Asus Transformer P1801 All-in-One - First Look

ASUS launched the Transformer P1801 All-In-One at Computex towards the end of 2012. It is a tablet cum computer that you can boot with either Windows 8 or Android Jelly Bean. There is a button on the side of the device that you can use to toggle between the operating systems. It is a desktop that can be converted into a tablet by removing the 18 inch display.

A quick look at the specifications of the Asus Transformer P1801.

· 18.4-inch 10-point multi-touch IPS screen; resolution: 1920 X 1080 pixels

· CPU: Intel Core i5 or i7 ,Nvidia Tegra 3

· Memory : 1TB hard drive and 32 GB solid-state storage

· Wi-Fi connectivity

· Weighs 5.73 pounds

· USB 3.0

It is expected to be available by the end of the first quarter this year, and estimated to cost somewhere between $ 1200 and $ 1300. I’d say this is pretty aggressive pricing, considering the specifications and capabilities.

It is similar to the all-in-one computers from Sony and Lenovo in that disconnecting the big screen transforms the device into a tablet; but what is unique about this beast is its dual operating system: Jelly Bean and Windows 8.

For your normal computing needs you can run Windows 8 with its Metro style apps, Live Tiles and the usual Windows features, and you can access all of this either via the touchscreen, or the traditional input devices, keyboard and mouse.

In case you fancy lugging a great big tablet around, you can simply switch to the Android operating system after disconnecting the big screen. You can even run both the systems simultaneously, in case you want to run apps that run on the two operating systems together. Of course, you can expect your battery to die out in a couple of hours if you do that.

You can pull the handle at the back to disconnect the screen and use the fixed stand to adjust the table. Once dismantled, the battery lasts up to 5 hours, and runs Android Jelly Bean by default.

What is interesting is that you can connect another monitor to the computer and continue to work on that in Windows 8.

The Asus Transformer P1801 tablet will make use of the flexible Splashtop software to run Windows 8, as the computer’s base station houses the Intel processor. The software is beamed from the base station via Wi-Fi connection.

Now it remains to be seen how well the Android apps will work on this giant screen. We know that nearly all those apps were designed with the smaller screens of Smartphones and tablets up to a size of 10 inches in mind. In spite of there being more apps in Android than Windows 8, only a few of them will look good on this huge screen.

It must be noted however, that the looks are great, especially with the wireless mouse and keyboard, and the display is stunning. This in combination with the dual OS capability is good enough to put this device on any tech lover’s must have list.

Author bio: 

This guest post is brought to you by Jena Branch of buycox.com, a site that offers savings and current information on cox cable and cox bundle.