Asus Eee Pad Transformer (16GB, Wi-Fi)

Pros: In order of importance
1. Price
2. Expandable Storage
3. OS that isn't made for a 3 years old
4. USB (on keyboard)
5. Flash
6. Packaged Apps from Asus
7. Body construction.
8. Software selections

Cons: These are all minor issues that should not deter anyone from buying this product. Unlike the CNET reviewer, I'm going to be as objective. This is also in order of annoyance
1. OS and some apps are a bit buggy
2. Body construction
3. Camera
4. Software sel

Summary: There are more pros and cons but these are the ones that are important to me. You're notice that some pros are also cons because there are good stuff and bad stuff with each. Most of my comments, I'm comparing it to the iPad2. I won't even bother with the other Android device because to me they are in a different price range. I won't bother with the Playbook either.

Body:
The screen on this thing is great. Buttons are minimal and placement are ok. I would have preferred the power button to be on top because you can press it accidentally due to how you hold it. Several times I turned the device off by just shifting it in my hands. They can correct this by making the button more flushed with the device (though not as flushed and small like the Playbook where it is very hard to turn the thing on/off if you have sausage fingers). The edges are sharp as the reviewer stated. I found that after holding it up for awhile, my hands started to hurt. Again this should not deter anyone from buying it since most of us will put a sleeve of some sort on it anyway. The construction isn't nearly as titanium solid as the iPad; however it is plenty solid and does feel like it's quality work. Some reviewers stated that it will 'give' if you apply a good measure of twisting and bending force on it. I'm confused by this. Who would do this to their high tech toy on purpose and on during general usage? I suppose accident can happen but even the titanium strong ipad can get damaged by accidents. Don't use it like a hammer and problem is solved. I like the grippy matted plastic back over the smooth metal back. For me, I rather be able to hold on to the darn thing rather than accidentally flinging it across the room by accident like I often do with my iTouch. If you want to be vain, metal does look better. If you want it functional, then grippy matted plastic is better. This point is moot anyway if you intend to put a cover on the device. Overall, I find the body construction to be excellent.

Applications:
The Asus packaged software is great. They aren't necessary because you can probably get free ones (or dirt cheap ones) in the store to do what you need. But they are there and I like them a lot. The RDP is my favorite. From the confort of my bed, I can control every computer in the house. Even play music and movies through them. I couldn't get streaming to work due to my router but I found that letting my PC do the work while the pad simply displays the content actually worked out better. The app store isn't as big as iTunes; however I found that I got everything I needed for free. Several games for the kids and wife. Several media players, more rdp, vpn, book readers, comic reader, and other useful apps. Reflecting on my experience with iTunes, I found that there are thousands of apps; however many of them do the same thing. There are apps that are gems but so many are just junk. In the end, I found that the Android store has the same ratio of gem to junk ratio. The quantity isn't there but I got everything I needed so there's no complaint here. This is all subjective of course since others may need apps that isn't available yet. This isn't a big deal. If an app is great, it'll either get ported over or someone will copy it and deploy in for Android. As a note, I was surprise at how many apps that are already available. The OS is a bit buggy now and then. It does respond a fraction of a second slower than the iPad but I can forgive this. For one it's way more complex OS than the iPad OS. It's not just several windows with icons on it but appears more like a mini computer. Secondly, it is a newer OS so I'm actually surprise that it isn't crashing or lagging more. None of these bugs prevented me from doing what I needed done. I assume my OS/app experience can only get better after a few updates. Overall, I'm loving the OS and the apps. Multitasking is great. It actually feels like a mini computer rather than a big iPhone without the phone part.

Camera:
Ouch. This is really bad. Laggy and blurry. I do hope that there is some sort of software update that can make this better. On the other hand, are you buying a tablet to make professional movies or become a professional photographer? Probably not so this isn't really a big deal. I tried taking movies and pictures of my kinds, then as I was holding up the pad, I asked myself "What the hell am I doing? I have a Canon T2i that does the job a billion times better". As a separate note, the iPhone 4 does take some really nice movies that are light-years better than this. I also tried the video conferencing and it's pretty decent. It's not remotely movie quality but it's clear enough that you can count the other person's nose hair. In this regard clarity may not be that important. There's definitely room for improvements here; however like any cell phone, the camera isn't a primary selling feature.

There are several things better on the iPad2 and there are some features and functions that fall short of some people's expectations. If I were to weight the pros versus the cons, for every cons, I find that there many more pros.

I believe the reviewer's grades and opinions are valid but too short sighted. To have a good grading system, you have to have a base of comparison. A grading today may be completely invalid 1 year later. What is it that the reviewer is comparing this device too? His ideal picture of a perfect device? The iPad2? If this device is scoring 6-8 rating, does this mean the iPad2 is a 10?

If I compare it to how I believe a perfect pad should be, I would give it an 7 because my ideal pad would be:
1. Weight 1/2 pound
2. Cost 250
3. Bug free
4. More Power
5. Selectively close apps on the fly
6. Built in phone with Bluetooth headset
7. Holographic image projection
8. Voice command and voice recognition security
9. Do my dishes and walk my dog

Pretty stiff order, right? On the other hand, comparing it to an iPad2, I give it a 10 while the iPad2 to me is an 8. iPad2 quality is definitely a 12; however the choke hold they put on you on various things makes it a 6. Average both numbers for an even 8 grade. Some may disagree with me. That's ok because this is based on my needs and opinions. The biggest grading factor for me is cost and freedom. I don't want to pay more and be limited to only how Apple want me to listen to music, play movies, store my files, etc. With flash, expandable ram, keyboard, usb support and a real multitasking OS, it comes close to being a real computer. Simple is great for little kids, grandmas and grandpas but I want something substantial for a real grownup professional working in an electronic world. The transformer is a good step in the right direction to ultimately replacing not only the netbook but the laptop and desktop as well.