However, in tablets specifically my personal feeling is that, while Samsung is one of the leaders, the most exciting vendor using Android is ASUS. ASUS doesn’t have the recognition and attention of Samsung, but they’ve been doing some great work in tablets – and it looks like Google took notice as they took ASUS’s planned $249 Eee Pad MeMO 7-inch tablet and reworked it to become the $199 Nexus 7, Google’s first branded tablet. The first quad-core 7-inch tablet and the first device to launch with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

In the first generation of real Android tablets, those launched with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the Galaxy Tab was well known for its sleek design. But the ASUS Transformer, and later Transformer Prime, we nearly as slim and light while keeping functionality like a microSD slot, which the Galaxy Tab did without. And, of course, they had the unique capability of effectively becoming a netbook with a purpose designed keyboard dock. They’re tablets have been competitively priced and have had a series of firsts. The first Android tablets designed with a keyboard dock, the first ‘slider’ tablet with the Eee Pad Slider SL101, the first quad-core Android tablet with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 powered Transformer Prime, the first HD Android tablet with the 1920×1200 10.1″ Transformer Pad Infinity, and more.

The the Transformer Pad Infinity’s display is 224ppi, effectively making it the Android market’s answer to the iPad’s 264ppi retina display. Though I personally feel the 10.1″ 1920×1200 16:10 aspect ratio display on the Infinity is preferable to the iPad’s 9.7″ 2048×1536 4:3 aspect ratio display when it comes to consuming content, especially HD video.

Of course, ASUS also has the Padfone which is a truly revolutionary design that I’ve been waiting for someone to build for years. I hope it finds its way to the US in an LTE model. ASUS also has a good track record for updating their devices to newer Android versions. It hasn’t been painless, but they’ve done a better job that a lot of the bigger names. And we’ve just heard that even the original Transformer and Slider will be receiving Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, along with the newer models.

All of these, IMHO, have been sleek, well designed products. I myself own the Transformer Prime (though I’m starting to feel the lust pangs for the Transformer Pad Infinity since I don’t see Verizon picking up the Padfone soon) and I couldn’t be happier with it. My wife & I gave our nephew the Transformer last xmas and he’s still using it regularly. He hasn’t lost interest or broken it – not bad considering he’s 13. I’ve recommended the ASUS Transformer line to many people, as I think they’re truly the best Android tablets out there.

The keyboard dock, or just the capability of using one, is a major advantage over other tablets for anyone looking to use a tablet for productivity. A keyboard case or Bluetooth keyboard just isn’t the same. The keyboard dock makes an effective case for the tablet in one solid, easy to carry, solid package. And the extra battery life is most welcome. I love the way ASUS designed it to keep the tablet battery charged, charging it from the keyboard battery when connected. That way the tablet is always topped up if you want to use it solo, and the keyboard provides a kind of portable charger if the tablet gets drained.

Performance is top notch and inclusion of memory card slots and ports makes the ASUS tablet more flexible than some of the competition. Personally I think the Galaxy Tab 2 line was something of a disappointment. It is really more of a refresh of the original Galaxy Tab than a next-generation tablet. Similarly the Motorola Xoom 2/Xyboard wasn’t a big jump from the original Xoom. With the ‘flagship’ vendors kind of dropping the ball it really left the market open to ASUS, and other vendors like Acer and Lenovo, to produce some of the best tablet values considering performance and price.

I think there is a strong argument to be made that ASUS is really the leading Android tablet maker when it comes to innovation, value, and functionality. I think they deserve more attention from consumers and the press covering the tablet market. Whether they get it or not, I hope they continue down the same road and continue to provide innovative products. If you’re considering an Android tablet purchase I think you’d be well served to carefully consider ASUS’s offerings. The second generation ‘low-end’ model Transformer Pad TF300T is a close match to my first generation ‘high-end’ Transformer Prime TF201, and the model I think most buyers will be looking at.

ASUS recently released a series of videos which gives us a peak into the design process and philosophy that shaped the Transformer products, especially the new Transformer Pad and Pad Infinity. I think they’re a nice look behind the scenes and not overly full marketing spin.

So what do you think? Do you agree that ASUS is really the flagship Android tablet maker? Do you think someone else is? If so, why do you feel that way? Leave a comment!

Since the Transformer is $364.99 on Amazon, and the keyboard dock is $118.15, getting both for $319 is an excellent deal.

The TF300 Transformer Pad is closer to the TF201 Transformer Prime than the original TF101 Transformer. Like the TF201, the TF300 has a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU, 1GB RAM, 802.11b/g/b WiFi, and a 10.1? 1280×800 display. However, the display is IPS, not Super IPS+, and it is only available in 16GB & 32GB versions – instead of 32GB or 64GB. The TF300 has Bluetooth 3.0+EDR, up from 2.1+EDR. The TF300 loses the flash on the rear camera, though it is still 8MP, with a 1.2MP front camera.

While the TF300 is currently only available with WiFi, it will also eventually come in HSPA+ & LTE versions. Battery life is 10 hours, 15 with the dock – down from 12/18 on the TF201. And it is physically slightly larger. But it also has a $399.99 MSRP for the 32GB model, $100 less than the Transformer Prime. However, with the TF201 available for less than the MSRP, while the TF300, being new, isn’t available at much of a discount, the gap is currently smaller. It isn’t a clear choice – do you get the TF300 with most of the features and save a little, or go for the slicker TF201 with all of the features for just a bit more?

When the forthcoming Transformer Pad Infinity, effectively an HD Transformer Prime, launches it’ll be interesting to see if they keep the original Prime in the lineup or drop it to create more differentiation in the lineup. For now I’m happy with my Transformer Prime.

