Related
Thought we could have a thread with a list of all the reviews/previews out there since it looks like the veil has been lifted.
First one from engadget, haven't had time to go through it yet! It's a pretty big one.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-review/
The verge
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/1/2601558/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-review
Slashgear article and videos
http://www.slashgear.com/asus-transformer-prime-hands-on-and-unboxing-01199030/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlmI7t9rcDY&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is3Tsil5Dto&feature=player_embedded
Hot Hardware 8 min vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk7t5ux8xPE
TechnoBuffalo vids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG1sH0kQ74A&feature=feedu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXOpmS8Tr8&feature=feedu
Anandtech review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5163/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-nvidia-tegra-3-review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5178/an-update-on-transformer-prime-battery-life-wifi-issues Redone battery test with new functioning unit
Ubergizmo review
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/11/asus-transformer-prime-review/
Ritchies room review (original most people saw, should have more videos coming)
http://ritchiesroom.com/2011/11/28/a...me-first-look/
New ritchies room review and 5 videos
http://ritchiesroom.com/2011/12/01/question-and-answer-time-for-the-asus-transformer-prime/ (review)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=34REyjGuIis (Q&A 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CteaG8AEdn0 (Q&A 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RaXeiZrxYok (download, edit, then tweet an image)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CGw-EdF6wfg (write a document then email it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=32oMR7bROgo (playing riptide)
Android Central review
http://www.androidcentral.com/asus-t...r-prime-review
Prime vs Ipad2 gaming (shadowgun)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dN5A...feature=relmfu
Asus showing off the orgami smart cover
https://www.facebook.com/video/video...34640609885247
Review from Laptop Magazine:
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/tabl...mer-prime.aspx
edit: I realize there is another new reviews thread but thought I would create this one and keep the first post updated with stuff people find.
Nice! Thanks, actually read the whole thing... Looks good!!!
man some of the swipes still looked unresponsive and stuttery. i was going to wait for flash to be implemented but i think i'm going to try to get ics on it asap.
Man I have school tomorrrow along with 3 tests, and I'm staying up right now at 1:56AM watching and reading all these damn reviews. I'm watering at the mouth.
You might add this. It is the original Ritchies Room preview. He is supposed to have 5 videos ready soon as well.
http://ritchiesroom.com/2011/11/28/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-first-look/
Got most in the original post. Found a couple more online but seemed fairly redundant. Time for bed and hopefully the promised ritchies room videos will be up by then
1st two Ritchie vids are up now: http://ritchiesroom.com/2011/12/01/question-and-answer-time-for-the-asus-transformer-prime/
That's not fair we made a pre-order 2 weeks ago and so many portals have it already and we don't
last info I got was we will get it in last week in December....
New battery life update on AnandTech!
anandtech.com/show/5178/an-update-on-transformer-prime-battery-life-wifi-issues
(Still can't post links...)
DuranC said:
New battery life update on AnandTech!
anandtech.com/show/5178/an-update-on-transformer-prime-battery-life-wifi-issues
(Still can't post links...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me help you:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5178/an-update-on-transformer-prime-battery-life-wifi-issues
Review from Android Central
http://www.androidcentral.com/asus-transformer-prime-review
DuranC said:
New battery life update on AnandTech!
anandtech.com/show/5178/an-update-on-transformer-prime-battery-life-wifi-issues
(Still can't post links...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really hope this isn't an indication that quality control is still going to be poor from ASUS. I went through 3 original Transformers before I got one that didn't have some funky issue (mostly with the display). And all had funky out of balanced speakers.
Sounds like some reviewers got Primes with battery and wifi problems. Hmm.
Ravynmagi said:
I really hope this isn't an indication that quality control is still going to be poor from ASUS. I went through 3 original Transformers before I got one that didn't have some funky issue (mostly with the display). And all had funky out of balanced speakers.
Sounds like some reviewers got Primes with battery and wifi problems. Hmm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yah it is a bit worrisome that 2 reviewers had that problem. Hopefully just a fluke. I am not worried that asus won't replace faulty units but I am just worried that it will take awhile to get a replacement if you need one!
Thanks for all the links everyone
Not a review but from ASUS themselves but I thought it may be posted here as not everyone will look into the accessoirs forum:
ASUS demonstration of the Sleeve aka SmartCover
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=334640609885247
Back design of TF101 is definitely much better looking that TF201, did you guys saw the difference ?
TF101 has cool pattern on back and TF201 just flat...
I thought new one will be much better looking...
nixtip said:
Back design of TF101 is definitely much better looking that TF201, did you guys saw the difference ?
TF101 has cool pattern on back and TF201 just flat...
I thought new one will be much better looking...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a matter of personal preference. I for one like the Prime finish as opposed to the OG transformer.
