Prime Blinders - What's Next? - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

So I have been waiting for the upgrade to the transformer since I got the transformer. The GPS issue is irritating, but the speakers on these devices blow by design, so I always have a trusty pair of bluetooth headphones with me that I can't use with my device as it destroys the wifi connection.
Now that I have my beautiful manufacturing mistake, I wonder what's next. What tablet is most likely to capitalize on the market share left open by the **** design that is the FULLY aluminum ATP back panel. I am a fan of the device but I'm worried that after they washed their hands of the GPS issue, they might do the same thing to the bluetooth issue. Currently I've been e-mailing Gary Key at ASUS who has thus far been unable to reproduce the issue. I can't get them to fix it if they can't track it down. Unless some of us have been saddled with substandard radios, I can't see how this problem can't be present in ALL ATPs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1423180

They can't wash it as bluetooth and wifi is a standard on all devices. Plus most people have said that their GPS worked before the first firmware update (one that came out in December) so I believe that it is both h/w and s/w related. The wifi and bluetooth should work no matter what, which again worked before the first firmware update. So I believe they need to release new firmware, which might come out with the ICS update next week, to get GPS partially working and wifi/bluetooth simultaneously working together.

I'm unsure. From what I've read the ALL-ALUMINUM back will cause problems for everything. They tried putting antennas near the glass but that doesn't work if you look at the GPS performance. It works a little better for WiFi due to the technology but currently, at least for my BBO Grey 32GB ATP, BT + WIFI = Death.
I recall someone making a stray comment about HC not being tested and that ICS will solve this. I will hold on to my ATP until ICS. If the problem persists I'm packing it up, sending it back and waiting for the next great Android Tablet to replace to Original Asus Transformer.
I like the performance of the ATP. The Flash performance(which I use 80% of the time) is loads better than the already acceptable Original Transformer Flash performance. And ICS on my Samsung Galaxy Nexus is better still than both Transformers due to ICS being so much smoother so I look forward to a Tegra3 Tab with ICS.
The problem seems to be that EVERY OTHER COMPANY has some sort of plastic bit to free the RF from their tablets. ASUS decided to forgo that altogether and we are paying the price for this I think. It's too bad they didn't find a way to make the back into an antenna.
EDIT: And no, for me the BT killing WiFi issue was there from the original rootable shipping ROM. It has, however, gotten exponentially worse with each update. Originally the problem took 4-5 minutes.. or 60ish megs of data. Then it went to about 2-3 minutes at 20-30ish megs and with the latest revision I get less than a minute at like 8 megs . By the time ICS comes out turning on bluetooth while streaming Netflix on WiFi will make my tablet spontaneously combust.

