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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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!
Related
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?
I still cannot understand why the A500 is not in the top 5 tablets, rarely in the top 10. I love my a500 and I think it out beats any other tab. It has all the ports you need, its fast, just as fast as an overclocked Xoom or G-tab, and it cant be overclocked yet!!!!!! Wait till the new kernal comes out! But so far the Xoom, Eee Pad, Playbook and Galaxy 10.1 are always beating it. The A500 has all the features of all these tablets combined. The Xoom sd doesnt work and no usb port, same with the Eee pad, Galaxy has not ports at all (damn you apple for influencing such a stupid idea)! and the playbook is half the size and lacks everything, more like a big phone. It might be heavier (by an arm tearing, wrist breaking, cardio session .25lb) than all these tabs but who cares if you get all the ports, cameras gps, gyroscope, accelerometer and compass.
Why is the Acer not acknowledged for what it has?! I think it is the king right now.
What do you guys think?
I think all the tabs are good to some extent, but it seems the A500 always takes a hit on wieght and the screen. I personally love mine. I have no issues with the videos I have watched and as for speed, I think it is on par to the rest. The reviews that lump the PlayBook and iPad2 in with the android pads are not fair. They are not the same class of tab. Completely different OS. If I was a business man using a Blackberry phone, I would have chose the PlayBook. They play well together because the PlayBook was designed that way. If I want to play a few games, surf the WEB, read a book, or friend then I would choose an iPad or the Galaxey 10.1.
That is not what I wanted. I wanted the flexability to expand and use periferials without a special cable, adapter or such, so I chose the Acer A500 and am quite pleased with it. I with all the useres would quite bashing the other tabs. Each like what they like for what ever reason they like it. No different here. Next year the next great tab will come out. For now, for me, it is the A500. I do not need to defend my decision. It is mine.
Happy tabbing.
I do love mine too, and sincerely, I don´t care to top lists or trendings.
I used to have an iPhone 4, never got used to it. I never got the concept of missing a home screen, the need of iTunes and a lot of other details.
Anyway, if you are happy with your tablet, ignore those lists. It´s your opinion that matters to yourself, period.
I don't know, I just love this fat bus****!
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Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
I ve had the xoom for 10 days i got the sd to work and upgraded to 3.1
the build is quite nice but for the price and the lack of usb i returned it for an a500 and am loving it... Go acer
I for one don't know or care why the Acer is rated so low. I did quite a bit of reading and research before I got mine and compared to the other tablets I was looking at, it had the most features and a really good screen. With the possible exception of the Toshiba tablet which isn't even out yet the Acer has the most bang for my hard earned buck. My one complaint and its a small one is the lack of accessories. I do like me some accessories.
karlkarloff said:
I for one don't know or care why the Acer is rated so low. I did quite a bit of reading and research before I got mine and compared to the other tablets I was looking at, it had the most features and a really good screen. With the possible exception of the Toshiba tablet which isn't even out yet the Acer has the most bang for my hard earned buck. My one complaint and its a small one is the lack of accessories. I do like me some accessories.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What accessories do you want? You have a case, docking station, screen protector, HDI cable and a pethra of USB items that you can attach. Way more than most of the other tabs on the market. The after market seems to be getting on the band wagon too. Won't be long until you will find anything you are looking for.
maybe some hardcase angrybird, or diamond cover stuff...
hahaha
Actually I will do prefer have more "case, cover" choices, not just a sad black leather things....
but
I have to say
WEIGHT should not be taken as a bad point... for me it's a better point I do love feel what I have in the hand.
i think its just because of the brand...
come on, acer vs apple vs samsung vs motorola
this is all about brand, you know 80% of people in this world are branded mind...
There was an article on Cnet yesterday that says Acer is vieing for the number two spot in the tablet market right now.
http://m.cnet.com/Article.rbml?nid=20073055&cid=null&bcid=&bid=-64
Search for top android tablets on cnet.......a500 is at 5th position....and in the specs.....the ram is given as ddr3...!
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App
Isn't the Xoom barely thinner and the same weight anyway?
Either way i'm happy with my device, and that's really all that matters. Even though some of the others may look nicer and be thinner/lighter, it's not worth the price premium imo.
