Like on a MacBook, two fingers are used to scroll up and down on Web pages via the touch pad.Īttempting to properly connect the keyboard to the tablet can be a highly frustrating experience. The keys feel soft, snappy, and are wide enough and spaced far enough apart to provide comfortable use by someone with larger-than-average hands. It also includes two USB ports, an SD card reader port, and its own battery.
The keyboard includes a full array of keys and a multitouch touch pad. Once attached, the Transformer's $150 keyboard/docking station option transforms the tablet into what could be considered a Honeycomb Netbook. This is may be an intentional oversight that may incentivize the purchase of the keyboard/dock accessory.
The bottom houses the 40-pin connector for charging the battery or connecting to a PC for data transfer, but unfortunately, no USB port is included. On the left are the power/lock button and volume rocker. On the right side are the microSD card slot, a Mini-HDMI port, a microphone pinhole, and a headphone jack. Both are located near the top center of the device. The requisite two cameras are here as well there's a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear-facing one. Speakers are located on the left and right sides. The Transformer's textured, almost snakeskin backside provides an added level of grip compared with silky smooth tablets like the iPad 2, which are prone to slippage at times. At first glance, the build quality of the Transformer seems solid enough however, pushing in on its backside with even just a medium level of pressure yielded a bit too much give, making it feel a lot less substantial than the G-Slate or Xoom.