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
DuranC said:
New battery life update on AnandTech!
anandtech.com/show/5178/an-update-on-transformer-prime-battery-life-wifi-issues
(Still can't post links...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to this now we see there were never any real battery issue or wifi issue. They were just sent a faulty unit on their initial test run. All looks like promising data to me on The Prime. Clearly gets the best battery life out of all android tablets very closely matches apple ipad1 and 2. Plus that was just in balanced mode. Just think if he would've put it in battery saving mode he could've easily matched or surpassed Apples battery life. Great news to hear.
Review from Laptop Magazine:
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/tablets/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime.aspx
joe_dude said:
Review from Laptop Magazine:
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/tablets/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime.aspx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, tHey did an extensive library of benchmark tests. The most seen so far by a site. It showed the prime being well ahead of the competition by big margins in most categories/tests. Good to hear.
I am usually last to the dance so this may have been posted elsewhere but at least it is interesting, it was posted only today and it has nothing to do with the Prime's expected release date.
Asus Transformer Prime Nenamark 2 results come up, confirm that Tegra 3 has a beefy GPU
Not sure how this stacks up to the iPad2 and frankly I don't care! (of course unless it is much better) Not even sure Neneamark runs on iPad.
Cool. Thanks.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime_Laptop_review
I think it's a bit generous, but the trend seems to be that European reviews prefer the Transformer (original and Prime), while American reviews favour Apple (sometimes blatantly so).
that title is a bit misleading, and there name is stupid.
^^^ agreed....thought you were mentioning several reviews that are 'trusted' giving it that score....not one review, with that name...
I thought it was a fairly well known UK website... oh well. I modified the title.
Nice review minus the statement about not being solid as an ipad, It doesn't get anymore "solid" as the prime unless you want more weight which would give a false sense of additional solidness.
this post has been around for a while now, so preamble has been truncated.
here is, in my view, what you should know before posting in this forum, and ideally before buying the product.
(note for noobs, TF201 = the "eee pad transformer prime" model that started shipping december 2011.)
THE ALL-METAL BACKPLATE OF THE TF201 INTERFERES WITH WIRELESS PERFORMANCE. GPS WILL NOT WORK WELL WITHOUT THE FREE GPS DONGLE ATTACHED. WIFI IS GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE BUT NOT GREAT.
by now this has been picked apart to death. GPS reception without the free GPS dongle is very poor. without the dongle, you may not be able to get a lock at all without wifi/AGPS, and forget about using it as a nav in a moving car. IF GPS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, DO NOT BUY A TF201 UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO USE THE DONGLE. asus has already acknowledged this by removing GPS from the list of features in their product description (!). dongle-less gps is likely to function better in the transformer pad 300 and upcoming transformer pad infinity models due to plastic RF windows in the backpanels.
for the vanilla TF201, there has been a lot of investigation the GPS issue on xda, and eventually anandtech published an article that summarizes the situation well:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5285/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-gps-issue-explained
wifi reception struggles for the same reason as GPS. asus was able to mitigate this somewhat by including two wifi antennas instead of one which gives it antenna diversity. however, in some cases it may not perform as well as the original transformer, or maybe as good as some of your other portable devices. IF STRONG WIFI PERFORMANCE IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, DO NOT BUY A TF201. the issue is SUPPOSED be fixed in the upcoming TF700T due to a change in the backpanel design, but we won't know how it performs until it is actually released.
WIFI AND GPS ANTENNA CONNECTIONS INSIDE THE TF201 ARE MADE WITH POGO PINS THAT ARE NOT MAKING CONTACT IN SOME UNITS. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO FIX THIS BY PINCHING THE BEZEL IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
discussion on this topic has sprawled across a few threads. if you are new to this topic then it may be easiest to get your overview here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1467964
a poll is running to help assess the effectiveness of this "solution" here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1473272
if you have this problem, it should be obvious that pinching your tf201 is at your own risk. if your wifi is clearly defective then you are probably better off RMA'ing your unit.
BLUETOOTH STREAMING MAY INTERFERE WITH YOUR WIFI PERFORMANCE.
comments on this forum are a bit mixed. there are numerous reports that streaming of bluetooth data (particularly audio streaming or file transfers) are cutting down wifi performance, sometimes dramatically. it has been noted that this issue affects at least some other devices with combined wifi/bt chipsets.
an official thread has been started by Asus to investigate this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1443868
major discussion threads by users:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1423180
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1440187
SOME TF201 OWNERS ARE REPORTING BACKLIGHT BLEED AROUND THE EDGES.
if you have this problem and it bothers you then you can try and RMA it at place of purchase or contact asus support. there have been a good amount of reports on this so the occurrence is not to be unexpected. that said, the response you get on your RMA request will vary depending on who you contact. some users have noted that IPS bleeding is somewhat common and not unique to the transformer prime. discussion is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426812
it seems that this is being caused by the screws that secure the panel not being tightened properly. if you are adventurous enough to take your TF201 apart then there are reports that re-seating the screws with proper tension fixes the problem. refer to this thread for details:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1474391
THE INITIAL ANDROID 4.0 UPDATE (BUILD 9.4.2.11) CAUSES FREEZES/REBOOTS FOR SOME. BUILD 9.4.2.13 FIXED THIS, BUT INTRODUCED A NEW BATTERY DRAIN ISSUE FOR SOME OTHERS. THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED IN THE MOST RECENT BUILDS.
bugs in nvidia's tegra3 video drivers were the cause of freezes and reboots that some experienced after making the initial ICS update (build 9.4.2.11). the official Asus thread investigating the random lockups in 9.4.2.11 is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1449992
asus shipped new drivers with build 9.4.2.13 on 2/8/12 that fixed these issues, but a new battery drain issue was introduced that affects some others. this battery drain has been referred to as the "sleep of death" and has been discussed in these threads:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1487516
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1490240
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1495696
the most current firmware updates have resolved random freezes/reboots and sleep-of-death problems.
