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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Click to collapse
I know... it was a crap story, and I apologise. Just needed to vent my disappointment.
lol
Tempie007 said:
cool story bro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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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Click to collapse
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.
Related
I would like to start off by saying I tried a search and did not find conclusive results to my question so apologies if I missed a thread on this.
I would also like to say I am not a Apple fan by nature. I was a preorder on the Andoid G1 if that serves any background on me.
So my dilemma.. What sold me on the iPad 2 was trying out a iPad 1 early last year and took to the speed, performance, form etc. So learning the ipad 2 was down the road I waited a few months and walked into the store on launch day and picked one up.
My dilemma - I have not been very happy with Apple in general for many reasons which I won't get into but seeking real feedback if the Prime would compare to the iPad 2 for owners of both.
In desperation to have an Andriod device I recently purchased the Galaxy Tab 10.1 only to be disappointed and returned it. It is nice, don't get me wrong but pales in comparison to the speed in which I am used to. At least out of the box. I am not looking to mod my tablet (already do that with my Evo and Photon).
So, is there anyone here that can provide real feedback to owning both units? I really want to go Android but don't want to feel like I am sacrificing on anything. The browser tests I did with the Galaxy vs the iPad were significant enough for me to be a deal breaker. I know I am giving up flash on the iPad but in reality most of what I do doesn't require it. I would just prefer a Android device that has similar speed in browsing and responsiveness, screen etc..
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post..
my prime should be here tomorrow so ill post up my results for you. also keep in mind that the ipad 3 should be coming out sometime this year. but you said you wanted an android device so that may not matter.
Thanks.. I did hear the iPad 3 is coming out but it seems like a rumor at the moment? Like you mentioned though I am really looking to get away from the limitations Apple has which is my drive. The IOS 5 update took away my direct print function from email and Safari from an app I paid for which i was told from the developer was intentional and there is nothing they can do about it. I am not unhappy enough with the iPad to just make a change for the sake of change as it does work nice for most of what I do. I wish this was in store to try it out first but I can be patient.
sdynak said:
Thanks.. I did hear the iPad 3 is coming out but it seems like a rumor at the moment? Like you mentioned though I am really looking to get away from the limitations Apple has which is my drive. The IOS 5 update took away my direct print function from email and Safari from an app I paid for which i was told from the developer was intentional and there is nothing they can do about it. I am not unhappy enough with the iPad to just make a change for the sake of change as it does work nice for most of what I do. I wish this was in store to try it out first but I can be patient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya thats the way i feel, if the prime doesnt preform well ill send it back and wait to see if the ics update fixes it. but have you looked at the galaxy tab 7.7? i heard thats supposed to be pretty nice and if you already have an ipad 2 maybe the smaller size would be good for you. Either way i think you have to wait for the ics update to get a real comparison.
I did see something about the 7.7 but thought it was only avail through Verizon with LTE? The size is actually probably not bad and doable.
I recently picked up an ipad 2 while I wait for a replacement Prime to come in. I am by no means an apple guy, in fact I don't like a lot of things they do and have been an android user for years. That being said, I am very quite impressed with it so far. Very fluid ui and browser (great flash support using Photon browser). Games, are significantly ahead of android in quantity and quality. Software in general is polished and compatibility is excellent.
Now, unlike prime with storage and hdmi... With ipad you pay for everything. Hdmi, eternal storage etc. External output is Meh, requires google tv for most things. Peripherals in general are expensive, but will be compatible with most if not all apple things.
That's all I can think of right now... Plus typing on a phone sucks.
Let me know if you have specific questions.
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
sdynak said:
I would like to start off by saying I tried a search and did not find conclusive results to my question so apologies if I missed a thread on this.
I would also like to say I am not a Apple fan by nature. I was a preorder on the Andoid G1 if that serves any background on me.
So my dilemma.. What sold me on the iPad 2 was trying out a iPad 1 early last year and took to the speed, performance, form etc. So learning the ipad 2 was down the road I waited a few months and walked into the store on launch day and picked one up.
My dilemma - I have not been very happy with Apple in general for many reasons which I won't get into but seeking real feedback if the Prime would compare to the iPad 2 for owners of both.
In desperation to have an Andriod device I recently purchased the Galaxy Tab 10.1 only to be disappointed and returned it. It is nice, don't get me wrong but pales in comparison to the speed in which I am used to. At least out of the box. I am not looking to mod my tablet (already do that with my Evo and Photon).
So, is there anyone here that can provide real feedback to owning both units? I really want to go Android but don't want to feel like I am sacrificing on anything. The browser tests I did with the Galaxy vs the iPad were significant enough for me to be a deal breaker. I know I am giving up flash on the iPad but in reality most of what I do doesn't require it. I would just prefer a Android device that has similar speed in browsing and responsiveness, screen etc..
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not specific to the TF Prime, but rather all Honeycomb devices (And I guess Gingerbread too). Don't bother with the stock browsers until Chrome is finally introduced to Android, the stock browser is overall much clunkier and less responsive than other solutions that you can find on the market.
I personally use Opera Mobile on both Atrix 4G and Honeycomb Tablet, and I found a HUGE difference in responsiveness and ease of use.
EDIT: The thing about android is that only some stock apps are good (the others are barely adequate at best), however you can find excellent replacements on the market for whatever you need.
littleemp said:
This is not specific to the TF Prime, but rather all Honeycomb devices (And I guess Gingerbread too). Don't bother with the stock browsers until Chrome is finally introduced to Android, the stock browser is overall much clunkier and less responsive than other solutions that you can find on the market.
I personally use Opera Mobile on both Atrix 4G and Honeycomb Tablet, and I found a HUGE difference in responsiveness and ease of use.
EDIT: The thing about android is that only some stock apps are good (the others are barely adequate at best), however you can find excellent replacements on the market for whatever you need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree more. The Honeycomb browser is horrible and I can't even believe it still has not been improved. Opera Mobile is a million times better! The feature to change the user agent to "desktop" alone makes it worth it.
No Honeycomb tablet can compare to the iPad 2 in terms of fluidity and smoothness. I can tell you from personal experience that Ice Cream Sandwich is the first version of Android that can compare to iOS devices in terms of smoothness and fluidity of the UI (yes, it's still not as fast as iOS, but for me it has finally reached the threshold of what I would consider to be smooth). I've used iPads and iPhones before and I know what you're talking about when it comes to responsiveness and smoothness. It's IMO the best part of iOS, and I'm willing to admit that even though I prefer Android. I've also used Android tablets, and nothing running Honeycomb can compare, point blank. Including the Transformer Prime. Anyone who tells you their Transformer Prime has as much UI fluidity, smoothness, and responsiveness right now is either lying, has low standards, or has never used an iPad before.
Wait until ICS to decide for yourself if the Prime is speedy enough. I have a HTC Sensation, and for me my phone has never been up to my standard of what reasonably smooth is until I installed a beta AOSP ICS ROM. Now, I'm not referring to anything other than speed when I say wait for ICS. I'm not going to tell you that ICS will magically fix certain problems the Prime is having like Wifi and GPS issues.
The Janitor Mop said:
No Honeycomb tablet can compare to the iPad 2 in terms of fluidity and smoothness. I can tell you from personal experience that Ice Cream Sandwich is the first version of Android that can compare to iOS devices in terms of smoothness and fluidity of the UI (yes, it's still not as fast as iOS, but for me it has finally reached the threshold of what I would consider to be smooth). I've used iPads and iPhones before and I know what you're talking about when it comes to responsiveness and smoothness. It's IMO the best part of iOS, and I'm willing to admit that even though I prefer Android. I've also used Android tablets, and nothing running Honeycomb can compare, point blank. Including the Transformer Prime. Anyone who tells you their Transformer Prime has as much UI fluidity, smoothness, and responsiveness right now is either lying, has low standards, or has never used an iPad before.
Wait until ICS to decide for yourself if the Prime is speedy enough. I have a HTC Sensation, and for me my phone has never been up to my standard of what reasonably smooth is until I installed a beta AOSP ICS ROM. Now, I'm not referring to anything other than speed when I say wait for ICS. I'm not going to tell you that ICS will magically fix certain problems the Prime is having like Wifi and GPS issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that Honeycomb does not take advantage of multiple cores where ICS does. That would explain the difference if correct.
keitht said:
I understand that Honeycomb does not take advantage of multiple cores where ICS does. That would explain the difference if correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's an extremely simplified explanation, and one that's not necessarily true.
For a while, a popular topic of discussion going around about ICS was that ICS incorporates hardware acceleration and multi-core support, whereas Honeycomb and Gingerbread don't. That was all pretty much dispelled by a well-known post from a Google engineer who explained that that was just a popular misconception, because Honeycomb already offers hardware acceleration and multi-core support.
