost about 550 dollars( the 32 GB version), which should prove extremely close to iPad’s offering.

Video review

More details are available in the thorough post over at tabletbite.com, from where we got the video below as well.

Wrap-up

While in theory the iPad 2 and the Asus Eee Pad Slider should compete for a similar market niche, in reality the two gadgets are targeted at very different people with different needs. Therefore, when you will have to pick one of the two it will not be a problem of which one is best, but rather of which one suits you the most.

Do you want a portable tablet for gaming and other leisure activities? Then by all means get the iPad! Do you need a productive and functional tablet with loads of useful features and an integrated keyboard? Then the Slider is the clear choice for you!

Related posts:

1. Asus EEE Pad Slider gets unboxed – impressive based on first look
2. Asus EEE Pad Transformer vs Slider – battle of the EEE Pads
3. Asus EEE Pad Slider- ultra portable Honeycomb tablet with an integrated keyboard

Design and display

While there are positive, but also negative things that can be said about the Eee Pad Slider’s design, portability and functionality, one thing is for sure. The tablet is original, innovative and could also be considered a technology pioneer. Asus’s new slate comes with a slide-out keyboard which makes it more of a hybrid between a netbook and a tablet rather than a simple tablet. The Slider is quite heavy and it is clearly bulkier than its main opponents on the market, but it is solid and the materials’ quality is extraordinary.

Despite the tablet being extremely functional, the sliding mechanism is far from great, giving that it is impossible to adjust the viewing angles according to your needs. The keyboard itself is also a little bit faulty, the keys being quite small and the spacing between them a bit uninspired, to say the least.

The display is a 10.1-inch IPS touch-screen, identical to the one featured by the Eee Pad Transformer, and offers bright and crisp images as well as great colors at a 1280×800 pixels resolution.

Asus EEE Pad Slider brings a fresh, innovative design

Performance, storage and software

The dual-core 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, the 1 GB of RAM memory and the Android 3.1 Honeycomb Operating System ensure an extremely fast and reliable technical configuration for the Eee Pad Slider. In terms of storage space, things are also looking good, considering that the tablet comes in two versions, a 16 GB and a 32 GB one. The Slider seems more than capable when it comes to video calls or photos too, considering the 5 MP rear-facing camera with LED Flash and Auto Focus and the 1.3 MP front-facing camera.

Connectivity, battery life and pricing

The Slider features WiFi and Bluetooth compatibility, as well as HDMI. It comes with a micro SD card slot and a full-size USB 2.0 port, which means that Asus provides everything you might need in terms of connectivity and ports with the Slider. Looking at the battery life, things appear decent, the new Asus tablet supposedly offering about six hours of autonomy.

As far as pricing is concerned, everything is still in a blur, giving that the device has not yet been released in the United States. It should cost anywhere between 450 and 600 dollars, but other than this we can’t take any other guesses.

More details are available in the unboxing video you can find below, from our tech friends at tabletbite.com .

Overall, the Asus Eee Pad Slider looks extremely appealing at a first sight, especially for users who target functionality at a tablet or who look for a powerful and fast technical configuration. However, until the slate will be officially released and will be tested and analyzed in detail, it is difficult to state whether this could really be a gadget to watch on the tablet market of today.

Related posts:

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2. Asus Eee Pad Slider vs Apple iPad 2 – what should I choose?
3. Asus EEE Pad Slider- ultra portable Honeycomb tablet with an integrated keyboard

But first things first, let’s take a look at the physical characteristics of this 7 inch tablet. The tablet looks pretty good and business like, having a minimalist design. The build is black and and is mostly plastic, but the more expensive and good looking type. The edges are smooth and the tablet has a very good grip, even if it looks glossy. The slate is only 0.4 inch thick and weighs 0.7 pounds, being one of the lightest and thinnest tablets out there.

The screen of the Playbook is a 7 inch, multi touch, capacitive display, with a resolution of 1024 x 600. This is a very good resolution for a 7 incher, considering that usually we get this resolution on 10 inch tablets or even netbooks, as many 7 inch slates have a 480 x 800 resolution. What’s innovative and might I say cool about the slate is that not only the slate is touch sensitive, but also the surrounding black bezel.

