[Q] How long will Prime be supported with software updates? - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Does anybody know how long Asus will be supporting software updates for the Prime?
I just got the tablet 2 months ago and would be disappointed if the new T300 and T700 got all the attention and they just forget about us.

legally they have to support android for, what is it, a year? Something about google getting too many complaints, people buying android phones and they were not getting the updates as they were coming so google agreed to slow down releases of new versions of android and manufacturers have to support the devices for a minimum amount of time, which i think is a year.
either way, the original transformer has an update to ICS and its over a year old, we should be good at least until the next version of android. On top of that, as far as i know between the 300 and the 700 we should have the same support from the same chips so even if were not supported our wonderful devs could prolly take updates from these two devices and apply them to the prime.
Im not worried about updates, and you shouldn't be either.

3.
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months.

texstar said:
Does anybody know how long Asus will be supporting software updates for the Prime?
I just got the tablet 2 months ago and would be disappointed if the new T300 and T700 got all the attention and they just forget about us.
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Click to collapse
Really it is immaterial how long ASUS provide updates. Once your warranty is up there is no reason not to unlock, and then you can be sure of updates pretty much forever

18 months was what Google said that their official partners (of which Asus is one of) have to provide official support (read OTA updates).
I have to agree with Barry though, official support is a bit of a non-issue at least to most users here at XDA.

jdeoxys said:
3.
14159265358979323846 months.
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Oh geeze, another awesome XDA forum post. The reason for the post was to determine if I want to keep the Prime or not. I don't want to be sitting here watching the new tabs getting all the good stuff and nothing for Prime owners.

pileot said:
legally they have to support android for, what is it, a year? Something about google getting too many complaints, people buying android phones and they were not getting the updates as they were coming so google agreed to slow down releases of new versions of android and manufacturers have to support the devices for a minimum amount of time, which i think is a year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information. A year is good enough for me. By then it will be out of warranty and ready for external mods.
Tex

Related

I bought a Viewsonic G-Tablet. Did I make a good choice?

