Hands On with ASUS' Transformer All-in-One

ASUS showed us a near production-ready sample of its Transformer All-in-One PC. The machine features a multitouch 18.4" 1080p IPS display driven by two independent systems. In the base, a Core i5/i7 machine running Windows 8, and in the display itself there's a Tegra 3 Android system. There's a physical button on the right side of the system that switches display inputs between the two systems. Since you're just changing display inputs the switching lag is similar to how long it takes to switch between systems on a multi-input monitor.

You can undock the 18.4" display, transforming it into a giant Tegra 3 Android tablet (running 4.1.1). When undocked you're also able to wirelessly stream (over Miracast or some alternative) the Windows 8 base's display over to it, making it a giant Windows 8 tablet if you prefer. Both the base and the display/tablet have their own storage obviously.

The tablet experience is surprisingly reasonable, although cradling an 18.4" tablet can be an issue over the long haul. Thankfully ASUS equipped the display/tablet with an elegant kickstand. With the display detached, you can also use the Core i5/i7 base to drive a separate external display if you'd like.

The display has an integrated battery which ASUS claims will power the tablet for around 4 - 5 hours.