14 DAY TRIAL // The Eee Pad Transformer Prime runs Android by default, but people have wanted to install Linux on it for quite a while, a wish that has finally become possible.
Littlesteve owns the product and had prepared an Ubuntu build for it even before ASUS finished the bootloader unlock tool.
With said tool becoming available just today (February 22, 2012), the user wasted no time in making the jump to his Linux OS.
This is, essentially, the first native port of an operating system to the Transformer Prime.
Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) is all well and good, but there always seem to be people who want to experiment with alternatives, and they are far from few.
ASUS originally did not intend to even allow such a thing, that is why the bootloader was locked.
The company gave device stability and desire to protect content-owner DRM as the reason behind this stance.
Ultimately, it had to bow down to the will of the extensive developer community and promise the Unlocker tool.
People should just keep in mind that using this thing automatically voids the product warranty, so if they somehow manage to ruin their tablet, it is their business.
Unfortunately, the info so far disclosed on the hack is limited, and not all of it is promising: the Ubuntu build is not perfect, as it needs a Bluetooth mouse to work and doesn't actually support the touchscreen.
Still, as far as first steps go, it is more than decent. Now we just have to wait and see what other software people come up with for this product based on the NVIDIA Tegra 3 ARM chip.
In related news, ASUS recently provided the 9.4.2.14 firmware update that finally resolved whatever was causing random restarts once every two minutes. Go here to download and install it.