Related
If Asus released a keyboard dock without battery at a significantly lower price, would you buy it? It would still have the pathway to charge from the dock to tablet using the adapter but no battery inside to lengthen life or charge from dock using battery.
I would. But I'm not sure how much lower the price would be without the internal batteries. $50.00 is realistic? Basically this would be a product to combat the slew of bluetooth keyboards (that do not have batteries) that someone can pick up and pair with the Transformer. This would let owners purchased the official keyboard dock at a fraction of the price if they don't feel they would need the battery.
I like the whole "choice" idea, you either buy the dock and use it like a netbook or don't buy it and use it as a tablet. I think if they added the option of buying an extra battery or not that would be much better. Or hey, maybe if they made the keyboard dock with a battery compartment. You buy the keyboard and it doesn't come with battery, you have to buy one to put in there. I'm not sure if the battery in the existing dock is user-serviceable.
Tubular said:
If Asus released a keyboard dock without battery at a significantly lower price, would you buy it? It would still have the pathway to charge from the dock to tablet using the adapter but no battery inside to lengthen life or charge from dock using battery.
I would. But I'm not sure how much lower the price would be without the internal batteries. $50.00 is realistic? Basically this would be a product to combat the slew of bluetooth keyboards (that do not have batteries) that someone can pick up and pair with the Transformer. This would let owners purchased the official keyboard dock at a fraction of the price if they don't feel they would need the battery.
I like the whole "choice" idea, you either buy the dock and use it like a netbook or don't buy it and use it as a tablet. I think if they added the option of buying an extra battery or not that would be much better. Or hey, maybe if they made the keyboard dock with a battery compartment. You buy the keyboard and it doesn't come with battery, you have to buy one to put in there. I'm not sure if the battery in the existing dock is user-serviceable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The keyboard would probably need to run on standard AA batteries and USB support (SD card too), probably won't exist either.
Would it then not become to much 'top-heavy'. I thought that part of the reason that the battery was also part of the keyboard, was because it would weight more.
PS. I like it that there is an extra battery in it.
not going to happen so pointless discussion
miguelantonio said:
not going to happen so pointless discussion
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, hilarious!
Tubular said:
If Asus released a keyboard dock without battery at a significantly lower price, would you buy it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No
[Insert Signature Here]
why not just get a bt keyboard then? around 50 bucks and no battery. i think the dock for 150 is still good price also considering the tablet is so cheap at 399. for 550 u get the whole package.
I wouldn't buy it. I like the battery.
I could see merit in have the docking functions you don't get with a bt kb at about the same weight. I could see the heavy "screen" being awkward on your lap.
The whole point of buying the Transformer is for its unique keyboard dock. It's not just the battery, the additions of touchpad, USB ports, and a SD card reader greatly expand the potential uses for the device. Asus allows you to use the tablet without the dock, but as an extra incentive to get you to buy it they omitted USB ports on the tablet, so you're basically stuck with buying iPad-style adapters for expandability.
Really if you just want a good Honeycomb tablet by itself, then the Acer Iconia is a better choice, since the included USB port allows you to set it down on the desktop dock and just hook up any old USB keyboard to it.
Def concur with the rest, the real crux (lame ipad joke) is the added functionality beyond the keyboard. The extra battery/memory/ports. Anyone can run a bluetooth keyboard or USB keyboard, this is about a more integrated device.
Speaking of I finally got mine off of Newegg last night. Yay!
I wouldn't get it.
Sent from my X10i using XDA Premium App
Thread for hardware mods
POSTING INTERNAL tf101 pictures
like 3g dongle ? internal sd cards? ssd?
removing the battery for 2 HDD 500go?
finding sd cards hubs? usb to sata cables?
? there is a place in the tablet for a 3g dongle?
there are 2 screws under the upper rubbers and the dock open easy
there is a lot of spaces avaible
My MIFI might actually fit in there, all I would need to do is supply it power somehow.
