The T feels like a laptop first and tablet second, but that's not so bad at all: I typed a good chunk of this review on my train rides home and tucked in on my lap, and it worked quite well.
If you've ever worked on a Netbook, you know how it feels. And that's the bad part, I guess: this feels like a Netbook. Cramped keyboard, but a solidly performing one: its size and key travel reminded me of many recent iPad Bluetooth keyboard accessories.
The touch pad below's nothing special, but it's roughly the size of the one on the Surface Type Cover, is clickable, and does the job. To detach the top half, you click a button right above the keyboard and pull it off the mechanical latch. Afterwards, snap it back in, much like the HP Envy x2 and others. It's a seamless swap.
The keyboard bottom half has its own USB 3. I'm not going to sugar-coat this. The keyboard, while functional, is cramped and plastic-feeling. The touch pad is small. The chassis feels like a ticket to Glossy PlasticLand. The tablet's 1,xpixel touch display is effective, but not particularly bright. It all resembles, very much, that good old Netbook Asus used to make not too long ago. The keyboard is also on a permanent riser, because the tablet top half docks in a way that makes the whole bottom elevate when opened.
I'm used to flatter keyboards, so it threw me off. The Chromebook had the best keyboard, followed by the iPad with Belkin case. The Transformer Book brings up the rear. But once you get used to the keys, it gets better. As a tablet, the T is fine, but it's thicker and bigger than your average iPad or Android tablet, or even a Surface 2. It's not too heavy to hold, but it doesn't feel designed to be an excellent standalone tablet: it feels more like the floating back lid of a laptop that's still searching for its base.
It's good, and I could definitely see myself using it casually on a sofa, but I wouldn't feel compelled to take the tablet on its own for a day without that keyboard. The back of the tablet, which forms the lid in notebook mode, is finished in grey with Asus branding prominent and two pinhole speaker grilles barely visible. The docking mechanism is firm. Tablet and keyboard are joined simply by pushing the tablet into the docking mechanism, and are easily separated by pressing a large button sitting front and centre between screen and keyboard.
This unlocks the connection, allowing you to pull the tablet free. Earlier, and more expensive, Android-based Transformer models had metal cases, but plastic is used abundantly here. The build feels quite solid for all that — there is some flex in the tablet back, but it's minimal and we've seen worse from some regular notebooks. We weren't troubled by slowdowns or glitches during everyday use, but if you're considering this as an everyday Windows 8 machine, it's worth bearing in mind that it's not really up to more demanding workloads.
And with just 2GB of non-expandable RAM on board, it won't cope well running too many applications at the same time. Storage is also less than you'd expect to get from a notebook, with a mere 7.
That's less than many smartphones have available, and obviously nowhere near what you'll get with a standard notebook. It clearly won't be enough for a professional user intent on installing a range of apps and storing key data on the device. There are, of course, plenty of cloud storage options, including Asus's own WebStorage, which provides free unlimited storage for a year, and Microsoft's preinstalled OneDrive formerly SkyDrive.
As noted above, the USB slot can also be used to add external local storage. For wireless connectivity there's and Wi-Fi There's no Ethernet either, and the range of ports and connectors, while fine by tablet standards, is below what you'd expect from even a mediocre notebook.
The single USB 3. Apart from the USB port, all connectors and controls are on the tablet section, allowing it to function independently of the keyboard dock.
The left side has a volume rocker and the power switch. It's great to see standard USB used for charging rather than a proprietary connector, incidentally. Windows 8. Its presence means that you can start being productive without adding anything at all to the initial purchase price. Have added a spinner as well as an external hard drive for picture storage. Just right for my needs as it can also function as a stand alone tablet with wifi without the keyboard or as a notebook with it.
I am a retired person and bought this on the recommendation of my very tech savy son. This is perfect for me. Skip to main content. About this product. Make an offer:. Stock photo. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable.
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