However, all of that said, some people are understandably upset, or at least annoyed, by the issue. Well, ASUS has decided to make things right, at no cost to owners. Now through July 31, 2012 they are offering a free dongle, properly called the ASUS Transformer Prime GPS Extension kit. If you own an ASUS Transformer Prime simply follow the instructions to file your claim. It is fairly simply – just register your Transformer Prime, if you haven’t already, and then click on the link to claim your dongle. They’ll send you one that matches the finish on your tablet.

The dongle itself is fairly large, as you can see in the image above. It is a bar that clips on the bottom of the tablet, using the same connections as the keyboard dock. That does mean you can’t use the dongle and the keyboard at the same time. And there is no indication that the dongle has a pass through for the 40-pin connector – which would mean no charging while it is in use. But hey – it is free.

When you need a larger display the phone docks with a tablet. But the tablet is really just a screen and larger battery – it has no native processing capability. Instead the phone provides all of the power. That means no need to install apps twice and keep them in sync, or to have two data plans, etc. The tablet is just a ‘sleeve’ for the phone.

ASUS takes this even further with the PadFone, building on their Transformer products, but having the tablet dock with a keyboard. So the phone becomes a tablet becomes a netbook.

The PadPhone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 8260A Dual-Core 1.5 GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and 16/32/54GB internal storage with a microSD slot for expansion. It has a rear 8MP camera with flash, though the front camera is listed as only VGA (.3MP) which is a little disappointing. The dimensions are 128mm x 65.4mm x 9.2mm with a weight of 129 grams. The display on the phone is 4.3″ qHD (960×540), which is respectable, though it’d be tough to give up the 720p display of my Galaxy Nexus.

The magic happens with DynamicDisplay, a special feature developed by ASUS. It dynamically resizes apps as the PadPhone is docked with or removed from the PadPhone Station. Not only do you get a 10.1″ 1280×800 display, but apps with optimized tablet views, such as Gmail, will change. So you won’t just see the phone display blown up, but the proper tablet view.

When docked, the PadPhone’s camera and flash are still used, but the front camera is replaced by one built into the tablet. What’s not clear from the specs and images is which ports the Station dock has. The keyboard dock looks very similar to the one for my Transformer Prime. Like the Prime’s keyboard it adds additional battery, as well as a full size USB port and full size SD slot.

This looks like a very interesting product. I’m not sure if I’d give up my Galaxy Nexus phone and Transformer Prime tablet for the PadFone, especially since I’ve really only just picked up both. But down the road when my G-Nex is up for replacement I’d certainly look at the then-current generation of the PadFone. This is exactly the kind of design I’ve been waiting for.

ASUS also announced that the Eee Pad Transformer line is bring rebranded as the Transformer Pad, and two new models are being introduced.

The Transformer Pad 300 looks like a slightly lower-end version of the existing Transformer Prime. Like the TF201, the TF300 has a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU, 1GB RAM, 802.11b/g/b WiFi, and a 10.1″ 1280×800 display. However, the display is IPS, not Super IPS+, and it only has 16GB of storage – instead of 32GB or 64GB. The TF300 has Bluetooth 3.0, up from 2.1+EDR. The TF300 loses the flash on the rear camera, though it is still 8MP, with a 1.2MP front camera.

While the TF201 is only available with WiFi, the TF300 will also come in HSPA+ & LTE versions. Battery life is 10 hours, 15 with the dock – down from 12/18 on the TF201. And it is physically slightly larger.

The other model, the Transformer Pad Infinity, goes the other way – an upgrade on the Transformer Prime. We saw this model teased at CES as a new model of Transformer Prime, the TF700. Specs-wise it is clearly an updated version of the Transformer Prime. It is the same size and weight – the keyboard dock is actually the same unit.

The WiFi model has the same 802.11b/g/n and BlueTooth 2.1+EDR, 1GB RAM, 32/64GB storage, and the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core CPU – only here is is clocked up to 1.6GHz. The like the TF201 the screen is a 10.1″ Super IPS+ display – but the resolution is 1920×1080 Full HD. It does as some new tweaks. In addition to Bluetooth 2.1+EDR it has Bluetooth 4.0 LE, or Low Energy.

Unlike the TF201, the TF700 will also come in HSPA+ and LTE models, which differ in other details. Instead of the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, these units will use the Qualcomm MSM 8260A/8960 Snapdragon S4 Krait Dual-core clocked at 1.5Ghz. Why? When they started designing this unit the Tegra 3 wasn’t yet paired with 4G chipsets. It seems the TF300 was designed later, as there is no indication the cellular variants of that model will not be using the Tegra 3. Battery life is given as 10/16, which makes sense with the higher resolution screen and higher CPU clock.

I love my ASUS Transformer Prime, and the Transformer Pad Infinity looks interesting. I’d go with the WiFi model since I currently use my Prime with WiFi tethering on my G-Nex.

EDIT: ASUS just posted a video of the launch event at Mobile World Congress:

It isn’t quite the same as Chrome on the desktop, yet, but it is certainly a nice start. It provides a better experience as a daily browser than the Android browser, IMHO – which isn’t saying the Android browser is bad, Chrome is just better. Especially on the larger tablet screen, where the Android browser, evolved on phones, shows its limitations. Right now Chrome for Android is only available for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which fortunately both my phone and tablet run, so it isn’t yet available to the majority of Android users but I expect that will change.

It has some nice features too, like syncing your bookmarks and open tabs with the desktop. If you have a device running Android 4.0 I strongly recommend checking it out.

Sorry for the radio silence recently, it wasn’t planned but fortunately it isn’t for a bad reason this time. I’ve just been pretty busy with work, the usual holiday hassle, and some of the last minute wedding preparations. (In case you’re new here, I’m getting married in five weeks – 2/4/12.) Fortunately it has also been kind of slow on the tech news front lately, at least as far as the stuff I usually write about goes. So I don’t feel like I’ve really missed anything huge.

