ASUS Transformer Book T100

Physical characteristics

	ASUS Transformer Book T100
Screen	10, 1" HD (1366x768) multi-touch IPS touchscreen
Weight	Tablet: 550g. Keyboard Docking: 520g
Processor	Intel Quad-Core Baytrail-T Z3740 1.33GHz
RAM	2GB
Disk	64Gb. eMMC and ASUS WebStorage
Graphic Subsystem	Intel HD Graphics
O.S.Version	Windows 8.1 with MS Office 2013 for home and student
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.0., Wi-Fi
Cameras	1.2MP webcam
Ports	1 MicroHDMI, 1 MicroUSB, 1 MicroSDXC slot
Drums	31Whr (11am)
Official price	369€

The Awakening of the Giant

The first thing to note is the big step forward that Intel has taken in its Atom Haswell processors from the last quarter of 2013 in comparison with the previous generation; improving its consumption, temperature and – above all – the increase in performance.

Now the Wintel teams can face devices with ARM architecture face to face, although it must be recognized that they are still a little step behind, waiting for Broadwell to arrive at the end of 2014, with its size reduction to 14nm, an increase in performance, and the decrease in consumption and temperature.

The current moment reminds me of Intel's past wars against competitors who tried (and succeeded for a time) to take away its position of preeminence in the microprocessor market, and which have always ended in victory for the giant of integrated circuits.

Which means good times for integrators and users, as intense competition means more computing power for less price.

An entry-level computer for a complete Windows 8

The Asus T100 is an entry-level computer. In other words, a convertible Wintel ultrabook with touch capabilities, one of the cheapest on the market.

The finish is all plastic, which conveys a flimsy feel - especially on the tablet - but in return offers a very contained weight; especially in the tactile part of the device.

Thus, without a doubt, the best thing about the Asus T100 is the tablet. Very light, comfortable to carry and use with one hand , with more than enough brightness and contrast to work indoors or outdoors, with an agile and precise response to touch commands, and with a good design decision by removing the bottom Windows button that allows a better tablet grip anywhere. edge.

However, the power button, the Windows key replacement and the volume buttons seem hard and awkwardly placed to me. In addition to lacking, like many other devices, a led that tells me if the tablet is on.

Another thing that is missing is a base. It is true that I can use the keyboard to tilt the screen up to about 100 degrees, but it would have been much better to be able to use the tablet even more autonomously.

The base includes the few connection ports: a USB 3.0, a mini Jack input for audio and a mini SD card reader. Which is undoubtedly insufficient, and requires the use of a USB Hub.

I suppose that to keep the price contained, in addition to the weight, this base is wasted by not including an auxiliary battery - although its duration already exceeds 10 hours -, or an extra storage unit .

The only thing that integrates is the keyboard and the pad. Which again suffer from the restrictions in the final cost and offer a touch that is too plastic. In my case, the keyboard falls below the expected minimum when the keys are too small with being located in an area that is too compact and with a path before being pressed soft.In short, an uncomfortable keyboard.

The system for anchoring the tablet to the base is firm - in fact it is the only metallic part of the equipment - and allows the device to be used as an ultrabook. Starting at 90 degrees open, the design raises a bulge forming a small platform that raises the screen and tilts the keyboard, making it more comfortable to use

Another advantage is that, unlike other competitors, docking or undocking the tablet can be done hot, without affecting the operation of the operating system. However, with the tablet being the heaviest piece of the set, the ultrabook configuration has a tendency to fall backwards.

The best thing is that power is done through a Mini USB input on the tablet. Which opens the door to use any charger that has a power similar to the one that Asus incorporates (which heats up a lot) and even be able to feed it in the car with the corresponding transformer connected to the cigarette lighter socket.

The performance is sufficient, demonstrating the improvement of the last generation Atom. Even when the power limits of the device are noted in Applications such as the tweetdeck web client, or Word online for web offices, which are especially heavy due to the amount of code that runs in the browser and that slows the user down.

As you would expect, during prolonged use it neither gets hot nor makes any sound from the cooling system. Being curious how such a small team – without a soundboard – achieves a sound of higher quality and volume than I expected.

ASUS T100, conclusions

An entry-level computer for convertible devices with full Windows 8 based on Intel architecture that is worth what you pay for it and that behaves more than correctly in its daily use. It has the drawbacks of a very tight cost but in return it offers a long battery life, a very moderate weight and great portability.