Database Users

Couldn't buy an AT&T / HTC Pure today

Per another thread, I simply walked into my local AT&T store (which was pretty full, seemed to me) and when approached by a sales person, asked if they had the Pure for sale.
Was told that...
1) They aren't selling the Pure until the 4th (aka TOMORROW).
2) They only have about 2 in-stock.
3) They haven't been allowed to turn one on, and have no dummy units or any material I can look at to try and gauge my interest.
In the end, I left pretty disappointed. I mean, if I knew this device was good enough to satify me about the same as an HD2, I'd be happy to be there tomorrow at 9am and pick one up before my Seahawks get KILLED by the Colts. But I really don't know how much better THIS phone is than my Touch Cruise, and therefore I'm pretty disappointed by driving out to find out NOTHING.
Think I'll go play Madden, since the Huskies were getting beat by Notre Dame last I checked...

If you have a Fuze, I'd wait for the next upgrade cycle. The screen isn't that much larger. It's not faster. The build uses the same materials as the Fuze. On the other hand, it is running WM6.5, Build 21849.5.0.63 and the camera has a vastly improved white balance.

I stopped by not realising that the "new" phones were actually in the store this early (silly me) and checked out a working Pure... after putzing around with a Tilt 6.1 for the last couple of years and with this month seening the end of my contract, I was pretty impressed with it -- as far as that goes. Accelerometer seemed to work OK for some things; looked at the box and if I recall it had a 528 MHz processor (as of right now, still can't find any info on it on HTC's website - please someone correct me if I'm wrong), screen seems clearer to me (but of course you must realise I've been used to a Tilt for the last 2 years). The only thing I was unimpressed with (with the limited putzing I was able to do with the live demo model) was the on-screen "full QWERTY" keyboard which was a bit too small for my fingers. I tested in a Word document, tried to swing the phone sideways to see if it would move the document view and the keyboard to a landscape -- it didn't, but it DID do the automatic screen adjust in the Opera Browser which was preinstalled(thank God this model doesn't rely on the old PIE) But though I missed the slide-out keyboard on this unit, and realising that perhaps all phones will eventually go with virtual QWERTYs... I considered this to NOT be a deal-breaker for me tomorrow when they go on sale officially, since there are lots of free and low-cost keyboard apps out there that would make a virtual keyboard big enough to type on with my fat-ol' fingers.
And yes, it is a 6.5 device, I believe the box said 512MB ROM & 284 (at least I think) of RAM... seems pretty roomy for my taste, esp. given my 16GB micro-SD card (which I couldn't find the slot for on this device -- GASP! it better have one!) but then again -- my 10-year-old daughter was tugging at me trying to convince me to buy her one of the Samsung phones as her first phone for her birthday later this month -- so what with all that and one salesman beating my ear whilst the other was on a futile quest for information on this phone on their computer, I didn't get a full stem-to-stern look at the thing... but what I did see... I like.
- BereanPK

i just got one here in NY Staten Island 2 hours ago but they only have 1 which i already bought.

Thanks to all for your replies. Still about an hour and 20 minutes before my local store opens, but as I still haven't held it in my hands, I'm not going to go rushing in for one.
Couple questions for anyone who knows...
1) Resistive vs Capacitive... is this the difference between being able to do multi-touch or not? I'm sure it's more than that, but I'm not clear what the true differences on the Leo screen and this screen are.
2) Video on the Diamond2 - I'm sure it's better than on my Touch Cruise, which is actually good with CorePlayer and properly converted video. But if YouTube does better quality on the Diamond2 that would be nice.
The better camera would be nice, but it's no deal breaker for me. Overall, I'm wondering if the newer opera and higher res screen will make my browsing closer to an iPhone... or if I should just get sucked into an Apple 3GS like most of the world...

merkman said:
Thanks to all for your replies. Still about an hour and 20 minutes before my local store opens, but as I still haven't held it in my hands, I'm not going to go rushing in for one.
Couple questions for anyone who knows...
1) Resistive vs Capacitive... is this the difference between being able to do multi-touch or not? I'm sure it's more than that, but I'm not clear what the true differences on the Leo screen and this screen are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Capacitive screens are very sensitve to finger touch, they don't react to styluses (styli?) or finger nails, they're also less precise. Resistive requires pressure to work, so you can use fingernails or a stylus. It's more precise, but no resistive screen on the market supports multi-touch. So no pinch and zoom on Opera.
2) Video on the Diamond2 - I'm sure it's better than on my Touch Cruise, which is actually good with CorePlayer and properly converted video. But if YouTube does better quality on the Diamond2 that would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Pure/TD2 has an MSM7200 processor and chipset. It is essentially the same guts as the Touch Pro/Cruise/Tilt 1/Kaiser, with a higher resolution screen. Performance should be pretty close to identical.
The better camera would be nice, but it's no deal breaker for me. Overall, I'm wondering if the newer opera and higher res screen will make my browsing closer to an iPhone... or if I should just get sucked into an Apple 3GS like most of the world...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Opera build included in the stock Pure ROM (17658) is not as fast as Safari, but it does a great job of rendring web pages.

Wouldn't sell without contract
NYC has a lot of the PURE around but no stores are willing to sell only the phone. Well, at least about the 10 that I called/visited said so.