That’s probably because CES is just around the corner and all of the big news is being saved up for the associated deluge. Unfortunately I won’t be attending CES this year. I had been thinking about returning this year but after some consideration I realized I’d have to be crazy to do CES so close to my wedding. Even ignoring the cost and the PTO I’d need to burn, when I have plenty of expenses and time off pending for the wedding and honeymoon, there are plenty of last minute things to attend to and I really don’t need the extra stress. So maybe 2013 with mark my return to CES. My fiancee has never been to Las Vegas and would like to see it too, so it’d be easier to justify. While I won’t be at CES this year I’m sure there will be plenty to cover and comment on.

All of that aside, there has been some gizmo activity in my life and I’m hoping to make a few full posts out of it. But for now I’ll share a little.

Just before xmas the Galaxy Nexus finally launched on Verizon and I ordered one immediately to replace my OG Droid. I love it. I was somewhat jealous of the Droid RAZR my fiancee picked up a few weeks earlier, but that evaporated when I got the G-Nex. I’ve decided to leave it completely unmodded for now – no unlocked bootloader, no root, and no custom ROM. I’d been running Cyanogenmod on my OG Droid for a long time, but I want some time with the ‘raw’ Ice Cream Sandwich experience to really see how it has improved. I have to say that, overall, I’m really impressed and pleased with it. I may end up sticking with the stock experience, we’ll see. So far there have only been minor things I’ve missed and I may be able to find apps for the functionality.

I will share one word of warning; the official Verizon car mount is a completely worthless piece of plastic crap. I purchased one and returned it an hour later. You may have seen posts on other blogs about it not having the built-in three pin connector for charging and audio output as we’d seen in some pre-release reviews, and that’s part of it. But for me even if it had the three pins I’d still think it sucked. It has a fixed neck, several inches tall. The only adjustment is the ball joint at the end where the phone goes. When I used it in my car the bottom of the G-Nex was as high as the top of my Droid in it’s mount. The OG Droid car mount was quite nice – plenty of adjustment. The G-Nex was way too high, and it blocked a good chunk of my view of the road, so it had to go back. Trying to mount it on my windshield was worse – even more visibility lost. Maybe it’ll work better in your vehicle, but that wasn’t the only issue.

The part that holds the phone is a very tight plastic ‘cup’ that you have to snap the phone in and out of. It took way too much force to both insert and remove the phone from the mount. Enough that I felt like I was risking damage to the phone. It was just too much of a pain in the ass. With my OG Droid I could snap the phone in and out of the mount with one hand instantly. I think the G-Nex mount sucks in every way and I really hope some decent third party options hit soon. I’m also waiting for the desktop dock to release; that at least looks like it is decently designed.

But the phone is just fantastic. Get one.

I also got another new gadget that I’ve been loving. My fiancee gave me a Kindle Touch for xmas. It is my first Kindle. I’ve been kind of eyeing them since the first Kindle, and e-readers in general since they hit the scene. Since I’m almost as addicted to Amazon as I am to Google, I knew I’d pretty much have to get a Kindle when I finally got an e-reader. (And it was definitely a when, not an if.) But the models with a keyboards always seemed a bit too clunky to me, and the Touch was the first model that really looked like what I was waiting for. It is nice and compact, about the size of a paperback (my preferred format), but lighter and even easier to hold than a real book.

I like it as much as I hoped I would. I plowed through the first novel in a couple of days, Scratch Monkey by Charles Stross. Now I’m working on Rule 34, also by Stross. I have a few other books already purchased and loaded, and I expect to be buying Kindle Editions going forward.

It doesn’t stop there. My nephew-to-be got an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and keyboard dock from us; which I’d snagged at 04:00 on Black Friday from Best Buy with a little social engineering. (It was a ticketed item. I didn’t have a ticket. I’ll tell more if I get a full post up.) He’s 12 – yeah, we kind of spoil him. I set it up for him on xmas and loved it. I’d decided to pick one up for myself months ago, but held off based on early reports of the ‘Transformer 2′. That’s of course, officially the Transformer Prime now.

After my experience using his tablet on xmas I decided that I definitely needed one for myself. My birthday is 12/26 (yes, the day after xmas) so I now have a Transformer Prime and keyboard on order as a gift to myself. I’m really hoping it arrives before I leave for the wedding and honeymoon, as I’d like to take it instead of my laptop. (We’re getting married in Epcot, a destination wedding.) Either way I’m looking forward to it, and I’m sure I’ll have something to say once I have my hands on it.

And last, but most certainly not least, I’ve had a TiVo Premiere Elite review unit in my hands for a little over a month now. I’ve been using it as my main unit and I’ve had enough experience with it now to write up my review. I’ll get that out soon, but the short version is that TiVo is going to have trouble getting this unit back from me. I love it. I’ve had a couple of minor hiccups, but nothing of real note. I had a Premiere for a while around the time it released, though I never did review it (it was during ‘the hiatus’), but the Elite with the 14.9 software is definitely an improvement on my experience with the Premiere at release. And it is a notable improvement over the Series3 that is still my main personal unit. There are a few changes in the HD UI (which is what I’ve been using) that I’m not completely happy with, but on balance I’d recommend the Elite without hesitation. And if I’m allowed to purchase this unit at the end of the review loaner period, I will. The only thing that is really missing as a retail TiVo Preview. If I could pair one of those with the Elite it’d be perfect for my bedroom.

It hasn’t all been good experiences with tech though. My Slingbox PRO-HD seems to have died at some point in November, as I discovered just before a week-long trip to Seattle for work in early December. That’s unfortunate. And a couple of days ago my Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver started exhibiting an issue where it takes several minutes to ‘warm up’ and start passing the HDMI signal from any input to the TV. Checking online I see this is a long-standing known issue with capacitors on the HDMI daughterboard.

My unit is out of warranty by now since I bought it way back in June, 2008 and it only carries two years parts & labor. I haven’t had much time yet to look into repair options, but it has been a long, long time since I did any soldering myself. I’d probably have to find someone to do the work for me instead of risking it on my rusty skills. Not to mention the fact I no longer have the tools for the job. I’ll probably start with Onkyo and see what an authorized repair would cost.