The 7 inch screen has a very good resolution for the standard, 1024 x 600

So if you want to kill an app, you don’t have to do this on screen, as a swipe movement on the bezel will do just fine. Also, you can use the bezel for navigating screens. Under the hood, the 7 inch tablet is equally impressive. It has a ARM 9 dual core processor, with a 1 GHZ speed, but it’s not very clear if it’s the Tegra 2 processor we’ve seen on so many tablets lately. But considering that the tablet thrives on its multitasking capabilities, we might assume it’s the Tegra 2, that scores good points at that. There’s also 1 GB of RAM, but we don’t know if it’s DDR 2 or not, which might prove relevant when you run numerous demanding applications at once.

In terms of storage, there are the three standard versions, namely 16, 32 or 64 GB. Anyway, you can always add to that via a USB or SD slot located on the edges of the tablet. The Playbook comes with WiFi and blue tooth on all models, but there are a couple of upgrades you can buy in terms of  connectivity. There are 3G and 4G versions available, and if you need a good connection at all times and don’t want to depend on whammy WiFi hotspots, you should pay the extra buck for a 3G/4G module.

The slate has two cameras, a 3 MP in front and a 5 MP in the back, that’s able to record 1080p video. The OS of the tablet is Blackberry OS, which seems like it’s not properly optimized just yet. There aren’t a dedicated email and browser clients and the OS lacks the depth and variety that made Android so popular. RIM said that most of the shortcomings dealing with software will be dealt with via updates. The cheapest version of the tablet, with 16 GB of storage and WiFi will cost $499 and is already available. The other versions, 32 and 64 GB, cost $599 and $699.

The tablet can display flawless 1080p video and even 3D rendering

Overall, the tablet is really interesting and is one of the most exciting entries we have in 2011. It can render 3D content you can play on a 3D TV, it seems that it will come with Android apps support and will have preloaded games from EA- not many tablet manufacturers can say the same about their own products. The tablet has enough power and style to suit both casual users and professionals and if RIM can deal with the software issues asap, the Blackberry Playbook has all the winning cards.

Related posts:

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3. Asus EEE Pad Transformer- 10 inch Honeycomb tablet easy to switch to a netbook

Overall, the Asus Transformer is well built and good looking, despite being quite thick, especially when compared with the likes of the new iPad 2. Still, it’s not a lot more heavier, so it is a quite portable 10 inch tablet. Dispaly comes with IPS matrix and HD resolution (1280 x 800 px) so everything looks nice and crisp, with viewing angles being quite good as well. It also comes with good battery life (up to 8 hours expected) and very nice pricing: starting at $399.

Inside you get Tegra2 which shoudl allow very good multimedia performances. However, this particular unit that got tested had some problems as it couldn’t quite handle HD video content, nor from Youtube or self-stored. There were also some malfunctions reported with the OS and common applications, where Android just frequently freezed and needed a restart to come back to life.

Solid EEE Pad Transformer tablet, but OS still needs improvements

All these are probably due to the fact that the tested Transformer was a sample model, but even so, it’s pretty obvious Android 3.0 HoneyComb still needs work before actually becoming the perfect tablet OS promised. It does perform snappy and comes with interesting and easy to use native apps, but third party apps support is almost invisible for now, as most apps available in the Market Store were not actually designed for a big screen Android device.

More details in the quiklook clip you can find below.

As for the extra post hands-on impressions, head over to Mike’s post . He also promises a review with the Trasnformer for next week, so stay tuned for more info on the subject.

Related posts:

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2. 3G Asus Eee Pad Transformer leaked photos
3. Asus Transformer Prime tablet comes with Tegra 3 and good asking price

Some manufacturers thought you should have the best of both worlds and came up with hybrids that are both tablets and netbooks, called Netbook tablet PCs or shorter, netvertibles.

These devices have both a convertible touch screen and a keyboard, so input is much more intuitive and even funnier. Plus, you can benefit from the strong hardware a netbook has for tablet tasks, like games or social media apps. On the downside, netvertibles, as they are called, are quite big and heavy, considering that are two devices compressed in one. And they can also be quite expensive.

