Ever since the recent launch of the Transformer Prime Android tablet, Asus has been busy with the slate’s issues. But that does not stop Asus from adding new devices to their tablet line-up. We already know that the company is set to introduce a budget 7-inch slate later in the second quarter. But now, it appears like there is yet another tablet.

The leaked pictures of what is being called the ASUS TF300T are flying around the web at the moment. According to the Taiwanese website NCCC, the mysterious device could be the followup to the Transformer Prime.

The “TF300T” code name of the 10.1-inch slate is numerically higher when compared to its predecessors. As you might know, the original Transformer is known as the TF101, while the Prime goes by the moniker TF201.

Unfortunately, no details are available regarding the specs of the device. Looking at the pictures, it appears to have a textured back which is similar to that of the original Transformer.

The rear could also be ABS plastic (different from the Prime’s which is aluminum), which suggests that the above device could possibly be the first 3G/4G equipped tablet from Asus, although it does have a metallic look to it, so it could be either.  Asus may be planning to show this one off at the upcoming Mobile World Congress later this month.

Imagine one device that manages to successfully act as a smartphone, tablet, and a netbook. This is exactly what Asus is aiming for with its Padfone.

According to MoDaCo’s founder, Paul O’Brien, he has apparently heard straight from Asus that the Padfone will in fact be shown off at the Mobile World Congress on February 27^th.

How this works is pretty simple, it is a smartphone that plugs into a tablet display dock. The dock simply has the speakers, larger display, extra battery, and tablet buttons. The power and OS all come from the phone, which is said to operate Android 4.0 and have a quad-core Tegra 3 processor.

So, this covers the tablet/smartphone side, but how do you turn it into a netbook? The Padfone is supposedly compatible with its Transformer keyboard dock, actually.

This is no doubt an ingenius design. Now you just have to wonder what carriers will support it and when we’ll actually see such an amazing three-way hybrid hit the streets.

[ source ]

Sure, no one was pleased when they realized that their Prime arrived with a locked bootloader. Asus shipped the device that way because of “content providers’ requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible”.  As you might know, rooted devices will not play DRM content since there is a risk of piracy. However, they announced that a bootloader unlocking tool was coming. But when?

Now, an official tweet has revealed that it is indeed coming and it will arrive in February.  Unfortunately, there have been no hints regarding an exact date of release, and unlocking it will lead to a warranty void and also there won’t be any Google video rentals. We are quite sure that most folks looking to root it are not too worried about that.  Unlocking the bootloader bring good things, like allowing for a community released GPS fix.

As we reported earlier, the new update was supposed to bring “enhanced GPS speed”. It was said to allow the device to obtain satellite information via Wi-Fi, which would enable the GPS radio to lock-on quicker. But that is not happening at the moment and complaints have started to pile up.

Before the update it was thought that the Prime’s metal back plate was the reason for the device’s poor GPS performance. But that seems less likely now since the satellite information is being provided via a data connection. And also many users are reporting that the GPS no longer works after ICS was installed, but was working prior to the update.

Although some users are saying that the GPS is working fine, for many others it is completely borked. And where is Asus when all this is happening?

The company earlier stated that the tablet “is not a professional GPS device” and they have already removed details of a GPS radio from the device’s product page. That’s definitely not a good way to keep their customers with them, let alone attracting new ones.  Asus UK is offering refunds or extended warranties to ease customer tension, but that’s not really a good fix either.

Overall, the Asus Transformer Prime has been welcomed with open arms. The only exception to this is for those who need 3G capability, something that the Transformer Prime is sadly lacking. For most of us, WIFI-only is enough but there are some of us that absolutely need more than that. Rumors have suggested that eventually a 3G version will in fact arrive, but unfortunately it seems you shouldn’t get your hopes up.  According to a report from Focus Taiwan, Asus has cleared up rumors about the 3G version, stating they have no such plans on their current roadmap. The company could eventually change it’s mind I suppose, but I wouldn’t hold my breathe.

[ source ]

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime continues to amaze us. At CES 2012, an avid gamer shows his prowess with Shadowgun running flawlessly on the Tegra 3 powered tablet. Connected to a large screen via HDMI and controlled by an ordinary Xbox 360 controller, there’s really no telling the difference. It takes a docking station to connect the controller and external HD TV, but one thing is important to notice here: unlike many tablets with HDMI output ports, the Transformer Prime displays the gameplay on two screens simultaneously.

Serious gaming on Android tablets without dedicated hardware gaming controllers is quite problematic. Many gamers don’t really like touch controls that may be rather limited either in their range of available options, or actions, or in responsiveness to urgent touches. Xbox controllers are among the most popular gaming sticks, and their inclusion into an arsenal of Transformer Primes is a feature that many gamers will love.

As a user of the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, you can get Xbox 360 controller for as little as $30…$40, so it might be a very valuable addition. What would be a priceless addition to this gamer’s rig is adding a Kinect gesture sensor to it.

By the way, attempts to make Kinect work on Tegra 2 Android tablets have already been done.

ASUSTeK Computer goes to extraordinary measures to appeal to widest possible audience of their potential customers. Original ASUS Eee Pad Transformer was and still is one of the most popular 10-inch Android slates, even if the Transformer Prime clearly takes the role of ASUS flagship tablet. This time, ASUSTeK has released a group of FAQ videos that can influence customers decisions in favor of its $360 – $399 device.

This ‘Most FAQ’ mini-series consists of 10 episodes, so here we go:

1. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #1: How do I use Google Maps on the Eee Pad?

