Hello everyone,
I'm undecided which of the two to buy, I would like your opinion as a true and sincere as possible.
Thank you.
What would be your main uses?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium HD app
Internet, read mail, read mail gmail,office,read books and pdf.
That is asus transformer prime^^
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
smooth operation = ipad
random reboots/browser not responding/hair pulling going bald = asus prime
honest and sincere opinion
excelx said:
smooth operation = ipad
random reboots/browser not responding/hair pulling going bald = asus prime
honest and sincere opinion
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Click to collapse
I have to agree (unfortunately)... As a android user from the start and with a healthy distaste for the apple company, I favor android phones, but the prime is sub par (at the moment). Both software (browsing is slow, buggy and frustrating and games often don't work) and hardware (the whole GPS fiasco, where is my dongle asus, been waiting for 36 days now).
If you want a completely locked down, non-customizable, tablet which only has 1 upside and that's the smoothness of it, then the IPad 3 would be fine.
If you want to change more than your wallpaper, and want to be able to do every day stuff on your tablet without burning your friggin fingers off (Yes, that's a reference to the burning hot IPad), while also being able to do.. pretty much everything else, then the Prime is perfect.
Oh, and the Prime also comes with a keyboard dock, looks better, has better software, the list never ends.
For these "browser problems" and whatnot, I've not had a single browser lockup in the time I've had my Prime. That's about 3 months so far. I don't use my GPS, so couldn't care less about that. And the WiFi is perfectly fine for what I need.
totti240282 said:
Internet, read mail, read mail gmail,office,read books and pdf.
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Have you thought about an asus tf300?
Will do all that you require and is a bit cheaper as well!
slef2003 said:
Have you thought about an asus tf300?
Will do all that you require and is a bit cheaper as well!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TF300
= :
Bigger
Uglier look
Different feel
Heavier
Less Battery
The screen is nothing compared to the Prime :"$
You realize the irony in coming to a transformer prime forum and asking which we prefer? Of course were going to pick the prime.
For me, the prime is awesome. Love the keyboard, love the expandable memory, love the apps, overall i just love it.
For my sister, the ipad is best.
See its hard to tell you whats best for you if we dont know who you are... Let me put it this way.
My sister is not a geek, she is not really computer savvy (she deleted her drivers for her dvd drive by accident, who does that?)
My sister has an iPhone and love that it just works. When she sees my android and how i can install different versions of android on it and i can do all this geek stuff she invariabally says "but why would i ever need that, this works exactly how i need it to"
However
Recently she bought the TF301. She bought it because it can do things the iPad can't, mainly open websites that are heavy on flash and frames (for school), open PDF documents, and other such web stuff that the iPad just can't do.
She was surprised that there are the same apps, instagram, facebook, shazam, the works. expandable memory was a plus for her and shes really getting to like the docking keyboard with the usb port.
To me, its a hands down transformer for the win, however there are a couple counterarguments you might make
If you have a lot of apple things going on in your house they all work well together, seamlessly, with little hassle. If you open up iTunes and think "Hot damn, what a great bit of software!", apple may be for you. If you have a lot of money you want to throw down when you could get something comparably better for less, go with an iPad.
obviously, im bias. You have to make your own conclusion. Go to your bestbuy or whatever, play with an ipad, see how you like it. Find someone who has a prime or 300 on display, play with that too. If you cant decide, go with the less expensive option.
Hopefully this helped you make a decision. Good luck!
---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:09 PM ----------
Severion said:
TF300
= :
Bigger
Uglier look
Different feel
Heavier
Less Battery
The screen is nothing compared to the Prime :"$
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Click to collapse
lol, prime screen is a little brighter at max brightness. I never use it at max brightness and in direct light its not exactly excellent. I personally LIKE the feel of the plastic better, edges are not quite as sharp on the fingers. it IS thicker, not much more than a netbook, not quite as sexy as the prime, however it IS built better (more rubber boarder around the screen, more forgiving if you drop it and it lands on the corner, less chance the screen will break)
Overall, personally i think i like the feeling of the 300 over the prime, just wish it was a little lighter and maybe a little thinner.
Anyways, thought i'd throw that in there as someone who has actually held both tablets side by side. take it or leave it.
Transformer prime does not have the 3g.
I had to decide between those two a few months ago, too, and I finally chose the Transformer Prime. Mainly because of the great dock and the USB and HDMI ports. I haven't regretted my decision till yet, but it depends on your own main usage of the device, which ones the best to choose
pileot said:
You realize the irony in coming to a transformer prime forum and asking which we prefer? Of course were going to pick the prime.
For me, the prime is awesome. Love the keyboard, love the expandable memory, love the apps, overall i just love it.
For my sister, the ipad is best.
See its hard to tell you whats best for you if we dont know who you are... Let me put it this way.
My sister is not a geek, she is not really computer savvy (she deleted her drivers for her dvd drive by accident, who does that?)
My sister has an iPhone and love that it just works. When she sees my android and how i can install different versions of android on it and i can do all this geek stuff she invariabally says "but why would i ever need that, this works exactly how i need it to"
However
Recently she bought the TF301. She bought it because it can do things the iPad can't, mainly open websites that are heavy on flash and frames (for school), open PDF documents, and other such web stuff that the iPad just can't do.
She was surprised that there are the same apps, instagram, facebook, shazam, the works. expandable memory was a plus for her and shes really getting to like the docking keyboard with the usb port.
To me, its a hands down transformer for the win, however there are a couple counterarguments you might make
If you have a lot of apple things going on in your house they all work well together, seamlessly, with little hassle. If you open up iTunes and think "Hot damn, what a great bit of software!", apple may be for you. If you have a lot of money you want to throw down when you could get something comparably better for less, go with an iPad.
obviously, im bias. You have to make your own conclusion. Go to your bestbuy or whatever, play with an ipad, see how you like it. Find someone who has a prime or 300 on display, play with that too. If you cant decide, go with the less expensive option.
Hopefully this helped you make a decision. Good luck!
---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:09 PM ----------
lol, prime screen is a little brighter at max brightness. I never use it at max brightness and in direct light its not exactly excellent. I personally LIKE the feel of the plastic better, edges are not quite as sharp on the fingers. it IS thicker, not much more than a netbook, not quite as sexy as the prime, however it IS built better (more rubber boarder around the screen, more forgiving if you drop it and it lands on the corner, less chance the screen will break)
Overall, personally i think i like the feeling of the 300 over the prime, just wish it was a little lighter and maybe a little thinner.
Anyways, thought i'd throw that in there as someone who has actually held both tablets side by side. take it or leave it.
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What browser does she use?
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA
If you have to ask, then it's probably better for you to get the ipad.
---------- Post added at 02:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:51 PM ----------
totti240282 said:
Transformer prime does not have the 3g.
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Haha, I pay $10 a month for unlimited data plan on my phone. I then tether to my prime.
3g or 4g on a tablet is unnecessary and is a waste of money, IMHO.
totti240282 said:
Hello everyone,
I'm undecided which of the two to buy, I would like your opinion as a true and sincere as possible.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly this is the wrong forum to post your question in if you want an unbiased opinion of which device to buy. Having said that it comes down really to which operating system you prefer.
If you like iOS better, get an iPad. If you already own iOS devices and don't own any Android devices, get an iPad.
If you prefer Android, get the TF Prime. If you like things like widgets and live wallpapers, get a Prime. If you already own Android phones, get a Prime. If you don't like iTunes, get a Prime. If you think you want to use a keyboard with your tablet, get a Prime.
To my mind, the new iPad has an amazing screen. It really is nice to look at. But aside from the amazing screen it has nothing to offer that wasn't on the last two iPads. iOS is a grid of icons. Its not all that fun to use. However that is offset by the wide range of available apps.
I prefer the Prime, and I like the fact that once you buy an app you can use it across your devices without having to buy the "tablet version." However this is offset by the fact that there just aren't as many apps that take advantage of tablet sized screens. While this is improving, that improvement is happening relatively slowly especially since ICS hasn't made its way onto a meaningful number of Android devices yet.
But in the end,you'll just have to find your balls and make your own decision on which device to buy.
KindaUndisputed said:
What browser does she use?
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dolphin browser seems to be the general browser of choice. There are others but based on what i've experienced dolphin has more features and is overall rated very well.
Im a die hard Android guy, moderate on an Android forum, help support an Android dev team and HTC smartphones as a hobby. I had the iPad and iPad 2 and just got a transformer prime. The prime is a really nice tablet. I like it a lot for the purpose of.flashing custom software, tweaking, kidding, overclocking etc...
But if you just want a nice tablet to work out of the box with a clean and simple OS that does a hell of a job as things it was built for, get the iPad 3.
The iPad display and resolution is of much better quality to the naked eye at least compared to my prime. For reading and typing text the iPad and iPad 2 display was much nicer.
In my opinion the app store and iOS apps designed for the iPad is better than what they play store has to offer for tablets and I like the way the app store lays out clearly which apps are optimized for the iPad on the download button with a symbol.
If you will be gaming then the Tegra 3 in the prime and certain games will smoke the ipad head to head.
