Hey all - I am VERY loath to ask any of these questions, as I pride myself on doing research and figuring things out for myself, but I've come to the point where I just need to ask this community. I purchased the Gtab as part of the Woot fiasco, and immediately replaced stock firmware with Vegantab. From a general perspective, it works fine, with all the know quirks. However, this is my first Android device. I've been modifying windows phones and working with jailbroken iphones and other fiddly things with computers for a long time, so I'm not faint-hearted at tweaking. Anyway, my questions are these:
Given the hardware this thing sports, the performance ROTS. Is it because the OS is just not polished? It's slow to shift from screen to screen. It often delays in recognizing my touch when trying to scroll icons that it thinks I actually am trying t launch an app. In general, it just feels inferior in speed and snappiness of, for instance, iOS (I understand it is much easier to have a single platform to put an OS on and optimize it). I get the program not responding screen, wait or close way too frequently for my tastes.
Then there's the fact that every app installed seems to want to run itself in the background at all times. I'm constantly using the task manager to kill everything, which frees up a ton of RAM and then the tab runs better for a little while. I can't seem to find a way to prevent these apps from doing this. There is probably something very obvious that I am missing, but Facebook should not just decide on its own to run in the background when I haven't launched it.
Any thoughts on any of these things, or can someone point me to an obvious FAQ that I'm missing that answers all my questions?
In theory Android OS should free up RAM as you need it. Google will swear up and down that task killers are unnecessary, and the user doesn't need to manage background processes. That said, I have advanced task killer widget on my home screen and use it whenever things get a little sluggish. I don't use the Facebook app, but most apps have the option in the in-app settings to disable background updates. There are task manager apps that claim to prevent other apps from launching at start up, or kill them automatically, but these will usually end up eating more resources than they save.
As far as home screen switching, I'm not a fan of the stock froyo launcher on a tablet this size. It always seems that the device is expecting a much larger swipe that should be necessary to switch home screens. I use Launcher Pro and it feels faster and more responsive than the iPad 2 for going between home screens.
The scrolling/ inadvertent selecting issue I can relate to. If your coming from iOS, there is this an expectation that the device will always tell the difference between a scroll and a tap. That expectation isn't unreasonable, because Apple is stellar at making scrolling interfaces feel perfect. They have whole sessions at WWDC about implementing scrolling lists into apps. Android on the other hand requires a more deliberate scrolling. Android has gotten a lot better over time, but it often requires a much more deliberate scrolling action by the user. "Flicking" like on the iPad usually doesn't register perfectly for me.
One thing you may notice on the G Tables is that pinch and zoom is wildly unreliable when pinching on the same x or y axis. I'm pretty sure this is a universal issue with the screen. It has trouble recognizing multitouch input when the points of contact are on the same axis. Pinching at an angle is the only way I can zoom reliably.
brettdwagner said:
In theory Android OS should free up RAM as you need it. Google will swear up and down that task killers are unnecessary, and the user doesn't need to manage background processes.
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It's like automatic garbage collection, isn't it? Really useful, but sometimes you want to explicitly free things.
There is a way to kill foreground apps on Android. Settings > Applications > Development > Stop app via long-press, will kill the foreground app if you "long-press" the Android back key. Background apps you can either kill using task-managers or not start at all using tools like Autorun Manager from Market.
One thing you may notice on the G Tables is that pinch and zoom is wildly unreliable when pinching on the same x or y axis. I'm pretty sure this is a universal issue with the screen. It has trouble recognizing multitouch input when the points of contact are on the same axis. Pinching at an angle is the only way I can zoom reliably.
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Yeah, I've noticed this too. Pinch-to-zoom at the same y-axis is hopeless. Same x-axis works okay, but, at an angle works best.
I actually appreciated your post. You knew the limitations of hte device before buying it...you didn't comment on the atrocious screen (and accepted what was to be)
The biggest downfall with the G-Tablet itself was it's software. You admitted that you immediately flashed VeganTab. When I bought mine, it came with TNT Lite, to which I then immediately also flashed to Vegan 5.1.1. I never experienced the stock rom, and actually considered myself lucky, due to the reviews I've read.
I think that some of our issues may actually be due to the fact that we're using software that wasn't specifically designed for OUR devices. Yes, they are all android, yes, they should all work fine, and do, at times, but if using a froyo or gingerbread rom, we're using software designed for phones. I haven't tried the Alpha version of HC (BOS) yet, but even in Alpha stages, people are raving about it, even with it's limitations.
I just recently started using Brilliant Corners. In the flash process, I had to have Stock 4349 (1.2 stock firmware) on the system. I can honestly say that it really wasn't that bad. The response seemed a tad better, I never got the "Forceclose : Wait" option when a process was "thinking." things would just pop up. I can only think that as bad as it is, it manages itself better than some of the ports and mod's we are using, simply becuase they were MADE for the G-Tablet. Yeah, it's ugly, and you can do half of what I can do on BC.
What I find intolerable at times is that Angry Birds: Seasons (only that one, no others) will have really choppy graphics. I haven't found a way to fix it, I've overclocked, though I didn't think that would help, I've uninstalled, and installed, I've recovered backups, etc...alas, rebooting will fix it...it's weird. Not one other game will do that, except for AB:S.
What I find intolerable at times is that Angry Birds: Seasons (only that one, no others) will have really choppy graphics. I haven't found a way to fix it, I've overclocked, though I didn't think that would help, I've uninstalled, and installed, I've recovered backups, etc...alas, rebooting will fix it...it's weird. Not one other game will do that, except for AB:S.
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It works for me, although the birds do take off on their own from time to time. Have you tried downloading from a different source? I pulled my angry birds from Amazon. I'm running Vegan-Tabs 7.0.0
Please don't be offended, as I do believe your question is being asked in good faith. However, I have to admit that I haven't experienced any of the problems you're describing. I've had an iPod Touch since gen 1, and I haven't noticed any difference in the responsiveness. My g Tablet responds the same to flicks as it does to slower swipes, without interpretting them as taps.
I also haven't experienced the slow downs you're referring to when running multiple background apps, though that may have to do with the particular apps you have.
I have not had an issue with zooming in and out by pinching along either the x- or y-axis
Finally, I at least don't feel like the swipe to change screens is excesssive, but then again that could be personal taste or because I'm using a Gingerbread-based ROM.
The one issue I do have is with the on-screen touch keyboard. I feel sometimes that it fails to register letters if I type too fast; I haven't had this issue with iOS, but at least I think I can get used to it, and for serious typing I'll probably use a physical keyboard.