If you asked me why ICS is faster, I think it boils down to 2 things: 1) it's just an overall cleaned up OS, and 2) it makes better use of the hardware available. It's not that it makes use of hardware which previous versions of Android didn't do at all (as pointed out, Honeycomb did have hardware acceleration and multi-core support), it's that I believe it will make better use of hardware. I'm not a Google engineer and so this is just a conjecture, but I'm fairly sure that you can be confident ICS makes better use of multi-cores. I think it's entirely reasonable to suggest that because Google knows one of the primary advantages of iOS is speed, and also because essentially all high end Android devices today are multi-core. If Google went into the development of ICS with the goal of making it a faster OS in order to close the gap with iOS, and they went into the development with the knowledge that essentially all devices that would use it would be multi-core, then they certainly put some effort into making better use of such hardware.
The Janitor Mop said:
That's an extremely simplified explanation, and one that's not necessarily true.
For a while, a popular topic of discussion going around about ICS was that ICS incorporates hardware acceleration and multi-core support, whereas Honeycomb and Gingerbread don't. That was all pretty much dispelled by a well-known post from a Google engineer who explained that that was just a popular misconception, because Honeycomb already offers hardware acceleration and multi-core support.
If you asked me why ICS is faster, I think it boils down to 2 things: 1) it's just an overall cleaned up OS, and 2) it makes better use of the hardware available. It's not that it makes use of hardware which previous versions of Android didn't do at all (as pointed out, Honeycomb did have hardware acceleration and multi-core support), it's that I believe it will make better use of hardware. I'm not a Google engineer and so this is just a conjecture, but I'm fairly sure that you can be confident ICS makes better use of multi-cores. I think it's entirely reasonable to suggest that because Google knows one of the primary advantages of iOS is speed, and also because essentially all high end Android devices today are multi-core. If Google went into the development of ICS with the goal of making it a faster OS, and they went into the development with the knowledge that essentially all devices that would use it would be multi-core, then they certainly put some effort into making better use of such hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds close to the same thing I said except in a paragraph instead of a sentence!
The prime in its current honeycomb state, especially after this most recent update, is right on par with the UI fluidity of ipad1 or 2. as I own one also. I stayed with ipad1 because ipad2 wasn't a big enough jump all around to jusitfy dishing out for a new one. I have used the new ones extensively also though. I am constantly using my devices day n and day out so I have a good scope of how they compare. If you decide to get the Prime, it would be a great choice. there have been some issues that has arised for some people but overall doesn't affect everyone. going from ipad2 to a Prime would be a huge upgrade all around the board. definitely check out the various threads, good ones and bad one, and be the judge. you have my vote for getting the prime though. as an Ipad owner also, ipad1 or 2 can't compare because of the larger number of things and customizations that comes with Prime and Android. Apple puts out some great products but you have to live by their rules in their closed ecosystem. with Android, there is alot more freedom. you have to jail break I devices just to do half the things Android does right out the box. that's what sold me on Android. what sold me on the Prime was its Superior Display, best out of any tablet period, the great battery life, best out of any Android tab and on par with ipad2 battery life, superior specs-more powerful by far than anything out now and more than likely next few months down the road. then you have the perfectly integrated keyboard dock option which even has built in battery and extends battery life eveb further. no other manufacturer has been able to replicate that as good. plus Asus has a proven track record of putting out firmwares the fastest and keeps supporting devices.
good luck on deciding.
I just can't thank everyone enough for their kind and genuine responses..
This type of feedback is exactly what I was looking for.. I hate to admit it but I was not aware of the Opera browser. I tried Dolphin on the G-Tab which is very fast on my Photon and thought maybe it was related to the G-Tab. Now I know..
What I take from the responses is that ICS will certainly be something that will take advantage of the Primes true capabalitites. I am willing to give and take.. not one sided and understand that some things will be better and some not so much but the majority of my use is really plain browsing and e-mail. I don't do gaming at the moment so the real thing I want to maintain is a snappy browser and UI.
Sounds like I need to keep the Prime on the list for sure.. thanks again.. really could not ask for more than the true feedback here and not some bias article on the net.
Cheers & Happy New Year to ALL!!
Stan
ok so my prime came yesterday and I haven't had much time to use it yet so don't take this as a real comparison.
So far the only thing worse about it is that hineycomb has a few hiccups sometimes. It hasn't annoyed me but then again maybe it will down the road. Also I pad 2 has a slightly faster browser but its really not a deal breaker. With opening and closing apps they are pretty much the same.
I'll update as time goes on and when ics comes out.
gregnetz18 said:
ok so my prime came yesterday and I haven't had much time to use it yet so don't take this as a real comparison.
So far the only thing worse about it is that hineycomb has a few hiccups sometimes. It hasn't annoyed me but then again maybe it will down the road. Also I pad 2 has a slightly faster browser but its really not a deal breaker. With opening and closing apps they are pretty much the same.
I'll update as time goes on and when ics comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure to update device to latest system firmware. 33. it speeds things up and fixes alot of bugs.
The Janitor Mop said:
That's an extremely simplified explanation, and one that's not necessarily true.
For a while, a popular topic of discussion going around about ICS was that ICS incorporates hardware acceleration and multi-core support, whereas Honeycomb and Gingerbread don't. That was all pretty much dispelled by a well-known post from a Google engineer who explained that that was just a popular misconception, because Honeycomb already offers hardware acceleration and multi-core support.
If you asked me why ICS is faster, I think it boils down to 2 things: 1) it's just an overall cleaned up OS, and 2) it makes better use of the hardware available. It's not that it makes use of hardware which previous versions of Android didn't do at all (as pointed out, Honeycomb did have hardware acceleration and multi-core support), it's that I believe it will make better use of hardware. I'm not a Google engineer and so this is just a conjecture, but I'm fairly sure that you can be confident ICS makes better use of multi-cores. I think it's entirely reasonable to suggest that because Google knows one of the primary advantages of iOS is speed, and also because essentially all high end Android devices today are multi-core. If Google went into the development of ICS with the goal of making it a faster OS in order to close the gap with iOS, and they went into the development with the knowledge that essentially all devices that would use it would be multi-core, then they certainly put some effort into making better use of such hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
optimization is the name of the game. so far with most devices that have early builds of ICS on them, everything seems faster, so theoretically the prime should scream.
just a couple weeks and we'll see.
as to the OP's question, i've played with an ipad2 and owned an ipad1, i feel like with a few tweaks (change the launcher, use a different browser) the prime is just as fast if not faster than the ipad2 for most things even on HC.
iOS def has android beat when it comes to the amount of tablet optimized apps and games though, hopefully android will pick up the pace after ICS helps to unify the phone/tablet fragments. i am quite impressed with the tegra3 optimized games quality and fluidity though.
This is the first tablet I have purchased but not the first one I have used and I bought it to accompany my Samsung Galaxy S2 and my iPhone but I must confess I am not a big Apple fan.
Why am I happy?
I have a Quad Core tablet
It's shiny and new
It isn't an iPad
loving the keyboard
generally works quite well
Why am I unhappy?
GPS - I wanted fully functional GPS
Exporting video in Movie STudio it causes the TFP to reboot.
Many applicaton crashes including google apps
in hindsight i should of waited for a 3g model
Im hoping ics will be the answer to my prayers and asus provide a 3g add on module but time will tell.
conner said:
This is the first tablet I have purchased but not the first one I have used and I bought it to accompany my Samsung Galaxy S2 and my iPhone but I must confess I am not a big Apple fan.
Why am I happy?
I have a Quad Core tablet
It's shiny and new
It isn't an iPad
loving the keyboard
generally works quite well
Why am I unhappy?
GPS - I wanted fully functional GPS
Exporting video in Movie STudio it causes the TFP to reboot.
Many applicaton crashes including google apps
in hindsight i should of waited for a 3g model
Im hoping ics will be the answer to my prayers and asus provide a 3g add on module but time will tell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there are 10's of threads you could have added your opinion to. But, that said, I think if you're hoping for ICS to magically make the Prime a better option for you, you're going to be disappointed. And I'd not hold out for a "3g add on module"--the 3G version of the Prime will be a completely new, redesigned device.
Sounds like you should return your Prime and wait for something that better meets your needs. And just for the record, I only have one app that routinely crashes on my Prime, and it's problematic on other Honeycomb tablets as well. Otherwise, I've found the Prime to be remarkably stable.
conner said:
This is the first tablet I have purchased but not the first one I have used and I bought it to accompany my Samsung Galaxy S2 and my iPhone but I must confess I am not a big Apple fan.
Why am I happy?
I have a Quad Core tablet
It's shiny and new
It isn't an iPad
loving the keyboard
generally works quite well
Why am I unhappy?
GPS - I wanted fully functional GPS
Exporting video in Movie STudio it causes the TFP to reboot.
Many applicaton crashes including google apps
in hindsight i should of waited for a 3g model
Im hoping ics will be the answer to my prayers and asus provide a 3g add on module but time will tell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ASUS seriously should have waited for ICS until they sold the Prime. The above post is the perfect example of what happens if you rush a generally super nice device with totally crappy software on it...
