When I first received the laptop I heard rattling inside the case.I took the bottom panel off, (when replacing the HDD with a Solid State drive I found two loose screws and pieces of plastic fragments on top of the motherboard just rolling around.I didn’t see any missing screws, so whoever assembled this laptop must have dropped them inside and never bothered to check for anything loose before putting it together.It’s a good thing it didn’t short something out.Bad quality control ASUS!

This is a very nice looking notebook.It has an aluminum display back and what looks like aluminum where the keyboard is. It’s actually just plastic.Everything else is also plastic.The problem with the metal plating on the back of the display is that it is a finger print magnet and they are very difficult to remove.The metal is just for show and really doesn’t add to the build quality vs. a laptop that is all plastic.

It has a very fast Intel I5 processor which is crippled by the very slow Samsung 1TB 5400rpm hard drive.You can replace the hard drivewith a solid state drive by taking the bottom panel off and carefully prying it past the locking tabs all the way around the frame.I used a thick guitar pick and the bottom panel came off rather easily.There are 4 screws holding the HDD caddy in place.Once I replaced the HDD the performance was a monumental improvement.It’s obvious the CPU was constantly waiting on the slow drive, making this laptop feel really slow.Boot times before were easily over a minute and after, with the SSD, it booted in less than 8 seconds.

There is no DVD drive,so you will have to buy an external if needed.

ASUS uses like 6 partitions on the HDD which is ridiculous.You get a C: partition for the OS and applications and a D: partition for data.I’m OK with this, but there are also multiple hidden partitions for restore and recovery.When I installed the SSD I just migrated the two OS partitions and made one large C drive on a 500GB Samsung EVO 850 SSD, saving a lot of space.I created an image of the original HDD so if I ever need to put it back to factory condition, I have the image on hand.I’ll use the 1TB internal HDD as an external backup drive.By the way, the Samsung EVO Solid State drives are very affordable and work great.I have installed more than 10 of them now without a hitch.Why laptop manufacturers aren’t putting SSD’s in laptops now that the prices have dropped is beyond me.

The display was a big disappointment to me.It’s a high resolution 1080p display but it is very dim and it has virtually no contrast.You just can’t seem to adjust it to get a sharp image. It’s not terrible, it’s just not very good.Below average I would call it.The screen is very hard to read and has a glossy finish to it which makes it virtually impossible to use in any kind of bright lighting condition.Bad decision ASUS!They obviously saved money on this panel.It’s a standard TN panel and a cheap one at that.I played around a little with the touch screen and it works fine.This may be the saving grace for the terrible touch pad – (see below)

I believe you can also upgrade the RAM from 8GB to 12GB’s even though ASUS says you can’t.There is a metal box over the memory with a single 4GB stick in it.The other is built into the motherboard which you can’t replace.If you take the metal cover off, you should be able to replace the 4GB stick with an 8GB one.You also can replace the battery once you have the bottom panel off.

The next disappointment was with the touch pad.It’s very sensitive and if you use any pressure at all, it just doesn’t respond.What’s even worse is there are no software adjustments for sensitivity.Why laptops manufacturers can’t make a decent touch pad is frustrating.It’s an essential component for using a laptop and this one just plain sucks.The left and right buttons are incorporated into the pad and are very hard to press.T I ended up using a Logitech wireless trackball with it, but this defeats the purpose of using it as a LAP top.

The speakers are just fair.ASUS touts how great the sound is, but in actuality, it is worse than my 7 year old cheap Lenovo laptop.This is just marketing hype – don’t buy it.Not much to brag about here.

The keyboard is also pretty bad.It works, but has a cheap plastic feel to it.Manufacturers have all gone to the chicklet keyboard which is not an improvement IMO.I still love the old IBM Thinkpad keyboard on their older laptops.Unfortunately, even Lenovo has gone away from them to make more profit using cheap keyboards.

Another annoying thing about this laptop is they don’t have a HDD activity LED.I really like knowing the HDD is active when using a laptop – nope it’s not there.There are however, lights for the caps lock and numeric pad.Why no HDD activity light ASUS?

Windows 8 is really annoying – hopefully windows 10 will be better.I put the program Start 8 on windows 8 to make it run like Windows 7.It’s at least tolerable now.

