Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Initial Review upon 4 days of use: I went through 3 different Laptops in search of my new Notebook PC (to replace a great Dell Inspiron that I have had for 5 years). So, first question: Why not go with another Dell? First, Dell has been slipping lately in Customer Satisfaction. But more importantly, I was looking for a convertible notebook... something that could flip completely around and allow tablet-like operation. At present, Dell does not have a good one of those that I am aware of. ASUS has been creating great laptops for the last many years and they keep getting better, so I had to look at ASUS in my selection process. I also looked at 4 other notebooks in my process (5 if you count the Flex). Before the ASUS: First I looked at an i7 Sony FIT, just because it was a great price and better specs. My judgement after a week of use: Let's just say no...nothing seemed to work right with this laptop... and since it was not a convertible (2-in-1) I moved past it quickly, despite the great price for the i7. The performance was sub par and useability terrible. Next, I seriously considered the Lenovo Flex. You can get some great deals on the Flex, and it is a well made, beautiful and powerful line. Only problem? It FLEXES only so far... so it can NOT fold back on itself... one option I really wanted for my unique needs. I just don't see the benefit of a 270 degree flexible PC. I played with a friends, was impressed, but it gave me no benefit and was not a true convertible. Third, I purchased the Sony Vaio Flip... a great little 14 inch wonder that is sleek, gorgeous, and utterly unremarkable in performance. The "flip" mechanism was super neat, and shows great design. People commented on the design and beauty. It's a stunner. The problem after two weeks? Horribly loud fan, problematic USB and port placement, pedestrian performance, and the killer, the saggy, mushy keyboard, that caused typing to be a chore. (The keyboard looked great with a back lit keys, but it was impossible to type for any length of time). The Sony Vaio FLip went FLOP and I returned it. I really wanted to like it, I couldn't. I did look at the gorgeous Lenovo Yoga 2. Hey, that has got to be the best convertible 2-in-1 out there! But the HIGH PRICE TAG (north of $1K) and lack of size (13.3 screen is the best size you will get... no 14 or 15 inch screens) made the choice of the Lenova Yoga 2 impossible for me to consider. I would recommend it to those with better bank accounts and those who love the excellent styling, super thin and light weight, and fast performance. That leaves us number 5: The Asus Transformer Flip. ASUS TRANSFORMER FLIP: ASUS is an outstanding brand, and when the Sony showed its true colors (infamous "sony" failings), the ASUS was really my number 1 choice. This model would need to be considered nearly a budget consideration compared to most of the other convertibles I considered. Yet, it is clearly superior in every way to the Sony Vaio, even tho the vaio cost $300 more. The ASUS is clearly a top-level contender. It is fast, it is a dream to type on (no, this model doesn't have the backlit keyboard). But the keyboard has the perfect "travel" for keys and is firm with the Aluminum casing. The fan is quiet and this thing runs cool. It is speedy, at least compared with the same spec'd Vaio and faster than the i7 Fit. The one Terabyte drive is so much faster than the 500 GB hard drive on the vaio. (Twice the hard drive size and twice as speedy) And the wifi card seems to be substantially better as well (no wifi issues...and my internal wifi card is the mediatek...so those issues must have been resolved with the driver update). The FLIP mechanism (hinge) is sturdy and was well tested before being put into production. Touch screen super responsive and accurate, unlike Vaio. And the touchpad (next to keyboard) is so much better than the Sony's impossible touch pad. Now, I still like having a mouse for serious work, but it is nice to have a workable touchpad. Comes with Bluetooth, as well. Comes with WIndows 8.1 and updated drivers. Now, I must confess, I downloaded the free Classic Shell from CNET's site... and I love being able to have a classic START BUTTON when I want it... need it. I heard we are to expect Windows 8.2 will have a real start button again! I love having the brilliant 15.6" screen, and at a full 1080P... beautiful. Cons: None thus far. Well, it is not as thin and light as the Lenova Yoga 2 units are. I will try to update this from time to time as I learn more about this impressive notebook. Update October 2014: Still love this notebook! Wonderful pc. A pleasure to use. I will say that if you want to use this as a true tablet, know that weight will be an issue. My tablet like use of this great PC alway's keeps it on a desk, so not a problem for me. If you want to carry everwhere, try the Yoga. Or, I have a super lite tablet when that is what I need....This notebook is my daily work PC, it still shines with all 5 stars! As of January 29, 2015, I am still very pleased with my purchase. Since I take this with me to meetings and presentations, I still get comments on this Asus Transformer. They love the design, the vibrant screen, the great viewing angles, the FLIP design, of course, and the performance. It has been a great purchase for me because of the many ways I use this notebook. I did pick up a inexpensive "compatible" power charger (from Amazon) to leave at work (about an hour away) so that when I leave in the AM, I simply grab my Asus, slide it in sleeve, and go. The battery life has been great, but just having that back up charger available means I don't have to ever worry...and I don't have to transport the charger unless on serious travel assignments. Update: Feb. 15 2015: Cons: On my Asus, the volume level at max seems to go down over time. Well, it has never been loud at max volume. The other day I tried listening to the same video on my laptop and my tablet (Kindle hdx) and the tablet was significantly louder. If I cannot get a fix for this somehow, this could be a reason for lowering one star. Do others notice this problem? Cons UPDATE 4/23/15 Volume problem? Found this simple, neat fix for my volume problem. Understand that the steps below may be slightly different on your laptop, but it will make things louder so that it is very usable. Right click on your white speaker icon in the taskbar, choose "Volume Control Options" (if you don't see that, try "devices") On the playback tab, highlight or put a checkmark in box of "Realtek High Definition Audio-Default Device" and Click OK. That should bring up new window, if it doesn't, then right-click on task bar speaker icon again and choose "Playback Devices" Realtek window will now appear. Click "Properties" box -- another window will appear Choose the [Enhancements] tab and you will get a selection of choices Scroll thru the choices available to the very bottom one "Loudness Equalization" and check the box, then click apply. You should immediately hear the difference. It was quite substantial on my ASUS TP500L. This is great! The above "fix" was on the ASUS Forums...so apparently some of their laptops have this Loudness feature off when shipped... and based on other reviews of the LP500L from ASUS, I would guess most are in need of this quick fix. JJ