I'm no hardware engineer though, but if thats possible it would save you from the driver issues with a 3g dongle.
I wonder if it would be possible to check which pins from the adapter connect to USB - so we can make DIY USB adapter for those without a dock.
hmm adding an hdd would be very interesting, sata won't be very hard, powersupply will be.
Sent from my O2x with CM7
This is what I was looking for, looking to do some mods to the dock.
Thanks Markolino72.
Internally mount and wire a 32gb memory stick to the USB port so you get a 32gb hard drive added whenever you dock It might even have enough room for a portable USB hub so you don't lose use of the external usb port?
does anybody think it will be easy to make a DIY dock fix for those with battery draining issues like me?
It seems like it would be relatively easy - just make a switch to either connect or disconnect the cords coming from the docking point.
Or even better, maybe if you put the correct microcontroller in there you can have it switch the pins to floating, if it senses that there is no tablet connected (not sure about the details though)...
ydnality said:
does anybody think it will be easy to make a DIY dock fix for those with battery draining issues like me?
It seems like it would be relatively easy - just make a switch to either connect or disconnect the cords coming from the docking point.
Or even better, maybe if you put the correct microcontroller in there you can have it switch the pins to floating, if it senses that there is no tablet connected (not sure about the details though)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you seen the post in the General forum (2nd page now I think)? Posted by Asus_USA themselves, if you prove the 6 steps that your dock has the issue you can get a new one! I really do hope that I can get mine exchanged, waiting on a reply from my local service center..
Regards.
In regards to the hardware mods, that really looks amazing. Would love to put in my mifi there as well, attach it via USB to charge = your own 3g model Maybe a little modding you could get the mifi to power on only when the dock is connected (remove the battery of the mifi?) so that when it powers on it'll power on the mifi as well. Only a few thoughts.
Maybe a little modding you could get the mifi to power on only when the dock is connected (remove the battery of the mifi?) so that when it powers on it'll power on the mifi as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's a good thought but the mifi I have (novatel 2200) wont work without the battery, for some reason if the battery is bad or removed you cannot run usb, it must be the way they have the power run through the battery or charging. Not sure if all are like this or not.
andrewklau said:
Have you seen the post in the General forum (2nd page now I think)? Posted by Asus_USA themselves, if you prove the 6 steps that your dock has the issue you can get a new one! I really do hope that I can get mine exchanged, waiting on a reply from my local service center..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I talked to the Asus service rep about it. They currently won't give you a new one since they have a hardware upgrade to fix it. If you wanted a new one you needed to do before they solved the problem. I'm waiting on the upgrade part to be delivered for for mine. Should in a few days.
A switch should theoretically work. The guy at the service center said the replace something that goes into the hinge of the dock. Looking at the teardown pics, you can see a wire goes into each side of the hinge, so I think they replace the wires and maybe make a new connection somewhere on the dock.
Surprising how much wasted space there seems to be in the dock -- it's nowhere near as tightly packaged as the tablet itself. Looks like Asus can optimize the size or fit some more features in future versions, if they want...
Let me see if I am thinking correctly...Your saying using something like mifi installed via USB wires (will it be always on?) then connect via WiFi on your transformer? So basically your putting the mifi in a case that can never be opened without a screwdriver? I guess one would always have access for your other devices as well as long as the TF is in the vicinity.
P.S. I think I think this is a good idea, not decided though. I like to think of it in a real world application.
there is another post with a guy putting in an SSD, but it bulges at the keyboard. A 32g SD card would be nice.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
typci said:
I talked to the Asus service rep about it. They currently won't give you a new one since they have a hardware upgrade to fix it. If you wanted a new one you needed to do before they solved the problem. I'm waiting on the upgrade part to be delivered for for mine. Should in a few days.
