Asus Transformer AIO (P1801-B037K)

• Pros

  Splashtop lets you use Windows 8 around the house. Can use Android apps. Speedy quad-core processor and discrete graphics. Four USB 3.0 ports. Quick switch between environments.

• Cons Some lag on tablet when out of dock. Webcam not accessible to Windows when away from dock. Mouse and keyboard have limited range. No HDMI-in. Crashes in either OS can make the system seem unresponsive.
• Bottom Line

  The Asus Transformer AIO (P1801-B037K) is an all-in-one Windows 8 PC where the screen is also an 18-inch Android tablet. You can switch back and forth between Windows and Android, so you can complete your work (or play) in Windows on a tabletop device that's lighter than competitive portable all-in-ones or large screen notebooks.

By Joel Santo Domingo In the blockbuster movie Avatar, the head technician character grabs active telemetry data from a desktop workstation and continues to work with it on a networked tablet. This is the essential idea behind the Asus Transformer AIO (P1801-B037K) . You can start working on a project in Windows 8 while the screen is docked on the base unit. Then you can pick up the screen, which is an Android tablet that continues to act as a remote desktop. All of the computing happens on the base unit, but you can keep working on your work in the den, in the kitchen, or even out on the balcony. As long as you're on your home Wi-Fi network, you're still using your powerful Windows 8 PC. It's a neat concept that has potential. It's not perfect yet, but it works well enough to use, at least well enough for early adopters looking for new ways of doing things.

Design and Features
The Transformer AIO is, at its heart, an all-in-one desktop PC, and looks and acts like one when the screen is docked. The system's PC components, including the Intel Core i5-3350P processor, 8GB of memory, 1TB hard drive, Nvidia GeForce GT 730M discrete graphics, DVD burner, and USB ports, reside in the docking base, which has a cradle for the screen as well as a pivot mechanism so you can find a comfortable angle to use the system. The screen is actually an Android tablet, with its own Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, 2GB of memory, and 32GB of SSD storage. Old school PC-based competition includes the Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3D-A01US) and the Dell Inspiron One 23, both of which are 23-inch all-in-one PCs with Core i5 processors.

The tablet has a MicroSD reader, mini-USB 2.0 port, headset jack, its own charging port (and AC adapter), and a dock connector to connect to the base. The base has a USB 2.0 port marked off for the wireless keyboard/mouse dongle, four USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI-out port, Ethernet, audio ports, and an SD card reader. Both the tablet and base have their own Kensington lock ports and both have 802.11a/b/g/n dual band Wi-Fi. Both have Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0 in the tablet and 4.0 in the base.

The base and tablet are designed to primarily work together as any other all-in-one PC would, since the tablet's screen acts as the Transformer AIO's display most of the time. If you hook a monitor up to the base's HDMI-port, then you can use both environments (Windows 8 and Android 4.1) simultaneously on separate screens. This differs from portable all-in-one desktops like the Sony VAIO Tap 20 (SVJ20215CXW), in which all the PC components are built into the screen.

The 18.4-inch tablet screen has a 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, letting you view 1080p HD videos in native resolution. The screen itself is clear, with a wide angle of view, displaying both images and text smoothly while plugged into the base unit. It has a 10-point capacitive touch surface, which means you can use the screen with a friend or family member. Since the screen is functionally an Android tablet with video pass-through, it displays video from the Core i5 Windows based PC until you remove the screen from its base or switch to the Android environment manually via the blue switch on the side or with a soft button in Windows.

You'll have to go through an extended setup process on the Transformer AIO, which includes logging into Windows and logging into the Android Jelly Bean environment. You can set up a local login in Windows, but for Jelly Bean you'll need a Google account. Thankfully, once you've gone through the setup, both the PC and the Android environments will work together (mostly) seamlessly.

By Joel Santo Domingo Lead Analyst

Joel Santo Domingo is the Lead Analyst for the Desktops team at PC Magazine Labs. He joined PC Magazine in 2000, after 7 years of IT work for companies large and small. His background includes...

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