TF201 vs S2110 - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Anyone have any opinions or experience on whether it's better to go with the TF201 or S2110 from Lenovo? I found the S2110 16GB w/ keyboard for $399 and it seemed too good to pass up. I'm worried though because I haven't seen any reviews and the most comparable device seems to be the TF201. How do you think the S2110 stacks up against it?
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/ideapad/s2110/

Don't think the dock is included for that price... (Unless you're not referring to the lenovo site). But yeah, wondering the same thing... Looks pretty good and would love to give it a try but haven't found any reviews yet.

I would want the 3g one but it's not listed
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

I don't know if you are interested but you can get a TF300 with free keyboard from Sears for 359.00.

dagrim1 said:
Don't think the dock is included for that price... (Unless you're not referring to the lenovo site). But yeah, wondering the same thing... Looks pretty good and would love to give it a try but haven't found any reviews yet.
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I found a special deal on the S2110 for $399 including the keyboard dock so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on it. There are literally zero reviews of this thing so I'll post up a YouTube video once it arrives. I have a Nexus7 and a Samsung GS3 but honestly I feel here is too much overlap between the two. I'm hoping the S2110 will give me more of a computing experience similar to what the TF201 offers. Worst case scenario if I don't like the S2110 I'll sell it and pickup an Asus device.

racerex said:
I found a special deal on the S2110 for $399 including the keyboard dock so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on it. There are literally zero reviews of this thing so I'll post up a YouTube video once it arrives. I have a Nexus7 and a Samsung GS3 but honestly I feel here is too much overlap between the two. I'm hoping the S2110 will give me more of a computing experience similar to what the TF201 offers. Worst case scenario if I don't like the S2110 I'll sell it and pickup an Asus device.
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Cool, sweet deal... wonder how you'll like it

racerex said:
I found a special deal on the S2110 for $399 including the keyboard dock so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on it. There are literally zero reviews of this thing so I'll post up a YouTube video once it arrives. I have a Nexus7 and a Samsung GS3 but honestly I feel here is too much overlap between the two. I'm hoping the S2110 will give me more of a computing experience similar to what the TF201 offers. Worst case scenario if I don't like the S2110 I'll sell it and pickup an Asus device.
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I could never splash that much cash without reading umpteen reviews. I admire you.

GS_Dan said:
I could never splash that much cash without reading umpteen reviews. I admire you.
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Normally I wouldn't but given the great deal I got I can likely sell it for little to no loss.

Lenovo is a good brand, the only concern is that it's not sure the community devels will be very active, so you could be stuck with branded ROM and so on.

I was able to get my hands on this tablet for a week 2 weeks ago. Alas, I didn't get the keyboard dock with it. I did some quick benchmarks:
AnTuTu Benchmark - 6781
Quadrant - 4797
Vellamo - 2203
CF-Bench Over all Score - 9261
SunSpider - 1930.1 ms
Battery Test. I looped a 42 minute 720p MKV file with screen at 50% brightness and wifi always connected. Tablet last 9h 14m.
I have taken screen shots of all the tests. If we compare to the results table on this review, http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/nexus-7-review/ , the Lenovo lands in the middle of the ASUS Transformer Prime and the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 in terms of benchmark results.I can say I quite like this tablet and it's responsiveness. It has a custom launcher, but I like it. Other than that, it looks like Ice Cream Sandwich is left alone. Speakers are fairly loud compared to previous tablets. Viewing angle on the screen is great. Oh and the screen itself is very nice! There is a little creakiness to the case- I would say it was similar to what I had in the Asus Transformer. I really dislike the power button- it is plastic-y and hard to push, but manageable.
I got a great deal at $374 INCLUDING keyboard dock, so I am fairly confident for the price it will be a great tablet. But my ordering experience from Lenovo has been an absolute nightmare.

I just took my TF700 back owing to bluetooth audio lag problems (which Asus says will be "improved" but not fixed in a future OTA) and I'm hoping the S2110 will be the answer to my keyboard + bluetooth audio prayers...

Just got my 2110
I just got my 2110 with the keyboard today. It wouldn't have been my first choice because of the lack of dev community, but I got it for free from my companies Lenovo rep.
So far it is extremely smooth and the keyboard is more useful than I thought it would be.
It is thin, light weight, and although it is mostly plastic it still feels well built.
The interface that Lenovo adds is minimal and kinda useless, but has some nice features. It changes the way widgets are added, the way wallpapers are changed, and it has some transition options for the home screen and app drawer. Other than that it is stock ICS.
I really do like this tablet, and as soon as the dev community picks up buying this would be a no-brainer in my opinion.