Related

my 2 cents regarding problems with the prime

well, i am not sure what to do.
i have sn: BCOKAS005XXX, and i am exhibiting some of the issues. GPS was non-existent before the ICS update. it seems that it improved a little bit with ICS as it picks up 1 or 2 satellites without wifi, but nothing to work with. my samsung galaxy s 4g gets 10 satellites within 2 seconds using GPS TEST.
had a bunch of issues after ICS upgrade with sluggishness and touchscreen lag until i did a factory reset. i do not see a way of clearing the cache as when i do VOL-DOWN and POWER gives me the option to reset using VOL-UP. if i do that, i get sort of the the android with the gear rotating for a couple of seconds and then i get an exclamation mark in a big orange triangle above the android and nothing happens. i have to power down from the button. i am not sure what that is all about. maybe somebody has an idea. by the way, it seems the touchscreen lag improved (still happening sometimes)
wifi still seems crappy. it works, but very slow. i have it sitting next to my computer and i get around 30mb while my computer gets 350mb. i am not sure why the wifi is slow in this tablet. didn't check it on my phone to see what i get. i have only supperficially looked at the bluetooth interfering with wifi issue, as i ran a speedtest with the bluetooth off and with the bluetooth on and does not seem to affect wifi, but i did not have anything connected through bluetooth.
decisions, decisions. i think i have until tomorrow to return it. hope someone can help me with my decision.
so, no inputs?
I hope not......... farrk these threads are getting boring!
I don't know where to begin to test GPS.
Yeah despite weeks of seeing some of you folks make thread about it, I never bothered to check when I got my Prime.
I did come across the Bluetooth paired + streaming over Wifi issue. I can deal with it because it's not so bad since ICS update, crap to marginal quality is better than no stream, which is what I got before the OS update. I'll have to stop pairing BT to obtain high and optimum quality from Netflix steaming though. But oh well.
I can live with it, primarily because the TFP is soon to be on the rare block as the only tablet made of metal, and with ASUS quickly trying to replace it with that ugly plastic TF700T.
I rather deal with the minor pain than to depart from my device so quickly.
I seem to be 1 of the lucky ones with no problem except GPS. If you NEED GPS then this tablet is not for you, or if you can wait few months you'll find some nice tablets. I have few issues but nothing that bothers me. I had a choice ipad2 vs this.... although I think ipad is better (ipad1 owner still) I love the android UI. Mine is not lagging only once in a while... if your freezing all the time exchange it or wait a month...
Seems like your going into recovery mode there with the Vol & power button....here's what you do to wipe....press down VOL- first then POWER for couple seconds (simultaneously) then when you see the writings appear let go then you should be on a screen with Android bot/data wipe box thingy...at this screen press VOL- then press VOL+...wipe should begin....
Return that *****!
Personally I emailed ASUS and told them they have 9 days to either fix my wifi/backplate or I am returning. Plain and simple it does not work in my Apt (wifi) the router is right outside my door and it is a small apt (probably under 500sqft). The building provides Wifi as part of the rent and well it sucks my computer can 10mb/s down and 15 up (I know pitiful). My TFP can connect and get 500kbs in the living room about 15ft from router with a door in the way and drops the signal about every 2mins and in my bedroom about 30ft away with another wall away from the router (2 walls total) I cant even see the ****ing router on my TFP. That performance is bull**** for $600. If they dont fix it I dont want it. I need wifi plain and simple and I am not getting it.
If you are in a similar situation I say return it!
Oh and sorry for the piss poor grammar I am slightly inebriated
Return it while you can, unless you can afford to use it as a paperweight when you get the next droid tablet.

[Q] Student thinking of buying a Prime

Heeello. This weekend I'll be returning my Galaxy Tab 7.7 because of Super AMOLED screen burn-in issues and I may buy a Prime. The thing is I'll have to keep it for over a good year and I was wondering if the Prime has any major problems that I should know of. Also I can't be returning the Prime more than once because ,well, I'm 15 and thus obviously dependent on my parent. It's a hassle constantly going back to the store and I've already bought a Toshiba Tab (which I gave to my mother), bought a Galaxy Tab 7.7 that I'm about to return and might buy a Prime in the process. Obviously this is a bit 'intense' I guess for a teenager haha. So basically I would really rather not have to return the Prime plus I'll have to be keeping it for a year if I'm to buy it.
I'm aware of GPS issues which won't bother me because I don't own a vehicle and any navigation would be done in the house, where I can rely on Wifi or a laptop.
I heard that the Wifi has been patched for the most part, and I'll generally be within 15 metres of my router. I've also heard that turning on bluetooth and wifi at the same time would degrade the wifi signal but I won't be using bluetooth too often, just for the occasional photo or file transfer. So is the Wifi issue really that big of a deal? Any insight would be great.
Now about the reboots. Sleep issues (where you would put the tab to sleep, and you would have to completely turn it back on, dubbed Sleep of Death lol) were a big problem with the Toshiba Thrive and I've also been having random turn offs with the GT 7.7 I was wondering if Asus has patched the Prime or if it was never that big of a problem on this tablet.
Also what about hardware issues? Are there any commonly known hardware issues that I should be aware of? And if there are, would it be possible to check for those issues before I leave the store?
If anyone could address these 3 issues, or any others that I should be aware of it would be greaaatly appreciated. Any advice on wether I should buy a Prime or just get store credit or something would be nice too. I'll be going this weekend and I don't really get buyers remorse so I won't be waiting for new and exciting tablets. Plus I'm confident of Asus support. So advice before this weekend. ^^ Thankyou.
I won't be getting the TF700 variant (the 1920x1200 one) because that won't be released until September here in Australia.
Sorry If I come off as annoying or ignorant. :x
maybe youre lucky to get a prime in good condition..
but dont count on it..
Software issues will be fixed sooner or later. Wifi is most likely both software AND a hardware issue..
but things like wifi, gps, light bleed are pretty random.. some have good ones, some have bad ones..
I got one, with the newest serial (C20xx) and had to return it.
kunddizzle said:
maybe youre lucky to get a prime in good condition..
but dont count on it..
Software issues will be fixed sooner or later. Wifi is most likely both software AND a hardware issue..
but things like wifi, gps, light bleed are pretty random.. some have good ones, some have bad ones..
I got one, with the newest serial (C20xx) and had to return it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm. I found a video by MobileTechReview that said squeezing the top of the Prime would help with Wifi and GPS as the connectors are located there, and the reason for poor wifi may be partially that the connector pins aren't contacting enough. So I assume by now I should be in the clear for wifi but what about light bleed? Does light bleed take some time to appear or would I be able to check it before I leave the store?