Incidently, I'm using Cyanogenmod 7, which seems to be the "pet ROM" of these forums, for better (it's a solid ROM with a large developer community) or worse (it's not nearly as innovative as mods being developed by some "other users" *ahem*roebeet*cough). I'm not saying this is the reason why I have not experienced these issues; maybe they aren't so striking to me or maybe I've been lucky?
EDITTED: Most typos are due to annoyances with using an on-screen keyboard with the g Tab.
Tablet has been fine to me. Screen responsiveness is on par with iphone/ipad/my htc evo screen.
Vegan tab rom is fresh...all .my functions work sure my wifi drops out after sleeping for a while (yes changed sleep settings) but hey I spent 250 not 500 and I have flash sd and usb....all of which I use everyday.
Thanks for all the responses. I rather expected to get somewhat of a range of replies from "I agree with you" to "you're crazy, mine is fine". To be very clear, I'm not trying to rip on the device at all. I knew I was rolling the dice a little and I know that Android really hasn't matured for a Tablet just yet (in my eyes).
I guess I've sort of had my questions answered to some degree.
scyld - I'm not offended in the least. I have an iphone 4 and many of my coworkers use iPads every day. They are definitely more responsive (to me). However, the stock iOS wasn't on my iPhone. Now that I have it jailbroken and can control which apps suck up memory, it behaves flawlessly. What I believe to be the scrolling/flicking issue is actually that the OS interprets spaces IN BETWEEN icons to be part of those icons, where Apple's OS does not. If I tap between icons on the Gtab, it will launch the one closest to my finger. iOS will not do this. That alone may be why the scrolling seems to be more accurate. I may well try Cyanogen. I mostly don't care about bells and whistles - just responsiveness and usability.
I wasn't aware that Google used the same line about memory usage that Apple swears - in fact, my friend and I stopped in the Apple store because she was having a problem with docking her iphone in her car... The tech ran a scan and told her incidentally that she was out of app memory and told her how to 'kill those pesky tasks' by tapping the little red minuses on all the apps in the app dock. I couldn't stop laughing.
I guess what we're dealing with is the result of an open source open hardware landscape. By having such a fractured base of developers, manufacturers, varying hardware specs, etc, it is much harder to optimize any particular build for any particular device. I did use the stock firmware for a few days and simply found it too limiting. Not to mention the lack of a market, etc. Apple's success is in large part due to the way it's app store works. Every device has it. The app warns you what it will work on and what it will not. Application updates tell you what the update fixes or adds (which Market does only very rarely). I appreciate that there are multiple markets for Android, but they should stick to some established rules for the information given.
I'm writing a novel - sorry - All this being said, I love the idea of Android (and hate iTunes with a passion) and I'm looking forward to a generation or two down the road of the tablet ROMs. I'll give the other ROMs a shot and see if there is improvement. I really appreciate the developers work on the platform thus far. I'll keep reading and messing with settings, tips, tricks to improve what I can.
Related
When I click on a text box I start typng and the box disappears. I type in another box and it wont show the whole box, if I navigate to a word off the screen nothing changes it doesn't move to show the word. These things don't happen every time but they happen enough. Like so many of the crappy things about android, if I didn't have an iPhone to compare it to I'd just think it's normal to experience some type of glitch large or small any time I use my phone's for more than a few seconds. I had a 3g and after I saw the I4's display I had to get one but I still have my vibrant and nexus. The incredible disparity between the I4 display and any android display is a whole different discussion. But when I use my 3g or I4 everything just works and looks nice, i don't get booted to the homescreen from the browser randomly. Things just consistently work. Just all those little glitches are so damn old on android. Its been too long to act like android is still new, its becoming the operating system for the masses which naturally implies less standards than the more exclusive apple OS.. My phone still does random reboots. It freezes without even trying to handle much. But the browser just acts like a 3rd party application compared to apple. As i type this im trying to navigate around the zoom icon thats hiding text, the text box is tiny and jerks around when i try to move the cursor. ts not even close to apple but its almost as old and experienced . People who haven't used an iPhone can tell me to go f myself but the rest of u understand. Isn't it ok to hold android to the gold standard that is the iPhone? Can we expect some elements of android and specifically the browser to "just work" as all of the elements of an iPhone do? I want to prefer android butits so far behind apple in terms of operating system that androids advantage in features is almost negaated by the fact that's so unpleasant to use those features. Anyone think gingerbread can really be the big step android needs? Because it needs a ton
ProTip: Get the XDA App if you want to post on the forums.
The browser works just fine for me. The iPhone utilizes GPU acceleration for the UI which is why it appears smoother overall. Guess what? Gingerbread will use the GPU for its UI also. Gingerbread is mostly focusing on making everything with the UI better so just hang on for that.
Hello there.
I'm a new Archos 101 16GB User having a mixed experience.
I feel that what I've got has huge potential, but just isn't being fulfilled - don't know if anyone else feels that.
I've come straight to tablets from netbooks and an iPhone, and have tried not to have any preconceived notions about how iPad sets the bar for these devices, although it does seem to be the case.
I'm finding, knowing very little about Android, that manufacturers have apparently rushed to force-fit a phone OS in a bigger package, which in respect of certain features makes the A101 seem like a giant (largeprint) smartphone. An example of this is the way in which the small, dainty iPhone-worthy icons for Apps can only be laid out on the 'desktop' panes with massive margins of space between them because the Android system seems to rigidly adhere to strict grid patterns for layout when really what users in this day and age want is user-definable pixel-perfect precise placement of elements. Of course, even iPhone is lacking this configurability.
Anyway, I'm currently trying to overcome my disappointment with the UI and the usability and consistency of desktops across horizontal and vertical orientations (Beautiful Widgets look 'OK' in portrait layout, and fugly in horizontal orientation), indeed the feeling that while what I wanted was the unified visual goodness of a WindowsMobile 7 type platform (or indeed the style brought by both HTC and third party developers (SPB?) to WinMo6, or indeed the carefully tuned visual loveliness of some of the HTC Android skins (Sense?) what I've actually got is a pretty clunky and grumpy Linux build that doesn't play well with its own software applications.
This is only a seventy two hour evaluation so far.
I've been looking at benchmarking, and have been led to Quadrant.
So I've got a batch of results, and I'm wondering if anyone cares to compare results and then compare notes.
I've already wiped and reinstalled the fresh FroYo firmware on the device, and am using gApps4 from these forums. I've populated with some apps and such, and had very unsatisfying attempts to switch from the stock Launcher (LauncherPro and ADW) as well as attempting to find usability in QuickDeskPro, mostly to no avail.