If you want to talk to someone who spent a couple of years on ipads and camped out at Best Buy for iPad 2s launch and just got a prime, shoot me a PM and id be glad to cover any specific questions.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
why are people still stuck on thinking the only difference between ips and super ips+ is only screen brightness? lmfao. in a nutshell, prime has a higher quality screen and the pictures are sharper and shows more details. better color representation. n actually prime screen is ALOT BRIGHTER. 300 is only 300 or 350 lumens Max. Prime is 650+lumens Max. that's basically twice as bright. not a little brighter..lol
do the research..Google ips and super ips+ the latter is a newer technology which brings a better display overall. even seen several 300 owners even say display not as good as prime. ips is a good display. but super ips+ is a big difference in quality of picture & display.
demandarin said:
why are people still stuck on thinking the only difference between ips and super ips+ is only screen brightness? lmfao. in a nutshell, prime has a higher quality screen and the pictures are sharper and shows more details. better color representation. n actually prime screen is ALOT BRIGHTER. 300 is only 300 or 350 lumens Max. Prime is 650+lumens Max. that's basically twice as bright. not a little brighter..lol
do the research..Google ips and super ips+ the latter is a newer technology which brings a better display overall. even seen several 300 owners even say display not as good as prime. ips is a good display. but super ips+ is a big difference in quality of picture & display.
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I had both of them in my home, on my table, sitting right in front of me.
I didnt notice any difference in sharpness. Granted it may be slightly better on the prime, i didnt notice it.
I did notice the prime COULD get brighter with IPS on and at max brightness, but usually at home i have IPS off and im around half brightness so unless you run around with it cranked at max all day, your not going to notice the brightness. Reading numbers on the internet is one thing, experiencing the difference first hand is another. my experience says the IPS doesnt make a huge difference unless your going to really be using it in direct sunlight, which i wont be. YMMV.
I also liked the color tone of the 300 better, whites looked whiter, less blue, however im sure in time there will be a customization for that.
Yes, the display is a lesser quality display in several respects but from my point of view its really not all that different.
pileot said:
I also liked the color tone of the 300 better, whites looked whiter, less blue, however im sure in time there will be a customization for that.
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Click to collapse
You're one of the very few that feels that way.
Practically every review of the TF300 states that the display isn't nearly as nice as that on the TF201 (not just brightness, but colors)
Also, having used the ISP+ feature for about two months now, it would be hard to give it up. If you never use your tablet outdoors, in sunlight, I guess it isn't necessary or useful, but if you do use your tablet out of the house, ISP+, to me, is more useful then the new iPad's screen (my son has the new iPad)
Keep in mind, the retina display requires apps be nearly double in size to take advantage of the new display, and uses more battery life.
My son and I put my wife's iPad2 side by side with his new iPad. Yeah, if you look closely, icons and text are sharper. In everyday use, I'm not so sure you'd notice the difference between the iPad2 (which, when it came out, everyone RAVED about the display) and the Retinal Display.
If you're not that computer savvy, or your house already has a lot of Apple products, get the iPad (I recommended the iPad to my elderly mother). If you might want more storage, or may want to add a keyboard dock to allow typing with a physical keyboard, consider the Prime...
Either one will probably be great for you. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either one.
Related
Well people, it's official. I got mines preordered at GameStop just now. Put $50 dollars down on it for and guaranteed to get it on Dec. 19th for in store pickup. Yeahhhh!
The display model was off when I saw it. I powered it up and it hasn't been charged n less than 2% battery power left SMH hence the quick hands on..lol. For starters, this is the thinnest tablet I've ever held. It's amazing how thin this is. I'm a tall guy, 6'4 so any tablet really thin to me. But I have an iPad also and this thing is wayy thinner and lighter than it. It felt solid but weird to me considering how thin it was. Thin like a sheet of paper..lol After power up, I feasted my eyes upon the most beautiful and detailed display on a mobile device I've ever seen. This was in regular IPS mode also. I cut on Super IPS+ and this thing is bright and detailed as a Mofo! Swiped through the home screens and it was like slick as oil. The fastest and smoothest screen transitions I've seen. Even faster than my iPad. No signs of slowdown at all swiping through various screens or bringing up menus or apps. I check the about section in settings and it is running honeycomb 3.2.1.
I checked through the apps and saw the games thats been on all the reviews shown on TF Prime. First one I played was RipTide. Now mind you I also have the iPad version and seen tegra2 version also. This tegra3 optimized version has a lot more done to it than some added water and blur affects. This game really looked great compared to other versions. It looked more high quality or detailed. Looked like a regular home console game. The framerate was very fast also compared to my iPad version. Definitely impressed with the improvements on that game.
Then I saw the infamous Glowball game. I started it up and realized the volume was off or down n couldn't hear anything. So I cut the volume up to max. Once level started this thing was loud and clear as a Mofo n I had to cut it down. Too loud for in the store. The graphics and special lighting fx in this game was killer. With the high screen resolution and super IPS+ mode on, this game really popped out the screen. The videos reviewers showed on this can't do this game enough justice. Playing and seeing it in person is amazing to see. Haven't seen any ipad1 or ipad2 games yet that can produce this kind of high quality lighting fx and graphics. This tegra3 has really set the bar high for next generation tablets.
To conclude, truly impressed overall with tablet. Even for the brief moments I messed with it. Still hard to believe how thin it really is and how beautiful and high definition looking the display is. I'd say we have a winner here with the Asus Transformer Prime and I cant wait to pick mines up on the 19th. From GameStop.
Thanks, was especially interested to hear your comments of the physical size, thickness, and weight, compared to an iPad.
Awesome, glad to see someone say the colors popped off the screen. I was really concerned about this coming from a Xoom which has some of the most bland colors I've seen. Comparing the display to an Ipad2, do the colors look as vibrant and beautiful as on that tablet? I think I'm getting a TF Prime for Christmas, and I'm getting my fiance an Ipad 2... I don't want to give her any bragging rights lol. Thanks.
This sounds like everything I've imagined it would be and more. Now that I know my GameStop location has a demo in-store, I'm definitely giving it a test. I'm delighted to hear about the fast-screen transitions and that it is indeed running Honeycomb 3.2.1.
The tough part will be leaving the store...
Yeah when I held it too it was remarkably thin. I even touched the galaxy tab 10.1 that was next to it compare the thinnest; Prime looked twice as thin as the Tab. There was a Shooter game on it as well I think called Shadowgun or something. Looked good but didn't play it all that much. There were 2 apps that looked like they needed the internet to work. I believe all the apps are on the video that one guy took when he was in gamestop, on one of these threads in here.
I, TF, sent this on behalf of my owner
That's all i needed to hear!!! Gamestop will get my $50 this week...Thanks for your review!!!!
eL_777 said:
Awesome, glad to see someone say the colors popped off the screen. I was really concerned about this coming from a Xoom which has some of the most bland colors I've seen. Comparing the display to an Ipad2, do the colors look as vibrant and beautiful as on that tablet? I think I'm getting a TF Prime for Christmas, and I'm getting my fiance an Ipad 2... I don't want to give her any bragging rights lol. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
On paper and in person, the Prime display is clearly the best of all tablets. I've seen ipad2 displays and they are nice but not as nice as what I saw. Plus the prime has a higher screen resolution and uses a more higher quality/advanced IPS display. Ipad2 uses IPS display. The prime uses Super IPS + display. That's 2 grades higher than iPad 2 display. Very rich in details and colors and definitely bright as a Mofo with super IPS+ mode on. Reason ipad2 display colors look vibrant is because the color palette it uses is ver saturated looking. Cartoon looking. The prime has more natural looking colors and it still pops out very much. Almost 3d looking cuz it looks so good n clear.
So annoying that Gamestop's in my area are so tiny and have no tablets on display. Heck, our Gamestop's are so small, they don't even have demo video game systems either.
so theres no sound issues?
blaziner18 said:
so theres no sound issues?
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Sounded loud n clear while I was playing Glowball. Actually too loud n had to cut it down.
demandarin said:
Sounded loud n clear while I was playing Glowball. Actually too loud n had to cut it down.
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thats great to hear, i used my ipad for nothing but youtube and music.
Pretty much just sold me even more on the Prime. I can't believe how much people like this thing in its old state. I can't even begin to think of how fast it will be and how high its benchmarks will be on ICS. ICS will bring both hardware acceleration and optimized multi-core support, so I can't even predict how fast the Prime will be then.
My thoughts so far have been: if the TF Prime is being hailed as the best Android tablet in its short-lived launch state with Honeycomb, what will it be like with ICS?
Ok thanks for you review. I am sold!
demandarin said:
For starters, this is the thinnest tablet I've ever held. It's amazing how thin this is. I'm a tall guy, 6'4 so any tablet really thin to me.
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LOL, so things seem thin when you are tall? I figured things would seem short
I'm curious as we all are BUT
hell even my Compaq Ipaq looked great when I tried it in store somewhat 10 years ago.
But I can count with one hand how often I used it cause it was terrible.
Sure we know the Android user experience and so can somewhat guess what is coming.
