Asus Transformer vs Apple iPad 2 - X-Men First Class for Ludacris' Numba' One Spot

Fortune Favours the bold

(Audentis Fortuna juvat)

Virgil, Aeneid, X

Today is World Press Freedom Day and the United States of America is an example of Freedom of the Press – and my freedom to email American, French, German and Caribbean Newspapers my articles for publication from my headquarters here in Rest Square, Milk River, Clarendon in the Despot called Jamaica!

It seems that the US Media is all a-gaggle with the supposed death of Osama Bin Laden as initially reported in the two local Jamaican dailies: “Osama Bin Laden Killed”, published Monday, May 02, 2011, AFP, The Jamaica Observer and the article  “Obama Gets Bin Laden”, published Monday May 2, 2011, AP, The Jamaica Gleaner.

And like every major bit of news in the Real World, we who are the trained Engineers, IT people and Telecoms Technicians (Level 2) such as myself, heard of this FIRST via Twitter.

Hence the break from blogging activities as writing for two (2) separate Blogs, mine and Geezam as well as running a PC Repair and computer ordering Service that is expanding rapidly is no mean feat!

Hence also the technology slant and the mere reason for mentioning the event above with the articles “News agencies don't race Twitter on Bin Laden”, published May 2, 2011 5:36 PM PDT by Greg Sandoval, Media Maverick - CNET News and “How tweets helped document Bin Laden's Demise”, published May 2, 2011 1:32 PM PDT, CNET News as evidence.

Still not buying this story, though, as this is an Election Year, or least a lead up to the London Olympics 2012 as I had pointed out prior when Senator Barack Obama declared his desire to run for a Second Term in Office as stated in my blog article entitled “Obama and Dr. Pell's Moon Express - Fly Me To The Moon, I'll Drink To That”.

More comments on Osama Bin Laden alleged death when news becomes available.

Either way, the activities of the Obama Administration and the Government of Jamaica are definitely indicative of coming push for General Elections, BOTH countries having theirs, coincidentally in 2012AD as my blog article entitled “Bruce Golding and the JDIP - 2 Fast 2 Furious” opines.

But another Election of greater importance looms and that is the choice us tech-centric lot in Society will have to make when in the Electronics Section of the Department Store: should I buy a Tablet or a PC?

That is relatively simple if the statistical finding of my Geezam Blog article entitled “Are we Witnessing Laptop and PC Extinction?” hold true: Tablet.

Why a Tablet?

Because one can chose to get an optional Docking Cradle, such as sported by the HP Slate 500 as described in my Geezam Blog entitled “HP Slate 500 and Microsoft Windows 7 Experiment - Oh Ye of Little Faith, HP”.

Even the Apple iPad both First Gen and Apple iPad 2 has a plethora of makers of Docking Cradles that work with Apple’s Proprietary 30-Pin Connector, the means of killing the PC eventually as stated in my blog article entitled “Tablets and the Future of the PC - Jurassic Park and License to Kill”.

But the next question that looms is: should I get an Apple iPad or an Alternative Tablet, such as the 10.1” Motorola Xoom. Or even the RIM Playbook to fit with my Blackberry.

So it is nice to know that Asus, the Taiwanese Tablet maker, is bringing in the goods when it comes to the Alternative Tablets category, filed under using “Google Android 3.0 aka Honeycomb” or “Windows 7 OS”.

Asus, a relative expert in the computing space, is sporting Tablets that come with an optional Docking Cradle.

Case to point: the 12.1” Asus Eee Slate EP121, a Windows 7 OS Tablet.

They also have an optional Keyboard Dock, as is the case with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer as note by Kelroy, Administrator of the Geezam Blog in his seminal spec-laden piece entitled “ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is a Winner”.

Point to note: Asus is also the ONLY Tablet maker currently sticking with Windows 7 OS for Tablets as stated in the article “Asus Sticking with Windows 7 Tablets against iPad, Android army”, published March 31, 2011 7:52 AM By Melanie Pinola, PC World.

Curiously, the other Tablets in Asus’ lineup are somewhat reminiscent of Dell Inspiron Duo, another Windows 7 Tablet as noted in my blog article entitled “Dell Inspiron Duo and Solid State Drives - Charles Darwin and the Survival of the Fittest”.