So in this 'stock' but loaded with apps state, Quadrant gives me a result of 780.
Then I've rooted with z4root and run SetCPU to give me 1000mhz on demand, and Quadrant gives me a result of 933.
Since then I've used SetCPU to give me 1000mhz on the 'performance' (non-scaled) setting and I get a result of 974.
With people in various forums talking about Archos Internet Tablet devices running Froyo giving them up to 1200 under Quadrant, I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong or lacking?
The 1200 scores you are talking about came from beta software and not the release software. Something was changed in the release version that brought Quadrant scores back down to those of 2.1. Don't read to much in to Quadrant scores though as they don't really affect real world use.
As for apps, the main issue is screen size and resolution. Many apps were not written with a resolution of 1024X600 in mind. So they don't scale very well. Beautiful Widgets is one of those. Once more developers become tablet aware and as Google increases compatibility with tablets this issue will go away.
The Android home screen is what you make it. There are other launcher, as you mentioned, that can be more customized however, there is no real theming that can be done on the 101 until it is rooted. This is the same for all Android devices unless of course you get a phone from HTC or one of the other OEMs that add their own theme to Android.
I think your main issue is that you know very little about Android and you are expecting it to be as evolved as iOS is even though it hasn't been around as long. New version of Android are coming that will be prettier and more tablet friendly but it will take a little time for it to be perfected.
with another beta beta firmware
the score is 1313
cajl said:
with another beta beta firmware
the score is 1313
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Click to collapse
any rumors regarding the release date?
About the same scores here. Topping out around 1000 in quadrant and a bit over 13 in Linpack.
Not sure about your problems installing launcherpro and adw, but I would try one or both again. The stock browser is horrendous in comparison (laggy, takes much longer swipes to see action, etc).
czesiu said:
any rumors regarding the release date?
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With the A5A last year they gave us one on 14 Dec and another on 24 Dec.
Allen
AllenPapapetrou said:
and another on 24 Dec.
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crazy Archos devs
no firmware the friday
cajl said:
no firmware the friday
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?
________________
I get 820 on a temp-rooted archos 101 8GB with 1GHz set by set cpu.
Appearently the H264-coding takes much too long... my htc desire takes a fraction of a second to pass this test while the archos takes several seconds (20+). I read in another thread that the hardware isn't supported yet by Android-API on the Archos, which will be changed in the future, i presume.
Another glitch: The second 3D-test is much slower than on the Desire (7fps compared to 25), with some errors on the moon (black triangles). Perhaps the OpenGLS-driver is faulty in some way. The first 3D-test, however, shows 3-5 frames more per second than the Desire (clocked at 1152 MHz).
Thanks for the input, guys. I'm sure you all know how comforting, and useful it is to be able to geek out on a forum, compare stories and get tips.
BlazingWolf, I'm certain that you're right. Android is entirely new to me other than a quick fiddle (ooh-err) with a Sammy GTab in a branch of PCWorld with a snotty little elf breathing down my neck to see if he could play games on it.
My big mistake in starting to experiment with this device was that I came at it from an iPhone background, expecting to just load up a device with apps from an app store and watch as it sings, dances and performs tricks for me.
I'm back down to earth with a bump (and not in a bad way) because of the greater openness, some would say 'fragmentation' of the Android platform which creates a scenario similar to that in the PC world where we can have any one of a number of preconfigured devices using specific but sometimes unique chipset combinations, with an array of OS's and software that can be installed on them.
I'm sure one day Android will mature to the place where we begin to see such harmony on the software front end in such a way as the hardware backend becomes irrelevant.
My first 72 hours with the device were bitty. I was expecting these instant results and instant satisfaction, and progress didn't really start to be achieved until I'd wiped the A101 and reinstalled 2.2 from scratch. That's a daunting task, especially to a casual user who might buy this off the shelf. Of course, I'm sure Archos are already looking at that and working to fix it so that the product is good to go from the off.
I'm warming very quickly to the A101. I want to like it. I still have an A504wifi which has only ever been used as a much-loved, if clunky looking and with a sucky interface, portable video player, which has had a great deal of use. So I've been excited about the A101 for a while.
And as a device it is an odd one to classify. The inevitable comparison with the iPad is not necessarily as clear cut as it seems. We have to be utilitarian, sometimes, in looking at these things. The iPad fulfils a multiple of tasks, like the Archos, and it does it within a tightly regulated and strictly defined 'controlled' environment which pushes constantly at 'parity' across all contemporary devices (the OS version for example). This gives us an elegant, reliable but inflexible interface, the trade-off for which is the relative safety of the apps in the app store. The Archos, on the other hand, has a less than elegant interface, is suffering from the issues of platform fragmentation and the remote relationship between the OS developer and the hardware manufacturer, has an App Store full of garbage that doesn't work properly but might get fixed one day, and takes a lot of 'taming' as an all-round package in order to get consistent and satisfying results. That said, the nature of the more open platform affords more opportunities, akind to jailbreaking the iDevices, in successfully customising the device to complete satisfaction, and as already said assuming the OS platform is sufficiently developed to catch up with these new 'tablet' formats, especially the larger screen varieties, we could see something really special and really refined happening.
Where the Archos succeeds, however, is that it is clearly a better platform for at least two of the intended functions of the iPad. We've got a better movie player, capable of working with more formats, with instant HDMI output, and with a proper widescreen display instead of the iPad's nearly 4:3 widescreen letterbox squinty vision. We've also got a better e-reader than the Apple ArmBreaker. OK, the bezel on the iPad is easier to grip single-handed than the Archos's much thinner, but much more elegant design, but this is a device I can sit in an armchair with and actually fall asleep while still holding the thing (I know... it happened). With an iPad, I have to keep shuffling position because the thing is so dang heavy.
The Archos seems to be only a few shades shy of perfect, as far as a hardware platform goes.
Granted, Tegra2 might be fun. And definately the low amount of RAM is an inexplicable and bizarre mistake. Plus we could have done with a 32Gb storage option. Oh, and a more easily viewable screen would be nice.
But as I tweek the thing, and accept the failings of OS and softwares, while anticipating future fixes, I'm really getting to like the little fella. I just need a really nice case to cart it around in, and a decent size memory card so I can store more, and I suspect that if someone can make a permanent root happen, that will pave the way to things like 'Startup Managers' so I can stop some of these apps auto loading when I don't need them to.
