Asus Eee Pad Transformer ICS update: hands-on

The original Asus Eee Pad Transformer has just been updated to Ice Cream Sandwich and we’ve managed to go hands on with one amidst all the madness that is MWC 2012. As you can see below, the update takes you to version 4.0.3 and packs an identical UI to that of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime.

With its 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, the original Asus Eee Pad Transformer is a very capable machine as we demonstrated when comparing it to its bigger brother, however thus far, one of the Prime’s key selling points was the Ice Cream Sandwich update that came at the beginning of the year.

Now on the original, in addition to adding the ICS functionality seen below, first impressions include what seems to be improved speed and smoother transitions. While things have also been generally stable while using the update, there have been a couple of instances of email applications crashing. It’s too early to tell after just a couple of days whether these were anomalies or not so we’ll bring you something more conclusive in a few weeks, but we reckon ICS on your Eee Pad is definitely worth an app crash or two.

To update your Asus Eee pad Transformer, simply go to settings, select about, software update and you should be able to force the update if it hasn’t automatically kicked in.

Hard and fast proof that the update has landed here in the UK.

The same notifications panel as found on the Asus Eee pad Transformer Prime has made its way to the original making for slick sliding of notifications to close them and a host of power saver options.

Because everyone loves an Android animation.

Despite updating to ICS, all your applications and home screen layouts are retained.

Everything from the ICS widgets through to the ICS settings have made their way onto the Asus Eee Pad Transformer.