A switch should theoretically work. The guy at the service center said the replace something that goes into the hinge of the dock. Looking at the teardown pics, you can see a wire goes into each side of the hinge, so I think they replace the wires and maybe make a new connection somewhere on the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are getting the replacement part? bought mine on the US, but live in chile... would really like to somehow get the part that needs to be replaced and do it myself
tanguita said:
You are getting the replacement part? bought mine on the US, but live in chile... would really like to somehow get the part that needs to be replaced and do it myself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's very little chance they'll give anybody the part, and nothing in the previous person's post suggested they're doing so for him.
Talk to Asus Chile and get it serviced by them:
http://www.asuschile.cl/
http://latin.asus.com/Static_WebPage/Service_center_chile/
knoxploration said:
There's very little chance they'll give anybody the part, and nothing in the previous person's post suggested they're doing so for him.
Talk to Asus Chile and get it serviced by them:
http://www.asuschile.cl/
http://latin.asus.com/Static_WebPage/Service_center_chile/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I ended up calling them. I would have to ship the dock to "someone" in the US, have them ship it to the repair center, fix it, ship it back and then ask that "someone" to ship it back to me... sooo, I'm basically screwed... I ended up with a nice 150US paperweight (not even considering the horrible light bleed on the transformer).
tanguita said:
Well I ended up calling them. I would have to ship the dock to "someone" in the US, have them ship it to the repair center, fix it, ship it back and then ask that "someone" to ship it back to me... sooo, I'm basically screwed... I ended up with a nice 150US paperweight (not even considering the horrible light bleed on the transformer).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, actually, I hadn't realized that but it does say it clearly on the product warranty page:
"Brazil and South American countries don’t support global service"
http://support.asus.com/warranty.aspx?SLanguage=en&p=20&s=16&m=Eee Pad Transformer TF101
took mine apart also and there is quite a bit of room.
i plan on putting a 128gb usb flash drive inside the dock and soldering onto the usb connections once i get all the bits in.
Any bigger pictures? Are the screws under the rubber feet?
just two screws under the rubber feet near the hinge then it just pulls apart from the top
had to take mine apart as the spring/clip mechanism for the sd card wouldnt lock the card in.
now the card is stuck in with no nails haha a simple fix.
This is good news. I hacked a Crystal HD decoder card (pcie), USB wifi dongle, a logitech nano receiver, and a 4 port micro usb hub (from a touch screen setup) into a Dell mini 9 and there was absolutely no room compared to this.
They even have covers for the USB ports, so if you remove a header and solder wires up you just have to hot glue / epoxy that cover from the back and you are money. Looks clean and stock.
I have an old 64 GB thumbdrive that might find a new home. Maybe a 1.8" usb HDD would fit in there with the battery, without the battery who knows.
It seems like the keyboard should be able to connect to the tablet via blue tooth when it's not connected to the tablet.
I wonder if there is anyway to mod it be a blue tooth keyboard?
There are times where it's nice to use the transformer as a tablet, but during that time the keyboard is totally useless.
Can the keyboard even be connected to the tablet via cable to use the battery but without having to hold up the extra bulk and such?
No, if you want a simple keyboard buy one. This dock is a dock, not simply an external keyboard. Bluetooth would just rape the battery on both and limit the functionality of it.
tazmeister said:
It seems like the keyboard should be able to connect to the tablet via blue tooth when it's not connected to the tablet.
I wonder if there is anyway to mod it be a blue tooth keyboard?
There are times where it's nice to use the transformer as a tablet, but during that time the keyboard is totally useless.
Can the keyboard even be connected to the tablet via cable to use the battery but without having to hold up the extra bulk and such?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In one word...No
There are lots of bluetooth keyboards you can find if you want one. As they say ...it is what it is.
I still use mine as a tablet. I usually plug the charger into the dock when I'm using it as a tablet only.
You can pick up bluetooth keyboards for cheap. Doesnt hurt to have several options.