@OP: Iam sure you will be less sad with ICS
I'm still hoping that Asus will come up with a plastic window solution like the Ipad for its gps problem, they can easily retool the case and fab the plastic insert.
As far as apps go, its not Prime fault. those apps need updating from developers that made them. Google earth works perfectly now as it was just updated the other day. as far as that movie studio goes, I had the same thing happen. I don't like it really. So you can't fault the device from a software standpoint. because that always can be improved. Plus you can expect alot of apps not to be working in ICS because not all apps updated yet to support it. The apps are getting there but alot still out there that needs ICS support.
The GPS issue I can understand. You can bet though that 3g version will be at a minimum $100 more plus you will be tied into a massive data plan which requires a premium extra fee because its a tablet. Prime is still a Good choice. even without GPS working.
I've had my for three days now. I'm deciding if I'm going to return mine or not.
Pros:
Screen and brightness is second to none. Super IPS actually hurts my eyes. Marvelous.
Wifi works fine for me. Mostly like my OG ipad
Camera quality is great. Video and pictures great.
Games like Riptide and Madden play super.
Flash websites like HBO go.com work great compare to OG Transformer that I owned.
I like the when you correct a word it zooms in on the area without a circle.
Kind of fun to hold. So very thin.
Having 64gb thanks to my SD card
With volume+ app. Speakers very nice.
Charges fast
Battery life continues to get better
No screen lag for me when transitioning.
ICS coming soon.
Cons:
GPS is brutally awful. Not sure if its a deal breaker.
Bluetooth and wifi don't work together like they should.
Lack of accessories.
Do I feel this is better than the first TF (owned for 6 months)? Yes.
Is it better than the current tablets now out (including I pad 2 wifi to wifi)? Yes.
Will this be the Blackberry Playbook of 2012 (considering major flaws for some)? Decisions. The last thing I want to see in a couple months is TF Prime for 299.00 at BB.
This thing is going for a premium on EBay right now as well.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
I know it might be a matter of, "It's a functionality that should work, end of story..."
But can I ask you what your personal use for GPS is in your particular case? I had a Samsung GT10.1 for 8 months and I used the gps maybe three times. And even then it was locked onto a signal fairly quickly because the used the auto assist wifi signal, and I cannot fathom a usage instance that requires gps without wifi.
Diamondback2010 said:
ASUS seriously should have waited for ICS until they sold the Prime. The above post is the perfect example of what happens if you rush a generally super nice device with totally crappy software on it...
@OP: Iam sure you will be less sad with ICS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure there are voices on both sides
release first then ice, or wait for pics then release.
for all Ive heard before the release were come on, just release it already, pics, hc I don't care.
and not everyone start saying they should wait till pics to release it. tough crowd
It's the current battle of selling points with iCS, gps and 3/4g being the main contenders. Any new tablet that does not feature these will suffer from lackluster sales, imo.
irishtexmex said:
I know it might be a matter of, "It's a functionality that should work, end of story..."
But can I ask you what your personal use for GPS is in your particular case? I had a Samsung GT10.1 for 8 months and I used the gps maybe three times. And even then it was locked onto a signal fairly quickly because the used the auto assist wifi signal, and I cannot fathom a usage instance that requires gps without wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought this as a work device/toy. At the moment I don't know what I want to use GPS for but I just want my tablet to do what it says it should do on the tin. I don't like Apple but they seem to have set the bar really high and the iPad pretty much does what it says it will do.
I understand what you are saying and it may turn out that I never need it but I paid for it and would at least like the choice to not use it rather than not use it because of an Asus major design flaw.
To add to the list of cons it reboots every morning whether it has been charged or not.
Why wasn't this added to the rest of the gripe threads? Nothing stated here that hadn't already been a rebeating of the dust that used to be the skeleton of the dead horse.
I think we all get it. People always strive to get somethng, then when they get it, they want more.. some more than others.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Course charting in a boat using Navionics software for one. Saved me thousands on a marine gps unit and I'm using a very old Ipad for it now.
I don't expect everyone would do this, but Come'on these statements like, "I never used gps so I don't know why anyone else would", just expose your lack of imagination.
my 2 cents:
Of the 3 tablets I now own...the tf101, ipad 1, and the prime...the prime easily wins the day. Its the best tablet I have ever used.
There are a few niggles.
1. The tf101 has the best wifi of the three. The prime and the ipad 1 score exactly the same in my testing for wifi performance....which is good enough for me. Not sure why people are griping about wifi so much while mine is par or better than the ipad 1...at 50+ feet and 4 walls from my router I still get 3-4 Mbps. Netflix, etc streams beautifully from the farthest corners in my house.
I don't often bother with bluetooth on my android tablets so I have yet to test this.
2. I rarely use my tablets for GPS so this is not a deal breaker for me. I have an offline GPS system anyway that does not require live data connection which I prefer on the road. I have yet to test the prime GPS...right now GMAPS snaps up my location using IP address I imagine.
After that this tablet plays high profile 1080p mkv files both from my network and from the sdcard without a hitch, has a GORGEOUS display, slim, light, has great battery life and runs honeycomb better than any tablet out there (I've fiddled with just about all of them). ICS will be the icing on the cake.
Sometimes these forums can turn us into quibblers. I never would have noticed the issues raised here on my typical usage of the prime or any of my tablets. For example, I never knew the TF101 has such great wifi performance compared to the Ipad 1 until I tested it because of this forum. The ipad always seemed just fine to me and so does the prime....and really thats all that matters.
conner said:
I bought this as a work device/toy. At the moment I don't know what I want to use GPS for but I just want my tablet to do what it says it should do on the tin. I don't like Apple but they seem to have set the bar really high and the iPad pretty much does what it says it will do.
I understand what you are saying and it may turn out that I never need it but I paid for it and would at least like the choice to not use it rather than not use it because of an Asus major design flaw.
To add to the list of cons it reboots every morning whether it has been charged or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In all likelihood it sounds as if the assisted GPS will serve your purposes just fine then. I really do not understand why anyone thought this tablet was going to be a Garmin. I also thought (and suppose I am or could be worng), that this was always advertised as aGPS. GPS does work when it is assisted by wifi, and it works pretty well when it's not. I wouldn't rely on it to drive, but I don't know why anyone would rely on anything other than a dedicated GPS to navigate - I certainly never take off on my bicycle to place unknown with just my phone, I always have my Garmin. If someone needs to navigate then they need to buy a dangerous Garmin and not think they "Got lucky" and scored a $500 tablet that allows included a real GPS that costs at least $100+ app on it's own.
Anyway.....the rebooting thing sounds like a real pain.. Mine has never reboot randomly. You say it happens in the morning, and I wonder what the culprit could Be? Are you powering it up and then it reboots or waking it Up? I wonder if it's an app.
slugbug2010 said:
Anyway.....the rebooting thing sounds like a real pain.. Mine has never reboot randomly. You say it happens in the morning, and I wonder what the culprit could Be? Are you powering it up and then it reboots or waking it Up? I wonder if it's an app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It reboots after waking up. I have no plans to give up on the TFP at the moment and I' will persist to iron out as much as I can. I will post any findings.
tdp252 said:
Course charting in a boat using Navionics software for one. Saved me thousands on a marine gps unit and I'm using a very old Ipad for it now.
I don't expect everyone would do this, but Come'on these statements like, "I never used gps so I don't know why anyone else would", just expose your lack of imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am going to use marine apps as well. Do you guys think if you have a GPS lock the Prime will keep it because the speed of a sailboat is not too fast?
Accuracy doesn`t really matter.
My phone with google navigation is perfect as a GPS, I don't need something four times bigger that won't ever fit anywhere on my car and won't charge on the car adaptator.
aGPS is more than enough for me.
conner said:
It reboots after waking up. I have no plans to give up on the TFP at the moment and I' will persist to iron out as much as I can. I will post any findings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds like an app issue, did you notice it happening after installing anything in particular?
gabsi55 said:
I am going to use marine apps as well. Do you guys think if you have a GPS lock the Prime will keep it because the speed of a sailboat is not too fast?
Accuracy doesn`t really matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you will have better luck than me. But, my Prime couldn't keep a lock, motionless, in the same orientation and location. The GPS just seemed to lose everything and started searching again, for no reason. That was a deal killer for me. If Asus had offered to fix this one problem, it would have been a real keeper! Instead the way they handled it just made me lose all confidence in their ability to support a quality product.
Be prepared to hear that you shouldn't expect GPS to work but that's no problem, and why would you want to use it on a tablet anyway? It would appear that most happy Prime users don't get out much or realize that an automobile is not the only use for GPS!
adiliyo said:
sounds like an app issue, did you notice it happening after installing anything in particular?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By the time I got round to editing and exporting a movie I had already installed all my fav appz. I'll start first with removing the MXvideo player
Hi guys, before now I was a galaxy tab 8.9 user and even though I was disappointed with the performance of honeycomb on that tablet (mainly due to samsungs touchwiz and Nvidia tegra 2 hardware limitations) I still enjoyed the tablet especially since running an alpha build of ICS on it. I decided to sell my tab when the transformer prime was released for obvious reasons. (Its an overall much better tablet) and within my price point.