BereanPK said:
Accelerometer seemed to work OK for some things; looked at the box and if I recall it had a 528 MHz processor (as of right now, still can't find any info on it on HTC's website - please someone correct me if I'm wrong)..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is 528 MHz.
Processor Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz Reference URL
BereanPK said:
The only thing I was unimpressed with (with the limited putzing I was able to do with the live demo model) was the on-screen "full QWERTY" keyboard which was a bit too small for my fingers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd suggest this then:HTC Touch Pro 2
BereanPK said:
And yes, it is a 6.5 device, I believe the box said 512MB ROM & 284 (at least I think) of RAM... seems pretty roomy for my taste, esp. given my 16GB micro-SD card (which I couldn't find the slot for on this device -- GASP! it better have one!) - BereanPK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, it supports SDHC
Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) Reference URL

I have a Fuze and getting getting the crave. I like the bigger screen but I'm not sold on the onscreen keyboard for texting. While I use the onscreen keyboard on my Fuze in Portrait one-handed... the physical keyboard is nice. I like having the keyboard but I hate having the phone feel like a brick.
The sad note is that HTC didn't really upgrade anything over the original Diamond/TouchPro internally. It will still be just as snappy/sluggish as my Fuze. The smaller battery also has me worried.
And how is the microphone? I ask because my Fuze picks up background noise like no other. I'll be in my car with the windows up, relatively quiet... and people say it sounds like a vaccum cleaner. It really sucks. There is no way I could think about upgrading to a phone that has the same problem.

Corporate stores are sellin Pure for $500, which with tax is over $200 than what attwireless is selling. Are there really stupid enough people who buy at such a higher price?

[INFO] Transformer review thread - user experiences/reviews

Post your user experiences here, what you liked, disliked etc.
I'll start:
Like:
The device feels really solid and well made and has a nice finish
The device is fast, and browsing the web is more comparable to a laptop than a phone (see screenshot). Games look great on it (like Cordy, Dungeon Defenders etc)
I managed to watch iPlayer videos on it via the site in flash, including the live streams - the HD ones don't play at a good framerate though.
Honeycomb is really slick and easy to use
Sound quality is excellent
The built in office suite is great
Gripes:
Absolute fingerprint magnet
Still a few bugs, a handful of FCs, Spanish text in one ASUS tool, Chinese in another!
The bevel when holding it is a bit too wide to make using keyboards like ThumbKeyboard comfortable. With a bit of tweaking it works fine, but its less than ideal.
The weather widget truncates my town name and it looks ugly (Leamington S) an option to tweak the font size would have been nice.
A couple of the default settings provided a less than optimal out-of-box experience, but nothing that can't be fixed by experimentation.
Hate:
Charging cable is ridiculously short and proprietary so you can't replace it! This is my major gripe. When I plug the device in at night to charge on my nightstand I can't use the device in bed - in fact I had to rearrange the stand just to get it long enough to actually let me put the device on top.

Thanks for this. I'm looking forward to picking this up when it launches in Canada. It looks like a really slick device. The price is great. A shame about the bezel, but it's probably something I'll get used to fairly quickly.

I love that all of your issues are either honeycomb related or just tablet related (except the cable, I suppose) everytime I read these good and bad's I recall my Xoom and how I felt the exact same way but I wouldn't consider any of them bad. I kept that screen spotless, even though it was a fingerprint magnet, the FC's and widget issues are normal because HC is new, and when I buy something I always mess around with all of the settings.
I dont think I've read a bad thing about this tablet. There has not been a single dealbreaker!
Thanks for your review As Prof said, I'm also suuuper excited for the Canadian release.
side note: didn't mean for anything I said to sound snappy, I am just overwhelmingly amped for this tablet.

Yeah, the device is great, I suppose my only major problem with this specific device is with the charger - and that will be fixed when the accessories start rolling out. With time greatness can be achieved!

It does seem like the charge/sync cable might be annoyingly short. Why not just use a USB extension though?

bedoig said:
It does seem like the charge/sync cable might be annoyingly short. Why not just use a USB extension though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cable has an extra pin in it which extension cables do not carry. If you try to use one it just doesn't charge...

icStatic said:
The cable has an extra pin in it which extension cables do not carry. If you try to use one it just doesn't charge...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, that is going to be quite annoying then. Thanks for the info.

icStatic said:
Post your user experiences here, what you liked, disliked etc.
I'll start:
Like:
The device feels really solid and well made and has a nice finish
The device is fast, and browsing the web is more comparable to a laptop than a phone (see screenshot). Games look great on it (like Cordy, Dungeon Defenders etc)
I managed to watch iPlayer videos on it via the site in flash, including the live streams - the HD ones don't play at a good framerate though.
Honeycomb is really slick and easy to use
Sound quality is excellent
The built in office suite is great
Gripes:
Absolute fingerprint magnet
Still a few bugs, a handful of FCs, Spanish text in one ASUS tool, Chinese in another!
The bevel when holding it is a bit too wide to make using keyboards like ThumbKeyboard comfortable. With a bit of tweaking it works fine, but its less than ideal.
The weather widget truncates my town name and it looks ugly (Leamington S) an option to tweak the font size would have been nice.
A couple of the default settings provided a less than optimal out-of-box experience, but nothing that can't be fixed by experimentation.
Hate:
Charging cable is ridiculously short and proprietary so you can't replace it! This is my major gripe. When I plug the device in at night to charge on my nightstand I can't use the device in bed - in fact I had to rearrange the stand just to get it long enough to actually let me put the device on top.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not joking about the speed, it's faster then my dell inspiron 1300 with 1.6ghz and 1gb ram.
Move to Bath, you'll still have that bathing kudos in the title
The lead is short, it won't let me use a usb extention cable either, but i can cure this by buying another extention lead so it's not really a problem.
Will do this when i get keyboard dock.

