Asus Transformer Prime vs Note/Netbook

[b2zeldafreak]

I'm looking at getting a tablet or laptop for college(University) starting in this fall semester.

I'm trying to compare Pros and Cons of the Asus Transformer with a dock vs. a similarly (650$) priced notebook/netbook at about 13 inches in size. (Although I've also looked at Macbook Pros and similarly priced laptops as well)

My dorm room will have it's own desktop supplied by the University with tons of software they have, and I also have a 17 inch i7 laptop. I figure any powerwork or paper typing can be done on these.

For the tablet/netbook I am planning on mainly doing notes in class, mainly with Evernote, and a handwriting app if I get the tablet.

I won't be buying for another 6 months, probably sometime around late July.

Any pros/cons that you guys could suggest would help me a ton with research.

Thanks!

(oh and I'm majoring in Computer Engineering btw)

[Lucradia]

Notebooks cannot be compared to Netbooks, they're different classes of computers. However, Tablets and Netbooks can be compared since they're in the same umbrella class of Mobile >_>

Go figure that one out.

Anyway, I suggest, if you want an ultraportable device, get a tablet. You wouldn't be creating hefty word documents on it anyway.

[BrokenKingpin]

Tablet
+ Great portability
- Touch screen only would suck pretty hard for taking long notes in class
- Expensive
+/- Limited to Android... which is fine for most people, I just hate being locked in on my devices

Transformer
+ Decent portability
+ Can work as a tablet, or dock into a keyboard for typing long notes
- Expensive
- Limited to Android... I think

Netbook
+ Decent portability, but a bit more combersom than a tablet
+ Has a keyboard which makes it great for typing notes
+ You can put any OS you want on it (I run the full Xubuntu release on mine)
+ Dirt cheap compared to the other options (you could get 3 for the price of a Transformer lol)
- Cannot work as a tablet, it will always have a keyboard and touchbad

The Transformer appeals to me because of the dockable keyboard, you get the best of both worlds (tablet/netbook) with this device. But the price and lack of flexibility with the software is too much of a downside for me. Tablets are fine for chilling out on the coutch, but the price and lack of keyboard make it usless for me. My netbook does the job, and for so much cheaper.

[b2zeldafreak]

Tablet
+ Great portability
- Touch screen only would suck pretty hard for taking long notes in class
- Expensive
+/- Limited to Android... which is fine for most people, I just hate being locked in on my devices

Transformer
+ Decent portability
+ Can work as a tablet, or dock into a keyboard for typing long notes
- Expensive
- Limited to Android... I think

Netbook
+ Decent portability, but a bit more combersom than a tablet
+ Has a keyboard which makes it great for typing notes
+ You can put any OS you want on it (I run the full Xubuntu release on mine)
+ Dirt cheap compared to the other options (you could get 3 for the price of a Transformer lol)
- Cannot work as a tablet, it will always have a keyboard and touchbad

The Transformer appeals to me because of the dockable keyboard, you get the best of both worlds (tablet/netbook) with this device. But the price and lack of flexibility with the software is too much of a downside for me. Tablets are fine for chilling out on the coutch, but the price and lack of keyboard make it usless for me. My netbook does the job, and for so much cheaper.

I agree with your points there. Some other things I've noted of the Transformer vs Netbooks


The cheap netbooks have worse battery life than the transformer (18 hours vs 3-4 max)
Many of the cheap netbooks have an awkard thickness/size
The Transformer is faster and more powerful than many netbooks
Locked in to android is also a benefit. Locked in devices generally develop less boot and system problems (from my experience)
Part of the appeal of the transformer is that I could use it as a tablet chilling on the couch, but also as a netbook.


Another thought is that if I got a netbook I would probably want to go up to 13 inches instead of 10.1.

