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TAIWANESE GADGET MAKER Asus’ next generation Transformer tablet has been leaked by the Thai web site NCCC.

The leaked images include a document from Quietek specifying the device as the TF300T. This sounds like it will be the next model following the original Transformer TF101 and the Transformer Prime TF201.

The next generation Transformer looks like a cross between the first two models. It has the thin and rounded design of the Transformer Prime but the rear panel looks more like the original.

It will have the same 10.1in screen but no other specifications have been revealed. It’s possible the tablet will be a budget version of the Transformer Prime for those who can’t stump up the high price tag.

We assume it will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich like the Transformer Prime and come with a keyboard dock. The change in the rear panel is likely to be due to the WiFi and GPS problems that the Transformer Prime reportedly has suffered recently.

Asus said the metallic casing could affect the GPS signal and removed the GPS from the tablet’s specification sheet. Yesterday Asus again denied that there are hardware problems with the hybrid tablet.

There are a lot of unknowns, including whether the firm will announce the tablet at this month’s Mobile World Congress. µ

Product Asus Zenbook UX21E ultrabook
Website http://uk.asus.com/
Specifications 11.6in LED backlit 1366×768 HD display, Intel Core i5 2467M dual-core 1.6GHz processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 128GB SSD, headphone out, audio out, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 1.1kg.
Price £850

TAIWANESE LAPTOP MAKER Asus is the latest vendor to release a Windows equivalent of the 11in Apple Macbook Air, which was a surprise hit in The INQUIRER office.

Despite a valiant effort, the firm’s latest offering isn’t quite a MacBook killer. The UX21E Zenbook is a smaller version of the Asus UX31E Zenbook in design, performance and build quality. For the most part this is a positive, but it also means that the UX21E Zenbook has the same flaws as the larger model, especially in terms of the usability of its keyboard and trackpad.

Thin and light design
Of course the first thing that you’ll notice is the shiny aluminium finish, which helps the device to stand out when showcased against rival machines, even Apple’s Macbook Air range. The V-shaped design of the chassis means that the thickness of the device varies. The front-edge has a thickness of 3mm and gets increasingly thicker as you approach the rear, maxing out at 9mm. The device weighs 1.1kg, making it 200g lighter than the 13in ultrabook and just a tad heavier than the equivalent Macbook Air at 1.08kg. It’s easy to carry around and comes with a handy little sleeve.

A common trend among manufacturers has been to seal the back cover, which stops users from swapping batteries on the move and also makes it impossible to install any upgrades such as adding RAM without taking the device to a specialist. The UX21E Zenbook will not be the last laptop to have this design feature, and although it is very annoying it looks like something users are just going to have to get used to.

TAIWANESE GADGET MAKER Asus has again denied that there are hardware problems with its Transformer Prime hybrid tablet.

The firm has said this in response to online retailer Clove pulling the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet from its web site. Clove said yesterday that it found problems with the WiFi and GPS, so it wasn’t happy to send the device out to customers who had pre-ordered.

Clove said, “We did some random testing on the stock and yes the main factors taken into consideration were WiFi and GPS.”

Asus has already admitted the metallic casing might affect the GPS signal, so it removed that from the specifications sheet. It then told us that the Transformer Prime had no problems with its WiFi, but unhappy customers could get a full refund.

In response to Clove’s findings, Asus said, “We are not aware of any quality issues with the Transformer Prime. We have conducted extensive testing on the Transformer Prime in laboratory conditions and the device is performing as expected in all areas and to all of our required parameters.”

It added, “Asus prides itself on the rigorous testing of all products to ensure the highest quality possible. We refute any and all claims from third parties regarding the quality of our products.”

Clove has had to wait a long time for stock of the Apple Ipad 2 rival to arrive. Asus said that stock shortages have been down to “massive demand” for its second generation hybrid tablet. µ

ONLINE RETAILER Clove has taken the Asus Transformer Prime hybrid tablet off sale after discovering problems with its stock.

The smartphone and tablet retailer has found reliability problems with the Android 4.0 tablet’s WiFi and GPS connectivity. The firm said it has pulled the device from its web site until further notice.

Clove has had some supply chain issues but said, “However we have been able to obtain some stock sooner than expected; but because of complaints of faults with the model we took the decision to thoroughly test stock before fulfilling any orders.”

“We are at this time not satisfied that all units we could provide you with are working correctly, and performing to the standard we expect of the unit. We have therefore taken the decision until further notice stop selling the Asus Transformer Prime.”

Chris Ward, digital media coordinator at Clove told The INQUIRER that it received a “reasonable stock allocation” but not enough to fill its orders. “We did some random testing on the stock and yes the main factors taken into consideration were WiFi and GPS,” he added.

Asus had said it wasn’t aware of any WiFi issues and removed the GPS from the Transform Prime’s specifications sheet. It has declined to comment on the situation.

It released a firmware update last month, but that was for a graphics bug.

