Perfect 2-in-1 Laptop/Tablet for Bloggers: ASUS Transformer Book T100 Chi (Review)

Is it a laptop? Is it a tablet? No, it’s the ASUS Transformer Book T100 Chi – and it does both…! At the end of June I was given the opportunity to review this new 2-in-1 laptop and tablet by ASUS, sponsors of the Eden Sessions. The latter is a series of summer concerts held at the Eden Project in Cornwall, and myself and the husband were given tickets to see Paloma Faith who is not only a favourite artist of mine but also one of my most favourite people ever…!

It goes without saying that Paloma is pretty awesome live (boy that girl can sing), and the setting of the gardens and biomes at the Eden Project made for a fabulous evening. Don’t miss her dress (below) – a stunning sparkling neon orange and silver number by Nicolas Jebran. I always love seeing what that girl is going to wear next.

So how have I found using the “razor-thin”, 10.1″ Chi? I thought the best way was just to list the things I personally like about it – nice and simple…

1. It’s teeny-tiny. It’s so compact, thin and lightweight – even as a laptop – that it fits easily inside a medium-sized handbag. This is far and away the BEST thing about it for me.
2. The size means I’m going to be using this on long train journeys up to London: It doesn’t weigh your bag down that much at all, or take up loads of space on the table. Or on tables in coffee shops – perfect for blogging on the move.
3. The fact that it’s a 2-in-1 laptop and tablet is obviously a huge advantage. Makes it incredibly versatile, especially if you can’t decide which to take with you when you’re out and about.
4. My fears of the keyboard and tablet just coming apart by themselves were unfounded. There is a really strong magnet that “chunks” them together (and yes, that’s a technical term), and the fact that it’s a little difficult to prise them apart – until you get the hang of it – is reassuring.
5. Having a tablet with a Windows operating system is so, so handy. If, like me, you’re a blogger who likes to be able to blog when you’re away from home, it’s so much easier to use Windows for writing posts. If you try to use iOS on one of those other tablets (you know the one, the one that sounds like “myDad”) then there are loads of websites you can’t access fully or use properly. Like Blogger: I now have a tablet I can use it on [hallelujah]! And just to prove it, I’m writing this blog post with it. It’s now so much less frustrating.
6. Being so thin and coming apart to create a tablet just looks pretty cool – I’m not ashamed to say in a “Look at me and my new piece of tech” way. Disgraceful… but so satisfying.

You can see from the photo above that the tablet has a screen keyboard option. The orientation switches from portrait to landscape depending how you’re holding it. In other words, it does all the normal things you expect of a tablet except that it’s Windows-based, and I find that a bit of a revelation.

I’m super impressed with the photos I took with the tablet. (Can’t really do that with a laptop.) Selfies with this tablet are much easier than your phone because the screen is so much bigger – it’s not like it’s going to replace my phone but when you have a little time and the space to take photos (and no DSLR) this beats using a phone with its tiny screen. I’ve never really taken photos with anything other than my DSLR or my phone, so it’s nice to have an in-between option.

Below are a few of the photos I took at the Eden Project with the tablet. They have been edited ever-so-slightly in Photoshop, but only to brighten them and make them a little richer – nothing I don’t already do with photos taken with my DSLR:

Check out that dress…! (Eden Sessions official photo of Paloma)

On the evening myself and a few other bloggers were interviewed to find out what we thought of the Chi (and Paloma’s performance). To be honest the mere fact that it fits in my handbag – I will stress again a standard sized handbag – was enough for me to love it. I want to be able to pop it in my bag, get on the train, blog to my heart’s content and not feel like I’ve wasted a three hour train ride when I could have been working. My normal laptop is far too big and heavy to carry anywhere. The Chi retails at just under £400 which is really quite reasonable: A lot cheaper than buying a laptop and tablet separately.

You’ll see the edited video of the evening and our interviews by ASUS soon, and I’ll add a link as soon as it’s up on YouTube. We had THE most superb time – I can thoroughly recommend the Eden Sessions and visiting the Project while you’re there – it’s an incredible place. And to be honest I love Paloma so much that I want her to be my new BFF.

I’ll make do with the Chi as my blogging BFF in the meantime 😉

Do you have need for a 2-in-1 laptop and tablet like me, and for what reason/need? When asked  by ASUS which I preferred I chose laptop (over tablet), but the fact that it transforms is like the cherry on top for me…!


P.S. Like this post? You might also like to see my outfit from our day at the Eden Project!

All photos: by me/Silver Londoner except Paloma Faith: Eden Sessions official photo
Linking up to: Let It Shine, Brilliant Blog Posts, Friday’s Fab Favourites, Sunday Funday

Disclosure: Thank you to ASUS for partnering with me on this post (click here for my full disclosure). All content is original, however, and opinions are my own and 100% honest.