If I'm gonna be dealing with a laptop I think a 10 inch screen is too small

[kerry_s]

if notes is what your after, HTC flyer could be a better bet, cheaper to. make sure you check reviews on the prime, note the no sdcard, etc....
if you can find a tablet with Swype keyboard that would be nice, input is very fast.
i use a galaxy player 5.0 full time, might be to small for your needs.
i chose it for portability, take it with me everywhere. love the included Swype keyboard.
i use the voice record to take notes, have it set to save to memory card & time for 12 hours, so i can record as long as needed or pause & resume. right now i mostly got promises, lol, yeah i record those. :-)

[GraeW]

although there might be a few ******* based convertible laptop/tablet types (Dell just put one out about a year ago?) the only other option I can think to offer is an iPad with bluetooth keyboard or keyboard case. I use a bluetooth keyboard with my iPad when I know I'm going to be typing for a while and it works ok. Granted I have to utilize Dropbox to import/export a lot of the time (I haven't tried to use iCloud with my linux yet). For basic notes or eBook texts, it is one other option.

I only wish there was more (ANY!) compatibility between non-jailbroken i-devices and Linux systems...

[b2zeldafreak]

although there might be a few ******* based convertible laptop/tablet types (Dell just put one out about a year ago?) the only other option I can think to offer is an iPad with bluetooth keyboard or keyboard case. I use a bluetooth keyboard with my iPad when I know I'm going to be typing for a while and it works ok. Granted I have to utilize Dropbox to import/export a lot of the time (I haven't tried to use iCloud with my linux yet). For basic notes or eBook texts, it is one other option.

I only wish there was more (ANY!) compatibility between non-jailbroken i-devices and Linux systems...

iPad is definatley not an option for me. The system is just too closed in to be feasible for me. I need access to certain apps that iPad doesn't have. For example, I have yet to find a good (and free) SSH app in the Apple store, but I know of several free ones for Android.

The other thing is that the iPad is a bad deal for the price imo, at least for what I want to do.

As far as the price of the tablet vs. getting a cheaper tablet or a laptop, this is the only tablet I've seen that meets what I need, and the laptops that fit what I need would cost this much anyway.

[kerry_s]

iPad is definatley not an option for me. The system is just too closed in to be feasible for me. I need access to certain apps that iPad doesn't have. For example, I have yet to find a good (and free) SSH app in the Apple store, but I know of several free ones for Android.

The other thing is that the iPad is a bad deal for the price imo, at least for what I want to do.

As far as the price of the tablet vs. getting a cheaper tablet or a laptop, this is the only tablet I've seen that meets what I need, and the laptops that fit what I need would cost this much anyway.

lol, Android gives you a longer chain & shorter wall. :-)

[b2zeldafreak]

lol, Android gives you a longer chain & shorter wall. :-)

Which in my opinion, is perfect for a mobile system. Give me enough freedom to do what I need, but not enough to break it easily.

If I do something to break a desktop or big laptop that doesn't move, I can leave it at home to suck power out of the wall while it scans through it's files for a fix. (For Windows. It can just reinstall if it's Linux).
Or if I break something by installing software I can take the time to delete, reinstall, and reconfigure things until it works again.

If it's portable, most of the apps I'm going to use are on the smaller utilitarian side, they need to do one thing and do it well.

Essentially I need a different kind of stability for a portable system than for a stationary system.

[Dr. C]

Tablet
+ Great portability
- Touch screen only would suck pretty hard for taking long notes in class
- Expensive
+/- Limited to Android... which is fine for most people, I just hate being locked in on my devices

Transformer
+ Decent portability
+ Can work as a tablet, or dock into a keyboard for typing long notes
- Expensive
- Limited to Android... I think

Netbook
+ Decent portability, but a bit more combersom than a tablet
+ Has a keyboard which makes it great for typing notes
+ You can put any OS you want on it (I run the full Xubuntu release on mine)
+ Dirt cheap compared to the other options (you could get 3 for the price of a Transformer lol)
- Cannot work as a tablet, it will always have a keyboard and touchbad

The Transformer appeals to me because of the dockable keyboard, you get the best of both worlds (tablet/netbook) with this device. But the price and lack of flexibility with the software is too much of a downside for me. Tablets are fine for chilling out on the coutch, but the price and lack of keyboard make it usless for me. My netbook does the job, and for so much cheaper.