But still you don't know the specifics of the Prime hardware.
What if all have those Wifi issues or anything else.
It is just to early to lift this on a throne. Calm down people and come to your minds
Thanks demandarin. I did my pre-order from in-store on Saturday too. It was a store that had a tablet section, but no TF201 on display, nor did they know what I was talking about when I asked about it. They thought it was a console game of some kind.
Luckily, the GameStop directly across the street from my work in downtown Boston has one for display, supposedly. I'm going to swing by at lunch to see if I can get some hands-on time as well.
The Janitor Mop said:
I can't even begin to think of how fast it will be and how high its benchmarks will be on ICS. ICS will bring both hardware acceleration and optimized multi-core support, so I can't even predict how fast the Prime will be then.
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Click to collapse
Looks like any speed increases from ICS will come from optimization and not from ICS being inherently better at hardware acceleration than Honeycomb.
https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/2FXDCz8x93s
I'm not even sure the ICS will improve all that much over Honeycomb in terms of multi-core support, but I don't remember seeing anything on that.
Not saying ICS won't be great, just not sure that we're going to see the kind of improvement over Honeycomb that some folks are expecting.
jimtong said:
Ok thanks for you review. I am sold!
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No problem. I wish I would've spent more time with it but had my woman n daughter waiting in the car for me. It's been a very long time since I preordered something to get it release day. I think the last time I did so was when NBA jams tournament edition came out for the Sega Genesis..lmfao.
Still amazed at how thin it was. I definitely have to find a nice case for it. The Asus widgets like myzine looked pretty nice also. I have some sick wallpapers I'd love to put on that beautiful display. I might wait till after ICS to root although I'll be able to root as soon as I take it out the box. It will be hard though. I just don't want to root now then ICS comes out OTA and it throws up some b.s. That it can't install. I think I can be patient enough to wait. My main reason for rooting my phone was to get wireless tether and barnacle working. This tablet is wifi only so not as pressed. Unless developers come up with a sick rom to over clock this Mofo to like 2GHz or more per core
I spent some time with one at GameStop tonight. The browser isn't nearly as fluid as it is on my iPad 2 but I'm going to hold out hope for some magic with ICS.
I played with some of the other tablets in the mall - Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the 8.9 with the 1.5Ghz dual core, and they felt very sluggish compared to the Prime. The Prime is very smooth in the UI, so it feels like they have headroom for some browser optimizations.
UI looked unfettered with the typical oem crap, and the hardware was beautiful.
Will it replace my iPad 2 for casual use? Hard to say, I'm crazy in to Infinity Blade II right now, and don't (yet) see anything comparable in the Market, but this is unquestionably the best android tablet yet, and I'm really excited to get mine and get to know post-Gingerbread Android.
fraeone said:
I spent some time with one at GameStop tonight. The browser isn't nearly as fluid as it is on my iPad 2 but I'm going to hold out hope for some magic with ICS.
I played with some of the other tablets in the mall - Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the 8.9 with the 1.5Ghz dual core, and they felt very sluggish compared to the Prime. The Prime is very smooth in the UI, so it feels like they have headroom for some browser optimizations.
UI looked unfettered with the typical oem crap, and the hardware was beautiful.
Will it replace my iPad 2 for casual use? Hard to say, I'm crazy in to Infinity Blade II right now, and don't (yet) see anything comparable in the Market, but this is unquestionably the best android tablet yet, and I'm really excited to get mine and get to know post-Gingerbread Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you feel the Transformer Prime display fares against the ipad 2 display? Does it look colorful and vibrant in a way similar to the ipad 2? Looked at the original transformer display in a store the other day and wasn't all that impressed. Thanks for you input.
Transformer Prime Champagne Gold impressions
Well, as karma has it, I was able to get a 32GB Champagne Gold Transformer Prime, with the dock, last Friday and played with it over the weekend.
I was worried about many of the problems people were reporting and I was slightly afraid when starting up the device, I did not want to see bad light bleeds or dead pixels and so on. While the tablet itself ended up being perfect, I was still hit with a crippling bug of the keyboard dock not being able to be used for typing at all.
I found it almost ironic that I ended up with a serious flaw like that. I really thought that forums give a wrong impression about ASUS quality control, but reality is that it really is very, very bad. It is almost like gambling, chance that you'll get a functioning device without flaws that will annoy you from the very beginning, are very low.
I'll get the device replaced and essentially add to the pile of devices that are being returned to ASUS. But that aside, here are my impressions about the tablet, since I did use the tablet without the keyboard quite a bit.
Champagne Gold is absolutely beautiful in real life. It is a really attractive looking device, it's not as 'white' as Apple's aluminum devices are and is so much better for it with the slight golden gue making it look less clinical. Pictures don't do it justice, Champagne Gold Transformer Prime is the best looking tablet I've held in my hands.
The build is also very sturdy. I am glad I did not go for one of the plastic built tablets of yesteryear as I really love the feel of the tablet when I hold it. It is slightly heavier than I expected but only because I've never used tablets this extensively before.
Of course this design has its drawbacks, such as very weak GPS, but I tend to use my phone for GPS due to assisted GPS from cell towers, which is just much quicker. As for WiFi issues, I did not notice any, but I also did not run any speed tests. I mostly make the tablet use my phone as source of internet and it didn't have any problems doing so.
The first bootup ran Honeycomb and I immediately noticed that it simply did not run smoothly despite quad-core processing power driving it. But I liked the screen and after wiping the screen properly, touch responsiveness was good.
A mere 15 minutes later the device had updated itself to Android 4.0 and I had no stutter or lag issues anymore when moving around the menus or using the browser.
The screen is really beautiful and bright with good contrast. And the external sound is better than I expected. I watched the new 30 Rock episode with girlfriend on a couch and it was a nice experience, much better than trying to hold a laptop comfortably while watching a show. MX video player works very well on Prime, I watched Boardwalk Empire on my way back home on a train and it is a great device for extended viewing. It is amazing how much more natural it feels to watch series or movies on a tablet device like this as opposed to laptop.
Most apps seem to run quite well on Prime. But Android has its drawbacks on tablets, a lot of really great looking games do not have HD versions, making them look less attractive on the screen. Some of my favorites such as truly amazing World of Goo and Cut the Rope worked well on Prime, but their beautiful art was stretched to full screen, making the games look less magical than they felt when I was playing them on my Galaxy Nexus phone (which has a similar resolution to Prime, but far smaller screen).
I tried to use my tablet as a netbook, but without working keyboard I coould not really give it as much of a go as I hoped. But browsing around in the internet was fast and smooth and I really like Android for a tablet OS.
Battery lasted less than I hoped, but I cannot say it was bad since I did not charge it enough times for it to live up to its full potential. But I did not have to charge it while I was using, so it did not cause any battery stress.
I also liked that ASUS does not enforce its things on the user. Majority of pre-installed apps can be disabled and ASUS own enhancements are good for the device. They did not add anything that felt like bloatware.
As for the screen, yes it is certainly a fingerprint magnet. It does not bother me until I start watching a movie or whatnot. Makes me feel like I should clean it up because it simply is dirty (even when hands are less oily and have recently been washed).
Is this the best tablet I have ever used? Not really, iPad 2 is still a better media and content consumption device and I find Prime a much less comfortable to use when held in portrait mode as opposed to iPad 2 (but of course widescreen videos are much better on Prime as a result). But I can really see how the keyboard dock can enhance the Prime experience enough for me to never consider iPad 3, even if it comes out with HD screen and even better battery life.
I should also make additional note about the keyboard dock. I don't find the build of the keyboard dock to be as good as I hoped, it angles up really awkwardly on the Prime when screen is lifted, the back hinge is basically the thing it starts 'resting' on and differently from the rubber it rests on in front of the dock, the back rests on plastic knob-thingies, which have less grip. So on a less sturdy surface or when typing, the device is prone to move a lot more than you'd expect.
To sum things up, ASUS did a good job at everything except quality control and body design for GPS. If it had 3G, better WiFi and functioning GPS I would easily grade it the best tablet ever, but right now I don't see iPad 2 being actually dethroned before the end of this year where Google's rumoured tablet and possibly another Transformer can really kick things up a notch.
2012 is the year of 4G and HD screens on tablets, but I must say I did not really think Prime needs a HD screen. It is not because it would not look more beautiful - it would and I can easily see pixels when reading the web on Prime - but I just think that Android market won't catch up to HD apps before 2013. Today most apps look stretched and the apps that don't, do not seem to need HD anyway.
But yes, a wonderful device, just make sure to not throw away the box and other items so you can quickly refund, since chance has it that it might come with a hardware flaw or two.
Nice well written review.
Got it exchanged and keyboard works now! By the way, those wishing to buy it in Estonia, it seems to be sold downtown in both Euronics and Klick stores. Can't be bought online yet and seems to be only the champagne gold 32gb model.
Thx for the review man
On thing i want to add though: You have to compare the transformer prime to the ipad2 wifi only. If you want to compare it at all. And that device has no gps module at all, so a more or less working gps is still better than none at all.
