asus

Laptops we love under $1,000

One pleasant surprise from the past couple of months has been the number of good-to-great laptops we've reviewed that can be had for $1,000 or less. That price range is usually Compromise City, with cheap-looking systems that may have decent CPUs, but skimp on a lot of other stuff. And, of course, no one wants to be seen in the coffee shop with a hunk of molded plastic while every other table sports a metal MacBook.

Whether you're gearing up for the fall semester or you're just ready for a pre-Windows 8 upgrade, the systems below all strike a good balance between price, design, and features.… Read more

16GB Nexus 7 back on Google Play Store

Well, that was fast. Just one week after the 16GB-capacity Google Nexus 7 tablet suddenly ran out of stock, the higher-capacity version of Asus' critically acclaimed Android tablet is back in the Google Play Store, with a current delivery estimate of three to five business days.

That's the same estimated delivery time as the 8GB Nexus 7.

Since the 16GB version only costs $50 more to order, it feels like a logical step up for the versatile 7-inch tablet. While 8GB might be enough for some basic users, the Nexus 7 lacks an SD card slot or any other … Read more

Asus announces Android 4.1 updates for Transformer tablets

According to its North American Facebook page, Asus will bring Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, to three of its devices: the Asus Transformer Pad, Transformer Pad Prime, and Transformer Pad Infinity.

In the post, Asus said it strives to include "regular software and firmware updates" for its products, and that this Jelly Bean update is scheduled for "the coming months."

Other than those three devices, no products have been confirmed for an upgrade. However, Asus said it is still "investigating Jelly Bean updates for other devices." … Read more

Asus Eee Slate B121

The Asus Eee Slate B121 12.1-inch tablet runs Windows 7 and is currently available for as low as $1,200 on Newegg. The tablet houses a 1.33GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

The tablet is more of a tablet/laptop hybrid than a pure tablet like the iPad or Nexus 7.

Turn a Nexus 7 into a Kindle Fire

I know what you're thinking. Why on earth would you want to turn Google's quad-core, Android 4.1 supertablet into an Amazon Kindle Fire?

Well, you're right. But don't worry, I'm not here to neuter your Nexus 7. I'm here to show you how to get (nearly) all of Amazon's great Android offerings on the Nexus.

In Android 4.1, Google finally shows off the full breadth of its ecosystem of media services, right out of the box. Boot it up, and you'll see Google Books, Google Music, Google Video, and the … Read more

Nokia claims Nexus 7 tablet infringes on its patents

Announced just last week, the Nexus 7 tablet is already attracting patent-infringement claims.

Google unveiled the Asus-built 7-inch device running Android's new mobile OS, Jelly Bean, at Google I/O in San Francisco. However, Nokia alleges that the Nexus takes advantage of Wi-Fi technology covered by Nokia patents that neither Google nor Asus approached the Finnish handset maker about licensing.

"Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standards essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers," a Nokia spokesperson told The Inquirer. "Neither Google nor Asus is licensed under our patent portfolio.&… Read more

Will Google's Nexus 7 prod Apple into producing an iPad Mini?

In October 2010, Steve Jobs explained in detail why a 7-inch iPad, or iPad Mini, wasn't in Apple's future.

"Apple has done extensive user testing and we really understand this stuff...There are clear limits on how close you can place things on a touchscreen, which is why we think 10 inch is the minimum screen size to create great tablet apps," he said. "One naturally thinks that a 7-inch screen would offer 70 percent of the benefits of a 10-inch screen...this is far from the truth. Seven-inch screens are 45 percent as … Read more

Google to unveil tablet to rival Kindle Fire, says Asus exec

Google will soon launch a tablet made by and co-branded with Asus, an executive for Asus said today.

"It's targeting Amazon," the unidentified exec told Reuters about the device. "The Kindle is based on Google's platform but with its own service, so Google has to launch its own service, too."

Tune in to CNET's live blog from the Google I/O keynote starting at 9:30 a.m. PT Wednesday.

Google is expected to unveil its own 7-inch tablet at the company's I/O conference, which starts today and runs until Friday. But the Asus executive's statement is the first that seemingly confirms an upcoming launch of the new product.… Read more

Google Nexus tablet details leak online

Google's Nexus tablet will offer Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a 1280x800 IPS display, and other beefy specs, at least according to one source.

Google is expected to announce its Nexus tablet at its I/O conference later this week. But until then, the folks at Gizmodo Australia got their hands on an alleged training document that reveals key details about the device.

The 7-inch tablet will be the first to run the latest flavor of Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, according to the report. Manufactured by Asus, the tablet will be outfitted with a 1.3Ghz quad-core … Read more

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 review: Infinite potential, limited OS support

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is the Transformer Prime as it should have been. A Gandalf the White to the Prime's Saruman. Asus has clearly listened to the grievances -- most notably, GPS issues -- of some Prime owners and in most cases, addresses said grievances and then some.

The TF700 is more than just an upgrade to the Prime. It's also a chance to represent the full potential of the Transformer line. Check out the full review to see if Asus succeeds (despite the Android market's relatively paltry support for high-resolution screens and the Tegra … Read more