A common knock on tablets, from the Apple iPad (4.5 stars, $499) on down, has been that they're designed for consumption, not creation. The line of reasoning goes something like this: Tablets are great for watching videos and basic Web browsing, but they're not as efficient for work as a keyboard-and-mouse combination. Asus' response, it seems, was to give buyers of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 ($399, 3.5 stars) the best of both worlds. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Docking Station ($149 list) snaps onto the bottom of the Transformer, and turns the tablet into a netbook, complete with mouse, keyboard, USB slots, card reader, and more. It's a useful accessory that distinguishes the Transformer from other Honeycomb tablets, but the keyboard is small and takes some getting used to, and going back and forth between touch-screen and traditional inputs can be awkward.