Xoom has a very poor build, like anything moto.
Either way guys ,perhaps you haven't noticed the price on the Iconia.
Corners have been cut where they've not been strictly essential, eg. no divx support (codec) and especially no ads. This thing hs been available right from the start in my country (some hell hole on the border of the EU) where things always come in last.
If there were no ads, I imagine tech sites like engadget haven't been paid to make a proper review (no, they don't do them for passion for technology, only for cash or when a product reaches critical hype)
That being said, this is a product for the tech savvy who don't get a device just because of the hype. I like my device cheaper and less advertised, thank you.
Bec07 said:
Xoom has a very poor build, like anything moto.
Either way guys ,perhaps you haven't noticed the price on the Iconia.
Corners have been cut where they've not been strictly essential, eg. no divx support (codec) and especially no ads. This thing hs been available right from the start in my country (some hell hole on the border of the EU) where things always come in last.
If there were no ads, I imagine tech sites like engadget haven't been paid to make a proper review (no, they don't do them for passion for technology, only for cash or when a product reaches critical hype)
That being said, this is a product for the tech savvy who don't get a device just because of the hype. I like my device cheaper and less advertised, thank you.
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Omg I want a LIKE Button for can LIKE this post !!!!
Odd title eh'?
So here is the boat I am swimming in. I jumped on the Xoom bandwagon when it was released. I immediately was fascinated with the tablet experience and enjoyed it. The Xoom certainly had its issues but was a very neat device. When I got word that the TF was coming out I jumped ship and bought a TF. Used it for a week and also liked it for the most part. However I was finding that productivity really lacked on all tablets on screen keyboard. Then I got my hands on a dock and the experience changed. Using the keyboard was infinately more productive and I found that from the day I first docked it I have yet to undock it (around a couple months now).
My problem is I basically just spent a ton of money on a netbook that isnt exactly a speed demon. Web browsing is often slow, updates have caused many issues, etc etc... The device still works but it feels like im playing with a toy instead of actually using the device as a tool. I enjoy Android but think it is very early in the game and it leaves allot to be desired. As I said at first i loved both devices but once the newness wears off you basically have a dumbed down netbook (in my opinion of course).
So now Im thinking about selling the TF as well and picking up one of the new Sandy Bridge Alienware M11x's. To be able to have an i7 processor, damn good video card, and best of all use all my programs in windows sounds like a breath of fresh air at this point.
I know tablets are meant to be stand alone but I never found a use for it for work purposes and the few times I did it was quite the let down. Again, dont read my words wrong. I like the device I just dont think it is good at being anything much more then a toy at this point.
After more thought the only real downside I see in switching is losing the touch screen. It is super nice to be able to just tap where you want to go but often on smaller links it would just pick the wrong one anyways.
So here I sit trying to figure if I should make the switch or not. I know im not comparing apples to apples hardware wise, but I am comparing portable device usefulness. Just curious if anyone has the same feelings or any further input before I make my decision.
Godspeed...
03stage2 said:
Odd title eh'?
So here is the boat I am swimming in. I jumped on the Xoom bandwagon when it was released. I immediately was fascinated with the tablet experience and enjoyed it. The Xoom certainly had its issues but was a very neat device. When I got word that the TF was coming out I jumped ship and bought a TF. Used it for a week and also liked it for the most part. However I was finding that productivity really lacked on all tablets on screen keyboard. Then I got my hands on a dock and the experience changed. Using the keyboard was infinately more productive and I found that from the day I first docked it I have yet to undock it (around a couple months now).
My problem is I basically just spent a ton of money on a netbook that isnt exactly a speed demon. Web browsing is often slow, updates have caused many issues, etc etc... The device still works but it feels like im playing with a toy instead of actually using the device as a tool. I enjoy Android but think it is very early in the game and it leaves allot to be desired. As I said at first i loved both devices but once the newness wears off you basically have a dumbed down netbook (in my opinion of course).
So now Im thinking about selling the TF as well and picking up one of the new Sandy Bridge Alienware M11x's. To be able to have an i7 processor, damn good video card, and best of all use all my programs in windows sounds like a breath of fresh air at this point.