Like the Dell Inspiron Duo, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Asus Eee Pad Memo and Asus Eee Pad Slider, they all have Detachable QWERTY Keyboards as stated in the article ‘New Asus Eee Pads offer QWERTY keypads, detachable Laptop Bases, 1080p playback”, published January 4, 2011 by Nick Mokey, DigitalTrends.

I guess I will have to summarize their Tablet offerings as thus in the following list:

1.      Asus Eee Slate EP121 – 12.1”, Windows 7, Detachable QWERTY Keyboard

2.      Asus Eee Pad Transformer – 10.1”, Honeycomb, Detachable QWERTY Keyboard

3.      Asus Eee Pad Memo – 7”, Honeycomb, Regular Tablet

4.      Asus Eee Pad Slider - 10.1”, Honeycomb, Detachable QWERTY Keyboards

For those who came late to my blog, this concept of a Detachable QWERTY Keyboard was in the early outing from No. 1 PC maker Dell which sported a horizontal flip screen take on a Tablet.

With the Detachable QWERTY Keyboard, it was effectively a Netbook as noted in my blog article entitled “Dell Inspiron Duo and Solid State Drives - Charles Darwin and the Survival of the Fittest”.

Thus, Asus is playing it smart and clever, chipping the balls bowled their way by the Apple iPad 2 along the ground towards extra cover for easy 4’s, West Indies Cricket Style.

Rather than let Apple define the Tablet as a Netbook killer ONLY, Asus is going for the Number One Spot, Ludacris Style, by redefined their product as a Laptop as well as PC Killer, with a choice of three (3) Ecosystems:

1.      Google Android 3.0 aka Honeycomb

2.      Windows 7 OS

3.      Chrome OS

If that last one is true, as currently there are no Tablets out yet sporting Chrome OS, then Asus would be the first Tablet maker to make a Cloud-centric Tablet!

I’m not one for specs; performance matters most in my book, with specs for those Techies obsessed with numbers that relate little to actual performance. Performance relates more to:

1.      Battery Life

2.      Speed of Loading Web Pages

3.      Rendering of Web Page

4.      Ergonomics and Weight

5.      Pricing

Albeit in my opinion Asus offerings are NOT those of a true Tablet, the option to detach the Screen and walk with it about the House or Office and its NVIDIA 1 GHz Tegra 2 Processor plus the usual bells and whistles makes this a must-review on CNET News!

Throw in its support for Google Android OS 3.0 aka Honeycomb and its lower price point of US$399 than the Apple iPad 2 as stated in the article “ASUS Eee Pad Transformer arrives in the US, sells out almost immediately”, published April 26, 2011 by Adam Rosenberg, DigitalTrends, and it would explain why the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is now completely sold out on arrival.

Statistically significant, as this phenomenon is only peculiar to Apple and its line of products!

Thus after gaffes by Honeycomb powered Motorola Zoom as stated in the Geezam Blog article entitled “Motorola Xoom - 101 on How to Beat the Apple iPad” or in my reference laden blog article entitled “Motorola Xoom vs the Apple iPad 2 - Elizabeth Taylor, All's Well that ends Well”.

Ditto too for the RIM PlayBook, with its tiny hard-to-use volume and power controls! RIM has its work cut out for it too in the smartphone market against the uncanny and seemingly endless Google Android Armada as stated in my blog article entitled “RIM Decline and Android Ascendancy - No Country for Old Men”.

But a pattern is now slowly forming since 2010AD debut of the Apple iPad in these early days of the Tablet Wars.

It would seem that having a pedigree in making Laptops and PCs is the key. This as thus far the best Tablets have been coming from Laptop and PC Makers, namely HP and the HP Touchpad as chronicled in my Geezam Blog article entitled “HP and WebOS - 2011 is the Year of the Linux on PC” and in my blog article entitled “HP and the TouchPad - Book of Revelations and The Spy Who Shagged Me”.

A follow-up, detailed article is coming on the Geezam Blog examining these products from Asus. This as we may be witness to history: a true-to-billing Apple iPad Killer in this offering from Asus that is X-Men: First Class (2011)!