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I read this earlier today
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/an...f-baked-at-best/16905?tag=mantle_skin;content
Its a reality check.
Full Disclosure - I own a Samsung Captivate and LOVE it. Never owned a single apple product until I purchased the iPAD2 a few weeks ago. The current plan is to get the Transformer and sell the iPad on ebay. I am on pre-order on Amazon and Target.
After reading that zdnet article I am thinking about cancelling my preorder.
While I like tinkering with stuff (I rooted my Captivate and use Barnacle to make it a free AP for my wifi ipad) ... the fundamental issues with HComb kills my interest.
Here is a followup to the above article ...
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/dear-google-heres-your-roadmap-out-of-android-honeycomb-hell/16940
Wow. Well, let me just say that I like Honeycomb just fine. It's not perfect, but it's nowhere near as bad as this guy is letting on. In fact, I think it's pretty damn good overall. I think (and I rarely say this) he must have quite an investment in Apple stock.
Update: The guy referenced Mossberg's review of the G-Slate as representing another voice that agrees with him. However, while Mossberg doesn't like the G-Slate, he has generally good things to say about Honeycomb.
So, in short, the guy's full of ****, generally.
vulcan195 said:
I read this earlier today
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/an...f-baked-at-best/16905?tag=mantle_skin;content
Its a reality check.
Full Disclosure - I own a Samsung Captivate and LOVE it. Never owned a single apple product until I purchased the iPAD2 a few weeks ago. The current plan is to get the Transformer and sell the iPad on ebay. I am on pre-order on Amazon and Target.
After reading that zdnet article I am thinking about cancelling my preorder.
While I like tinkering with stuff (I rooted my Captivate and use Barnacle to make it a free AP for my wifi ipad) ... the fundamental issues with HComb kills my interest.
Here is a followup to the above article ...
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/dear-google-heres-your-roadmap-out-of-android-honeycomb-hell/16940
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Click to collapse
Erma ...... 24 hours in and I've found honeycomb no more buggy than early froyo of gingerbread ........ found a few bugs but they are mostly software rather the os.
I believe even the 'mighty' iPhone 4 had a few teething problems ...... like not being able to make calls!?
The point is that technology is moving fast. You are either an early adopter (and therefore tolerant of a few quirks) or a late adopter living with last years tech.
Either is good. Just take your pick ..... early or late .....
i wouldnt change your mind because of one or two articles, ive owned ipads in my time and sold them all, mainly because its not "your"tablet so to speak
Got my AsusTF yesterday and it took all of about 1 hour to feel at home with the device, yes it operates differently to froyo and Gbread (own a galaxy s hacked to bits) but in all fairness it works pretty well imho.
Yes you get the odd force close, and yep a few apps just wont work but the majority do and pretty well.
Multitasking is the best ive seen on this type of device, the hardware is tops, the screen (if you get a good one lol) is ace, it nevers drops a connection, has great battery life and the gps is pretty damn accurate and fast, can the ipad wifi version do that? nope.
Overall im more than happy with the tf and trust me if i dont like an item within a few hours it goes on ebay, however this is a keeper i think.
And for christ sake yes the market can be random at times but never had a failed install like he claims, but seeing as the first pieces of hardware containing honeycomb have only just been released its unfair to state there are not enough apps, give it a few months and the market will be flooded.
Sounds like the guy was having an off day to be honest lol
And in all fairness the majority of people on xda will nearly always be beta testers as he puts it, but with devices running how we want them and pushed to the max, in theory what we have at the moment is a freshly plastered brick wall, just waiting for us to slap whatever we want on it how WE see fit and create a canvas we like, cant say that about the ipad!
If you let online articles sway your purchases, then you deserve exactly what you get.
I'm sorry but as a honeycomb user I can see that those articles are a load of rubbish. He complains that barely no apps work without crashing and that the market doesn't work which is odd as it is completely against what I have seen with huge numbers of apps working installed from the market. The second article goes on about a lack of experience at google - as if the developers and designers there had never worked on anything like an os before and that there is no way developers can read and learn from the development of other operating systems (a load of rubbish, just like the rest of the content in those articles).
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
If his point is that Honeycomb appeals to a different kind of user then the ipad, well ... duh. If you want something you can hand to grandma and have her launching apps in a few seconds, by all means, go iPad.Honeycomb and Android in general require more work from the user to customize the experience, and Honeycomb definitely requires more patience due to its rawness, and that is pretty well known at this point. So if you buy a Transformer expecting an iPad, I will gladly take one off anyones hands because I know several folks dying to jump in.
I hope you've had a chance to read other reviews and hear first impressions from users here on xda. The zdnet articles are one persons opinion. I've had my Transformer for about 48 hours and I am absotely thrilled with the tablet! I Love Honeycomb and have had a great experience so far. Also, keep in mind the price difference... that article is based on the Xoom... without an IPS screen, lighter and at $399 like the TF.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
I came from 2.3 and 2.2. I bought the transformer FOR the ultimate honeycomb experience
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
I am digging honeycomb so far. Yes every so often it gets a little choppy here and there. I've had more force closes when I bought an ipad 1 at release than I've had with honeycomb, and you can do so much more, like use a keyboard you actually like nor the one Steve tells you is the right one.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
ryude said:
If you let online articles sway your purchases, then you deserve exactly what you get.
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And aren't you doing the same thing by trying to dissuade someone from being dissuaded......online?
I had read the article and never experienced the problems with Honeycomb which Jason Perlow had. With any 1st generation Honeycomb tablets there are going to be a few software issues but these should be fixed with downloadable updates.
I thought that this was a blogger trying to generate a story rather than a proper review of Honeycomb or the Xoom.
LordLugard said:
And aren't you doing the same thing by trying to dissuade someone from being dissuaded......online?
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Point is he's allowing one article to change his mind. There are plenty of reviews out there that state HC is a work in progress, and the ride is bumpy right now. If he'd read more articles/reviews and stated that he'd done his research and HC was not for him, then great, happy trails and enjoy the iPad, it's a neat device. But taking one person's opinion and saying, "Well, that seals it!" is a little rash.
At least that's how I took the guy's response about letting an article change your mind.
The article author acts like google will never update honeycomb lol
Google IO is coming up, and i am sure they will announce an update to honeycomb
(Adobe already hinted)
I think honeycomb is great, but the lack of tablet apps does suck, i agree with that
But remember that Honeycomb only was released 4 months ago, it will pick up soon
worst article ever.
go online and 80-90% of articles have a POSITIVE review on honeycomb.
does honeycomb has it's issues? hell yes. but so did android 1.0, 1.5, and 1.6. and hell even the latest versions of android and iOS have issues.
is honeycomb beta? yeah, but so was android, and still is.
I've had a decent amount of force closes in the browser and have had to force a shut down a couple times, but honestly, i still love the tablet and i love honeycomb because honeycomb is an ACTUAL tablet OS, where as the ipad is nothing more than an oversized iphone, with less quality.
Honeycomb will get better. and The transformer is an amazing deal and well worth the buy.