All in all I’ve been having some fun with my new gizmos and I hope to get some full posts up with my take soon. Of course, I owe TiVo a review on the Premiere Elite for kindly sending me a loaner to try out, so I really need to get that out in any case.

I hope everyone had good holidays. Did anyone get any new tech toys worth mentioning? Leave a comment!

And now it seems that it is finally going to land. It looks like the official launch date for the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime is 12/12. Well, that’s the online launch date. It won’t hit retail shelves until 12/19. The full Transformer Prime website is now up and running with features, tech specs, photos, etc. And ASUS released the following video to help promote the new Android tablet:

Furthermore, Liliputing has compiled a roundup of the Transformer Prime reviews popping up around the net from those blogs lucky enough to get their hands on one early.

It is just over a week away now.

Be sure to check out the original post on Ritchie’s Room.

Now blog Ritchie’s Room has gotten their hands on one for review, including a video. This is what they mean by gadget pr0n, I think:

There’s also an earlier video from NVIDIA showing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich running on the Prime, but it is just a quick tease:

Soon… my precious…

Via Engadget.

Cyber Sale, 2 Days Only, Sunday-Monday. Online Only.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free $10 e-Gift Card with Store Pickup Orders of $100 or More.

Sunday-Monday Only: Acer Iconia Tablet with 8GB Memory, Sale $229.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Targus Truss Leather Case/Stand for Acer Iconia A500 Tablet, Sale $24.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Apple® iPad® or Android 3.0+ Tablets, Sale $35.99 each.
Sunday-Monday Only: ION Audio iCADE Arcade Cabinet for Apple® iPad® and iPad 2, Sale $49.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Kobo eReader Touch Edition, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Gateway All-In-One Computer with 500GB Hard Drive, and 2GB DDR3 Memory, Just $399.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Asus Desktop with AMD Processor, 500GB Hard Drive, and 4GB DDR3 Memory, Just $349.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: AOC 20” Widescreen LED Computer Monitor, Sale $89.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: SanDisk Cruzer 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive, Sale $8.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: HP 2200 Webcam, Sale $7.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Computing, Tablet, and E-Reader Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: LG 32” Class ED 720p HDTV for $299.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Home Theater Deals.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great iPod and MP3 Player Deals.
Sunday-Monday Only: All iPods on Sale.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Music and Movies Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: Xbox 360 Kinect Sensor, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Select Kinect Games On Sale.
Sunday-Monday Only: Select Pre-Owned Games, $19.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Buy Any Sims 3 Base, Expansion, or Stuff Pack, get the Second Item Free.
Sunday-Monday Only: $50 Off GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Double ‘O’ Edition Bundle for OPS3, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Gaming and Gadget Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: 25%-40% Off Select Digital Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free Bag and Memory Card with Select Digital Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: Free Bag with Select DSLR Cameras.
Sunday-Monday Only: 19%-41% Off Select Digital Camcorders.
Sunday-Monday Only: 5%-50% Off Select Digital Photo Frames.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Digital Camera and Camcorder Deals.

Sunday-Monday Only: Motorola Droid 3 Mobile Phone, Free with a new 2-Year Contract from Verizon and Activation.
Sunday-Monday Only: HTC Wildfire S Mobile Phone, Free with a new 2-Year Contract from T-Mobile and Activation.
Sunday-Monday Only: Boost Mobile BlackBerry Style 9670 No-Contract Mobile Phone, Sale $149.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Virgin Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8530 No-Contract Mobile Phone, Sale $99.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Platinum Series MobileDock Dash/Windshield Mount, Sale $9.99.
Sunday-Monday Only: Great Mobile Phone Deals.

While the last round of deals included a link for the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer the link never seemed to work. The deal was only available in stores. I managed to grab one as a gift for someone else. I was still up at 4am Friday so I ran over to my local Best Buy. The Transformer was a ticketed item and all of the tickets were gone, but I managed to social engineer a tablet and keyboard dock from a Blue Shirt in a different department without a ticket. I normally wouldn’t go near a store on Black Friday, but $250 for the tablet and $100 for the dock was a very good deal.

Thursday-Saturday Only: Best Buy Exclusive Asus Transformer 10.1″ Wi-Fi Tablet, $249.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Acer Iconia Tablet with 8GB Memory, $189.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Dell Streak 7″ Tablet, $149.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Barnes & Noble NOOK The Simple Touch Reader, $79.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Tablet Deals.
Thursday-Saturday Only: HP Laptop with AMD Vision Processor, 500GB Hard Drive, and 4GB DDR3 Memory, $429.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Lenovo Laptop with AMD Dual-Core E300 Processor, 250GB Hard Drive, 2GB Memory, $179.00.
Thursday-Saturday Only: HP All-in-One Computer has AMD E-Series Processor, 4GB Memory, 1TB Hard Drive, $399.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Toshiba Laptop with Intel Pentium Processor, 320GB Hard Drive, and 4GB Memory, $349.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Samsung Laptop with Pentium Dual-Core Processor, 320GB Hard Drive, 4GB Memory, $299.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Computing Deals.
Thursday-Saturday Only: 50% Off All M-Edge eReader Covers.

Thursday-Saturday Only: Only $999.99 Samsung 55″ Class LED 1080p HDTV. Best Buy exclusive.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Home Theater Deals.

Thursday-Saturday Only: Free $50 Gift Card with Apple iPod touch 8GB MP3 Player.
Thursday-Saturday Only: $20 Off Any $100 iTunes Gift Card.
Thursday-Saturday Only: $2.99 Music CDs.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great iPod and MP3 Player Deals.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Entertainment Deals.

Thursday-Saturday Only: Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle with Fable III and Halo: Reach, Only $199.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Nintendo 3DS Game Console, $179.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Select Games for $34.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Select Games for $29.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Select Game Accessories for $7.99.
Thursday-Saturday Only: Great Gaming and Gadget Deals.

