The Taiwanese semi-conductor giant - ASUSTeK is looking forward to redefining the Android tablet market with its Transformer Pad TF300 that delivers top class performance at an affordable price. Asus has started shipping the Transformer Pad TF300 with a price tag of $379.

The tablet packs a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1280 X 800 pixels. It sports Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz. It has 1GB of RAM and 16/32GB of internal storage. The storage memory is expandable up to 32GB with microSD card support.

TF300 packs 8-megapixel rear camera, which is capable of recording 1080p videos. The tablet also has 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling.

The tablet also offers full-blown connectivity features. TF300 supports 4G LTE networks and other connectivity features are Bluetooth v3.0, GPS, micro-HDMI port, microUSB v2.0 port and Wi-Fi with DLNA and hotspot functionality.

Transformer Pad TF300 runs the latest installment of Google's Android OS v4.x codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich. However, Asus has played its own tricks with ICS. There is a heck of pre-loaded apps that come installed on the new tablet.

Asus is also offering 8GB of free MyCloud cloud storage with its WebStorage service. The WebStorage service allows users to share files and backup data to PCs. The tablet is also equipped with MyNet that allows users to stream content to DLNA-enabled devices on their network. The third-party app list includes Polaris Office and Super Note.

And, if you hook up the tablet with the $149 keyboard dock (sold separately), the tablet gets transformed to a sort of 10-inch netbook. Also, it increases the tablet's battery performance time up to 15 hours on heavy usage.

Asus Transformer Pad TF300 is selling for $379 (16GB) and $399 (32GB).

Transformer Pad TF300, loaded up with impressive specs, is a powerhouse in terms of performance. But Asus has to sacrifice some quality in order to unleash a powerful and affordable tablet. When compared with Transformer Prime, TF300 is thicker and heavier (635g compared to the Prime's 586g). The premium aluminum unibody casing found in Transformer Prime has also been replaced with a plastic outer shell in Transformer Pad TF300. Also, the camera lacks LED flash support. Moreover, unlike the Prime, which has a Super IPS+ display with 600 nits brightness, Transformer Pad TF300 maxes out at 350 nits. It means TF300 isn't exactly going to suit those who need to use the tablet outdoors under bright sunlight.

Asus Transformer Prime is better in specs but it also has a hefty price tag of $549 for 32GB model at Amazon. On the other hand, Transformer Pad TF300 is worth every cent of the price it commands.

(reported by Johnny Wills, edited by Dave Clark)