I know tablets are meant to be stand alone but I never found a use for it for work purposes and the few times I did it was quite the let down. Again, dont read my words wrong. I like the device I just dont think it is good at being anything much more then a toy at this point.
After more thought the only real downside I see in switching is losing the touch screen. It is super nice to be able to just tap where you want to go but often on smaller links it would just pick the wrong one anyways.
So here I sit trying to figure if I should make the switch or not. I know im not comparing apples to apples hardware wise, but I am comparing portable device usefulness. Just curious if anyone has the same feelings or any further input before I make my decision.
Godspeed...
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Yep. I think people will be switching, and you should too.
The dock is addictive for productivity. Unless I tried it I would have not realized how much better is the experience. Yet, when reading a book I prefer only the tablet. This combination is awesome on the Transformer.
Bob Smith42 said:
Yep. I think people will be switching, and you should too.
The dock is addictive for productivity. Unless I tried it I would have not realized how much better is the experience. Yet, when reading a book I prefer only the tablet. This combination is awesome on the Transformer.
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+1, and if anyone is that worried about selecting the wrong link by accident they can always use the mouse pointer via the trackpad. I've had no problem doing it this way and it's a big plus for the TF.
Sounds to me like you have no business owning a tablet and windows fits your needs. I'm glad you got that figured out.
GeLopez said:
Sounds to me like you have no business owning a tablet and windows fits your needs. I'm glad you got that figured out.
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I think the TF is perfect for his needs. The problem is, that this tablet HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS. This tablet is much slower than any tegra 2 tablet as there is no hardware acceleration! And the fact that there is light bleed, dock issues, battery issues, charging issues, sound issues, etc. Asus really screwed up..
Lets put things into perspective here...
The tablet is not a laptop, it can perform many functions of a laptop, but it is truly not one.
It does have a place in the field. I have found that for business, being able to show information instantly to partners without having to 'boot up' or 'plug in' is essential when I want to get a point across.
It is great for email, messaging, movies, light surfing, reading, and even playing some good casual games on.
The dock makes it appear to be more like a laptop, but again.. go back to my 2nd sentence, and do not put it in a category it does not belong in.
If I need to develop, I use my Alienware mx17-r2, if I need to demo products I have my Inspiron. If I need to take notes, read a quick email, show a slide deck / video, or just look something up real quick, I have my TF101.
So this is more about how you set your expectations above what a product is intended to do, and now have buyer's remorse because of it.
Sounds like you put expectations on the device geared towards what it is not. Go get a netbook or start hackin up the ROM and tailor it to your needs.
Instant On
16 hours of battery life.
Love it.
True though...I barely ever undock it now ahahahah...so we've kind of went full circle...
It's nice to know that I can undock it though.
Even as a netbook it is sleek...IPS screen...touchscreen. The interface is just nice for what it's meant to be...a light portable machine.
I can listen to music/pandora...type up some docs...play some games...browse some web...watch some movies....read some magazines...
Edit: oh yeah...I can mount it in my car and use it as a GPS....use yelp to find nearby food places then map a route to it...(yes this can be done on phone too)...but it's kind of cool.
It's kind of nice.
xTRICKYxx said:
I think the TF is perfect for his needs. The problem is, that this tablet HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS. This tablet is much slower than any tegra 2 tablet as there is no hardware acceleration! And the fact that there is light bleed, dock issues, battery issues, charging issues, sound issues, etc. Asus really screwed up..
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I dont know of any problems you speak of ,mine is perfect
GeLopez said:
I dont know of any problems you speak of ,mine is perfect
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I don't have those problems either, but thousands do.
xTRICKYxx said:
I don't have those problems either, but thousands do.
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my issues havent been hardwre related, just update related. That being said I dont blame Asus for my particular concerns. Im still a TF fan but just think to achieve a broader gambut of ability at the same basic price point is the wise move. Obviously this is mainly due to me personally always using the dock.
Ironically on a side note I bought one of the first asus netbooks years ago and hated it after a month. Now Im finding myself wanting to use the TF daily, go figure....
