Asus Transformer AiO finally coming in 2nd quarter of this year, bringing Android and Windows 8

March 7, 2013
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For those that work for companies that have BYOD in place, you have a bit of a challenge ahead. You need to find the perfect mobile device that can blend work and play while having quite a bit of compatibility with everything you come across.

In the business world, having Windows compatibility means it can “play nice” with the existing Windows infrastructure that most businesses are founded out. It also means that you are using Windows 8 or RT, which are somewhat limited at this point when it comes to optimized touch apps.

There are a few ways around this though. One of these solutions is to get BlueStacks for your Windows 8 tablet. Doing this gives you the power of Android apps, while retaining Windows 8 as the actual OS. That said, it also requires a bit of emulation and it also means that it might not be as stable of an Android experience as you’d find with an actual Android install.

If you really have your heart set on both Windows 8 and Android apps, the second option could be the Asus Transformer AiO. This bad boy was first seen back in June of 2012 at Computex and is now on its way sometime in the 2nd quarter of this year.

What is so special about the AiO? The unique Windows tablet has a 18.4-inch touchscreen and can dual boot both Windows 8 and Android. How is this accomplished? The device has two processors: an Intel Core i5-3350P chip and an Nvidia Tegra 3 ARM processor.

Other specs include an Nvidia GeForce GT730M graphics chip with 2GB of RAM, and the PC side has 8GB RAM. There is also special features like 10-point multitouch thrown in the mix. Of course it is quite massive and weighs 5.3 pounds, with a battery life of 4 hours so it isn’t exactly the most “mobile” of mobile devices.

We’ve mentioned in the past that this could be the perfect device for those looking for an All-in-one workstation, since it can be docked in that matter. It can also be dragged to meetings and since it has a large display, it can be slide around the table to share information easily.

The Transformer AiO probably isn’t for everyone, and you have to at least hope they will consider a smaller 10-inch version for more portability. Still, at $1,299 – that’s not half bad. It is worth noting that the dock contains all the Windows 8 guts, so when you are totally portable, you only have an Android device – though you can stream your Windows 8 experience easily as long as you are within range.

I personally see this as having more potential for businesses than for average consumers, but it could also be a great family computer for those that want a device that functions as an AiO, massive tablet and even a gameboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oTKuWlx-tIY

What do you think of the Asus Transformer AiO, too big to really work well as an enterprise, BYOD or home device or perfect as a large tablet that can do a little bit of everything? Share your thoughts below.

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Mike Johnson is a writer for The Redmond Cloud - the most comprehensive source of news and information about Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Cloud. He enjoys writing about Azure Security, IOT and the Blockchain.

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