love
- just the whole Google experience, my phone, desktop PC and tablet feel totally in harmony now. I add a bookmark on my tablet/PC and it's available on the other device. I star a destination on Google maps on the tablet and it's available on my phone when I get in the car
- certain apps optimsed for Honeycomb are awesome, especially Maps, Gmail, Newsr (Google Reader app), I also love some of the widgets, such as Gmail and Pure News.
- in terms of the device itself, find it light, nice colour (copper), excellent battery life, and great that Asus have enabled the micro SD slot. Also appreciate that they have included a screenshot function on the device.
- really like the system of notification, a touch of Android together with a touch of Windows but unobtrusive at the same time.
- overall, like the control I have with this tablet. With the Ipad I was constantly running up against problems as I tried to get pictures/files either on or off the device. With Honeycomb there are so many ways to get your stuff on and off (bluetooth, USB, dropbox, file transfer). I don't mind the steeper learning curve of the OS if it means I decide what I do with my content.
Dislikes
- while I love aspects of the browser, I also find it quite laggy in places. Certain websites seem to bring it to its knees, ironically the worst culprit for me is the homepage of Xda forums! Trying to scroll down that page is an exercise in frustration.
- some of the widgets are a bit flaky (eg Gmail), often failing to refresh and update.
- the tablet Market app is really poor. We don't seem to have the same version as the US, no special section for tablet optimsed apps, no Google books section; I also find that installing new apps can be a bit hit and miss. Sometimes I press 'install and often the process doesn't complete and I have to go back and do it again.
Overall though, the plusses outweigh the minusses and I've got to hand it to Asus for getting this tablet out quickly and at such a reasonable price. I would find it difficult to go back to the Ipad after a taste of what's possible with Honeycomb. Yes, it still is a bit unfinished, a bit buggy in places but it will only get better with updates and it feels like an OS for grown-ups. I know the Ipad is touted as the tablet that young kids and grandmas can pick up and use, but I belong to neither of those groups and I'm willing to put up with some mildly confusing UI elements if it means I have complete control over my content.

Thanks for the reviews guys!, keep em coming.
I am living the experience through you guys
Is it end of april yet?
Can you try this and let me know if it works?
-Try attaching two headphones/earphones in docked mode (1 in dock and 1 in tablet), do they both work simultaneously?
-Is the Mynet application seeing your DLNA device consistently
-Are you able to stream movies (esp. 720p/1080p) off your DLNA device onto your tablet?
-connect to tv via mini HDMI while in docked mode works right?
-pinch and zooming on dock's trackpad works?
-how much memory (not storage) is available to apps? I am reading on certain websites they list 1GB/512MB RAM, is only 512MB available for apps?
Thanks in advance,
KG

kgdg said:
Thanks for the reviews guys!, keep em coming.
I am living the experience through you guys
Is it end of april yet?
Can you try this and let me know if it works?
-Try attaching two headphones/earphones in docked mode (1 in dock and 1 in tablet), do they both work simultaneously?
-Is the Mynet application seeing your DLNA device consistently
-Are you able to stream movies (esp. 720p/1080p) off your DLNA device onto your tablet?
-connect to tv via mini HDMI while in docked mode works right?
-pinch and zooming on dock's trackpad works?
-how much memory (not storage) is available to apps? I am reading on certain websites they list 1GB/512MB RAM, is only 512MB available for apps?
Thanks in advance,
KG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no one has the dock yet, it seems that Asus are having some supply issues and only the tablet is available to buy at the moment. So, can't really answer most of your questions, sorry.
The only one I can answer is about the apps. You can use all of the internal storage for apps, so in theory you have about 14GB free for apps..so plenty of space

dreadnought001 said:
Unfortunately no one has the dock yet, it seems that Asus are having some supply issues and only the tablet is available to buy at the moment. So, can't really answer most of your questions, sorry.
The only one I can answer is about the apps. You can use all of the internal storage for apps, so in theory you have about 14GB free for apps..so plenty of space
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, I keep forgetting the dock isn't out yet...
As for apps, I was asking about memory, not storage..
Some more questions, I read on modaco forums about these issues, did you guys run into these as well:
-It cannot handle an episode of Prison Break in 720p for example, without a lot of stutter and out of sync voice. And when I tried a lower resolution video file, it works but again its not smooth (480p). I tried RockPlayer, mVideoPlayer and QQPlayer (which was the best by far, but still not great). Im really waiting for a decent Video player app to come out, something which will take advantage of the processing power inside these new devices! Hopefully VLC will have it up and running soon smile.gif
-An app will not solve this.
Rockplayer, QQplayer uses the CPU to decode, it will _always_ be slow and jerky on HD content
-The Tegra 2 SOC is capable of playing main profile h.264 at 1080p (with caveats), high profile at 720p.
Froyo running on Tegra2 could handle 1080p in baseline profile under the older harmony drivers, It _seems_ like the Nvidia honeycomb binaries are even less capable and content that plays on my tegra2 Vega now stutters on my transformer. Hopefully this (1080p baseline) will be fixed with a firmware update (The harmony platform has been abandoned by Nvidia, the transformer is based on the newer Ventana platform)
Is the above really true? That kills the whole purpose of a tablet in my mind.
Also, another troubling issue:
-little bit worried about the HDMI out. It appears to only do 720p. Whereas the cheaper Vega did 1080p when playing video. The transformer seems to do 720p by "voiding" the bottom 80 pixels. On the screen they still make up the button bar, it just gets a little taller.
If this is true, it will be the final nail in the coffin, i will wait until Tegra3..

kgdg said:
If this is true, it will be the final nail in the coffin, i will wait until Tegra3..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologize if this is thread-jacking but is there any word on when Tegra3 will be released? At this point the best approximation would probably be in terms of quarters, like Q4 2011. Not sure if I can wait that long.