However I have had cause to hold back because of all the negative press the tab as been getting. I am not really concerned about the gps issues because I never for one day used the gps on my galaxy tab 8.9. I have a galaxy s2 which satisfies my gps needs.
What I am most concerned however is the wifi issues reported by users and also the Is the Is flickering issues some are having since upgrading to ics.
How bad and wide spreed as this problems? do you think the prime is still worth buying or are the wifi and Is the screen flickering issues minor issues which can be fixed via software update?
I would really appreciate recommendations from users before I make my decisions thanks
Dude just go for it, buy it, try it out.
I was concerned too when I ordered, but I lucked out with a good prime. The tablet is awesome and the quick updates from asus are constantly improving the experience.
Worst case you don't like it, just return it and get your money back.
Sent from my Galaxy S2
Its still a fantastic tablet. Im fortunate to be in the UK and have the dock which truly makes it a worthy purchase. If I'm honest I wouldn't have bought it without the keyboard.
I can see the GPS issue is an annoyance but I would never consider using the device as a Navigation aid. The fact that you need wifi for the maps to work I never expected to use it in such a way. Lets face it the iPad doesn't have GPS and the apple fans aren't up in arms that they can't navigate from their device.
With the dock this is the closest thing to a netbook and love the fact that in essence I have an Android based netbook.
My advice don't expect too much, its an excellent tablet and even with its faults I love mine.
You will definitely need to try this for yourself to see if it works the way you use it.
Just order online, then you can return it within 2 weeks, that should be enough for testing.
I had many of the same concerns but I went for it in hopes of getting a good unit and i did. I'm extremely happy with it and it gets more use than any laptop or desktop in my house.
halloumi3 said:
I had many of the same concerns but I went for it in hopes of getting a good unit and i did. I'm extremely happy with it and it gets more use than any laptop or desktop in my house.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that. Only hassle I have is GPS and that is no dealbreaker for me on a WiFi-only device.
Make sure you get either Build 8.33 (Honeycomb) or 9.4.2.27 (Icecream Sandwitch) on your Prime, especially the 8.33 sped most things up with HC.
Kashban said:
I second that. Only hassle I have is GPS and that is no dealbreaker for me on a WiFi-only device.
Make sure you get either Build 8.33 (Honeycomb) or 9.4.2.27 (Icecream Sandwitch) on your Prime, especially the 8.33 sped most things up with HC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can you find out what Firmware a Prime has prior to buying? Will the Retailers tell you?
Thanks
Since we're having soooo many duplicate threads asking the same thing, might as well just copy my post from similar threads.
*************
I don't have wifi or screen issues. I half-heartedly tried to get GPS going but really have no patience or the inclination to do so! GPS is not what I bought the device for...and I bought the TFP knowing full well of the GPS issues. If I can't see any satellites...oh well. Am I a "dumb" consumer for buying a product that doesn't have all marketed specs working...I don't know...maybe. But spending $500 on the TFP without GPS was well worth it to me. I've bought PCs in the past where I knew the video card was crap....I simply swapped it out for something that met my needs.
If you're worried about encountering the noted issues (not including GPS which sounds like it will never work 100%), buy from somewhere with a good return policy. Try it out for a couple of weeks. That is what I'm doing and so far mine is a keeper. Actually, I bought two from two different stores...the second is still en route. I did this just in case one of them had problems...the second one is probably going back without ever being opened.
Good luck with your decision.
Get it... The problems are very much exaggerated in my opinion. Really who is going to put the tablet on their dashboard and use it for GPS ...
I have it, it's fast, It's stable, it's running ICS, almost no issues, wifi runs great, it's just a beast of a tablet. I suggest it for anyone.
And it's rooted...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Prime
Beyond slower wake up for the Wi-Fi and some other quirky wi-fi issues (won't work with my Verizon MiFi currently), I've had no issues with it. Still waiting on my keyboard dock, however.
i was a little upset when i first got it.. the wifi signal was pretty week when i used it in my bedroom (furthest point from my router, up stairs and on the other end of the house) infact it was loosing connection. However after some updates it does seem better. i no longer get a dropped connections get about 1 bar of signal. it works really well everywhere else in my place plus i can tether my thunderbolt to it if need be. i was at first going to return but i am leaning more towards keeping it now.
i hope they release another update that focuses mainly on wifi strength.. is that even a possibility? still testing but overall id say im pretty pleased.
bigbrovar said:
Hi guys, before now I was a galaxy tab 8.9 user and even though I was disappointed with the performance of honeycomb on that tablet (mainly due to samsungs touchwiz and Nvidia tegra 2 hardware limitations) I still enjoyed the tablet especially since running an alpha build of ICS on it. I decided to sell my tab when the transformer prime was released for obvious reasons. (Its an overall much better tablet) and within my price point.
However I have had cause to hold back because of all the negative press the tab as been getting. I am not really concerned about the gps issues because I never for one day used the gps on my galaxy tab 8.9. I have a galaxy s2 which satisfies my gps needs.
What I am most concerned however is the wifi issues reported by users and also the Is the Is flickering issues some are having since upgrading to ics.
How bad and wide spreed as this problems? do you think the prime is still worth buying or are the wifi and Is the screen flickering issues minor issues which can be fixed via software update?
I would really appreciate recommendations from users before I make my decisions thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to depend on what you want from your tablet. If you want navigation device that will help navigate a cruise missile to its target, then maybe you should got with a Galaxy Tab LTE.
Now, if you want a slick/fast tablet running Google's latest and greatest OS, there is no comparison. This thing is hands down the best Android tablet on the market.
I just got mine in the mail yesterday and I'm really liking it. I think at this point you're less likely to get a dud.
only if you MUST have android
Guess, I will be the one contrary opinion.
The hardware is very nice. It is even sleeker than the iPad which is really saying something.
The Android fragmentation is still a major issue which unfortunately means, if you honestly look at the user experience, no android tablet is worth buying unless you are a hardcore Apple hating tech geek, or unless you must have a 7 inch tablet.
I have tried 5 different Android tablets the last month and am really surprised what a disastrous mess the Android ecosystem is. You would think that any tablet with the same processor and version of android could run the same software straight off the market. NOPE. I mean seriously, WTF?
Google needs to clamp down in some way to end this stupidity. I have a bunch of recent action titles that run on an Acer Inconia A500 but wont run on other Tegra 2 tablets under the same version of Android, and forget the prime.
While much is made off how the prime is the best Android gaming yet, Google for graphics benchmarks of the iPad 2 vs the prime. The iPad 2 is more than twice as fast in most graphics benchmarks. Not only is there a vastly larger selection of games, they all work. When a new OS update is released everyone gets it, no waiting and wondering if you will ever get it.
Anyone in the High Park area of Toronto want my prime before I return it to Staples?
I will be keeping my lowly 8GB Acer Iconia A100 because I love the compact 7 inch size and comfortable to hold round edges. The sharp edges of the iPad 2 makes it uncomfortable to hold for long, and this is one thing the prime should not have copied from the iPad, the prime is even worse.
I changed the build.prop file on my A100 to make it think it is an A500. It is compatible with far more hardcore action games than my prime. How is that for irony?
Yes guys size does matter. My iPad 2 is a vastly superior tablet in every way, but I use my lowly Iconia A100 cause it is the most comfortable to hold. I am still kicking myself for returning the 16GB playbook I bought for just $200.
Unless Google muscles in to clean up the fragmentation mess, if Apple pulls a mea culpa and actually releases a 7 inch iPad, Android will continue to be the poor cousin of iOS that people only buy because it is cheaper or because they are fanatic extremeists who want to strap on an explosive laden jacket and run into an Apple store shouting "Android Akbar!!!!"
No don't get it. If you are going to ask rather than get and try it, then the answer is no. If you try it then ask, the answer is keep it. When you are buying a car or a house please come on here and ask us for our opinion again
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
dpkform said:
Yes guys size does matter. My iPad 2 is a vastly superior tablet in every way, but I use my lowly Iconia A100 cause it is the most comfortable to hold. I am still kicking myself for returning the 16GB playbook I bought for just $200.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol
expect for the fact that it's heavier, thicker, has a smaller screen, no expandable storage, no HDMI out, little customization, and so on so on.
Also $120 more expensive to boot.
wifesabitch said:
lol
expect for the fact that it's heavier, thicker, has a smaller screen, no expandable storage, no HDMI out, little customization, and so on so on.
Also $120 more expensive to boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I meant to say ALMOST every way but hey ever try editting on a tablet - too painful... LOL
I will give the prime this one HUGE compliment. It is the first tablet that seems to equal the elegant design and build quality of the iPad. In fact I think the prime is better looking. I have never seen a PC laptop that was even close to a MacBook pro or the latest MacBook air in terms of quality, and I have owned HP Envy, Alienware, and other expensive laptops. Higher price to performance sure, but never close to the same build quality and display quality. At least with tablets non-Apple manufacturers are FINALLY waking up to high quality IPS displays. That's a great thing.
