Asus has officially launched the Transformer Prime, the first tablet to feature the Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

The Android tablet, the follow up to the populat Eee Pad Transformer, is super slim at just 8.3mm, has a 10.1″ screen with ten finger multi-touch, 8MP rear camera and includes the optional snap-on Qwerty keyboard that transforms the device into a fully functioning notebook complete with extended battery life. It will launch with Android 3.2, but an update to Android 4.0 will also be available in due course.

The Transformer Prime will be available from December, priced $499 for the 32GB version and $599 for the 64GB, with the keyboard dock  $149. UK prices yet to be confirmed.

As of yet, there have been very few Android tablets which have truly delivered everything we want to see in a tablet. That isn’t to say that they’ve all been let downs, fortunately there has been a few gems to pop their heads through, Galaxy Tab anyone? One of the best tablets to pass through our hands in recent times was the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, which, when docked with the detachable keyboard, offered one of the best Android tablet experiences ever. So when we first heard about the Asus’ new version of the original Transformer, the Transformer Prime, needless to say we got a few goosebumps. So what is there to get excited about the new Asus Transformer Prime? Well, here are a few standout things!

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1. 14.5 hours of battery life

Ding ding, round one! Specifications aren’t everything, but they can give you a pretty good idea of what the phone will run like. If you’re considering buying one of Samsung’s premier phones, or are looking for an upgrade, then read on as we compare the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Lets face it, neither phone is going to win any ‘compact phone of the year’ awards, as both of them are behemoth devices. The Samsung Galaxy S2 measures in at 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49 mm, it isn’t a small device, but it isn’t too big either. Now if we compare that to the whopping dimensions of the Galaxy Nexus, 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94 mm, it seems that Samsung have gone bigger in all areas. We do worry that the size may be a bit too big for the smaller handed among us, but bigger smartphones = better smartphone, right? The jury is still out on that one. The same can be said for the weight of both devices as well, the S2 weighs in at a flabby 116g while the Nexus breaks the scales at 135g, time to flex those muscles ladies and gentlemen.

We’ve had great experiences with the screens that Samsung have equipped to their phones, and these two are no exception. The Galaxy S2 boasted a Super AMOLED Plus screen, on a lovingly big 4.2″ display. We loved it, colours look vibrant and clear, and having a 4″ screen just feels right. The Galaxy Nexus has gone all out to improve upon that, and we’re going to see a HD Super AMOLED screen with a gigantic 4.65″ display, our mouths water at the sheer thought of it. Like we said previously, we’ve had a terrific experience with the screen on the Galaxy S2, and we hope that this carries over to the new Nexus.

Cast your mind back to July 2005, anything memorable happen that month? Well, it was the month in which Google acquired Android to its portfolio. During this time, Google had been buying several small start-up businesses, the majority of which never saw the light of day, but Android turned out to be somewhat of a rarity, a small business with a future. Co-founded by Andy Rubin, who is now the Google Senior Vice President of Mobile, Android was nothing more than a speck within the mobile industry, a small time company who made software for mobile phones, nothing special and nothing out of the ordinary.

For the first couple of years after Google’s acquisition, nothing much happened in the world of Android, as far as we know, they just kept doing what they were doing, making solid and reliable software. But then comes a certain Mr Jobs, who unveils the, at the time, hotly anticipated, iPhone. Thanks to the wonderful world of technology sites, there was several rumours flying about regarding whether Google would bring out a rival phone to the iPhone, a gPhone anyone?, but it didn’t come to fruition and instead Android soon hit the headlines for something entirely different. On the 5th of November, 2007, Google finally admitted they had been looking into developing their own phone, but that they had also fully developed an entire open-source OS to rival that of Microsoft and the rest. No prizes for guessing the name of this so called open-source OS.

So how did Android become the face, and name, of Google’s developed OS? Well, Apple and Microsoft’s success at the time was staggering, and to try become a rival by themselves, Google probably wouldn’t have stood a chance. Instead it was a major force in creating the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), something which is still running today, along with HTC, Samsung and several other big players in the industry. From that point on, the Android OS was to become a permanent feature in Google’s armory. After several glimpses of the OS in the next few weeks, developers started to get an idea of what could be achieved through the new OS, and in February 2008, Qualcomm, and a few other companies, announced they would be manufacturing chipsets for a very basic, and original version of the OS, Android was very much alive.

Source: Android

The things we like..

1. Android 4.0

As well as the announcement of the new Nexus, we were also treated to a look at the new Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich for the more avid-follower, and yes, it seems like a fantastic update. The user interface has been given a complete overhaul, and several new features have been introduced. For one, Ice Cream Sandwich will use a face recognition system to unlock your phone, as well as include Android Beam, a feature which enables you to share webpages and apps quickly and efficiently. Best of all, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first device to get Android 4.0.

It is the largest overhaul of the OS yet, with a wealth of new features, a new UI that combines the best of the phone and tablet OSes, plenty of polish and even a new font.

The video below guides you through the best of the new features. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.