LG G2x - Miui
www.SnapSiteAdmins.com
www.MiiWiiChat.com
it's really diapointing to see how little thought went in to the few responses.
does this sort of lack of thought and imagination really epitomize the general population here?
has anyone heard of the idea of a dual or multi-use tool?
and what about an on/off switch for blue tooth?
oh well, dead topic at this point
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
tazmeister said:
it's really diapointing to see how little thought went in to the few responses.
does this sort of lack of thought and imagination really epitomize the general population here?
has anyone heard of the idea of a dual or multi-use tool?
and what about an on/off switch for blue tooth?
oh well, dead topic at this point
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so you made a thread asking if people agree with your opinion; they don't, and you call them dumb?
Also, yes, we are the epitome of the general population (...lol, wut?)
but to answer your question, the keyboard could have been a Bluetooth keyboard as well as a dock. no one is denying that. could it have been better if it were, probably. would it cost even more, most likely. would the additional cost justify the very limited uses of bluetooth-mode (uses that can't already be accomplished by the dock, in a close-range configuration) ?
nope.
so in conclusion, no.
I think the dock should have bluetooth so the keyboard could be used even when the tablet is detached. It's a shame, they didn't think of it.
@finalhit - the dock already is overpriced. I think they could easily added bluetooth without changing the price.
Get an ipad. It's probably got the most number of choices for bluetooth keyboard.
IRT the topic title: no.
Why? The Bluetooth stuff is in the tablet. To use the keyboard dock undocked via Bluetooth would be a cool feature, even if the battery drain would surge.
Versus how much that feature would increase the cost of the dock, I don't think it is a good idea: versus letting people buy a seperate Bluetooth keyboard if they need that sort of thing. My Transformer's dock is a pretty cheap piece of equipment, few moving parts if you please. The most expensive thing is probably the battery/charging stuff.
$150 extra for the dock makes a very good ROI versus just getting a standard netbook or tablet.
Spidey01 said:
IRT the topic title: no.
Why? The Bluetooth stuff is in the tablet. To use the keyboard dock undocked via Bluetooth would be a cool feature, even if the battery drain would surge.
Versus how much that feature would increase the cost of the dock, I don't think it is a good idea: versus letting people buy a seperate Bluetooth keyboard if they need that sort of thing. My Transformer's dock is a pretty cheap piece of equipment, few moving parts if you please. The most expensive thing is probably the battery/charging stuff.
$150 extra for the dock makes a very good ROI versus just getting a standard netbook or tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed, why would i want to rape the dock which is essentially a back up battery? makes no sense
tazmeister said:
it's really diapointing to see how little thought went in to the few responses.
does this sort of lack of thought and imagination really epitomize the general population here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I thought about it. I just thought it was a stupid idea. I like the way the dock works now (actually, I should say my girlfriend does since she stole mine and I haven't used it in months).
Go into the hardware mod and do it yourself, I dont want to add $50 for a feature that would drain both batteries faster and I would never use. How hard is it to have the TF in the dock if you are using the dock? I dont see a need to have the TF across the room while typing on the keyboard dock.
Magnesus said:
@finalhit - the dock already is overpriced. I think they could easily added bluetooth without changing the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been hearing this since day 1, asked for someone to produce evidence (or product) of something that does the same for less, still haven't seen one example. Only bad examples of USB keyboards that don't provide the USB host control, SD card reader, stand and 6 hour battery functionality (with pass through charging).
I'm sure it is possible with enough effort to take a Bluetooth keyboard, replace the bottom with a custom module that provides mounthing for hard drive, card reader, battery, etc; or perhaps fashion a custom USB 3 hub you can rig for docking+charging.
In the end, unless you're the kind the get hackish at a work bench (I wish I had one), just using the dock when you want a keyboard, is a good idea. Much further away then docked somewhat minimizes the utility of a TOUCHSCREEN as well, unless you go bluetooth rat as well.