And lastly I dont think I would have even looked at m11x if the performance on this thing was simply up to par...
xTRICKYxx said:
This tablet is much slower than any tegra 2 tablet as there is no hardware acceleration!
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Actually, the TF benchmarks very competitively against other Tegra 2 tablets. The only area where it's not (allegedly) hardware accelerated is in playing Flash videos in the browser.
xTRICKYxx said:
I don't have those problems either, but thousands do.
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Where do you get the idea that it is "thousands"?
Regards,
Dave
foxmeister said:
Where do you get the idea that it is "thousands"?
Regards,
Dave
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That wouldn't be surprising. Even 5k would be less than 1% out there by now. I mean heck, last month alone they shipped out 400k didn't they?
I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?
my tab isn't perfect... some light bleed and random rebooted when wifi is on during sleep. Despite that I absolutely love my tablet and have zero regrets. Just get one.
My unit has zero problems and is not one of the fabled "new skus" either.
With that said, Honeycomb is still really lagging behind iOS in Gaming apps. It's about priorities man.
sassafras
I am on my 5th unit, all of them had really bad quality issues ranging from black stripe across the screnn to no volume, no HDMI out, massive light bleed, completely unresponsive screen etc. Today I got the 5th replacement, guess what light bleed and no wi - fi, cannot connect to my home network, so tomorrow when BB open this one is going back. But I am still coming back to this tablet again and again because if it was built perfect it is the best tablet in the world. Unfortunatelly Asus blew it. I am still searching for the perfect one. (actually the working one)
Mine is pretty alright. Almost no light leak, but has one dead pixel (or a dust particle under the screen) on the lower left quadrant, not very noticeable, so I don't care.
Even though you see many complaints here, you have to understand that people mostly come here when there are problems; since asus is shipping 400,000 units a month, I’m pretty sure there are thousands more out there who are happy with their tablet.
there are always problems if you are picky enough, i think mine is good enough for me, there are a little bleeding on the bottom but you can hard tell, and also some other minor issues that won't bother me that much. i would say go to a store and try it out first see if you like it.
The only problem I have with mine is the unbalanced speakers, which really is a minor problem. I'm very happy with it, it has completely replaced my netbook. It's great as a tablet and when needed, the keyboards dock makes it a breeze to type on.
Jardicel said:
I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?
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I wouldn't recommend a android tablet for gaming, if you want a tablet for gaming buy a ipad 2 instead
iOS has way more high quality games and more game that are optimized for a tablet
I have some issues with backlight bleeding
Jardicel said:
I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?
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I have none of these problems, I love my (B05) Transformer, it's a really great Tablet/Netbook.
I think people read stuff on the internet and then go off and find problems they would have otherwise never noticed. I haven't gone searching for light bleed, or speaker inbalance, but I have never noticed it.
Theres no one tablet that doesnt have problems,my dad bought a motorola xoom and has taken it back twice and its like 700 bucks,I'm very happy with my transformer,just remember,it doesnt matter what you buy,there almost always will be something wrong somewhere.
The ASUS Transformer is worth every penny at an affordable price. Everyone I know whose seen my tablet commented on how affordable and nice the Transformer is.
My only wish is, I hope SAMOLED IPS screens will be released some time in the near future. Then, I would be completely satisfied. ↖(^▽^)↗
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Jardicel said:
I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?
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Self selection bias. You have to keep in mind that most of the people who frequent these forums are here because they want something, even if that is resolving a problem or just an ear to complain to. The thousands upon thousands that are perfectly happy with their tablets arent on forums complaining about light bleed, etc.
I've had my transformer for a couple weeks now, and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to start rooting it and really putting it through its paces.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
I actually own both the TF and an ipad 1. We are a family of 5 and the ipad was often unavailable so I looked into getting a second tablet. I was considering the ipad 2 but then I decided to go with android.
The ipad is great and there are lots of apps, however the honeycomb tablets are coming along nicely as well. Here are my comparisons...of course ipad is getting an update that will address some of this but then again android will be getting ice cream sandwich as well. So this comparison is for the devices as they are today.
1. We like to take our videos with us on the road.
With ipad I have to transcode everything to mp4...and even then itunes will tell me the ipad can't play them sometimes (even though if I transfer the files with a 3rd party app they work just fine).