But those comparisons are fundamentally flawed imho. I buy a device because of its features. iPad and TP offer very different things which results in the situation that there are fans of one device (because it has everything they wish for) and fans of the other one debating which one is better...
In the end there is only "whats better for you" and never "whats better for everyone". For me its clearly the Prime.
Dude i get carried away again. My Prime shall arrive! NOW!
I'm with you with the Champagne Gold color.
The photos online do not give justice to the Champagne Gold color as it is absolutely beautiful in real life.
The Gold hue does not overpower the Aluminum Color and has a rather subtle hint to it.
Excellent review. A good model for all to follow!
My "purplish" grey one is to arrive tomorrow....wish I could have ordered the champagne colour. I'll probably end up putting a skinomi skin on the back as I'm not really into the purple tones...plus, I heard the aluminum scratches easily.
i haven't read the full review... but you found a gold dock in stores? or online? where? i didn't even think it existed.
oasis9389 said:
i haven't read the full review... but you found a gold dock in stores? or online? where? i didn't even think it existed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. Where is this mythical gold dock? Surely not the one I've had on BB preorder since late November? lol <bangs head into wall>
I'm using a Champagne Prime mated with a Gray dock. I actually like the look better than a matched set. Something to think about if you can't find a Champagne dock...
wynand32 said:
I'm using a Champagne Prime mated with a Gray dock. I actually like the look better than a matched set. Something to think about if you can't find a Champagne dock...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you post some pics?
Just as an FYI, your prime screen is capable of 720p hd video playback, just not 1080p. still HD, just not the best HD. Great review though.
oasis9389 said:
i haven't read the full review... but you found a gold dock in stores? or online? where? i didn't even think it existed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ASUS is selling 32GB Champagne Gold TF201's in Estonia, it's the EU version (tablet and dock in one). And it is also localized, with local adapter and US keyboard that has russian letters in the corner (we also have a large number of russians living here).
irishtexmex said:
+1. Where is this mythical gold dock? Surely not the one I've had on BB preorder since late November? lol <bangs head into wall>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems that ASUS did not just do a UK launch, it was an EU launch and a lot of tablets are being sold in various countries, often without advertisements. Here we have Champagne Gold one, sold 2-in-1, dock and tablet. I haven't seen Amethyst Grey being sold anywhere here (and we seem to have two chains selling TF201's without ads at the moment).
It just shows how little this tablet is really known outside these forums and tech world. People don't know about it. Stores don't even know that they have the hottest Android tablet on their shelves.
clouds5 said:
Thx for the review man
On thing i want to add though: You have to compare the transformer prime to the ipad2 wifi only. If you want to compare it at all. And that device has no gps module at all, so a more or less working gps is still better than none at all.
But those comparisons are fundamentally flawed imho. I buy a device because of its features. iPad and TP offer very different things which results in the situation that there are fans of one device (because it has everything they wish for) and fans of the other one debating which one is better...
In the end there is only "whats better for you" and never "whats better for everyone". For me its clearly the Prime.
Dude i get carried away again. My Prime shall arrive! NOW!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, true, but it is worth a comparison simply because you would not own a Prime and an iPad 2 together, they overlap in functionality. I will still recommend iPad 2 to anyone who is not a tech person as I believe that today it is a better device for content consumption and don't believe Android will catch up in app-market with HD apps and experience at least until 2013.
I am really neutral in that opinion here, I own an Android 4.0 phone and tablet now, I love Android. But today iPad 2 is a better tablet for an average person even if you don't consider GPS, WiFi quality or 3G existence important.
I would not buy Android for my grandparents, if I had to choose I would buy them iPad 2.
But anyways, I love it. Those of us who know tech and prefer Android, this is a brilliant device if your device does not have issues resulted from bad quality control.
Conduitz said:
Just as an FYI, your prime screen is capable of 720p hd video playback, just not 1080p. still HD, just not the best HD. Great review though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the correction.
I am about to order one, so how is it compared to a laptop? i wanna sell my laptop and use Prime all the time insted, btw how did you use you phones internet? thats called tethering? or some bluetooth function ?
vitalero said:
I am about to order one, so how is it compared to a laptop? i wanna sell my laptop and use Prime all the time insted, btw how did you use you phones internet? thats called tethering? or some bluetooth function ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think you might struggle to use this as a laptop replacement - depending on what you use your laptop for.
Yes, it's called tethering - setting your phone up as a wifi hotspot then connecting your tablet to it. No bluetooth needed. However, some Prime users report issues with this since the ICS update.
And more opinions!
I've had the chance to use the keyboard dock for a while, as well as test out a variety of apps. Some apps are much better in HD on a tablet, this surprised me quite a bit. For example IMDB app is really good on tablet and gMail (and really, all Google apps) is very high quality.
Apps run quickly and without problems. I also haven't noticed any problems with the tablet I got for exchange, no dead pixels. There's faint backlight bleed near one corner but I can not notice it while using a tablet unless brightness setting is too high and screen itself full of black colors.
As for the keyboard. I really love that it is Android focused keyboard. The keys make sense and are intuitive. It really is the first time I've felt comfortable with a keyboard that is similar to old school Windows keyboards, while never making me feel like it is one of those 'modified' PC keyboards. The top row buttons are all very useful, there are no bloated keys.
At first I wished there was 'recent apps' key, but there isn't. Alt+Tab does exist, but since there is no Alt key on the left hand side of the keyboard, you have to use two hands for it (I always Alt+Tab with left hand on my PC). So that's a bit annoying.
Keyboard itself is comfortable to write on if you've used smaller netbooks before. It takes a short time getting used to since at first you expect keys to be further apart, but adjustment does not take long. Feel of the keys is really good and they are well built, I like that spacebar, while long, goes down on both sides if you only press on one side. While it seems simple and does not look as expensive as Macbook Air keyboard, it feels really well built.
The dock also protects the tablet really well. The keys are not elevated on the dock, so they don't touch or get close to tablet screen and leave marks of any kind on the screen in the long run (this happened with my nice Compaq netbook 311C that had a beautiful LED screen that just looked worn thanks to keyboard after a while). Dock is also separated from the tablet with little rubber knobs
The touchpad is basically pointless, I am not sure why it is even needed, but I like that it is there in case I ever would need it. Using screen touch is simply faster, since apps are usually built keeping that in mind. Touchpad is just slower in comparison. I did however find it helpful when writing a lot of text and needing to correct something. It is also great that you can turn the touchpad off so it doesn't activate by accident while you are typing.
Certain apps are also less-keyboard friendly. While typing is supported all around, certain apps are less friendly when it comes to common usability features such as tab key changing selected input field (like going from username to password). You cannot really use the tablet without resorting to touching the screen every now and then, but I must admit that it is better than I originally expected. I actually like having the keyboard on, since on-screen keyboard is really something I don't like to resort to.
I did notice that capacitive pens are not very good on Transformer Prime screen. I have cleaned the screen very well, but capacitive pens are not sensed unless brushing them more noticably against the screen. The pen is a high quality one originally built for iPad 2 by Bamboo, worlds leading company when it comes to graphic tablets. I guess the non-air-pad type capacitive pens would work better though.
For some other things that are not as perfect as they could be, there is a very tiny amount of lag in the system at times when using the keyboard. It is certainly not as responsive as a keyboard should be if you, say, played competitive first person shooter games. But it doesn't really annoy and some apps are better than others at it. This will possibly improve even further with newer Android or firmware updates since it is not a hardware issue at all.
One thing I can tell you though is that TF201 makes quite an impression. I've shown it to two friends and the dock really makes the tablet. It takes away one of the most uncomfortable things about tablets - typing on that awkward screen - as well as offers natural protection without needing a case to protect the screen. Two of my friends who played with it were very impressed. If there's an Android device to wow people who only really know about iPad, it is not good to show the tablet without the dock - since it is just too similar - but the dock helps it really set it apart.
vitalero said:
I am about to order one, so how is it compared to a laptop? i wanna sell my laptop and use Prime all the time insted, btw how did you use you phones internet? thats called tethering? or some bluetooth function ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When using it as a replacement for a netbook, the device works really well. But one has to keep in mind that it is a content-consumption device. You can draw sketches here or write essays, but it is really something that you should consider as a replacement for netbook if you mostly watch movies or surf the internet on your netbook. You are still faster with a netbook if you need to do more intensive work.
But pay attention that I said 'netbook', not laptop. Laptop is still a better device, if you don't have a desktop PC, then I suggest keeping laptop around, since at times it is simply needed to 'create' more than consume. You cannot develop on Android, really edit videos or photoshop pictures or do extensive office work.
When it comes to sharing the internet then yes, I have an unlimited data plan on my phone so I can easily tether my 3G connection. It is not as fast as tablet itself having a 3G, but it is still quite good. I don't stream videos on my tablet usually or if I do, I have a better WiFi connection somewhere. For on-the-go use, it works really well.
-
Some people also requested I post a picture of the dock that has Russian letters. It is a US dock, but if you select Russian as Android language, you can easily use the dock as well, since it shows where the letters are located. For Estonians (if any of you are out there), there is no Estonian layout supported sadly and from what I was told, there won't be one. Contents of the TF201 box however are Estonian, it has Estonian manual and everything.
