The IT Nerd

Asus pretty much owns the market when it comes to hybrid notebooks/tablets. Their latest is the Transformer Book T100 Chi which runs a full version of Windows 8.1. Spec wise, here’s what it has under the hood:

• Intel Atom 64-bit quad-core processor running at 1.46Ghz
• 2GB of RAM
• 32GB of storage (a 64GB and 128GB version is available)
• Windows 8.1
• 10.1″ Screen
• Micro USB 3.0, Micro USB 2.0, Micro HDMI, microSD and headphone ports
• 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0
• 5 MP rear camera
• 2 MP front camera

Here’s some things that jumped out of me:

The hinge/dock mechanism no longer requires a supporting section on the back of the tablet/screen. It is also magnetic without a mechanical switch. The net result is you just pull up to release the screen from the keyboard. But it’s still strong enough to hold the screen and have the keyboard stay attached.

Speaking of the keyboard, it is a bit cramped but is easy to type on once you get used to it. You can use this keyboard when it is detached which is cool. However the keyboard and battery have separate batteries. Thus you’re need to charge two things and not one.

The screen has a resolution of 1920×1080 so you can enjoy all the videos with no worries about quality. It looks great but it has a bit of glare in some conditions. Fingerprints do show up on the screen, but they don’t appear to interfere with the quality of the screen when you look at it which is good.

Other notes:

• The rear camera is decent but it’s best suited for occasional photos since it is only 5MP. The front camera is good for Skype sessions, but not much else.
• Battery life is outstanding. I got 9 hours out of it when I tested by pushing it really hard. That means that you’ll get all day usage by not pushing it as hard as I did.
• It’s pretty light at 2.4 pounds with keyboard. Carrying it around will not be a problem.
• It’s pretty quick. While I would not play Grand Theft Auto on this Transformer Book, surfing the net, watching videos and using Office 365 won’t be a problem.
• I really like the fact that it has a quality feel to it as it is made of a mix of metal and plastic that looks classy.
• One thing that I like is that there is no bloatware on this Transformer Book. It does come with a one year subscription to Office 365, so you can be productive right out of the box.

The going rate for the Transformer Book T100 Chi is $499 CDN when I looked online. If you are considering some sort of ultraportable notebook for use with Windows 8.1, I’d give the Transformer Book T100 Chi a good look. It’s light, has a good screen, and great battery life. Asus has come up with something that will garner a lot of attention. Which means their dominance in this space will continue for some time to come.

This entry was posted on April 11, 2015 at 4:41 pm and is filed under Products with tags Asus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.