The transformer has the advantages of the tablet (ARM - Long Battery life) abd the netbook (Desktop OS - Wide range of applications) provided one runs GNU / Linux on it as it runs on ARM together with vast majority of its application ecosystem. This is one area where FLOSS has a huge advantage over propriety software.

[drawkcab]

Lenovo Thinkpad x130e will be out in a few weeks here.

[Gone fishing]

Looks like you can run Ubuntu on it have a look at:

http://stream0.org/2011/11/24/dual-booting-android-and-linux-on-asus-transformer-part-two/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/How_to_install_Ubuntu_on_an_Asus_EEEPad_Transforme r

[forrestcupp]

Notebooks cannot be compared to Netbooks, they're different classes of computers. However, Tablets and Netbooks can be compared since they're in the same umbrella class of Mobile >_>
I disagree with this. In my opinion, it's the opposite because netbooks often have a full OS, while tablets are going to have a mobile OS. Although Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich have made Android a lot more like a full featured netbook OS.

I'll just say that for my needs, I would never buy a netbook because they can't do anything my laptop can't do. But I do have, love, and get a lot of use out of my Transformer. It's amazing, and I get a lot more real use out of it than I even expected when I was trying to talk myself into it.

But in your situation, I don't know if that's what you need. The Transformer comes with Polaris Office, which is one of the better office apps for Android. Honestly, it really sucks as a Word replacement, and I mean really. And there's not much that's better out there. So you're not going to be typing nice looking reports on it. I've heard someone is working on an Android port of LibreOffice, but who knows when that will come out. Also, I don't know if it's possible to use a printer with a Transformer. Maybe it is, but I don't know about it.

Also, Android tablets are not meant for programming. That's why people program Android apps on computers, not Android devices.

I'm all for Android tablets, and I really love my Transformer. But you have to look at what's best to fill your particular needs.

[sanderd17]

Looks like you can run Ubuntu on it have a look at:

http://stream0.org/2011/11/24/dual-booting-android-and-linux-on-asus-transformer-part-two/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/How_to_install_Ubuntu_on_an_Asus_EEEPad_Transforme r

Watch out with this.

The bootloader has been hacked for the first generation ASUS transformers. Those with SBK1. With serial numbers of B60* and below. For Transformers and Transformer Primes with a newer SBK (with serial numbers of B70* and further), the bootloader hasn't been hacked.

That means you cannot install a custom OS. You do have the ability to get root access, and you can flash other Android ROMS, but you can't flash Ubuntu or any other Linux OS on it.

What you can do is boot a VNC image of Ubuntu on it, and use it via an Android VNC viewer. But since this is not native, it causes a lot of overhead.

Currently, a lot of pressure is being put on ASUS, via various social networks, with the demand to free the bootloader. ASUS has meanwhile promised to unlock it, but I haven't seen the result yet.

So if you go for the ASUS, I would wait a while until the bootloader certainly gets unlocked.

[Copper Bezel]

It's also designed for Android, obviously. Even the Prime still has just a 1 GB DDR2 RAM chip in that you can't replace. For a netbook or ultraportable, you can get 2 GB at 10" and 4 at 11" or 13". The difference between one gig and two in a netbook decides whether or not your machine is going to be comfortable with a full desktop and Flash video. I know the Prime's processor is faster than an Atom, but I think it's still a concern. My machine is sitting at about a gig for Gnome 3, a browser, and internet radio.

But yeah, the Transformer with an unlocked bootloader is a beautiful form factor for an Ubuntu system.

[b2zeldafreak]

Watch out with this.

The bootloader has been hacked for the first generation ASUS transformers. Those with SBK1. With serial numbers of B60* and below. For Transformers and Transformer Primes with a newer SBK (with serial numbers of B70* and further), the bootloader hasn't been hacked.