A couple of other things to note:Only 1 USB 3 port.It would have been nice to have more but you can always buy a USB 3 hub.Again, why can’t they just make all ports USB 3?They are backward compatible anyway.

Built in camera only is VGA quality.I don’t Skype with my laptop, but if you do, you will be disappointed in the camera quality.

In summary, this laptop is a mixed bag:

Pros:

Fast, Energy efficient Intel processor I5 processor
Decent built in GPU with new Intel 5500 chip
Great versatility of having a touch screen with Windows 8/10 – helps with the navigation with a very bad touch pad
High resolution display, but lacks brightness and contrast – to much glare ona glossy screen
No problem with the current Atheros WIFI adapter as others have commented on before – latest drivers installed
You can at least get to the HDD without tearing apart the entire computer like other models.
Fairly light and thin form factor
Metal backing for the back of the display and keyboard frame – however, creates finger prints like crazy
Very little bloatware except for ASUS registration and McAfee Antivirus, which is easy to remove

Cons:
Crippling slow hard disk drive – plan on replacing with an SSD
No internal DVD drive
Can’t easily upgrade memory due to large shield over the removable memory – however 8GB’s should be enough for most people
Bad touch pad – not responsive and left/right buttons too hard to press
Screen is very dim and lacks contrast and punch
No back-lit keyboard – BIG ISSUE IN MY BOOK
Only 1 USB 3 port
No WIFI AC mode
No HDD activity light
Terrible VGA built in camera
Chiclet keyboard is fair at best
Sound is fair at best
No user replaceable battery
Documentation is installed on your hard drive
Convoluted partition setup and difficult restore procedures
Quality control is lacking with loose parts inside my new machine
ASUS service is known to be terrible

I’ll update this review after I have had more time to use the laptop.I’d rate it just fair for now.The notebook was priced OK, but previous models were better for the same price.I don’t like where manufacturers are going with the new laptops today.They are after higher margins at the expense of quality and the consumer, who usually doesn’t know better is going to get the short end of the stick.

ASUS is not the only manufacturer doing this, however, according to a recent laptop manufacture review, ASUS has slipped to near last for quality control and service.They get high ratings on design, but be prepared for a lot of compromises.

Update July 30, 2015:

I just upgraded to Windows 10 without much of a problem.Be aware that if you do this you will have to download the new track pad gesture software for Windows 10 from the ASUS website.Other than that, no issues and Windows 10 is a very nice upgrade over Windows 8.1.Windows 10 has some really nice features for 2 in one laptop like this to use as a tablet.I haven’t explored all of the functions yet, but plan to in the near future.

I found there are adjustments for the monitor {Gama, etc.) in the Intel GPU software – but it’s buried)I wasn’t able to make the monitor much better, but I am getting more used to it now.I think there is some adjustment going from a 720P screen to a 1080P.

ASUS says you can’t upgrade the HDD to an SSD – YES YOU CAN ASUS!!!!I just did it and it works like a new computer now.In fact, it is very easy to do.Send me a PM if you need some assistance.I didn’t bother upgrading the RAM, but I believe you can upgrade to 12GB’s if want as well.You just need to remove the metal shield from the motherboard to get access to the memory slot.I’ve also found that battery life is significantly better with a SSD drive installed.My average boot times with the SSD are around 6-8 seconds.I ran the Samsung performance benchmarks and this system exceeds all of them by a good margin.

The things that bug me the most about this laptop is the lack of back lit keys and lack of sensitivity adjustment to the touch pad.The touch pad works fine as long as you touch it very lightly.Even so, I find I’m constantly launching something I didn’t intend to.The glare from the screen is also annoying.I think the glossy finish this screen has makes the screen seem so washed out.I use the machine a lot in a dark environment and find myself constantly turning the light on to see the keys.The screen is very sharp, but being so glossy just makes it difficult to use in any kind of bright lighting condition.

If you go into the Intel GPU software control panel you can adjust Gamma under the Color settings.If you drop it down to .7 from the default of 1, it makes the screen much easier to read.

Other than these issues, I’m starting to like the laptop the more I use it, but this is only contingent upon replacing the slow HDD with an SSD.Otherwise, this is just a very average laptop and is only worthy of three stars.If you replace the HDD with an SSD, I would rate this laptop as a solid 4 star rating.The performance is amazing with an SSD installed and it’s a crime to put a standard HDD with such a fast computer.

