New qualities of the Asus Eee T101MT-BLK120S netbook transformer

Guide to a rare palisade wintel-transformers. In a huge number of very similar models of netbooks it is difficult to find something unique, so that it stands out from the series and is useful for consumer properties. In what directions does the consumer look (with a certain bias towards development and reading on the road)? We list the niches that may be of interest, consciously confining ourselves to weak, inexpensive models.
1. The minimum price and preferably the maximum battery life.
2. With a more decent by the number of points screen.
3. With good performance characteristics (among the weak), so that you can compile projects or watch movies (far from games).
4. Extremely geeky with Android on board, a small solid-state disk and low weight.
That's all the main niches that are seen as attractive. As a few more options for bias, you can choose a smartphone with Android, a tablet for a universal OS or iPad. And here, among this variety of netbooks, another class of devices appears - a combination of a netbook and a tablet , and, moreover, models with attractive features. People call them Transformers (Convertible Tablets). But first things first. We will not be like other reviews with a lot of photos, we will send those who wish to follow the links. This review is a “picture-less” comparison of models for the purpose of choosing the one that suits your needs.

As the name suggests, the most recommended is one Asus model, which has been on the market for almost 1.5 years. But forced to make a review of a couple of new qualities that were missing in the first copies of the model, reviews of which can be found on the Internet. There is still no review under the same name, but with new qualities (2-core processor and twice the amount of memory - you will agree, quite a lot). Moreover, on the Russian site of Asus, in the model description, the old single-core processor (!) Is advertised (the words "... Thanks to the new efficient Intel® Atom ™ N450 processor and exclusive technology ..."), in English - the new , 2-core N570 CPU, and stores, in fact, sell 2-core models, although often on sites you can see outdated features. The first messages about a quiet upgrade of the processor (without changing the model name) can be seen 8 months ago, on March 31, 2011 .

Unfortunately, we are no longer seeing the productive author describing Asus products (by the size of the letters that this article is not paid for by the company) on the site as the author, nor is he a full replacement. Asus left Habr, otherwise, most likely, we would see a review of this model - it seems so original and attractive right now. Therefore, choosing this model as a personal (home) netbook, I consider it my duty to fill the vacuum and tell about the current state of the transformers market in general and the place of this model in particular, with a pleasant bonus in the form of a lack of mass photos.

Transformers, of course, have always existed, since time immemorial, since some laptop manufacturers decided to surprise the world and release (usually at a double price) transformer laptops. We also remember phone books with a similar opportunity and with such pomp in advertising. But the time of miracles passes, and some manufacturers are beginning to practically look at this design and produce models at a competitive price and without discounts on uniqueness. Now we see a rather liquid series of models on the market, but they cover various needs quite well.
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Landmark - prices and features

There are people (some comments in the comments are an example of this) who have worked with transformers for years. The collapsible HP TC1000 or TC1100 computer is considered legendary. For them, the question of their usefulness has long been resolved. In order to conquer the minds of other users, transformers will have to face a difficult battle with the rest of the large population of store shelves. It is necessary to show what places are occupied by transforming models among others, by properties and prices. Therefore, we first prepare to outline the overall picture.

To compare the model range at a completely understandable and universal benchmark - prices, we will do what is usually not done in reviews and what customers have to do on resources like price.ru. We will determine the price level of other classes of devices in order to understand by them how much you have to pay for the class in question and what is considered attractive in it. After all, it is often necessary to draw a conclusion based on the balance of many factors, and it is impossible to single out one or two most important ones. Ten factors are mixed in different proportions in different models, and it is required to conclude which model is the best for yourself at the moment. To the list of 4-point niches at the beginning of the article, which we now want to evaluate, 3 more non-notebook niches (smartphone, tablet, iPad) are added, and you can also add a niche of old laptops, which are kept by the owners as spare ones, at a residual price all netbooks have become cheaper, and surpass them in power. Total, we estimate the approximate cost of these 8 classes of devices to see what place among them will take the line of transformers.

Of course, in another country and even in another city, the size of prices will be different, but the ratio is likely to remain the same if you focus on the most representative market. We take the default city market as it is now (November 2011) as a reference point.