SlimDan22 said:
The article author acts like google will never update honeycomb lol
Google IO is coming up, and i am sure they will announce an update to honeycomb
(Adobe already hinted)
I think honeycomb is great, but the lack of tablet apps does suck, i agree with that
But remember that Honeycomb only was released 4 months ago, it will pick up soon
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I agree it will be nice to get some apps that explicitly take advantage of the bigger screen, but unlike the iPad (I have owned one since they came out in the UK), Android phone apps generally work well on the tablets. On iPad upscaled apps were dreadfully pixellated in the 2x zoom mode, or ridiculous looking floating in the middle of the screen with huge boarders. For the honeycomb tablets, the apps can look a little spaced out, but they generally look fine and work well. More to the point, they often just take advantage of the additional space seamlessly.
My problem is with the comparison between the stability of the iPad's iOS with Honeycomb.
iOS is literally a homescreen. Without apps it is nothing; with apps it's just a wallpaper with hundreds of tiles barfed up onto a few scrolling pages. So yes, Scrolling between the pages can be butter smooth, but it's like saying "I can swim through this water faster than you can swim through that custard." since Honeycomb stands on its own even without any additional applications, and even the home app is 3-Dimensionally oriented with multiple widgets constantly fetching data and displaying animations, and animated wallpapers.
I also hate people comparing Honeycomb tablets with the iPad 2, since Honeycomb is a year behind Apple, so we should compare both initial releases. I remember reading reviews for the original iPad and while people swooned over the revolutionary and magical product (sarcasm), the unbiased reviewers complained about the lack of apps for a long time, the constant crashing, the sluggishness, so Google has done a fantastic Job of competing with the second iPad with their first attempt.
Edit: It's also much easier for apple to write software for 1 set of hardware, where Android has to accommodate for varying specifications (screen size, RAM, [currently only Tegra 2 is supported {I think} but more with be added], Screen type, varying resolutions, different peripherals etc, which is bound to take longer to iron out and will probably never reach the same efficiency.
DISCLAIMER: I am by no means a Fandroid, and I think Google's biggest flaw is that they don't completely fix problems before adding some new shiny feature, adding even more bugs. While I love the new features, I can't stand thinking how efficient Android would be if they spent a longer time fixing things, rather than releasing NEARLY-finished features.
This guy's arguments are outdated and full of hyperbole. Don't listen to him.
You expect there to be a certain level of polish and maturity on the software in a $600.00 consumer device. The problem is, there’s nothing at all polished about a Honeycomb tablet.
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Now, there are cheaper tablets with similar hardware: the Acer Iconia, Asus Transformer, and the upcoming galaxy tab. Nothing at all polished? Hyperbole! Plenty of things feel polished to me. Simple, intuitive multitasking. Awesome built-in apps. Easy and intuitive way of adding widgets. I could go on and on.
On the first page of the article, he only makes a single argument that isn't just ranting (it's still full of hyperbole, however):
While there are well over 100,000 applications available for Android, 99.99 percent of them are not properly optimized to run at the higher screen resolution on Honeycomb tablets.
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First thing: he can't do math. 99.99 percent is 99990. 100000-99990=10. Is he seriously saying there are only 10 tablet apps optimized for honeycomb? He's got to be kidding me. I know the math isn't the point, but this immediately shows what kind of writer he is.
However plenty just plain crash, do weird and strange unexpected things, have UI elements placed in unusual or unusable areas, or just refuse to install... This issue is made even worse by the fact that the re-vamped Android Market on Honeycomb is just plain broken. It blows up constantly and fails to install applications at least half of the time.
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Again, BS and exaggeration. Most apps work great. I've only had a couple force closes. Nothing beyond the norm: even my iPod touch apps kill themselves without warning (battleheart, infinity blade...etc.). His argument about the market has some merit: it had some hiccups yesterday with the "see more details" bug, and it does occasionally fc. But he's exaggerating again: the market doesn't blow up constantly or fail to install apps. On the contrary, I've had a pleasant experience with it: the layout is nicely optimized for tablets, apps have installed on first click, and the market rarely "blows up."
Just trying to wrap my head around the way and where the menus are supposed to show up in Honeycomb and where UI and control elements are buried gives me a headache, and it doesn’t behave the way I expect it to.
By comparison, if you give an iPad to someone who has been using iPhones or iPod Touches, they’ll know exactly how it’s supposed to work.
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Are you serious? It's not difficult at all to figure out how it works. By now, a lot of my friends have used my tablet. They have had no problem whatsoever. I suspect his problems come from the shifting menu button. Here, let me spell it out for you: on a tablet-optimized app, menu button is in the top right. Otherwise, it will be on the bottom left.
In conclusion, take his arguments with 99 truckloads of salt.
That moving menu button does annoy the hell out of me, though...
Google needs to pick a part of the screen and make sure it sticks there whether it's a HC app or not.
I'll touch on everyone elses points im sure with this but here goes:
That was a funny read. Love the way they compare success to number of units sold, rather than actual revenue made from overall sales.
While honeycomb is still in it's infancy, it's come a long way in a few short months. Unfortunately some people don't seem to realise that with more options and customisation of a device, the more problems can arise. Having a fixed OS that is locked down will of course always be smoother than one which is open, as there are less things to test and make compatible with each other.
I've always seen apple products as something you can just pick up, it will work first time, it has simple controls, but it will do a basic job. Things have improved over the years in making it feel a bit more advanced though to be fair.
With android devices, and honeycomb, I see more options to customise, and more options to explore, with a freedom to basically do whatever you want, only limited by the hardware.
At the end of the day, they are quite different beasts for different people. I guess i'm a google-ite, as I see their approach to their work as inspirational. It seems as if they are willing to experiment more, and release their work freely for others to edit or grow on top of. They're not focussed on sales figures, more a method of growth to show off and expand on people's creative sides. Of course it's all about public image, apple always seems to be quite greedy in trying to make money from every little thing, and google makes their money by cleverly hiding it in the background with advertising etc.
I've had both apple and android devices btw. Liking honeycomb more than I thought I would. I've not had a Xoom and maybe they really are as crap as he says they are. Just glad I have the transformer.
Ok guys, here it is. My first-impressions with the 32GB Asus Transformer after about 24 hours of use. I would like to mention that the opinions below are formulated by someone who owns and uses the first generation iPad (I hate most things Apple) since it was released as well as a Nook Color for about two months.
PROS:
1. Browser (especially bookmark sync with Chrome): After using this for about 5 minutes I knew I was never going to be able to do without this feature. As someone who has their bookmarks extremely well organized in folders and such, syncing is a must. I didn't even bother migrating my bookmarks to my iPad as I knew it would take days to do, so I just learned to do without. However, this feature alone, makes this tablet more like a laptop/desktop replacement than the iPad could ever be. The speed is also very nice. However, I must say that the scrolling and pinching doesn't compare to that of the iPad.