Turned around, bent over again.

Got my RMA back today. I almost didn't even try it, but had to. First of all, there were finger prints all over it. The bastards don't even clean their own products when sending them back. The little plastic pieces that go into the docking holes and the power hole were gone. No where to be found. I found a couple small nicks on the back plate. What a shame. Now for powering it on. I got the Android dude with the red exclamation mark in his belly. Powered off, powered back on. Turned on normal. Had ICS on it but needed .21 installed. No big deal, installed it. My normal speedtests without BT are 30+ all the time. I was able to get that without BT. I made an active BT connection and played some music. Did a few more speed tests and it dropped my speed down to 10-12Mbps/sec. It went from 30+ Mbps/sec to 12Mbps/sec and this is a fixed tablet. They also didn't even mention or look at my multiple dead pixels on the screen. They are very easy to see, so the screen was never replaced. All in all I'm actually in worse shape then I was before. I will try to return this tablet tonight and be done with it. I still have one, with a broken wifi/bt but it doesn't have any nicks or dead pixels.....................yet.
That's a bummer about the RMA experience. I think ASUS needs to take a look at their service partner and knock some heads...
About the wifi/BT thing, I'm still a bit confounded. I've now compared three other Android devices against my Prime, and here's what I've discovered when I stream music via Google Music to my Motorola headphones:
1. ASUS Transformer (TF101): Wifi dropped from about 20Mb/s to about 4MB/s. Better than the Prime, but still a significant impact.
2. Samsung SGS II Epic 4G Touch: Wifi drops from about 20Mb/s to less than 200Kb/s. Very similar results to the Prime, and nothing else can be done while the music is streaming (e.g., can't even browse).
3. Motorola Photon: Wifi drops from about 20Mb/s to around 6Mb/s. Much like the OG Transformer, a significant impact but still usable.
I must be really unlucky in purchasing devices from a variety of manufacturers that all have their wifi impacted by simultaneously streaming to BT. But if yours is dropping from 30+ Mb/s to 10-12Mb/s, you're not experiencing any worse performance than some other devices that I've personally tried. Doesn't seem like such a terrible thing, unless in spite of the fact that you're still getting 10+ Mb/s bandwidth you can't actually use wifi for anything...
wifi bluetooth signal drop is caused because the system is using the same chip for both wifi and bluetooth. Devices that have seperate chips and antennas for wifi and bluetooth will have little or no difference.
Unfortunately, to save space and cut costs most vendors go with integrated wifi/bluetooth chips just becasue its easier.
i very frequently stream music from my SGS2 to my bluetooth headphones while browsing the internet, in fact my wifi and bluetooth are nearly always on and i've never missed the difference. Maybe im just used to slow speeds, who knows

WIFI/GPS Issue - how bad?