What do you like or not like about your G-Tablet?
For 299.99 shipped I couldn't pass it up.
Did I get a good deal? Should I have picked a different tablet?
Is there anything beside viewing angles that I should have to learn to put up with?
parson33 said:
What do you like or not like about your G-Tablet?
For 299.99 shipped I couldn't pass it up.
Did I get a good deal? Should I have picked a different tablet?
Is there anything beside viewing angles that I should have to learn to put up with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have spent another $100 and bought an asus. There are multiple issues that don't exist in the asus and are well worth $100
Asus got its own perks... and besides viewing angles this tablet is doing what I need. I see no other issues unless you have to have HC OS.
thebadfrog said:
You should have spent another $100 and bought an asus. There are multiple issues that don't exist in the asus and are well worth $100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does this help him? Buy an Asus, ipad, xoom or whatever the flavor of the week is?
The dev community and the price tag make the g tablet a win. If you were forced to run stock that's a different story.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
Where shall I start.....
Hardware accelleration is hacked at best.
Quality control is less than stellar
Viewing angles are horrid
You have about 50% chance of soft bricking your device whether you customize it or not
You have about 5% chance of hard bricking it doing the exact same thing everyone else does and they have no issue
This product is most definitely at the end of its life
The newer tablets work with the market out of the box
The newer tablet have hardware acceleration
The newer tablets have better screens
The newer tablet have support from the manufacturer
He asked for opinions. IMO spending $100 for way better viewing angles, newer software, support from a proven laptop/netbook manufacturer, google market out of the box, and official support from app devs as these tabs are authorized to have the market.
BTW.....most of the top devs are either moving to the asus or something like it. As well as all the top devs who haven't jumped into the tab market yet are gettting the asus or something like it. If you want to follow the dev community then buy what they are buying not what they are putting down
thebadfrog said:
Where shall I start.....
Hardware accelleration is hacked at best.
Quality control is less than stellar
Viewing angles are horrid
You have about 50% chance of soft bricking your device whether you customize it or not
You have about 5% chance of hard bricking it doing the exact same thing everyone else does and they have no issue
This product is most definitely at the end of its life
The newer tablets work with the market out of the box
The newer tablet have hardware acceleration
The newer tablets have better screens
The newer tablet have support from the manufacturer
He asked for opinions. IMO spending $100 for way better viewing angles, newer software, support from a proven laptop/netbook manufacturer, google market out of the box, and official support from app devs as these tabs are authorized to have the market.
BTW.....most of the top devs are either moving to the asus or something like it. As well as all the top devs who haven't jumped into the tab market yet are gettting the asus or something like it. If you want to follow the dev community then buy what they are buying not what they are putting down
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget to mention that the touchscreen itself is a pain - hardly multi-touch at all.....
thebadfrog said:
He asked for opinions. IMO spending $100 for way better viewing angles, newer software, support from a proven laptop/netbook manufacturer, google market out of the box, and official support from app devs as these tabs are authorized to have the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you bought this tablet to screw around with, it's teh awesome.
All tablets are obsolete about 5 months after they're announced, let alone shipped. That doesn't make any of them any less useful. Android support from the manufactures is currently the thing that is most horrible compared to that other tablet OS - where you get an update, and - well - all of the devices are updated. Android updates? Yeah... up to each manufacturer. Good luck with your 3 - 6 month old tablet, the new OS will be on the next tablet. Welcome to Android, it's Open! And Free! Yay!
You made a bad choice if you think you did. If you're happy with your choice, you made a great choice.
If you have doubts or regrets already, and you can still return it, DO IT. Get something else. Maybe even a different OS.
I'm quite happy with mine, and I've had it nearly two weeks I'm learning a lot, and the price was right. Personally, for $400, I'd still NOT have an android tablet, but that's just me.
thebadfrog said:
Where shall I start.....
Hardware accelleration is hacked at best.
Quality control is less than stellar
Viewing angles are horrid
You have about 50% chance of soft bricking your device whether you customize it or not
You have about 5% chance of hard bricking it doing the exact same thing everyone else does and they have no issue
This product is most definitely at the end of its life
The newer tablets work with the market out of the box
The newer tablet have hardware acceleration
The newer tablets have better screens
The newer tablet have support from the manufacturer
He asked for opinions. IMO spending $100 for way better viewing angles, newer software, support from a proven laptop/netbook manufacturer, google market out of the box, and official support from app devs as these tabs are authorized to have the market.
BTW.....most of the top devs are either moving to the asus or something like it. As well as all the top devs who haven't jumped into the tab market yet are gettting the asus or something like it. If you want to follow the dev community then buy what they are buying not what they are putting down
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All nice...but...none of this is what the OP asked. He/She wanted to know was this a good purchase at a good price. I'm sure he/she saw other tablets on the market and shopped within budget. There's always a step up you can spring for, show me a better tablet at or under $300.00 and I'll recant.
Should I buy the BMW, why not the Mercedes.
I agree with schettj 100% btw....he just asked for opinions
parson33 said:
Is there anything beside viewing angles that I should have to learn to put up with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe my response answered the OP
