Asus Has a Transformer Book T100 Too

By Kevin Parrish
published

In addition to the Transformer Book Trio, Asus also introduced the Transformer Book T100 during the Intel Developer Forum conference this week, sporting a similar two-part dockable design that converts the device from a notebook into a tablet. The immediate difference is that there's no evidence of Android anywhere in sight on the T100, nor does it pack its own separate standalone Windows 8.1-based PC in the keyboard dock like the cooler Transformer Book Trio.

"The ASUS Transformer Book T100 is the perfect transformation of the Eee PC with full compatibility, detachable touch screen, immersive entertainment and enough battery for all-day computing," said ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih. "It is truly a game-changer for our mobile lifestyle."

The Transformer Book T100 is based on Intel's "Bay Trail-T" platform, sporting a quad-core Atom Z3740 chip powering a 10.1 inch IPS multi-touch HD screen with 178 degree viewing angles and a 1366 x 768 resolution. The device will also feature Windows 8.1 out of the box as well as Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013, packing full versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

"The lightweight keyboard dock features precision-engineered keys designed for comfortable extended use, a multi-touch touchpad with full Windows 8.1 gesture support and USB 3.0," the company said. "Featuring a sleek design and durable finish, Transformer Book T100 is not only one of the lightest ultraportables currently available at just 2.4 lbs, but also one of the lightest 10-inch tablets around, at 1.2 lbs."

Additional reports reveal that the hybrid device will also include 2 GB of RAM, a 1.2MP camera on the front (no camera on the back), micro-HDMI output, a microSD card reader, a micro-USB port and a headphone jack.

The Transformer Book T100 will go on sale this October 18, costing $349 for the 32 GB model and $399 for the 64 GB model, which surprisingly throws the keyboard dock into the cost. That's not a bad price at all for a 10.1 inch Windows 8.1 tablet packed with a keyboard, even more so given that Microsoft charges an extra $80 for its own touch cover keyboard.

Kevin Parrish
13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • halcyon
    I stopped reading at "1366 x 768 resolution". In my book...FAIL. I guess I should have stopped reading at "Atom".
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    11526986 said:
    I stopped reading at "1366 x 768 resolution". In my book...FAIL. I guess I should have stopped reading at "Atom".
    Not everyone needs ultra-HD and an i7-4960X.

    The T100 might not have the most amazing specs but it would likely be more then good enough for more than half the people I know.
    Reply
  • tolham
    11526986 said:
    I stopped reading at "1366 x 768 resolution". In my book...FAIL. I guess I should have stopped reading at "Atom".

    it's better than 720p. I presume you're expecting 1080p. I have only used tablets very briefly, so I'm not well informed on this particular topic: does 1080p make a big difference over 768p on a 10" screen with finger marks on it?
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    11527322 said:
    it's better than 720p. I presume you're expecting 1080p. I have only used tablets very briefly, so I'm not well informed on this particular topic: does 1080p make a big difference over 768p on a 10" screen with finger marks on it?
    It might make a difference on 10".

    At 7" looking at my N7v1 and N7v2 side by side though, the 50% higher H+V resolution on the v2 does not impress me that much. Sure, small details are slightly sharper but once you zoom in to a comfortable reading size (I use my tablets for reading 90% of the time), the improvement becomes negligible. The only place where the improvement is very noticeable is 3D games where the smaller pixels make aliasing much less distracting.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    The Trio was a dumb idea. I'm actually quasi-interested in this T100 though.

    And TBH, I'm perfectly satisfied with the spec'd resolution. I'd rather my processing power and battery life go elsewhere, than driving an unnecessarily high PPI that I personally couldn't care less about.
    Reply
  • JD88
    Does Bay Trail support Linux? Could you install Ubuntu on this?
    Reply
  • viometrix
    it would be awesome except im a gamer... so this is no good for me
    Reply
  • I love your tablets ASUS, but sheesh the tablet market is so saturated. There is at least 10 tablets by ASUS. The Nexus 7 tab is cheaper and has more features than the more expensive MeMO pad.
    Reply
  • hannibal
    This is best economy class win8.1 tablet so far! Ofcourse better resolution would be nice, but then the price would be 600$ and we would talk about guite different equipment. What this mean is that we finally are getting windows tablets at reasonable price! It allso means that there will be more models between Surface pro and this one in the future!

    Reply
  • apone
    @ InvalidError

    "Not everyone needs ultra-HD and an i7-4960X."

    Sure, until a company like Apple decides to dictate that high resolution is a must-have (like its current iPad with 2048 x 1536 resolution) for even the most mundane of tasks.
    Reply