iPad 3: Should You Buy an Asus Eee Pad Transformer or Wait for iPad 3?

What we don't know; what the iPad 3 will look like. What we do know; it should be here before Spring. If you can't wait that long, consider buying the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. It's a 10-inch Android tablet that, when connected to its keyboard dock (not included), becomes a touchscreen netbook computer. The keyboard dock costs $150, but it adds a trackpad, two full-size USB ports and double the battery life. Best of all, it costs $400 for the 16 gigabyte version.

iPad 3 isn't likely to be less than $500, but it could have improved screen resolution, better battery life, 4G and maybe even Siri the digital assistant. The Transformer doesn't have any voice recognition ability, but it does have a five megapixel rear-facing camera, 1280x800p resolution, a mini HDMI port and should get the Android 4.0 update within a few months. The Transformer was awarded Stuff Magazine's Gadget of the Year award for 2011, so it has a bit of a following. It's been out for several months now, and Asus has even created its successor, the Transformer Prime.

iPad 2's successor might go on sale with features like 3D gestures or rimless design where the screen goes all the way to the edge of the device. It sounds futuristic, so it's good to know the Transformer is available now and includes the ability to stream your content to DLNA-enabled speakers or HDTVs.

It's a futuristic feature because many devices are still not DLNA ready. Furthermore, it's called the Transformer because it turns into a notebook computer when you add the sold separately keyboard dock. It's $150 and it adds the keyboard, trackpad, six extra hours of battery life, two full-size USB ports and a full-size SD card reader. Tell us in the comments if you're in a holding pattern waiting for iPad 3.

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