Asus has fired its off its opening salvo of Windows 8 tablets with a new range of 'Transformer' style devices dubbed the Asus Vivo Tab. Like the Asus Transformer Pad range, the Vivo is a tablet-cum-laptop hybrid where a tablet device docks into a keyboard base-station to become a netbook-sized laptop.
Those who are as concerned with etymology as we are will be interested to know that Vivo comes from the Latin verb meaning 'to live', so it's just as well Asus is touting this as a device for both work and play.
The Vivo Tab is the big brother of the Vivo range and rocks an Intel Atom Clover Trail processor, rather than a low-powered ARM-based chipset. This means there's enough power for running rich applications, whether that's from the Windows Store or traditional desktop-based programs.
If the very name 'Intel Atom' is enough to strike fear into your heart, then you might want to look more closely at this latest offering from Intel, who have invested heavily in this architecture over the last year. This is the next generation Atom chip that runs on a tidy 32nm die making it power efficient, yet it still packs Ivy Bridge graphics with plenty of power for Windows 8.
Being x86, you still get the compatibility and flexibility of an Intel Core chip, but without the devastating power footprint and wallet-walloping cost. There's also 2GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage, making it a decent competitor in what's becoming a packed market.
The Clover Trail Asus Vivo Tab measures just 8.7mm thick, not bad for something that packs the power of a mid-range laptop, weights 675g without the docking station and boasts an 11.6-inch Super IPS+ screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768. We have to say this looks fantastic with Windows 8 and the new Windows UI (strictly not called Metro, you understand) simply jumps from the screen, and apps loaded quickly, with minimal lag.
Aside from the touchscreen input method, and the keyboard dock's trackpad, there's also a stylus pen that uses Wacom technology and shows that Asus is giving the Vivo Tab every chance of being a success. Samsung has also done a similar thing by drawing on the excellent S-Pen technology in their hybrids, which means the battle for supremacy will be an interesting race.
If there was one complaint from the highly successful Transformer series it was the weighting of the unit while docked, and its tendency to over balance backwards during use. This was the first thing we looked for when getting hands-on with the Vivo, and while our on-stand test was by no means scientific, the weight distribution felt more even; closer to a normal laptop or netbook than on the Asus Transformer Prime.
Build quality was exceptional, and we prefer the solid keyboard dock to that of the Asus Transformer Prime. It felt solid, and our impression was that the keys had a tad more cushioning and refinement than its Android cousin.
Of course we have no idea how much this will put the Vivo at a premium, but with Asus' track record recently of delivering products at enviable pricing, we're hoping for a great value tablet.
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