Came with Windows 8.1 and upgraded the next day to WIndows 10 which I really liked. One word of caution. I actually upgraded all threeof my computers on the same day and the upgrades were all straightforward and smooth. However, I had used a mouse while performing the ASUS upgrade. Later when I disconnected it, the Touchpad had stopped working. Had one bad experience earlier with Tech Support, but this time around, the technician was great. Apparently, Windows 10 can disable some features. It was a ten minute fix. You may not have the same problem, but be aware if you do that it should be quickly resolved with tech support.

Now to the critical part. Did the machine meet my expectations, particularly because I went with the i5 rather than the i7. I have been using all three machines in different capacities and the feel on the ASUS is comparable. By that I mean that I do not perceive any noticeable difference when running on the ASUS. So it passes my original objective of purchasing a travel computer. A couple of things to be aware of. The screen is directional so you have to move it back and forth to find its optimum viewing position. When you do, the screen is very sharp, The keyboard is flat and for some people that is an issue, but would say that it is typical of other laptop keyboards. It does come with multiple USB ports. It does not come with an optical drive, but again, it is something that I do not need for a travel computer as I can always connect an external drive if that was needed. The hard drive is divided half into apps and half into data. That is a nuisance, though Windows 10 is intended to make storage opaque to the user. It is possible if you need less storage and want more performance to upgrade to a solid state hard drive. Finally, the approximate 5 lbs is much less than my other 9 lbs. laptop but certainly more than my wife’s 3 lb laptop.

So, if your need is for a reasonable mobile computer, I have found this to a solid choice for the price. If you are looking for a cutting edge mobile computer, you can expect to pay for more. But as you can see, this computer met my expectations for how I intended to use it. I did have some frustrating startup issues, but they were quickly resolved. I have given this five stars as a travel computer, but if you are intending to use this to replace your main computer, the rating would drop. It comes with a reasonable set of features, but less than what I would want if this was to be my main computer. Overall, for the price, I found it a good value.

- The processor is fast enough to play Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, and streaming sports (e.g. MLB.tv) without any problems.
- The 802.11ac wifi makes for particularly fast file transfer speeds.
- It was especially easy to set up.
- The multiple USB 3.0 ports are useful for peripheral devices (e.g. my webcam seems to work much faster in the 3.0 port)
- The price point is fantastic.
- Both the hard drive and the ram can be upgraded, and when I was considering other devices, this was a serious selling point when comparing with a Mac Mini.
- The tiny footprint has freed up a lot of space on my entertainment center.
- The machine starts up relatively fast, and the processor keeps up with all of the processes I use the machine for.

I will say though, that out of the box, without the upgrades I did, the machine is still peppy, but the stock 500GB hard drive slows things down considerably when compared to an SSD. I have a laptop with an SSD, so my tolerance for lag is quite low, so chances are most people who aren't used to an SSD will find the performance of this machine acceptable. As with any computer, the addition of an SSD is one of the most noticeable improvements you can make. I can't say enough about the Samsung 850 Pro SSD I installed. It is the fastest drive on the market today and is very reasonable in price, providing you don't need over 500GB because it gets quite pricey above that level. The drive even has a technology that will use part of the system RAM for extra cache if you choose to enable that feature. That's amazing!!!

Once I did this, the inability to resume from sleep was no longer an issue. Also, I put a $hitload of ram in it for no reason. (12gbs)

Imagine that, 12gbs of ram with a celeron processor. Pretty much all of Windows is cached in RAM LOL.

Its a cheap and mediocre machine, although i like ASUS's design and layout, the actual hardware and software should have been better thought out. For a HTPC its fine, for a family youtube and facebook machine its nice, with built in speakers to reduce desk clutter and a plethora of jack all mounted in the rear (4 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, Full size Displayport and HDMI, optical audio out and analog audio out)

Pros:
- "All in 1" desktop
- Built in audio (just realized when I switched off HDMI cable since I was using on a TV)
- Enough USB spots (4x 3.0 and 2x 2.0)
- SD card reader available
- HDMI out
- Really quiet
- cold
- Built in WiFi and Bluetooth (works nicely)
- It comes with Keyboard and Mouse!It was a surprise when I opened the box.