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but.......
If the charging cable is that short, and you want to use it while charging in bed.......
What is the problem with using a short extension cord, say a 6 ft..??
I know this isn't optimal, or preferred, for that matter, but that doesn't seem to be THAT big of a deal......a little inconvenient maybe, but not horrible......
Now, I can see where this isn't the best length for being connected to a computer to transfer files, but workable......and from what I am reading, charging from the laptop isn't great to begin with......
Am I under the wrong impression..??

JoeJags said:
What is the problem with using a short extension cord, say a 6 ft..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering the same thing myself. As technology progresses, I fear that some folks forget about the simple things--like extending the reach of the AC adapter if one can't extend the reach of the charging cable itself.
Reminds me of a time when I was watching a friend eating cookies and milk. He was eating around the edges of the cookies very meticulously, and I asked him, "Why are you doing that?"
He said, "So that they fit in the glass and I can dip them in the milk."
I thought for a moment and then asked, "Why don't you just break them in half?"

Has anyone noticed that the speaker placement is a bit low on the frame and can be easily covered up with your hands? That is to say if you are gripping the tablet with both hands (tablet in landscape mode) on the bottom do your hands cover the speaker ports/grill? If this is the case, do you find it annoying or a down side?

JoeJags said:
Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but.......
If the charging cable is that short, and you want to use it while charging in bed.......
What is the problem with using a short extension cord, say a 6 ft..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main problem is that the charging cable is barely long enough for me to put the device on top of the nightstand and have the extension cord just below out of sight. I could use the extension cord, but I would have to keep moving the extension cord so I don't trip over it etc.
At work I can't even reach the socket from my desk - all the plugs are either behind the monitors or under the desk and the charging cable will reach neither. All it needs is another 60cm or so really and both problems would be solved! What's really irritating is that it's such a simple thing...
While sorting out my keyboard dock I mentioned it to one of the ASUS reps, and my feedback on it has been fed back to the product manager.
Look at it this way, if the only thing I have to gripe about is the charging cable, consider it a good sign.

yoda715 said:
Has anyone noticed that the speaker placement is a bit low on the frame and can be easily covered up with your hands? That is to say if you are gripping the tablet with both hands (tablet in landscape mode) on the bottom do your hands cover the speaker ports/grill? If this is the case, do you find it annoying or a down side?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right, the grilles are exactly where your hands will go, but I don't really think it's a problem. If you grip really tightly around it you lose the high frequency treble a bit, but you'll only get this when you are typing. When you are just holding it I doubt you can tell the difference. And if you do, just flip the device 180 degrees and hold it upside down! (The screen auto rotates)

icStatic said:
Yes you are right, the grilles are exactly where your hands will go, but I don't really think it's a problem. If you grip really tightly around it you lose the high frequency treble a bit, but you'll only get this when you are typing. When you are just holding it I doubt you can tell the difference. And if you do, just flip the device 180 degrees and hold it upside down! (The screen auto rotates)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, I realized that the speaker placement may be a problem when I was playing SpeedX on my Xoom, since I play in landscape mode and hold the Xoom at the bottom with both hands.

How long does it take to get it fully charged?

Is it worth it? [Update] Definitely!

Hi all,
I'm looking into tablets and for now it seems that Acer Iconia A500 is "the one". Owning a HTC Desire HD with it's beautiful 4.3" screen, I really don't see the point in buying 7" tablet, so I'm left with iPad (like I'll ever buy Apple's icr.p ), Motorola XOOM (a bit too expensive), Asus EEE Tab (which isn't released in Europe yet) and Acer A500. So what's your experience with it? I've seen a thread about screen quality (seems that the only drawback is the fingerprints, which could be cured with a good screen protector and it doesn't bother me that much anyway, because people are saying the same about the DHD and I have no problems with it), but what about the other aspects of the tablet? I've read that it can be rooted, but does it come with preinstalled market? Seems that there are many tablets that have their own versions of the market and this is something I deffinately don't want. Also what about the build quality. Alluminum body sounds nice and having a device with one, I'm definitely into that! How's the sound, are the ports and buttons easily accessable (mostly the headphones jack, the charging port and the volume buttons)? How's your overall experience with the tablet? From all I've read the only drawback is the lack of a GSM module, but while on the go, I can use my phone's wifi router, so that's not such a big deal. Thanks for all your input!