Using Googgle Maps on Eee Pad Transformer is really fun. Note that the demonstration makes rounds about Pegatron plant.

2. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #2: Can I download applications for Eee Pad?

Can I download applications for Eee Pad? I would certainly try, if I had this tablet. Jokes aside, it’s easy, and Android applications specially designed for tablets are out there, fully accessible in the Android Market.

3. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #3: What’s makes Transformer dock different from other docks?

This one is the hit of the season. Eee Pad Transformer wouldn’t be a “transformer” if there wasn’t such a useful accessory as its docking station combined with a good keyboard. It goes for $140 on top of Transformer price, but a refurbished variant can save you $20.

4. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #4: What does Transformer have in terms of expandability?

When in the docking keyboard, Eee Pad Transformer has very good expansion options in terms of what and how many external storages may be used and coexist. Connecting an external USB HD drive is a particularly compelling feature.

5. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #5: How large is Transformer? Is the screen easy to break?

It’s a scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass, it should be really tough. What do you think?

6. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #6: Can I play games on my Eee Pad Transformer?

That’s an easy one. Of course, you can! I’m surprised you’ve been waiting till 6th episode, to ask.

7. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #7: What’s the difference between Transformer and iPad?

A legit question. In this episode, iPad is thoroughly beaten by not having Adobe Flash on board.

8. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #8: How is the camera in terms of photo quality?

Both cameras are good, hardware-wise. They might need a plethora of face-morphing effects from Ice Cream Sandwich though, but ICS will probably meet original Transformer in the next season, I think.

9. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer #9: What is MyNet? What does MyNet do?

I think you’ve got it without my further explanations: MyNet is not your net, if you don’t own a Transformer yet.

10. The most FAQ about the Eee Pad Transformer#10: How else can I access a home computer via a Eee Pad?

This one is serious: MyCloud. Hopefully it will work without a hitch when this Transformer gets the ICS upgrade.

Not all routers are made alike, and they don’t all have to be boring grey boxes that get hidden away in the corner of a room. Asus showed off one of the latest additions to its wireless router line at CES 2012 and it turns out that its beauty goes further than skin deep.

Yes, that glossy black surface is nice and they’ve done an interesting job with that “weave” pattern on the top, but the Asus RT-N66U also happens to be really fast. You get dual 450Mbps wireless service, pushing that much bandwidth on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels independently. That combines for 900Mbps of wireless speed.

There are also two high-speed, high-power USB ports on the back that allow you share external drives across your network at up to about 25MB/s, as well as sharing printers and other peripherals. Rounding out the package is a convenient web-based GUI for setup, meaning that you can get your network up and running on your smartphone or tablet if you don’t want to boot up your computer.

Asus also unleashed a funky EA-N66 dual-band wireless Ethernet adapter. It sorta looks like a transporter deck you can step into. We doubt Asus is releasing those to the public yet. The EA-N66 provides the same 450Mbps bandwidth but only on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz channels. You can also set it as a repeater or an access point node for growing your network.  The RT-N66U will sell for around $179, while the EA-N66 will be $59 when they are released later this month.

Motorola was not the first and it probably won’t be the last company that struggles with their customers over the issue. What seems to making users particularly angry with Motorola is that in early 2011 Motorola had promised to unlock the bootloaders of its smartphones and while it did unlock a few, a majority of Motorola phones remain locked.

The usual reasoning behind decisions for locking bootloaders from many manufacturers and carriers don’t really hold water in the eyes of customers. They want more freedom in trying alternative firmware for their phones; the respect and protection of DRM for the content saved on these phones has generally nothing to do with the decision to lock a bootloader on a given device, or just leaving it unlocked all together from the beginning. Many exploits on devices aimed at gaining root access to them are successful for both locked and unlocked bootloaders. Then, root access to the file system of a given device makes any protection scheme very questionable.

The Android community has a history of fighting against locked bootloaders in many phones from different manufacturers and carriers. The latest outcry originates in XDA-Developers community for the Motorola Droid RAZR. It was named ‘Movement of #OPMOSH (Operation: Make Ourselves Heard)’, and it has turned in to a rather heated discussion here.

We informed you already that ASUS will be unlocking the bootloader on its Transformer Prime with a special, proprietary unlocking tool of their own. This approach looks like an attempt of good compromise. While this step from ASUS is squarely directed at pleasing their customers, it might be not considered as a good precedent to influence Motorola decisions about their bootloader. Or HTC decisions. Or Acer’s decisions.

While dependence on WiFi when improving speed and accuracy of a GPS lock might be questionable, and we at MobileMag will be glad to have reports from our commenters on how this new firmware update worked for them, the ASUS responsiveness to customer complaints is very laudable. BGR adds to this that ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime gets Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on  January 12th.

There is also good news for the community of developers of alternative, custom, modded ROMs for Transformer Prime. An official ASUS statement announced that their bootloader is locked “due to content providers” requirement for DRM client devices, which is understandable.  Asus went on to further announce that they plan to release an unlock too for the development community.  The only drawback to this, is according to Asus you may not be able to rent videos via Google, and the warranty would become void from Asus;

Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers’ requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience. Also, based on our experience, users who choose to root their devices risk breaking the system completely. However, we know there is demand in the modding community to have an unlocked bootloader. Therefore, ASUS is developing an unlock tool for that community. Please do note that if you choose to unlock your device, the ASUS warranty will be void, and Google video rental will also be unavailable because the device will be no longer protected by security mechanism.

If only someone could talk Barnes & Noble into a similar respect for their modders’ community, unlockable Nook Tablets might be selling so much better.