And I definitely prefer the 16:10 ratio screen of the prime to the iPad's 4:3 especially for video. Won't hold the reported wifi issue against it, as my prime has no wifi nor GPS issues, then again neither did my iPad 1, which had the same wifi complaints from many people as the prime seems to.
The iPad does do 1080p HDMI out - with Apple's overpriced $45 HDMI adapter, and more fun the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S do wireless video mirroring to a $100 Apple TV though only 720p.
As to customization, you would think the alleged "open" Android system is more so but no. Especially since the iPad 2 is now jailbroken. There are far far far more options out there for a customizing a jailbroken iPad, and if you consider the amount of software, and especially accessories, even a non-rooted iPad has far more options for customization. But even that I don't hold against the prime cause really no one needs that amount of customization. The problem with the prime and Android tablets in general keeps coming back to the atrocious inexcusable app incompatibility even among essentially identical hardware. Seriously. WTF?
All that said, the reality is both are the highest quality tablets on the market, but no matter how great the prime is, the problem is the Android tablet ecosystem is currently an epic fail. Google played too loosely with Android, yet ironically allowed locked boot loaders - you know - you have to "jailbreak" Android devices too.
I really hope Google grows a pair, and starts laying down some law on the Android devices and ecosystems. First thing they need to do is disallow any custom UI on top of Android. Aftermarket sure - pre installed no. And lay down a set of hardware requirements, such that a base Android OS works on every type of hardware, just like Windows can be installed on a lot of different hardware.
Consumers I think will tolerate a lot of screwing around with limited cell phones because carriers have been screwing consumers and proprietary hardware since the beginning of time. That I think is why Android phones are now doing very well against the iPhone. But tablets as a replacement for PC - I think there will be much less tolerance for the mess that is currently the Android ecosystem. Even on PC's for the most part - things just work. On Android - it's a mess.
dpkform said:
yes, I meant to say ALMOST every way but hey ever try editting on a tablet - too painful... LOL
I will give the prime this one HUGE compliment. It is the first tablet that seems to equal the elegant design and build quality of the iPad. In fact I think the prime is better looking. I have never seen a PC laptop that was even close to a MacBook pro or the latest MacBook air in terms of quality, and I have owned HP Envy, Alienware, and other expensive laptops. Higher price to performance sure, but never close to the same build quality and display quality. At least with tablets non-Apple manufacturers are FINALLY waking up to high quality IPS displays. That's a great thing.
And I definitely prefer the 16:10 ratio screen of the prime to the iPad's 4:3 especially for video. Won't hold the reported wifi issue against it, as my prime has no wifi nor GPS issues, then again neither did my iPad 1, which had the same wifi complaints from many people as the prime seems to.
The iPad does do 1080p HDMI out - with Apple's overpriced $45 HDMI adapter, and more fun the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S do wireless video mirroring to a $100 Apple TV though only 720p.
As to customization, you would think the alleged "open" Android system is more so but no. Especially since the iPad 2 is now jailbroken. There are far far far more options out there for a customizing a jailbroken iPad, and if you consider the amount of software, and especially accessories, even a non-rooted iPad has far more options for customization. But even that I don't hold against the prime cause really no one needs that amount of customization. The problem with the prime and Android tablets in general keeps coming back to the atrocious inexcusable app incompatibility even among essentially identical hardware. Seriously. WTF?
All that said, the reality is both are the highest quality tablets on the market, but no matter how great the prime is, the problem is the Android tablet ecosystem is currently an epic fail. Google played too loosely with Android, yet ironically allowed locked boot loaders - you know - you have to "jailbreak" Android devices too.
I really hope Google grows a pair, and starts laying down some law on the Android devices and ecosystems. First thing they need to do is disallow any custom UI on top of Android. Aftermarket sure - pre installed no. And lay down a set of hardware requirements, such that a base Android OS works on every type of hardware, just like Windows can be installed on a lot of different hardware.
Consumers I think will tolerate a lot of screwing around with limited cell phones because carriers have been screwing consumers and proprietary hardware since the beginning of time. That I think is why Android phones are now doing very well against the iPhone. But tablets as a replacement for PC - I think there will be much less tolerance for the mess that is currently the Android ecosystem. Even on PC's for the most part - things just work. On Android - it's a mess.
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Click to collapse
Sorry, but I call b.s. on Ipad customizations. AS I have one jailbroken and modded to the extreme. You have to jailbrake Ipad to only be able to do half the things android does right out the box. THE IPAD ZCUSTOMIZATIONS FROM CYDIA N SUCH are crap. All stuff still looks basically the same. You can change wallpapers, some icons...system sounds, lockscreen n that's about it. THE MOST EXTREME Ipad mod was getting a sort of launcher called Honeypad. Its more of a hybrid android OS of honeycomb. I can launch it and you would think my Ipad was an android tablet. REALLY MADE Ipad feel like a new device. I could apply Widgets n stuff. But with ipad1 or 2 having limited Ram, you run out quick. That's when I knew I wanted an android tablet. Yes apple has superior games, which I have all the best ones like Infinity Blade2, etc... Android allows wauly more freedom out the box n you can do more. USB adapter support on either Ipad is a joke. Apple nerfed it.
WHEN IPAD1 first came out, you use to be able to hook thumb drives, external keyboards, mouse, even external harddrive. VERY shortly after apple released people were doing this and didn't like it. APPLE ONLY WANT YOU using thEIR ACCESORIES. SO on an update apple reduced the voltage output to USB adapter therefore making it useless except for only apple accessories basically. This caused a huge uproar on ipadforums.
Ipad1, as much as I love mines, has nothing on the prime. NEITHER does ipad2. PRIME is way better than both. People believe in that Ipad vs. Prime gpu benchmark b.s. too much..lmfao point blank prime is way more powerful. It was even said although ipad2 might score higher on gpu benchmark, prime/tegra3 in real life will perform and look better. AS its fact that tegra3 CPU is a hell of alot more powerful than ipad2 CPU.
Op get the Prime. If you want old outdated devices, get an ipad2 or any other Android device. There won't be anything coming out to be more powerful till around may-june at the earliest. As of right now, Prime is the most powerful tablet in the world!
I have been up in the air myself with all these negative reports. I plan on picking one up this week locally and reporting of any issues.
From an outside view on these forums and others. It looks really bad for the prime having so many issues. I am willing to take the risk and spend the money in hope for getting a great unit. Anything less than amazing, i will return it and venture elsewhere. Apple makes great products. Just not for me.
Aside from the Wifi, I don't care much about GPS myself, this thing is ridiculous awesome. It has serious power decodes 1080p mkvs no problem, with ICS the stock video player does it even I love the tablet, the design is great, the performance is killer... The Wifi issues do suck though, I can;t wait till this actually gets resolved
Curious what your opinion is on changing a 11in MacBook Air for a Prime with the keyboard ?
I have a Galaxy Note 5.3 and a 10.1 Galaxy Tab, and have been a fan of galaxy series for a while so apple is not really my thing. However the browsing experience on the Macbook is amazing. I have Opera Mobile and the Go Browser on the galaxy note and i like those, however chrome on the macbook is pretty fast and does a great job. Plus the nice screen and comfortable keyboard, this makes it for a nice browsing device.
To enlighten the topic, i'll mention that i have already placed an order today for the Prime and should get it by the end of this week. Just wanted to get a feeling on the anticipation and hear your input on my question.
I have the dock and the prime and i love it the battery life is great experice is an all round great device i use it for notes videos i just got shadowgun for it but the only thing that my laptop can do is play games alot better and thats about it i think your gonna enjoy it. im not an apple person myself either
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
MEPEH said:
Curious what your opinion is on changing a 11in MacBook Air for a Prime with the keyboard ?
I have a Galaxy Note 5.3 and a 10.1 Galaxy Tab, and have been a fan of galaxy series for a while so apple is not really my thing. However the browsing experience on the Macbook is amazing. I have Opera Mobile and the Go Browser on the galaxy note and i like those, however chrome on the macbook is pretty fast and does a great job. Plus the nice screen and comfortable keyboard, this makes it for a nice browsing device.
To enlighten the topic, i'll mention that i have already placed an order today for the Prime and should get it by the end of this week. Just wanted to get a feeling on the anticipation and hear your input on my question.
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Click to collapse
Alright, first of all, you're going to hear a TON of *****ing on here about the Prime and plenty of people telling you not to get it. I ordered mine from HHGregg when they were $399. I got it on the 16th of January. I got my dock about a week ago. I have had one SMALL issue and that is it. I filled entire homescreen with apps and transition to and from that page was skippy. I put everything into folders and moved things around until it wasn't skippy anymore and no more issues. I have an Evo 3D and my wife has an Evo 4G so GPS is not anywhere near an important feature to me. I could care less if they completely removed it tomorrow. My wifi is on par with the Evo 3D and Evo 4G. I have very slight light leakage, which I even have on my Evo 3D. I just don't care. A brand new product will have some small issues and I totally expect some small issues here and there.
