When is asus transformer prime coming out

But one thing's certain — we're getting closer and closer to this mighty and highy coveted machine. The confirmed Ice cream Sandwich update is simply the cherry atop this quad-core flavoured cake. You may also like Apple takes delivery of 4in screen for iPhone 5 Next Big Thing — custom video games Next big thing — social networking loyalty scheme. This article originally appeared at Stuff. You may also like Apple takes delivery of 4in screen for iPhone 5 Next Big Thing — custom video games Next big thing — social networking loyalty scheme This article originally appeared at Stuff.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here. Partner Content. Promoted Content. Winning the go-to-market race with other people's money. Sponsored Whitepapers. Learn 6 key ways to drive success in FY For weeks we geeks, early adopters and people who love their tech toys have been awaiting this, and none too patiently.

Make no mistake: this will be one of the slickest products we test this year and it isn't just because the original Transformer had such an inventive design.

This comes with promises of longer-than-ever runtime and blazing performance five times faster than Tegra 2, to be exact , all wrapped in a package measuring just 8. All of which means we dropped just everything when a 32GB Prime showed up on our doorstep earlier this week, and soon enough, you'll have your chance to nab one too. ASUS announced today that the WiFi-only models will be available through online sellers the week of December 19th, and in retail the week after. No word yet on 3G versions for the US just yet.

Worth it? Read on to find out. The Prime looks familiar and no, it's not just because we're looking at a device that's dominated by a inch slab of glass. If you've been following the recent explosion of Ultrabooks as obsessively as you have Ice Cream Sandwich, then you know the second-gen Transformer shares its industrial design with ASUS' line of Zenbooks , which went on sale back in October.

Like those skinny laptops, the Prime features a spun metal aluminum lid, this time available in "amethyst gray" and "champagne gold. In case it wasn't obvious when we reviewed the UX31 , you can count us among the second group.

We think it looks great. If, however, you think the Zenbooks are a little too fashion-forward, the whole spun metal thing manages to look less aggressively industrial in this tablet form. Maybe it's because the Prime comes in a warmer, more inviting gold. Maybe it's just that the Zenbooks have a severe, pancake-flat shape that makes them look painfully futuristic.

Whatever it is, the Prime is just as lovely, though something tells us it'll be somewhat less polarizing. Oftentimes, we make excuses for metal tablets, such as the 7-inch T-Mobile Springboard and HTC Flyer hell, let's throw the first-gen iPad in there, too.

We're used to saying, "Well, yeah, it's kind of dense, but at least it's well built. Despite that it manages to feel considerably more premium. That's at least partly thanks to that metal construction, which we can't help preferring to the feel of plastic -- at least, that is, when this is both thinner and lighter than something made of the stuff. That's not to say the It must be said, though, that it doesn't necessarily feel better in the hand.

While the Galaxy Tab It's the same sort of shape as the iPad 2 and, while it certainly isn't uncomfortable to hold, the terminating edges of this device can cut into the more vulnerable bits of your palms after a long period of use. This does, at least, help the tablet turn into a nice clamshell shape when paired with its dock, the accessory that turns this thing from being a merely very nice tablet into a potential laptop replacement.

As far as ports and other such trappings go, the optional dock naturally steals the show with its full-sized USB 2. The selection on the tablet itself is a little light -- but no more or less than most slates. Pick this guy up in landscape mode and you'll find a 1. Look down on the opposite side and you'll see the proprietary connector that allows the tablet to slide neatly into the dock.

This handles all the data exchange with the dock itself and, if you want to get data off the thing, this is how you'll have to do it. There's no standard micro-USB connector here. There are two other openings on the bottom that serve as receivers for a pair of latches built into the dock.

These come plugged up with bits of rubber when you unbox the tablet, so be sure to clear them before your slate has its first curious encounter with the dock. Still holding it in landscape, you've got a 3. Rounding things out is a single finely cut speaker grill, sitting on the right side under the back.

This of course dismisses any hopes of stereo sound but, more troublingly, places that single tweeter exactly where your palm is likely to go should you be holding it with your right hand. Of course, you can always just flip the tablet over should the dialogue from that episode of SVU you're streaming get a little more muffled than usual, but we'd have preferred the speaker somewhere on the top.

Or, even better, facing right at you, as on the new We are happy to report that, when unimpeded, the volume coming out of the lone speaker is actually quite good. With or without the heroic prefix and mathematical designator it's safe to say this is a very nice panel. What you have here is a inch, x display that manages a stunning brightness maxing out at nits, handily topping what you'll find on most laptop panels and more than 50 percent higher than your average tablet panel.

The luminosity is quite noticeable, and the contrast too, with deep darks and vibrant brights. However, color reproduction seemed a bit flat, with whites tending toward yellow and brighter hues coming up short. If you're using this tablet indoors you won't need to go anywhere near maximum brightness to get an eyeful, though we won't blame you if you crank it up anyway.

Even when we did that and dialed the brightness down to 50 percent, the display was still quite arresting. And having been immersed in the world of tech and tech rumours for more than six years, she can spot a photoshopped iPhone 8 image from 20 paces.

North America. An Asus slide has revealed the Asus Transformer Prime release date, which the company has set as 9 November. Kate Solomon. See more Tablets news.