schettj said:
If you bought this tablet to screw around with, it's teh awesome.
All tablets are obsolete about 5 months after they're announced, let alone shipped. That doesn't make any of them any less useful. Android support from the manufactures is currently the thing that is most horrible compared to that other tablet OS - where you get an update, and - well - all of the devices are updated. Android updates? Yeah... up to each manufacturer. Good luck with your 3 - 6 month old tablet, the new OS will be on the next tablet. Welcome to Android, it's Open! And Free! Yay!
You made a bad choice if you think you did. If you're happy with your choice, you made a great choice.
If you have doubts or regrets already, and you can still return it, DO IT. Get something else. Maybe even a different OS.
I'm quite happy with mine, and I've had it nearly two weeks I'm learning a lot, and the price was right. Personally, for $400, I'd still NOT have an android tablet, but that's just me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said, the technology is moving so fast all of these things are becoming obselete .
thebadfrog said:
I agree with schettj 100% btw....he just asked for opinions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I probably need to dial it back a bit, it's all good.
As a side, where the hell can you get an Asus these days (I tried ).
lrs421 said:
Well said, the technology is moving so fast all of these things are becoming obselete .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a difference here that I don't think is recognized.
What thebadfrog says above:
The newer tablet have support from the manufacturer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is a huge deal IMHO. I don't recommend anyone buy a Samsung phone because their support sucks (even Google Android devs can't stand them and hate working with them). While their hardware is great.
HTC is the best smartphone maker out there - hands down. The continued support they provide the community and their phones is second to none. Look at how many of their old phones are still getting updates? My Evo is almost a year old and is about to get Gingerbread direct from HTC (even though CM7 is out for it).
So that's another thing to look at. You don't want to drop $300 every 6 months in order to maintain support - you want to find a device made by a manufacturer that has a proven support track record - and Asus is one, Acer is another. Viewsonic is not. We're in an age where, while there is new stuff coming out daily, the existing hardware is still viable due to the community and the manufacturer support (when you pick the right one).
I think it's often overlooked.
Quality is everything to me, my Xoom does everything I need and it's stable, plus it will most likely get regular updates to issues and featurees. Still, it looks like a great tablet compared the Galaxy Tab.
Sent from my HTC Dream
jerdog said:
There is a difference here that I don't think is recognized.
What thebadfrog says above:
is a huge deal IMHO. I don't recommend anyone buy a Samsung phone because their support sucks (even Google Android devs can't stand them and hate working with them). While their hardware is great.
HTC is the best smartphone maker out there - hands down. The continued support they provide the community and their phones is second to none. Look at how many of their old phones are still getting updates? My Evo is almost a year old and is about to get Gingerbread direct from HTC (even though CM7 is out for it).
So that's another thing to look at. You don't want to drop $300 every 6 months in order to maintain support - you want to find a device made by a manufacturer that has a proven support track record - and Asus is one, Acer is another. Viewsonic is not. We're in an age where, while there is new stuff coming out daily, the existing hardware is still viable due to the community and the manufacturer support (when you pick the right one).
I think it's often overlooked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good point and the reason I chucked my Captivate in favor of the HTC Inspire. I admit that I didn't realize how bad Viewsonic's support was going in, with that said, I still think this is the best choice at or under $300.00 Now if the OP wants to fork up the extra cash I say go for it, I looked for the Asus myself and may infact purchase one whenever they become available.
lrs421 said:
Yeah I probably need to dial it back a bit, it's all good.
As a side, where the hell can you get an Asus these days (I tried ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is on back order hopefully to be delivered next week.
thebadfrog said:
Mine is on back order hopefully to be delivered next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's good news. Enjoy, they're pretty much gone and many stores stopped accepting back orders.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
lrs421 said:
That's a good point and the reason I chucked my Captivate in favor of the HTC Inspire. I admit that I didn't realize how bad Viewsonic's support was going in, with that said, I still think this is the best choice at or under $300.00 Now if the OP wants to fork up the extra cash I say go for it, I looked for the Asus myself and may infact purchase one whenever they become available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't seriously consider any tablet when they were 400 dollars or over. I would buy an Asus down the line (when it is close to obsolete) when it hits 299.99 or lower.
However I was not aware Viewsonic did not support the G-Tablet very well. Is support in this forum from developers going to dry up in the next year? If I could get year out of this tablet I would be happy. Obviously I hoping for Gingerbread. Or Honeycomb rather? I am a newbie. (can't you tell?)
Its hard to say what support is going to look like, but the older this item gets the more development its likely to lose, its the natural order of things.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
lrs421 said:
Its hard to say what support is going to look like, but the older this item gets the more development its likely to lose, its the natural order of things.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are different factors too.... Look at the Nexus One. Still getting updates (albeit it's Google's), but TMobile is still pushing updates for the myTouch.... The Evo is 1yr old. Others are older and still getting development from the community at-large. A company's willingness to be open to the community contributes as well....