With android rockplayer allows me to play 720p .mkv files, etc and no need to transcode. Just copy over and it works. The widescreen video looks alot nicer on the TF as well instead of letterboxed on the ipad.
Also since we have microSD, we can bring alot more video with us for long trips.
2. Easy access to network shares:
-piece of cake on the TF
-pain in the *** on ipad.
3. The tabbed chrome-like browsing experience and integration of google apps is a big advantage on the android platform. Browsing is 80% of what I do on a tablet.
4. Integrated hdmi and usb support on android is definitely a plus.
5. The non-3G ipads have no GPS and no support for bluetooth GPS.
6. Fully customized home screens with widgets on android.
7. Notifications are really well implemented on android. Ipad can't get an update (to copy androids system) soon enough to replace the inexplicably silly notification system they have now.
8. The 32GB ASUS + 32GB sd is much cheaper than the equivalent ipad 2 wifi 64GB.
($720 vs $520)...and that ipad will have no GPS.
9. Splashtop HD has a much higher refresh on the TF vs my ipad...but I assume that would be addressed in the ipad 2.
10. ITUNES...did I mention how much I hate itunes?
APPS go to the ipad though...however USEFUL apps is a much closer race IMO (though still to the ipad).
I did have to return 2 ASUS TFs thanks to light bleed, but my current model has no problems at all.
Bottom line: If I am going to pick up a device to do some reading/browsing/email/calendar...or even to edit some docs on my desktop with the native polaris or with remote desktop...I will pick up the TF every time. My son also prefers dungeon defenders on the TF...but I assume the ipad 2 would have better performance compared to my ipad 1 on this app.
mike infinity said:
I actually own both the TF and an ipad 1. We are a family of 5 and the ipad was often unavailable so I looked into getting a second tablet. I was considering the ipad 2 but then I decided to go with android.
The ipad is great and there are lots of apps, however the honeycomb tablets are coming along nicely as well. Here are my comparisons...of course ipad is getting an update that will address some of this but then again android will be getting ice cream sandwich as well. So this comparison is for the devices as they are today.
1. We like to take our videos with us on the road.
With ipad I have to transcode everything to mp4...and even then itunes will tell me the ipad can't play them sometimes (even though if I transfer the files with a 3rd party app they work just fine).
With android rockplayer allows me to play 720p .mkv files, etc and no need to transcode. Just copy over and it works. The widescreen video looks alot nicer on the TF as well instead of letterboxed on the ipad.
Also since we have microSD, we can bring alot more video with us for long trips.
2. Easy access to network shares:
-piece of cake on the TF
-pain in the *** on ipad.
3. The tabbed chrome-like browsing experience and integration of google apps is a big advantage on the android platform. Browsing is 80% of what I do on a tablet.
4. Integrated hdmi and usb support on android is definitely a plus.
5. The non-3G ipads have no GPS and no support for bluetooth GPS.
6. Fully customized home screens with widgets on android.
7. Notifications are really well implemented on android. Ipad can't get an update (to copy androids system) soon enough to replace the inexplicably silly notification system they have now.
8. The 32GB ASUS + 32GB sd is much cheaper than the equivalent ipad 2 wifi 64GB.
($720 vs $520)...and that ipad will have no GPS.
9. Splashtop HD has a much higher refresh on the TF vs my ipad...but I assume that would be addressed in the ipad 2.
10. ITUNES...did I mention how much I hate itunes?
APPS go to the ipad though...however USEFUL apps is a much closer race IMO (though still to the ipad).
I did have to return 2 ASUS TFs thanks to light bleed, but my current model has no problems at all.
Bottom line: If I am going to pick up a device to do some reading/browsing/email/calendar...or even to edit some docs on my desktop with the native polaris or with remote desktop...I will pick up the TF every time. My son also prefers dungeon defenders on the TF...but I assume the ipad 2 would have better performance compared to my ipad 1 on this app.
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Great report
wokao118 said:
there are always problems if you are picky enough, i think mine is good enough for me, there are a little bleeding on the bottom but you can hard tell, and also some other minor issues that won't bother me that much. i would say go to a store and try it out first see if you like it.