2. Ability to change keyboard (SwiftKey): I must say that the Asus keyboard is pretty horrible. I don't know if it's the slight delay depending on the software that's running, the spacing, aesthetics of the keys, or simply the fact that you have to go to a submenu to access keys such as the "?" or "!" (c'mon, those are pretty commonly used keys). But after using SwiftKey BETA, I must say that the difference has been night and day. I hate having to rest these tablets somewhere or rely on using one hand to access all the keys when in horizontal mode. Fortunately, with SwiftKey, I don't have to worry about that and can keep my hands where they should be, on the bezel. Now if only the TF could automatically change keyboards when docked. SwiftKey can get kind of annoying when using the keyboard to type with its corrections. I think Tasker can handle this though, I'll let you know.
3. Dock: Wow! I was really skeptical as to how practical and efficient the dock would be. To my surprise, I was really impressed with how much it makes the Tranformer feel like a netbook (albeit a bit heavier than most netbooks). Not just a netbook, but an Apple netbook at that. I'm an avid Microsoft/Google fan, but one really must recognize and admire how fluid navigating on an Apple laptop is. The swiping of the finger on the trackpad to scroll up/down, left/right, makes it feel really Apple-esque. Props to Asus! By the way, haven't had any disconnecting dock issues so far. Keeping my fingers crossed!
4. Screen resolution: This thing sure is crisp. Aside from the negative issues I have with the screen (light bleeds; see below), I must admit that in the color/sharpness department, this thing is as crisp as my iPad and Nook Color are. I still would probably give the edge to the Nook Color, but I think it's a small screen/pixel density situation then.
CONS:
QUALITY CONTROL ISSUES:
1. Light Bleed: I posted my issues with it here. As I mentioned on that thread, it isn't too noticeable (only on full brightness or in a really dark setting). But the fact of the matter is that the screen is what you're staring at 100% of the time with such a device; and just knowing that you do have light bleeds keeps you subconsciously hunting for them. Really is a shame that this is an issue. I'm leaning towards getting it exchanged as soon as I feel that newer ones have these issues addressed (not holding my breath). Until then, I guess I'll have to get used to it. The question is, will I?
2. Very small creakiness on left/right edges (pushing inwards): Not much of a problem, but it is worth mentioning. Not that it is very noticeable; it's just that such creaking makes the overall quality and feel of the product seem a bit on the cheap side. I guess I was spoiled by my iPad, but I really don't worry about that thing falling down. This thing seems a bit more sensitive for me. Perhaps I'll get used to it with time?!
OTHER HARDWARE ISSUES:
1. Weight: I don't know of it's just my mind playing tricks on me or what, but the TF seems much heavier than my iPad (first gen). Perhaps it is the difference in dimensions which might require some time getting used to. I don't know what it is, but I definetely can't hold this thing comfortably nearly as long as I can the iPad.
2. Video Playback (including HQ YouTube): People are claiming that this is a limitation of the Tegra 2 processor. If that's the case, than why in the hell would they even bother with it? I mean, I don't expect this thing to run and yield the same quality that my 42" Panasonic VIERA plasma TV does, but this is a tablet. At least 1/3 of everything people do with tablet is watch movies. Especially YouTube movies. This thing should handle it as fine as the first generation iPad does (you know, the one that came out over a year ago). C'mon now! Anyways, my HQ YouTube videos sporadically jerks around and HD videos, well, you've probably seen tons of complaints about it. Tsk, tsk!
3. Smoothness/Speed: I must say that I was somewhat let down with the performance right out-of-the-box. Once again, it must be spoiled by the iPad here. I just feel that either Honeycomb is trying to pack too many animations, graphics, etc. or the processor is just lacking. Whatever the case, I am hoping that someone roots this thing fast and removes some of the resource hogs out of here (apparently there are a lot of unnecessary programs running on the background). Don't get me wrong, this thing isn't dragging ass or anything. It just isn't as speedy as I expected it to be out-of-the-box. I guess I'm more concerned about when I have my 100+ apps installed on this thing. If it's like this now, how will it be then? My EVO 4G seems a lot more fluid when navigating than this thing does, especially when it has a fresh install on it.
4. Smudgeness: I've seen some people complain about this here and there but I thought they just weren't used to using anything touchscreen and were probably exagerating. I was wrong. This thing really does attract a lot more smudging than the iPad, Nook Color, or my Evo. Not that big a deal, but a minor nuissance indeed.
SOFTWARE ISSUES:
1. App Availability/Reliability: So far I haven't come across many apps that don't work well with Honeycomb, but the ones that I do have issues with really bother me. Words with Friends need to step their game up and fix some of the performance and density issues the game is plagued with. Also, out of the apps that are available for Honeycomb and the iPad, the iPad version not only runs so much smoother, but usually contain a lot more features as well. Take Taptu for example. It looks and feels completely different and a lot more robust on the iPad. What a shame! (BTW, I know this is not a TF issue, but a HC issue. Relax!)
2. Auto-brightness: I mentioned this before in this thread. It really does seem that the auto-brightness is a bit too dim. Maybe it is just a dimmer screen than the iPad or Nook Color. But even still, it could use auto-brightness to compensate for that when not in max-brightness mode. Right?
3. Camera: I wasn't expecting wonders from the camera, but I was expecting a lot better movement experience when video recording. I hope that this is something that can be addressed with a software update (maybe tweaking the processing of the captured image/video). On a good note, the front-facing camera worked pretty decently.
I understand that getting a "perfect" device is, in most cases, unrealistic. But, as much as I despise almost everything Apple, I haven't had any cosmetic issues with any of the iPads/iPods I've owned or used. So I know it is possible to be a lot better.
I know, well, hope, that the future is much brighter for the Transformer. Asus seem to be very involved in improving our experience, which is a good sign. Let's just hope they can tackle the camera and video performance as soon as possible.
I know it seems that I have a lot more complaints than praises here. Don't get me wrong, there are issues. But the positive far outweighs them. At least enough for me to keep it. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a tablet that will encompass a bit more than just surfing the net and watching YouTube videos. This thing really can replace your netbook.
SCORE: 7/10 (9/10 if they fix the software issues)
Reserved for updates, answers to questions, etc.
Ok, so as a brit I got the new firmware this morning and the increased stability has really highlighted what a great concept and execution the Transformer and dock is (its now starting to show its true potential and that's in no small part to the exchange of info here on xda and the efforts of Asus to get fixes and updates out)
So.. the build quality has disappointed some people.. and delighted others..
So.. the NEW Galaxy tab is garnering plaudits with some stellar reviews about the sceen and form factor (lighter than the ipad 2! thinner than the ipad 2! etc...)
However.... showing this bit of kit to techies and non techies alike.. the potential is really starting to surprise people. Its a netbook, but it isn't.. its got insane battery life.. its a tablet with a pretty stunning screen.. its a netbook wtih a stunning screen.. Honeycomb is a lot more flexible than people realise.. etc etc..