You don’t have a vast number of such devices to choose from on the market these days, but below you will find what we consider the top picks below. They come id different shapes, with different hardware specs and price tags, just enough to meet the expectations of pretty much all of you guys reading this post.

Lenovo S10-3s – solid hardware and responsive touch screen for $499.99

At a first glance, the S10-3s looks like a regular 10 inch netbook. The difference is that the device’s screen is touch sensitive and you can use both the keyboard and the screen to work with it. Also, the screen can fold over the keyboard and you can use the device as a tablet. The netvertible is powered by an Intel Atom N450 processor and has a 250 GB hard disk drive.

The OS is Windows 7 Home Premium, which is not the best OS when it comes to touch input, but Lenovo puts on top their own UI, which gives access to the most important features of the device, like social networking, browsing and videos. You don’t even have to boot into Windows, as the QuickStart 2.0 function lets you go online or do other browser based stuff (games, social media etc.).

Another interesting feature is DirectShare, that lets you share and synchronize with another computer, without having an internet connection.

Lenovo S10-3s

Asus T101MT – business oriented tablet netbook for $551.99

The T101MT is basically a netbook with a touchscreen. It has an Intel Atom N455 processor, up to 2 GB of RAM, a 250 GB HDD and runs on Windows 7 Professional. The OS, in conjuncture with the simple, minimalist look of the device, hints that this netvertible is aimed more at business individuals that are after both a tablet and a netbook for when they have to do a presentation or just edit some documents.

The 10.1 screen supports multi touch, which might prove useful in a pie chart presentation or something similar. The T101MT also has a VGA port for hooking up the device to a bigger display, a 0.3 MP camera and a battery that can go on a single charge for a maximum of 6.5 hours (but way less if you’ll use the touch screen too often).

Asus T101MT

Dell Inspiron Duo- innovative screen flip mechanism and solid performance for $589

The Inspiron Duo is one of the easiest to use convertible tablets out there. All you have to do is push the screen a little and the 1366 x 768 display will flip within the bezel! The Inspiron Duo is quite impressive also when it comes to specs. It has a dual Intel Atom core processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 320 GB HDD and integrated Intel graphics.

When in tablet mode, Dell’s Stage UI pops up, which lets you quickly access all the entertainment features of your device, including video player, streaming radio, games and others. The Duo works very well also as a  netbook, as it has a comfy keyboard and comes preloaded with Microsoft Office Starter, that lets you deal with documents and slides for school or work.

Dell Inspiron Duo

Gigabyte T1005P – solid construction and above the line specs for $699

The T1005P is a convertible that lets you twist the screen and fold it down over the keyboard and use the device as a tablet. As with other Gigabyte netvertibles, the mobile parts that allow the conversion have been designed to work for thousands of turns and are very solid. Unfortunately, the touch screen is resistive, meaning that the touch experience will not be as great as with a tablet, but will still get the job done.

In terms of specs, the netvertible has a dual core Intel Atom processor, a 1366 x 768 HD display, 2 GB of system memory, and a 320 GB HDD. There’s also a USB 3.0 port that has high speed transfer rates, as well as WiFi and blue tooth.

Gigabyte T1005P

HP TouchSmart TM2- 12 inch convertible with solid hardware from $620

The TM2 is a little bigger than the other entries in the list, having a 12 inch screen with a 1280 x 800 resolution, that can fold flat over the keyboard and work as a tablet. The lid of the TM2 is made from a metal alloy and has a swirl pattern on it that looks really interesting and different from many notebooks out there.

The device is powered by a Core i3 dual core processor, comes with 4 GB of RAM (but you can upgrade all the way to 8 GB), has a 500 GB hard disk drive spinning at 7200 rpm and runs on Windows 7 Home Premium. The TM2 has some interesting features, like a fingerprint reader and a launch center dubbed “TouchSmart”, that grants access to photos, videos and more.

So definitely the TM2 is faster than the devices above and not a lot more expensive, so if you want a snappy and compact tablet PC, perhaps this is right now your best option for the money.