tkolev said:
1. does it come with preinstalled market?
2. Also what about the build quality.
3. How's the sound
4. are the ports and buttons easily accessable (mostly the headphones jack, the charging port and the volume buttons)?
5. How's your overall experience with the tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yep, all Honeycomb tablets come with the new Google Market.
2. In my opinion, it's pretty great. It has a very solid feel to it and the brushed aluminum makes it feel classy and won't get scrapes very easily. The seams are well done and I don't foresee any parts lifting or moving from where they should be, I also don't see how dust or dirt can get into or under the screen.
3. Excellent for a mobile device. In fact, I haven't heard a portable device save for some blackberries with such deep, thorough sound. They are better than standard with the equalizer off but with it enabled it sounds really nice. There's still very little bass, of course but it's still very full sound. I have a bluetooth speaker system and sometimes I don't bother using it because the a500 sounds so good.
4. Yes. The power button is on the left which means it's at the top in portrait mode, same for the headphone jack. I don't think there's any way to accidentally press it. It's also lit which can become useful with a future update. Right now it blinks every now and again, seemingly randomly.
The volume rocker and lock switch are on the top in landscape or right side in portrait mode. The volume rocker switches automatically when you change orientation if you haven't enabled the hardware lock - so initially in landscape mode, a right press is volume up and left is down but when it goes to portrait mode right (which is now at the bottom) becomes down and left (which is now at the top) becomes up which is a very nice touch I think. But I'm assuming all tablets do this so I'm not sure if I should bother to highlight it.
The charging port is on the right top, the micro usb and usb are side by side on the bottom right. I find their placement optimum because I don't get any cables tangled from being too close.
I don't like the flap that I have to flip to get to the microSD but it's understandable since beside it is where the GSM equipped Iconia Tabs have their sim card slot. In the end I think that's a good place for them. It's protected by the flap so no liquid can sneak in. The docker is of course on the bottom in the middle, the obvious place.
5. Let me put it this way. I wanted a Transformer. Now I don't, lol. I'm still interested in testing/feeling out the Transformer but the Iconia Tablet has won me over, pretty much 98% completely. Right now I'm anchored to simply the idea of the Transformer for ONE reason only, the dock. Each day Asus decides not to release it in the U.S and I read more and more user experiences of the dock causing it to lock up, reboot etc. is a day I care less about the dock and more about just enjoying the A500.
Hope this helps in some way. Sorry if I missed any questions.

All HC Tablets have preinstalled Market.
For your other Questions:
My A500:
Build Quality: Good
Sound: Is really good for a Tablet in my Opinion, I had the Ipad1 and 2 and Archos 7.. and the Sound from the Acer is definetly better (Dolby Mobil support)
Buttons are good in Position, but the Lock Rotation Button is a Pain for the Fingers...
One thing i have to concern right now... There seems more community around the transformer and already som roms! Acer seems to have a locked bootloader from what i read.. so maybe custom roms will last some while and maybe never with newer and self comiled kernels (like the motorola milestone)
Custom Roms is a important factor to me, the tab ist fast... but not always... the community is always faster (and often better) in "fixing" such things
Because i have one Build Failure (A little Hole in the LCD Glass) i will bring it back to the shop and im thinking of getting the transformer instead, just for the open bootloader (i don't need a full size usb every time)

Thanks for the replies, guys! Well, I can't care less for the dock of the transformer, since I'm used with the on-screen keyboard for my mobile devices and I have a laptop, which I use for work anyway, so the tablet will be mostly for browsing and media and that's good enough without a keyboard. Also, I heard that you can plug an USB keyboard and use it with the A500. Docking a mobile device makes little sense IMO. One of the main usage of the tablet will be in the car, because I have two kids and driving anywhere without some sort of entertainment for them is a nerve breaking experience. I'm thinking about replacing the "baby on board!" warning sign with "I have two whining kids in the car and I'm not afraid to die!"
The news about the bootloader isn't good . I care much more about custom kernels than custom ROMs mainly because of the overclocking, but then again I seriously doubt that in the coming year or two we'll need to overclock it, so it's not that big deal anyway. I've put a custom ROM on my DHD months after they were released (and I have the DHD since October), just to see what the fuss is all about. Coming from a WM device, I think the difference is not that great between custom and stock ROMs (at least not what it is with WM). I'm running a GB custom ROM now and still have to see what it has over the Froyo. I'm sure there is something, just can't figure out why Google hid it that good.

Well two days ago I finally got the A500. So far I'm loving it. They had both the Acer and Asus at the store and I'm sure the A500 is the better choice. To anyone wondering which one to choose, here is my experience. The first thing you'll notice is that the transformer's display looks a little bit better than the iconia's. Part of this is the auto brightness setting on the iconia being too power conservative. That's a good thing for your usage of the tablet, but not great for showing off. Still hats off to Acer for valuing user experience higher than sales experience. Compared to my Desire HD (both pumped up to max brightness) the screen is great. Brighter and the white is whiter (though with a little bluish tint). Anyway if it was just the screen, I would have gone for the transformer. But it's not. The next thing you'll notice is the weight. It's noticeably heavier, but it's because of the alluminum casing and that's worth the extra weight. As I said I own a DHD and to me the plastic feels... well cheap. Next comes the rotation lock. Very important with Android which restarts the current activity every time you rotate the device (and trust me you WILL accidentally rotate it). True - difficult to switch on and off but it also makes it difficult to switch it by accident. Volume button changes behaviour as you rotate the tab and once you get used to that, you'll come to like it. If you intend to use the tablet mainly as a netbook for heavy email writing, then the transformer will be better suited for you with it's battery packed keyboard (which costs extra), if you'll use it mainly for browsing, media, e-books, gaming - the a500 is the one for you. And finally the selling point of the A500 - you get full USB port without the extra cost (and bulk) of the docking station. This means keyboard, external drives, card readers, etc.
What I don't like with it is... well just a few minor things really. The icon for the headset being strange, also the occasional turning on of the screen is annoying, wifi signal is somehow weak but that's a part of life when having devices with alluminum back (the DHD has the same issues and I already had my home wifi APs repositioned when I got it) and the market being landscape only (probably honeycomb feature).
Overall being an HTC fan, I'm surprised that I like an Acer device that much. But considering the current HTC tablet (7", gingerbread and ridiculously high price) it all makes sense. Even without Sense ;-).
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

