Asus just announced the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, the first Tegra 3 powered quad-core tablet. Considering the popularity of its predecessor (Asus Eee Pad Transformer), there is sure to be some serious intrigue about this new 8.3 mm thick pad. The tablet will feature a 10.1-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels and a brightness of 600 nits, and the 10-finger multi-touch screen is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass. But what will really turn Android fans on is the “Kal El” Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, packing in quad cores, which comes with an Nvidia GeForce GPU with 5th companion core for low power. It boasts a 1GB RAM, and you can choose from 32 or 64GB of memory, along with a microSD card slot.

What about the Prime’s looks? It’s sleek, skinny, and lightweight (1.29 lbs), and its protected with a hydro-oleophobic coating that makes it more fingerprint-resistant.

So when can you get your grubby hands on it? Just in time for the holidays, the tablet will go on sale in December, starting at $499. But get in line now kids, because the new Asus will stay on shelves for less time than its 12-hour battery life.