news Taiwanese consumer electronics giant ASUS has launched its most high-profile Android-based tablet yet, the Transformer Pad Infinity, with the device to sell in Australia for a local recommended retail price of $999.

The Infinity is the latest in a growing line of multi-functional tablets which ASUS has launched. In common with previous Transformer Pad models, it features a dockable keyboard unit which significantly extends the functionality of the basic tablet unit, allowing it to work more along the lines of a netbook or laptop computer rather than a more limited tablet.

However, it’s primarily the Transformer Pad Infinity’s internal specifications which had gotten some in Australia’s technology community enthusiastic about the device. It features a high resolution 1920×1200 Super IPS+ touchscreen at a size of 10.1″, covered by the second version of Corning’s Gorilla Glass.

The tablet runs a quad-core CPI at 1.6GHz (it’s NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 T33 model) and comes with 1GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of storage space. The operating system is the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google’s Android platform, and the camera is an 8 megapixel model, with a 2 megapixel additional camera on the front. The Infinity comes with a microSD card slot in the tablet model as well as on its mobile dock, and it features the normal range of Wi-Fi networking options.

A 3G version appears to also have been manufactured, but ASUS’ statement announcing the tablet’s launch this week didn’t provide information on whether that model (which comes with a different, dual-core CPU) was available in Australia.

One of the strongest attractions of the Infinity is the expanded battery life which it’s possible to obtain with its mobile dock. The tablet itself is rated to last about ten hours, while the mobile dock adds another six hours to the tablet’s life. This additional rating comes at a price, however — although the tablet itself weighs 586g, the mobile dock adds a further 537g to the Infinity’s weight. The Transformer Pad Infinity is available in “amethyst grey” and “champagne gold” colours.

“The Transformer Pad Infinity is the newest and most advanced addition to the Transformer Pad family,” said ASUS in a statement. “The 64GB model has a RRP of $999, and will be available in August 2012 from authorised ASUS resellers.”

The Infinity has received broadly positive reviews after it launched internationally. Engadget noted that Apple’s iPad was a strong competitor to the Infinity. “Still, if you’re in the market for a new Android tablet, specifically, the TF700 should absolutely be on your shortlist: it’s among the best Ice Cream Sandwich tablets you’ll find at any price,” the publication wrote. Delimiter’s recent review of the Infinity’s little brother, the Transformer Pad TF300T, recently praised the device for its quality but questioned where it would fit — in between mobile phone and laptop — in the consumer electronics pantheon.

opinion/analysis
I haven’t had a chance to review it yet, but the Transformer Pad Infinity is looking solid. With its strong processing power, solid specifications and ASUS’ excellent build quality, the Infinity is shaping up to be one of the best Android tablets of 2012. Of course, there is always Apple’s iPad, but I know a lot of readers aren’t interested in the Apple iOS ecosystem, and those people, the Infinity looks sweet.

One caveat is the price. $999 is a lot to pay for a tablet in 2012, even one as well-specced out as the Infinity. We’re betting that if you are prepared to wait for a few months, this clearly unsustainable price will come down to somewhere around the $700 mark. That would make the Infinity a lot more palatable. Previous attempts to launch tablets in Australia at that price have always failed, and we’re betting this one will as well.

Image credit: ASUS

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1. seven_tech
   Posted 10/08/2012 at 4:23 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Had a look at it in JB Hi Fi yesterday Renai. VERY slick and they’re selling it for $874.

   Still, I’m wondering if it’s not better to go with A Nexus 7 and an Ultrabook….

   • Renai LeMay
     Posted 10/08/2012 at 4:25 pm | Permalink | Reply

     $874 is still too much. I’m only really recommending the iPad as a tablet at the moment, although I haven’t tested the Nexus 7 yet. Some of the recent prices on some Samsung tablets have also become palatable.

     • seven_tech
       Posted 10/08/2012 at 4:33 pm | Permalink | Reply

       Definitely too much. Which is exactly the reason I’m looking at a light cheap tablet like the Nexus 7 and an Ultrabook instead.

     • waterytowers
       Posted 10/08/2012 at 5:11 pm | Permalink | Reply

       I have been very happy with my Nexus 7. For my needs it is miles ahead of the iPad any edition. To qualify my usage patterns, I read books, browse the web and occasionally watch video. For connectivity I tether to my phone or the nearest wifi connection (home and work).