That means you cannot install a custom OS. You do have the ability to get root access, and you can flash other Android ROMS, but you can't flash Ubuntu or any other Linux OS on it.

What you can do is boot a VNC image of Ubuntu on it, and use it via an Android VNC viewer. But since this is not native, it causes a lot of overhead.

Currently, a lot of pressure is being put on ASUS, via various social networks, with the demand to free the bootloader. ASUS has meanwhile promised to unlock it, but I haven't seen the result yet.

So if you go for the ASUS, I would wait a while until the bootloader certainly gets unlocked.

@Forrest, for any programming classes, my college will have computers to use in the classroom. For any homework or projects I will still have my normal laptop and a universtiy provided computer in the dorm.

I just need a smaller device for notetaking. I'll probably be using Evernote for notes on whatever I get. And from what I've read, the Transformer can print though Google's cloud print, and some other apps.

Finally for an added bonus there's this http://kotaku.com/5876092/want-to-play-skyrim-on-a-tablet--theres-an-app-for-that/
So I can use all of my programs on my full size PC, all from the comfort of the tablet.

@the quoted poster,

I would expect the Prime to get hacked or unlocked relatively soon. And I wouldn't install Ubuntu on it, I would go for the lightest weight Linux that I could find.
Windows 8 is also a possibility eventually if it's not terrible

[koleoptero]

I'd get the transformer if I were you since you already have a powerful laptop for the heavy work. The battery life should be reason enough.

[sanderd17]

@the quoted poster,

I would expect the Prime to get hacked or unlocked relatively soon. And I wouldn't install Ubuntu on it, I would go for the lightest weight Linux that I could find.
Windows 8 is also a possibility eventually if it's not terrible

They are trying to hack the older transformer for over 6 months. The only possibility they see is waiting until ASUS releases their key. So it all depends on ASUS.

BTW, our main computer only has 1GB of ram, and it runs Gnome Shell and flash videos without problems (we don't even use zram). So the memory won't be a problem. But maybe the graphical card will be a problem as Gnome Shell does need a powerful one.

[b2zeldafreak]

They are trying to hack the older transformer for over 6 months. The only possibility they see is waiting until ASUS releases their key. So it all depends on ASUS.

BTW, our main computer only has 1GB of ram, and it runs Gnome Shell and flash videos without problems (we don't even use zram). So the memory won't be a problem. But maybe the graphical card will be a problem as Gnome Shell does need a powerful one.

It has nvidia tegra 3, its processor is basically a quad core graphics card

[sanderd17]

It has nvidia tegra 3, its processor is basically a quad core graphics card

Sorry, I should have said a "supported one". So one with quality drivers and hardware acceleration in the kernel.

It's perfectly possible that this is available, but I don't know for sure.

[Copper Bezel]

Right, power in the GPU isn't the issue. It's just whether or not the GPU is being used at all. Again, my Atom netbook runs Shell just fine, and the GPU is just an integrated Intel chip. But the hardware acceleration has to go somewhere.


I would expect the Prime to get hacked or unlocked relatively soon. And I wouldn't install Ubuntu on it, I would go for the lightest weight Linux that I could find.
Well, the trouble is that Shell is the only fully touch-optimized interface so far. Unity is heading in that direction, but it isn't any lighter, and KDE's tablet interface is just getting started. Using a mouse-and-keyboard-driven interface on a tablet is going to be a mess of workarounds and compromises.

If you want to keep it light, you're best sticking with Android (which, as you said, you're comfortable doing, anyway.) If you don't mind a heavier system, then Ubuntu with Shell and Windows 8 become real options. But if you install a stripped-down netbook OS that isn't designed around the mouse and keyboard not always being available and the display rotating arbitrarily and so on, it's going to force you into using the thing as a very expensive netbook.

[b2zeldafreak]

Right, power in the GPU isn't the issue. It's just whether or not the GPU is being used at all. Again, my Atom netbook runs Shell just fine, and the GPU is just an integrated Intel chip. But the hardware acceleration has to go somewhere.


