ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Part 2
Laura Doggett – lauradoggett.com
Instructions? Whatever.
I don’t read instructions for kit any more. Any gadget I buy or even try, I expect to be so intuitive that for the general functions I shouldn’t need to squint through flapping bits of paper in eight languages to get it moving. I’m pleased to report that the ASUS didn’t disappoint. I had it up and running in no time, connecting with ease to my home wifi. And the best thing? I didn’t have to plug it into anything. No fiddling around with passwords and iTunes. No obligatory syncing with the mothership! Yay!
I still haven’t plugged it physically into anything apart from the mains to charge it and am happily getting everything I need from the cloud. Result.
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
The little guy had a big responsibility here given that this was my first proper Android experience. I’ve never even owned an Android device and so was cautious about how easy adapting would be. The whole thing was incredibly painless. Downloading apps from the Marketplace is a pleasure, especially when so much is free! The ASUS is very quick to respond and pretty agile switching between apps. It’s pretty, moves fluidly and the touch interface has all the sensitivity I hoped for.
Handling
The Asus is a slightly odd shape. It’s long and thin, making its proportions more comfortable to manipulate and hold in a ‘landscape’ rather than ‘portrait’ position. It’s a nice weight but not as light as I had expected, being of a more plastic construction than the iPad. Typing feels comfortable, especially thanks to the joys of a proper keyboard layout significantly superior to the iPad which includes numbers in the default keyboard. No shift or toggle required! Simple things like that are so pleasing when entering passwords, addresses and all those really ordinary bits of data that become that bit less of a palaver.
What’s next?
What the Year 8s think. They take no prisoners when it comes to gadgetry so this should be interesting!
Guardian