I should caveat this with a disclaimer that (so far) I've been one of the 'lucky ones' with a unit with few if any quality control issues.. and perhaps ASUS need to ramp up in that department if the posts here about build quality issues are any barometer.. but so far, this is a kick ass bit of kit and IMHO thoroughly deserves the title of 'The New Hotness' - there's nothing out there like it
We need more positive threads like this.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I've found that people don't really "get it" when I just describe how the TF is both a tablet and a netbook. However, when I _show_ them by popping it on and off the keyboard, suddenly the lightbulb seems to always go off. Makes for a great demo, and of course, it's just generally cool...
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Agreed... well written.
It will be perfect with 3.1 and an oc kernel that runs as fast as my gtab.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Agreed that conceptually this is a great product.
I am on my second and both tablets suffer from built issues most notably significant light bleed.
If stock was more available I would like to exchange for a third and hope to get one that works just right but it is consitently out of stock and feels like a lottery to get one only to be let down when it copmes flawed.
Any of you having these issues?
Am I just being over picky about the light bleed?
Still can't get a keyboard here in Seattle
Well, after I got the Transformer, I envied the people that got the Galaxy Tab at the Google IO. Then I played with one and then I realized that if I had the choice, I'd go with the Transformer. And my wife, she now wants everything in the house to be Asus.
They say light bleed. I had to search for it a lot to find it. They say creakiness and I also had to twist the Transformer hardly to hear it. They said a lot of bad things, but you know what I think? Only people who have problems write comments and try to discuss their problems with the community and trying to fix it. But pleased people always stay away.
Anyway, I think the Transformer is the best compared to all the others and it is worth more that $400...
Theres a lot of love for this tablet, warts and all.. bring on Honeycomb 3.1... Definitely favour a stability release over a feature release at this stage
I am also very happy with mine. There is a little light bleed, but nothing I find bothersome. Way better than the iPad.
The docking station is the killer component of the system. With it the transformer changes from a device best suited to consumption to a device that can effectively create content. This is a huge advantage to me.
Jerry
PS. Glad to hear the new update made it to the UK. Mine received it the day I bought it and I have never had these sleep of death or other problems that occurred before the update.
Loving mine so far. With the last update the dock works even better. Now my ipad sits on a shelf.
jerrykur said:
I am also very happy with mine. There is a little light bleed, but nothing I find bothersome. Way better than the iPad.
The docking station is the killer component of the system. With it the transformer changes from a device best suited to consumption to a device that can effectively create content. This is a huge advantage to me.
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Yeah, reading that comparison thread of the four office products in the Apps & Themes section really brings home the content creation side of things... now for more music creation apps (iOS has a huge lead here)
Overaill, I guess the satisfied users will just have to evangelise the Transformers merits some more - but the lightbulb going on in peoples' heads when they see it in action (as was mentioned earlier) is really satisfying especially when its people who think tablets begin and end with Apple
I think only the really "anal" are harping on the light bleed and creaking.
Honestly the average consumer probably won't even notice these issues.
I notice, but really don't care that much.
There's slight creaking when bending it hard....but really is that affecting my user experience? Not really...maybe it speaks to build quality, which isn't THAT bad.
Light bleed...if i focus reaalllllly hard on the bottom right hand corner on a fully black screen I can see it....but everyday usage it goes unnoticed.
newtybar said:
I think only the really "anal" are harping on the light bleed and creaking.
Honestly the average consumer probably won't even notice these issues.
I notice, but really don't care that much.
There's slight creaking when bending it hard....but really is that affecting my user experience? Not really...maybe it speaks to build quality, which isn't THAT bad.
Light bleed...if i focus reaalllllly hard on the bottom right hand corner on a fully black screen I can see it....but everyday usage it goes unnoticed.
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Or perhaps you're making your own assumptions on the lack of severity of other peoples light bleed problems or whatever? They're not all the same you know.
newtybar said:
I think only the really "anal" are harping on the light bleed and creaking.
Honestly the average consumer probably won't even notice these issues.
I notice, but really don't care that much.
There's slight creaking when bending it hard....but really is that affecting my user experience? Not really...maybe it speaks to build quality, which isn't THAT bad.
Light bleed...if i focus reaalllllly hard on the bottom right hand corner on a fully black screen I can see it....but everyday usage it goes unnoticed.
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Click to collapse
I guess I am anal then. I don't expect perfection but I don't need to search for light bleed I only need to view a dark background like a movie trailer in a dark room to see 4-5 patches of it along the bottom.
This has now happened on 2 different models so can't attribute it to a rare lemon.
As for creaking my first one was bad. The top and bottom bronze medal would click when holding it which was annoying.
The new one is much better in that regard. But the right side of the back plastic kind of gives when I first hold it.
So yes I am anal that I want my nearly 600$ tablet to have better build. But I also recognize the brilliance of the concept and if I can get one with less screen bleed I would be in love instead of on the fence to return.
I think the light bleed issue is somewhat inherent in the panel technology. The iPad seems to suffer light bleeds quite a lot and it seems to be somewhat worse in the new one. I also hear the new iPad is more fragile than the old one since Apple glued down the screen to make it thinner.
love my eee pad
I am really in love with my transformer.
I have a very light cracking on the right side....that's all.No hardware trouble at all.
I really LIKE HC, even it's not perfect, yet But it has a lot of potential for the future.
Most of the time the transformer runs smoothly and without trouble.
I gotta say this is the best tech device i have brought in ages.
Anyone whop knows me can guage how good a bit of tech is by how long it takes for me to whack it on ebay (normally a week lol) however the TF is just perfect for what i need.
Having owned 2 ipads and a galaxy tab i gotta say imho that this beats them all hands down. The dock makes a huge difference and turns a device which is mainly a concumption device into an excellent all rounder. It turns from a "i dont need it but its cool" device into a laptop/netbook replacement for most day to day tasks.
Ok you still need a pc if your into photoshop or video conversions etc but my gen 2 core i5 has just sat there limp and lonely for the last two weeks, basking in the shadows caused by this monolithic beauty.
When reading reviews before mine arrived i was worried about QC however i have come to realise that nothing will ever be perfect for everyone, and yes if you have a fault then you have the right to swap it. But am i going to go looking for faults NO, i have spent a nice £400 quid plus on this unit and you know what im gonna enjoy it for what it is!.
I love Samsung always have done but then again i have also always owned asus pc gear and know that there support generally is second to none let alone the reliability of there products. Hell lets not forget who invented the netbook in the first place, and while Apple may of have made the tablet popular Asus have made it USEFULL
thering1975 said:
I gotta say this is the best tech device i have brought in ages.
Anyone whop knows me can guage how good a bit of tech is by how long it takes for me to whack it on ebay (normally a week lol) however the TF is just perfect for what i need.
Having owned 2 ipads and a galaxy tab i gotta say imho that this beats them all hands down. The dock makes a huge difference and turns a device which is mainly a concumption device into an excellent all rounder. It turns from a "i dont need it but its cool" device into a laptop/netbook replacement for most day to day tasks.
Ok you still need a pc if your into photoshop or video conversions etc but my gen 2 core i5 has just sat there limp and lonely for the last two weeks, basking in the shadows caused by this monolithic beauty.