I'm not saying that these people don't have issues, I just expected them. My launch day iPhone 4, Motorola Atrix, Evo 3D and my Prime received on the 16th have all had some sort of issue. It should be expected of a BRAND NEW product. If you get one and it has an issue that you can't live with, exchange it.
I absolutely love my Prime and wouldn't trade it for anything else on the market. I use it everyday docked and not docked. I have even shown people at my work who have never even had a smartphone and they are now thinking about buying a Prime with the dock. I have been streaming Pandora, playing games and web browsing since about 9:00am and it is now 10:30pm here, my dock is at 82% battery and my Prime is at 73% battery. I love it, I don't have to charge my phone all day at work anymore because I use this now.
I even just typed all of that from my dock. It took a little while for me to get used to the finger travel and trackpad sensitivity but it doesn't bother me at all now. I'm sure if you're coming from an Air that finger travel won't be too much different.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Really appreciate your input. I don't care that much about GPS and WiFi is always within 1ft. I expect issues with it, but i also anticipate ICS will give a boost by the time i discover ALL the flaws.
MEPEH said:
Really appreciate your input. I don't care that much about GPS and WiFi is always within 1ft. I expect issues with it, but i also anticipate ICS will give a boost by the time i discover ALL the flaws.
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Click to collapse
No problem. My wifi is always within ten feet or so, except at work and even then I don't notice any issues. ICS is nice. I like it a lot. I don't mind sense on my phone now that I have ICS on the prime. A lot of people said I wouldn't use the tablet as much because the OS is so similar to my phone but I find myself using my phone a ton less now.
Sent from my ICS lovin 3D!!!
If I've helped you in any way... hit the "Thanks" button.
As an owner of both it, could be done but it will depend on what you use the MacBook air for. For browsing, checking the web, etc... the prime will replace the air fine. You will lose out on a lot of other features though. Polaris office is not a replacement for office for Mac, neither are any of the other office apps I have tried to date. Light editing is fine but try and do work on a moderately complex document and it shows its limits.
Audio work is also not going to be done on android either. Finally I find network access (mounting shares and such) is easier on there Mac.
On the other hand I have a number of small apps that make administration actually easier to do from the prime than the air. Opinions will vary and again a lot will depend on what you are using the Mac for.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
I use Mac OS X 10.7 and Windows 7 a lot. And we all know Android and iOS aren't that great for productivity.
What I did was downloaded Splashtop HD (the one we already have does not use the dock's trackpad correctly) and have my server running whatever OS I need (Hackintosh).
I get an awesome OS and with zero lag on my Prime but I get its portability and battery life too.
I did a lot of programming right on the Prime on Mac OS X and everything works great. I should mention that when I am at my campus, it is pretty laggy because of the slow wireless network there.
Here is my opinion-
First of all i have always been a windows owner but used plenty of macs when i was in high school.
But the the big difference is web browser as you said. On a mac/pc the web browsers work just how they should, no layout flaws and it seems a lot faster. This being said i do believe the android browsing community will start seeing a lot more tablet optimized websites, or just realizing you are using a tablet and not a phone and sending you directly to the mobile site(of course you can change the user agent).
If i had the choice, in my current situation i would ditch the macbook and get the atp. Sure the web browsing might not be right at the moment but the mouse prevents most inaccurate clicks. Also you can customize everything! This is not a knock on apple but thats just what I want-customization. The docks keyboard takes getting used to but that wasn't a big problem for me.
Not sure about apples battery life but i love my primes battery life.
My current stats are(with the dock):
Unplugged from wall:3 days 14 hours 12 mins
Prime(not charging from dock):11 hours 51 mins
Battery left: 12% dock 85% prime
I'd say this is with moderate usage brightness at in the middle. and i am rooted.
GO for the prime imo
Hope this helps
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
lyon21 said:
Alright, first of all, you're going to hear a TON of *****ing on here about the Prime and plenty of people telling you not to get it. I ordered mine from HHGregg when they were $399. I got it on the 16th of January. I got my dock about a week ago. I have had one SMALL issue and that is it. I filled entire homescreen with apps and transition to and from that page was skippy. I put everything into folders and moved things around until it wasn't skippy anymore and no more issues. I have an Evo 3D and my wife has an Evo 4G so GPS is not anywhere near an important feature to me. I could care less if they completely removed it tomorrow. My wifi is on par with the Evo 3D and Evo 4G. I have very slight light leakage, which I even have on my Evo 3D. I just don't care. A brand new product will have some small issues and I totally expect some small issues here and there.
I'm not saying that these people don't have issues, I just expected them. My launch day iPhone 4, Motorola Atrix, Evo 3D and my Prime received on the 16th have all had some sort of issue. It should be expected of a BRAND NEW product. If you get one and it has an issue that you can't live with, exchange it.
I absolutely love my Prime and wouldn't trade it for anything else on the market. I use it everyday docked and not docked. I have even shown people at my work who have never even had a smartphone and they are now thinking about buying a Prime with the dock. I have been streaming Pandora, playing games and web browsing since about 9:00am and it is now 10:30pm here, my dock is at 82% battery and my Prime is at 73% battery. I love it, I don't have to charge my phone all day at work anymore because I use this now.
I even just typed all of that from my dock. It took a little while for me to get used to the finger travel and trackpad sensitivity but it doesn't bother me at all now. I'm sure if you're coming from an Air that finger travel won't be too much different.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Aside from this fanboy post. I had about 2 primes. All had significant problems. Buyer beware
Pubnum said:
Aside from this fanboy post. I had about 2 primes. All had significant problems. Buyer beware
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Click to collapse
What kind of problems? I really don't understand why so many people on this forum have faulty Prime's. Mine has no issues other than a faulty GPS but I don't care. My previous TF101 had a ton of issues but it seems quality control improved for the new one.
Where did you get yours and when?
I was actually deciding between the two recently and really it comes down to what you plan to use it for.
Really sit down and figure that out and the choice will be clear. For me, I have an old laptop that I use for word processing or excel and it's generally rather light.
So all I wanted was a portable machine that browses, does email, fun gaming, high battery life and video/audio out capability. That pretty much makes the prime the winner for me.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App
I got the prime, loved it. It is sleek, fast, excellent quality. However, I ended up switching to a MacBook air 13"/4/128. For ~$400 more than the prime + dock, I get almost the same portability, worse battery life (5-7 hrs), but way more usefulness.
Even general 'entertainment' stuff, like watching streaming flash is better on the air since you can switch between programs and have the stream running in the background.
The one downside is that you can't use the air in tablet mode, so reading in bed is a no-go. Air + cheap tablet (playbook etc) might be a much more useful combo than just a prime. The prime is an excellent tablet, but a less than average laptop. Just prioritize your purchases based on this.
Buying new, I'd pick the Prime, probably even at the same price point. If I already had the Mac, I'd only upgrade if the battery life or tablet capability was.
For me, the battery life versus e.g. my Eee PC 1015, was.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
I just went whole-hog from an 11" MacBook Air to the prime plus dock in preparation for beginning graduate school later this month. Thoughts:
You notice the added weight because of the smaller physical size. That's *notice* not *suffer from*.
I plan on writing and reading with it. It has any one of a number of ways to write or take notes, and the kindle and google books apps are both loaded and ready. I have yet to see how many of my textbooks I can get through those options; either way, I'm pretty well covered, I think.
The complete lack of Java (not javascript, Java itself) in a browser is a downfall. I am going to deal with this by using RDP and my work computer, which is a windows machine, because it presents a better security system from out in the field. Splashtop is not encrypted at all, which probably means it'll run faster if I connect to my Mac while I'm at home, but I wouldn't expect it to be a good solution over two VPN connections (work computer to work server, work server to prime). Other browser-related issues come up every now and then, some of which you can get around by using the native browser's "request desktop site" option, but I had to go through native, firefox, dolphinHD, and finally Opera before I found a browser that would work with my university's trouble ticket system. That's almost 100% likely to be the university's fault for implementing a bad system, but whatever... I can't change that.
I am getting used to switching apps the android way and copy/paste in ice cream sandwich. It really isn't taking very long at all. Once I exchange my dock for one that's not bent, I think I'll be really happy with the point and click interface asus has come up with. I tried the gesture mode and it wasn't very intuitive, but I didn't try it for very long. I will say the only thing I really miss about pointing and gesturing is that I got used to the gestures for forward and back and expect them to work for everything on the tablet. Most of what I did with the MBA was web-based, so using forward/back gestures made a lot of sense. Now they're gone and I'm struggling a little to remember to use the keys.
