Welcome to TransformerForums.com, an Asus Eee Pad Forum that features tons of Asus Transformer Tablet information and help. We aim to be a friendly, educational community dedicated to all things Asus Transformer related. We offer assistance with Android, Asus Transformer Apps, Accessories, Transformer Specs, Transformer Help and more.

You can take advantage of some of our most popular features on the site which are linked below.

• New Member Area - If you need help using the site, there's help to be had in here.
• Asus Transformer Forum (TF101) - Forums covering the Original Transformer.
• Asus Slider Forum (SL101) - Forums covering the Asus Slider.
• Asus Transformer Prime Forum (TF201) - Forums covering the Transformer Prime.
• Asus Transformer Pad (TF300T) - Forums covering the Transformer Pad.
• Asus Transformer Infinity (TF700T) - Forums covering the Transformer Infinity.
• Asus MeMO Pad (7") (ME172V) - Forums covering the MeMO Pad (7").
• Asus MeMO Pad Smart (ME301T) - Forums covering the MeMO Pad Smart (10").
• Asus Android Tablet General - Forums covering all things Android relating to the Eee Pad series (Apps, OS, Guides, etc.)
• Asus Padfone - Forums covering the Padfone series.
• Asus Windows 8/RT Tablet Forum - This section covers all Asus Tablets that run Windows 8/Windows RT.

Earlier in the year Facebook purchased Instagram for over $1Billion USD. It looks like the company is aggressively working on improving it too, if the newest rumors are true. According to insider sources, on June 20th, Facebook intends to reveal a new video feature on Instagram that is reminiscent of the video app Vine. Here's a quote with more of the details,

Feeling threatened by its rival’s success, TechCrunch is reporting that Facebook will update Instagram to support video later this week. Earlier reports suggested that the feature would be similar to Vine and allow users to create and share simple videos between 5 and 10 seconds in length. Video support is seen as the initial step for Facebook to finally monetize Instagram’s more than 100 million monthly active users. Facebook is expected to announce Instagram’s video support at a press event on June 20th.

It's possible that this rumor is both true and false. For the most part several different sources of industry intel have suggested that Facebook is working on precisely this, but there is no guarantee it will be launched as early as June 20th. We will keep you posted if more details leak.

Source: BGR

For any of our members who live in Europe, you might be happy to learn that your mobile service will likely be much cheaper soon when you roam. The European Union is planning to end mobile roaming charges next year. Here's a quote with more of the details,

The group of 27 European Commissioners voted in Brussels on Tuesday to drive the package through in time for the European elections in May next year, to come into force as soon as 1 July 2014.

“They agreed that this time next year we will have got rid of these charges,” a Brussels source said Officials will draw up and publish detailed proposals in the next six weeks.

They expect the death of roaming charges to typically wipe 2pc off mobile operators’ revenues, after several years of tightening regulations designed to put an end to shockingly high bills for holiday makers and business travellers. They argue that operators will gain in the longer term by customers using their mobiles more abroad, particularly to access the internet.

The reforms are designed to encourage radical consolidation of European mobile network operators. A source familiar with the plans said the European Commission believes there are far too many companies offering services across the 27 member states and that the fragmentation is a barrier to badly-needed investment. Without upgrades, mobile networks will buckle under the pressure of the rapid growth in internet traffic, it is feared.

“There are around 100 operators in Europe and only four in the US,” the source said. “That’s not sustainable if we’re going to have a single market and investment. Europe has less 4G mobile broadband than Africa at the moment.”
“Consolidation is not the aim. The aim is a single market, but if it means we get fewer, stronger operators, that’s good.”

With no roaming fees, officials believe the single market will mean foreign operators will be able to compete for British customers, and vice-versa. They are likely to form airline-style alliances that will lead to mergers, it is hoped.

While this move is designed to help reduce costs for European consumers, it is also meant to reduce the disparate, fragmented multiple carriers across Europe and foster more cooperation between them. Of course, with the ensuing consolidation, the EU needs to be careful they don't end up with the same situation as we have in the U.S.. It can easily be argued that the U.S. doesn't have enough consumer choice between carriers. Somehow there must be some happy middle ground. Perhaps this new move by the EU will find that perfect balance.

Source: Telegraph

The next generation of the Google Nexus 7 will likely be hitting the streets pretty soon. It was just spotted at the FCC with Android 4.3 and a couple different radio versions in tow (GSM and WIFi). Specs for the device are even available through some indirect sleuthing by several websites. The way it was determined that the tablet at the FCC is actually the Nexus 7 required some deductive reasoning and several different puzzle pieces. It's interesting to see how they arrived at their conclusions, but for now we will simply take it at face value and share the details. Here are the specs below, and a link to the source if you want to see the reasoning behind their conclusions.

• 7-inch display (1920 x 1200 or 1080p) resolution
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064)
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 32GB of storage
• 5-megapixel camera
• 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• NFC
• Wi-Fi 80211n with dual-badn
• LTE
• (possibly) Qi wireless charging
• profile: 7.5 to 8mm

Based upon this FCC filing and the previous "rumint" we will more than likely see this new Nexus 7 launch in July. We will keep you posted.