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i second this. most happy people don't post to this thread.
I love my Transformer and everyone whos played with it wants one even after I point out a couple problems. It has some light bleed (as does the ipad2) and when stock had an unbalanced left speak which a custom rom seemed to fix.
I've got no issues with light bleed, wifi works, bluetooth works, case is not that creaky, if at all. Only minor imbalance in speakers, but I bought a portable external speaker so thats not an issue anymore. This is my second tablet. I'm very much enjoying it.
Don't the custom roms correct the speaker imbalance? I guess so...
Edit: Didn't read Leonpr's post before I posted this. hehe.
Divinedark said:
Don't the custom roms correct the speaker imbalance? I guess so...
Edit: Didn't read Leonpr's post before I posted this. hehe.
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the latest OTA update fixed this also ... according to my hearing, it's now balanced.
So I was just wondering what is the overall feeling about this tablet? I'm thinking about getting it and i was just wondering if everyone likes it or if its 50/50 or what?
I've owned the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Acer Iconia, Motorola Xoom, and the Transformer. I can say that the Transformer is the best tablet for the money on the market. It's not as sexy as the Galaxy, but it's more functional, far more flexible, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Always hard to get objective views on a product specific forum.
I'm in a love/hate relationship with it at the moment. I love the form factor and the functionality. I hate the lack of tablet optimized apps/games and the awful build quality.
To me, it feels like a beta product. This isn't a bad thing per-se as I like to tinker.
I like mine a lot, and its definatley the best bang for your buck Honeycomb tablet out there right now. Although I do wish it had the form factor / looks of the Galaxy 10.1, the HDMI out and Micro SD card slot are oh so nice to have, especially for $100 less
The build quality and lightbleed issues are the only downsides to the tablet in my opinion. I got one with a few creaks in the back and some light bleed, but I just look past it. Its not enough for me to sell or go through ASUS to replace it. Still works great for me. Also, not all of the tablets have this, and Im hoping the newer builds have been fixed.
If your thinking about getting one, I would definatley consider it. Great tablet and a great price right now.
Other big plus is that Asus is really quick at getting the Honeycomb updates out. We've got Honeycomb 3.2 already which is great.
rilot said:
Always hard to get objective views on a product specific forum.
I'm in a love/hate relationship with it at the moment. I love the form factor and the functionality. I hate the lack of tablet optimized apps/games and the awful build quality.
To me, it feels like a beta product. This isn't a bad thing per-se as I like to tinker.
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I definitely feel like im a beta tester, but I dont really consider it a bad thing. I enjoy using new equipment and working out kinks. Just wish i didnt have to pay so much for it . That being said, a lot of the kinks are worked out now from my experience.
Keyboard lag is gone. Havnt had a sleep of death since the first update. Everythings running a lot smoother with the last firmware update.
Its replaced my laptop in class more or less completely. I use evernote and ezpdf to take notes and its wonderful.
do you use any of the attachments?
I got a Transformer and didn't regret, that I bought it. I got it without dock, because I only wanted a nice tablet ... for everything else I have an i7 notebook with 6 GB RAM.
If I can recommend it? Maybe ... depends on what you want to do with it.
Regarding quality control ... it's the fortune of the early adopter nowadays to be a beta tester. Example: I also got me a Galaxy S2 and though I'm very happy with it, the S2 forum here at XDA is full of complaints about QC.
jnad32 said:
do you use any of the attachments?
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The keyboard is the big attachment and its really the selling point of the tablet. If you anticipate ever using it then the TF is the way to go, if you dont anticipate ever using it then you could be happy with the Samsung, albeit with no SD card and costing a lot more.
The TF has a great screen, its flexible and its cheap. Its not built as well as an ipad (or the other android tablets) but I havent had any functional issues with its built, its not like its breaking on me. Its just you can feel the difference in the "tightness" between the two.
Being said I ended up buying a second for the girlfriend, tired of her constantly using mine.
I got mine in the first batch to come out- from TD. I have had no real issues accept a tiny light bleed- build quality is great for mine. no creaking etc.