I think most people don't understand what we want - the dock should work as intentended when attached but switch to bluetooth when detached (could be switchable to preserve battery). There is no reason it would be in any way worse than it is now. Cost - as I said, it's already overpriced, so adding bluetooth doesn't have to increase it.
What value do you see in doing it that way? From what I can think of, I'd still opt to just pay less for the dock.
I could see the dock having bluetooth when detached beneficial when the tablet is hooked to my TV and I want to control it from my couch and the tablet is across the room hooked to the TV. Does someone make a bluetooth remote that can do this?
Magnesus said:
I think most people don't understand what we want - the dock should work as intentended when attached but switch to bluetooth when detached (could be switchable to preserve battery). There is no reason it would be in any way worse than it is now. Cost - as I said, it's already overpriced, so adding bluetooth doesn't have to increase it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, we understand. We just dont agree with either the usefulness or your judgement about them being able to do it without any cost impact.
if its that easy put it in yourself.
The whole purpose of the dock is to bring netbook like functionality and portable to the tablet. Using the dock/keyboard with bluetooth would defeat that purpose. Imagine sitting on a bus or train and trying to support the tablet and use both hands to type on the keyboard. You wouldn't be able to do it, unless you have extra arms, but as far as I know, I only have two.
Same thing with connecting the dock to the tablet with a cable. Defeats the whole portability the Transformer was made for. Portability is one of the Transformer's major selling points. And let's be honest, do you really need 16 hours of life on your tablet? Mine is off the charger from 7 am to around 11pm when I go to bed, and since I hardly use it at school, it can still have 85% battery when I plug it back in.
---------- Post added at 10:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 PM ----------
Magnesus said:
I think most people don't understand what we want - the dock should work as intentended when attached but switch to bluetooth when detached (could be switchable to preserve battery). There is no reason it would be in any way worse than it is now. Cost - as I said, it's already overpriced, so adding bluetooth doesn't have to increase it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, Bluetooth defeats the whole point of the dock. The dock wasn't meant to be used detached from the tablet. If that's the case, Asus would've just installed a little touchscreen LCD where the touchpad is and let it run HC as well. That's like saying a car should be able to run on apple juice, even though they are built to run on gas -.-
You think a keyboard that gives you USB ports, an extra 9 hours of battery (?), and the ability to add another 128GB+ to your tablet is overpriced at $100? Wow.
jimbobalu said:
I could see the dock having bluetooth when detached beneficial when the tablet is hooked to my TV and I want to control it from my couch and the tablet is across the room hooked to the TV. Does someone make a bluetooth remote that can do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWIW I saw this and thought it might be useful to you; didn't have time to look at the thread very closely though!
I thought of the same thing and even posted this idea to the Design Team of Asus. But I didn't get a response.
It would be a brilliant idea. I even tried to connect a BT dongle and see if they could pair up. Didnt work.
Suppose I want to read a book and didn't fancy swiping across the screen - I could use the dock remotely and turn the pages.
That still makes little sense? Who reads a book on this thing without holding it in their hands or having it in their lap?
About the only scenario that has made any sense at all was the one using the TF to power the TV with the dock remotely connected but even then I doubt 99.999% of the users would ever do that (ive only even powered a TV twice. once to test and a second at a friends house to show them something).
My Dog last night decided to chew my power cable into three pieces rendering it unusable in its current chew toy state. I am ordering a new Charger as soon as the Asus Estore comes back up but was wondering if I would be able to splice the cable back together in a much shorter from of course. Does anybody know of a store I can walk into in California to buy a replacment cable of any kind that would work untill I am able to get a official replacment from Asus? Does the old Transformer charging cable work or is there a universal cable of any kind to get me thru this disaster?
Thank you for any help
P.S. I love the Prime(ex-Xoom owner) and have had 0 issues with it besides the cord not being dog proof, maybe I should send that suggestion into Asus for the Transformer 3
TF101 cable should work just fine.