SOME EARLY TF201 UNITS DID NOT REGISTER SERIAL NUMBERS CORRECTLY AND WERE UNABLE TO UPDATE TO ICS.
an official thread has been started by Asus to investigate the "Serial Number Not Found" error:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1447760
... and the dev community has produced a potential fix for that problem:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1474356
THE MICROSD CARD SLOT DESIGN IS PRONE TO ACCIDENTALLY EJECTING YOUR CARD. YOU MAY LOSE IT IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL.
the slot isn't deep enough to cover the whole card. you may want to think twice about planning to use a card as permanent memory expansion. if you place the tablet down on its edge the card can pop out and get lost. discussion about options to secure it are here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1436546
SOME POWER CHARGERS OVERHEAT AND STOP WORKING. THIS CAN USUALLY BE FIXED BY LETTING IT COOL DOWN OR PUTTING IT IN THE FREEZER.
the TF201 uses the same charger as the original transformer (TF101), and as a result both products have had significant occurrences of this flaw. you will find many threads on both forums about this. if your charger stops working (but the tablet remains otherwise functional, in particular you should verify it can still communicate with a computer via USB) then let the charger cool down and try again. if it still doesn't work then you may want to try enclosing the charger in a ziploc bag and putting it in a freezer for >15 minutes. a few sample threads on this issue are here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1422312
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1480178
a smaller number of users have reported a variety of other charger problems caused by what appears to be cheap construction. generally speaking, those that were able to recover their chargers did so by wiggling/adjusting the connections to the USB cable or between the two charger halves.
A HIGHER-END VARIANT OF THE TRANSFORMER PRIME (TF700T) WAS ANNOUNCED AT CES IN JANUARY. THIS MODEL DOES NOT REPLACE THE ORIGINAL MODEL (TF201). THE TWO WILL BE SOLD SIDE BY SIDE.
the new TF700T model has a higher resolution screen (1920x1200), a slightly upgraded front camera (2MP vs. 1.3MP) and a redesigned backpanel to address the issues with wifi and GPS. this new model is pissing a lot of people off because they view this as a "fix" for the wireless reception "design flaw" in the TF201. if you bought a TF201 and feel that way, sorry, go try and return your TF201 or buy a TF300. we don't need more posts about how horrendous asus is at launching products.
if you want to speculate on the new model, here is a big thread on the subject:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1436127
RUMORS STARTED CIRCULATING AFTER THE TF700T ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE TF201 WOULD BE DISCONTINUED - THESE WERE FALSE. this has already been publicly stated by asus:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21357170&postcount=9
further, common sense confirms that this would be insane, largely due to the next point:
HISTORY INDICATES THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BUY A TF700T UNTIL Q3.
after the TF700T was announced, a lot of people talked about returning their TF201s or cancelling their pre-orders to wait for the TF700T. this is your choice, but i would highly recommend you consider the storied history that asus has bringing these products to market. talk about the transformer prime (without the name) started circulating in Q2 of 2011, with various industry discussion pointing to a tegra3 version of the transformer that would be thinner to be released in Q3. the TF201 signed on to be the first tegra3 product to launch and the CEO of nvidia started telling everyone that the first tegra3 product would be available in september. as september got closer, asus started to acknowledge a new product coming but suggested it wouldn't hit market until october. the TF201 was finally announced in november but didn't actually ship until the end of december, and those shipments were extremely limited quantities. the TF201 then remained sold out almost everywhere in the US and had minimal distribution in global markets during the first few months.
this is relevant because here we go again with a new asus tablet and they are saying it will be released in "Q2". i can't predict the future, but if their history is worth ANYTHING you should not expect to actually have this product in your hands until Q3. HD tablet screens are NOT ready for mass production yet as yields are too low, this is a very well-circulated fact if you follow industry news. every manufacturer would love to release products with these new screens but they are all waiting for the process issues to be worked out. a bunch of other HD tablets were announced at CES and are all getting vague ship dates in Q2. none of these are going to get released until the yields are high enough to make them profitable. and even then we will have to account for asus' horrible track record of botching every aspect of a tablet release possible.
the bottom line is, if you want to wait for the TF700T, go ahead, but be prepared for the possibility of not having it in your hands until Q3. for those of you that want a new tablet NOW, consensus is still very much that this is the best you'll get.
if you've made it this far then you should know one last thing:
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THEIR TRANSFORMER PRIMES.
it might not seem that way after reading all of the caveats above and scanning this forum, but it's true. if you want to bring some balance to your perspective on this product, take a look at the "positive" tprime thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1409910
First.