There are many more deals, so be sure to check them out. The links should be live on Thursday.

Of course, the key piece of info that is missing is the release date. Still no word on that. But it is supposed to be this year.

Via Liliputing.

There are new specials each day, so be sure to check back in.

In addition to the current sale, they’ve also published a preview of what they’ll be offering on Black Friday – in stores and online.

In stores only you’ll be able to grab a Sharp LC-42SV49U 42″ Class LCD 1080p HDTV for $199.99, a Toshiba BDX2150 Smart Blu-ray Player for $39.99, a 15.6″ Samsung Laptop with an Intel Pentium CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB HDD for $299.99, and the one I think is the most tempting, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Android tablet for only $249.99.

Also available in stores, the HTC ThunderBolt 4G LTE on Verizon for free with a 2-year activation and the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Blu-ray just $9.99. These will also be made available online – the Thunderbolt on Thursday and the Blu-ray on Friday.

They’ve listed specials that will be available online starting Thursday, 11/24, without revealing the prices. There will be deals on the Dynex 32″ Class LED 720p HDTV, a 15.6″ Gateway Laptop with Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB HDD, the Dell Streak 7″ Android Tablet, a Dell desktop PC with Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, and an 18.5″ widescreen LCD monitor, the FujiFilm FinePix AX350 16MP Camera, a Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, the Tritton AX120 Headset, and the Nintendo Wii Console with New Super Mario Bros. Wii Game and Music CD. Check back Thursday for the pricing.

There are yet more deals, way too many to list here, so check out their webpage for the full listing. More HDTVs, laptops, PCs, phones, tablets, cameras, hard drives, flash drives, washers & dryers, PlayStation 3, games, etc.

The tablet comes in 32GB and 64GB versions with a microSD slot for up to an additional 32GB, and it has 1GB of DDR2 RAM. It also has a microHDMI port, 3.5mm combo (headphones & mic) audio jack, a built-in mic, stereo speakers with SonicMaster technology and a built-in subwoofer, 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash, 1.3MP front camera, and a 25Wh battery that yields 12 hours of use. It supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. The screen is a 10.1″ 1280×800 Super IPS+ display with an 178° viewing angle and Corning Gorilla Glass. It has a ‘metallic swirl’ finish available in two colors, Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold. It will ship with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, but it will be one of the first tablets to receive Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

It is 263mm x 180.8mm x 8.3mm (10.4″ x 7.1″ x 0.33″) and weighs in at a svelte 586g (1.29 pounds). The original Transformer was 271mm x 175mm x 12.95mm and 675g. The Prime is even thinner and lighter than the iPad 2 – 241.2mm x 185.7mm x 8.8mm and 601g. It is in the same league as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which is 256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6mm and 565g. It is thinner and narrower than the iPad 2, and only slightly longer, with a larger, higher resolution display based on better tech, more storage for a given price point, twice the RAM, and a far, far more powerful CPU.

Of course, what makes the Transformer lineup so unique is the keyboard dock which effectively turns it into an Android netbook. The dock is 263mm x 180.8mm x 10.4mm (10.4″ x 7.1″ x 0.41″) and weighs 537g (1.18 pounds). Aside from the keyboard and touchpad, it includes a 22Wh battery that extends run time to 18 hours. It also includes a full-size USB 2.0 port and a full-size SD card slot.

The MSRP on the 32GB model is $499, while the 64GB unit is $599. The keyboard dock is $149. The Transformer Prime will be positioned as a premium tablet, while the original Transformer will remain for the mainstream market at a lower price point. The 16GB will be $399 and he 32GB $449, with the dock remaining $149. Personally I don’t know why anyone would go for the 32GB Transformer when the 32GB Transformer Prime is only another $50. The performance difference, not to mention the design of the tablet itself, is well worth it.

Several months ago I was trying to decide which Android tablet to purchase. I decided on the Transformer, but before I pulled the trigger rumors of the ‘Transformer 2′ were out with talk of the Kal-El processor (code name for the Tegra 3) and improvements all around. Since I don’t really have a pressing need for a tablet, so much as technolust, I decided to wait to see how it shaped up. I’m glad I did, this is the tablet I want. Now I just have to decide if I want 32GB or 64GB. Given how much is based in the cloud now, I’m not sure I’d need the larger capacity.

NVIDIA is really touting the Tegra 3 that lives at the heart of the Prime. And with good reason, it is arguably the latest chip to claim the title of most powerful in the mobile market. While it is generally touted as a quad-core chip, the Tegra 3 actually has five cores. Four cores are ‘full-power’ cores which can clock up for 1.4GHz individually, or all four can clock up to 1.3GHz simultaneously. But these cores are only needed when launching apps, running compute intensive tasks, gaming, etc. Most of the time the work is handled by the fifth core, which clocks up to 500MHz. Running a single, lower speed (and thus lower power) core and only utilizing the higher powered cores when needed prolongs batter life. They’ve released a number of videos showing off the chip’s capabilities and/or describing it’s features.

ASUS press release announcing the Transformer Prime below:

ASUS Announces the Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Featuring the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Quad-Core Processor the Transformer Prime is designed to greatly enhance the mobile computing experience

Fremont, CA (November 8, 2011) — ASUS officially announces the world’s first tablet with the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor – the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is ultra-thin at 8.3mm (0.33″) and lightweight at 586g (1.29lbs) while featuring a stylish metallic swirl design with class leading enhancements including ASUS SonicMaster audio technology, an HD 8MP rear auto-focus camera with LED flash and battery life rated for up to 18 hours* when combined with the optional mobile dock. Pricing will range from $499** (32GB) to $599** (64GB), with the optional mobile dock accessory priced at $149**.