Why was this thread moved to 'accessories'?
kristovaher said:
Some people also requested I post a picture of the dock that has Russian letters. It is a US dock, but if you select Russian as Android language, you can easily use the dock as well, since it shows where the letters are located. For Estonians (if any of you are out there), there is no Estonian layout supported sadly and from what I was told, there won't be one. Contents of the TF201 box however are Estonian, it has Estonian manual and everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this info. But I have a question, sorry my stupidity. What does "it shows where the letters are located" mean? There is no secondary letter set on a US keyboard dock (you said it is a US dock). And the only way in my opinion is - to have a Russian phonetic layout added to ASUS keyboard, so it will be possible to use US dock and type in Russian for those do not remember by heart location of Russian "QWERTY" layout ("ЙЦУКЕН"). I am looking desperately for this possibility - with Russian phonetic layout for ASUS keyboard life will be perfect . I can type Russian using on-screen keyboard but this is not nice when using dock. If you have any info about this - it will be very helpful.
Thanks
EugeneR said:
Thanks for this info. But I have a question, sorry my stupidity. What does "it shows where the letters are located" mean? There is no secondary letter set on a US keyboard dock (you said it is a US dock). And the only way in my opinion is - to have a Russian phonetic layout added to ASUS keyboard, so it will be possible to use US dock and type in Russian for those do not remember by heart location of Russian "QWERTY" layout ("ЙЦУКЕН"). I am looking desperately for this possibility - with Russian phonetic layout for ASUS keyboard life will be perfect . I can type Russian using on-screen keyboard but this is not nice when using dock. If you have any info about this - it will be very helpful.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the keyboard dock picture he attached you can see the actual Russian phonetic layout on the buttons, so it's not exactly the US dock, but like a US dock with Russian phonetic layout added to the buttons.
I finally decided to go buy an iPad 2 because of the price drop. I convinced myself that I wanted the app selection that the iPad has. But for some strange reason, the iPad is leaving me unfulfilled and I keep grabbing the prime. Once you go android its almost impossible to go back to iOS without feeling like you need more. Don't get me wrong, the apps are great on the iPad but...........its just not right.
This exactly is what I keep trying to tell my iPhone friends when they ask why I keep buying Android phones and devices. It isn't as if there is anything really wrong with the iPhone or iPad. They are honestly really great devices. However once you have played with an Android phone for a while, the lack of options in iDevices can be frustrating.
Thats how it is with apple As long as you just use apple stuff you feel like its the best thing in the world. I know various people (switzerland is apple land) that tell me in all honesty that iTunes is the best program for music and connecting mobile devices to a home PC.
I also felt that when i had my ipod touch and a cheap nokia brick phone back in the days that with my jailbroken ipod touch i could do everything i could imagine. Until i bought my DHD and put CWM recovery on it. I have next to no programing/coding/compiling knowledge but i was able to make my own themes and put toghether my own mods and .zips (UOT kitchen ftw) and edit roms with bootanimations etc in no time.
lulz i went OT again
I believe you. I think the world hasnt realized yet how great android works for tablets especially if you add that dock. I really hope Android will get the primary dev platform for Tablet apps. Apple makes great products but its just sad that they put everything in their own special garden (app store) where only special people (apple users) have access. Figuratively speaking.
I have a dream where devs can make ARM/OpenGL apps. And those apps just work on any ARM device, no matter if android iOS or Windows on ARM.
iOS is boring. Same ol Same ol. Simple for the kids to use.
Android was meant to be on a tablet. Widgets, cool notifications. alot more
customization. More eye appeal.
Apple has some good hardware there. The real question is iOS really a tablet
solution? iOS works for the kiddies, old etc. Its simple and familar to everyone.
But, just doesn't cut it for me. Especially when you see Android and what you can do with it.
Turn on either machine, get past the lock screen to the home screen and which one makes you say "Oh yeahhhh!" compared to "Ick. I hear 8 bit nintendo sounds in my head". Its visceral which is better in terms of the pride of ownership.
But I give up.
I will need both. I just can't take notes (as I've whined about almost everywhere) on the Prime and I *need*/*want* a great multitracker/amp emulator/music creation option on a tablet.
So anyone have a great deal on a black WiFi 32MB iPad2? I promise to not let it molest my prime.
(who am I kidding...the Prime would be doing the molesting...)
I'm over my Ipad now that I have the prime. I just let daughter n woman use it now. I have no interest or desire to use it anymore. 99% of the apps I have on Ipad I have on Android now. I only miss playing infinity blade2 and Broken Sword series. I also had tons of great photo editing software on Ipad. Android needs this badly. Photo editing sux on Android aside from adobe apps. But I had Ipad photo apps that blow away the adobe ones as far as editing features n such goes.
All in all, Ipad did me well for 2yrs. Time to move on to bigger n better things. The prime. Plus I find I don't play the games as much anymore on my prime compared to my Ipad. Although I have majority of the dame games. Just seems like Prime/Android is a more grown up experience.
mrboss23 said:
I finally decided to go buy an iPad 2 because of the price drop. I convinced myself that I wanted the app selection that the iPad has. But for some strange reason, the iPad is leaving me unfulfilled and I keep grabbing the prime. Once you go android its almost impossible to go back to iOS without feeling like you need more. Don't get me wrong, the apps are great on the iPad but...........its just not right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same thing happen to me when the first transformer came out,I bought the transformer and the return it for the iPad,jailbreak it play with for a week and felt that the iPad is not mad for me..
Great device,but too much limitation..
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
I bought a prime, and i keep grabbing my...er...nevermind.
My new ipad vs my tf201
The local store gave me $200 to exchange my ipad 1 so I took the plunge and picked up the new ipad. I have a family of 5 so we keep a couple of tablets...now a couple of nice ones.
My observations:
ipad:
-screen is great...colour saturation is very good as is black level.
-video looks spectacular. Text is e-ink sharp.
-no backlight bleed.
-speed? Well some things are faster than the ipad 1 of course...but most apps I use had no speed bottleneck on the ipad 1.
Dungeon defenders runs like butter compared to ipad 1...but the resolution is still scaled from 1024x768...so you still have the aliasing, etc....looks just like the ipad 2 until they update these apps for retina.
Switching back to the prime though and I find very little to choose...the 1280x800 screen is still excellent for a screen this size.
TF201:
-I give the ipad just a slight edge...not a deal breaker though. A 1080p TF701 will be every bit the equal of the ipad 3 screen wise.
-I have to say that after a few months I really prefer the android customizations and widgets on the home screen.
-The ipad 3 feels quite a bit heavier...the TF201 really sets the bar for being thin and light...and this is not to be understated.
-app support of course is better with ipad...my family loves playing with garage band for example....and this kind of support is (as everyone knows) the only real thing holding back android at the moment
-flash support still matters for me in my daily usage of these devices
So bottom line...which one would I prefer in my bag while travelling? For browsing, email, docs, and most of my regular usage...its the tf201 for now. The customizations in android win it for me. For my kids and my wife? The ipad with the app support wins the day.
I will post some wifi tests when I get back home.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
good comparison. thanks. have you tried to run any apps you have on both devices. like tegra3 version of Shadowgun vs. Ipad shadowgun? I already know which the better version but just want to see if you notice any graphical improvements on Ipad. so most apps so far have been upscaled? do they look like blown up iPhone apps? any chance you can post a screenshot of the same wallpaper on both devices? to compare quality. or take a pic of both.
Thanks for the comparison.
Thanks for the quick comparison of the two.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
mike infinity said:
The local store gave me $200 to exchange my ipad 1 so I took the plunge and picked up the new ipad. I have a family of 5 so we keep a couple of tablets...now a couple of nice ones.
My observations:
ipad:
-screen is great...colour saturation is very good as is black level.
-video looks spectacular. Text is e-ink sharp.
-no backlight bleed.
-speed? Well some things are faster than the ipad 1 of course...but most apps I use had no speed bottleneck on the ipad 1.
Dungeon defenders runs like butter compared to ipad 1...but the resolution is still scaled from 1024x768...so you still have the aliasing, etc....looks just like the ipad 2 until they update these apps for retina.
Switching back to the prime though and I find very little to choose...the 1280x800 screen is still excellent for a screen this size.
TF201:
-I give the ipad just a slight edge...not a deal breaker though. A 1080p TF701 will be every bit the equal of the ipad 3 screen wise.
-I have to say that after a few months I really prefer the android customizations and widgets on the home screen.
-The ipad 3 feels quite a bit heavier...the TF201 really sets the bar for being thin and light...and this is not to be understated.
-app support of course is better with ipad...my family loves playing with garage band for example....and this kind of support is (as everyone knows) the only real thing holding back android at the moment
-flash support still matters for me in my daily usage of these devices
So bottom line...which one would I prefer in my bag while travelling? For browsing, email, docs, and most of my regular usage...its the tf201 for now. The customizations in android win it for me. For my kids and my wife? The ipad with the app support wins the day.
