WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

USA: Asus Ships Quad-Core Transformer Pad 300 Quad-Core 32GB Tablet for $379.

Asus is presenting the tablet as a gaming device and laptop replacement.

The tablet has a 10.1-inch screen, Google's Android 4.0 operating system and a quad-core Tegra 3 processor from Nvidia running at a clock speed of 1.2GHz.

The tablet is priced started at US$379.99 for 32GB of storage and 1GB of RAM. Among the new features are GPS capabilities and the new OS is pre-installed.

Asus also joins a bevy of companies pricing Android 4.0 tablets under US$400. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 10.1-inch tablet will ship on May 13 and starts at $399.99.

The Transformer Pad 300's 10-hour battery life can be extended to 15 hours with an additional battery in the optional $149 keyboard dock. The dock has a full keyboard and a touch pad to make the tablet a functional laptop. The dock has Android-specific buttons for quick access to tablet functions, and also USB 2.0 and SD card slots.

The tablet weighs 635 grams (1.4 pounds). The display shows images at a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels, and the Tegra 3 chip enables a strong gaming experience with 12 integrated graphics cores.

The 8-megapixel rear camera on the tablet can shoot video at 30 frames per second. There is also a 1.2-megapixel camera on the front of the tablet. A micro-HDMI port allows the tablet to be connected to TVs. For expandable storage, the tablet has a microSD card slot.

The Transformer Pad 300 has been advertised with 4G LTE, but this tablet does include mobile broadband connectivity features.

Asus is also offering 8GB of free cloud storage on it Asus WebStorage service. The WebStorage service allows users to share files and backup data to PCs.

Software on the tablet includes Polaris Office, which makes it easier for users to see Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. An application called App Backup can save data to local or removable microSD storage. 

Press Release: 

ASUS Launches the Transformer Pad

2012/04/22

Incredible performance meets style and value with the all new  ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 Series

Fremont, CA (April 22, 2012) - ASUS is redefining the future of mobile computing devices and is excited to launch its second tablet with the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor – the ASUS Transformer Pad. The Transformer Pad TF300 is designed as the ideal mobile entertainment and gaming platform. The TF300 series is both thin and lightweight while featuring a stylish swirl design with class leading enhancements including ASUS SonicMaster audio technology, an HD 8MP rear auto-focus camera for 1080P HD video recording and battery life rated for up to 15 hours* when combined with the optional mobile dock. The TF300 series will be available shortly in Royal Blue at national retailers and online resellers at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price starting at $379** (16GB storage), with the optional mobile dock accessory priced at $149**.

Incredibly Powerful Featuring a slim form factor and extremely comfortable grip, the Transformer Pad TF300 makes watching movies, surfing the web, playing games, taking photos, finishing up homework, delivering a presentation or video chatting with friends or family so easy and natural that you’ll wonder if the TF300 was designed specifically with you in mind.  The Transformer Pad TF300 feature NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra® 3 processor. With the quad-core CPU, 12-core GeForce® GPU and vSMP technology, the TF300 delivers an optimum user experience featuring smooth multitasking capabilities, lightning fast app loading, a rich and fluid web experience, full 1080P HD video for realistic media playback or recording and of course, incredible mobile gaming performance that allows you to experience games in an entirely new way .

Fantastic Battery Life  While the Transformer Pad TF300 is slim and light, ASUS did not forget about battery life. Thanks to the advanced power management features of the Tegra® 3 processor and ASUS optimizations the Transformer Pad TF300 has a battery life of up to 10 hours*, but when combined with the mobile dock, it lasts up to an incredible 15 hours*. That’s enough battery life for a trans-ocean flight, all-night game session, viewing several movies on a long road trip or even video recording, editing, and then playing back your child’s school play all in 1080P HD clarity.  Unrivaled Visuals The ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 boasts a wide 178° viewing angle IPS display. This high-resolution 10.1” WXGA (1280x800) display offers a remarkably vivid and brilliant viewing experience of photos, books, videos, games, and more. Thanks to Multi-Touch technology, you can use your fingers to do everything from swiping through photos, surfing the web, playing the latest games, typing emails, instant messaging, reading books or magazines, and starting your favorite movie. A 1.2MP front camera allows for instant photos or high-quality video conferencing with friends, family or coworkers while an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus takes stunning photos or video thanks to a large F2.2 aperture, 5-element lens to provide clear and sharp photos or even 1080P HD videos. Advanced Audio The ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 offers impressive audio capabilities in a tablet, powered by ASUS exclusive SonicMaster technology, renowned for crisp and acoustically accurate audio. It produces crystal clear sound with a wide sound stage, increased audio fidelity, and distinct vocal enhancements for an immersive audio experience with your favorite music track, video, or movie. Unlimited Productivity The Transformer Pad TF300 is offered with either 16GB or 32GB flash storage options for quick, efficient and reliable access to your applications along with 8GB of free online storage at ASUS WebStorage. Both models feature 802.11 b/g/n wireless technology, integrated Bluetooth 3.0, a micro SD card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jack and micro HDMI port so sharing both what’s inside and on-screen is quick and easy. However, the function that gives the Transformer Pad its namesake is the mobile dock, which gives new meaning to the term versatility. This innovative and convenient design seamlessly provides the user with a keyboard and touchpad for superior content creation capabilities, longer battery life and incredible expandability options via the USB port and SD card slot. ASUS will include several innovative applications like SuperNote that is fantastic for its ability to take, draw or record notes and Polaris® Office which is great for staying productive with the ability to read, edit or create Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-2007) compatible files. In addition ASUS’ My Net application allows the TF300 to connect with any DLNA-complaint device for easy sharing of digital media, while My Desktop offers remote access and control of supported PCs. Thousands of top rated applications and games are also available at Google play that fully takes advantage of the Transformer Pad’s amazing new features and power.

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*Battery life will vary based on usage patterns and options. **Pricing and availability will vary by country and SKU. North American MSRP pricing listed. Suggested MSRP of $399 for the 32GB version. ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 will launch with Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and offer class leading support and updates via FOTA (free over the air). Launch color is Royal Blue. Iceberg White and Torch Red will be available at a later date.

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About ASUS ASUS, the world’s top 3 consumer notebook vendor and the maker of the world’s best-selling and most award winning motherboards, is a leading enterprise in the new digital era. ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home, office and person, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktops, Eee Box and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, tablet devices, servers, multimedia and wireless solutions, networking devices, and mobile phones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 3,886 awards in 2011, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PC™. With a global staff of more than 11,000 and a world-class R&D team of 3,100 engineers, the company’s revenue for 2011 was around US$11.9 billion.

PR Contacts for North American Market: Tammy Lin Media Communications – ASUS Computer International Tammy.t_lin@asus.com Gary Key Technical Marketing – ASUS Computer International Gary_key@asus.com  Source: asus usa