Incredibly Slim yet Incredibly Powerful

Featuring an ultra-slim form factor, the Transformer Prime is only 8.3mm (0.33″) thin and weighs in at a mere 586g (1.29lbs without dock). This makes watching movies, surfing the web, playing games, taking photos, finishing up homework or video chatting with friends or family so easy and natural that you’ll wonder if the Transformer Prime was designed specifically with you in mind. Its innovative metallic swirl design is made of aluminum for a secure yet extremely comfortable grip that comes in two gorgeous colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold.

The Transformer Prime is the world’s first tablet to feature NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra® 3 processor. With the quad-core CPU, 12-core GeForce® GPU and vSMP technology, the Transformer Prime delivers an optimum user experience featuring smooth multitasking capabilities, lightning fast app loading, a rich and fluid web experience, full 1080P HD video for realistic media playback or recording and of course, incredible gaming performance that allows you to experience games in an entirely new way.

Fantastic Battery Life

While the Transformer Prime is extremely slim and light, ASUS did not forget about battery life. Thanks to the advanced power management features of the Tegra® 3 processor and ASUS optimizations 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*, the longest battery life of any current tablet. That’s enough battery life for a trans-ocean flight, all-night game session, viewing several movies on a long road trip or even video recording, editing, and then playing back your child’s school play all in 1080P HD clarity.

Unrivaled Visuals

The Eee Pad Transformer Prime boasts a wide 178° viewing angle IPS display, protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass, which features new ASUS technology to enhance the brightness of the screen for a better outdoor reading experience while still offering a remarkably vivid and brilliant viewing experience of photos, books, videos, movies and web pages indoors. Thanks to Multi-Touch technology, you can use your fingers to do everything from swiping through photos, surfing the web, playing the latest games, typing emails, instant messaging, reading books or magazines, and starting your favorite movie.

A 1.2MP front camera allows for instant photos or high-quality video conferencing with friends, family or coworkers while an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash takes brilliant photos or video thanks to a large F2.4 aperture, back illuminated CMOS sensor, touch-to-focus depth of field and low-light noise reduction to provide the clearest and sharpest photos or even 1080P HD videos.

Advanced Audio

The Transformer Prime offers impressive audio capabilities in a tablet, powered by ASUS exclusive SonicMaster technology, renowned for crisp and acoustically accurate audio. It produces crystal clear sound with a wide sound stage, increased audio fidelity, and distinct vocal enhancements for an immersive audio experience with your favorite music track, video, or movie.

Unlimited Productivity

The Transformer Prime is offered with either 32GB or 64B flash storage options for quick, efficient and reliable access to your applications. Both models feature 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 function that gives the Transformer Prime its namesake is the mobile dock, which gives new meaning to the term versatility. This 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.

ASUS will include several innovative applications like SuperNote that is fantastic for its ability to take, draw or record notes and Polaris® Office which is great for staying productive with the ability to read, edit or create Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-2007) compatible files. Thousands of top rated applications and games are also available at Android Market that fully takes advantage of the Transformer Prime’s amazing features and power.

###

*Battery life will vary based on usage patterns and options.

**Pricing will vary by country and SKU. North American MSRP pricing listed.

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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 PC™. 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.

Via Liliputing, Droid Life, and AnandTech.

The Tegra 3 has its own teaser, which reveals even less. The original posting was pulled, but, unsurprisingly, someone has already reposted a copy:

I’m looking forward to the official announcement on November 9th, especially pricing and a release date. As you may recall from earlier posts, a few months ago I was trying to decide between which Android tablet to pick up. In the end I decided the Transformer was the one for me. But I had some other things to deal with and I put off buying it, and then the Osborne Effect kicked in as rumors of the Transformer 2 launching before the end of the year with Kal-El and Ice Cream Sandwich appeared. And now we know it will have Kal-El, and reports are it will ship with ICS. I haven’t seen any other tablet that swayed me from the Transformer form factor, and the Transformer Prime looks like more of the same – only better. I might be tempted to hold out for the Padphone, since I love the concept, but it looks like it won’t happen until at least the first quarter of 2012, and that’s tentative. It isn’t enough to make me wait, so I’ll probably be picking up a Galaxy Nexus when it hits Verizon and then most likely a Transformer Prime.

Via Liliputing. Also here. And AllThingsD.

The ASUS A53U-XE1 is $329.99:

• AMD C50 Dual Core Processor;AMD Radeon HD 4250 Graphics
• 3GB of DDR3 1333MHz DRAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max; 320GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Super Multi DVD Drive
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System; 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/SDHC)
• 15.6-Inch HD Display (1366×768); 0.3MP Webcam; HDMI and VGA Port; Wireless 802.11bgn; 3 USB 2.0 Ports
• 1 Year Accidental Damage Protection and 1 Year Standard Global Warranty Included

The ASUS A53U-XA1 is $399.99:

• AMD Dual Core E350 (1.60GHz); 4GB DDR3 1333MHz, 2 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
• 320GB Hard Drive; SuperMulti Optical Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
• Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System; AMD HD 6310 Graphics
• 15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display; 0.3M Webcam; 3x USB 2.0
• 1 Year Standard Warranty and 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty Included

The ASUS A53E-XA1 is $459.99:

• Intel Core i3-2310M (2.1GHz); 4GB DDR3 1333MHz, 2 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
• 320GB Hard Drive; SuperMulti Optical Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
• Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System; Intel GMA HD
• 15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display; 0.3M Webcam; 3x USB 2.0
• 1 Year Standard Warranty and 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty Included

The ASUS A53E-XA2 is $526.28:

• Intel Core i5-2410M (2.3GHz with Turbo Boost); 4GB DDR3 1333MHz, 2 SODIMM Sockets, up to 8GB
• 640GB Hard Drive; SuperMulti Optical Drive; 802.11 b/g/n
• Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System; Intel GMA HD
• 15.6-Inch HD (1366×768) LED Display; 0.3M Webcam; 3x USB 2.0
• 1 Year Standard Warranty and 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty Included

And finally, the ASUS A53SV-XE1 is $849.99:

• Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz with Turboboost up to 2.93GHz); NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 1GB DDR3 VRAM
• 6GB of DDR3 1333MHz DRAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max;640GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Super Multi DVD Drive
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System; 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/SDHC)
• 15.6-Inch HD Display (1366×768); 0.3MP Webcam; HDMI and VGA Port; Wireless 802.11bgn; 3 USB 2.0 Ports
• 1 Year Accidental Damage Protection and 1 Year Standard Global Warranty Included

They’re all similar in appearance, the main differences are the CPU, RAM, and graphics. So you can select the one that best fits your needs.