Battery life is definitely a hell of a lot better than the Air. Mine had something like 140 battery cycles on it and was down to about 4 hours max, give or take, at minimum brightness. I definitely can get two nights of internet out of just the tablet itself, but with the keyboard dock, I think a whole day of library research isn't out of the question. The one thing I don't like is the length of the charger cabling and the seemingly frail construction of the sync plug.
I was initially worried about the sound output from the prime versus what I had in the MBA, and I can tell you the volume level I get is more than enough for what I watch, especially considering you can hold the tablet a lot closer to your head. The only problem I have is that if you rest it against stuff in horizontal mode, either your blanket and sheets will muffle the speaker a little bit or the power button will be pressed every once in a while. Minor problems, really.
I'm happy so far, just under a week into owning it!
I own both..
I own both and I would never be able to trade my MBA for TP.
Do not get me wrong. First of all I exclusively use Android phones and tablets and I am fairly anti-apple, but as much as I love my transformer prime, if it was my only computing option I think I would go nuts.
MBA is better for so many technical situations but the main thing that it crushes the TP in is web-browsing, ergonomics, backlit keyboard, multi tasking - I feel like I could make the list very long if I took the time.
The transformer prime excels in that it is Android which is cool and customizable, it has great battery life when docked, it plays games better (although I wish there were more available).
Essentially I love my TP but if I could only have one, I do not think you can replace a full fledged laptop with the TP yet.
Pubnum said:
Aside from this fanboy post. I had about 2 primes. All had significant problems. Buyer beware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I don't know how this is a "fanboy" post but whatever. All I did was say that issues with launch devices are expected and stated my experiences but if you want to take that as a "Fanboy" post, that's cool. I consider a "fanboy" post, the ones that iPhone/iPad users post that say:
iPhone user) "My iPhone is the best phone in the world"
Android user) "Really, why do you say that?"
iPhone user) "Because it's an iPhone and has more apps plus wifis and I got the one with bigger GeeBees!"
lyon21 said:
Ok, I don't know how this is a "fanboy" post but whatever. All I did was say that issues with launch devices are expected and stated my experiences but if you want to take that as a "Fanboy" post, that's cool. I consider a "fanboy" post, the ones that iPhone/iPad users post that say:
iPhone user) "My iPhone is the best phone in the world"
Android user) "Really, why do you say that?"
iPhone user) "Because it's an iPhone and has more apps plus wifis and I got the one with bigger GeeBees!"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my prime, but I must admit I do think that it merits some of the criticism it is getting. The last update vastly improved things for me, but I was 30 seconds away from returning it and I AM an android fanboy.
I got my prime a couple of days ago as much as i love it, its going to be returned because wifi is too weak. I will buy another one in hope it will be flawless but its annoying having to return it and wait again. Gps is also non existent but that isn't important to me.
Spurs027 said:
I got my prime a couple of days ago as much as i love it, its going to be returned because wifi is too weak. I will buy another one in hope it will be flawless but its annoying having to return it and wait again. Gps is also non existent but that isn't important to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's another good point. Although I find the Wifi as acceptable since latest update, the antenna still doesn't get near the speeds my MBA does.
restinbeast said:
Essentially I love my TP but if I could only have one, I do not think you can replace a full fledged laptop with the TP yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree with the majority of posts on here.. TP isn't strong enough as a laptop replacement. But it's perfectly fine when used to complement another device.
The best productivity aspect of the TP is the battery life!
If you've got WiFi you can RDP/Splashtop/Citrix to another OS for the productivity software.
If you're without WiFi you can write notes in evernote, do some light editing, save stuff in dropbox, etc etc and have it all sync up later.
As long as you're able (and willing) to adjust your work flow to make the most of the tools at your disposal you'll be fine.
Just got mine, but initial impressions aren't all that positive. The N10 is my 6/7?th tablet, so I think I have some reasonable comparisons (original iPad, Xoom, Acer, Asus TF101,102, Prime, Infinity).
I really dislike the layout of the N10 Android home/back buttons. I use my tablets almost exclusively in landscape mode, so having to reach to to middle of the screen to find home or back buttons BLOWS. I have large hands but I hate having to move my hand rather than reaching with my thumbs - seems so unnecessary. I also dislike Chrome as the defacto browser because it doesn't have Flash and the usual Android stock browser (which is very good overall) isn't loaded - so forced to use other browsers (with their own quirks) that do support Flash. Frankly, until every site on the net is available in HTML5, every device needs Flash support.
While the screen is nice, it's not something I noticed was mind blowingingly better than than the Asus Infinity (nor the Prime for that matter). I use my tablet all day long for reading and I don't find the resolution improvement offers much improvement.
The really nice thing about the N10 is the speaker locations. Makes a meaningful improvement over rear facing speakers on the Prime/Infinity. That said, volume is still too low - have to get an aftermarket app (like SpeakerBoost) to get volume up to decent levels for noisy environments.
Battery life seems good - better than the Asus Infinity/Prime, but obviously no dock to goose battery life a lot more. USB charger is slow on the N10. Asus wins that contest hands down.
Build quality seems good, but Asus Infinity is so much nicer (and thinner and lighter).
N10 offers smooth scrolling so the processor works nicely. Chrome works buttery smooth, but alas, lack of Flash is ridiculous as so many sites I visit still use Flash.
I'll keep for a few more days to see if it grows on me, but I think it's going back for a refund...
That said, if the N10 is your first high end tablet, you'll like it...
Wait a second, so you prefer the build and materials over smoothness and performance? What kind of cracked out world are we living in?
The browser is replaceable and flash is easily implemented so the only thing that you mention is feel and build. Maybe flesh out a little better of why you prefer the infinity or you will end up looking like that pierrekid moron.
You can solve your 2 main issues pretty easily actually :
Buttons: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2010280
Browser: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2006215
Tomatoes8 said:
...What kind of cracked out world are we living in?
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Click to collapse
The same world where somebody could mistake a Nexus 7 as an iPad Mini, before the iPad Mini was even released
The N10 is not using Tablet UI which explains why the navigation buttons are in the bottom-center. Tablet UI since 4.2 is deprecated in Google's eyes.
The N10 is also the "Google" experience, which is why Chrome is included by default. Flash player on Jellybean is not supported, and there's nothing you nor anyone else can do to warrant any kind of support from Google or Adobe regarding such matters. With this said though, there are various methods for getting Flash Player working on Jellybean. On devices that use an older OS (ICS for example), I guess Flash Player works just fine. Also... I run into very few sites that "require" flash player.
And... since this is a Nexus device, you can easily tailor the device to your needs. Your not forced with a lockdown bootloader, unlocking the bootloader doesn't void warranty, and the Nexus 10 is the best device supported on AOSP currently, which means customizing the Android experience should be... relatively easy for anyone (with experience). That button-location thing I mentioned, can be fixed with some modifications.
I haven't owned a Infinity, so I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure the Nexus 10 is more "open".
I would take chrome over transformers laggy browsers. They have terrible stock browsers. (Yes, download another one.) Tf201 was a TERRIBLE tablet! Battery was good but gps didnt work, bluetooth and wifi couldnt be used at the same time, wifi had terrible signal. Looked nice but that's about it. Nexus wins this.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda premium
Nothing mentioned in the OP should be an issue for anyone who has owned a Nexus device or has minimal knowledge on how to root and use custom roms/kernels.
WilliamShakespeare said:
Just got mine, but initial impressions aren't all that positive. The N10 is my 6/7?th tablet, so I think I have some reasonable comparisons (original iPad, Xoom, Acer, Asus TF101,102, Prime, Infinity).
I really dislike the layout of the N10 Android home/back buttons. I use my tablets almost exclusively in landscape mode, so having to reach to to middle of the screen to find home or back buttons BLOWS. I have large hands but I hate having to move my hand rather than reaching with my thumbs - seems so unnecessary. I also dislike Chrome as the defacto browser because it doesn't have Flash and the usual Android stock browser (which is very good overall) isn't loaded - so forced to use other browsers (with their own quirks) that do support Flash. Frankly, until every site on the net is available in HTML5, every device needs Flash support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bee answered your question. It's a very easy thing to accomplish. You can achieve your desired preference in future ROMs and in present ROMs available for the N10.
WilliamShakespeare said:
While the screen is nice, it's not something I noticed was mind blowingingly better than than the Asus Infinity (nor the Prime for that matter). I use my tablet all day long for reading and I don't find the resolution improvement offers much improvement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you being serious? If there's anything to gripe about it's the apps that have not been updated to provide the optimal performance for the N10, you'll have to be patient for the community to catch up to the specifications of the N10. They're beyond amazing when they have proper support compared to older tablets. The image quality is definitely noticeable in this case.
WilliamShakespeare said:
The really nice thing about the N10 is the speaker locations. Makes a meaningful improvement over rear facing speakers on the Prime/Infinity. That said, volume is still too low - have to get an aftermarket app (like SpeakerBoost) to get volume up to decent levels for noisy environments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the speaker locations are paramount. They should have always been the standard - which they will be now.
