The left side of the slate houses a headphone jack, micro-HDMI connection, micro-USB 2.0 and a full-size SD card slot that lets you add up to 128GB of external storage (and theoretically more).

ENGADGET: Toshiba Excite 10 review: a 10-inch ICS tablet that puts the Thrive to shame

There's a full-size SD card reader and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (with mic support) on the left, plus the power input, HDMI output, USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 connector and SIM slot (currently unused) in back.

ENGADGET: Hands-on with Google's $249, ARM-based Chromebook (update: video)

The optional dock offers the same features it always has, but for any first-time Transformer buyers who might be reading this, here's a quick primer: in addition to being an external keyboard, the dock is home to an SD card slot, a full-size USB 2.0 port and a built-in 19.5Wh battery, allowing you to go longer without charging your tablet.

ENGADGET: ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 review: meet the company's new top-of-the-line tablet

The full-size USB port provides connectivity to existing equipment and SD card reader enables easy file transfer plus back-up when Internet access is not feasible.

ENGADGET: Dell Latitude 10 essentials trim pushes pro Windows 8 tablets down to $499 (video)