What characteristics are we interested in? Based on discussions and opinions at least on Habré, it is easy to build a number of priorities from properties and approximately stick to it. If someone gives a different weight to the properties in question, he can easily correct the reasoning and conclusions for himself. Simply, these preliminary considerations are needed to assess the background, and the number of transformers itself, as we will see, is rare, and the choice is not accompanied by painful reflections - most likely, the model from the chosen price category will have to be compared with other classes of devices, and which class to stay at - here it is necessary to think.

Niche choice

As the commentators repeatedly noted in the Habr articles, the class of devices in question is not suitable for serious work - weak processors, small screens, often only the VGA output of the 2nd monitor, the absence of 3D graphics. But it is suitable for a lot of various auxiliary cases - viewing, reading on the road and other autonomous environments, editing materials, simple tests, demonstrations on the road, transferring large archives of tens of gigabytes. To cover the maximum number of simple tasks, Intel’s architecture is better than the other, because it means the compatibility of programs and data from these programs, the absence of a separate zoo of utilities to perform similar functions on the main and auxiliary computers. It can equally well be installed Windows or Linux or both. In some cases, the computer can play the role of the main - known stories that netbooks were used for web development.

Therefore, it is very advantageous to use netbooks with Intel architecture for such auxiliary tasks. The role of the experimental, with its own rules and utilities, remains devices with telephone OS, rushing into this market on the other hand - with saving space in your pocket by combining it with the phone and expanding the functions of the phone at the same time.

Netbook and gadget niches

We repeat the list of niches, against which we will compare the transformers according to the possibilities.
1. Budget and energy efficient - optimally something like the Asus Eee PC 1015B with a price of 10 thousand, 2-core AMD, good graphics, a matte screen, but you can go down to 7 thousand.
2. Increased pixel. Yes, 600 pixels. in height - a serious stumbling block, but the size of growing larger than A4 is undesirable, so 12 "and 1366x768 is the only step up. For example, ASUS Eee PC 1215P - 12.5 thousand, 2 cores, the screen is mirrored, the case is dull. Unfortunately , this is the base price, the rest are higher. (This is nothing, because a comparable, but perfect MacBook Air 11 Mid is offered from 35K.) There are rare alternatives 10 "and 1280x720px - Acer AO522-C5DGkk , 12.5 thousand
3. Low cost simple laptops - usually larger and heavier, with DVDs and close net prices to netbooks - from 11.5 thousand rubles.
4. Exotic with Android (for example, Toshiba AC100).
5. Multi-pixel smartphones.
6. Tablets "on Intel" - from 3Q 3QTAB Surf TN1002T - 11.5 K as a base (gloss, write in the forum about weak WiFi, 10 ", 950 g.) And above.
7. iPad 2. 16 GB - 18 K, 32GB - 21K.
8. Used laptops, taking not new, but the price. Looking for on your shelves or people who want to get rid of the trash, we get a budget option with good or excellent graphics and performance, but most likely with a developed battery life and a noisy fan, conditionally, for 3-15 thousand. Such models are usually stored “For a rainy day” in case the main computer breaks down or for nostalgic memories of the old desktop configuration :).

Select the requirements and prioritize. Some interesting devices may not have them all, it is permissible.
*) Intel architecture (Win / Linux);
*) lightness, less than 1 kg;
*) book sizes;
*) keyboard, including a comfortable one;
*) communication through interfaces and memory cards;
*) autonomous work from 3 hours, it is better - from 6;
*) matte case;
*) matte screen;
*) brand awareness for ease of service and accessibility of accessories.

The requirements do not indicate the desirability of the tablet, and the presence of a keyboard seems to indicate its undesirability. But the facts are that part of the work can be done without a keyboard, and when it is needed, connect it or transfer work to another computer. Therefore, the tablets also fall into one of the niches of interest, usually for mobile applications, when they can replace even the navigator in the car (when GPS is connected).

In general, the analysis of prices in niches with the Intel processor shows that the simple store happiness of owning a new quality product with a one-year warranty starts from 7,000. Provided that the store is selected among hundreds of similar, and the requirements are unassuming. The requirements for aesthetics and ergonomics (first of all, haze, later - the processor) raise the bar to thousands and give a lot of options, and in 10 you can get monsters of scant netbook capabilities with the same cheap display matrix. A step higher in quality, to 12 "adds at least another 2.5 thousand to the required amount.