It has done everything i ask of it and thrown at it. I use mine for about 70% work related with notes at meeting, signatures on contracts, email, polaris app etc. Even skype calling..
Constantly listening to music watching movies etc. Never had any issues with Battery usage.
I think it has gotten better with each update. Yes little bugs here and there after an update ut usually fixed or have work around within 24 hours. That stuff doesnt bother me.
I never got the keyboard because i felt it was an option that i would never really use so i invested in a nice case- ( PDAIR ) I love the concept of the keyboard but just wasn;t going to use itand did no need the extra bulk.
For me never needed to root it yet (maybe down the road ) but for now it is great as stock.
Last thing i will say is there have been alot of new choices out since i have bought it... yes they might have had a thing or 2 that the TF did not have but i never have second guessed my choice.
Good luck.
Well you get 16hrs of battery life with the dock. No other tablet has this kind of a feature at this price point.
The screen quality and responsiveness is in the top quartile of tablets released so far.
I am pretty happy with my purchase. 10x better build quality than the Archos 101 I purchased earlier!
I absolutely love my TF, probably best 399$ I have ever spent on gadget, mine also comes with some light bleed, other than that, build quality is great. Have 2 Ipad2 in the house and they both have worst light bleed.
Would I suggest this tablet to a friend over other Android tablet? Yes, best tablet in the market IMO.
Over an Ipad2? Probably not unless someone familiar with Android and a geek just like me...
tonyz3 said:
I got mine in the first batch to come out- from TD. I have had no real issues accept a tiny light bleed- build quality is great for mine. no creaking etc.
It has done everything i ask of it and thrown at it. I use mine for about 70% work related with notes at meeting, signatures on contracts, email, polaris app etc. Even skype calling..
Constantly listening to music watching movies etc. Never had any issues with Battery usage.
I think it has gotten better with each update. Yes little bugs here and there after an update ut usually fixed or have work around within 24 hours. That stuff doesnt bother me.
I never got the keyboard because i felt it was an option that i would never really use so i invested in a nice case- ( PDAIR ) I love the concept of the keyboard but just wasn;t going to use itand did no need the extra bulk.
For me never needed to root it yet (maybe down the road ) but for now it is great as stock.
Last thing i will say is there have been alot of new choices out since i have bought it... yes they might have had a thing or 2 that the TF did not have but i never have second guessed my choice.
Good luck.
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So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
I got my U.S. Transformer a few weeks ago, and I enjoy using it very much:
With my PC, most of the time is spent going on the Web, so on the Transformer I just set up bookmarks for my most frequently visited sites in both the stock browser and the Dolphin for Pad (downloaded from the Market) browser and that takes care of my usual browsing needs. Email is now handled through the stock Gmail app, so again most of that can be done on the Transformer side.
For music, I've started using Google Music to upload my stuff, so I can just stream down to my Transformer through WiFi. For videos, I had already encoded a lot of stuff to MP4 format using Handbrake to play on my phone. But with ES File Explorer installed on my Transformer, I can now keep those MP4 files on my networked server and then stream them to the stock video player. This all works great and takes up no local storage.
Games that I had on my smartphone are all installed onto the Transformer and work fine. I've also found that classic game console emulators work quite well on the Transformer.
If I'm desperate to watch Hulu or Netflix (without any hacked or rooted methods), the MyCloud > My Desktop > SplashTop method works acceptably well.
Painting with SketchBook Pro is quite fun with this fantastic paid app, and I'm looking into various do-it-yourself stylus methods to enhance the experience.
I haven't had the need yet to use Polaris Office yet, but after reading user reviews, it looks to be a very capable Office app when compared with other non-free competitors, and I actually appreciate Asus for giving this for us.
The build quality, in my opinion, is quite nice. I don't have any LCD light bleed issues. The LCD itself is great with fantastic viewing angles. The built-in speakers are surprisingly loud. The touch screen is very responsive. And the textured plastic back panel keeps the whole unit lighter and gives it a nice feel.
The only negatives I have are:
Camera - absolutely terrible, especially when using indoor lighting. But I already know that the video and photo taking experience on almost all tablets is not good anyway, so I never expected much. I almost never use the stock camera app. I have Vignette installed on my Transformer for the heck of it, but this rarely gets used either. I leave picture taking to my digital camera and my smartphone.