Let ASUS Feel Our Wrath - Operation BBB

I submitted a complaint to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) yesterday, BBB approved it and sent it to ASUS.
We should all complain to the BBB. That'll really show ASUS there's a problem and if they don't deal with it, the BBB will do them in nicely, no lube, just like ASUS did with us.
https://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/complaint/new/16870
File a complaint. It'll take 2 minutes of your life, but these 2 minutes will have a bigger result than the last 3 hours you spent in here looking for threads that would solve whichever of the 50 problems you may have with your Prime.
P.S. There's a debate on whether or not it's getting discontinued and I remember Asus stating that the tf700 will be the "big brother" to our tf201 as an upgraded higher end model. But I don't believe a single word they say any more.
Why? Because I also remember Asus reassuring us that the rumor of the Wifi being screwed up and release date getting pushed back was false and everything was fine.
I also remember Asus stating we're getting ICS on the 12th, but came out on the 9th. If you didn't realize, it was to appease tf201 owners because of the kick in the balls we got from the announcement of the tf700.
And since we've all had problems, Asus has not said A SINGLE word. What does that say about the company?
ramtripper said:
And since we've all had problems, Asus has not said A SINGLE word. What does that say about the company?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ASUS has said several words, and even some sentences regarding the common issues.
BUYMECAR said:
ASUS has said several words, and even some sentences regarding the common issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? for what the camera issue? how about wifi/gps problems, serial unknown, screen scrambling with horizontal lines, random reboots?
i personally have all of these problems, I've not encountered any fixes or "sentences" coming from asus about these.
ramtripper said:
really? for what the camera issue? how about wifi/gps problems, serial unknown, screen scrambling with horizontal lines, random reboots?
i personally have all of these problems, I've not encountered any fixes or "sentences" coming from asus about these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed this is a mess I have never seen a product be such a crapshoot for what problem you might have. Anyone buying one of these has several things to worry about when buying one and who wants to have to feel extremely lucky to get what you paid for? not me
All processors are not created equal. The ics update bumped the processor speed from 1.4 Max to 1.6 max. Your unit probably has a processor that couldn't handle the bump. Yours is probably the 1 out of 100 cores that can't handle over clocking well. The lines on the screen sound like a processor issue. Best thing to do is to contact asus with the issue and ask for a replacement or Exchange from the store u bought it from.
I have had 0 issues with mine so I'll send in positive review since i have had a great experience.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
ramtripper said:
really? for what the camera issue? how about wifi/gps problems, serial unknown, screen scrambling with horizontal lines, random reboots?
i personally have all of these problems, I've not encountered any fixes or "sentences" coming from asus about these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't talk if you don't know anything..
Thank you very much for all of the support you have given to ASUS. Eee Pad Transformer Prime received excellent reviews and great demand when it launched in December 2011. Now, we are continuing to make the Transformer Prime available in the worldwide market, and doing our best to fulfill the incredible demand. ASUS strives to create the best products and provide the best service for our customers, and will be releasing an FOTA update for the Transformer Prime shortly. This update, version 8.8.3.33, will improve the focus of the camera, the fluidity of the touch experience, and the APK capabilities in Android Market.
ASUS has been working hard to make the highly anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich available on the Transformer Prime, and today, we have good news for you. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich FOTA worldwide update for the Transformer Prime will start from Jan 12th, 2012. Thank you for your patience and support through this process.
In addition, we would like to address your concerns related to GPS and bootloader on the Transformer Prime.
The ASUS Transformer Prime is made from a metallic unibody design, so the material may affect the performance of the GPS when receiving signals from satellites. Please note that this product is not a professional GPS device, and signal performance can be easily influenced by factors including, but not limited to: weather, buildings, and surrounding environments. Please understand there are limitations when using the GPS function. To avoid inconveniencing users who demand a powerful GPS device, we made the decision to remove it from our specification sheet and marketing communications. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers' requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience. Also, based on our experience, users who choose to root their devices risk breaking the system completely. However, we know there is demand in the modding community to have an unlocked bootloader. Therefore, ASUS is developing an unlock tool for that community. Please do note that if you choose to unlock your device, the ASUS warranty will be void, and Google video rental will also be unavailable because the device will be no longer protected by security mechanism.
Thank you for all the understanding and support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Happy New Year!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
corban227 said:
All processors are not created equal. The ics update bumped the processor speed from 1.4 Max to 1.6 max. Your unit probably has a processor that couldn't handle the bump. Yours is probably the 1 out of 100 cores that can't handle over clocking well. The lines on the screen sound like a processor issue. Best thing to do is to contact asus with the issue and ask for a replacement or Exchange from the store u bought it from.
I have had 0 issues with mine so I'll send in positive review since i have had a great experience.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where did u get that i have ics? why would they have a release for our primes, if some of them cant handle a standard update of a slight overclock?
my friend, if i pay 500 for a product, i want it to be equal to urs and everybody elses. not be worth $249, and urs is $449, and that guys is 500, and the other guys is 323.
i dont have ics, as my unit was not created equal, i have an unknown serial number, which they havent spoken a word about, leaving me to 0 ota updates and having to manually update myself. Maybe if they thought of uploading a file to their support site for ICS (not a task that's very complicated), id be less upset, but that still wouldn't solve some major issues.
these guys ****ed up. that's the bottom line. Go read all the 100 threads about how they ****ed up if u can't understand that.
This is also a thread for people who feel they've ****ed up, not people who have perfect primes. So please don't spam it. Thanks.
JoeyLe said:
Don't talk if you don't know anything..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are issues from long ago. I'm talking about issues since early january. They haven't fixed **** and they've released a new prime to cover up for it. Don't talk if you're too thick can't read between the lines.
The CPU did not jump up to 1.6, it just shows it but does not run at it unless you use the tool created by viperboy. There is a few threads about this already.
ramtripper said:
1. There's a debate on whether or not it's getting discontinued and I remember Asus stating that the tf700 will be the "big brother" to our tf201 as an upgraded higher end model. But I don't believe a single word they say any more.
2. Why? Because I also remember Asus reassuring us that the rumor of the Wifi being screwed up and release date getting pushed back was false and everything was fine.