       To fix the lack of storage, as not many movies fit on 16GB I have rooted the device to access the OTG usb feature. It even works with an attached usb to ethernet dongle so I can troubleshoot network problems or download direct from a wired connection.

       $999 or even $800 is too much for a tablet. I would pay around $500 for the features they have listed any more and I would just buy a ultrabook/notebook and get a more feature rich device.

       • seven_tech
         Posted 10/08/2012 at 5:16 pm | Permalink | Reply

         I’d pay $700.

         It’s a VERY good tablet and the keyboard is the winner for me- I HATE touchscreen typing.

         But, seeing as I can get a decent Ultrabook for $1000….I don’t really see the point in paying $800-$900 for, essentially, the same thing, but without touch.

2. workitout
   Posted 10/08/2012 at 4:24 pm | Permalink | Reply

   whirlpool is reporting AU retail prices (albeit negotiated) of just over $800. The 32GB is meant to be here next month.

3. Nich
   Posted 10/08/2012 at 6:56 pm | Permalink | Reply

   is that price inclusiveness of the dock too, or it’s separate?

   And, any word on why it’s running ICS and not JB?

   Also, +1 to the nexus 7 being awesome – from an ipad3 owner.

   • seven_tech
     Posted 10/08/2012 at 7:14 pm | Permalink | Reply

     @Nich

     Yes, that price includes the dock.

     It’s running ICS. JB hasn’t been implemented on ANY non-Nexus devices yet.

4. Trevor
   Posted 10/08/2012 at 8:05 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Personally, knowing the Taichi is coming I can’t justify any device purchase until I’ve seen what it can do (and at what price). Having a 1.3kg ultrabook with a Core i7 that does double-duty as a tablet (and with luck will sport a thunderbolt port for multi screen productivity) is about my ultimate device.

   Despite being an Asus reseller, I’ll probably end up buying it from overseas, though… Unless Asus manages to wake up and realise how uncompetitive their pricing is here, particularly with Apple introducing price parity.

5. Jason
   Posted 11/08/2012 at 11:13 am | Permalink | Reply

   +1 on buying overseas. You can pick this up from the U.S. at AUD475+post for the 32gb without a dock. I don’t need the dock and I don’t want to carry the dock and I don’t want to pay for the dock. Asus Australia’s decision to force Australian customers to buy the dock, to squeeze us for more revenue, is offensive. And from the forums it looks like they are losing a lot of sales to America where they don’t make idiot decisions like this.

   • PeterA
     Posted 14/08/2012 at 11:42 am | Permalink | Reply

     You get the USB ports on the dock.

     No USB ports on the main unit. You can get a USB ethernet adapter and it works perfectly! Also USB sticks for transfering files to and from it is nice. Extra battery life never goes astray. And why you would get this instead of a competitors tablet if not for the dock I don’t know! The dock is the *reason* for this tablet, not the unwanted part.

     There are no USB 3G adapter drivers for it though unfortunately. (Which would instantly make it the best device ever made if there were!)

6. Timothy Walters
   Posted 11/08/2012 at 6:06 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Are they serious? $999 for an Android tablet?

   For only $100 more I can get a MacBook Air, with even better specs and runs OS X and Windows 7/8 really well.

   • seven_tech
     Posted 11/08/2012 at 6:18 pm | Permalink | Reply

     @Timothy

     Precisely my point (minus the MBA….IMO they’re pretentious :P). Why pay $1000 for a cut down OS tablet when, minus the touchscreen, you could pay $100 or $200 more and get a fully fledged OS that’ll run anything you want INCLUDING Android. Yeah, you have to emulate it, but hey, better than trying to emulate Windows on Android….

   • Renai LeMay
     Posted 11/08/2012 at 6:43 pm | Permalink | Reply

     It’s sad that the Android manufacturers don’t understand this yet :(

     • Nich
       Posted 11/08/2012 at 6:47 pm | Permalink | Reply

       It depends on how much below RRP the wholesale price, locally, is going to be, as far as how much room to move resellers will have. Early adaptor tax and etc, plus, who pays RRP?

       • Nich
         Posted 11/08/2012 at 6:49 pm | Permalink | Reply

         The real question is, how low will it get once Surface tablets and Taichi are on the market ; )

     • PeterA
       Posted 13/08/2012 at 7:28 am | Permalink | Reply

       3g iPad 64gb was a thousand dollars at launch, it isn’t unheard of!

       (though I think the cheapest macbook was in the 1400 dollar range)

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