---------- Post added at 04:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 PM ----------
Plus, if the connectors are still intact you should easily be able to splice it together assuming you have enough good cable left. Without getting too technical...just match up the cables by color. Remember to insulate each cable connection with some electrical tape or shrink tubing.
frys usually has the adapters and cables for the tf101, which should work fine with the prime.
If anything you could buy a power mat!
tylermaciaszek said:
If anything you could buy a power mat!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how would that work with the prime?
Awsome I was hoping the older cable would work, no one has anything for the Prime in stock yet. I didn't know the power mat would work with the Prime but if it does that would be really cool.
Thanks for all the speedy replys I was down to 25% charge and getting worried lol
They make power mats for a bunch of electronics sure you can findone for tablets
best buy is where I got my replacement for the original tf after I fried it by water getting in the connector!
Bastage20 said:
My Dog last night decided to chew my power cable into three pieces rendering it unusable in its current chew toy state. I am ordering a new Charger as soon as the Asus Estore comes back up but was wondering if I would be able to splice the cable back together in a much shorter from of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From a previous post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1371834
They are the same. Used my wifes t101 cable to charge the prime last night.
So any store that has a TF101 cable should work.
Check out my accessory guide for all of your PRIME goodies
Ultimate Transformer PRIME TF201 Accessory Guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=20013463#post20013463
Currently I just have the tablet and have been thinking about buying the keyboard dock.
Is it worth $130? I currently have a laptop here at school, along with a desktop, and my tablet. My brother thinks it would be dumb to get the keyboard dock, because I would essentially have 3 computers.
Opinions?
I've heard people say that once you use the dock, you "almost" forget about using your other options. I just got my wife a TF101 and the dock for Valentine's Day and she doesn't want to use the tablet without the dock. I plan on picking up a dock for my Transformer soon because after playing with hers, I definitely need to have one. Hope that helps but at the end of the day, it's your decision and your wallet that's being affected.
I got both..
The question is
Is this replacing your laptop? If so i would say get a dock.. Its easier for me to type with the dock.. I only have it out the dock when going outside or gaming.
Other plus is the battery in the dock.
Just my 2cents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
i thought i will get the dock play with it for a week and leave and idont its one of the best buys i had and consider the fact that here is costs 250 us dollars
ifind the dock a very good replacement for my other 2 laptops first of all its quite smaller than a mini laptop so its great for me to carry around
second the battery is awesome im working with it almost every day all day and the battery never died
even when im browsing the internet listening to music and downloading torrents
the time here is 18:20 right now im using it since around 4:30 i have 74 battery on dock
also it supports a few games so it nice to play with it
there are also 2 usb ports for DOK or xbox controller or ps3 controller for gaming
even some 3g dongles are supported
i pesonally find the dock one of the best buys for me
now it up for you to decide
p.s sorry for writing too much lol
You can never have enough computers
I bought the dock three days ago and am very pleased with it.
Typing is faster than the onscreen keyboard and battery life has doubled.
I also use it as a stand, so I don't have to use a case as a stand.
not sure if this has been answered before but can the dock charge other thing through usb like say a phone
i had the tablet for about 3 months without the dock and loved it. I got it about 2 months ago and its awesome. great build quality, battery is great, you can plug just about anything usb into it, thumb/hard drives, wireless mice, etc.
you wont use your laptop except to burn dvd's.
Hell, its great even to have as a charging station, its so easy to take on and off.
If you've got the money to spend, you wont regret it.
---------- Post added at 07:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:49 PM ----------
Ligerblue said:
not sure if this has been answered before but can the dock charge other thing through usb like say a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, when the tablet is on the dock it will charge phones etc.
if you remove the tablet it becomes useless, except to charge itself.
I agree with the other posters; the dock rocks! I use my tablet pretty much exclusively with the dock. With it the Transformer can easily replace a laptop.
One advantage I haven't seen mentioned yet (at least in this thread) is the dock also protects the tablet's screen, when they are folded together.