A+ post, great job
Thank you, so, so very much for this thread. Please dear god everyone read this.
Sticky icky icky!
Sticky! For sure! Great post, all facts.
Most definitely needs to be stickied, if only to return a sense of balance to the force...erm...forum.
If it's not stickied, I'll be sure to keep posting to keep this post near the top. Common sense rules!
thank you good sir. sticky please and submit to Asus.
+1 Definitely a useful post, you have my thanks! However ....
The fact that the OG Prime was so pushed back was partially because it was a totally redesigned product (Tegra 3, aluminum back-plate..sigh, and consequently Wifi/GPS location) The TF700T was/is designed directly from the OG Prime. I do believe it is a fix and very easily can be released in a quicker manner. (IMO it's a tweaked OG prime)
I for one, am keeping my Prime as my main issue is with the Wifi/BT dilemma but, all you waiting, don't be surprised when Asus releases the TF700T close to when they say they will...
xIC-MACIx said:
I for one, am keeping my Prime as my main issue is with the Wifi/BT dilemma but, all you waiting, don't be surprised when Asus releases the TF700T close to when they say they will...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ASUS will release the TF700 as soon as the HD screens are shipping in quantity, precisely as the OP said.
Great post OP
Hopefully some of the trolls will go away and we can have a good community
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
jackl8 said:
i've been lurking on xda for a good while. the GS2 forums have been a wealth of information and the advice of people on that forum has helped make my phone a billion times better. now that i'm in the tprime camp i finally created an account and was hoping to help build a forum of similar value, but i have to say, the level of redundant and repetitive whining and griping over this product is astonishing. it's dominating discussion here and (imo) ruining the forum for everyone. i think that most of us would prefer for this forum to develop into a place where satisfied tprime owners can share information that is actually helpful.
so let's all be clear: this product has some weaknesses. these weaknesses are by now well-known and we need to stop beating them to death. at the same time, people don't seem to be READING, because new owners are continuing to act surprised over, say, GPS not working. so i thought i'd put the big things you should know into one place in hopes that it will get some decent viewership and help everyone move on. if people find this useful then i will be happy to keep it up to date as things develop in the future.
here is, in my view, what you should know before posting in this forum, and ideally before buying the product.
(note for noobs, TF201 = the current transformer prime model that started shipping december 2011.)
THE GPS ON THE TF201 DOES NOT WORK WELL AND WILL PROBABLY NEVER WORK WELL.
by now this has been picked apart to death. GPS reception is very poor. without wifi/AGPS you may not be able to get a lock at all. forget about using it as a nav in a moving car. IF GPS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, DO NOT BUY A TF201. fixing the hardware GPS reception is not something that will never be possible via software. asus has already acknowledged this by removing GPS from the list of features in their product description (!). gps MAY function beter in the upcoming TF700T due to a change in the backpanel design, but we won't know until it is actually released.
if you want to know why this is the case, anandtech is the authoritative explanation on the subject, so just read this:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5285/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-gps-issue-explained
WIFI PERFORMANCE IS GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE BUT NOT GREAT. EXPECT IT TO BE A BIT WORSE THAN THE ORIGINAL TRANSFORMER (TF101).
wifi reception struggles for the same reason as GPS. asus was able to mitigate this somewhat by including two wifi antennas instead of one which gives it antenna diversity. however, in some cases it may not perform as well as the original transformer, or maybe as good as some of your other portable devices. IF STRONG WIFI PERFORMANCE IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, DO NOT BUY A TF201. the issue IS SUPPSOED be fixed in the upcoming TF700T due to a change in the backpanel design, but we won't know until it is actually released.
BLUETOOTH STREAMING MAY INTERFERE WITH YOUR WIFI PERFORMANCE.
comments on this forum are a bit mixed so i wouldn't presume that this affects every unit yet. there are numerous reports that streaming of bluetooth data (particularly audio streaming or file transfers) are cutting down wifi performance or even preventing wifi from working.
an official thread has been started to investigate this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1443868
major discussion threads by users:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1423180
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1440187
THE MICROSD CARD SLOT DESIGN IS PRONE TO POPPING OUT YOUR CARD. YOU MAY LOSE IT IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL.
the slot isn't deep enough to cover the whole card. you may want to think twice about planning to use a card as permanent memory expansion. if you place the tablet down on its edge the card can pop out and get lost. discussion about options to secure it are here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1436546
SOME TF201 OWNERS ARE REPORTING BACKLIGHT BLEED AROUND THE EDGES.