In the market looking to buy a 2nd tab in the family.
Seen a lot of offers for used TF201 (some with dock) for the same price as a new TF300...
What do you guys recommend to get, is the WiFi signal issue present in all TF201s and if yes, is it that bad? Or should i just get a new TF300 and forget about TF201?
Does the GPS dongle improve also WiFi signal (indirectly i suppose)?
What advantages does TF201 have over TF300 that should make me choose it over the latter for the same price (or even less)?
Thanks!
I have a C3 serial and it's pretty good.. I think the later versions were better.
But you will get a whole load of people post that the TF701 is better. SDCard fits, Wi-Fi signal is stronger, GPS get's location quicker..
sjrixon said:
I have a C3 serial and it's pretty good.. I think the later versions were better.
But you will get a whole load of people post that the TF701 is better. SDCard fits, Wi-Fi signal is stronger, GPS get's location quicker..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TF700 is a different story with a different price, at least in Europe
In scope of this thread is an used TF201 vs a new TF300
There's no denying the TF201 has been plagued with support issues. I returned my first one for WiFi problems. My second one the WiFi is fine. I stream movies on it regularly with no issues whatsoever, for example. GPS has been very bad on both without the dongle.
If you get it from a place that'll take a return/exchange it's a good buy, if not though, I'd recommend looking at other options. It's a great device when you get a good one only caveat that is even for a good one, if you are buying specifically for a lot of GPS stuff don't bother.
zerozoneice said:
Does the GPS dongle improve also WiFi signal (indirectly i suppose)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dongle does nothing to help with WiFi signal. Strictly to help GPS.
GPS is unusable and is not an official feature anymore. Wifi works fine, however max throughput speed is not great, it's fine for streaming video's.
I think it's a great tablet _and_ the screen is great, very good outdoor use. The TF300 does not have this.
Personally.. my wifi was ok, GPS no good but the non-responding apps & powering off while sleeping were deal breakers for me.. I'd stay away from it especially used and unable to return. Luckly someone here found Best Buy willing to take the Primes back under manufacturer defect and I was lucky enough to have that happen for me. Delivering a TF700 tomorrow.
Just a few of my screenshot issues.. if ya want more I'd be more than happy to send them to you.. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1765997
Stay away. Stay far away.
nyijedi said:
Stay away. Stay far away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you guys are scaring me
thing is i found a TF201 32GB with Dock, GPS dongle and case for less than a new TF300...guy says it's a C10 serial and has no wifi issues...
is there a serial# tracker that can verify if there is a wifi problem? were only few batches affected or it's a general build issue.
i got a TF300 today and playing with it but i can return it within 24h if there's something wrong with it...
I had a C1 Prime that I bought in Feb and exchanged for a 700 this past Friday. Wifi by itself was fine for the most part, but when I turned the B/T on using at the same time bandwidth plummeted (20 megs to about 2megs down), known issue.. my opinion I'd skip it for the 300, at least you know you wont have wifi/gps issues with it
zerozoneice said:
you guys are scaring me
thing is i found a TF201 32GB with Dock, GPS dongle and case for less than a new TF300...guy says it's a C10 serial and has no wifi issues...
is there a serial# tracker that can verify if there is a wifi problem? were only few batches affected or it's a general build issue.
i got a TF300 today and playing with it but i can return it within 24h if there's something wrong with it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wifi works fine on my Prime. Don't read into everything you see on the forums too much. People like to blow things way out of proportion and make big deals out of nothing. They will make it sound like wifi doesn't work at all on the Prime and/or will complain that the signal drops off when they are outside their house 50 ft away, or that they only get 2 bars while their laptop gets 3 when in the same location. It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
GPS on the other hand is not a supported built-in feature so don't expect it to work out of the box without the GPS dongle.
jordache16 said:
It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, be glad you got a Prime then that supposedly works 100%.
There are plenty of people here including myself who will disagree with you, and I'm no noob by anymeans, my router (Linksys E3000 "High Performance") is less than 5 feet away from me here buddy Its been reiterated over and over the metal backplate is a signal killer. I can't express how happy I was when Best Buy took the thing back.
jordache16 said:
