Asus Kills Dual-boot Notebook to Please Microsoft, Google

Dual-boot or multiboot systems are nothing new, but it looks like neither Microsoft nor Google are too jazzed about the idea of their operating systems living together on the same machine. In fact, they're unhappy enough that it put the kibosh on a newly-announced dual-boot system from Asus. Announced at CES in January, the Transformer Book Duet ran both Microsoft Windows and Google's Android OS. It was supposed to be available for purchase this month. Instead, the company has canned the idea for the foreseeable future. A report in the Wall Street Journal says the device was probably canceled due to Microsoft and Google's feelings on the issue. The WSJ says Asus faced pressure from Google and Microsoft and that the device has been indefinitely postponed. In an industry where products are announced, shipped, relegated to the bargain bin and then redesigned and re-announced all in the space of a year, an 'indefinite postponing' is as bad as it gets. Especially if that product had already been announced and was well on its way to launch.

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Asus Transformer Book T100: An ultraportable workhorse

Asus Transformer Book T100: Though a known name among tech enthusiasts, Asus is yet not that popular among general consumers in India. To shed that image, the company has gone into an overdrive, releasing a slew of pocket-friendly but extremely good looking devices. Right from its range of budget-to-premium laptops like the Vivobook, Zenbook and Taichi to its Transformer range of tablets, the company is not keeping any stones unturned to fill every price segment in the market.

The Transformer range of tablets is an initiative on the company’s part to bridge the gap between a tablet, netbook and a laptop. The Transformer Book T100 is a Windows 8.1 convertible tablet. This is a new segment that is quickly gaining traction and is expected to become a separate vertical in the tablet segment.

Once unpacked, the T100 does not make heads turn with its glossy back. The deep bluish-black tablet is light at just over 550 grams and compact to hold, however it has a plasticky feel. The device has a 10.1-inch screen, which is a fingerprint magnet. With a HD display measuring 1366 x 768 pixels, I felt the display quality was a bit below satisfaction. Colours did not look vibrant enough. Viewing angles were good though, thanks to the IPS display.

But where the tablet scores is the detachable keyboard that comes along. It is not a full sized keyboard with the weight same as the tablet itself, and lacks light indicators of any kind. Attached with a USB port, the keys could feel too small for someone with thicker fingers and the small built-in touchpad isn’t very responsive. Considering that the T100 is a tablet that has been priced attractively, including a keyboard is still a very smart move, and will definitely help Asus stand in better stead compared to the Acer Iconia and Dell Venue tablets, both of which lack keyboards.


Powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor, the T100 is extremely fast. Whether its multitasking between apps, documents, browser or quickly switching from the Metro user interface to the desktop mode, the tablet responds well.

The T100 comes loaded with the Windows Home and Student Edition, which should definitely please professionals who want a lighter device to work on their documents, spreadsheets or presentations. However, one has to purchase the license separately from the Microsoft store, which was a let down. The Acer Iconia W4-820, a competitor to this device, had an active MS-Office license preloaded.

Equipped only with a 1.2-MP front camera, the T100 scores low on this front. Though Skype was pre-installed, video calls gave grainy images, but with decent voice clarity. Why Asus missed out on a rear camera was a mystery, considering most of the rivals like Acer (on its Iconia tablets), Dell (on its Venue tablets) and even iBall have tablets with dual cameras. Sound quality was also something that impressed me. Videos on YouTube or from my flash drives played well with decent sound clarity.

The T100 was preloaded with games like Medieval Apocalypse, Agent P, Pinball FX2 and the more popular Krrish 3. Graphics quality was good for a tablet in this price range and the fact that there were not too many lags or stutters while playing them. Sound quality, again, was very good, being too loud at times. As for the storage, the device offers 32 GB and 64 GB options via eMMC, with an option for free storage on the cloud via the Asus WedStorage.

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