Hermit, when the transformer is folded into the keyboard dock, is it secured by some mechanism?
LeoBloom. said:
Hermit, when the transformer is folded into the keyboard dock, is it secured by some mechanism?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its kinda like spring loaded. Its a very firm hold, it doesn't flap around or anything.
If thats what you mean,
if your talking about how the tf attaches to the dock, then there are two hooks on the dock that lock into the bottom of the tf. then you have to slide the switch over to get it out. again very secure and firm.
Get the dock! I bought tablet alone at first but after a two months I decided to get the dock - and it changed the whole game! More juice, easier typing when needed, usb ports, card reader, even (rom based) 3g dongle!
Deffinetely go for it!
BTW - since I got TF (and the dock later) I didn't touched my laptop more than few times!
Bought it yesterday and got it today (F'yeah Amazon Prime)
It's awesome! I don't know why I have a laptop now >_<
dock is really awesome
it looks and feels amazing with tab attached to it! and battery life is incredible
I have to agree with everyone's comments about the dock - and as to "replacing" or having an extra computer......I have a dual screen I7, TF101, a hand me down Toshiba Tecra running as a home server, and a now dead Asus Slate (still trying to fix).
I have a Dell Studio XPS laptop that always overheats and runs out of battery way too fast. It's great and all but not practical for school use. I don't get much time near a charger so it's annoying to lug around a dead laptop.
I bought the tf in my first semester of college and absolutely adored it. I used it for everything and used it all day to bring it home with still 60-70% charge. 6 months later I bought the dock and it's just the cherry on top. It works beautifully, it's small, it's fast, it does everything I need it to do (Web surfing, music, study, gaming) and last days without charging (Doesn't heat up at all, only a little tiny bit when charging)
My laptop now stays at home as my webserver as an alternative to buying another desktop.
It's all up to you if you're going to use it enough to pay the $130 for the dock.
I just got the dock yesterday and have to say, it is very nice indeed.. I have a question though.
How do the little doors/flaps hold up for the USB connectors? They seem a bit flimsy and I was wondering if anyone has had any problems with those?
Get the dock.
The Transformer is only as good as the other offerings (Xoom/Tab/iPad) without it. With it, it's the best tablet on the market bar none...
Sell one of your laptops to fund it
Just to echo what everyone else is saying,
When I first saw the TF at I think it was CES (or MWC) last year, I thought it was just another android tablet. Its got a keyboard? Great, iPad has stuff like that too, so whatever.
But then my friend got one in the summer AND IT FOLDS UP LIKE A LAPTOP?! Sold! AND ITS A BATTERY?! AND A TRACKPAD?! USB PORTS?!
Needless to say, I was incredulous. The keyboard I think is what sets it apart from everything else on the market (save the prime). You can have your galaxy tabs and your xooms and xyboards - have fun typing on them. Not to mention all the function keys along the top row with shortcuts for the browser, settings, volume, brightness, probably some other stuff.
And it probably wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to throw a sizable SD into the dock to supplement your storage.
I wouldn't wait a second to buy the dock. Best addition to a tab ever. So much easier to type and the screen is protected during travel. Only downside is the additional $$$ really.
The extra battery life alone makes the dock worth it. Since getting the dock, I've put my Macbook pro up for sale and am just using my tablet (use my media pc for everything else).
One thing I wish is that the trackpad worked more like a real mouse (ie. when you're trying to drag something on the screen (to select text or drag the screen of a flash window). Right now it just acts as though you are touching the screen with your finger. It's still a lot better though. I find myself using the touchscreen more than the trackpad though (unless I need to make more precise touches).
I have no regrets of getting the dock.
Be warned though, if you let the battery in the dock completely die, you will need to plug it into a 5V power adapter to get the tablet to communicate properly with the dock's battery (will show up as 0% even if it's fully charged). I just plug my USB cable into my USB-110V adapter for my blackberry for a few seconds and it's good to go again.