Ward told The INQUIRER, “We will monitor the situation and may make it available again in the future, depending on availability and the resolution of the technical issues discussed so far.” µ

TAIWANESE GADGET MAKER Asus has announced an update for its Transformer Prime owners to fix graphics bugs.

The Transformer Prime is set to be one of the most popular tablets of the year but has been hit by a couple of initial flaws. Users will get an over the air update starting today to fix a problem with its graphics.

Asus said on Facebook, “ICS 4.0 FOTA update for Transformer Prime TF201 from today (UK) will fix on-screen graphics bugs (previously some horizontal stripes and signal noise during video playback & pad rotation).”

Unfortunately this doesn’t solve a problem with the device’s GPS caused by the metallic material used for the case. Asus has removed it from the specifications sheet.

Earlier this week Asus confirmed a problem with the Transformer Prime WiFi hardware, but luckily this is one bug that doesn’t affect units in Blighty. It has offered users unhappy with the problems a full refund or an extension of their warranty. µ

TABLET MAKER Asus is being sued by Hasbro over the Transformer Prime because of its name.

The toymaking company has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles asking for an injunction banning the device as well as payment of damages. Hasbro markets the Transformer action toys, one of which is called Optimus Prime. It claims that Asus is violating its trademark.

Hasbro told Paid Content, “Hasbro continues to aggressively protect its brands and products and the specific actions we are taking today against Asus underscores yet again Hasbro’s willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain.”

The Transformer Prime is a follow-up device to the Transformer, which Asus launched in May. Hasbro never bothered to take any action over that tablet so we’re surprised that it has taken it this long.

There’s a chance that Hasbro will lose the lawsuit because the products are so different and therefore it’s hard for a consumer to get confused between them.

The Transformer Prime isn’t available in the UK yet. If Asus is forced to withdraw the device from the market this will no doubt disappoint large numbers of customers who have pre-ordered the tablet or are planning to splash out on one next year.

We’ve contacted Asus for its response to this situation but have had no reply yet. µ

TAIWANESE ELECTRONICS MAKER Asus has announced that its Transformer Prime tablet is available for pre-order across the UK.

From a long list of retailers sent by Asus only a handful have the tablet, such as PC World and Ebuyer. The latter is the first to provide a delivery date of 12 January. Online retailer Clove has had the tablet available for pre-order for a week and the rest have now followed suit.

However, only the 32GB model is listed so far even though we were expecting a 64GB capacity too. The price is set at £499 for the tablet and keyboard docking station at PC World and Ebuyer while Clove has slightly higher prices of £550. The latter has just taken down its product pages for the 64GB model until it hears back about it saying it will “hopefully be back up soon”.

The first Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core powered tablet will ship with Android 3.2 Honeycomb and will receive an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich after launch. Unfortunately Asus still hasn’t given out any date and said only that it is “soon to be available through an over-the-air update”.

Other specifications include 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 1.2MP front-facing camera and a 10.1in touchscreen with 1280×800 resolution. We can’t wait to get our hands on the Transformer Prime after being won over by the original. µ

In our original review of the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime I did the best I could do given limited testing opportunity with the platform before the NDA lifted on all reviews data. I made the commitment back then to come back with additional findings after I had spent more time with the platform. Today I'm back to make good on that promise.

Two more Eee Pad Transformer Prime samples later and here we are. Next week retailers and etailers should begin shipping the first orders of the Prime out to customers. There were a number of gaps I wasn't happy with in our original review of the Prime, I've spent the past couple of weeks trying to fill them. Even what I'm presenting today isn't perfect, but when combined with the original review it should paint a more complete picture of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime.

Gallery: ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime

And I've got video, something I had to cut out of the original review due to time constraints:

Read on for the follow-up!

ONLINE RETAILER Clove has put the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet up for pre-order.

The tablet come netbook hybrid has been priced at a fairly steep £550, with availability next month. Splashing out the cash will get you either a 32GB model with the keyboard dock or a 64GB model without.

Clove said, “Both models are grey in colour and the price of both is confirmed at £459 (£550.80).” and “First stock expected in January 2012.”

We’re pretty keen to get our hands on the second generation of the Transformer, which will come equipped with an Nvidia 1.3GHz Tegra 3 ‘Kal-el’ quad-core processor.

Unfortunately the Transformer Prime will ship with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, but it will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich some time after launch.

Asus has trimmed the device down since the first Transformer and it is now a mere 8.3mm thick and 586g. It also has a sleeker and shinier design reminiscent of the firm’s Zenbook laptop.

We can’t see the Transformer Prime on any other retailers’ web sites so we’ll have to wait and see if they tout the same price or we get a specific availability date. Asus is sticking to January as the planned launch period for the UK. µ

If you're waiting to get your hands on an Eee Pad Transformer Prime, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer. ASUS is expecting the first etail and retail availability in North America during the week of December 19th (not the 12th as was originally expected). If you're planning on giving the Prime as a gift this year, you may want to have a backup just in case. No word on quantities yet.

Be sure to check out our review of the Prime to tide you over!