When reading reviews before mine arrived i was worried about QC however i have come to realise that nothing will ever be perfect for everyone, and yes if you have a fault then you have the right to swap it. But am i going to go looking for faults NO, i have spent a nice £400 quid plus on this unit and you know what im gonna enjoy it for what it is!.
I love Samsung always have done but then again i have also always owned asus pc gear and know that there support generally is second to none let alone the reliability of there products. Hell lets not forget who invented the netbook in the first place, and while Apple may of have made the tablet popular Asus have made it USEFULL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Must say, I feel the same way about the Transformer. Since purchasing it I seem to be taking it everywhere with me like my phone. Did not think I would become that attached to a gadget even my wife is starting to get jealous!!!
I love my transformer too! It's an awesome piece of kit!
I bought an iPad2 the day after it launched (I managed to wander into a local store and they had one in stock!) and returned it a week later. There's no 'killer app' really, garageband was pretty cool and some of the games were nice, but as I already own an iPhone4, there was nothing I could do on the iPad that I couldn't do with my phone, and in fact as I've jailbroken my phone, I actually found the iPad very restrictive!
What really got me was having to jump through hoops wearing clown shoes with butter smeared on the bottom of them just to get any media on the iPad. I don't use iPhoto for my pictures and I don't buy movies from iTunes, so was fairly boned in terms of getting stuff on the device easily. With my transformer I just plug it in, and drag and drop! Or use wifi file transfer! Or use the microSD or SDHC on the dock! Or use the built in DNLA! So many options!
I've had my transformer for over a month now, and I still haven't sold or returned it! I will admit I've been lucky with mine, the only real problems I have are apps crashing a bit more often than I'd like them to. Everything else works wonderfully!
Compared to the iPoo, on my transformer I have a bunch of HD movies (including Avatar, which looks AMAZING!), loads of photos that the gallery just picks up on automatically, a few games, including fpse with final fantasy 7, 8 & 9, super puzzle fighter 2 turbo and a bunch of others, and a web browsing experience that actually works on pretty much every website I've been to! And I won't even bother mentioning the dock, and how many benefits that brings to an already great tablet!
Apple could learn a lot from the flash implementation! Practically the only use I found for the iPad was as a couch-based web browser, and without flash, that's pretty useless too!
Add that to the fact that there aren't as many decent tablet apps for the iPad as most of the media would have you believe (I spent a week looking for apps for the iPad2, and couldn't really find anything that wowed me), and the iPhone apps look terrible on the iPad, and it leads me to the conclusion that most of the people who praise the iPad over a device like the transformer have either sub-par intelligence, are living under a rock as far as knowing how tech works, or have fingers like pork pies (extremely fat).
Pretty much everyone I've shown my transformer too has been very impressed by it, and I know at least 10 of them are now trying to source their own transformers! I work in a big office full of techie people, so that number will probably increase! I kinda wish I could get some form of commission!
If I had to say anything bad about my transformer it's that the marketing behind video playback on tegra 2 devices has been a bit misleading. I have handbrake on my PC and mac and have saved templates that create lovely running HD files, but when I bought my transformer, I was kinda under the impression that it would play almost anything, what with the marketing touting "Full 1080p playback".
The only advice I have offered people is "if you don't have a tablet already, and you're not in any rush, keep an eye out on the upcoming tegra 3 tablets. They will handle pretty much any video resolution and encoding, and if you're planning on waiting a couple of months before getting a tablet, it *may* be worth holding out for the tegra 3."
Apparently the tegra 3 can handle resolutions up to 2560x1600, so it should handle high profile 1080p video fine, according to this demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPN3hHI9y-E
I just hope more can be eeked out of the tegra 2 chips, so I don't have to transcode every HD movie I want to watch on my transformer!
Although that said, other than that minor annoyance, I think my transformer is one of the best gadgets I've ever owned, and I like my gadge! Plus, it allows me to browse the net and remote control my home PC from work, with it tethered by bluetooth to my iphone. Pleasing.
Sorry for the long post, can't help gushing about the transformer sometimes! haha!
Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
goodintentions said:
Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea what you're talking about, seriously. I had an iPad and now iPad 2 as well as the Iconia and love em both for their separate strengths. We have 3 ipad2's in our house and due to my job, they are stuffed to the gills with all kinds of apps and none have frozen, needed to be restarted or crashed. There have been an occasion app that has refused to load, but nothing like you are gleefully mentioning.
As for your rumor regarding screen issues, I posted something about this earlier today- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1188841 - the iPads have consistently been the screen by which all others are compared and reports of light bleed, from what I've read, have been a rare defect.
I'm also loving my Android devices now that my Infuse is rooted (ROM is next) and my Iconia has HC3.1. There are days when I only use something running iOS for phone calls (my iPhone still has my main number). But Android it still doesn't have the polish iOS does (/ducks to avoid flames and large stones... ) which I blame more on the OEM's than the software. Android, again IMO, also doesn't have as many quality apps- game, productivity, multimedia, graphics, etc. But this is just a matter of time.
Is iOS the "perfect" blend of hardware and software? Maybe not, but IMHO, it's the closest to it for an "out of the box" experience at the moment. I'm sure with enough tweaks, ROMs and hacks, an experienced owner could create a near perfect tablet experience and while the ability to do all that is the beauty of Android, you can't expect your average user to do anything close to that.
So I don't know if your post was a troll shot and I got suckered into replying, but I guess I'm replying as an iPad and Android owner that doesn't feel like I have to boast about one product to denigrate another. Other than stating how a particular OS suits their expectations more than the other, I've never been around any iPad owners chanting about how superior their tab is, that's just ridiculous... of course all the iPad owners I know other than my son are adults...
goodintentions said:
Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think some Apple folks suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect as well as some cognitive dissonance - caused by the ADF (Apple Distortion Field).
Any and all Apple products, therefore - as superior to any competing product. Any and all Apple strategies are superior to any competing brands strategies.
Any and all Apple "stuff" is superior to any competing "stuff".
Once you understand and agree to compromise (shut yo mouth, foo!), you'll get along with them.
Now, these statements are a mixture of jokes and certain feelings I may possibly really believe .
Either way, the truth of the matter is the iPad and iPad 2 are great products. I think they are extremely thoughtfully made for better or for worse. I think they choose processes that make them great looking and 'easy'. I also think they are terrigreedy, holding back tech. and restricting certain features in order to squeeze money from customers. But give any company a chance and they'd do this - don't think it's just Apple. They are simply getting away with it, and that upsets folks.
I haven't seen many products which touch Apple quality in terms of materials they use and such. Apple's been shipping laptops with backlit keyboards for a while, look how long it took PC makers to do the same? (Granted, Apple notebooks are at a more than 70% premium, but still...nice, right?).
The light bleed may be an issue for some but think about it, most Apple users aren't doing anything to accentuate it. We're hard on our stuff! We really are. We penalize our hardware harshly, they don't (for the most part) and those that do are probably not Apple fans.