A question, though... is there any reason why the MicroSD capacity is listed as being limited to 32GB? Is that an actual capacity ceiling, or is it just the number that was most commonly available or tested at the time? Is the hardware limited to 32Gig or is it Android which is limited? Can the Archos 101 'scale' as MicroSD capacities get larger, or are we literally stuck with 32GB?
I've had no issues with build quality, possibly because I don't expect it to be as solid as an iPad, being a cheaper price and different materials. I've never really had much history of busting my devices with rough treatment or accidents, and even my 'expensive' iPhone 3GS has experienced the not-uncommon 'natural' phenomena of cracks appearing in the back casing around the dock port.
One thing I did notice is that when the A101 first arrived fresh from FedEx the box was freezing cold and so was the device, and when I unpackaged it, the top edge of the device (top of the screen when held in landscape) appeared to be quite significantly convex in shape, arced, not separated from the glass in any way, but definitely bulging. I did a lot of pressing back down on the bulge and letting the device get to room temperature before this 'bulge' became minimal. It is there ever so slightly even now, but doesn't appear to be putting any pressure or distortion on the screen.
Oh, and I think it is just the viewing angle issue, but when I hold the device in portrait to browse long pages or long lists, it almost appears as if the screen itself is convex, and I tend to tilt it back and forth to change the viewing angle on each section of the screen. The screen could definately have been executed better, and I don't think it would have raised the price too significantly.
Any other tips for an A101 n00b would be greatly welcomed.
32GB is atm the maximum you can build a sd to.
The std doesn't give more.
There is a new spec by sony that has more, but it seems not compatible.
I'm not sure if you're interested, but my Samsung Galaxy S used to only do about 900 on the Quadrant benchmark with Android 2.1, it was laggy and slow and really seemed a bit disappointing! Then came Froyo! My oh my, what a difference, unbelievable! It's snappy, touch, and it's there, spin, and it spins, breath, and it feels you! And, it also performs excellently in a Quandrant test now, usually in excess of 1700, even out performs most Nexus One phones I think.
It's absolutely blown me away that a simple software upgrade could entirely change a user experience so much! Battery life has also improved dramatically, at times giving me upto 12 hours or more with general use (regular texting plus photos etc). Which is really great for a 1500mAh battery.
So, I wouldn't give up. Froyo is a really smooth incarnation of Android, and future releases will no doubt get even better. It's exciting seeing what having a company as powerful as Google, backing an opensource project like Android can achieve.
While Microsoft and other companies are focusing purely on developing products from a financial profitability standpoint, Google seems to be able to focus more on simply developing a really excellent product.
I think the biggest 'downside' to Android is that numerous companies overload it with bloatware and don't optomise it enough for their hard ware. There is maybe just a general lack of understanding on the importance of making Android work WITH not against the hardware it's on.
Keep the faith though, have a play around with it and I'm sure eventually things will improve for you, otherwise, if you're really disappointed just go and buy a Samsung Galaxy tab or something similar! Samsung does a really good job, even though they take a looooooong time for updates!
Just ran quadrant, score was 1380. Gapps5 launcher pro plus non root.
2500 with urukdroid build
I received my Asus Prime on Saturday. My first impressions were excellent, but very, very quickly it became clear how many issues the device has.
Wifi signal is just awful. I have an AEBS and while sat no more than 6 feet away, it can't manage full signal. Instead I end up with between two and three bars.
Actual wifi throughput is unpredictable at best. Sometimes it seems ok, but on a regular basis internet browsing seems ridiculously sluggish for a supposedly powerful device. Flash regularly crashes completely. On a few occasions a minor web site crash has resulted in a complete loss of any wifi throughput and my having to completely reboot the device.
I get zero GPS indoors. I occasionally get 1 or 2 satellite locks while outdoors. GPS is basicially unuseable.
Since the latest update, my wifi uses up as much battery life as the screen. Insane. I'd almost forgive it, if I had a good wifi signal. I do not.
The single speaker is a dreadful design flaw, with an atrocious maximum volume.
Plugging in headphones - you get various bizarre pops and crackles during use. This in a premium device? Really... just not good enough, Asus.
I have a Galaxy S2 phone which uses Android and really like that. I like it because it was designed properly, and it works.
I am not an Apple fanboy. Just a very, very disappointed customer.
This is being returned for a refund.
Just such a shame we don't have a genuine Android tablet competitor. I hope one arrives soon, then maybe I'll give this tablet malarkey another bash.
cool story bro
Yeah that's too bad that you had a tablet with that many issues.
Tempie007 said:
cool story bro
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I know... it was a crap story, and I apologise. Just needed to vent my disappointment.
lol
Tempie007 said:
cool story bro
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I came here just to wait for this
But seriously Dude, you had bad luck. Wifi and headphone quality are completly fine on mine. Take your prime back and get another one if you like the device. Most primes dont have the issues you describe, except GPS which isnt an official feature of the prime anymore. Its now just a bonus.
Stuff like speaker volume can be fixed with apps.
Or just get the ipad, its magical.
MRCANNADY said:
Yeah that's too bad that you had a tablet with that many issues.
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Presumably the next Prime has been fast-tracked to fix the problems with this one. Hopefully it'll be a success and we'll get the killer device we're all after.
EVERY electronic device I've used from many companies these days always have at least one issue to deal with, so I doubt it.
Deckard79 said:
I received my Asus Prime on Saturday. My first impressions were excellent, but very, very quickly it became clear how many issues the device has.
Wifi signal is just awful. I have an AEBS and while sat no more than 6 feet away, it can't manage full signal. Instead I end up with between two and three bars.
Actual wifi throughput is unpredictable at best. Sometimes it seems ok, but on a regular basis internet browsing seems ridiculously sluggish for a supposedly powerful device. Flash regularly crashes completely. On a few occasions a minor web site crash has resulted in a complete loss of any wifi throughput and my having to completely reboot the device.
I get zero GPS indoors. I occasionally get 1 or 2 satellite locks while outdoors. GPS is basicially unuseable.
Since the latest update, my wifi uses up as much battery life as the screen. Insane. I'd almost forgive it, if I had a good wifi signal. I do not.
The single speaker is a dreadful design flaw, with an atrocious maximum volume.
Plugging in headphones - you get various bizarre pops and crackles during use. This in a premium device? Really... just not good enough, Asus.
I have a Galaxy S2 phone which uses Android and really like that. I like it because it was designed properly, and it works.
I am not an Apple fanboy. Just a very, very disappointed customer.
This is being returned for a refund.
Just such a shame we don't have a genuine Android tablet competitor. I hope one arrives soon, then maybe I'll give this tablet malarkey another bash.