I will post some wifi tests when I get back home.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good review. I also found the color saturation to be amazing. It really has that Sammy look and feel. The maximum level of brightness was higher than I expected. I really can't wait to try out Namco's Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy to see this hardware really in action. Infinity Blade 2 got a resolution update for the new iPad's screen. For apps there's no comparison between the new iPad and Prime.
The ONLY thing that stands out on the Prime for me is the awesome Live My Wallpaper...I love it.. and the netbook setup. I'd have to say that outside of games/video, I prefer the feel of the Prime.
I have been on the fence about choosing between the two as well. I have 2 small children that really enjoy playing with my OG 7 inch galaxy tab. However, they were blown away by a friend's ipad. I will probably get one of the refurb models of the ipad 2 from the apple store so I can still get my transformer prime.
thx for the comparison. I can totally see your points. So you say in the end the ipad is more of a very nice toy, and the prime is a bit more business oriented, while being very equal otherwise. Of course for me there are many other +'s for the prime because i'll use it for University and i love to play older games with that gamepad on emulators
So a friend of mine wants to buy an ipad soon (he's one of those apple guys) if money is an issue (they'll have a kid soon) would you say the new ipad is worth the extra money compared to the ipad 2?
I like the Prime more than my new iPad just because iOS hasn't changed at all so it gets pretty boring. The screen is really stunning but in reality, I really think of it as just an over sized iPod like many others. Not that I'm saying it's not a great device but Apple really needs something new on the software side of things.
clouds5 said:
thx for the comparison. I can totally see your points. So you say in the end the ipad is more of a very nice toy, and the prime is a bit more business oriented, while being very equal otherwise. Of course for me there are many other +'s for the prime because i'll use it for University and i love to play older games with that gamepad on emulators
So a friend of mine wants to buy an ipad soon (he's one of those apple guys) if money is an issue (they'll have a kid soon) would you say the new ipad is worth the extra money compared to the ipad 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's worth an extra $200 the only noticeable difference you will see it the screen and the 2 is also lighter and thinner.
Nice unbiased comparison. I really think the infinity tab will be the one to beat this year (although I'm sure apple fans will claim supremacy)
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
mike infinity said:
The local store gave me $200 to exchange my ipad 1 so I took the plunge and picked up the new ipad. I have a family of 5 so we keep a couple of tablets...now a couple of nice ones.
My observations:
ipad:
-screen is great...colour saturation is very good as is black level.
-video looks spectacular. Text is e-ink sharp.
-no backlight bleed.
-speed? Well some things are faster than the ipad 1 of course...but most apps I use had no speed bottleneck on the ipad 1.
Dungeon defenders runs like butter compared to ipad 1...but the resolution is still scaled from 1024x768...so you still have the aliasing, etc....looks just like the ipad 2 until they update these apps for retina.
Switching back to the prime though and I find very little to choose...the 1280x800 screen is still excellent for a screen this size.
TF201:
-I give the ipad just a slight edge...not a deal breaker though. A 1080p TF701 will be every bit the equal of the ipad 3 screen wise.
-I have to say that after a few months I really prefer the android customizations and widgets on the home screen.
-The ipad 3 feels quite a bit heavier...the TF201 really sets the bar for being thin and light...and this is not to be understated.
-app support of course is better with ipad...my family loves playing with garage band for example....and this kind of support is (as everyone knows) the only real thing holding back android at the moment
-flash support still matters for me in my daily usage of these devices
So bottom line...which one would I prefer in my bag while travelling? For browsing, email, docs, and most of my regular usage...its the tf201 for now. The customizations in android win it for me. For my kids and my wife? The ipad with the app support wins the day.
I will post some wifi tests when I get back home.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good review. Yes, I went down to local BB and did about the same for the kids. The new screen on the New iPad is really sharp. I was surprised just how sharp web pages are. Pretty amazing. Usually when you zoom in on text with iPad 2 it gets blurred. This thing didn't blur at all.
I didn't notice any lightbleed from mine either. HOWEVER... If you look at an 170 degree angle under the black bezel of the new iPad. And I mean way under there. It was not totally sealed. Some slight light was coming thru. Oh well. I didn't see any lightbleed coming onto the screen. That is what counts.
Kids are happy. I am happy. Prime still is my beast. HD youtube. Diceplayer 1080p video and etc still looks a hell of alot better on the prime. And its faster. Plus I would never use iOS over Android. iOS blows so much.
benefit14snake said:
Nice unbiased comparison. I really think the infinity tab will be the one to beat this year (although I'm sure apple fans will claim supremacy)
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When is the infinity tab scheduled to be released?
Hey guys I am wondering if there is a legit place to pre order the TF300T, I saw that you could at PortableOne Inc.
Or should I find a used TF201?
If I can get a Prime for a little over $400 used, should I jump on it or wait for the TF300T?
http://www.amazon.com/Transformer-T...ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334655831&sr=1-1
Shakenbake158 said:
Hey guys I am wondering if there is a legit place to pre order the TF300T, I saw that you could at PortableOne Inc.
Or should I find a used TF201?
If I can get a Prime for a little over $400 used, should I jump on it or wait for the TF300T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can find a prime for that price, I'd wonder what's wrong with it. I've watched ebay for a couple weeks and they are all pretty much selling at or above retail. You can almost bet a good number of them are users who aren't satisfied with the wifi or whatever.
The prime went in stock the other day at amazon so I went that route and am waiting for it now. If it hadn't come instock, I probably would have ordered the 300 (but it's got a 10-13 day ship from Amazon - unless you pay over retail).
There are so many users that are thrilled with their prime, I'm hoping to be one of them! If I hadn't read on here, it never would have occurred to me to try the GPS on it -- I'm not mounting a 10" screen in my mini-van - I have a TomTom GPS. Thank goodness they don't make an armband for it because I'd look ridiculous jogging down the street with it. That's pretty much all I use GPS for and I have devices to dot hose things - I never had an expectation that I'd use it for GPS.
The 300 looks to be good on paper, but it also may have issues that are unknown. With a prime, you know what to look for. You can argue the spec differences, but that's been done all over. Go for whichever and test it out. If it's not functioning correctly, you can exchange it for a different one.
I would (and probably will) get the 300.
1. Plastic back so no wifi attenuation problems like the Prime
2. GPS without a dongle
3. Faster ram
4. Same chipset but clocked a little lower
5. $100 less
6. Though not IPS+, still IPS.
7. Due to how bad the Prime launched, we can safely assume the 300 will go more smooth. One would hope, unless Asus is nuts.
Gizmo is a user in the forums and actually had one, so not just a bunch of assumptions. Most people raved about the first Transformer and this seems a great step up.
Personally, one of my favorite things about the Prime is the IPS+ screen. Living in SoCal, I simply MUST be able to use my Prime in sunlight when I need to. That alone is reason enough for me to have no interest in the TF300.
rushless said:
I would (and probably will) get the 300.
1. Plastic back so no wifi attenuation problems like the Prime
2. GPS without a dongle
3. Faster ram
4. Same chipset but clocked a little lower
5. $100 less
6. Though not IPS+, still IPS.
7. Due to how bad the Prime launched, we can safely assume the 300 will go more smooth. One would hope, unless Asus is nuts.
Gizmo is a user in the forums and actually had one, so not just a bunch of assumptions. Most people raved about the first Transformer and this seems a great step up.
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its not the same chip type. its still tegra 3 but a different type of tegra 3. the prime's tegra 3 is better and can always be clocked higher.
---------- Post added at 06:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:29 PM ----------
wynand32 said:
Personally, one of my favorite things about the Prime is the IPS+ screen. Living in SoCal, I simply MUST be able to use my Prime in sunlight when I need to. That alone is reason enough for me to have no interest in the TF300.
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did you have the original transformer? how does that look under the sun? i would imagine it would be the same thing.
I already have a Prime but I was also in that stage previously. Everyone has gripes regarding a lower Tegra 3 but I wish for more information regarding the S4 version of the 300. If it's anything like the ones HTC have or better, I would have gone with the 300.
I'm very happy with my Prime though =D. I just put up an access point @ the house to battle the areas that are less than stellar. I have my Verizon GNEX to tether to when away from home that that can last for about 4-5hrs tethering with screen off. Love that I have spare bats for just that reason lol.
jblah said:
did you have the original transformer? how does that look under the sun? i would imagine it would be the same thing.
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The IPS+ specifically has dramatically increased brightness that makes it more visible in direct sunlight. I did have an original Transformer, and compared them side by side in this video (which doesn't actually demonstrate how significant the difference is). Note that the original Transformer does not have an IPS+ screen (only IPS).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm8UP4P_7Ms
Suffice it to say, the difference is VERY significant, to wit: the Prime can be comfortably used in direct sunlight, while the original Transformer (and pretty much every other tablet on the market) cannot. IPS+ mode does burn additional battery life, but it's worth it for those times when I want to read ebooks on my back porch (or on the beach, or beside the pool, or whatever).
rushless said:
I would (and probably will) get the 300.