i did a little bit of my own research about Iconia and other tablets. I pretty much came down to 3: 1) iconia - excellent build quality for its price and a nice screen, 2) xoom - the best build quality, okay screen, 3) toshiba - unknown build quality but very thick, their very first tablet but the best IPS screen.
overall I am satisfied with Acer, it doesn't have as good build quality as iPad1, definitly better build quality than iPad2. i am a perfections thou. and the i am getting more and more used to the android operating system. what i like the most is that there is a lot of high quality apps that are for free. on iOS you have to pay 99c even for fart apps.

Are you keeping your A500 or gonna try the next best thing?

I am still on my 14 day return and have been thinking about this. Android biggest problem is something new is always right around the corner. I think a lot of you are here cause the Asus was unavailable and may still be waiting on that.
So are you keeping it.
Did it surprise you enough to stay with it.
Is the upcoming Samsung Galazy Tab 10.1 or the burning desire to have the Transformer gonna make you take it back.
Maybe the Toshiba Tab with it's built in USB might persuade you.

Sticking. Stuck.

I bought the Acer because the ASUS wasn't available, but I'm quite happy with it anyway. As you said, there's always something new around the corner, but what I've seen about the Toshiba models put them in the Xoom price range, and I haven't seen pricing on the Samsung 8.9 and 10.1 (new thin models, not the 10.1V original design.)
Honeycomb in general's still a very new system, and I expect by this time next year most of the things we're looking at as "missing" or "broken" will be available and/or fixed. Kinda the way I'm still using my (original generation) Droid phone, which, when overclocked and ROMd over to Gingerbread is just fine

Actually...
I figured that I'd get it to play with Honeycomb and wait for some of the vaporware tablets to emerge. I had bought a Xoom but it was a real POS - nothing worked including the falsely advertised charging dock, etc. So I returned it.
Now I'm absolutely keeping the Iconia - I have a rooted Nook Color - very nice but not in the same league as the Iconia.
Don't believe all the BS put out about how bad the screen is, or other stuff.
I rooted it (easiest root I have ever done) and everything works as advertiszed.

I still got until Monday wiki decide Saturday if I will return or not to get the transfoemer, tegra 3 tablets are also coming out in august
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

Got both the Asus and the iconia and will keep the iconia ..
The Asus just feels so cheaply made that no amount of screen quality can make up for it feeling like a cheap toy in my hands.
I can understand the whole IPS vs standard screen debate as i have owned many great screens over the years including IPS desktop screens and iPads etc etc .
They both have there pros and there cons but a good screen and good build quality are more important to me and the whole USB host thing built in without the need for a dock or separate accessory is just great.
Will never need a keyboard attached to it either and i think thats what really pushed me over the edge to keep the Acer.
Not slamming on the Asus btw because its decent in other areas but after getting 2 with some nasty light bleed on top of questionable build quality the Acer just took the crown for overall winner .

I am keeping mine. I actually had a Xoom first and took it back...thought it was too expensive for what it was. I actually really like the Acer better. I love the USB port, the micro card slot actually works ( didn't on xoom as of yet), It feels a lot lighter and I actually like the bezel being larger as it is easier to hold without hitting the screen. The viewing angle is good (not sure why bad comments on that). I like it a lot.

Keeping. Was waiting on the Asus, but i'm more than happy with the screen of the Acer, absolutely love the usb port, and since removing the phone apks, I have no complaints about battery life. I'm happy.

Right before I got the Acer I had purchased a used Galaxy Tab 7" thinking that would satisfy me.
Then I saw the Acer. Once I touched it I fell instantly in love and fought myself not to give into temptation everyday. Suddenly it hit me... I have a Bestbuy card and it means I can take 18 months to pay for it without a dime of interest.
1/2 hour later I had the Iconia in my sweaty hands.
Sure the wife *****ed but hey, it's only a new toy once.
For me it's a keeper. Like others have said, the USB port is a big factor and I see nothing wrong with the screen.

Keepin'. I am surprised how much I enjoy the Acer iconia Tab. The USB port makes all the difference. I think the build quality is very nice indeed and I really like the design. Root doesn't hurt either.
I was an early adopter of the Linux Eee Pcs and thought they were very solid little machines, but later models had some serious build quality issues. So the Eee Transformer quality/build problems I have read about do not surprise me one bit. . . .
Also have the Galaxy Tab 7" and a Nook Color. Not sure which one of those I'm sticking with though. I like them both but I leaning toward the Nook and selling the Galaxy Tab on Ebay.

