Asus will release their first Android Honeycomb tablet in the UK on April 6th, a fortnight behind the iPad 2.

Presales have already begun for the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, which costs £380; £19 less than Apple’s latest tablet.

The Transformer boasts a 10.1 inch touch screen, making it larger than the iPad 2 but also giving it substantially more screen space. The device runs a ‘clean’ version of Honeycomb, meaning that Asus have not added any of their own software to Google’s tablet-orientated operating system, however the company have said that they plan to pre-install additional apps to improve features like wireless streaming.

A look under the head reveals a dual core Nvidia Tegra processor in the engine room, while Asus claim that one charge of the onboard battery provides enough juice for eight-hours of usage.

Asus also plan to release a lightweight keyboard alongside the Transformer device; this is a portable keyboard with a hollow bezel, into which the Transformer fits, ‘transforming’ it into a netbook as and when is required. This peripheral will also feature an additional battery, essentially doubling the battery life of the product.

The Transformer will also come pre-loaded with Polaris Office, which features word processing and spreadsheet applications. The device is available on presale from Amazon and eBuyer. It is currently available as a WiFi only version, but a 3G supporting version is planned to follow within a month.

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Rumours suggest that ASUS’ Eee Pad Transformer hybrid device will be available in the UK on March 30th.

The tablet-cum-netbook device was released in the company’s native Taiwan today, but sites such as Phandroid have hinted that the device may be hitting the UK as early as next week.

The basic 16GB version is currently retailing for $500US in Taiwan, with the 32GB version fetching $600US, although these prices are expected to change as the device becomes available worldwide.

The Transformer consists of a 10.1-inch tablet device running Google’s Android Honeycomb operating system, coupled with – and this is the major selling point – a lightweight physical keyboard for those users who are still not entirely comfortable with touchscreen typing. This keyboard is completely detachable, allowing the tablet device to be used independently as and when is required.

The unit will come complete with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution touchscreen panel, a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and 1GB of RAM. Other features include a 1.2 megapixel camera on the front for video calls, as well as a 5 megapixel camera on the back for other camera usage, a HDMI output, SD card reader and two USB 2.0 ports.

The Transformer could be an interesting addition to the tablet battle when it hits UK shores. If the rumours are to be believed, we might not have to wait too long.

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