1. Plastic back so no wifi attenuation problems like the Prime
2. GPS without a dongle
3. Faster ram
4. Same chipset but clocked a little lower
5. $100 less
6. Though not IPS+, still IPS.
7. Due to how bad the Prime launched, we can safely assume the 300 will go more smooth. One would hope, unless Asus is nuts.
Gizmo is a user in the forums and actually had one, so not just a bunch of assumptions. Most people raved about the first Transformer and this seems a great step up.
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About how much faster is this RAM? I remember on a prime stress test the RAM failed before the processor when playing multiple HD Videos.
The slower Tegra 3 would worry me. I know they had to cut corners to get down $100 and I don't see the extra brightness of the IPS+ or the cost of using a plastic backing instead of aluminum being all that different to warrant the price differential.
wynand32 said:
The IPS+ specifically has dramatically increased brightness that makes it more visible in direct sunlight. I did have an original Transformer, and compared them side by side in this video (which doesn't actually demonstrate how significant the difference is). Note that the original Transformer does not have an IPS+ screen (only IPS).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm8UP4P_7Ms
Suffice it to say, the difference is VERY significant, to wit: the Prime can be comfortably used in direct sunlight, while the original Transformer (and pretty much every other tablet on the market) cannot. IPS+ mode does burn additional battery life, but it's worth it for those times when I want to read ebooks on my back porch (or on the beach, or beside the pool, or whatever).
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there's another difference between a regular ips and superips+ screen. the only difference is not just the display being brighter. Ive seen the extensive detailed specs of the prime display vs. a regular ips display. People forgetting prime has the highest contrast ratio of any tablet out now(not sure if new Ipad beat it in that category). The contrast ratio is higher and the blacks and other colors are better in superips+ display. So the images on a regular ips display won't look as sharp on prime or the blacks won't be as dark or the whites as white. ill try to find that display spec sheet I saw. the detailed findings was done by a display website and others. but when prime came out, it was always toted as having the brightest display along with highest contrast ratio and other display important details that a regular ips display doesn't have. ill post it up as soon as I find it again.
---------- Post added at 06:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:18 PM ----------
Ziocomposite said:
I already have a Prime but I was also in that stage previously. Everyone has gripes regarding a lower Tegra 3 but I wish for more information regarding the S4 version of the 300. If it's anything like the ones HTC have or better, I would have gone with the 300.
I'm very happy with my Prime though =D. I just put up an access point @ the house to battle the areas that are less than stellar. I have my Verizon GNEX to tether to when away from home that that can last for about 4-5hrs tethering with screen off. Love that I have spare bats for just that reason lol.
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more info is that the S4 data version of 300 will be delayed. seems like the infinity pad 4g version and 300 data version that will have S4 chip will be delayed. for whatever reason. one possible reason is to manufacturing problems with the 28nm chip process. which is what the S4 chip is. Qualcomm could be giving phones priority over tablets on the chips since phones ship out in larger volume and more money to be made. no one exactly sure. but S4 chips being delayed in tablets is obvious sign there is a problem or issue somewhere with them.
wynand32 said:
Personally, one of my favorite things about the Prime is the IPS+ screen. Living in SoCal, I simply MUST be able to use my Prime in sunlight when I need to. That alone is reason enough for me to have no interest in the TF300.
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I saw this earlier but have to say I didn't get the big deal until I got mine and turned it on... you need sunglasses if you activate super ips + in the house!!! Seriously, blinding! It's a big difference.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
If I learned anything from the TFP it is that you should wait to see whether there are any problems before giving them your money.
xGary said:
If I learned anything from the TFP it is that you should wait to see whether there are any problems before giving them your money.
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SAME here and that is EXACTLY what I am going to do....if Infinity has problems then I will wait for a Tegra 4 tablet.....waited long enough so far.....
Cheers,
M
Actually, the place that I found it so cheap is the Best Buy Outlet on eBay.
I was at nfm today and saw the new tf 300 and tried it out. All I can say is I don't like it. Back plate is rough on the hands and GPS still does not work. Let GPS status go for 3 mins and nothing. Glad I an sticking with my prime
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monkey10120 said:
I was at nfm today and saw the new tf 300 and tried it out. All I can say is I don't like it. Back plate is rough on the hands and GPS still does not work. Let GPS status go for 3 mins and nothing. Glad I an sticking with my prime
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First, I'm glad you're happy with your Prime. It's a great device. Enjoy it.
That said, according to all of the reviews and pretty much anyone who owns one, the GPS reception on the 300 is fantastic, especially compared to the Prime. It's rather difficult to truly judge the GPS capabilities of a device just from the quick, informal test you ran on a display unit inside a store. That's about as far from conclusive evidence of its GPS capabilities as claiming the same without ever having even touched one.
As for the feel of the device, that's all personal preference. I don't find the slightly raised ridges to be rough on the hands in the slightest. In fact, it's quite comfortable and helps with grip tremendously. Actually, I can't imagine someone describing the back as rough. It's not even close to fitting the definition of that word. Additionally, the more rounded edges of the 300 definitely make holding the device for extended periods much more comfortable for me than holding the Prime. The Prime always felt like it was cutting into my hand after awhile. I don't get that at all with the 300.
The Prime is a fantastic device, and there are several things it has over the 300 (display, weight, thinness, etc). But the 300 definitely has a leg up over the Prime on GPS (and WiFi as well for many), and the feel of the device in hand all comes down to personal preference.
bsweetness said:
First, I'm glad you're happy with your Prime. It's a great device. Enjoy it.
That said, according to all of the reviews and pretty much anyone who owns one, the GPS reception on the 300 is fantastic, especially compared to the Prime. It's rather difficult to truly judge the GPS capabilities of a device just from the quick, informal test you ran on a display unit inside a store. That's about as far from conclusive evidence of its GPS capabilities as claiming the same without ever having even touched one.
As for the feel of the device, that's all personal preference. I don't find the slightly raised ridges to be rough on the hands in the slightest. In fact, it's quite comfortable and helps with grip tremendously. Actually, I can't imagine someone describing the back as rough. It's not even close to fitting the definition of that word. Additionally, the more rounded edges of the 300 definitely make holding the device for extended periods much more comfortable for me than holding the Prime. The Prime always felt like it was cutting into my hand after awhile. I don't get that at all with the 300.
The Prime is a fantastic device, and there are several things it has over the 300 (display, weight, thinness, etc). But the 300 definitely has a leg up over the Prime on GPS (and WiFi as well for many), and the feel of the device in hand all comes down to personal preference.
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I completely agree with you. It's very misleading when people open a new thread to give opinion on the device without properly testing it. Did OP test the GPS on other devices in the store, I highly doubt any other device will be able to lock on a satellite in an indoor environment, including the dedicated Garmin devices. The feel of the device is definitely a more personal choice, some people prefer the extra thickness and grip the plastic cover provides. The GPS/Wifi has been excellent on mine, not that it was horrible on the prime, but with plastic cover the signal simply travels through better.
andyxover said:
I completely agree with you. It's very misleading when people open a new thread to give opinion on the device without properly testing it. Did OP test the GPS on other devices in the store, I highly doubt any other device will be able to lock on a satellite in an indoor environment, including the dedicated Garmin devices. The feel of the device is definitely a more personal choice, some people prefer the extra thickness and grip the plastic cover provides. The GPS/Wifi has been excellent on mine, not that it was horrible on the prime, but with plastic cover the signal simply travels through better.
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I never just open threads without reason. I tested it with a galaxy tab, Sony s and the new Toshiba tablet. Forget what its called. Very nice by the way. But yeah they all has gps within 1 min. The tf300 never found 1 sat. That is all I am saying on this thread
I am in no way saying it is a bad device
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monkey10120 said:
I never just open threads without reason. I tested it with a galaxy tab, Sony s and the new Toshiba tablet. Forget what its called. Very nice by the way. But yeah they all has gps within 1 min. The tf300 never found 1 sat. That is all I am saying on this thread
I am in no way saying it is a bad device
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I agree with this and your original post. I'll go down to NFM to take look myself, but I already know if its thicker, heavier, and the screen isn't as good you can keep it. If I need GPS I'll use my phone or gps tether. No way on earth I'm sticking that dongle thing on my prime, but then again the dongle was free so you get what you pay for. I got the prime partially because of the looks, feel, weight, and screen. Whatever tablet I get next will have to be better in all areas than the prime, I'll wait till I see the 300 but I doubt it's better.
bsweetness said:
The Prime is a fantastic device, and there are several things it has over the 300 (display, weight, thinness, etc). But the 300 definitely has a leg up over the Prime on GPS (and WiFi as well for many), and the feel of the device in hand all comes down to personal preference.