3. I also remember Asus stating we're getting ICS on the 12th, but came out on the 9th. If you didn't realize, it was to appease tf201 owners because of the kick in the balls we got from the announcement of the tf700.
4. And since we've all had problems, Asus has not said A SINGLE word. What does that say about the company?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The TF700 is the upmarket Prime unit. The TF201 is not discontinued and continues on.
2. The release date was always the week of 12/17 and was not pushed back. As for WiFi performance, we are investigating a firmware problem on several early boards right now.
3. ICS passed Google Certification earlier than expected so we pushed it live. First time I have heard a complaint about beating expectations.
4. We have been quite active on this forum and others. I know I have stated at least a few words on these subjects.
corban227 said:
All processors are not created equal. The ics update bumped the processor speed from 1.4 Max to 1.6 max. Your unit probably has a processor that couldn't handle the bump. Yours is probably the 1 out of 100 cores that can't handle over clocking well. The lines on the screen sound like a processor issue. Best thing to do is to contact asus with the issue and ask for a replacement or Exchange from the store u bought it from.
I have had 0 issues with mine so I'll send in positive review since i have had a great experience.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Devices weren't actually overclocked. I started that thread. It was actually confirmed the overclock speeds are dormant. If you get CPU spy (free) and look, you will see those higher overclocked are not actually used.
NOW IF YOU want a real overclock, go into Android developement section and check out ViperBoy latest creation, ViperConrol Mod. Which allows overclocking to 1.5 &1.6ghz speeds. That can be confirmed through CPU spy.
ramtripper said:
these guys ****ed up. that's the bottom line. Go read all the 100 threads about how they ****ed up if u can't understand that.
This is also a thread for people who feel they've ****ed up, not people who have perfect primes. So please don't spam it. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
omg I just cried laughing so hard I agree with everything you say where have you been for the past week!!!!
Gary Key said:
1. The TF700 is the upmarket Prime unit. The TF201 is not discontinued and continues on.
2. The release date was always the week of 12/17 and was not pushed back. As for WiFi performance, we are investigating a firmware problem on several early boards right now.
3. ICS passed Google Certification earlier than expected so we pushed it live. First time I have heard a complaint about beating expectations.
4. We have been quite active on this forum and others. I know I have stated at least a few words on these subjects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm tired of all these rumor threads n such also. MODS will deal with them. GENERAL section becoming cluttered with b.s. Reporting Asus won't do anything..lol. Glad my Prime works fine n don't have to go thru all this
ramtripper said:
And since we've all had problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a firm believer in the BBB and use it myself to get company's to listen, so good for anyone that is having issues that can not get resolved, but please don't bring all of us into this as my Prime is perfect, I have had zero issues to date.
The BBB can't do anything to asus except ask them to resolve the issue with people that complain. They are a private company with no power over anyone.
edit: Asus doesn't even pay to be listed by the BBB.
Waaaa Waaaaa Waaaaa..... Exchange it and quit spamming!
Here's a website that may help get some results if there's enough people who will act:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/index.shtml
Don't delay, do it today!
Gary Key said:
1. The TF700 is the upmarket Prime unit. The TF201 is not discontinued and continues on.
2. The release date was always the week of 12/17 and was not pushed back. As for WiFi performance, we are investigating a firmware problem on several early boards right now.
3. ICS passed Google Certification earlier than expected so we pushed it live. First time I have heard a complaint about beating expectations.
4. We have been quite active on this forum and others. I know I have stated at least a few words on these subjects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you should be a "quiet voice" anymore. The more we know about it means there will be less rumors spreading for the most part. I would think since this was just released and it, for the time being, is your new flagship tablet, we would have more feedback from our real issues. If we see that you are being proactive, it would help some people sleep better at night lol. Being silent about everything is really not a foos thing with all of this drama unfolding. If the 700 model is an upgraded model, why dis they call it a "Prime", I would have created it another name like bumblebee or something. Naming it the samething seems to me like a replacement for this current one. So if you could be more proactive on the forums, FB, Twitter about everything, I think it would really help out a lot
doeboy1984 said:
I don't think you should be a "quiet voice" anymore. The more we know about it means there will be less rumors spreading for the most part. I would think since this was just released and it, for the time being, is your new flagship tablet, we would have more feedback from our real issues. If we see that you are being proactive, it would help some people sleep better at night lol. Being silent about everything is really not a foos thing with all of this drama unfolding. If the 700 model is an upgraded model, why dis they call it a "Prime", I would have created it another name like bumblebee or something. Naming it the samething seems to me like a replacement for this current one. So if you could be more proactive on the forums, FB, Twitter about everything, I think it would really help out a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. It'd also help if there was an update to how long we have to wait for a fix, or if there will be a fix, as some of us... if not all of us have a limited time to return this tablet if we are unhappy with it.
I don't want to return it because I like it's potential. But it's potential means nothing if it will not be fixed.
Gary Key said:
1. The TF700 is the upmarket Prime unit. The TF201 is not discontinued and continues on.
2. The release date was always the week of 12/17 and was not pushed back. As for WiFi performance, we are investigating a firmware problem on several early boards right now.
3. ICS passed Google Certification earlier than expected so we pushed it live. First time I have heard a complaint about beating expectations.
4. We have been quite active on this forum and others. I know I have stated at least a few words on these subjects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Then what is the reason for some stores "deactivating" it. (im not 100% saying its been discontinued, but i feel like it may be if theres going to be many problems on a good % of the models)
2. The release stayed the same, but there was a rumor about the wifi being bad and release date getting pushed back which Asus squashed saying the wifi is FINE and the release date will stay the same. As far as I can tell, the wifi is not FINE , and the release date was the 19th, but with a ton of backorders and delays (for more than a month in many cases).
3. It's not about ICS getting released early, it's just fishy it was released the same day the tf700 was announced. Seems like a cover-up. If you notice, a very good % of prime owners aren't too happy with a 3 weeks later announcement of something superior, when half the owners haven't even received their item yet.
4. I don't know how active you've been, but I haven't seen too much happen in over a week or two regarding fixes or updates (im not talking about firmware update 8.8.3.33 which solved a slight camera lag issue).
From my experience with newegg, a deactivated product could mean it's no longer available or they will no longer stock it or they have decided not to carry it. Amazon does the same thing when customer reviews are extemely low.
I imagine a high return rate would prompt this as well.

