ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Tablet

So, it looks like not all manufacturers have their heads up the asses when it comes to marketing tablets with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Fortunately, ASUS has used marketing common sense (more options, cheaper prices) and is releasing their own tablet named the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer for $399, that's $100 less than the cheapest iPad 2 and $200 cheaper than the 32GB, WiFi-only Motorola Xoom (stupid asses).

Here's a pic from the Best Buy website that was leaked and has since been pulled:



And here's a list of detailed specs:



ASUS has also come up with another really cool, ingenious option. An attachable keyboard that offers more USB ports, an additional audio port, a full keyboard and an extra 7 hours of battery life in addition to the tablets 9 hours.





When attached, the keyboard turns the tablet into a full-fledged netbook and a very powerful netbook at that - awesome. So simple, yet brilliant. At $149 the keyboard is pricey but it won't be too long before it gets a price reduction and (combined with the tablet price) it's still $50 cheaper than the cheapest Moto Xoom but with a hell of lot more functionality. I was holding off on buying any kind of a tablet or netbook but for a great price it looks like I can get both.

No official release date has been announced. ASUS has only said that it will be available in early April, and since we're already in April I'm assuming it should be on shelves in the next couple weeks.

ASUS has more info posted on their Facebook page also.

And it looks like it's getting plenty of press also:
http://techland.time.com/2011/04/01/if-priced-at-400-asus-10-inch-tablet-will-be-the-one-to-watch/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110331/tc_digitaltrends/asuseeepadtransformerandroidtablethitsbestbuyfor39999
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Tegra-2-EeePad-Transformer-Price-Release-Launch,12494.html
http://androidcommunity.com/asus-eee-pad-transformer-hands-on-plus-price-and-release-dates-eee-slate-ep121-with-chris-davies-20110330/
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/asus_launches_eee_pad_transformer_tablet_keyboard_dock