Wifi works fine on my Prime. Don't read into everything you see on the forums too much. People like to blow things way out of proportion and make big deals out of nothing. They will make it sound like wifi doesn't work at all on the Prime and/or will complain that the signal drops off when they are outside their house 50 ft away, or that they only get 2 bars while their laptop gets 3 when in the same location. It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
GPS on the other hand is not a supported built-in feature so don't expect it to work out of the box without the GPS dongle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WiFi technically "works," but works like crap compared to other devices. This is not really debateable. I've tested my Prime on the same network in the same spot next to a Galaxy Nexus, iPad 1, and Nexus 7. Once you move a few feet away from the router (not exaggerating - a few feet), the Prime drops speed at a ridiculous rate. For example, next to the router, all devices, including the Prime, will get over 30 Mbps. As I move away from the router, in the same spot, my other devices will all pull between 15 and 20 Mbps, and the Prime will be lucky to see 3-5 Mbps. And then if I keep moving away, the Prime is always the first one to lose a signal, while the other devices will still download at about 1-6 Mbps. It really depends on your use case. If you'll be using it regularly in areas with good WiFi, you'll be fine. But don't say you weren't warned if you try and use it in areas with weak WiFi.
As for the GPS, just assume the Prime doesn't have it, because it is not functional. Hell, Asus admitted this much when they took it off the box. It does work with the dongle, but you also can't charge the Prime when the dongle is plugged in, so forget about keeping your Prime charged using the GPS on a long road trip.
jordache16 said:
Wifi works fine on my Prime. Don't read into everything you see on the forums too much. People like to blow things way out of proportion and make big deals out of nothing. They will make it sound like wifi doesn't work at all on the Prime and/or will complain that the signal drops off when they are outside their house 50 ft away, or that they only get 2 bars while their laptop gets 3 when in the same location. It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
GPS on the other hand is not a supported built-in feature so don't expect it to work out of the box without the GPS dongle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please speak for yourself ok?
The prime works fine for me when I'm close to the router, but degrades quickly as you move away. And I'm not talking about 50ft outside the house, I'm talking about the kitchen... 30 ft from the router with a door in between. Locations where other devices, such as my phone, have no issue keeping a decent connection...
Overall you can still browse pretty fine yeah and most of the time stream music. But for me there are hiccups, youtube videos (hd) pause and/or buffer regularly when not in the same room as the router, etc.
GPS is useless, but that is no issue for me as I have no need for it. IO is not great either, supposedly better with the TF700t.
So it' not useless but it is pretty weak and can (or will) cause issues in areas where your connection is not great... Just keep that in mind.
Other then these issues the prime is excellent, beatiful and sleek. The dock is awesome. But to be honest, I wish I could trade it in for something else or that there was some model like this on the market (a non-asus one in this case).
I love my Prime, but under no circumstance or influence could I possibly recommend it to anyone.
It's amazing when you have a model that works fine coupled with a good firmware version (or some custom ROMs I guess), but it's entirely too easy to get a bad mixture.
Mine is running fine after the mods in the development section (still haven't unlocked my bootloader), but WiFi is certainly dampened when compared to other devices. I've heard that certain channels and passcode encryptions are handled better than others. We're all still playing around to achieve optimal signal and it seems that messing with a bit of conductive foam inside the tablet helps to ground the antenna and improve reception. But that requires opening up (not hard) the tablet and technically voiding warranty (just have to be careful and clean).
The BlueTooth/WiFi complaints are completely true and valid depending on what (amounts of) data the BT is pumping out. I generally don't see too hard a hit with your average BT headset, but I think that using any actual stereo headset is going to cause your WiFi to become downright deplorable.