Different Angle on Bootloader Unlock

I was thinking about Asus's statement that they would release the unlock tool in response to the Facebook, social network, etc. campaign. Has anyone else considered that Asus had no intention of releasing the tool but instead was just calming the flames as quickly as possible so that they could sell off the inventory they had and prevent those who found this to be a deal breaker from returning their tabs. They give a February release date for the tool knowing that the majority of the tabs would be sold in January thereby getting past any 30 day return issues. They then bank on the fact that most would wait out the month for the unlock tool. This is pure speculation but given their history of issues with the release, gps, and wifi, I'm starting to wonder.
I don't understand why they would do such a thing. If you unlock the bootloader on your device, you void the warranty.
Asus won't have to support your device anymore and you would be able to play with roms (or even brick your TF201) all you want.
It's a win-win situation IMO.
I doubt it. Lying to your customers seems like it would cause so much more negative press and make people not want to buy from you again. I know if they never released it, I personally wouldn't ever buy anything from Asus again as I don't want to support a company who lies to their customers.
Not only would they lose out on us buying future products, they would also lose out on us recommending their stuff to others. I personally have recommended the Prime to 2 other people and they bought it after that. They would be losing all that money too because if they did lie to us, then in the future I'd try hard to get people not to buy Asus products since I wouldn't want anyone to support a lying company.
But I believe in Asus and I think they'll release it soon.
I agree it wouldn't make good business sense, but their last two tablet releases have been absolute disasters. They made a device with what can only be described as a "signal shield" for a backing, throttled supply, released it before it was ready, and then decided to announce a newer version with the fix we should have had. They haven't done anything that's logical in the last 18 months. I'm just saying that I have my questions as to whether there is any intention of releasing an unlock tool anytime soon. I seriously hope I'm wrong.
The TF101 was a disaster? Huh... *Races to phone* Quick! Call every major technology news outlet and blog, tell them they were wrong! Ha, I'm just kidding, but yeah, I understand the Prime has faults. I am ordering one very very soon and I look forward to it. I am not concerned with the WiFi issue as I have played with one in my house and at school and so far I have not a single complaint. I have returned the test unit to my friend today and I can't wait for mine to arrive!
As was noted i the other thread today on WiFi and the Bootloader, releasing an unlocker is a legal nightmare. NOT because it voids warranties - that's a good thing for Asus, but because they have to "Present" it with the correct legalese. There are places where a warranty CANNOT BE VOIDED by things like user actions especially with an ASUS provided tool.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1503267
Its just too complicated in today's litigation happy world to do obvious practical solutions without spending huge amounts of resources doing CYA... A shame, really.
Well I'm sure the story would be run on Web sites that they lied and would be pretty horrible press. I think it will come.
I think some are missing my point. We didn't set the February timeline, they did. If it's a legal nightmare then they shouldn't have said anything about a release time frame. I wasn't starting a "trash the prime" thread, I can live with its shortcomings if the bootloader is unlocked. And to the response about the original transformer, the release was a disaster and that's what I was talking about in the OP. All I know is that there's 11 days left in the month and there are people saying they know people on the inside that are disputing an unlock in February or possibly ever.
johnnyutah22 said:
I think some are missing my point. We didn't set the February timeline, they did. If it's a legal nightmare then they shouldn't have said anything about a release time frame. I wasn't starting a "trash the prime" thread, I can live with its shortcomings if the bootloader is unlocked. And to the response about the original transformer, the release was a disaster and that's what I was talking about in the OP. All I know is that there's 11 days left in the month and there are people saying they know people on the inside that are disputing an unlock in February or possibly ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, February is just past half over, still plenty of time. I expect them to hold to their word on this personally and will not speculate or pass judgment until March 1
That would be the worst mistake they ever made in their lives. I would personally call chuck norris.
Frooty said:
I doubt it. Lying to your customers seems like it would cause so much more negative press and make people not want to buy from you again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Motorola does it all the time and ppl still buy their junk. They promised a bootloader unlocker for the various Droid phones in 2011 and then... silence. Don't ever trust a "promise" from a corporation they mean nothing.
Asus has worked on the bootloader. A well known dev (Bumblebee) had posted on twitter a message congratulating Asus for taking the first steps in implementing the code necessary to unlock the bootloader. That code appears in the .13 firmware update.
Bumblebee is one of the devs that found rooting exploits for the TF and TFP so I trust what he says. He is often found in the #asus-transformer IRC channel.
johnnyutah22 said:
I was thinking about Asus's statement that they would release the unlock tool in response to the Facebook, social network, etc. campaign. Has anyone else considered that Asus had no intention of releasing the tool but instead was just calming the flames as quickly as possible so that they could sell off the inventory they had and prevent those who found this to be a deal breaker from returning their tabs. They give a February release date for the tool knowing that the majority of the tabs would be sold in January thereby getting past any 30 day return issues. They then bank on the fact that most would wait out the month for the unlock tool. This is pure speculation but given their history of issues with the release, gps, and wifi, I'm starting to wonder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. What about the moon landing?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
dilligaf said:
Wow. What about the moon landing?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really just thought my account got hacked for a minute....
dilligaf said:
Wow. What about the moon landing?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take it for what it's worth, just a thought. I guess it's crazy to think that Asus wouldn't release the tool in February.
Funny. I saw a post from you the other day and did a big WTF.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
johnnyutah22 said:
Take it for what it's worth, just a thought. I guess it's crazy to think that Asus wouldn't release the tool in February.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may not hit in Feb, but I'd attribute that more to legalities and not fraud.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
3DSammy said:
Asus has worked on the bootloader. A well known dev (Bumblebee) had posted on twitter a message congratulating Asus for taking the first steps in implementing the code necessary to unlock the bootloader. That code appears in the .13 firmware update.
Bumblebee is one of the devs that found rooting exploits for the TF and TFP so I trust what he says. He is often found in the #asus-transformer IRC channel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not trying to derail the thread, but I've been wondering... Does anyone know what devs have been working with the prime? I'm never on IRC and am not in 'the loop'. I guess I'm mainly wondering who to expect ROM's, themes and kernels from.

Android 5.0 Jelly Bean coming in the Fall

Oh man,
It's coming in the fall while we don't even have 4.0 ICS available yet
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9224652/Google_exec_hints_of_Android_5.0_release_this_fall_?taxonomyId=15
I'm "in love" with AT&T
You're probably right, but it seems Rezound users aren't anxious to get 4.0, if you read through this thread...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1519312
I want ISC cause i've heard that optimizes to run faster on the devices (own a Xoom ISC). And my Note much slower and lagging than my ATT SG2.
The premise of the group was that phone manufacturers and wireless carriers would provide timely upgrades of devices during their first 18 months on the market.
That being said, following ATT upgrade timeline, we should see it by next Christmas if indeed it is released by fall.
I'm starting to think that if you want a specific flavor of Android, you better buy it with the flavor you want. Once they have you hooked they don't seem too interested in upgrading the OS. That goes for all devices, not just the Note. Just another reason to hate AT&T.
kimtyson said:
I'm starting to think that if you want a specific flavor of Android, you better buy it with the flavor you want. Once they have you hooked they don't seem too interested in upgrading the OS. That goes for all devices, not just the Note. Just another reason to hate AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard ya. ICS is not really my flavor. I just hope the Note will be smoother with ICS. If the Note as fast as my Gingerbread ATT S2 then i have no complain at all. Seriously, I use ICS 4.03 in my Xoom and didn't really see any huge improvement that i need to die for.
SamXp said:
You're probably right, but it seems Rezound users aren't anxious to get 4.0, if you read through this thread...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1519312
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're pissed because their phone doesn't have ICS but a new phone coming out does.
itsnowornever said:
The premise of the group was that phone manufacturers and wireless carriers would provide timely upgrades of devices during their first 18 months on the market.
That being said, following ATT upgrade timeline, we should see it by next Christmas if indeed it is released by fall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If 5.0 is released in the fall, I have a hard time believing any carrier branded device out at the moment will have it by Christmas.
joshnichols189 said:
They're pissed because their phone doesn't have ICS but a new phone coming out does.
If 5.0 is released in the fall, I have a hard time believing any carrier branded device out at the moment will have it by Christmas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said NEXT christmas....read the article quote---the "team" has to get updates out within 18 months of release...so NEXT Christmas....If I meant Christmas 2012, then I would have just said "christmas"...."Next Christmas" means the next one coming not this one.
Most people don't even have ICS yet (nor will probably get it by THIS fall). I'm sure this is going to come to devices further down the road than we expect.
kimtyson said:
I'm starting to think that if you want a specific flavor of Android, you better buy it with the flavor you want. Once they have you hooked they don't seem too interested in upgrading the OS. That goes for all devices, not just the Note. Just another reason to hate AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. It's odd to see people buy devices with some anticipation of an upgrade later rather than to use the device as is out of the box. True, manufacturers and carriers *should* provide updates, but as a consumer you should be sure that you're satisfied with what you're buying when you buy it.
burhanistan said:
Yep. It's odd to see people buy devices with some anticipation of an upgrade later rather than to use the device as is out of the box. True, manufacturers and carriers *should* provide updates, but as a consumer you should be sure that you're satisfied with what you're buying when you buy it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you see my thread above