Cons:
- If you really really need CD, you will miss a DVD-ROM drive.But those will be harder and harder to find soon, so not a problem for me...

I do recommend this PC.

Recommend following steps to enjoy this wonderful device:

1. Read as much of favorable and unfavorable reviews on Amazon before powering up.
2. Fully charge before powering up.
3. Do not do any windows update until you do #4
4. Go to "pc settings" andchange windows update setting from auto install to "download updates but let me choose whether to install them". So much of crashing has been due to auto update installation coming off sleep mode or during booting(especially the large update right off the bat). Windows will let you know that there are updates to be installed. Now you are able to review and choose ones you want to install. More importantly, you are installing updates while the device is up and running (thereby reducing the risk of being locked out). I've had two instances of "failed to install" on updates during this manual installation but no crashing. When I retried to install on the next day, installation was successful in both cases. By the way, I have installed all updates so far.
5. Asus has new BIOS update on their website - strongly recommend updating to BIOS 220
6. Turn off three finger and edge gesture on touchpad.
7. I use my Samsung galaxy note 2 charger with no problem. I think any Samsung or LG smartphone chargers would work. Its not any faster but has longer cord.
8. Call Asus customer service with any issues. Generally they are helpful. If Asus recommend sending in for repair, try returning it to the retailer for exchange or refund first.
9. Buy illumishield screen protector - your screen is no longer a fingerprint magnet.
10. Get 64GB as 32GB is not enough.

Hope above helps. This is a fantastic device, doubly so at this price.

Update:
I've had this device for nearly three weeks with no problem whatsoever. In fact, with Windows and BIOS updates, its performance has improved. For example, the touchpad works better and battery consumption during sleep mode has gone down from 5% per hour to 1%.

I have kept my windows update setting to manual installation and do not intend to allow auto installation until crashing issues are completely resolved. There is nothing to lose by taking this precaution and judging by many Windows update related crashes still being reported, this is a prudent action.

Update 2:
Its been nearly month and half and this devise has mostly replaced my desktop. I bought 22 inch Samsung HDTV to replace 17 inch monitor. Micro HDMI to HDMI cable connection allows me to watch Netflix while doing email, web surf, or word doc on TV screen. Simply amazing.

For the past week, I have changed windows update setting to auto installation with no issues - got tired of almost daily windows defender update.

I still recommend new users to maintain manual windows update installation for the first three weeks. My daughter recently purchased Dell Venue 11 Pro (for bigger screen and slightly better spec) and got locked out after allowing automatic windows update installation. As is the case with T100, there is a large initial windows update on Dell Venue. The thing would not turn on no matter what we tried. She received a new one few days ago and needless to say, MANUAL INSTALLATION only.

As the thanksgiving approached, I was in hunt for a tablet that fulfilled all these requirements. By some luck, I came across Asus t100 transformer notebook. I bought it in a lightning deal for $299 from Amazon.com. Here are the pros and cons from my point of view:

Pros:
- It comes with a full Windows 8.1. Since this is a tablet, Windows 8.1 is really easy to use with the touchscreen.
- It has a Microsoft Office 2013 student (Only thing the student version lacks is Microsoft Outlook which I don't use; so I don't care about it.)
- 64 GB memory (The maximum memory the best of the Android tablets have is 32 GB).
- The cost includes the keyboard.
- It is very lightweight
- It can be used both as a small computer and as a tablet.
- The screen can be tilted when placed on the keyboard.
- Presence of a USB 3.0 port which means that I can use optical mouse/ pen drive/ external hard disk etc
- Micro-HDMI port is also available (But you need to buy a separate cable to use it)
- You can take handwritten notes in the screen using the One Note application (You need to buy a separate stylus for it)
- I love the reading mode - The screen becomes yellow (like an old, well read book - I am reminded of my well worn Harry Potter books), and that makes it much more comfortable to read.
- Sound quality is pretty good and it produces quite a loud sound for its size.