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Click to collapse
I completely agree with you, unfortunately you'll get flamed on here for voicing you disappointment with the device. Not sure why people feel so vexed about people posting negative experiences about the product they paid the same amount of money for.
I've had my prime for about a week now and I'm not entirely happy with my purchase, it just feels like the thing has been shipped out with little to no testing. The Asus software keyboard is a perfect example, it's just unusabe in landscape mode as the keys on the centre of the keyboard are impossible to reach without major strain on your hands and wrists. It has a Swype mode which is laggy, inaccurate and doesn't play well with the screen as your finger doesn't swipe across with ease.
You then have complete system pauses when anything is being written to the /data partition, something my two year old HTC Desire use to suffer from but not my Galaxy Nexus or my Gingerbread driven Galaxy SII.
Web browsing is plagued by "Connection to the server has timed out" messages and if it isn't that I'm getting the "Browser isn't responding message", all of this on web pages that my Galaxy Nexus eats for breakfast. Thankfully I'm not too bothered about GPS and have not tested my units GPS performance and WiFi has been fine but then again, I've only used it around the house and I don't really use Bluetooth.
I love Android, especially ice cream sandwich and my Nexus but Android on tablet just doesn't compare to the iPad experience that I've seen as my housemate has the iPad3. I mean majority of the apps on my Nexus do not have a tablet interface and I do not see this improving. Even pro Android blogs are reporting that developers struggle to make 25% of the income they get from iOS, on Android; it's no wonder they choose to put more resource behind iOS.
I fully expect to be flamed for my opinions, I really want to love the Transformer Prime but I feel disappointment in my purchase. I also really want Android to compete well in the tablet market as I use Google services and love Android on phones, it makes sense to use an Android tablet but it just doesn't offer a great experience right now.
No intention of flaming now.
You cant say the device is bad because of some apps that are preinstalled i think. I mean yeah the keyboard sucks, so i got thumb keyboard and that is awesome. Problem solved.
There are many awesome browsers as well, if you like the stock one but want an improved version just get ICS+ browser its even free in the market If you want the fastest one get Opera.
Thats like saying Windows is bad because Internet Explorer sucks. Because you know the first thing you're gonna install is Firefox anyway.
The fact that you can install customized parts of the OS like the keyboard is actually a strength of this device and Android in general. On iOS that is simply not possible, even 3rd party browsers are based on Safari because of the way apple locks up stuff...
And concerning app revenue, its true that devs make less money on the Google play store than with iOS, but they actually do very well with the Amazon app store. But i have to agree, there is room for improvement with alot of apps. Anyway i'm an optimist and things will only get better from here.
Deckard79 said:
I received my Asus Prime on Saturday. My first impressions were excellent, but very, very quickly it became clear how many issues the device has.
Wifi signal is just awful. I have an AEBS and while sat no more than 6 feet away, it can't manage full signal. Instead I end up with between two and three bars.
Actual wifi throughput is unpredictable at best. Sometimes it seems ok, but on a regular basis internet browsing seems ridiculously sluggish for a supposedly powerful device. Flash regularly crashes completely. On a few occasions a minor web site crash has resulted in a complete loss of any wifi throughput and my having to completely reboot the device.
I get zero GPS indoors. I occasionally get 1 or 2 satellite locks while outdoors. GPS is basicially unuseable.
Since the latest update, my wifi uses up as much battery life as the screen. Insane. I'd almost forgive it, if I had a good wifi signal. I do not.
The single speaker is a dreadful design flaw, with an atrocious maximum volume.
Plugging in headphones - you get various bizarre pops and crackles during use. This in a premium device? Really... just not good enough, Asus.
I have a Galaxy S2 phone which uses Android and really like that. I like it because it was designed properly, and it works.
I am not an Apple fanboy. Just a very, very disappointed customer.
This is being returned for a refund.
Just such a shame we don't have a genuine Android tablet competitor. I hope one arrives soon, then maybe I'll give this tablet malarkey another bash.
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Click to collapse
Join the club.
---------- Post added at 04:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------
Mekrel said:
I completely agree with you, unfortunately you'll get flamed on here for voicing you disappointment with the device. Not sure why people feel so vexed about people posting negative experiences about the product they paid the same amount of money for.
I've had my prime for about a week now and I'm not entirely happy with my purchase, it just feels like the thing has been shipped out with little to no testing. The Asus software keyboard is a perfect example, it's just unusabe in landscape mode as the keys on the centre of the keyboard are impossible to reach without major strain on your hands and wrists. It has a Swype mode which is laggy, inaccurate and doesn't play well with the screen as your finger doesn't swipe across with ease.
You then have complete system pauses when anything is being written to the /data partition, something my two year old HTC Desire use to suffer from but not my Galaxy Nexus or my Gingerbread driven Galaxy SII.
Web browsing is plagued by "Connection to the server has timed out" messages and if it isn't that I'm getting the "Browser isn't responding message", all of this on web pages that my Galaxy Nexus eats for breakfast. Thankfully I'm not too bothered about GPS and have not tested my units GPS performance and WiFi has been fine but then again, I've only used it around the house and I don't really use Bluetooth.
I love Android, especially ice cream sandwich and my Nexus but Android on tablet just doesn't compare to the iPad experience that I've seen as my housemate has the iPad3. I mean majority of the apps on my Nexus do not have a tablet interface and I do not see this improving. Even pro Android blogs are reporting that developers struggle to make 25% of the income they get from iOS, on Android; it's no wonder they choose to put more resource behind iOS.
I fully expect to be flamed for my opinions, I really want to love the Transformer Prime but I feel disappointment in my purchase. I also really want Android to compete well in the tablet market as I use Google services and love Android on phones, it makes sense to use an Android tablet but it just doesn't offer a great experience right now.
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Well said. Now that you have called out the regular flamers they will try a different flaming approach.
Not the first time I read the Prime feels slow compared to the Galaxy S II(I got both too) but what ever secret sauce Samsung has, Asus clearly doesn't.
clouds5 said:
No intention of flaming now.
You cant say the device is bad because of some apps that are preinstalled i think. I mean yeah the keyboard sucks, so i got thumb keyboard and that is awesome. Problem solved.
There are many awesome browsers as well, if you like the stock one but want an improved version just get ICS+ browser its even free in the market If you want the fastest one get Opera.
Thats like saying Windows is bad because Internet Explorer sucks. Because you know the first thing you're gonna install is Firefox anyway.
The fact that you can install customized parts of the OS like the keyboard is actually a strength of this device and Android in general. On iOS that is simply not possible, even 3rd party browsers are based on Safari because of the way apple locks up stuff...