Keeping for sure

I will be taking mine back, but only cause I will be waiting for Samsung galaxy tab 10.1. The weight of the Acer is an issue for me, but can understand why it is. Feels very sturdy. I absolutely love the USB port & sdcard working out of the box. So testing the Acer gave me a few things to think about far as what I want in a tablet. I know Galaxy tab 10.1 will not have USB port. Not sure how Toshiba's will feel.
I definitely recommend people to try the Acer
Also the corners of acer are kind of pointy if holding for awhile.

def keeping mine. I don't know why the Asus got so much media and Acer didnt

I'm still on the fence. I'm coming from daily use of a convertible Fujitsu with stylus and have wanted something this light for a while and miss not having a stylus for normal handwriting.
There are also some things I may not be able to live without which require Window$ but I'm going to give it another week and see if I can see a way to fit it into my normal working life.
If there weren't things that were broken out of the box (gps, compass) I'd probably be leaning more towards keeping at this point

Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.

bhageman said:
Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?

nubbin77 said:
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Immediately did a factory reset. Eliminated problem with screen coming back on after screen time out and an odd problem I had with my screen timeout being stuck at 15 seconds.
-Rooted with GingerBreak (make sure you lock in portrait during process)
-WPA supplicant
-changed phone.apk and telephony___.apk to .bak to kill the phone processes. Mad a HUGE improvement in an already satisfactory battery life. WARNING: This will brick your phone if you do a factory reset without changing them back.
-Installed ADW for my home screen
-Installed SyncSMS to get SMS functionality
Apps that help:
-GingerBreak
-Root Explorer
-Terminal Emulator
-Uninstaller for Root
-Super Manager
-ES File
Apps I love:
-PlayOn: Streaming TV from my NAS drive
-SugarSync: All my work docs in the cloud
-WinAmp: Sync music with my desktop over wifi
-Feedly: Google RSS feed looks like a magazine
-Chrome to Phone

Still on the edge
I like the screen and feel of it, but with Honeycomb there aren't many apps out there that run on it (without FC all the time).
I'm trying to justify keeping it for work, but there's no Activesync (without rooting), Calendar is a joke and other than playing movies/games on it what do YOU use it for?
I can't see dumping my laptop anytime soon, so my question is what are you using it for? Serious question.
Thanks
S

I wanted the EEE TF as well but got the Iconia in the interim. I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't want the TF anymore. After playing with a friends, I'm not convinced it's worthwhile to exchange them. It has a gorgeous display and is a tad lighter but I'm afraid I've been jaded by the really bad things I've read about it and am convinced the first batch was very shoddy. Unfortunately, by the time it's released there will be competitors with possibly better options (toshiba, samsung, sony, htc, etc.)
My goal is to get something I'm 100% happy with. I'm 98% happy with the Iconia.
What's in that 2%? Limited video file and format playing ability and bugs due to Honeycomb right now.
Otherwise, hell yeah! I'd have liked an IPS screen. This AUO screen isn't bad at all but it's no IPS, right? Acer could have at least pegged Samsung for PLS.
It's also in wrestling with the idea of having the faith in Acer to believe they really will update and fix these things in the near future. These companies aren't known for keeping their products updated beyond a certain period. I can easily see their promised June update becoming Samsung-esque and not seen for months if ever.
That being said, I've entertained the idea of returning it and waiting to see what I can get in June. But tech is tricky and if you decide to wait, you can easily end up waiting forever for the next best thing as it's always around the corner. If the competitors are too expensive, it's not like the A500 won't be there for me to fall back on, it may even be cheaper! Of course, just like a cell phone - once you own one of these things you come to depend on it rather quickly if you're used to doing things a certain way.
I use it for everything now. My notebook sits in it's bag most of the time.
It's awesome for multimedia, period.
I use it in the kitchen and around the house to play music and videos if I don't feel like sitting in front of the TV.
I use it in the kitchen to look up new and different things to cook.
I use it as a visual remote for my PC (to control music or manipulate downloads). I use it in the couch to look up stuff I see on TV.
I bring it with me EVERYWHERE, yes...I now own a manbag.
I use it on the road when I'm out with the wife and she's in Macys/JCPenny/Kohls or any of those places I don't feel like venturing with her into for hours.
I use it when I'm at the cafe or out at dinner. I don't have it out all the time, but it's with me in case I want to use it and I must say, it's nicer than flipping out a netbook which I guess is ironic but I always thought that was so odd looking. You know, when people pop their netbooks out on a table in the middle of 4 people being social. For me it's a matter of looking up something quick and then popping it back in.
The list goes on and on.
It's basically replaced my android phone in its smart abilities while managing to be more comfortable in that the screen is bigger. It's replaced my notebook in it's lighter tasks like multimedia due to it being ultimately way, way more portable and touchscreen.
My dilemma is living without it for 2 months while I wait for something that I'm hoping will satisfy me 99 or 100%, should I decide to return it. I still have a few days to decide.

kalric said:
Calendar is a joke
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Jorte?

Considering An SL101...

tl;dr Tell me anything you can about the Eee Pad Slider because I want one.
So I'm in the market for a new tablet and I am favoring the Slider over the TF101 and TF300 basically because I like the form factor. However, I have a couple of concerns, so hopefully a few Slider owners still browse the threads here.
For anyone who has the white color model, do you ever get discolorations anywhere on the Tablet? Looking on ebay, it seems like every other white Slider has yellow/brown marks from something... dirty hands, I don't know.
I've never had a Tegra based device so I really don't know what I'm getting into. For anyone who has compared a Tegra 2 and 3 device, is there really any noticeable difference? I don't plan to do much hardcore gaming, just mainly for browsing, light reading, and typing.
Do any Slider owners out there wish they would have gone with a different device, especially a different Eee Pad? If so, why?
I was really looking forward forward to Asus bringing out the MeMO 370T and I will probably refuse to buy a watered down Google Nexus Tablet, I'll still be too salty over it.
Feel free to express your thoughts or opinions here, I appreciate any response.

i was also considering the "slider" but the added option of being able to remove the bulk/weight of the keyboard made me purchase the TF101 still a great tablet for everthing you stated but as of now Tegras chipset is getting outdated and you can get a better tablet for a little more buck
elsewhere

Thanks for your input. If I were to be buy a Transformer, I would certainly have they keyboard dock attached at all times, so after considering that would be more money and heavier, that's kind of where I see the Slider having an advantage.
I suppose the big upside to having a Transformer would be the increased battery life with the dock, that's the only thing that I really would end up being jealous of.