Having dealt with the price ranges of alternatives, let us ask ourselves a question: are there any laptops with touchscreens? It turns out that not only there, but also have a pivoting screen, transforming into a tablet, and have a couple of decent representatives in the lower price range. They, due to the weighting of the device in comparison with the tablets, kill 2 birds with one stone in the dilemma before choosing a solution: to have only a screen or half of the working space to spend on the keyboard?

A number of transformers

Finally, consider a small number of transformers on the market.

A search for various keywords (transformer, Convertible Tablets, netbook touchscreen) shows all the small variety of similar devices, along with exotic prototypes. Without considering purely android solutions, we get:

1. 3Q Whirltab RS1001T white or black , 10.1 - 12 tr.
Here are some common photos to get an idea about the two color options of the model.

(Previews of photos are collected from a review article on the manufacturer’s website. Full photos and the most detailed review can be viewed in an article on the manufacturer’s website.) List of main features:

The N450 processor - 1 core, 1.66 GHz. Memory 1-2 GB. Disk 250-320 GB.
OS - DOS or Win7 Starter.
Screen 1024x600, TN, 10.1 ", swivel; Touchscreen; Intel X3150 video chip; VGA port.
Capacity 3300 mAh, 3 hours of work.
Microphone, 1.3 MP webcam, Bluetooth, WiFi, 3 USB, SD / MMC / MS port, stylus in white model.
Weight 1.3 kg; 265x190x29 mm.
All specifications and photos from nix .

The mysterious company, the second time called 3Q, is not from the jungle of China, but from Mozhayskoye Highway, Moscow. However, little is known about it, the most detailed description from third parties takes 1 paragraph . They are about themselves on mail.ru. Some additional information about the company. Their service centers . Manufacturer's website .
There are few negative reviews on the Internet, and there are no negative references to the model in question. The most detailed description of the model is made on the forum of the manufacturer’s site by the site administrator. Nevertheless, there are still errors in the description - the screen calls matte, although it is clear from the photo that the black model has a glossy screen and the white one has a semi-gloss screen. The same applies to the lid. Not enough information to install multitouch in Linux. The description indicates the difference in models - a black laptop has a capacitive screen with multitouch, white - resistive without multitouch support (on the site of one seller, apparently, an error where he claims about multitouch in the white model?). However, at the moment the black model (12 tr.) Is sold by only one Internet company with delivery. Sales of the white model are observed in a dozen points in Moscow, from 10.1 tr. with variations in memory size, disk size, installed OS.

It is highlighted by the weakness of the battery (for 2-3.5 hours), 1 GB of memory in the minimum configuration, which usually requires replacing with 2 GB of SODIMM DDR2 (700-900 p.), The lack of an OS in some versions, which positively reduces the cost. Yandex-Market reviews - there are no negative words in the reviews, so it can become a candidate for a purchase. But it has a gloss and mono-touch. And it makes look at the next model of the series.

2. In second place we meet an eminent company with rich experience in production and sales.
Asus Eee PC T101MT ( 1B - black, 1A - white), 14.600-14800 r.

Intuitively waiting for the characteristics and qualities of the best and not mistaken. (Brief characteristics - below, and a full description and photos can be found on the links.)

The processor, N570 - 2 cores, 1.66 GHz; 2 GB memory, 320 GB disk.
OS - Win7 Starter.
Screen 1024x600, TN, 10.1 ", rotary; Touchscreen resistive, Multitouch (2 points; to enable, you need to install Win OS or Premium or Linux); Intel X3150 video chip; VGA port.
Capacity 4900 mAh, 6.5 hours of operation.
Microphone, 0.3 MP webcam, Bluetooth, WiFi, 3 USB, SD / SDHC / MMC port, stylus.
Weight 1.3 kg; 264x181x31 mm.
Description on the manufacturer's website .
All specifications and photos from NIKS , white version .