And concerning app revenue, its true that devs make less money on the Google play store than with iOS, but they actually do very well with the Amazon app store. But i have to agree, there is room for improvement with alot of apps. Anyway i'm an optimist and things will only get better from here.
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Click to collapse
I've owned Thumb keyboard since owning my Samsung Galaxy SII, so I'm using it now but it's a paid solution that I shouldn't have to rely on or turn to. If the product had been tested enough, the keyboard would have been flagged as being not very ergonomic. All Asus have done is slapped a custom software keyboard onto the device and ticked a box. Someone gets paid to design these products and they're supposed to be professionals with good understanding of when something is good enough for the consumer market. If I can tell that the software keyboard is poor within a week, it should have been picked up in the months of testing this thing should have been through.
In regards to the browser, 3rd party applications are not a solution seeing as I use Chrome on my desktop and this syncs with the stock WebKit browser just fine. Chrome for Android is in beta and doesn't support flash, Opera means I lose my Chrome sync and Firefox is slow unless you use a nightly with native Android UI support and again, I lose my Chrome sync. The WebKit browser in 4.0.2 on my Nexus works completely fine so again, what has Asus done to make it work so poorly on the Transformer? I've tried ICS+ but again, this suffers from the same poor responsiveness on pages like The Verge, unsurprising as it's built off the WebKit source and only really adds features, rather than improving performance.
It's not like saying Windows sucks because of Internet Explorer at all, as I've not said the Prime's downfall is purely due to web browsing. The fact the system comes to a complete halt when applications are being written to /data is also very poor, considering that again, this is something the technically inferior Nexus doesn't suffer from. As per usual, I've mentioned this in another thread and have been told it can be fixed by changing the I/O scheduler but the default scheduler on the Prime is noop, which is the same as the scheduler on the Nexus. Noop and deadline schedulers are also reported to be the best for solid state flash storage too, so not sure what else I would change the scheduler to as it's already set to the best.
I don't even have root anyway as I'm on .21, so it's a moot point anyway.
Yes customisation on Android is great, it's one of the reasons I like the platform apart from being a massive consumer of Google services but third party applications shouldn't be viewed as a way excuse manufacturers releasing devices with inexcusable problems.
Anyway, I'm not exactly short of money so I'll keep the Prime for now as there's noting else Android tablet wise worth switching to. I'll wait until Samsung come out with an Exynos 5 based tablet as both my last two Samsung phones have always been very snappy and hopefully it will also have a metal back like the Tab 7.7.
I hear you, there are some (imho) small things that totally annoy you about the Prime. And they are potential deal breakers for you, thats fine with me.
The prime isnt perfect. I'm not trying to say that. But it has so many awesome aspects and fills most of my needs so good that i'm willing to overlook a 2-3 second lag when i install an application, or the fact that i have to pay 2 bucks or something for a very nice feature filled soft keyboard (Honestly you'd probably use Thumbkeyboard on your Samsung tablet as well or not?). And as you said there is nothing better on the market right now
Just a small thing i want to add theverge.com desktop version actually runs better on my prime (ICS+ browser) than on my Desktop PC (PhenomII X4 @3.5ghz, Radeon4870, 4gb ram win7 64bit, Firefox)^^ If i click the middle mouse button to get continuous scrolling it lags on my PC. On the prime its completely smooth. Both systems have adblock and flash/java always enabled.
clouds5 said:
I hear you, there are some (imho) small things that totally annoy you about the Prime. And they are potential deal breakers for you, thats fine with me.
The prime isnt perfect. I'm not trying to say that. But it has so many awesome aspects and fills most of my needs so good that i'm willing to overlook a 2-3 second lag when i install an application, or the fact that i have to pay 2 bucks or something for a very nice feature filled soft keyboard (Honestly you'd probably use Thumbkeyboard on your Samsung tablet as well or not?). And as you said there is nothing better on the market right now
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I would use Thumb Keyboard if the Samsung keyboard was also poor but I would really love SwiftKey to have a tablet version of their latest version 3 beta. It's very good and using it on my Nexus right now. I actually really like the stock Android keyboard as the voice input is very good, shame it doesn't have a split keyboard layout for tablets.
You're right about the lag and Web browser pauses being relatively small issues, just I was expecting flawless smoothness in these areas seeing as I've had phones with weaker specs and older versions of Android that manage better. I've read Gary is in Cali with nVidia and Google and browsing performance is on the agenda to discuss.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
The browser freeze/lag is pretty much the only issue left that annoys me on the Prime. I have found that Boat Browser is a huge improvement on the stock browser when it comes to that in the meanwhile.
Hopefully when we get 4.04, this last browser issue will be ironed out.
Oh my gato.
Mine works fine, I was outside BBQing in the backyard yesterday w/ the fam watching youtube/listening to music.
I honestly think some people just have better luck w/ their WiFi; or truth be told, it may just be the router or person itself?
I have no issues using opera mobile at all. no lags, scrolls fast and smoothly, plays flash video the best out of any browser, never throws up message do you want to wait or close. flawless
Mekrel said:
I would use Thumb Keyboard if the Samsung keyboard was also poor but I would really love SwiftKey to have a tablet version of their latest version 3 beta. It's very good and using it on my Nexus right now. I actually really like the stock Android keyboard as the voice input is very good, shame it doesn't have a split keyboard layout for tablets.
You're right about the lag and Web browser pauses being relatively small issues, just I was expecting flawless smoothness in these areas seeing as I've had phones with weaker specs and older versions of Android that manage better. I've read Gary is in Cali with nVidia and Google and browsing performance is on the agenda to discuss.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SwiftKey does have a tablet version of beta 3. Using it right now
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
The Prime should ship soon-ish with a redesigned back panel to fix the radio issues. This is the reason their biggest non mail order retailer customer Best Buy does not have any more, or the current skus on order.
Since the launch of this device is still a couple of weeks away, I assume it's ok to be posting this here (Mods, please move if necessary.) since it will obviously be a hot topic in every custom ROM thread that will appear in this forum after Nov. 11th.
There are obviously three opinions on the matter. Some people like the UI, some people don't care otherwise, and then there's those of us who have been using Android tablets since they first came out (like me. Have had a XOOM from day one) and HATE the change from what we consider a perfect tablet UI for efficient navigation on a 10in landscape orientated tablet.