I can use my WiFi in most any room of both houses I spend most my time in *(where each house has 2 routers)*, and over most of my work-place *(which uses a pretty powerful commercial-grade router)*, and I only get a random reboot maybe once every few weeks or so (usually during heavy use, right after I've started bragging but just before the awesome game/app loads up lol). I can go anywhere between one and seven days on a single charge depending on use, that is my favorite part of the tablet/keyboard combo. Having a native setting to use the mouse pad for touch gestures is awesome. The two speakers located directly beside each other don't sound too bad, but are very uni-directional and lose against the outdoors. The screen is magnificent: I can use it any time, anywhere, and everything isn't over-saturated like many competitors' screens (arguably under-saturated though, depends on opinion, eyesight, and luck of the draw). Useful to have the extra mSD and SD slots though I never use the SD in the keyboard; I leave my mSD in at all times and have changed its mount point to within the /sdcard/ directory so that apps can actually access and make use of it. This is only possible because of the leather case I have, otherwise the mSD would long ago have ejected somewhere. /rant
Tl;dr:
It's a great, fun toy which tries to appear productive and savvy; it's entirely unreliable just like its manufacturer and will cause great embarrassment if "shown off;" and I absolutely would not recommend it to someone who does not want to dig down into fixing and patching and playing with the hardware and software.
*EDIT:
Also, as mentioned, GPS is not even worth mentioning
Which is why I do not recommend ASUS to customers regardless. They produce great PC components, they just have some serious quality control issues which are usually covered pretty well by warranty. But none-the-less, their inconsistencies in physical components makes them a general no-no for me.
zerozoneice said:
In the market looking to buy a 2nd tab in the family.
Seen a lot of offers for used TF201 (some with dock) for the same price as a new TF300...
What do you guys recommend to get, is the WiFi signal issue present in all TF201s and if yes, is it that bad? Or should i just get a new TF300 and forget about TF201?
Does the GPS dongle improve also WiFi signal (indirectly i suppose)?
What advantages does TF201 have over TF300 that should make me choose it over the latter for the same price (or even less)?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Prime was fine, maybe even better then fine. But if $300 is about what you were going to spend on a used Prime, I would go get the new 300. WiFi was good with the one I played with at the store the other day. Put it in a case and no one will ever know it's not a Prime.
Seriously - either get a TF300 or better, a TF700.. just pretend the TF201 never existed.
IF you have no use for a GPS (and think very carefully about that - Google Now, for example, relies on both not-fine(WiFi - really - you can't say the opposite of fine that rhymes with course?) and fine (GPS) location for a lot of things it does... and more and more apps are location aware...) and if you don't mind subpar WiFi and Bluetooth, then it's a nice tablet.
Unfortunately, since the TF300 is cheaper and the TF700 is the same price - but with a higher res screen AND both have working GPS, WiFi and BT - you'd be nuts to go with the TF201.
And to be honest - given how Asus has bunged up the entire TF201 fiasco, I'm not even comfortable recommending a Transformer at all. I'd wait for the Samsung Note 10.1 in two weeks, or any of the growing number of Transformer like Android tablets coming out soon.
I agree with buxtahuda all the way. The only reason I can hand my prime to another person to play with without fear of mockery is that I have repaired the improper backplate grounding to the wifi and gps antennas so the both now work well. This required taking it apart (which I didnt mind since I got it so I could do that). The second part of the equation for not being embarassed by my prime is that I put one of the new Jellybean (actually I have tried them all) roms on it. There seems to be no game playing issues or lag with these but since they are prebeta they are missing some features of the hardware.
My boss asked me to recommend a tablet for her after she saw my prime with dock in action at a meeting. I told her to get an Ipad.
whycali said:
I agree with buxtahuda all the way. The only reason I can hand my prime to another person to play with without fear of mockery is that I have repaired the improper backplate grounding to the wifi and gps antennas so the both now work well. This required taking it apart (which I didnt mind since I got it so I could do that). The second part of the equation for not being embarassed by my prime is that I put one of the new Jellybean (actually I have tried them all) roms on it. There seems to be no game playing issues or lag with these but since they are prebeta they are missing some features of the hardware.
My boss asked me to recommend a tablet for her after she saw my prime with dock in action at a meeting. I told her to get an Ipad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Care to elaborate on the grounding issue? Are you talking those small spongy things?
dagrim1 said:
Care to elaborate on the grounding issue? Are you talking those small spongy things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. We figured out forever ago that they carry continuity, so they're essentially a wire going to the case for grounding.
Or so I gather.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium HD via my tethered HTC Vision