Old review (everything is the same, except that now the processor and memory are different). Reviews Yandex-Market , mostly positive.
The main disadvantages .
*) Weight, greater than the "clean" tablets. Yes, this is not going anywhere, 1.3 kg. However, the role of the tablet, if necessary, performs, and the tablet functionality does not create additional weight for just a netbook.
*) The quality of the screen, complain about it in the reviews most often - yes, screens with TN matrices are better. Here, after high-quality screens (especially IPS), the limited viewing angle (noticeable when viewed together) and the “angularity” of pixels are striking - apparently, not the most successful matrix by technology. They say that the “fault” resistive film with its regular structure superimposed on top. However, for comparable money - only the model from point 1 in black.
*) On the Quick Start Button for Win for Win, the screen rotation hangs - well, but sometimes this function flies (after turning the Windows screen, and then - the screen of the tablet shell - a program from Asus).
*) Glossy frame around the screen; chrome parts and inscriptions.
*) Win7 Starter - many consider as the first thing - to remove it (or upgrade);
*) 20 GB of a disk is initially hidden under system recovery - this is the case for everyone right now; when reshaping the OS you should not forget to return them back to access.
The main advantages .
*) Touch screen with multitouch.
*) Matte plastic and screen.
*) Silent cooling. Slightly noisy, but quiet, without high frequencies.
*) Alternative quick launch OS - “Express Gate” (the image is on the manufacturer’s website).
*) Matte keyboard in black version, without unusually located keys, without distortions when pressed from the edge, with a clear response.
*) The "lack of thought" of the connectors in tablet mode mentioned in reviews does not interfere if the screen is programmed flipped 180 degrees.
*) multitouch on the touchpad, scrolling gestures, zoom.
*) bluetooth for a mouse (in particular) and freedom of choice of manipulations - mouse, touchpad, screen, keys.

Such a netbook for web developers at the same time is a good object for testing promising touch interfaces. As an alternative, you can choose a separate touch glass - an overlay for the monitor for 4-6 thousand and use even separately from the monitor, but if it is in the transformer, it saves space and weight.

Of the nice additions - there is a button to quickly turn on Linux (5 seconds) with surfing the Internet via Chrome and a number of utilities (without touchscreen support) and a number of installed programs from Asus, which facilitate initial work with touchscreen (no Russian handwriting), but then all recommended for demolition. Annual support of 500 GB network drive on Asus servers.

3. DELL Inspiron Duo 1090 , 18-19 tr.
N550 / 2Gb / 320Gb / WiFi / BT / Cam / W7 HP / 10.1 Touch
Despite the screen size of 10.1 ", the number of pixels - 1366x768, this is an obvious step forward in netbook construction, the matrix is ​​reduced; the price is at a height well deserved.

... At about 4th place you can put Gigabyte T1125N with TFT 11.6 "1366 x 768, capacitive multitouch, core i3 - 29-31, etc., etc.

Results

Transformers with Windows are currently represented by only 2 models and prices of 10 thousand and 14.5 thousand rubles. - a large flight of prices, inside of which there are various equally interesting other models of simple laptops and “simple” tablets. But, well, that the upper model has a well thought-out series of ergonomically important characteristics, is represented by 2 colors and has a whole train of useful Asus technologies inherited from the Eee PC line.

Analysis of the description of the cheap model from Mozhayskoe highway shows that it is also quite acceptable for use, it also takes into account the undesirability of the gloss in the white model and even has a variant of the capacitive touchscreen in black. There are no consumer complaints about durability and usability. Otherwise, as is appropriate for budget computers, the amount of memory, single-core processor and gloss helps to reduce the price and compete in price with convenient and expensive, but the usual netbooks such as Eee PC 1015B.

The second model (Asus Eee PC T101MT) requires a lot of money, but it takes into account consumer desires in a remarkable way - the last years of “speaking out against gloss” have not been in vain. Therefore, sacrificing a large screen and wishing the tablet, we get a transformer with a 2-core processor and maximum memory in addition. Do not forget that there is also a stitched Linux for fast surfing and with a number of utilities (without a touchscreen).

The third model, which was not compared due to the price of 18 thousand rubles, certainly also deserves attention with consumer properties and increased screen pixel size with the same 10 "diagonal.

An interesting conclusion can be made from the review that, although there are very few inexpensive models of transformers on the market, each of them has been made very soundly and there are no random manufacturers in this niche, everyone knows that in order to make money here, his model must “shine” in its own way. . For one model you can see from the reviews, for the Eee PC T101MT - live, that each of them makes an impression and causes few complaints from users, and in general, each of them is a success.

*) News feed about transformers (2010-2011) .