But, I'm not here to kvetch about the loss of the tablet UI in Android. I'm here to discuss what the options are as far as restoring it to the Nexus 10 (and other tablets going forward) from a development standpoint. Will custom ROM developers have to jump through hoops to bring back all (or even some) of the efficiency (and some of that space wasted by the top bar) back to our 10 inch slates? Of course, this all depends on weather the tablet UI may or may not be hidden in the code giving us the ability to turn it on or off with a little bit of hackery. Unfortunately, it looks like they've phased it out completely, which probably rules out that idea.
I've watched all of the videos and looked at the photos trying to think of ways it could be done. So far, the only idea I can come up with for bringing back a little bit of the magic is forcing the softkeys from the middle of the navigation bar to the left side of the navigation bar (that's something even I could do with a simple edit to an XML file.) This might actually be enough to make things make sense again, and moving the clock could probably be done fairly easily with a few tweaks here and there (I love how big and easy to read the clock is on the current tablet UI). But what about notifications? The way the new setup is, you have notifications on the top left and on the top right you have quick settings (which I don't consider very quick since they buttons just take you to the settings screens. Lame, Google. Lame.) This is where it obviously gets tricky and is beyond my very limited knowledge of Android code.
Any developers care to weigh in? Do any of you already miss the tablet UI and wish to bring it back even for your own use? What are your thoughts on the difficulty of implementing such changes (probably not even a valid question since the source hasn't even dropped yet, but, meh) and is it worth spending time on?
The Nexus 10 should obviously have AOSP support. This should make it pretty simple to add to CM10. Then, Paranoid Android should be pretty easy to compile for this device which brings many tablet mode features so you can have as much or as little tablet mode as you want.
con247 said:
The Nexus 10 should obviously have AOSP support. This should make it pretty simple to add to CM10. Then, Paranoid Android should be pretty easy to compile for this device which brings many tablet mode features so you can have as much or as little tablet mode as you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I'm getting at. Is the tablet UI code still even going to be in AOSP from 4.2 forward? It looks as if it's not. That's going to mean extra work for the devs, right?
arrtoodeetoo said:
Since the launch of this device is still a couple of weeks away, I assume it's ok to be posting this here (Mods, please move if necessary.) since it will obviously be a hot topic in every custom ROM thread that will appear in this forum after Nov. 11th.
There are obviously three opinions on the matter. Some people like the UI, some people don't care otherwise, and then there's those of us who have been using Android tablets since they first came out (like me. Have had a XOOM from day one) and HATE the change from what we consider a perfect tablet UI for efficient navigation on a 10in landscape orientated tablet.
But, I'm not here to kvetch about the loss of the tablet UI in Android. I'm here to discuss what the options are as far as restoring it to the Nexus 10 (and other tablets going forward) from a development standpoint. Will custom ROM developers have to jump through hoops to bring back all (or even some) of the efficiency (and some of that space wasted by the top bar) back to our 10 inch slates? Of course, this all depends on weather the tablet UI may or may not be hidden in the code giving us the ability to turn it on or off with a little bit of hackery. Unfortunately, it looks like they've phased it out completely, which probably rules out that idea.
I've watched all of the videos and looked at the photos trying to think of ways it could be done. So far, the only idea I can come up with for bringing back a little bit of the magic is forcing the softkeys from the middle of the navigation bar to the left side of the navigation bar (that's something even I could do with a simple edit to an XML file.) This might actually be enough to make things make sense again, and moving the clock could probably be done fairly easily with a few tweaks here and there (I love how big and easy to read the clock is on the current tablet UI). But what about notifications? The way the new setup is, you have notifications on the top left and on the top right you have quick settings (which I don't consider very quick since they buttons just take you to the settings screens. Lame, Google. Lame.) This is where it obviously gets tricky and is beyond my very limited knowledge of Android code.
Any developers care to weigh in? Do any of you already miss the tablet UI and wish to bring it back even for your own use? What are your thoughts on the difficulty of implementing such changes (probably not even a valid question since the source hasn't even dropped yet, but, meh) and is it worth spending time on?
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Click to collapse
I am guessing Google is among for an unified code and even the code is not removed for tablet ui in 4.2, its only a matter of time; the tablet ui presents a learning curve for most android users ( who are mostly smartphone users) thus like the iPad, unified ui would mostly make android tablets more accessible to general public; the reality is most people are not tech savvy like us ( otherwise everyone would been xda) thus casting to their needs would make androids expansion in the tablet market easier ( an endeavor which have been daunting for android and with w8, competition is more fierce than ever)
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium HD app
i just wrote the same in another topic of that nature ...
1. the codebase was really, really old. dominated by honeycomb. it got tiny touch-ups with ics but thats it. the whole thing is a complete mess, though.
2. they hid tabUI from sight for the nexus7, lifting the layouts from 600dp (where the UI was situated traditionally) to 720dp, just enough for the nex7 to ignore it.
3. nexus10 will be 720dp or higher. the screenshots make it a fact that they have done something to these layout. either putting them higher still or killing them for good. i believe the second case is more likely, judging from the code.
i believe this is a transition. KLP will probably introduce a new systemUI. the old one is the worst part of the entire android framework. a messy spaghetticode something, breaking their own sdk.
Almost 400k pixels is used by... three buttons on Nexus 10. And you can't even hide them. This is ridiculous. Also I feel offended by what they said about microSD causing confusion - they treat as like idiots.
yeah, the tablet ui like it was has been perfect for tablets!
paranoidandroid for the nexus 10 would be awesome ... love it so much on my HOX. On my xoom I hide the navbar and use gestures to navigate, which is in my opinion the best way to fully use the screen's full potential. The new UI wasts precious space with a navbar AND a statusbar...
Personally I have never like the basic android User interface, it's thin and empty to say the least, it's has not a the beautiful view or a friendly user interface. Indeed I have never understood people running in search of Cyanogen ROM which are basically android base rom ported on other devices. The point of those nexus devices is having a very light ROM so you can have massive use of the play store and install 1000 apps including a better launcher for the home. Actually there is no match in beautiful and usability between android base interface and HTC sense 4.x for exemple ( which in my opinion is the best one out there and now it's also anymore that weight to run for the system ).
molesarecoming said:
i just wrote the same in another topic of that nature ...
1. the codebase was really, really old. dominated by honeycomb. it got tiny touch-ups with ics but thats it. the whole thing is a complete mess, though.
2. they hid tabUI from sight for the nexus7, lifting the layouts from 600dp (where the UI was situated traditionally) to 720dp, just enough for the nex7 to ignore it.