201 vs 700 and practical use questions

I've had my TF201 since January and just saw the BB exchange thread. I am considering doing it, but have acouple of questions first.
1) Is it true that the ONLY upgrades are the back case (which increases BT, WIFI, GPS), screen resolution, and camera resolution
2) Is it true that the 201 dock works with the 700 (Asus says it wont, users say it does)
3) What do you all USE BT for? I haven't found a need for it, so I don't even know if mine works or not! (my laptop and phones also have BT)
4) My wifi seems to work just fine for me. In past tests, I get same (just fine) speeds as my laptop and droid 3 on the floor below and 2 rooms over from the router. Am I just not effected? Or am I just less demanding?
5) GPS w/o wifi doesn't work. What do you all use this for? I use my D3 when I need navigation, so I don't really have a need for this either...
I like that the 201 has less battery demand than the 700 and that may be reason enough to not do a free upgrade, though it is tempting to have the "latest and greatest" just because "I can".
strawbearlyjamm said:
I've had my TF201 since January and just saw the BB exchange thread. I am considering doing it, but have acouple of questions first.
1) Is it true that the ONLY upgrades are the back case (which increases BT, WIFI, GPS), screen resolution, and camera resolution
2) Is it true that the 201 dock works with the 700 (Asus says it wont, users say it does)
3) What do you all USE BT for? I haven't found a need for it, so I don't even know if mine works or not! (my laptop and phones also have BT)
4) My wifi seems to work just fine for me. In past tests, I get same (just fine) speeds as my laptop and droid 3 on the floor below and 2 rooms over from the router. Am I just not effected? Or am I just less demanding?
5) GPS w/o wifi doesn't work. What do you all use this for? I use my D3 when I need navigation, so I don't really have a need for this either...
I like that the 201 has less battery demand than the 700 and that may be reason enough to not do a free upgrade, though it is tempting to have the "latest and greatest" just because "I can".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Clock speed is slightly higher with the 700 and it has DDR3 ram vs DDR2 with the TF201
2) I have read several places (including Engadget) that the 201 dock works with the 700
3) I have used BT once with my 201 and that was to transfer 2 photos from my phone to my tablet
4) Wifi works fine for me as well. I have compared wifi throughput with my Prime to my Thunderbolt at several distances from my router and my Prime is on par with the Thunderbolt (even faster in some cases). The issue here is there is either a legitimate sporadic hardware issue that effects some users and not others OR others on here are too demanding.
5) I have yet to use GPS w/o wifi (don't need to, I have a phone for navigation)
strawbearlyjamm said:
I've had my TF201 since January and just saw the BB exchange thread. I am considering doing it, but have acouple of questions first.
1) Is it true that the ONLY upgrades are the back case (which increases BT, WIFI, GPS), screen resolution, and camera resolution
2) Is it true that the 201 dock works with the 700 (Asus says it wont, users say it does)
3) What do you all USE BT for? I haven't found a need for it, so I don't even know if mine works or not! (my laptop and phones also have BT)
4) My wifi seems to work just fine for me. In past tests, I get same (just fine) speeds as my laptop and droid 3 on the floor below and 2 rooms over from the router. Am I just not effected? Or am I just less demanding?
5) GPS w/o wifi doesn't work. What do you all use this for? I use my D3 when I need navigation, so I don't really have a need for this either...
I like that the 201 has less battery demand than the 700 and that may be reason enough to not do a free upgrade, though it is tempting to have the "latest and greatest" just because "I can".
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Click to collapse
1. Like the above poster said, there's also the higher clock speed.
2. I have the TF700 and am using the TF201 dock just fine.
3. Only use bluetooth for tethering... Someone else may use it for headsets or speakers.
4. My wifi was also working just fine on the Prime, but I have found that the wifi on the Infinity tops even that of my fully-functional Prime.
5. This was the first thing I tested on the TF700. With wifi off, it was able to lock on 13 satellites from my bathroom hahaha.
I say if you are able to do the upgrade, by all means do it.
My experience has been that assuming your Prime is one of the "good" ones that unless GPS or the Screen resolution is a major concern, they are really similar devices. The 700 gets a bump in clock speed but hardly worth upgrading for.