Browser - for some sites, I get slowdowns with both the stock browser and Dolphin for Pad. With Android 3.1, I experienced quite a bit of force closings with the stock browser. It's improved with 3.2, but it still happens. I find it hard to believe that Google makes such a good browser as Chrome but has such a mediocre one for Honeycomb.
Linux support - the only thing I ask for is the simplicity of plugging my Transformer into my Linux PC and have access to its SD and MicroSD cards. But I have to jump through the hoop of running a few lines in Terminal just to get those drives mounted and unmounted. It's a pain, and I wish it was as easy as the Windows experience.
Since using my Transformer more and more, my smartphone has pretty much been relegated back to being just a phone which is fine. This morning I began charging my Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 once it dropped to 1% battery power...and it had been running on that one full charge for 174-hours-33-minutes! I'll still use the phone for navigation and portable music after I get over the honeymoon period with the Transformer, but right now using my smart phone just isn't the same any more.
So since I've gotten the Transformer, I've made a conscious effort to reduce using my PC and my smartphone, and it's worked out great as a personal computing device. For a business environment, there might not be enough apps to support various needs just yet, but it'll get there, I'm sure. The Transformer is a very good bang-for-the-buck kind of device, and I have no regrets about having it.
Enjoy my tablet a great deal. I actually use it more than i thought i would. Im constantly looking for new apps that will make this into my swiss army knife.
I use splashtop a lot, and now added a Wake on Lan app which now has got me the bright idea to go out and purchase a home server...lol
build quality is definitely not the greatest. Personally, i dont think it compares to the newer tablets coming out. (build)
Dont own the keyboard. Im waiting for a good deal down the road when it drop to around $100. by then, i figure, ill give the TF to my wife (with a keyboard), and ill jump on to the newest tablet. (maybe TF2)
Im a first time android/tablet buyer and user, so i came with no expectations..
Ill know what to look for in my next purchase though.
(so, i guess im a beta tester)
jnad32 said:
So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
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Click to collapse
There are applications that let you fill out and/or sign PDF files. Adobe also has an app that converts things to PDF. Ive used my TF to fill out forms and sign them multiple times.
jnad32 said:
So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are alot of choices for this. I use Repligo PDF and love it.After i sign or client signs,on the TF I email it and looks just as clear as original.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cerience.reader.app&feature=search_result
worth the $4.99 investment,
Love mine, I'm confident I made the right choice. £400 for a tablet-only device is not a wise spend. £400 for a tablet AND a netbook IS thou...
Aside from the keyboard drain (which is being fixed under RMA as we speak), I have no issues whatsoever with my device, and overjoyed with it.
jnad32 said:
So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be very surprised if there is any app that iPad can do, that Android can't, as because of Android's open and less restrictive nature, you won't find missing apps, because "Apple don't like it, or Apple can't make money from it, or it cuts into Apple's buisness".
My TF is all good I have no problems with my tablet, maybe one of the lucky ones or just the fact that those few who have bad units choose to come to forums like this to seek advice and let everyone know how bad their unit is. With the dock it is an amazing bit of kit, I have tried the xoom, Acer and the Gtab, and unless you want form over function the TF is the best of the current bunch. As all the present android tablets running honeycomb are running the same os and internal spec. My own preference would be ports and functionality, screen, speed of updates and build quality. For me the TF ticks all the boxes.
Xoom, highintial price, lack of support and working ports, poor screen
Gtab, lack of ports, slow updates from Samsung.
I like the design of the TF especially when combined with the dock, equal to any high end net book, Asus have done a great job with amazing fore sight, it is original only the Gtab is thinner and that is purely because it is an I pad clone.
I would think the units with defects are no different to apple I pad or even the Gtab on a percentage basis, plenty of apple units go back to their stores.
With regards to being beta testers, we are with regards android for tablets, like we were back in the 90,s with win 3.11. My recommendation to anyone wanting a android tablet with the best all-round functionality at the best price, get the TF.
Had my TF about two weeks now, and am yet to have any issues with it. I love peoples reactions when I undock the screen though, it's brilliant.