Android Tablet Update

ASUS certainly isn’t going to be challenging Samsung anytime soon for the “ridiculous number of tablets crown,” but with the Transformer Prime TF700T, the 370T (Nexus tablet?) and of course the Transformer Pad 300 pictured above, they aren’t exactly slouches either.

Those first two are certainly grabbing a few more headlines as the TF700T is basically a Transformer Prime with a 1920×1200 display – and while that may not be resolutionary (yeah I just threw up a little) – it’s definitely a welcome upgrade to an already fantastic piece of hardware. Then of course you have the 370T, which fortunately or unfortunately may have been co-opted by Google to do duty as the first true Nexus tablet.

The Transformer Pad 300 still deserves a look as well though, as it offers virtually all of the features of the Transformer Prime with just a slightly diminished screen (IPS rather than IPS+) and a thicker frame being the two concessions. Your reward for accepting those compromises is a fairly significant savings with the 16GB version of the Transformer Pad 300 ringing up for just $379 and just $20 more for 32GB (according to a J&R representative that spoke to the Verge). The same representative claimed that they should have them in stock “in about a week.” Internationally, the 32GB Transformer Pad 300 also appeared on the French Tablette Store for €499.

As you probably surmised from the picture and the Transformer name, the keyboard dock is alive and well for the Transformer Pad 300 and should be setting you back an additional $149.

Anyone looking to save a little coin and go with the Transformer Pad 300 when it launches or do you have your heart set on either the full HD or more pocketable additions to the ASUS tablet family?

Are you sick of all the teaser videos for Mobile World Congress yet? Today ASUS released another teaser for next week’s show in Barcelona with a message that reads, “Twice The Detail. Twice The Fun.”

Some have speculated that this could be for the refreshed Transformer Prime TF700T that we first learned about at CES. The original Transformer Prime TF201 had a 10.1 inch display with 1280×800 resolution, but the newer TF700T model features a reported 1920×1200 resolution.

If you do the math, the newer display has twice the pixels of the current model, 1,024,000 vs  2,304,000. That sound pretty impressive, but just remember that Samsung is working on a tablet display with an amazing 2560 x 1600 resolution.

An upgraded Transformer Prime will be nice, but I’m more interested in the Asus Padfone.

Today’s story from ASUS makes us sad to be early adopters. ASUS chose to go with an aluminum backing on the Transformer Prime, which has translated into poorer WiFI, Bluetooth, and GPS performance in the quad-core tablet. GPS performance was so bad that ASUS removed it from their spec sheet entirely on their product page.

ASUS sent us a note this morning indicating they’ve come up with a fix for these issues, and it’s not a good one if you already own a Transformer Prime. Rather than figuring out a way to fix the current model of Transformer Prime, ASUS is introducing a new model, the TF700T, which ASUS believes will enhance WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS performance.

In addition to a new back panel, the TF700T adds the following upgrades to the tablet:

• Panel/Display: The new display will provide a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200
• Front Facing Camera: The 1.2 megapixel FFC was replaced with a 2.0 megapixel camera that allows HD video capture

Otherwise, the Transformer Prime TF700T is the same Transformer Prime we’ve come to know and love, and maintains the form factor of the tablet. The TF700T will fit in the standard Transformer Prime docking station.

If you’re still within your return window on the Transformer Prime tablet, you may want to consider sending it back and waiting for the upgraded version, which should be launching in the next few weeks. Seems a bit silly after several months of delays, the Transformer Prime still launched with a flawed panel.

Hopefully ASUS will do the right thing here and provide the back panel free of charge to those who already purchased the Transformer Prime. ASUS has had a strong track record for providing timely updates to the original Transformer, quickly becoming a community favorite in the tablet world. How they handle this situation will determine how well their products are adopted in the near future.