3. nexus10 will be 720dp or higher. the screenshots make it a fact that they have done something to these layout. either putting them higher still or killing them for good. i believe the second case is more likely, judging from the code.
i believe this is a transition. KLP will probably introduce a new systemUI. the old one is the worst part of the entire android framework. a messy spaghetticode something, breaking their own sdk.
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Click to collapse
I hope you're getting one! Big fanboy here
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
It's just me or anybody else feels like they should get rid of the design of on screen buttons? It think it's a waste of space and has a very bad design, wich is not the case of holo theme that was clearly well concepted.
Any devs been able to poke through AOSP today? How's it looking for options on modifying the UI?
I like the current tablet UI, but will give the new layout an open minded evaluation. The navigation area doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me, but maybe I am just unaware of some settings to customize it.
If you have rooted device you can now hide soft keys (and keep notification bar) without modifications and reboots. Just try my new app:
GMD Hide Soft Keys
It also adds Quick NavBar - soft keys that can be opened with simple swipe from bottom and then autohide when not needed.
Just got the 5.0 OTA last night, thought I'd share my impressions, especially since this is likely the last major update we'll get straight from google.
The update started with a 325 MB download, then a couple minutes staring at circles bouncing around, followed by 10 mins of "optimizing" apps, likely compiling them for ART. New lock screen is a little funny, have to swipe up to go to the homescreen since the circle lock is gone, and notifications show up right away. The notifications pulldown has gone back to only one, with a second or two-finger pull necessary to see quick settings, no idea why this changes with every Android update.
I have a lot more default google apps uninstalled than new apps installed, and they always try to sneak a couple more in with each major OTA update. In this case, it was a new Photos app, that doesn't work at all with Google+ disabled as I have it; a Google Docs app that requires being signed into a google account, replacing the QuickOffice app that was there before, which didn't require signing in and could actually read pdfs; and a Contacts app that I believe I had disabled before, since it's useless on a tablet without phone service. I disabled all three (strangely, there were two Photos apps with the same icon in the Settings, disabled them both), all of them went into the junk pile with Google Play Newsstand and all the rest. This means I don't have a photo/video Gallery app installed anymore, oh well, have to go find one.
They don't seem to have pulled any fast ones with the Settings this time, though the categories have become even harder to touch to select since they take up half the space horizontally but are still thin vertically. Lollipop feels like a step backwards in UI and usability across the board, for example, the new labels are confusingly undifferentiated from clickable options: I tried to hit the Advanced heading in the Chrome Beta settings five times before I realized it was not clickable. Scrolling down the Settings and hitting the bottom makes a strange half-circle shadow show up at the top, no idea what's going on there.
The graphics generally looked strangely jagged and lower-res right after updating, which I especially noticed with the Chrome Beta, which doesn't show each tab separately in the app switcher like advertised, maybe that's for phones only. Another place the graphics are worse are in the data and battery graphs. Maybe that was just after the update though, because Chrome Beta doesn't seem as bad to me now, or maybe I've already gotten used to it. The data usage graph is worse, since I can't change the time period to a week or 10 days anymore and see what's been using up data lately.
Otherwise, my Nexus 10 feels faster across the board, probably because of ART, and battery life seems to have improved when idle. It's strange how this tablet has had such wild swings in idle battery life over the last couple years, with some Android builds lasting 3-4 days when idle with wifi enabled and others going weeks! I like how the battery usage graph now tries to extrapolate how much time you have left if using the tablet, though I could see that image confusing some users.
As for apps, as usual MX Player stopped working after the upgrade because it doesn't recognize the new 5.0 version number, will have to wait for them to update before trying it out. Everything else seems to work fine. Maybe I'll update here once I get a chance to use lollipop more, but it seems to be a strange mix of better performance and going backwards in UI and usability, with a lot of UI changes seemingly made for the sake of changing something, often making it worse.
Why can't google just focus on adding multi-window to base Android, a feature I've wanted for years and which would actually make Android tablets more capable, instead of adding another coat of paint to the UI and needlessly moving things around over and over again? Guess I'll have to go Samsung and put up with touchwiz if I ever want that.
Honest and straight. I've been crying myself hoarse that each iteration of Android seems to entrench more Google apps into the system as an indispensable part of Android, when the truth is that they serve as leaky apps with access to all your "private" data, under the ploy of enhancing user experience! In actual they are only bloatware that need to be disabled / uninstalled to derive any system enhancement. Each UI has little to offer in terms of improvements, while persistent Google bloatware and services that keep running in the background, hogging system resources, and depleting whatever battery advantages the system improvements offered. Personally I'd like to keep away from lollipop till it rises in my expectations.
Dead Cookies leave no trails...
I couldn't be happier with Lollipop. I mainly surf internet and it is now 10x faster than before. Battery life is also 50% better. It still offered quickoffice for me in the welcome setup, but i didn't need it because drive can read pdf files.
joakim_one said:
... As for apps, as usual MX Player stopped working after the upgrade because it doesn't recognize the new 5.0 version number, will have to wait for them to update before trying it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use the MX Player beta: https://sites.google.com/site/mxvpen/translation/test-build
Release notes include:
Support HW+ on Android 5.0
Support Pro version on Android 5.0
I've used it on my Nexus 5 with android 5 and it works as well on my HD content as it did no KitKat.
I just stumbled across this nice Ars article that lays out many of the ways lollipop and google are failing at design for larger tablets like the Nexus 10.
I'd have to say, I do enjoy the new OS. It's slightly faster, clean and just works. It's still relatively new so devs (the ones still working on the N10) will eventually catch up. What I don't like is that there seems to be far less free space than before, even with the same setup. This is apparently due to ART from what I've read. 32GB is now the new 8GB. Now if anyone can come up with a 128GB internal memory hack, that would be awesome.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
joakim_one said:
I just stumbled across this nice Ars article that lays out many of the ways lollipop and google are failing at design for larger tablets like the Nexus 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this link. It is an interesting read and seems more balanced than some of the "Lollipop is a bug ridden release" hate-bait I've been seeing. I'll write my on comments on the N10 upgrade experience (upgrade less than 24 hours ago) in a few days but I already disagree or at least am less concerned than the article implies about the wasted space issue.
3DSammy said:
Thanks for this link. It is an interesting read and seems more balanced than some of the "Lollipop is a bug ridden release" hate-bait I've been seeing. I'll write my on comments on the N10 upgrade experience (upgrade less than 24 hours ago) in a few days but I already disagree or at least am less concerned than the article implies about the wasted space issue.
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I agree with the first part of your post, but I am the opposite on the second part. The wasted space immediately threw me off. Both on lockscreen and notifications panel.