if you have this problem and it bothers you then you can try and RMA it at place of purchase or contact asus support. there have been a good amount of reports on this so the occurrence is not to be unexpected. that said, the response you get on your RMA request will vary depending on who you contact. some users have noted that IPS bleeding is somewhat common and not unique to the transformer prime. discussion is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426812
THE ANDROID 4.0 (ICS) UPDATE HAS WORKED FOR MOST BUT IS CAUSING SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS FOR SOME, INCLUDING DIAGONAL SCREEN FLICKERING, FREEZES/REBOOTS, AND FAILURE TO UPDATE AT ALL.
these issues are still developing. xvsacme has already done the job of compiling major threads on the issues. please don't create new threads, go here instead:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1440679&highlight=unknown+serial+ics
A HIGHER-END VARIANT OF THE TRANSFORMER PRIME (TF700T) WAS ANNOUNCED AT CES IN JANUARY. THIS MODEL DOES NOT REPLACE THE ORIGINAL MODEL (TF201). THE TWO WILL BE SOLD SIDE BY SIDE.
the new TF700T model has a higher resolution screen (1920x1200), a slightly upgraded front camera (2MP vs. 1.3MP) and a redesigned backpanel to address the issues with wifi and GPS. this new model is pissing a lot of people off because they view this as a "fix" for the wireless reception "design flaw" in the TF201. if you bought a TF201 and feel that way, sorry, go try and return your TF201. we don't need more posts about how horrendous asus is at launching products.
if you want to speculate on the new model, here is a big thread on the subject:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1436127&highlight=tf700t
rumors that the TF201 is being discontinued are false. this has already been publicly stated by asus:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21357170&postcount=9
further, common sense confirms that this would be insane, largely due to the next point:
IF HISTORY IS ANY INDICATION, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BUY A TF700T UNTIL Q3.
a lot of people are talking about returning their TF201s or cancelling their pre-orders to wait for the TF700T. this is your choice, but i would highly recommend you consider the storied history that asus has bringing these products to market. talk about the transformer prime (without the name) started circulating in Q2 of 2011, with various industry discussion pointing to a tegra3 version of the transformer that would be thinner to be released in Q3. the TF201 signed on to be the first tegra3 product to launch and the CEO of nvidia started telling everyone that the first tegra3 product would be available in september. as september got closer, asus started to acknowledge a new product coming but suggested it wouldn't hit market until october. the TF201 was finally announced in november but didn't actually ship until the end of december, and those shipments were extremely limited quantities. the TF201 is still sold out almost everywhere in the US and has barely reached any of the other global markets.
this is relevant because here we go again with a new asus tablet and they are saying it will be released in "Q2". i can't predict the future, but if their history is worth ANYTHING you should not expect to actually have this product in your hands until Q3. HD tablet screens are NOT ready for mass production yet as yields are too low, this is a very well-circulated fact if you follow industry news. every manufacturer would love to release products with these new screens but they are all waiting for the process issues to be worked out. a bunch of other HD tablets were announced at CES and are all getting vague ship dates in Q2. none of these are going to get released until the yields are high enough to make them profitable. and even then we will have to account for asus' horrible track record of botching every aspect of a tablet release possible.
the bottom line is, if you want to wait for the TF700T, go ahead, but be prepared for the possibility of not having it in your hands for 6-8 months. for those of you that want a new tablet NOW, consensus is still very much that this is the best you'll get.
that's what i have for now. more to come if i don't get flamed to death.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best post I've read on this site. Let's hope all the whiners read it as well.
You forgot:
"If you try to update to Ice Cream Sandwich and it says there are no updates, try going to SETTINGS and STATUS. If it says "Serial Number Unknown" you will be unable to download OTA Updates and will be unable to root the problem. This has yet to be addressed by Asus, but is becoming a huge problem. If this happens to you, post in the thread below instead of creating a new one. This has been an issue since the Prime released, but has not been addressed yet by Asus. Primes purchased at the beginning of December even have this problem, and have it has yet to be addressed"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426881&highlight=serial+number+unknown
Kudos. I was actually planning the same post for this weekend, but you saved me the trouble.
I had some facts saved from my research that augment your post. You might wanna add it to the original post.
Point 1) The high-resolution TF700T is due to launch at roughly the same product cycle as the original Transformer and Transformer Prime.
The first Asus Transformer was released in the US on April 26, 2011. [ Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_Pad_Transformer ]
The Transformer Prime was (officially) released on December 19, 2011. [ Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_Pad_Transformer_Prime ]
This results in a product cycle of eight (8) months.
The Transformer TF700t is scheduled to launch "Late Q2" at earliest, and is at the moment, predicted to be May/June 2012. [ Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5324/...-for-improved-wireless-adds-1920-x-1200-panel ]
This means, at a minimum, the product cycle will be six (6) months, and delays can certainly happen.
Bottom line? This isn't an admission of a design flaw, or a stab in the back or whatever entitled BS folks want to come up with to victimize themselves. This is a natural product evolution, operating on the same half-year product cycle.
If anything, the RF-optimized backing likely signifies that a 3G version is on the way. Which leads me to Point 2...