1 Month since we've heard from Gary

Are you still around or did you abandon us and move on? A quick update of any progess would be nice at this point.
I think an attorney snooping around ASSUS files would get some action. Time to make some demands or look into class action.
This is no way to treat a cash paying customer.
Not sure what you guys are expecting this late in Prime's life..
Make no mistake, I am by far one of the biggest critic of Asus & heck... Gary too...
Also, I've kept saying this for a while... "Gary is marketing/PR person. He is here for dmg control"
He wasn't here to "HELP" or whatever, nor can he really give an insight into anything... this is XDA, if Asus really wanted to help us... S/W or Engineer would have been in this board... NOT A MARKETING guy.
shinzz said:
Not sure what you guys are expecting this late in Prime's life..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the prime has been out for sooooooooooooo loooooonnnngggg !!
Its hardly old ! Alot of primes are still under warranty...
I've now unlocked so my warranty is void (perhaps what asus want from everyone really) but i dont consider the prime to be an old device.
I agree that Gary was only here to calm the flames though, as you rightly say theres no point sending a marketing guy .. i honnestly think his purpose was to keep us quiet for a while. and it worked!
shinzz said:
Not sure what you guys are expecting this late in Prime's life..
Make no mistake, I am by far one of the biggest critic of Asus & heck... Gary too...
Also, I've kept saying this for a while... "Gary is marketing/PR person. He is here for dmg control"
He wasn't here to "HELP" or whatever, nor can he really give an insight into anything... this is XDA, if Asus really wanted to help us... S/W or Engineer would have been in this board... NOT A MARKETING guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spot on mate, GARY is not ASUS, he just represents/works for them.
Abandon all hope!!
I have pmd and sent Gary emails recently also the other person he said to contact (asus_usa) with no response from either.
My prime has had the infamous wifi issue which actually got worse through updates---it is sitting in RMA AFTER a LEVEL3 TECH AT ASUS said they would treat it as warranty even though i had unlocked the bootloader
Its status is waiting o customer-out of warranty/customer induced damage----it has been there almost 1 month!!!
A person in rma said it is going to cost me 165 for motherboard and 40?? not sure the exact figure labor WTF. She also said after last email she would look into it and reply ASAP--that was last week Thursday
I feel I have been lied to, misled, and ripped off!!!
happened last month as well a month in between cryptic messages, honestly give up on Asus Already we have had these devices nearly a year now and support has been horrible how long since we got an update again?, if you want something less buggy grab CM10 or Hairybean and call it a day, ASUS will slap JB on the device and probably be done with it, whenever that happens
Since everyone's prime has a year warrenty then I'd say all Primes are still under warrenty. My Prime runs just fine. Not compalining it would be nice to get an update of some sort.
Here in Germany we have 2 years implied warranty. So there is over 1 year until the first warranty runs out.
shinzz said:
Not sure what you guys are expecting this late in Prime's life..
Make no mistake, I am by far one of the biggest critic of Asus & heck... Gary too...
Also, I've kept saying this for a while... "Gary is marketing/PR person. He is here for dmg control"
He wasn't here to "HELP" or whatever, nor can he really give an insight into anything... this is XDA, if Asus really wanted to help us... S/W or Engineer would have been in this board... NOT A MARKETING guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Late in Prime's life?
It's a 9 Month old Tablet, with better specs than most things out there running JB already. Not to mention that the hardware it's pretty much the same as the other Transformers.
Honestly, how many updates have been promised/delivered to your phones in its first year. The transformer prime has already gotten more updates than any of the phones I've had. And JB was confirmed for us shortly after Google announced it. I have a flagship phone from last year and it only just got official ICS. Asus supports there hardware better than any company. God forbid they make JB as stable as possible.
Sent from the matrix. (or my phone)
msfguard said:
...support has been horrible how long since we got an update again?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has been exactly 98 days. That is really not very long at all, particularly when you take into account that its a major release rather than just a minor update to the existing OS. Think of all the phones out there that were released after the TP that have not even seen ICS yes let alone JB. You folks are update addicts.
ratman6161 said:
It has been exactly 98 days. That is really not very long at all, particularly when you take into account that its a major release rather than just a minor update to the existing OS. Think of all the phones out there that were released after the TP that have not even seen ICS yes let alone JB. You folks are update addicts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a long time if you consider that the Prime is suffering from several software related issues which should have been fixed several months ago. ASUS should be pushing out patches every few weeks until the tablet is working as advertised.
I don't recall seeing in the Ads for this tablet that "You can expect ANR messages constantly when browsing, or your tablet will be unusable when the Play Store is updating all your apps! Yes you to can enjoy these great features all for a low price of $500! But wait theres more... If you order now, you can enjoy completely random reboots at no extra charge!"
It has been almost a year since its release... the prime should be stable as hell right now, but that is not the reality. I am not usually one to complain about these types of things, but even I am getting frustrated with the lack of fixes. Really hoping that JB will solve all of these problems and make the tablet work as it should have from day one.
ratman6161 said:
It has been exactly 98 days. That is really not very long at all, particularly when you take into account that its a major release rather than just a minor update to the existing OS. Think of all the phones out there that were released after the TP that have not even seen ICS yes let alone JB. You folks are update addicts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and how many of those phones have crazy QC & wide range of issues like Prime? Plus, you are forgetting that most are on Android 4.04 (final & most stable version of ICS....)
Also, lets stop this argument of "Asus updated often compared to all other device".
While it might be true, it also means PRIME had ton of issues/bugs to fix through updates..... however, the updates only added more issues instead of resolving them.
Plus, those looking for GARY to solve everything... he won't, and he can't. HE IS JUST MARKETING GUY. Nothing more, nothing less...
Those thinking JB will resolve all of your current issue... IT ALSO WON'T. S/W cannot fix H/W issue...... If you have crap WIFI.. blah blah blah... it'll be crap with JB as well.
And to those who keep saying.. "mine works fine, ppl are blowing things out of proportion". No, we are not. Glad you have a working product that suits your need.... but... DUE TO CRAZY QC issue, there are MANY.. I mean MANY who have absolute garbage device. Yes, we all tried calling customer support, contact gary/asus_tien, ***** at where we purchased our tablet, RMA... blah blah blah for refund or whatever.
Smurphjw said:
Honestly, how many updates have been promised/delivered to your phones in its first year. The transformer prime has already gotten more updates than any of the phones I've had. And JB was confirmed for us shortly after Google announced it. I have a flagship phone from last year and it only just got official ICS. Asus supports there hardware better than any company. God forbid they make JB as stable as possible.
Sent from the matrix. (or my phone)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might suggest that "more updates than any other phone" is not a good thing.
All these updates are band-aids for the TF201 beta that should never have been released in the first place.
Poor decisions by an even poorer company.
theandies said:
Since everyone's prime has a year warrenty then I'd say all Primes are still under warrenty. My Prime runs just fine. Not compalining it would be nice to get an update of some sort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the unlocked crowd...
knowaczark said:
I might suggest that "more updates than any other phone" is not a good thing.
All these updates are band-aids for the TF201 beta that should never have been released in the first place.
Poor decisions by an even poorer company.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can constant sw updates to address issues be a bad thing? My epic touch has HORRIBLE battery life after the move from GB. You know what Samsung did? Called it quits on the s2. Asus is still pushing updates to the original transformer. Fixing issues with updates sounds like good practice to me.
Sent from the matrix. (or my phone)
Smurphjw said:
How can constant sw updates to address issues be a bad thing? My epic touch has HORRIBLE battery life after the move from GB. You know what Samsung did? Called it quits on the s2. Asus is still pushing updates to the original transformer. Fixing issues with updates sounds like good practice to me.
Sent from the matrix. (or my phone)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
s2 will get jb in next few months, hasnt been abandoned..
problem with the prime update is that the last update is unstable and has been so for 98 days from now. last time my prime came back from rma, software resetted and it gave crashes and SOD from the first day.
custom jb rom: no problems at all!
conclusion: bad software with no patches.
Smurphjw said:
Honestly, how many updates have been promised/delivered to your phones in its first year. The transformer prime has already gotten more updates than any of the phones I've had. And JB was confirmed for us shortly after Google announced it. I have a flagship phone from last year and it only just got official ICS. Asus supports there hardware better than any company. God forbid they make JB as stable as possible.
Sent from the matrix. (or my phone)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You make that sound like a good thing. The reason the Prime received these updates is because the OS and possibly the hardware was horribly kludged. Every update was put out to address reboot, SoD, freezing issues, Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, the list goes on. It had nothing to do with improving functionality as much as it did giving the expected functionality to the unit.
Tempie007 said:
s2 will get jb in next few months, hasnt been abandoned..
problem with the prime update is that the last update is unstable and has been so for 98 days from now. last time my prime came back from rma, software resetted and it gave crashes and SOD from the first day.
custom jb rom: no problems at all!
conclusion: bad software with no patches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what there trying to avoid this time around. 3 semi stable ICS updates that introduced new issues. Or 1 JB update that they test the crap out of. The reason its taking so long (which isn't really that long) is cuz prime owners have a tendency, rightfully so in SOME cases, to complain about everything. My point is there is no justified reason to complain about there software update practices.
Sent from the matrix. (or my phone)

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