Cons:
- The screen might be a bit small (for people who like big screens)
- The keyboard may be cramped for seasoned typists and people with big hands.
- The touch pad is kind of small. (My suggestion is to buy a mouse)
- The screen and the back of the tablet are fingerprint magnets (I bought a skinomi carbon fiber skin+screen guard to rectify this)

I gave 5 stars for this product because this product exactly suits my needs. I am not a gamer (I don't play computer games); I am not a programmer; I am just an ordinary student. And this beauty has become my companion wherever I go. She is beautiful, talented, and understands and caters to my needs. Thank you, Asus for bringing out this beautiful product.

All I need to do is write email, check some websites, and take notes in school!
But.... the iPad doesn't offer much control over the device and files, so sending and sharing files was a nightmare, and the Android crashed too often. With that said...

Some Information
+ I find the ASUS Transformer very easy to use
+ Very open and customizable
+ Battery life on average lasts me about 10 hours
+ Easily send and receive files because of the Windows File Explorer! :)
+ Comes with a USB port
+ Transforms from a Tablet into a Notebook so you can have the best of both worlds.
+ Unlike the iPad it has a SD slot to easily upgrade memory + It actually comes with only about 8GB of memory, which might not be enough for most people so I'd recommend the 128 GB SanDisk SD card ( http://amzn.to/11uCCj3 )
+ Runs Flash videos and games
+ Webcam (front facing camera)
+ HDMI port to hook up to a TV
+ Fully compatible with Microsoft Office and comes with Windows 8.1

The specs are great and the features are amazing, it's definitely a grande experience. One thing I might also recommend is buying a $4 protective screen cover at to keep the fingerprints and dust under control. Because the screen gets a little smudgy from all the touching.

So far it's super fast. I am really pleased with the functionality given how little I spent. I've been purchasing ASUS for myself and my family since 2009 and I've never been disappointed (even with refurbished products).

For those who complain about right-click issues:
This is when android know-how proves useful. When you want to right-click, hold your finger over the spot (on the touch-screen) and it will do right-click functions. There's probably some update or driver you can install, but I don't care enough to look it up.

For those who complain about the device not shutting off and sucking up battery:
It's Windows 8.1, OF COURSE it shuts down. You swipe on thefar right of the screen and follow the steps to shut it down just like any windows computer.

For those who complain about the power cord:
Seriously?! Why are you whining?! The ipad cord is just as bad. I'm an android user, so I already have a spare that is way better. Or you could just....you know...buy a better one for $10.

To be clear, this runs Windows 8.1 just like a standard laptop would. It's identical to the larger laptops I've had, but I intend to do much less with this device. I bought this for on-the-go email and calendar management, and touching up documents. It came with movie-editing and photo-editing software but I deleted it because it's a waste of space for me. I could probably do more, but I have a desktop for power productivity.At the end of the day, this does laps around even the latest ipad and costs a fraction of the price. Thank you, ASUS!

What I bought was a "Used - Very Good" tablet from a seller named "Triad Merchant". It was listed here as the model with a 32GB eMMC (hard drive) and a z3735 CPU. My old broken tablet has the z3775 CPU, but I figured I could live with a minor downgrade, probably not even notice it... lol When the tabled arrived, I was happy to see it shipped in the original box and packaging, and even included all the original paperwork including warranty papers, owners manual, a license card for Office, etc. There was no charger or USB cable included, but that was noted in the listing. Apart from a few minor scratches on the back of the tablet, it looks nearly new. No wear on the keys or touchpad, screen was flawless, etc. If it was used much, it was well taken care of. When first powered up, I found that it had been fully restored and had Windows 8.1 on it, it worked as if it were brand new and I was setting it up for the first time. I went through the basic setup and ran it for a few hours to make sure everything worked, then wiped it and performed a clean install of Windows 10. I was happy to see it activated with a digital license, meaning it had been upgraded to Windows 10 at some point before being factory restored to sell. Nice! I was also happy to see this particular one actually has the z3740 cpu, and a 64GB eMMC. Great!

So while I was a little reluctant to purchase a used tablet from a random seller here on Amazon, I'm glad I decided to take a chance. I ended up getting a tablet with better specs than was listed, that shipped and arrived really fast, at a great price! Perfect all around. :)

I should also note that so far after a couple of days of using it, the battery in this particular tablet seems to work at least as good as the one in my old tablet, which was pretty much as good as new. Battery Bar Pro is reporting 5% wear on my old tablet's battery, and so far 0% wear on this new one.