No one knew that Google’s operating system, Android, would be found on almost all tablet PCs now available in the market since it was released. It was, after all, an OS for phones. But when the iPad became a household name, Google decided it was time for the Android to go the next step and rival Apple’s iOS.

The Google and Apple rivalry could be the fiercest rivalry as of today (with Microsoft looming in the background). But it is clear that Apple and the iPad is winning the race as Android tablets are lacking most of the things that the iPad offers. And then the Transformer Prime came, the tablet that contains all the possible features that a tablet could currently have.

The Transformer Prime is the first ever tablet with quad-core processor as it runs NVIDIA’s Tegra 3. Clocked at 1.3 GHz, it could rival most of the laptop computers that are currently available. A very fast tablet could mean several things. One, it could withstand the heavy multitasking that the Android OS is known for. Two, it could make web browsing – one of the main uses of tablets – faster. Finally, it could run heavy apps and high-end games without problems.

Rivaling the iPad’s aesthetics is nothing new since the Galaxy Tab has done that. ASUS made sure that the Prime also does not lack in that department. It is ridiculously thin and lightweight with the choice of multiple colors. The 10.1 inch screen is perfect with the very high screen resolution that makes watching videos and playing games a great experience.

The Transformer Prime is one of the first tablets to run on Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest Android OS. This makes the Prime even more better as ICS has improved on most of the weaknesses of the previous versions. The OS also did not bring a distinction between running for a phone and running on a tablet like what Gingerbread and Honeycomb did during their time.

The above points have allowed the Prime to separate itself from other tablets. However, it is not done yet. The “transformer” on its name refers to it having the ability to change between a tablet and a laptop computer. The optional dock makes this possible while also increasing its battery life. Without the dock, the Transformer Prime lasts for 12 hours. With the dock, it can stay on for almost 18 hours.

As of now nothing could beat the Transformer Prime in tablet comparisons in terms of features; not even the iPad 2. It was released just recently, so we cannot tell yet how it was welcomed by users. But even if it would not sell as well as the iPad did, it is still one of the best tablets ever released.