Laptop Thoughts: A Detailed Review of the Asus EeePad Transformer

"The Eee Pad Transformer is aptly named; there's more to this thing than meets the eye. Asus is the first to market with a tablet that pulls double-duty, attempting to replace your notebook, too. We put it through the paces to see how it really stacks up."

Oh, the docking station - adding one makes the Transformer a superb tablet. It not only securely locks the screen into the keyboard/dock, but its supplemental battery can significantly extend the battery life. Of course, Tom's Hardware runs the Transformer through a full battery of tests, and it does okay, against the usual contestants, the iPads, the Motorola Xoom, and the Acer Iconia A500. The physical keyboard makes using the Transformer an enjoyable experience, but, alas, still not a replacement for an equivalently-priced laptop. One big gotcha is that today the Transformer is a wifi-only device, but is priced at $399 (16GB), or $100 less than a 16GB iPad 2. Adding the docking station puts the Transformer at $50 more than the iPad 2, but well worth it in my opinion.