PRESS RELEASE
London (December 16th, 2011) - ASUS today announces the UK launch of the world's first tablet featuring the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor - the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. This is also the world's first tablet to be unveiled with Google® AndroidTM 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which will soon to be available through an over-the-air update.
Senior Vice President of NVIDIA's Mobile Business Unit and also the inventor of Tegra®, Phil Carmack, joined ASUS CEO Jerry Shen on stage at the recent launch in Taipei. "We are very excited to have ASUS as our launching partner. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime brings out the best of Tegra® 3," said Mr. Carmack while introducing the enhanced features on NVDIA's new quad-core processor.
ASUS CEO Jerry Shen said, "The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is designed to be the ultimate consumer choice for tablet. Aside from being extremely thin and light it is extremely powerful. We are proud to be the first to feature NVIDIA's Tegra 3 quad-core processor and provide the best user-experience with Ice Cream Sandwich". The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime has also been nominated as a CES 2012 Innovations Honouree.
Developed with NVIDIA® and Google®, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime and its innovative exclusive mobile dock presents a harmony of beauty and strength. In addition to having superior multimedia performance, the Transformer Prime also boasts enhanced features that include audio powered by ASUS SonicMaster technology, an 8MP rear auto-focus camera with LED flash, and an 18-hour* rated battery life when combined with the mobile dock.
Multimedia enjoyment in style
Featuring an incredibly slim form factor, the Transformer Prime is a svelte 8.3mm thin and the only metallic tablet that weighs in at a mere 586g. It brandishes a metallic spun finish design made of aluminium for a secure yet extremely comfortable grip. It comes in two gorgeous colours: Amethyst Grey and Champagne Gold.
The Transformer Prime features the ASUS exclusive SonicMaster technology, which is renowned for crisp and acoustically accurate audio. It produces crystal clear sound with a wide sound range, increased sound fidelity, and distinct vocal enhancements not found on any other tablet in the market.
The Eee Pad Transformer already boasts a wide 178° viewing angle IPS display, with scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass, but the Transformer Prime goes further, upgraded with a brighter Super IPS+ screen that enhances the brightness of the screen for a better outdoor reading experience.
Ultra performance
The Transformer Prime is the world's first tablet to feature NVIDIA's next-generation quad-core Tegra® 3 processor, creating a new breed of high powered tablet devices. With the quad-core CPU and 12-core GeForce® GPU, the Transformer Prime delivers the best and fastest experience for tablet-based multitasking, web browsing, as well as Full HD video playback and gaming. On its own, the Transformer Prime has a battery life of up to 12 hours*, but when combined with the mobile dock, it lasts up to an incredible 18 hours* as the dock recharges the tablet.
Prime meets Ice Cream Sandwich
Google® AndroidTM 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brings a plethora of enhancements, and when combined with the design of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, brings the user experience to new heights. The new camera UI offers better sharing, a new panorama mode, as well as live effects and backgrounds that can be applied in videos. Basic photo editing is now also built into the system, which allows for simple photo touch-ups.
With offline browsing, users can save web pages and view them later without an Internet connection, making it convenient for travellers. While on the road without access to a Wi-Fi network, users can use the new Wi-Fi Direct feature to directly transfer files between Wi-Fi enabled devices. Other enhancements include the new default Roboto font, with a typeface that is easy to read. Users can now also access the Transformer Prime's camera directly from the lock-screen. Finally, among various other UI changes, users can easily create folders on the home screen by dragging one app on top of another.
Unrivalled visual acuity
A 1.2MP front camera allows for video conferencing while an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash takes clear and sharp photos thanks to a large F2.4 aperture, back illuminated CMOS sensor, touch-to-focus depth of field and low light noise reduction. A first for any tablet, the 8MP camera on the Transformer Prime also has the ability to take full 1080p HD video.
Expandability and cloud services
The Transformer Prime is offered in the UK with 32GB storage, and features a micro SD card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jack and micro HDMI port so sharing both what's inside and on screen is quick and easy. However, the feature that gives the Transformer Prime its name is the mobile dock, which gives new meaning to the term versatility. The innovative and convenient design seamlessly provides the user with a keyboard and touchpad, along with limitless expandability options via the USB port and SD card slot. The preinstalled SuperNote application is able to take, draw or record notes; while Polaris® Office is great for productivity as it gives users the ability to read and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-2007 version compatible) files. In addition, ASUS is offering 8GB of free cloud storage for life via ASUS WebStorage, so users have access to their files via the cloud no matter where they are.
Prime Has Arrived video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIK51LRLud4
*Battery life may vary based on usage.
Pricing and availability
The Eee Pad Transformer Prime, bundled with the keyboard dock, is priced at £499 (SRP inc VAT) and available for pre-order today from a range of retailers including pcworld.co.uk, currys.co.uk, comet.co.uk, amazon.co.uk, argos.co.uk, asda.com, carphonewarehouse.com, ebuyer.com, hmv.com, hughesdirect.co.uk, johnlewis.com, littlewoods.com, anvika.com, misco.co.uk,staples.co.uk and tesco.com.
(pre-order availability will vary by retailer, please check specific retailers for further information).
Specifications
Display 10.1"LED backlit screen with Super IPS+ (1280 x 800) 10 finger multi-touch, Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Operating system AndroidTM 3.2 Honeycomb (upgradable to AndroidTM 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich)
CPU NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core CPU
Memory LP DDR2 1GB
Storage 32GB EMMC + 8GB lifetime free ASUS WebStorage
Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR
Camera 1.2MP (front)/8MP auto-focus (rear) with LED flash, large F2.4 aperture
Interface Pad: 2-in-1 audio jack (headphone/mic-in); 1x micro HDMI port; 1x micro SD card reader; 1 x internal microphone; 1 x stereo speaker Mobile dock:1 x USB 2.0 port; 1 x SD card reader
Sensors G-sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, E-compass, GPS
Flash support Yes
Multitasking Yes
Special apps ASUS launcher, @Vibe Music, ASUS WebStorage, MyLibrary, MyNet, MyCloud, file manager, ASUS sync, SuperNote, App Locker, App Backup, TegraZone, Polaris® Office
Battery 12 hours; 25Wh li-polymer battery (1); 18 hour pad with dock ; 25Wh (pad) and 22Wh (mobile dock); Li-polymer battery (1)
Dimensions Pad: 263mm x 180.8mm x 8.3mm/586g Mobile dock: 263mm x 180.8mm x 8-10.4mm/537g
(1) Battery life tested under power saving mode, playing 720p video playback, brightness at 60 nits, default volume with headphones.
ASUS are also running a special promotion on the current Eee Pad Transformer from today until Dec 30th, with the 16GB Pad now only £299, 16GB bundle with keyboard dock now £399 and 32GB Pad now £349 (all SRP inc VAT).
About ASUS
ASUS, the world's top 3 consumer notebook vendor and the maker of the world's best-selling and most award winning motherboards, is a leading enterprise in the new digital era. ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today's digital home, office and person, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktops, Eee Box and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, tablet devices, servers, multimedia and wireless solutions, networking devices, and mobile phones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 3,398 awards in 2010, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PCTM. With a global staff of more than 10,000 and a world-class R&D team of 3,000 engineers, the company's revenue for 2010 was around US$10.1 billion.
