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We don't get a lot of projectors for review, but ASUS sent us their P1 Portable LED Projector and so we wanted to do a short write up of the device. It's a small projector primarily intended for portability and business use–something that you could easily carry with you as you travel to meetings so that you know you'll have a viable projector for your presentation. Tipping the scales at less than a pound, there are many projectors where the lens alone is larger than the P1.

So how does the ASUS P1 fare in our short look? While we don't have the necessary equipment to test many aspects of the projector, for the intended purpose it delivers what ASUS has promised. Read on for our thoughts on the device.

TAIWANESE FIRM Asus arguably offers the best Android tablet on the market in the Transformer Prime.

Despite the Ipad 2 nearing the ripe old age of one, the IOS tablet has seen off numerous challengers and still dominates the market in terms of sales. Here we take the best that Apple has to offer and see how it stacks up against the lead candidate from the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet army.

Design and portability
Apple has long been able to differentiate itself from competitors by offering sleek products, but other tablet makers such as Asus have caught up in this area. Both devices look stunning – the Ipad 2 is available with a pure white or jet black bezel and metallic back, whereas the Transformer Prime has deep black edges and a polished aluminium frame.

The Ipad 2 measures 241x186x8.8mm, similar in size to the Transformer Prime at 263x181x8.3 mm. Apple’s device is shorter, but wider and a tad thicker than the Asus tablet. With a weight of 601g, the WiFi only Ipad 2 is also 15g heavier than the Prime at 586g. However, these differences are fairly negligible.

When the Transformer Prime is attached to its keyboard dock, the weight increases to 1.1kg, which is in-line with most 11in netbooks and ultrabooks. Of course, with the Transformer Prime you can simply detach the tablet whenever you want.

Winner – Draw. Both exhibit stunning design and are equally portable.

Display
The Transformer Prime comes with a 10.1in Super IPS+ display that has 1280×800 resolution and a pixel density of 149 pixels-per-inch (PPI). The picture quality is excellent and there is an outdoor mode that increases brightness to make the display easier to view in sunlight.

In comparison, the Ipad 2 has a slightly smaller 9.7in LED-backlit widescreen display that uses IPS technology. The resolution of 1024×768 and 132 PPI might not be as high as that of the Asus tablet, but still yields impressive results.

Both displays are excellent for reading content and displaying multimedia. However, there is a slight yellowish tinge to the Transformer Prime when a white background is displayed, something that is not apparent on the Ipad 2. However, we did prefer multimedia playback on the Android tablet.

Winner – Transformer Prime.  The Android tablet just shades the Ipad due to its bigger screen and better brightness.

Product Asus Transformer Prime TF201
Website http://uk.asus.com/
Specifications 10.1in Super IPS+ WXGA Gorilla Glass 1280×800 screen, Nvidia quad-core Tegra 3 1.3GHz, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android Honeycomb 3.0 upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 802.11a/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x microHDMI, 1 x microSD, 1 x 2-in-1 audio jack, 1 x SD card reader, 2 x proprietory charging ports, 8MP rear camera, 1.2MP front camera, up to 18 hours battery with keyboard dock
Price £499

TAIWANESE HARDWARE MAKER Asus had a surprise hit with the Eee Pad Transformer in mid-2010, outdoing manufacturers such as Samsung and Motorola when it came to making an Android tablet.

The sequel to the critically-acclaimed hybrid tablet has been highly anticipated ever since Asus announced that it would have an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a Super IPS+ 10.1in Gorilla Glass display, an 8MP camera and 18-hour battery life.

The Transformer Prime is definitely one of the most beautiful and well-crafted hybrid devices that we have seen. Both the tablet and dock have a machined-aluminium casing that provides protection and gives them a premium feel.

In its standalone form, the Transformer Prime looks similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. There are no buttons on the front of the device, with the webcam being the only noticeable feature on the bezel. The back is similar, with only the 8MP rear camera taking up space.

At 8.3mm thick and a weight of 586g, the Transformer Prime is comfortable to grip and lightweight enough to hold with one hand. The total weight of the device is bumped up to just over 1.1kg when docked with the keyboard. This is in line with most other 11in laptops such as the Apple MacBook Air and Asus Zenbook UX21E. However, the thickness and weight of the Transformer Prime is all the more impressive when you consider that the screen and keyboard dock both house individual batteries.

When slotting the tablet into the dock, it locks into place with a satisfying click and feels very secure, especially when compared to other hybrid devices such as the Acer Iconia Tab W500. The hinge has a reasonable amount of flexibility, although it doesn’t quite tilt back as far as we would have liked.

Superb IPS+ display
The 10.1in Super IPS+ display comes has 1280×800 resolution. This is the same resolution as is found in competing tablets such as the Motorola Xoom 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

We found that text and images were reproduced superbly on the Transformer Prime. Colours pop out of the screen and video playback is one of the outstanding features. Brightness is excellent when turned up to full, and there is an ‘Outdoor’ mode that cranks this up even further to minimise the impact of sunlight.

Having handled all of the high-profile tablets that are available, we found the Transformer Prime has the best tablet display on the market at the moment, including the Ipad 2.

TAIWANESE HARDWARE VENDOR Asus has confirmed its Transformer Prime is suffering from random system reboots.

The Transformer Prime has had a couple of problems since its launch. The latest is annoying users with unexpected reboots but Asus is rolling out an update to resolve the issue.

Asus said on Twitter:

New FOTA update is rolling out for the #TF201 Pime. Fixes the random reboot problem. Have you got yours yet?

— ASUS (UK) (@AsusUK) February 9, 2012

Previous problems have included poor GPS signal acquisition and also stock shortages following huge demand. However, we’ve had a Transformer Prime in The INQUIRER office for a few days and have not had any unexpected reboots.

The response from users on Twitter has mostly been users asking when the upgrade to Android 4.0 ICS will come for the original Transformer TF101. Asus has replied saying that it’s in testing and still scheduled for release this month.

Asus has also taken to Facebook to announce that stock is “still landing weekly and in increasing numbers”.

“The majority of our resellers have now fulfilled their back orders so more free stock should be available soon,” it added.

The company has repeatedly denied that the Ipad 2 rival has hardware problems, and recently shot down online retailer Clove’s claim that it received faulty Transformer Prime units that had WiFi problems. µ

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