While the name is a little strange, the hardware looks very cool. It is an Android smartphone that can become a tablet, netbook, handheld gaming console, or a media set top box. They unveiled the new phone as the just-ended IFA conference in Germany, and the phone itself is quite a little powerhouse. Dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 CPU, 1GHz RAM, 16GB on-board storage expandable by up to 32GB with microSD, 8MP rear camera and 3MP front camera – both with autofocus, Full HD 1080p 30fps video recording, SRS WOW 3D sound, microHDMI and microUSB, and a shockingly high-res display – 4.5″ 1280×800 WXGA. Just as a phone it is at the high end of the Android range. The specs are up there with the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Motorola Droid Bionic, better in some areas.

With the growth in power of smartphones they’ve reached the point where they can legitimately compete with tablets and netbooks, even low end laptops. We’re seeing dual-core CPUs of up to 1.5GHz, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G & 4G data, etc. The only limitations have been screen size, input mechanisms, and battery life. And to a lesser degree port availability. The phone needs to stay small enough to fit in your pocket and be comfortable in the had.

As I’ve said all over the net for the past few years, the smartphone can be the ‘CPU’ module for other devices. It contains the CPU, RAM, connectivity, primary storage, etc. If you want a larger display in tablet format you ‘dock’ the phone with a tablet sleeve. The sleeve has nothing but the larger screen and a battery. When docked the phone provides all of the brains, and the camera on the back of the phone is now on the back of the tablet. Depending on the design the front camera on the phone could also see through a hole or transparent section on the tablet bezel, or the tablet could have it’s own front facing camera. Connectivity is simple – microUSB for device support and microHDMI for the display. And this is exactly what KT has done.

Want a more productivity oriented system, something like a netbook or laptop, then there are two options. One is an Asus Eee Pad Transformer-style dock where the above described tablet docks with a keyboard base to form a netbook. This is elegant because you only have one larger display. And you could dock everything into one unit for a fairly compact carry – like carrying one netbook.

The other option is actually the one I thought of originally, and that KT is using. Simply another sleeve, a netbook this time of course, in which the phone docks just as with the tablet. KT is doing exactly what I’ve suggested in the past – you dock the phone where the touchpad is on most laptops, in front of the keyboard. The phone *is* the touchpad, and it could even be a small secondary display for custom controls for programs, etc. Imagine doing some editing work with your customized shortcuts available on command on the touchpad display (aka the phone). With modern touchscreens and a stylus it could act as a small digitizing tablet, etc.

What about when you’re done being all productive and just want to relax and frag something? Gaming on smartphones is huge, but most games have been fairly simple, largely due to control limitations. Sony has their PlayStation Phone, but that’s a compromise. You’re carrying around the slide-out controls all the time, and they’re a little cramped. What about a sleeve that turns the phone into a handheld game console that looks quite a bit like a PSP (or maybe an Atari Lynx)? Pop in the phone and take advantage of the CPU and display that a better than any dedicated handheld game system, with controls better than any phone.

Finally, a bit more conventional for today’s smartphones, you can use the phone as a streaming media STB. Connect it to your HDTV via the microHDMI and stream HD video from the phone, online streaming services, etc., right on your big screen.

A couple of blogs have posted videos of the Spider Phone being demo’d at IFA 2011. The first video is from AndroidPIT and the second is from Areamobile. AndroidPIT has several great photos of the phone and sleeves in their post as well.

KT is the only company I’ve seen announce the full suite of sleeves, with a very powerful phone at heart. Before this the closest we’ve come is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer tablet-slash-netbook and the announced Asus Padfone smartphone-slash-tablet. In fact, the Asus Padfone tablet design and the KT Spider Phone tablet design are very similar. If only Asus would combine the Padfone with the Transformer and give it a keyboard dock (perhaps the same one), we’d have two smartphone/tablet/netbook options.

The Spider Phone has a few downsides however, at least from my perspective. The first, and largest, is that it is running Android Gingerbread. Gingerbread is a phone-centric OS and is not optimized for use on tablets, especially larger ones. It has been used on some tablets, but that was really a stopgap until Honeycomb was available. Honeycomb is the tablet-centric version of Android, but it lacks full phone support. So the right release for this would be Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which merges Gingerbread and Honeycomb and runs equally well on phones or tablets. In fact, that’s the version the Asus Padfone will be running. Since ICS isn’t due out until later this year, KT may have decided that launching with Gingerbread was expedient. But I really hope they have plans to upgrade to ICS once it is available. That would really unlock the potential of this hardware.

The other downsides aren’t as substantial, and may well be temporary. But the Spider Phone is currently only slated for the domestic market – South Korea – where it will launch in November or December. KT currently has no plans to release the phone in other markets. The phone is also a GSM device, and I really need something that’s CDMA/LTE for Verizon. (My employer’s corporate carrier.) So I probably won’t end up with a Spider Phone unless they bring it to Verizon in the US, but if they did I’d be sorely tempted even if it meant upgrading out of contract.

I’m just happy to see someone finally building the concept I’ve been pining for for several years. It is encouraging, as it means others may follow suite and that would increase my odds of finally owning such a system.