Source: AndroidAuthority

A cool new award-winning action RPG game is now available globally on the Google Play Store. It's called "Rage of the Gladiator" and it originally was developed for the Nintendo Wii. It was ported to Android and has been available since March, but only in Europe. Now that it has launched globally, us "Yanks" across the pond can try it out too. Here's a brief description and link from the Play Store about the game and a video above.

"BEST ACTION GAME OF THE YEAR 2012" - TouchArcade
"CONSOLE-QUALITY ACTION" - 148apps
"GAME OF THE WEEK" - PocketGamer
"MUST-HAVE" - SlideToPlay

You play the role of Gracius, a gladiator battling for his life in the arena. Your opponents are no ordinary evil, but are epic boss fights whose tricky attacks will challenge even the most elite gamers. There are no ‘fodder’ enemies – its all bosses -- the most fun part of games! Beat them before they brutally beat you.
Armed with your magical warhammer and a trusty shield, you must exploit their weaknesses by jumping, dodging, shield blocking, or counter-attacking with proper timing, agility, and thinking. Then unleash your rage by brutally pounding your enemy with your warhammer, and perform over-the-top combo finishers such as summoning a vicious lightning storm or a deadly pillar of fire.

HIGHLIGHTS
* Stunning 3D graphics!
* Full voice acting. Each boss has its own personality, and taunts you mercilessly!
* Extremely realistic animations. When you attack bosses, the impacts and hits feel "real."
* 14 insane finishing moves. Summon a fiery meteor, a savage tornado, or transform into a hulking colossus 10x your size!
* Customize your character with new weapons and armor.
* Gain new powers and skills! How will you build your character? Choose Offense, Defense, or Magic.
* Epic music. Enjoy blood-pumping masterpieces by legendary composer Sean Beeson!
* Great replay value. Beat the game to unlock new difficulties, where bosses are much tougher with all-new abilities! Over a dozen hours of gameplay!
* A monumental undertaking, with content comparable to a console title, but for FREE!

Rage of the Gladiator was originally developed for the Nintendo Wii and is (c) 2009, 2013 by Ghostfire Games.

Source: Google Play Store - Rage of the Gladiator

If rumors from DigiTimes are correct, Google has no plans to chase the ultra-cheap pricing model to the bottom of the toilet with their next Nexus 7. According to their sources, Google is planning to stick with similar pricing for their next generation of the Nexus 7 tablet and may even increase it slightly to $229.99. Google wants to make sure they lock up the mid-range segment and avoid competing in the entry-level arean. Here's a quote with the details,

Google's second-generation Nexus 7 tablets are estimated to be available in the retail channel in July with a 16GB version priced at US$229 to avoid competing directly against entry-level tablets, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

As first-tier brand vendors have been trying to expand their sales through price cuts, Google is not looking to follow suit, but will instead focus on defending the US$199-249 segment of the 7-inch tablet market and target competitors such as Amazon and Apple, the sources said.

The sources said that in the second half, Apple's iPad mini will still focus mainly in the high-end segment, second-generation Nexus 7 the mid-range segment (US$200-250), Samsung's tablets both the mid-range and entry-level segments, and Acer and Asustek Computer's models the entry-level segment (below US$159).

What do you guys think? With the rumored higher end specs of the next generation Nexus 7, will it still be a bargain at $230?

At Google I/O this year, Google focused on developers for Android, and because of this they left some things out of the conference, most notably any new Nexus device and/or Android 5.0/Key Lime Pie. It was probably a strategic decision to hold off until later, as well as give Google more time to refine and polish the next iteration of Android. Of course that leaves us wondering when Android 5.0/Key Lime Pie will finally hit the ground running, but we haven't heard a peep about that really... until today.

Just this morning the media was tipped that Google will probably be launching Android 5.0/Key Lime Pie in October. The news tip also shared some details about the requirements for the OS, and that it will probably be coming on a new Nexus device. Additionally, this timeframe pegs the launch to be around the same time as the previously rumored launch of the Moto X Phone. Here's a quote with a few of the details,

Although it is not yet clear what introductions an Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie arrival would make, latest reports have suggested the OS improvement will be back compatible with all manner of current Android handsets.

Said to demand system requirements of just 512MB of RAM, Android 5.0 could soon find its way to all manner of mid-range handsets and not just the high-end likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Citing unnamed sources, VR-Zone has suggested the next Android OS could be as much about uniformity across all screen sizes and handset abilities as it is introducing new features.

Tipped to hit with a new Nexus smartphone, recent Google Nexus 5 rumours have suggested the repeatedly leaked handset will land running a 5.2-inch 1080p Full HD display alongside a speedy 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor.

With a reported 3GB of RAM and a 3300mAh Lithium-Polymer battery in tow, the Google Nexus 5 is seemingly set to become the new powerhouse of the smartphone scene.

It looks like Android fans are going to have a great reason to have a Halloween party!

Source: AndroidTablets.net via TrustedReviews