Well, the trouble is that Shell is the only fully touch-optimized interface so far. Unity is heading in that direction, but it isn't any lighter, and KDE's tablet interface is just getting started. Using a mouse-and-keyboard-driven interface on a tablet is going to be a mess of workarounds and compromises.

If you want to keep it light, you're best sticking with Android (which, as you said, you're comfortable doing, anyway.) If you don't mind a heavier system, then Ubuntu with Shell and Windows 8 become real options. But if you install a stripped-down netbook OS that isn't designed around the mouse and keyboard not always being available and the display rotating arbitrarily and so on, it's going to force you into using the thing as a very expensive netbook.

I think Windows 8 will be optimized for tablet, or at least have a tablet version.

I don't see why I would drop Android on it though honestly. Part of the appeal of a tablet is that it's harder to break Android OS than a normal OS (I think)

[Copper Bezel]

I think Windows 8 will be optimized for tablet, or at least have a tablet version.
Yeah, that's what I'm on about. Windows 8 is 100% touch-first, although the ARM version is somewhat watered down. It would still be a decent alternative along with Ubuntu, Fedora, etc. What I was saying is that some other lighter-weight Linux isn't really an option.

I wasn't disagreeing with you about Android - I agree that it's the best option, and not just because it discourages destructive tweaking, even if the apps are somewhat more limited. (In a few minutes with Polaris Office, I couldn't really find any features that aren't present in Gmail's Compose screen.)

[b2zeldafreak]

Yeah, that's what I'm on about. Windows 8 is 100% touch-first, although the ARM version is somewhat watered down. It would still be a decent alternative along with Ubuntu, Fedora, etc. What I was saying is that some other lighter-weight Linux isn't really an option.

I wasn't disagreeing with you about Android - I agree that it's the best option, and not just because it discourages destructive tweaking, even if the apps are somewhat more limited. (In a few minutes with Polaris Office, I couldn't really find any features that aren't present in Gmail's Compose screen.)

Is Polaris Office lacking any major features though? I think the most complicated thing I have to do in a Word Proccessor is adding a header.
Right now when I'm drafting papers I usually just type it out in Evernote, and copy+paste it on my home computer and format it there when I'm ready to do the final draft.

[Copper Bezel]

If you're comfortable doing the final formatting at home, then sure, it looks as if it would be perfectly usable for typing up a paper. I mean, again, I've only played with it very briefly, but you can do everything you could do in an e-mail client - text formatting, bullet-point lists, images, indents and line spacing controls, etc. If it handles tables or headers, I can find no evidence of it.

[forrestcupp]

Finally for an added bonus there's this http://kotaku.com/5876092/want-to-play-skyrim-on-a-tablet--theres-an-app-for-that/
So I can use all of my programs on my full size PC, all from the comfort of the tablet.Then you'll have to get the Prime. The original Transformer only has a Tegra2, and this requires a Tegra3.


Is Polaris Office lacking any major features though? I think the most complicated thing I have to do in a Word Proccessor is adding a header.Polaris Office sucks for formatting. It doesn't have a whole lot in the formatting department, and the fonts look horrible. It would be great for taking notes, but not too great for typing a paper. You're better off using your laptop for that.

[bjje]

With the asus memo 370t carrying a Tegra 3, does anyone think we will have enough horsepower to have a shot at getting ubuntu to run decently on it? (as in apps, not just youtube demos)

[mamamia88]

just saw the transformer prime looks like a sweet piece of tech. That being said it's really expensive. If you want you could get a $300 netbook and $200 kindle fire and still come up cheaper.

[bjje]

The MeMo has been estimated at $250 USD and fits in your back pocket. It is for different purposes than a netbook or larger tab.

I'm just trying to ask if there is any way to estimate ubuntu (or something lighter) performance on a Tegra 3 processor. Aside from the other problems in creating or getting the key, would it be worth it?