My prime's GPS is dead as a door nail, that's disappointing/annoying but not a deal breaker for me. But like you, my WiFi is as good as my laptop range/speed wise so it has been a non-issue and Bluetooth (which is a MUST for me) is totally solid. I can stream movies and listen via BT headphones all night long.
Surfing the TF700 boards, it looks like memory I/O, BT, and the stock ASUS firmware are hit and miss on the TF700 just like the Prime, but the WiFi and especially GPS are substantial improvements, even against the best functioning Prime. So really that plus the bumped clock and resolution which are nice but hardly problems on the Prime are all you're getting and if your WiFi is in the laptop class performance (i.e. good enough that you do not need to think about it when using the device), it becomes less of a big deal.
And getting a good TF even with the 700 STILL basically involves patience and knowing what to look and test for during the return window.
For day to day use a (tested good WiFi) Prime is a completely top of the line killer tablet for most uses, especially with a custom rom and some performance tweaks (SIO, etc). JB will make it even better. The only thing that would be a deal breaker on a functioning Prime would be for a heavy GPS user because it is a hardware issue that exists for virtually all of the Primes it seems (even those that work/lock without dongle cannot track well when moving apparently).
From my perspective, a TF700 is an overclocked Prime with a better GPS and bumped screen resolution. The WiFi already tops out faster than my router/ISP can deliver and range has never been a major problem. Would I trade it in at Best Buy straight up if I could find my receipt (I bought mine there but don't have access to the receipt or box, doh!)? Sure. Would I go to any significant expense to switch? No. It doesn't bring much to the Table. It's basically a Prime 1.1.
All that said, again, if you got it at Best Buy and you have everything necessary to return it. I wouldn't hesitate since it is a straight trade and there is no downside.
zenaxe said:
My experience has been that assuming your Prime is one of the "good" ones that unless GPS or the Screen resolution is a major concern, they are really similar devices. The 700 gets a bump in clock speed but hardly worth upgrading for.
My prime's GPS is dead as a door nail, that's disappointing/annoying but not a deal breaker for me. But like you, my WiFi is as good as my laptop range/speed wise so it has been a non-issue and Bluetooth (which is a MUST for me) is totally solid. I can stream movies and listen via BT headphones all night long.
Surfing the TF700 boards, it looks like memory I/O, BT, and the stock ASUS firmware are hit and miss on the TF700 just like the Prime, but the WiFi and especially GPS are substantial improvements, even against the best functioning Prime. So really that plus the bumped clock and resolution which are nice but hardly problems on the Prime are all you're getting and if your WiFi is in the laptop class performance (i.e. good enough that you do not need to think about it when using the device), it becomes less of a big deal.
And getting a good TF even with the 700 STILL basically involves patience and knowing what to look and test for during the return window.
For day to day use a (tested good WiFi) Prime is a completely top of the line killer tablet for most uses, especially with a custom rom and some performance tweaks (SIO, etc). JB will make it even better. The only thing that would be a deal breaker on a functioning Prime would be for a heavy GPS user because it is a hardware issue that exists for virtually all of the Primes it seems (even those that work/lock without dongle cannot track well when moving apparently).
From my perspective, a TF700 is an overclocked Prime with a better GPS and bumped screen resolution. The WiFi already tops out faster than my router/ISP can deliver and range has never been a major problem. Would I trade it in at Best Buy straight up if I could find my receipt (I bought mine there but don't have access to the receipt or box, doh!)? Sure. Would I go to any significant expense to switch? No. It doesn't bring much to the Table. It's basically a Prime 1.1.
All that said, again, if you got it at Best Buy and you have everything necessary to return it. I wouldn't hesitate since it is a straight trade and there is no downside.
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Wonderfully thorough reply. Many thanks. (Thanks also to above posters who did a great job also in answering my questions).

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