Asus Eee Pad Review – Will You Be Using it as Your eReader?

There has been much talk about the Asus Eee Pad being a strong contender to take on all of the top-selling Android tablets since its release this year. The Asus Eee Pad has a glossy 12-inch display with a unique Transformer accessory. Will this be the device you want to read your eBooks on? Check out our Asus Eee Pad Review.

 

Key Specs For The Asus Eee Pad

* Costs $450 – $500
* Released in 2011
* Runs on Android 3.0
* 10.7 x 7 x 0.5 inches in size
* Weighs 1.5 lb. / 0.68 kg[easyazon-image-link asin="B004U78J1G" alt="ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A1 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer (Tablet Only)" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xOoL8fLoL.jpg" align="right" width="250" height="161"]
* 12-inch screen
* 1280 x 800 resolution
* Storage options: 16GB and 32GB
* NVidia Tegra 2 1 GHz processor
* Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Connectivity
* 5 MP & 1.3 MP cameras
* 9 hours battery life

What We Like about the Asus Eee Pad

Price: When compared to many of the other similar tablets that are on the market at the moment, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Eee Pad comes in at a slightly cheaper price, which may give it an edge for some that are looking for great features without breaking the bank. It uses the same processor as the Tab, so it’s just as you get a device that’s as powerful as its rival high-end Android tabs at a cheaper price.

Screen: The screen is extremely large in comparison to rival tablets, which provides more potential viewing movies, presentations or even to just get a slightly larger keyboard. Unlike even the iPad 2 the Asus Eee Pad even has an HD resolution display. The aptly named “Gorilla Glass” means that the glass on the Asus is extremely touch and scratch-resistant – something that is ever more important as users want to transport their devices around with them.

Cameras: The Eee Pad comes with two cameras – one on the front and one on the rear. The front camera is a simple 1.3-megapixel camera that is to be used mainly for live video chats over the web. The rear camera, however, checks in an impressive 5 megapixels. While this is not huge when compared to standard digital cameras for instance, it is currently the best that is available on a tablet pc at the moment.

This rear camera has the capacity record HD videos, and the HDMI output port lets you watch these on large screen HDTVs with ease. It is the smaller connectivity features that are making these Android tablets extremely user-friendly – something that has been wanted by iPad users.

Flash: Speaking of the iPad – unlike the iPad 2, the Asus Eee Pad allows the use of Flash content on websites. This is a feature of all Android tablet PCs but something that has been omitted from the iPad for reasons known only to Apple.

This means that you’ll be able to view Flash content around the internet; in terms of Flash games or Flash videos. Although there are other media technologies that play most videos on devices that don’t support Flash, it’s good to know you can watch videos, play games and use interactive websites using Flash technology.

Micro-SD Card Slot: The Asus Eee Pad has a Micro-SD card slot so that you can add to the storage memory if you need to, and you can also easily transfer content and media across devices or to your computer should you wish to. This simple feature is something that is favorable for many users because it allows them less limitation with what they want to do with their device and how much content they want to utilize and store. However, this is something that isn’t available on other models of tablet computer so hats off to Asus for listening to consumers.

Keyboard Dock Accessory – The Eee Pad Transformer:

What’s nice about the Asus Eee Pad is that you can get an extra part that is not just your typical keyboard dock for a tablet computer. The Eee Pad Transformer is a nifty little extra that will “transform” your Asus Eee Pad into more of a netbook.

While this will cost you extra, but you’ll certainly benefit from:
* Specific Android function keys for convenience,
* 2x USB 2.0 ports (for connecting external storage or other devices),
* A 4-in-one card reader that means you can read memory cards from cameras or other devices, and even save data from the tablet to your cards.

It makes small things like multitasking and typing much easier but is perhaps for someone that is interested in getting a tablet computer but quite likes the functionally of a netbooks. This nice little add-on gives you the best of both worlds and is a great was of quickly changing between the two. It also looks fantastic and doesn’t reduce style for the sake of functionality.

Battery Life: Like many of the battery lives that are across most of the Android tablets, the battery life of the Asus Eee Pad comes in at an advertised 9-10 hours. This is great for daily use and being able to take your Asus with you to work or college without having to keep charging it up.

What’s even better is that if you use your Eee Pad along with the Eee Pad Transformer, you can extend the battery life up to 16 hours in total. This is the best battery life out of any other tablet pc on the market, and could be an important factor for you if you like to work away from a power source.

What We Don’t Like about the Asus Eee Pad

As with anything, there are going to be some things that are less favorable about a product and the Asus Eee Pad is no exception.

Charger: Those that are thinking about getting the Transformer add-in accessory, there will be some that like to use the device while it is plugged into the electricity socket in order to save battery. The only problem with this is that the cable to the device is very short and so you won’t be able to always do this from where you are sitting.

This isn’t a huge problem however, because the battery life of up to 16 hours with the Transformer in use will mean that, most of the time, you will be able to use your Asus in the day and only ever have to charge it at night. You can even use it over several days if you are only a moderate user.

No 3G Model Available: Unlike other tablet computers such as the iPad 2 or the Motorola Xoom, the Asus Eee Pad doesn’t come with 3G/4G connectivity. This means that you will need to be by a Wi-Fi hotspot in order to connect to the internet. While this is not a problem for those that are using their tablet computer while at home or at the office, it does mean that you won’t always be able to connect to the internet from anywhere with a 3G signal.

Weight: While the Asus Eee Pad is portable and is light enough to carry around with you as you go about your day or your business, it is somewhat heavier than most other tablets on the market. For example, it’s just over a pound heavier that the iPad 2. For a device that is designed to be held in the hands, it’s important that a device should be as light and as nimble as possible in order to ensure easy usage.

Conclusion

The Asus Eee Pad is the only tablet on the market at the moment that has the ability to fully transform into a netbook-style computer. The fact that it manages to remain stylish while doing this is amazing. This is the main feature that makes this Asus unique and actually useful as a multiple-usage device. The only real problem that we have is that the weight of this device – especially if you want to hold it to read eBooks – as it can get a little tricky.