We turn lights off and make our screens pitch black in order to check for problems we wouldn't notice unless/until we search for them, they don't...they use and enjoy their stuff. While I do not agree that the iPad 2 is a BETTER device than even the A500, I do think it contains some parts that may be considered superior. That doesn't mean the competition (A500, Tab 10.1, TF) doesn't beat the pants off of the iPad 2, they in general do in terms of playing movies, games and such - but it means that a TYPICAL user will probably get 1. less heartache and 2. more enjoyment out of the iPad 2, while there's sort of a small learning curve for Android Tablets.
I hope this makes sense.
I'm a little biased, you can tell...but I'm objective enough to know good technology when I see/use it.
tazm0n said:
So I don't know if your post was a troll shot and I got suckered into replying, but I guess I'm replying as an iPad and Android owner that doesn't feel like I have to boast about one product to denigrate another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, no, it's not a troll shot. I take the train everyday to work, so I encounter quite a few ipad users on a daily basis. Even at work I run into them. There's something about the ipad that makes people want to look down on everyone who uses something else.
Neoprimal said:
I haven't seen many products which touch Apple quality in terms of materials they use and such. Apple's been shipping laptops with backlit keyboards for a while, look how long it took PC makers to do the same? (Granted, Apple notebooks are at a more than 70% premium, but still...nice, right?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean, no, not really. I HAVE a macbook, and don't care about, nor will look for a backlit kb on my next laptop... The mofo has also developed an annoying problem where it seems to see phantom touchpad presses and repositions my cursor at random.
I've the Iconia and the original iPad.
If I didn't have 'weird' requirements from a tablet, which are:
Connect a KB/Mouse for RDP
Use Bittorrent client (for legit purposes of course!!!)
... I would use the ipad every single time.
IMO, it's just a much much much nicer experience to use. Now, don't bother contradicting me on that. It's MY opinion and it's MY experience.
It's just smoother, nicer, better apps and the tablet itself is nicer (esp the iPad 2 which I have access to at work).
I've been thinking recently tho.. what I really want is a 13.3" Windows 8 tablet with Tegra 3, full size USB/HDMI, and something like a retina display and be same weight/thickness as iPad2.
Then I can ditch my laptop which I really only use to play Windows only games.
I also want 13.3" cos 10" is too small to work on all day long and I hate my work desk cluttered by a big fat clunky external screen. Just waiting for those transparent displays like u get in Avatar.
Windows 8 so I can install Diablo 3 on it when it comes out. Or OSX or whatever since I guess D3 will be out on Mac as well.
All I want is one all-encompassing device (and by the time D3 comes out, that shouldn't be too hard....)
MrBoingy said:
... I would use the ipad every single time.
IMO, it's just a much much much nicer experience to use. Now, don't bother contradicting me on that. It's MY opinion and it's MY experience.
It's just smoother, nicer, better apps and the tablet itself is nicer (esp the iPad 2 which I have access to at work).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not trying to argue against you, but thought I'd just offer my personal view on that too, since I have experience on both devices too. I have an Ipad and the Iconia in my home as well, my wife has the iPad2 and I have this tab. Before I got the tab, she used to have the original iPad, and I used it quite a bit...she upgraded to the 2 around the time when I got my toy, after which I've barely touched the iPad2.
Now, I really like the iPad - I really do. When we just had that, I used it all the time (too much according to my wife ). It's snappy, clear to use, simple...nice device, I really like it for very basic stuff.
However, when that was the only tablet thing we had, I had to use my laptop/desktop much more than I do now, I felt like it was "too basic" for my needs. I didn't use to think I go to many flash sites, but I guess I do...there were plenty of things that just didn't work with the Safari, unfortunately. Plus the whole media experience is completely different, with the iPad I never watched anything since I just couldn't...it supported absolutely nothing of my current video collection, nothing works, everything should've been re-encoded and somehow (itunes I guess) brought into the iPad, which I didn't want to bother with - I have my setup and there are plenty of standards to go with how I access my stuff (DLNA, SMB, etc.), I didn't want to bend over backwards to redo everything. And now, with my Iconia, I can stream vidoes of whatever format from my home server, copy files by plugging in the USB or using samba etc. all sorts of options for that. So to me, the Iconia / HC tabs are clearly more useful than the iPad, the Android tablet is more of a computer in that way, it works with my existing network, just plugs into it. So yeah, I prefer it. Greatly. And even physically, I have to say I prefer the Iconia now...the 4:3 aspect ration on the iPad just looks wrong now.
But anyway, not trying to argue, just offering my views on the two devices. Like you, I see good points in both, but I'd say I strongly prefer the Android tablets for the more "computer-like" power they have and the way they interact with the existing setup I have.
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Take the time to tweak your device with everything available on these forums, it becomes an entirely different device.
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you are trolling here, but eh, I'm bored so I'll bite.
Those of us who find the Tab to be a pleasant experience must be in denial huh? Don't you think that's a pretty presumptuous and arrogant statement? How do you know what my experience with it has been? Or anyone else's for that matter?
I would usually sit here and try to help you solve your lagginess issue, maybe seeing if you have some sort of rouge process going on or if you are even on the latest firmware. Maybe point you to some of the great custom ROMs the developers here have given us. But, nope. You speak for everyone and everyone must be having the same ****ty experience as you, and if we say we don't we must be lying.
I will tell you though that my experience has been fantastic. The only time I get lag on the homescreen is when I have a live wallpaper up. I've never had any browser lag or lag anywhere else. I have a ton of widgets on my screens too. No lag. Of course though I'm totally lying, but you knew that already right?
I'm finished being sarcastic. Honestly if you aren't happy with the device, go sell it and get an Ipad again. Nobody is stopping you. The Tab is a fantastic product and I would go so far as to say it is the best tablet on the market as of this very moment. But it is not for everybody, especially for people who have no idea what they are doing.
Posting threads like this serves no purpose other than being a troll and drawing the ire of members like myself.
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine a couple weeks back too, and my experiences are similar to yours. I still can't understand how a dual core device can be this laggy! I'm hoping its all due to the Samsung bloatware, so I'm going to load up a custom ROM over the weekend and see how that goes... you should try it too
I really like the additional screen space coming from a 4.2" Xperia Arc, and Honeycomb is a lot zippier now than it was back in April when I had the Xoom for a couple of weeks. I still believe its a better tablet than the iPad2 though. That thing seems so zippy because all it is is a magnified iPhone. There's almost nothing running in the background which gives it the appearance of being a lot quicker and better battery life. Load it up with widgets and lets compare them then.
My biggest problem though, is the lack of a good pdf app. I've tried tons of them and they are all really slow to load, very jerky pinch to zoom, and slow scrolling. Hope this improves with ICS
And to the poster above this, I don't get why you even bothered posting if you're going to be so incredibly unhelpful
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks... I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience...
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lance,
I have watched my brother in law's ipad closely, and you are right. It is faster and more responsive (once tweaked) than my SGT was out of the box. However, the others are right too.
