The Transformer Pad measures 7.11 by 10.35 by 0.38 inches, and weighs 1.39 pounds. That makes it a shade thicker than the Prime (by 0.6-inch), and 0.11 pound heavier; and 0.5-pound lighter than the new iPad. I found the Transformer Pad size and weight to be an improvement over Asus' previous low-cost tablet, the Eee Pad Transformer TF101 (0.2-inch thicker, and 1.49 pounds). But the Transformer Pad is still heavy enough that I wouldn't suggest it for lengthy one-handed reading sessions.

Unlike the aluminum-clad Prime, the Transformer Pad tablet is made of plastic, with a concentric circle design at back. While I could feel a bit of give in the plastic back, it is still of a far superior design compared to the ample flex in the original Transformer TF101. I also liked the feel of the volume rocker and power buttons; I found them easier to press than those on the Transformer Prime.

The Transformer Pad comes in blue, white, and red. The blue version ships first, available this week, while the red and white versions will follow in June, according to Asus.

One of the big hooks of Asus's Transformer series is that the company's tablets can use the docking port to connect into the optional $149 Mobile Dock. The Mobile Dock, redesigned to match the Transformer Pad tablet, provides a highly portable option for productivity fiends to supplement their tablet with a keyboard, multi-touch trackpad, USB 2.0 port, and SD card slot, plus an additional battery, too. The dock adds another 1.2 pounds to the overall weight of the tablet, but it's still an appealing option if you crave the tactile feel only a physical keyboard can provide.

I really liked the design of the new Mobile Dock. The keys had a bit more flex than I'd like, though, with the keyboard dipping when I touch-typed my way through emails and documents. I did appreciate the dock's new touchpad design, which has an easy-to-press single mouse button. this dock laces (By comparison, the touchpad on the Prime is actually a clickpad pointing device with an easy-to-press single button, combining touchpad with mouse buttons in one.) Unfortunately, when connected though, the dock didn't always seem to work smoothly; the pointer often ended up moving easily without me having intended for it to have jumped location, an effect I had not experienced with other Asus tablet/dock combinations.