Solar.Plexus said:
tl;dr Tell me anything you can about the Eee Pad Slider because I want one.
So I'm in the market for a new tablet and I am favoring the Slider over the TF101 and TF300 basically because I like the form factor. However, I have a couple of concerns, so hopefully a few Slider owners still browse the threads here.
For anyone who has the white color model, do you ever get discolorations anywhere on the Tablet? Looking on ebay, it seems like every other white Slider has yellow/brown marks from something... dirty hands, I don't know.
I've never had a Tegra based device so I really don't know what I'm getting into. For anyone who has compared a Tegra 2 and 3 device, is there really any noticeable difference? I don't plan to do much hardcore gaming, just mainly for browsing, light reading, and typing.
Do any Slider owners out there wish they would have gone with a different device, especially a different Eee Pad? If so, why?
I was really looking forward forward to Asus bringing out the MeMO 370T and I will probably refuse to buy a watered down Google Nexus Tablet, I'll still be too salty over it.
Feel free to express your thoughts or opinions here, I appreciate any response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't have a problem with the color, I have a white slider, and is... you know, white. I was using stock HC, and now, android revolution HD. The 3D graphics are way better than 2D graphics. I didn't noticed lag in any 3D games, but in launcher, browser and some 2D apps, I noticed some lag.
Another nice thing of slider is that I didn't had to buy a keyboard

stereoactivo said:
I didn't have a problem with the color, I have a white slider, and is... you know, white. I was using stock HC, and now, android revolution HD. The 3D graphics are way better than 2D graphics. I didn't noticed lag in any 3D games, but in launcher, browser and some 2D apps, I noticed some lag.
Another nice thing of slider is that I didn't had to buy a keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried updating to ICS or flashing a custom ROM? From what I know, Android 3.x was really heavy on devices. I'm wondering if the lighter operating systems sped up performance at all. Or surely CM9. or AOKP would.
Also, has anyone gotten Ubuntu to run on the Slider? I know there was some Ubuntu development on the TF101 and I thought both devices were actually the same.

Ubuntu runs essentially the same way on the slider. Slightly buggier since the kernels don't line up neatly, but it works.
He's running ARHD now, which is stock based ICS

Thanks, Thing O Doom. You seem like a pretty knowledgable member, I'll keep that in mind.
Anyone running on Ubuntu that can attest to how it runs? I'll have to look into the Ubuntu installation. If I could dual boot from microSD or something, I'd go through the roof.

You can DB off of the Sd (See emmc install db thread) but it's abysmally slow unless you have a HS class10 card. Then it's wonderful, I just use internal though x)
It runs very smoothly considering the specs.

Too heavy and thick
For me it is too heavy and thick to be an ultra portable device. This really becomes a problem when playing games where you have tilt the screen like Rip tide. I can play only about 10-15 min, if I hold it up without supporting the tablet on my lap.
But, that is not how I typically use my slider. I put it on my lap or on my desk and play with it there. If the keyboard is slid out the screen is quite thin and easy to hold. The screen is not a perfect angle to use in bed while lying down, but too me its not a major issue.
The lack of a track pad with a keyboard takes some getting use to, but I like that about it. I'm happy with slider but I was knowing the limitations before I bought it.

Thing O Doom said:
You can DB off of the Sd (See emmc install db thread) but it's abysmally slow unless you have a HS class10 card. Then it's wonderful, I just use internal though x)
It runs very smoothly considering the specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have a Samsung Class 10 card, so I would probably give Ubuntu from SD a shot since I don't see any Android SD ROMS out there.
madangryscientis said:
For me it is too heavy and thick to be an ultra portable device. This really becomes a problem when playing games where you have tilt the screen like Rip tide. I can play only about 10-15 min, if I hold it up without supporting the tablet on my lap.
But, that is not how I typically use my slider. I put it on my lap or on my desk and play with it there. If the keyboard is slid out the screen is quite thin and easy to hold. The screen is not a perfect angle to use in bed while lying down, but too me its not a major issue.
The lack of a track pad with a keyboard takes some getting use to, but I like that about it. I'm happy with slider but I was knowing the limitations before I bought it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for this feedback. I do do quite a bit of ebook reading and browsing and lots of times, I prefer to read in portrait orientation. Can anyone comment on how it feels to hold the Slider in portrait and also for reading?

Another question:
Should I be trying to avoid certain serial numbers to make life easier for me to root/flash ROMS/dualboot?
It's my understanding that B70 and newer aren't able to use NVFlash on the Transformers due to them having the sbk2 bootloader. Does this same idea apply to the Slider?
EDIT: After some looking around a bit more, it looks like the B70+ Sliders are a no go. Shame...I just found a B90 Slider 16GB on eBay brand new open box for $400 shipping included. More than I wanted to spend but the plastic's even still on.