Point 2) Performance and design are constant engineering tradeoffs, and other manufacturers make them all the time. The Transformer Prime's GPS, Bluetooth, and Wifi performance strike a compromise with design, thinness, and structural integrity -- the same compromise struck by Apple with their iPad and iPad2.
First, the Transformer Prime's wireless performance is not objectively BAD, it's just not as good as the prior Transformer. However, the Prime is much thinner, more premium, and features a very attractive aluminum back. In order to help mitigate this tradeoff, Asus designed the Prime with wifi diversity. Consequently, when within range, "The result is peak WiFi performance that is virtually identical to the original Eee Pad Transformer."
[ Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5175/asus-transformer-prime-followup ]
However, yes, the range of the Prime is understood to be less:
There is no RF window on the back of the Prime where the two antennas are located. Aluminum does a fairly good job of attenuating RF signals, which contributes to worse range on WiFi than the original plastic Eee Pad Transformer. WiFi performance at the edge of reception as well as the maximum usable WiFi range are both noticeably lower than its predecessor.
[ Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5175/asus-transformer-prime-followup ]
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You know what other major company made this engineering and design tradeoff? Apple.
ASUS built the Eee Pad Transformer Prime out of aluminum, similar to the iPad/iPad 2. This departure from the original plastic Eee Pad Transformer was welcome, but brought with it the same sort of antenna challenges that Apple has had to face.
[ Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5285/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-gps-issue-explained ]
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The original iPad and the iPad 2 are both made of aluminum, and both at a minimum have Bluetooth and WiFi antennas to deal with. The original iPad placed the WiFi antenna behind the plastic Apple logo on the rear of the tablet.
[ Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5175/asus-transformer-prime-followup ]
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Now, the wifi-only iPad2 got rid of the RF window, and went with an all-aluminum backing for better design aesthetic, thinness, and structural integrity. Guess what happened? Yes, the wireless performance degraded.
Unfortunately, WiFi range on the iPad 2 is noticeably less than its predecessor, and throughput slows down much earlier on the iPad 2 than it does on the iPad 1. I tested with a WiFi - 3G (AT&T) model and found that I’m able to make it further away from the AP by a good 10 meters or so, but throughput even after you drop one WiFi bar on the iPad 1 is continually better than on the iPad 2. WiFi throughput also tells a similar story, it just isn’t quite as good as its predecessor.
[ Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4225/the-ipad-2-review/11 ]
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Were Apple users up in arms threatening lawsuits and the BBB and boycotts? Maybe, but I certainly didn't hear about it. Apple definitely didn't give refunds or rebates or replace backings or fly customers on their private jets, I know that much for sure. The reality is I know dozens of satisfied iPad2 users, and I'm sure many more appreciate the improvement in design than notice the Wifi diminution over the prior model.
However, if wifi performance is more important than you than any other consideration (CPU horsepower, thinness, aesthetic, attachable keyboard, etc.), that's your prerogative and you should make that the key focus of your purchasing and purchase an all-plastic tablet like the Samsung Tab 10.1. Or, just get the original Transformer. All engineering and consumer decisions are about compromise and people have to find it within themselves to determine what compromise they are ok with.
As for GPS -- it's simple. Apple simply did not bother to include a GPS receiver in the non-3G (non-RF window) versions of the iPad/iPad2. People seem to be living with that compromise pretty well too.
The Transformer Prime is, at essence, Asus's and Android's answer to the wifi iPad2. It rivals the iPad2 in terms of design, thinness, and speed. It makes similar tradeoffs and compromises as the iPad2, because frankly, when you look at the iPad2's tremendous sales figures, it's self-evident the vast majority of people don't care about them. Apple has a tremendous talent in focusing on what the vast majority of people care about, and leaving the extra stuff behind, and so you can't blame Asus for wanting to follow the same design objectives as Apple -- it works.
Great information here, OP. I'm not really even tempted by the TF700T. I'm one of the lucky Prime owners that has no problems, plus the back of the TF700T id hideous with that flat finish and plastic strip. The Prime is a thing of beauty.
GREAt thorough post. THANKS FOR taking the time to out all this together. Its funny n ironic some of the people posted in here already are some of the main ones this thread is aimed for... the whinners, the ones who nag, babies, n men that gossip like women. Lol
Great work OP. Tell it like it is!
Nice post, NeoteriX but I have to say that the iPad2's Wi-Fi is still significantly better than that of the Prime (Well mine at least). Don't get me wrong though the Wi-Fi is still VERY usable all around my house, Dropping from 9mb/s DL to 5.5-6.5mb/s DL when I go to the furthest point away from my router and down to two bars but the iPad2's DL speeds only drop 0.5 - 1mb/s and staying at 3 bars in the same test.
If Asus will continue to make the 201, then there is a chance that their next production run will incorporate a modified version of the backplate similar to the 700. So while people are waiting for the HD screen, Asus can continue to sell a fixed Prime with gps, wifi and bt in good working condition. This is the win win solution imo.
tedr44 said:
If Asus will continue to make the 201, then there is a chance that their next production run will incorporate a modified version of the backplate similar to the 700. So while people are waiting for the HD screen, Asus can continue to sell a fixed Prime with gps, wifi and bt in good working condition. This is the win win solution imo.