When playing movies using MX Player or playing music through Google Music, I have to turn the volume down as it gets too loud so I disagree with the volume being too low.
You honestly have to have hard of hearing to believe that. Why would anyone in a noisy enviroment not use headphones? The device comes with a headphone jack which would make sense to utilize in such enviroments.
For example:
Listening to music on a portable device such as the N10 when you're in a room with other people playing games (causing lots of noise) and then complaining about the volume being too low is being ignorant. Use your headphones.
WilliamShakespeare said:
Battery life seems good - better than the Asus Infinity/Prime, but obviously no dock to goose battery life a lot more. USB charger is slow on the N10. Asus wins that contest hands down.
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Click to collapse
You're comparing something to nothing. The pogo charger/dock hasn't been released for the N10 yet so resorting to comparing it to the stock charger, which only takes 5½ hours for me to charge from 0% is excellent for a 9000mah battery, is moot and completely nullifies your comparison. You should wait until Samsung/Google releases the pogo charger and/or keyboard dock.
WilliamShakespeare said:
Build quality seems good, but Asus Infinity is so much nicer (and thinner and lighter).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Build quality is superb for the Nexus 10. It really doesn't matter as it's all subjective and differs from individual to individual.
WilliamShakespeare said:
N10 offers smooth scrolling so the processor works nicely. Chrome works buttery smooth, but alas, lack of Flash is ridiculous as so many sites I visit still use Flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are alternatives to achieve the desired results.
WilliamShakespeare said:
I'll keep for a few more days to see if it grows on me, but I think it's going back for a refund...
That said, if the N10 is your first high end tablet, you'll like it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing that the Infinity would have over the N10 is the microSD expansion slot and maybe the camera, but who takes photos with tablets for art? Congrats.
Screen and screen resolution is inferior
Only has 1GB of ram
An abysmal 224ppi - tablets for that cost should have better ppi for a better picture quality.
Only supports MP3
so on so forth.
Someone who doesn't appreciate the price per power ratio of the N10 doesn't deserve to own one.
Return it and be gone.
Im sorry but you must be high or something. I came from the A500, GTab 10.1, Prime, Infinity then Note 10.1. The only tablet that I would consider going back to which I dont because the N10 is a beast, is the Note 10.1.
The Infinity has lots of problems and we all know what they are. I gladly sacrificed the keyboard dock for the N10 which wil be on craigslist shortly.
If you dont realize what you got there then its best that you do return your N10 and head back to the Infinity/Prime forum.
Oh and the screen... its definitely better then the Infinity in everyway.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
The Infinity is 0.5mm thinner and 5g lighter. I can't imagine how a human would actually notice that difference.
Folks,
give the OP some slack here. I can see how someone coming from TF700 would not see the N10 as a quantum leap.
Let me tell you a little secret ... I ordered the N10 about an hr after it went up for sale ... cancelled the order 20 mins later ... just could not think of why it would be so much better compared to the ... drum roll ... the TF101 I have ( I have 2 in the household ).
I am still hoping and praying that Sammy will release what was known as P10 , after the contractually obligated "do not compete" clause expires.
Dock, stylus, expansion slots ... CES may be ? Something that is free of Google's idiotic restrictions ...
Good luck waiting for dock and/or charger for N10
I just have one question:
You said USB charging on the Infinity was better. I had the Infinity for a while before I got my N10, and I could never actually get it to charge via USB. I'm still curious as how to actually get it to work.
I am wondering how you can even compare things that are clearly OS version and app dependent ??
Flash / Browser , yada yada yada ...
4.2 does not support flash end of story, you have to sideload or use something non-stock, it if you want flash to work.
So when you get 4.2.1 STOCK AOSP on the Infinity then you could actually make a fair comparison.
rashid11 said:
Folks,
give the OP some slack here. I can see how someone coming from TF700 would not see the N10 as a quantum leap.
Let me tell you a little secret ... I ordered the N10 about an hr after it went up for sale ... cancelled the order 20 mins later ... just could not think of why it would be so much better compared to the ... drum roll ... the TF101 I have ( I have 2 in the household ).
I am still hoping and praying that Sammy will release what was known as P10 , after the contractually obligated "do not compete" clause expires.
Dock, stylus, expansion slots ... CES may be ? Something that is free of Google's idiotic restrictions ...
Good luck waiting for dock and/or charger for N10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It makes sense to compare a tablet you own to the N10, but to go as far as saying there's another tablet that's factually better than the Nexus 10 with the points the OP claimed are anything but him having buyers remorse and trolling.
The reason I'm not going from the Galaxy Nexus to the Nexus 4 is because it's not a large enough gap in technology to warrant buying a new phone. The OP bought the N10 expecting it to project holograms and provide time travel and was disappointed it didn't so says that an inferior device is better than said device. It makes no sense. If it's not the upgrade you expected, don't blast the device. It's better than any of the tablets he mentioned albeit not a substantial upgrade.
I'm not going around the Nexus 4 forums saying the Galaxy Nexus is better because the upgrades are minimal compared to what I already own.
It's just irrelevant and ignorant to say such things with little to no context other than self-absorbed remorse.
This thread should be closed. It's pointless and disappointing.
I still can't figure it out. Unless build materials and weight is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than performance and battery life, which he admitted was superior on the Nexus 10, it doesn't make any sense.
His other issues are easily fixed through the play store or side load.
I wish the OP and and pierrekid would just cut out the BS politics and just come out and say I love Asus or I hate Google/Samsung build materials. Honesty is something that is sorely missing in today's society. Can't say I blame them though, sometimes you have to flat out lie to get ahead.
I myself have owned both a prime and an infinity, and back when I owned them, prayed daily that Google would release a 10inch tablet to the market. When they announced it, I knew I would give away my ASUS counterparts in a heartbeat no matter what. The prime/infinity had such lagginess, even with custom roms, you could tell the I/O suffered immensely
I couldn't be happier with my N10. It's a f*ck*in monster, and the screen res blows away the infinity. Put em up side by side...you can tell a difference.
I would never go back to ASUS again. I can't even believe this is a discussion. There were so many unhappy asus owners, and hell...there still are this very day!
God bless Google and doing the Nexus 4, 7 and 10. They are an ARMY!
Buttons that are centered, can easily be solved in the near future with a custom rom. Not to mention anything else you have as a pet peeve
How would anyone prefer the Asus tablet when it is confirmed it has a poor hardware memory which causes slowdowns and freezes?
Maybe you haven't heard about the I/O problems with Asus tablets...
No way a tablet with memory hardware problems is better than the nexus 10.
Agreed
Had 2 Asus Tf700 and I return both them back..
Too much problem
1-Bluetooth lag
2-It couldn't handle a lot media files
3-Dead trigger was crashing on my device all the time,called Madfinger and they know what to the me.
4-Stupid Asus want to follow Apple footsteps, only one speaker....
Etc.....
The only good thing about the TF700 is the aluminum body.
Glad Google come out with this device..
PS:And don't have to wait for an update when it is released...
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app
I agree with the OP, the nexus 10 is my 3rd tablet(the other 2 are the trasformer tf300 and the Infinity). Both tf300 and the Infinity play somewhat fine with Blu ray movies in MKV format. Hoping for better smoothness and performance in videos with the Nexus 10, i was disappointing to find out the Infinity did better than the Nexus 10 in video playback(using mxplayer pro)
MysticPain7 said:
I agree with the OP, the nexus 10 is my 3rd tablet(the other 2 are the trasformer tf300 and the Infinity). Both tf300 and the Infinity play somewhat fine with Blu ray movies in MKV format. Hoping for better smoothness and performance in videos with the Nexus 10, i was disappointing to find out the Infinity did better than the Nexus 10 in video playback(using mxplayer pro)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Media playback will improve once media players are updated to support the N10's GPU. I've had to use software rending 5 out of 10 times with the videos I've watched.
The idea of this thread is ridiculous to me. This tablet has been exactly what I hoped it to be. I can actually still use my tablet while updating apps. I can open more than one webpage without immense stuttering (even complex ones), and I can switch between them without waiting an unbearably long time (thank you, 2GB of ram). I can switch between apps with very minimal delay (that is nicely covered up by a system animation). In short - I can use my tablet without it getting in the way.
I guess I can add to that the fact that the build quality on mine seems stellar, and light bleed is virtually non-existent. I love the material on the back. And I haven't had any issues with resets.
This is the tablet that I can just use without getting frustrated. I may eventually want to install a custom rom and theme it (something I have done to every device I have owned in the last 6 years). Heck, this seems like a perfect candidate for one of the "prettier" themes. But right now, I'm just enjoying using it.
Most things you mentioned can be fixed. Use boat browser and install flash on it manually, its really fast and flash works with no problems.
I don't like the stock Nav bar too and use Lmt instead, gives me the full 10 inch real estate and is convenient to use.
This tablet is awesome and I have used tons of tablet in the past, Plus its a nexus device and there is already tons of development in the forums in addition to the up to date android os
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app