I have rooted and tweaked my SGT and it now makes my ios friends raise their eyebrows. You happily partied all over your ipad, making many changes suggested on user sites like this one. Now you need to do the same with your SGT. If you are unable or unwilling to do that, you are not an idiot or a molester of small animals, you are just one of those people that the ipad was designed for. So get another one, and enjoy it.
I prefer my Android gadgets, because they are more flexible. I am not locked into iTunes, and I have access to my 650GB music library that is not as compressed as AAC. I have a FREE SDK that works rather well, when i want to write my own apps. There are a few paid apps that I depend upon for day to day stuff, just like I would for iOs devices. For me, and many of the others in this form, that is what they want.
Sent from a distant planet with the aid of my towel.
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand how you feel, and I felt the same way when I first handled the SGT 8.9 the UI lag was horrendous .. I felt the product manager of the device should be sacked (or worse done to him) for ever allowing such a device out the door in such state. To make matters worse for me, there was an ipad close by and the UI flow was like watching man utd beat arsenal 8-2 .. I promptly returned the device.
However my opinion has since change since coming here lots of people have filled me in with some tweaks and work around which resolves most of the laggy issue. (You can check out the SGT 8.9 Q & A section its a sticky under this section for people experience with the device)
First of if you can't be bothered to root your device, try the ADW launcher ex, everyone who tried that said its greatly improves the performance and eliminates the lag issue.
You can also if you are feeling adventurous root the device. And install some of the numerous roms around.
just try and take advantage of the open nature and make it yours. Soon ipad owners would be looking at your tab and feeling the envy.
Just my 2 cents
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Please go get your ipad back dude. I have none of the issues you speak of. This thread is a total waste. I don't even believe you own a tab.
By saying "you like Android phones" I'm assuming you mean in comparison to the iPhone. Most of the same issues you’re experiencing in an Android vs. iPad tablet comparison apply to a phone comparison also so your statement's kind of confusing.
iOS is so "buttery smooth" because it's locked down like a prison with Apple exerting Orwellian control over the entire eco-system. I bought my G-Tab and paid more than an equivalent iPad because, for what I do, the collection of individual apps works better than the homogenous equivalents on the iPad. And I did that knowing the iPad had a better display and that the UI and navigation were smoother and more mature.
This forum is fascinating because of the disparity in experiences everyone has. I've had two G-Tab's (Wi-Fi and 3G) and never had a force close on either and I have over 50 apps installed. There's occasional stutter and lagginess but I'd say it appears (for me) less than 5% of the time. One huge difference between iOS and Android is that Android, with its limitless ability to be tweaked, can get hosed by people using badly written apps and the use of memory managers, task killers, battery monitors and the like. Every XDA forum I participate in has people *****ing about some function being hosed and then go on to elaborate about all the crap they've done to their device and ****ty low-rent apps they're using. And they don’t understand why their phone’s getting crappy battery life and has tons of issues no one else seems to be experiencing. I guess freedom comes at a price and it can be abused.
I've had a G-Tab in one form or another since August and have been really satisfied with it. I took my new 3G version on a trip over the weekend and it performed flawlessly and got fantastic battery life with 3G active continuously and download speeds of 8MB in TX (vs. less than 1MB for an iPad). I sat across from someone using an iPad on the flight home last night. The local video he was playing was gorgeous. Compared to mine, his WSJ app looked like crap as did Solitaire and a bunch of other stuff I saw him use. Meanwhile, I was streaming Hulu, HBOGO, and TV shows from my home server using the planes Wi-Fi. I can also play music I have stored on my home server, the Amazon cloud, or from the 2K songs I store locally using my $9.99 Rhapsody monthly subscription. All while reading magazines and newspapers using Next Issue and Press Reader. I’d gladly trade options and versatility for “buttery smooth” any day. iOS is great for a subset of device owners because of its constraints and consistency. But those restrictions are why I chose Android. Android can become smoother through s/w and h/w evolution but iOS will never become more open. Hopefully OP bought his G-Tab somewhere with a liberal return policy so he can return it.
BarryH_GEG said:
By saying "you like Android phones" I'm assuming you mean in comparison to the iPhone. Most of the same issues you’re experiencing in an Android vs. iPad tablet comparison apply to a phone comparison also so your statement's kind of confusing.
iOS is so "buttery smooth" because it's locked down like a prison with Apple exerting Orwellian control over the entire eco-system. I bought my G-Tab and paid more than an equivalent iPad because, for what I do, the collection of individual apps works better than the homogenous equivalents on the iPad. And I did that knowing the iPad had a better display and that the UI and navigation were smoother and more mature.
This forum is fascinating because of the disparity in experiences everyone has. I've had two G-Tab's (Wi-Fi and 3G) and never had a force close on either and I have over 50 apps installed. There's occasional stutter and lagginess but I'd say it appears (for me) less than 5% of the time. One huge difference between iOS and Android is that Android, with its limitless ability to be tweaked, can get hosed by people using badly written apps and the use of memory managers, task killers, battery monitors and the like. Every XDA forum I participate in has people *****ing about some function being hosed and then go on to elaborate about all the crap they've done to their device and ****ty low-rent apps they're using. And they don’t understand why their phone’s getting crappy battery life and has tons of issues no one else seems to be experiencing. I guess freedom comes at a price and it can be abused.
I've had a G-Tab in one form or another since August and have been really satisfied with it. I took my new 3G version on a trip over the weekend and it performed flawlessly and got fantastic battery life with 3G active continuously and download speeds of 8MB in TX (vs. less than 1MB for an iPad). I sat across from someone using an iPad on the flight home last night. The local video he was playing was gorgeous. Compared to mine, his WSJ app looked like crap as did Solitaire and a bunch of other stuff I saw him use. Meanwhile, I was streaming Hulu, HBOGO, and TV shows from my home server using the planes Wi-Fi. I can also play music I have stored on my home server, the Amazon cloud, or from the 2K songs I store locally using my $9.99 Rhapsody monthly subscription. All while reading magazines and newspapers using Next Issue and Press Reader. I’d gladly trade options and versatility for “buttery smooth” any day. iOS is great for a subset of device owners because of its constraints and consistency. But those restrictions are why I chose Android. Android can become smoother through s/w and h/w evolution but iOS will never become more open. Hopefully OP bought his G-Tab somewhere with a liberal return policy so he can return it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stuff you speak of is why I have ran Linux exclusively on my PC for close to 5 years now. Yet I think the OP has a point and was just letting out steam. I too was extremely disappointed when I handled the galaxy tab (in my case it was the 8.9) right from boot the experience was horrendous and the UI lagged SOO much it was embarrassing. This first impression was a real turn off for me and I can understand the feeling of someone who gets a device with such awesome hardware only be bugged down with software. Sure you can always improve with tweaks and mods but if android is ever gonna replicate its success on mobile on tablets. Then the out of the box experience most be killer. Having and awesome out of the box experience and ability to further tweak should not be mutually exclusive. The experience I got on my galaxy s2 even with default rom was exquisite. Just breath taking. Even without Modding or installing a custom rom. That's what I expected from honeycomb. Hopefully most of this out of the box issues would be fixed with honeycomb 3.2 and ICS.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
I must agree with OP. Its a f****g ambaresment how a product can be released in the state it was when it was in the box. Now after tweaking and rooting and flashing and using it for a couple of months its useable. But it still lags, not all the time , but try installing something form market and then go to homescreen, right then its laggy as hell.