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This is the primary reason I just canceled my "pending" Amazon order. Why would they continue to manufacture deficient units?
jackl8 said:
i've been lurking on xda for a good while. the GS2 forums have been a wealth of information and the advice of people on that forum has helped make my phone a billion times better. now that i'm in the tprime camp i finally created an account and was hoping to help build a forum of similar value, but i have to say, the level of redundant and repetitive whining and griping over this product is astonishing. it's dominating discussion here and (imo) ruining the forum for everyone. i think that most of us would prefer for this forum to develop into a place where satisfied tprime owners can share information that is actually helpful.
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That was long, but good. I think noobs should read it for sure. But you mention something which I disagree strongly. Anandtech being authoratative on the issue of GPS? First of all, they missed that completely first time around, and second time around. Only when we xda members report did they do a teardown. Even then they fail to test the GPS with the backs off even though I constantly asked them to go back and do it. We pretty much know the back cause the poor signal but to prove beyond the doubt they should have tested the GPS while the back was off, they never did that. I mean the GPS was missed by all major reviewers which is kind of sad. It took us users to figure it out.
I wanted to make a thread about the Nexus 10 that will collect all the reviews, previews and comparison articles and videos . I also want to do a good job at keeping the OP up to date. I will need everyone's help at making this thread work. Please follow my format and I will share your post in the OP. Also, tell me which section it belongs in.
REVIEWS:
Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/nexus-10-review/
AnandTech (Performance Review): http://www.anandtech.com/show/6425/google-nexus-4-and-nexus-10-review/2
Slashgear: http://www.slashgear.com/nexus-10-review-02255341/
CNET: http://reviews.cnet.com/google-nexus-10/
Ubergizmo: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/11/google-nexus-10-review/
Wired: http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/11...-nexus-10/all/
Extreme Tech:http://www.extremetech.com/computin...ometimes-its-possible-to-have-too-many-pixels
Mashable: http://mashable.com/2012/11/04/nexus-10-review/
Laptop Magazine: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/tabl...-nexus-10.aspx
Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/5956304/google-nexus-10-review-its-pretty-pretty?tag=Nexus-10
Techlive: http://www.techhive.com/article/201...android-tablet-weve-always-wanted-almost.html
Android Police:androidpolice.com/2012/11/08/nexus-10-review-good-because-pixels-and-other-reasons/
CNET UK:http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/ipad-and-t...view-50009632/
Android Central:http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-nexus-10-review
PC Magazine:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2411961,00.asp
Engadget (New multi-user support and lockscreen widgets): http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/12/nexus-4-and-nexus-10-android-4-2-final-update-adds-lock-screen-w
HANDS-ON:
Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/29/nexus-10-hands-on-video/
Computer World: http://blogs.computerworld.com/tablets/21251/google-nexus-10-hands-on-impressions
Wired: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/10/nexus-10-hands-on-google-samsung/
The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3568784/nexus-10-preview-price-release-date
Android Community: http://androidcommunity.com/google-nexus-10-hands-on-and-first-impressions-20121030/
Slash Gear: http://www.slashgear.com/google-nexus-10-hands-on-30254838/
Pocket Lint: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48282/samsung-nexus-10-pictures-hands-on
CNET:http://reviews.cnet.com/google-nexus-10/
Android Police:http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/1...-to-the-new-benchmark-for-10-android-tablets/
VIDEOS:
Engadget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtOhvdI1R4
Slashgear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKP101APKhc
The Verge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66-4uMQqerA
Veraash:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKcsC7BiemI
Engadget Review:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCA4UIdmztI
The Verge review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZl0Fuy54iQ
Techradar:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knQlOkN8uXE
Android Central: (multi-user):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hk22jx4Y1k
Good collection, thx, if I see some new ones I'll post'em.
goog job :fingers-crossed: thank!
Awesome, thanks.
Great! Cant wait to see the Reviews
Review of N4 and N10 are out on Engadget, and we know Google is very good at making us disapointed at benchmark and battery life,
http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/nexus-10-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/nexus-4-review/
When I saw N4 is noticeably worse than Optimus G, I hope 4.1 version of these device will be release soon.
Slashgear review: http://www.slashgear.com/nexus-10-review-02255341/
CNET: http://reviews.cnet.com/google-nexus-10/
Ubergizmo: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/11/google-nexus-10-review/
Wired: http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/11/google-nexus-10/all/
That Engadget review has me a bit on the fence. I'd been leaning strongly toward the TF700 and was set to buy when the Nexus 10 was announced. I was convinced that the N10 was the way to go after reading the first impressions, but seeing how underwhelmed the reviewer was (plus the mediocre battery life) has me again thinking Asus. Guess I'll wait for the next few reviews before making a decision.