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Click to collapse
In 95% of cases, the Prime is the much better device. For people that dont use GPS its like 98% of cases
Also Tf300 screen is made of harden glass compared to the TF201 Gorilla Glass. I take my Prime with me everywhere I go. It's nice to see the screen in complete daylight with intense glare. If I can recall Primes have 600 nits compared to 350 nits on Tf300. The whole ergonomics deal with Tf300 is nice but my Moko slim case feels nice too and it even protects my investment. My wifi rocks just as good as my Galaxy tab 10.1 My TF201 internal GPS is weaker but can hold a lock while driving. Or just connect my dongle if need be. Love my Prime. To each his own right
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium App
Flawless gps... In side and outside.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 2
clouds5 said:
In 95% of cases, the Prime is the much better device. For people that dont use GPS its like 98% of cases
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Click to collapse
Again, completely personal preference. I had the Prime and got rid of it. Now I have the TF300. I won't be getting rid of it. I definitely like it much better than the Prime as an overall device.
ill1 said:
I agree with this and your original post. I'll go down to NFM to take look myself, but I already know if its thicker, heavier, and the screen isn't as good you can keep it. If I need GPS I'll use my phone or gps tether. No way on earth I'm sticking that dongle thing on my prime, but then again the dongle was free so you get what you pay for. I got the prime partially because of the looks, feel, weight, and screen. Whatever tablet I get next will have to be better in all areas than the prime, I'll wait till I see the 300 but I doubt it's better.
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Click to collapse
are you in Omaha?
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bsweetness said:
Again, completely personal preference. I had the Prime and got rid of it. Now I have the TF300. I won't be getting rid of it. I definitely like it much better than the Prime as an overall device.
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Some parts of it are personal preference, i agree. But some are just Facts. I based my statement on how often and how i use my Tablet. For example The display is better on the prime because of the IPS+. And I use the display alot Wifi on the other hand is only better in certain locations far away from the router. GPS yeah, no argument here but thats something I hardly ever use, thats why it only got a small %age in my statement
The look (aluminum/colored plastic) is personal preference. And all the other hardware stuff... Cpu clock, Gorilla Glass, speaker? etcetc are just better on the prime.
But i could see myself being happy with the TF300 as well but i already have a prime that works perfectly in all situations in which i need a tablet, so for me the TF300 is only superior in the 2% of my usage time where i need GPS. I'd never even think about exchanging it for a TF300^^
clouds5 said:
Some parts of it are personal preference, i agree. But some are just Facts. I based my statement on how often and how i use my Tablet. For example The display is better on the prime because of the IPS+. And I use the display alot Wifi on the other hand is only better in certain locations far away from the router. GPS yeah, no argument here but thats something I hardly ever use, thats why it only got a small %age in my statement
The look (aluminum/colored plastic) is personal preference. And all the other hardware stuff... Cpu clock, Gorilla Glass, speaker? etcetc are just better on the prime.
But i could see myself being happy with the TF300 as well but i already have a prime that works perfectly in all situations in which i need a tablet, so for me the TF300 is only superior in the 2% of my usage time where i need GPS. I'd never even think about exchanging it for a TF300^^
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For me, the display isn't that big of a deal. Indoors, the displays are pretty comparable (unless you want retina burning brightness). Outside, it's not even a contest, but I don't use it outside. So the display argument again comes down to personal preference. Sure the Prime's display is better, but in general use, not much of a difference will be seen. CPU clock speed pretty much is a wash as well in every day use. The speaker on the Prime might be slightly better, but again, they're so similar that it would be tough for anyone to distinguish in a blind test.
I find the TF300 to be superior for my uses. I had incredibly spotting WiFi reception on my Prime, which in and of itself is pretty much a deal breaker. No such problems on the TF300. I actually use GPS fairly often, so that's a given on the TF300. The feel of the TF300 is much better in hand to me, particularly because of it being slightly thicker and having more rounded sides. I use the dock extensively, so using the Prime in a case to make the ergonomics more comfortable for long periods was frustrating since I had to constantly take it on and off. With the TF300, I don't have to worry about one.
So while I'll certainly agree that on paper the Prime is clearly ahead of the TF300, but in everyday use, I find the TF300 to be much more usable than the Prime was for me. And again, most of the reasons I listed why it is such come down to personal preference. You won't catch me knocking the Prime. It's fantastic. And I can certainly understand why people who own it wouldn't want to get rid of it for the TF300. But the TF300 just works for me in ways that the Prime didn't. The minor trade-offs in a few areas from the Prime have been more than worth it for improvements in daily use.
Posters like cloud5 & jjdevega make me feel good about my purchase. Prime is a great device, when you have a really good working one like we do..lol. I use my prime everyday. This is my computer as years ago(when first Ipad came out) I converted to using tablets for any and every computer function I needed. Now that I have the dock also, it adds a whole new dimension to prime and extends its already superior battery life. As far as how it feels, Prime feels great holding it. I'm 6'5, with big hands, so the whole prime cuts into people hands seem over exaggerated to me. like apple would say, "You holding it wrong" if it does..lol. Im still just as amazed with my device since the first day I got it. Everyone loves how thin and light it is. plus the differences in display compared to 300 isn't just prime being brighter. If you look at any tech site detailed breakdown of the 2 displays, Prime is clearly superior. With that said 300 still has a decent display. it not being gorilla glass will make it's display easier to break/scratch. so people better make sure to protect it. I haven't had a case or screen protector for my prime since day 1 and no scratches or cracks on the screen.
I can see why a few like the 300 over the prime. its because their experience with Prime wasn't a good one like mines. I bet if they had a prime like mines, or cloud5 or jjdevega, they wouldn't even want to downgrade to 300. It is a downgrade. Even Asus calls it this themselves. its the low end replacement to the OG Transformer. No disputing that.
I like having a device that's kind of exclusive. If i want to be a "me to" guy, I would've just got a new Ipad.
mods do need to go on and make a 300 section so we can get all these mofos up outta here..lol j/k..300 is the little brother to prime. its like little kids(300) running around playing. they need their own playground now so the grownups(Prime) can conduct business..lmfao
monkey10120 said:
are you in Omaha?
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have NFM here in kansas. I'll be out that way today and I'll drop in and see if they have one.
ill1 said:
We have NFM here in kansas. I'll be out that way today and I'll drop in and see if they have one.
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Thats what I thought. Only 2 nfm's, it had to be one if them. I actually drove to Kansas city for worlds of fun... Small world lol
Never been to the nfm in Kansas though. Great store.
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monkey10120 said:
Let GPS status go for 3 mins and nothing
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Click to collapse
First GPS lock can take up to 12.5 minutes (internet connection could speed this up depending if AGPS was properly configured by manufacturer, which Asus often forgets to do it seems). Next locks will be much faster. 3 mins is too little to test GPS. The time is 12.5 because you need to get data about satellite positions from the satellites.
Magnesus said:
First GPS lock can take up to 12.5 minutes (internet connection could speed this up depending if AGPS was properly configured by manufacturer, which Asus often forgets to do it seems). Next locks will be much faster. 3 mins is too little to test GPS. The time is 12.5 because you need to get data about satellite positions from the satellites.
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Is this normal I ask as I don't use GPS on a tablet but I just tried GPS tether with my evo and got an instant lock. I would think waiting almost 12 minutes would leave me very lost.
The NFM by me didn't either have the the 300 or have them on display.
demandarin said:
Posters like cloud5 & jjdevega make me feel good about my purchase. Prime is a great device, when you have a really good working one like we do..lol. I use my prime everyday. This is my computer as years ago(when first Ipad came out) I converted to using tablets for any and every computer function I needed. Now that I have the dock also, it adds a whole new dimension to prime and extends its already superior battery life. As far as how it feels, Prime feels great holding it. I'm 6'5, with big hands, so the whole prime cuts into people hands seem over exaggerated to me. like apple would say, "You holding it wrong" if it does..lol. Im still just as amazed with my device since the first day I got it. Everyone loves how thin and light it is. plus the differences in display compared to 300 isn't just prime being brighter. If you look at any tech site detailed breakdown of the 2 displays, Prime is clearly superior. With that said 300 still has a decent display. it not being gorilla glass will make it's display easier to break/scratch. so people better make sure to protect it. I haven't had a case or screen protector for my prime since day 1 and no scratches or cracks on the screen.
I can see why a few like the 300 over the prime. its because their experience with Prime wasn't a good one like mines. I bet if they had a prime like mines, or cloud5 or jjdevega, they wouldn't even want to downgrade to 300. It is a downgrade. Even Asus calls it this themselves. its the low end replacement to the OG Transformer. No disputing that.
I like having a device that's kind of exclusive. If i want to be a "me to" guy, I would've just got a new Ipad.
mods do need to go on and make a 300 section so we can get all these mofos up outta here..lol j/k..300 is the little brother to prime. its like little kids(300) running around playing. they need their own playground now so the grownups(Prime) can conduct business..lmfao
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I don't think you need other people to prove you are happy about your Prime... BTW: Are you going to buy the TF700 because that is the "big brother to the Prime!"
JoeyLe said:
I don't think you need other people to prove you are happy about your Prime... BTW: Are you going to buy the TF700 because that is the "big brother to the Prime!"
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It all depends. More than likely ill just keep my prime.
really, I don't know yet. ill cross That bridge once it comes.
ill1 said:
Is this normal I ask as I don't use GPS on a tablet but I just tried GPS tether with my evo and got an instant lock. I would think waiting almost 12 minutes would leave me very lost.
The NFM by me didn't either have the the 300 or have them on display.
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The one I tested was the NFM in Omaha.