Hello. Back in February I was able to get a sneak peek at the ASUS Transformer at the NVIDIA booth in MWC Barcelona. This wasn’t the ASUS booth — NVIDIA was showing off its new Tegra II mobile graphics chip running on the new Android 3.0 devices. Alongside the Slider, Motorola Atrix and Xoom, the Transformer from ASUS sat proud.
The Transformer is one of the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb devices to make it to the Philippines. In our local scene, it is this tablet alongside the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (to be released very soon) and the iPad 2 that are currently waging the silent war for market share.
I have the official pricing:
ASUS Transformer w/o Keyboard Dock PHP 22,995
ASUS Transfomer w/ Keyboard Dock PHP 29,995.00
You can use this pricing as a benchmark as to how much cheaper you got it. I hear that an online forum is selling the complete set for PHP 25,000.
The Transformer is unique as it is currently the only tablet that comes with a keyboard dock. The dock allows the tablet to perform as a laptop and adds an estimated 16 hours of battery life to the unit when unplugged. Also, the dock comes with USB ports so you can transfer data into your tablet from an external drive.
When I featured the Transformer on my weekly tech show (watch ‘The Geeks’ every Wednesday 2-4PM at flippish.com/vjlive) I only had stock video from the press launch and some more videos from the NVIDIA booth back in February. Chris Tan, our producer had just recently bought one for USD $500 and showed it off. A summary of our feature:
– crisp, bright, screen; bigger than the iPad 2
– has problems transferring data from a Mac
– no 3G support; Wi-Fi only but easily remedied by tethering your phone
– can watch 3 movies before batteries fail
– HDMI out
Bottomline
Perhaps the only bad thing going for it is the fact that it doesn’t have a 3G counterpart unlike the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the iPad. If you really don’t care for that, the Transformer is worth getting even just for the tablet only. But I’d honestly recommend getting it with the dock to increase battery life and so you can transfer data from your external drives. With the tablet alone you’re already presented with an amazing package of screen quality and features. In terms of audio, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has better external speakers.
27 replies on “ASUS Transformer Official Philippines Launch: SRP PHP 29,995 with keyboard”
wow! Like!
Hmm….. attractive price, eh.
The transformer is selling at 399.99 and the keyboard at 149.99 in the US.At 43 pesos per dollar, it is equivalent to 23,650; while here it will be 29,995. Seems unfair.
you have to factor in shipping cost and customs.
That is if you can find one. It took weeks for me to find one available. I just got lucky that someone posted in a forum that I was hanging out at that there were some available at a local store.
Hey JV,
Correction. i got it for about U$500, and not HK499 as stated in ur blog. if i knew its available in the Philippines, i would’ve just bought it here specially if they have a 0% installment plan.
Nonetheless, I love my new transformer.
[…] ASUS eee Transformer tablet is making waves as a fantastic laptop replacement because it comes with a keyboard. During my […]
Saw one forum post selling this with the dock for ….. Php36k. 😐
nyarks! di ba nya alam na andito na yung product officially?!
Probably not. But I have yet to see the Transformer in any retail outlet.
When will the transformer hit local stores?!? I’m ready to buy and I’ve been visiting stores around the metro but to no avail…..:( can anybody relay the official release date in the Philippines?!? THANKS!!
Can it transfer files like movies downloaded directly from the Asus eee going to an external hard drive?
it should be available because the SRP was announced. give it a few more days.
I read somewhere its out on the last week of june?
could be … ASUS asked me if I wanted to order one last week.
I hear it doesn’t support ad-hoc wifi tethering. A limitation all android phones share.
Still, I love this device. 🙂
what I wish it had was 3G capabilities =) no option for SIM.
Will ASUS ever release a 3G counterpart for this? That is something to look forward to. 🙂
from the looks of it no because they just announced … the PADPHONE 0_o
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/30/asus-announced-padfone/
I literally can’t wait for this device to come out in retail stores. I am DEFINITELY going to buy one! 🙂 I’ll use this for my last year at college! 😀
cmon this is my last year in UST archi release it
i bought this last June 30,,, together with Acer Iconia A500 as a gift to my wife… the gadgets looks cool. android version equipped with 3.0.1 and still waiting for both tabs update to 3.1.
wer did you buy it?
HK
I mean here in the Philippines where did shotokan buy the Asus transformer.
Too expensive! It’s only $350 dollars in the U.S. plus tax…but they’re selling the 16gb model here for the 32gb price. It’s supposed to be a full hundred dollars cheaper than the base model of iPad2. Fail! Waiting for the Galaxy Tab 10.1! Go Samsung!!!
Got my asus transformer on the first day of launch in the US, got the last in stock at frys:-P….and bought my sleeve in Macau when i was there 2 wks ago:-D