Buck1969 said:
That Engadget review has me a bit on the fence. I'd been leaning strongly toward the TF700 and was set to buy when the Nexus 10 was announced. I was convinced that the N10 was the way to go after reading the first impressions, but seeing how underwhelmed the reviewer was (plus the mediocre battery life) has me again thinking Asus. Guess I'll wait for the next few reviews before making a decision.
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I want to see a comparison of the I/O benchmarks. The terrible I/O of the Transformer series made me shy away from that, especially when the N10 was announced.
CNet points out that they tested a presale version, and most likely all of them did, as release is a couple of weeks away. That could put performance and battery issues in perspective, so maybe rather than these Nexus devices being rushed, the test models are rushed by Google, let me see how the Nexus 10 performs out of the box.
All reviews are on pre-release version. Engadget/Verge/CNET everything is running pre-release software. There will be a software update on 13th.
Also, the Chrome was just updated to support N4 and N10 yesterday.
http://googlechromereleases.blogspot.in/2012/11/chrome-for-android-update.html
The benchmarks are totally whacked now for both N4 and N10. They are much poor compared to even some older SoC. I am sure there will be some significant update on the way.
BoneXDA said:
CNet points out that they tested a presale version, and most likely all of them did, as release is a couple of weeks away. That could put performance and battery issues in perspective, so maybe rather than these Nexus devices being rushed, the test models are rushed by Google, let me see how the Nexus 10 performs out of the box.
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I saw that after I made my post - and had the same reaction as did you. Regardless, I've waited this long to formally jump into the tablet market, a couple more weeks won't kill me.
Buck1969 said:
That Engadget review has me a bit on the fence. I'd been leaning strongly toward the TF700 and was set to buy when the Nexus 10 was announced. I was convinced that the N10 was the way to go after reading the first impressions, but seeing how underwhelmed the reviewer was (plus the mediocre battery life) has me again thinking Asus. Guess I'll wait for the next few reviews before making a decision.
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Let me put things into perspective for you. The GPU of the nexus 10 is 2-4x as powerful as the one in the tf700.
The CPU is comparable.
Buck1969 said:
I saw that after I made my post - and had the same reaction as did you. Regardless, I've waited this long to formally jump into the tablet market, a couple more weeks won't kill me.
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Exactly. The new Chromebook wipes the floor with competition using the same HW, so either Sammy and Google optimizes the Nexus 10 for the official release (SW upgrade coming before that) or in the upcoming weeks, one way or another, the beast is going to be released.
Another one..
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/11/02/initial-impressions-of-the-nexus-10-say-hello-to-the-new-benchmark-for-10-android-tablets/
N10 (p)reviews are mixed. One universal criticism is few tab apps, which I suppose is easier to overlook for a 7" than a 10". CNet pointed out the slow charging, slow enough that N10 *discharges* while playing a game (that's pretty bad). It also pointed out that a magnetic pogo charger is supposed to be coming.
The super-hi-res screen is probably not getting the buzz Goog wants for it. Most reviews say it's "as good as" iPad's Retina. IMO anything higher than 1080p on a 10" is getting diminishing returns, and the 2560x1600 res arguably make things worse, since it takes more battery and CPU/GPU power to push all those pix around.
Exynos5 benchmarks are also mixed. Being the first Cortex-A15, it's not a clear performance leader that one would've been led to believe.
Some 4.2 features weren't reviewed, since it's not final. No multi user accts, Miracast.
Unlike the N4 and N7, N10's $399 starting price is typical for 10" and isn't an attention grabber.
IMO, Goog would've been better served by not going with bleeding-edge SoC and display, but something more modest, like 1080p and quad-Snapdragon, and keeping the price down to $300-350, like what Amazon is doing with the KFHD 8.9. That would've helped pushed more sales. As they stand in the reviews, the 2560 screen is a wash, as is the SoC.
Anyway, N10 is a good start. Hopefully, it'll help build out the eco and push the platform forward.
I wouldn't worry to much about the benchies - pretty sure we'll see better performance on release, looks like there is untapped potential in both the N10 and the N4, looking at these reviews.
Real measure for me is I/O performance, else I may still get a TF700.
JamesRC said:
I wouldn't worry to much about the benchies - pretty sure we'll see better performance on release, looks like there is untapped potential in both the N10 and the N4, looking at these reviews.
Real measure for me is I/O performance, else I may still get a TF700.
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Well the TF700 I/O benches are abysmal, I doubt the N10 could be worse
What worries me in the reviews are reports that the charger is way underpowered. It takes forever to charge, and the AC charge isn't powerful enough to charge the tablet while gaming or watching video. That's a bummer. I'm getting over the tacky looking bezel, but if takes all night to charge and still discharges while plugged in, its a big fail on Samsung/Google.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
The charging thing is a pretty big issue.Shorter battery life is one thing but slow or no charging makes it much worse.I don't take much stock in early benchmark reviews on a pre-release unit but charging is a hardware problem that sounds like can only be fixed by buying optional pogo chargers.If they are as slow to come out with accessories with the 10 as they have with the N7 you might not even be able to get a charger for it.That would/could be a deal breaker.