But we all know this by now, so i agree with the rest of you that we have no need for this thread. And if OP just read a little before buying he would have found this info about the tab. Anyways welcome hope you get your tab sorted.
nickwarn said:
I must agree with OP. Its a f****g ambaresment how a product can be released in the state it was when it was in the box. Now after tweaking and rooting and flashing and using it for a couple of months its useable. But it still lags, not all the time , but try installing something form market and then go to homescreen, right then its laggy as hell.
But we all know this by now, so i agree with the rest of you that we have no need for this thread. And if OP just read a little before buying he would have found this info about the tab. Anyways welcome hope you get your tab sorted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same experience here.... I've even rooted my tab and it did improve but not as much as I would of liked, this was a month ago though, so i don't know if anything better has comed out. I've thought about getting an iPad but..... I just can't if it can't play flash.... How the hell could you own a tablet and not watch a simple flash video. So if anyone can give me advice on how to make my 10.1 as smooth as some of you have said, then please do tell me how. I love my Gtab but the lag does really bother me enough to have had to remove all my widgets....
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
shoo troll.
Klk450 said:
Same experience here.... I've even rooted my tab and it did improve but not as much as I would of liked, this was a month ago though, so i don't know if anything better has comed out. I've thought about getting an iPad but..... I just can't if it can't play flash.... How the hell could you own a tablet and not watch a simple flash video. So if anyone can give me advice on how to make my 10.1 as smooth as some of you have said, then please do tell me how. I love my Gtab but the lag does really bother me enough to have had to remove all my widgets....
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root your tab is only the first step. You need to flash custom rom after you root your tab, then only you can feel the difference.
I just got my tab last week, wifi only version. I can say I'm really satisfied with the performance and I love my tab. The basic steps are:
1. root your tab
2. flash custom rom
That's all you need to do to feel the difference. You can ignore some of the gimmicks, for instance supercharger, overclock kernel and etc that have been mentioned if you have no freaking idea what they are about at the moment. You will pick them up along the way just like I did.
The one tip that everyone here would tell you - READ THE FORUM!
For instance, the first sticky post in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android Development is a good read and good resource to get you started. Here's the link if you have no idea where it is (Seriously?): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1171089
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
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I agree with you on most counts, except that I don't have any issues with the onscreen keyboard and don't get force closes. There are some things you can do to improve the user experience (alternate launchers, overclocking etc), however it still won't feel like the iPad.
That being said, there are things you can do with the tablet out of the box which you can't do with an iPad:
- Adobe Flash support
- Emulation apps availability (SNES, DOS, Scumm)
- File / Directory browsing
- UI customization
- Non-market / store applications installation
While I would love the overall UI performance to be on par with the iPad, given a choice between the two I would rather have the above functionality instead. There is also the possibility of Android's UI performance improving in the future with all this functionality retained. In case of Apple, apart from limited UI customization perhaps, the other stuff is just not going to be available ever.
PS: And all that's just out of the box, if you root your device there's some far more interesting stuff you can do with the tablet!
---------- Post added at 01:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 PM ----------
pngface said:
My biggest problem though, is the lack of a good pdf app. I've tried tons of them and they are all really slow to load, very jerky pinch to zoom, and slow scrolling. Hope this improves with ICS
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You have probably tried it already, but EZ PDF is pretty good. I am comparing it to GoodReader on the iPad and I don't have any issues with loading / scrolling / flipping / resizing.
Of course, this maybe dependent on the size and content of the PDFs you are using, so YMMV -- I mostly read book-sized documents, mostly text, and it works fine for me.
I recently bought a GalaxyTab and I have to confirm, it is quite laggy - In comparison to an iPad.
There are several things which can drastically improve the situation:
Use ADW Launcher EX
Custom ROM, Like Task650/Phantom Extreme Stock
Overclock (although, this didn't change a lot)
I found that the first two points are the most important. ADW Launcher makes the whole Homescreen and Applauncher absolutely smooth, just like on an iPad. And no, the stock launcher isn't.
It's great how many possibilites we have with Android, but be honest - I'd rather have ICS without any new features, but just great performance increases. Thats why I switched to Windows Phone in the first place - I don't want apple, but I want smooth scrolling, smooth transitions. And now, just because Android has much more possibilites doesn't mean it has the right to be slow and choppy. Take a look at the Windows 8 Developer Preview. My god, this isn't even an ALPHA and boy it's SO SMOOTH, I cried almost when I saw that.
The only reason I bought my Galaxy Tab is, that Microsoft still needs about a year until their first tablets are out - And I hate waiting
So please Google, get your Team together and tell them to START OPTIMIZING.
PS:
ezPDF is quite good - But the UI is horrible, and I miss the feature to insert Pages into a PDF. Mandano seems a lot more polished and faster, but misses a lot of annotation features.
I agree with the original poster. My tab is rooted, custom rom, adw, etc. My wife's ipad is a far smoother experience than this tablet. Would I switch back to the ipad prison? Not in a million years. My tablet does so much more than the ipad. If an example is needed, how about my choice of swype or thumb keyboard.
root your tab and wait for an ICS port... ICS is said to have hardware acceleration. That is the only thing Honeycomb lacks and that is why its not as smooth as the iPad...
OR
Flash a custom ROM such as Overcome 1.2.1 (didnt like 1.2.2 or 1.2.3) or w/e other one suits you and then come back edit the OP with the overall news... don't judge this book by its cover and remember its NOT iOS
A newbie when rooting is involved but i was wondering if you could give me an idea of what tweaks you have made? i'm considering rooting my device but unsure of what i could do to make it better.
Cpt Streamline said:
A newbie when rooting is involved but i was wondering if you could give me an idea of what tweaks you have made? i'm considering rooting my device but unsure of what i could do to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a custom ROM is the big one, will make a huge difference. I am using Task650 & Phantom's "In Paris V4". I also installed pershoot's kernel and overclocked.
The experience
I love my Galaxy Tab in comparison to my previously owned iPad but the reason is simply because I like playing with roms and hacking to get the most of my device. On my iPad, I felt too restricted and forced to use software I didn't like. Yes, some of the apps are better on the iPad and yes, the interface is a bit smoother but it's nowhere near as attractive and it's far too limiting.
A friend of mine equated the iPad experience with being put in a padded room where he can't hurt himself and everything if fluffy and safe feeling. It made me laugh but somewhat sums up the experience. Personally, I'd rather not be spoon fed the experience but would rather create my own and make it about me.
My hope is that ICS will be a significant jump. realistically, Android tablet manufacturers should be trolling these forums for employees who can tweak up their software.. Why they don't do this, one will never know.
Either way, I don't think attacks on the Op are warranted. These forums are here for people to both vent and discuss like the adults we are.