HP TouchSmart TM2

Lenovo ThinkPad X201t – a X201 with a touch screen for $1.299

The X201t is basically the X201 mini laptop coming with a convertible touch screen. Everything else is the same as on regular ThinkPads, including the red dot tracker in the middle of the keyboard, a Core i5-520 UM processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard disk drive.

The 12.1 display has a 1280 x 800 resolution and of course supports touch based input, but considering the size, you might want to have also a stylus around for easier operation. The convertible runs on Windows 7 Professional and has a 4 cell battery.

So we can easily say this is a powerful netbook tablet, but does come with a price on pair with the performances.

Lenovo ThinkPad X201t

Conclusions

For now, these are the best convertible netbooks out there, devices that can function both as mini laptops and tablets. All of them offer the option of folding (or flipping, in the case of the Inspiron Duo) the screen over the keyboard and interact via the touch screen. The specs of these convertible computers are also quite good, most of them packing dual core processors and enough fire power to take you through all the things you’ll throw at them.

So, if you’re willing to pay a little extra than you would normally spend on either a tablet or a netbook, a tablet netbook is a very good choice if you want to enjoy the best features of both types of devices in only one package.

Related posts:

1. Best Asus EEE PCs – top picks on Asus netbooks and mini laptops
2. Asus EeePC T101MT- great Atom powered convertible netbook
3. Asus EEE Pad Transformer- 10 inch Honeycomb tablet easy to switch to a netbook

One of these devices is the Eee Pad Transformer, a 10 inch slate from Asus running on Android Honeycomb. The tablet has a 10.1 inch display with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800. The screen is rather glossy and will attract quite a few fingerprints as you use it, and some glare as well. So keep it indoor and make sure to have a cleaning cloth with you.

The tablet plus the keyboard look and feel like a netbook

At the heart of the tablet, there’s a Tegra 2 processor, which is said to be the butter for the Honeycomb bread…or vice versa. The dual core processor works great in conjunction with the OS and keeps watch also on the battery life, which on the Transformer is pretty good- you can go on a single charge for about 8 hours.

Like on many tablets, there’s WiFi and blue tooth, as well as GPS and a bunch of sensors, including ambient light sensor, gyroscope and many more. Now, for the keyboard part. There’s a docking keyboard which connects to the tablet in landscape mode, offering a more netbook experience. This way, you also gain an extra 8 hours of battery life.

The tablet connects to the docking keyboard through a hinge and a couple of plastic “lips” that keep the entire system very steady. When you want to remove the tablet, all you have to do is slide the larger latch and off it goes. The entire mechanism feels very solid and will take thousands of connections and disconnections before starting to limp.

The connecting mechanism is easy to operate and pretty sturdy

The keyboard adds some weight, sure, but considering the advantages it brings, it’s a decent price to pay. The tablet is only 13 mm thick on its own, and when placed in a bag or something, you don’t need an extra cover for it, considering that the enclosed keyboard brings all the protection you’ll ever need for it.

There are two cameras, one for video calls in front with a 1.2 MP resolution, and a 5 MP, more potent one, in the back. The front facing camera is positioned in such a way that when you keep the tablet docked, it’s just over the screen. This is good for video calls, as you don’t have to keep the tablet in your hands when doing this. The tablet has a textured finish on the back, which looks more like the back of a netbook than anything else, really.

It’s very tough and when enclosed over the keyboard, you couldn’t say it’s a tablet. In terms of ports, the HDMI and SDHC are located on the tablet, while two USB 2.0 ports and SD/MMC ports are on the keyboard. The tablet has some control buttons, like volume and power, while on the keyboard there are the standard Android buttons.

the tablet, on its own, looks pretty standard

Also on the keyboard, there’s a touch pad, which is good for when you don’t want to lean over to the screen. There are also special buttons for turning blue tooth and WiFi on and off, as well as some media playback controllers. The tablet will not come cheap, that’s for sure. There’s a $799 price tag on the Transformer, which we hope includes the keyboard and at least 32 GB of storage, as well as the 3G module.

If not, the fully featured version might cost as much as $1000. It’s not necessarily a bad price, considering the versatility of the tablet. You can use it both as a tablet and netbook, covering your professional and personal time when it comes to mobile computing.

Related posts:

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