So, what I really want is something like the KT Spider Phone or an Asus Transformer/Padfone hybrid, available on Verizon with LTE support. Who’s going to build me my dream phone/tablet/netbook?

KT makes it seemingly impossible to link directly to press releases on their site, so here is the one for the Spider Phone:

KT reveals new smartphone All with one ; ‘Spider Phone’2011.09.02
? KT reveals ‘Spider Phone’ turning into various IT devices at IFA in Berlin, Germany
? Solving difficulties in high costs of buying multiple IT devices, complicated usage of each devices and managing data.
? It can also link with ucloud to provide N-Screen service.
? Expecting the device ecosystem cooperating with many manufacturers.

KT(www.kt.com), the leading telecommunication company in Korea, announces that the company unveils Spider Phone, a smartphone that can be turned into various IT devices at IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) 2011 Consumer Electronics Fair in Berlin, Germany, from September 2 to 7.

Spider Phone can be connected with various different screens such as tablet PC, laptop and game kit etc. Those devices do not function stand alone, because they are not loaded with neither CPU, OS nor memory. However they do function with physical connection with Spider Phone.

Not only Spider Phone can provide mobile office environment linked with ucloud service but also connect with tablet PC or laptop, which enables to edit and manage documents. Additionally it can give a wide variety of game experiences for users through its 4.5-inch screen and well optimized keys to control the game kit comfortably and easily. Spider Phone will be launched this November developed by KT who started the project last November.

With the launch of Spider Phone, KT expects to solve many issues, including high costs of buying multiple IT devices such as a mobile phone, a laptop and a tablet. Also it can relieve the possible stresses of complicated usage of IT devices such as difficulties in managing data.

The company also stresses that Spider Phone can surmount the small screen problems of smartphone by combining with external kits. KT expects that Spider Phone will help the company and other manufacturers to enhance their global competitive edge based on the phone’s capability to expand into the N-Screen service easily and affordably.

Especially the key sources of hardware and software interface are disclosed, making any company manufacture external kits that can be connected to Spider Phone and ultimately helping promote the industry – Device Ecosystem.

KT plans to pave to create an environment where a single smart phone can control all information and devices around it by even linking with non-IT industry products such as health care devices etc.

Run by Android OS, the phone features a 4.5 inch wide WXGA(1280*800) high-resolution display to offer tablet PC and laptop-like experiences and a 1.5GHz Dual-Core high-performance CPU that allows fast document editing, web browsing, and video playing. Additionally it has large-capacity battery(1710mAh) and Full HD supported camera.

“Spider Phone is an innovative device that can impress the global smartphone market, and I’m sure it will draw a lot of attention at IFA,” said Kyeong-Soo Lee, Executive Vice President of Device Strategy Department, who supervised the development of Spider Phone. “KT has already offered leading companies in Korea to build a new device ecosystem together, and I hope we will get a lot of favorable responses at the event”

KT also presents the ucloud storage service along with Spider Phone at IFA. KT launched ucloud service which for individual users, in July last year, and subsequently ucloud servers, VDI(virtual desktop interface), CDN(Contents Delivery Network) and storage. DB and backup services are under open beta test.

KT’s cloud service features full line-up infrastructure, which cannot be found in any other local competitors’ services. Any service related to IT infrastructure is available, and IT infrastructure can be established over the net within five minutes, which would otherwise take a whole week when using IDC hosting service.

Besides speed, ucloud’s rates and performance are equally impressive. Cloud Harmony, a cloud market research firm, revealed that KT ranked first or second in five performance areas among 20 major cloud service vendors including Amazon and Rackspace.

? For more information

– In Won Lee : Deputy Director at PR Dep.(at IFA)
: +82-10-7221-0552, inona@kt.com
– Hyun Wook Jung : Assistant Manager at PR Dep.(at IFA)
: +82-10-9693-1009, hwway@kt.com
– Yoon Jeong Kim : Assistant Manager at PR Dep.(Seoul, Korea)
: +82-10-3010-2618, kate1@kt.com
: +82-2-730-6292(Seoul office)

Spotted via Engadget.

The Slider was originally shown at CES in January, but the release date for the US has been pushed back a few times, and it is currently slated for fall. It did recently get the thumbs up from the FCC, so the launch is probably fairly close now. I think Asus has been a bit overwhelmed by their success in the Android tablet market. We know they’ve had supply issues with the Transformer, which appear to be ironed out now, perhaps this contributed to the delays with the Slider. They may have decided to work out the issues before launching another model.

US pricing on the Slider is unknown at this time, but the Transformer’s MSRP is $399.99 for the 16GB model, and the keyboard’s MSRP is $149.99. I’d hope the 16GB slider comes in under the $550 mark – maybe $499.99? It’d be a $100 premium over the Transformer to have a built-in keyboard, and a $50 savings over the Transformer + keyboard. Obviously the lower the price the more competitive it will be.

Via Liliputing.

Liliputing uncovered some info that indicates note everyone may be getting it at the same time. It seems that German users may not receive 3.2 until August 2nd, but that’s not a long wait.

In addition to the standard enhancements brought by Android 3.2, Asus is also adding support for multitouch gestures on the touchpad of the optional keyboard dock.

Via Liliputing.

Do I want a tablet that’s more like a PC? No. Especially not when “more like a PC” includes pre-loading my device with piles of bloatware that I’ll never use, proprietary crapps that I can’t delete. I do not want to visit your App Place, Toshiba, or your Book Place or any Place you want to take me. I don’t get in cars with strangers. The display? Your scan lines are showing. Do I mention its fatty, awkward size and the shape? Thrive feels like you’re holding a GoKart steering wheel. If this is what it takes to get MiniUSB on a tablet, I’ll pass on the MiniUSB.

I think they’re overly harsh, frankly, and the other reviews are more balanced. But it doesn’t matter too much to me, I’ve pretty much decided to go with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. I’d already decided to go with that when the Thrive caught my eye, but I think the Transformer is what I really want.