Dego41 said:
I just got my 2110 with the keyboard today. It wouldn't have been my first choice because of the lack of dev community, but I got it for free from my companies Lenovo rep.
So far it is extremely smooth and the keyboard is more useful than I thought it would be.
It is thin, light weight, and although it is mostly plastic it still feels well built.
The interface that Lenovo adds is minimal and kinda useless, but has some nice features. It changes the way widgets are added, the way wallpapers are changed, and it has some transition options for the home screen and app drawer. Other than that it is stock ICS.
I really do like this tablet, and as soon as the dev community picks up buying this would be a no-brainer in my opinion.
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About the keyboard dock, you could use conbination keys just like in windows such as : "alt+tab" to switch between in different running apps. "ctrl+alt+delete" to show all the running apps and even "ctrl+c""ctrl+v" to copy and paste texts

Related

Which tablet? This or Nook?

Hello,
i am thinking of either buying the Nook or the Viewsonic...
I know that i am in the Viewsonic section, but are there major problems with the Viewsonic?
Would you recommend it over the Nook Color?
Thanks!
Well i had the nook color before i bought the viewsonic but so far im really happy with my decision the nook color is really great tablet but so is this one basically its up to you ?
I have both. The Nook is really nice and stable with the Honeycomb ROM, but the screen is just too small for my daily use. The only other negative comment on the Nook, is that the audio level (speaker volume) is very low. Headphones are fine, but audio output using the speaker is not great.
My G-Tab is better for me, for everyday use, due to the larger screen, and faster processor. I'm running Vegan 5.11, which runs well, except for a few minor glitches. Hopefully, at some future date, Honeycomb will be ported to the G-Tab.
Bottom line, both are good devices, just a matter of personal preference as to which one will work best for you.
I have a g-tab and have only used a Nook for a few tens of minutes.
g-tab: excellent hardware speed, not so great screen, heavy-ish
nook: excellent screen, not so fast hardware, light-ish
If you're going to be mostly reading books with a few Android apps thrown in, it's the Nook hands down. If you're looking at action gaming, or remote access to your PC via remote desktop it's the g-tab.
Both have a good selection of alternate ROMS. IMO, they both need ROM replacement, although less now than six months ago. Excellent user communities for both.
Hard to go wrong, actually...
I have a g-tab and have only used a Nook for a few tens of minutes (so somewhat skewed experience).
That said...
g-tab: excellent hardware speed, not so great screen, heavy-ish
nook: excellent screen, not so fast hardware, light-ish
If you're going to be mostly reading books with a few Android apps thrown in, it's the Nook hands down. If you're looking at action gaming, or remote access to your PC via remote desktop it's the g-tab.
Both have a good selection of alternate ROMS. IMO, they both need ROM replacement, although less now than six months ago. Excellent user communities for both.
Hard to go wrong, actually...
Gtab has a serious speed advantage, and the nook's screen is beautiful. I would personally focus more on the size difference than specs (unless your looking to game or watch high res video). The size of the tablet will have the most dramatic effect on how you end up using it.
If you want to read in portrait mode the Gtab's viewing angles will disappoint. Landscape is tolerable, but not ideal.
Looking to incorporate your tablet into your keychain? Nook color has that hook.
Gtab is a piece of crap. I highly recommend either the nook or the ipad.
goodintentions said:
Gtab is a piece of crap. I highly recommend either the nook or the ipad.
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That doesn't really have any justification behind it... Considering there are plenty of users that would completely disagree with you. I'm not sure you can go wrong buying a 10" tablet for $280.00. What is wrong with it that you classify it as crap? To be honest, the update to the 3588 version out of the box was pretty good. The only negative I had was that there isn't a native video conferencing app and not netflix support as of yet. If those two things are implemented, a tablet for $280.00 is a bargain. I have no other complaints in day to day use. It is stable and does what I want it to do. My brother just bought the iPad 2 and I agree it's pretty nice but he also paid $500.00 plus tax. To each their own.
I would recommend the nook color unless you find a good deal on the Gtab (sub $300). The screen on the Nook is fantastic and it is quite portable. The Gtab while powerful has some flaws, speakers, screen, and terrible CS from Viewsonic (see the threads in the general section).
The plus is that both of them have great support from XDA and are supported with CM7
jetguy35 said:
That doesn't really have any justification behind it... Considering there are plenty of users that would completely disagree with you. I'm not sure you can go wrong buying a 10" tablet for $280.00. What is wrong with it that you classify it as crap? To be honest, the update to the 3588 version out of the box was pretty good. The only negative I had was that there isn't a native video conferencing app and not netflix support as of yet. If those two things are implemented, a tablet for $280.00 is a bargain. I have no other complaints in day to day use. It is stable and does what I want it to do. My brother just bought the iPad 2 and I agree it's pretty nice but he also paid $500.00 plus tax. To each their own.
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Shhh, I'm redirecting all the whiners to apple.
goodintentions said:
Shhh, I'm redirecting all the whiners to apple.
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Oh, I see.
goodintentions said:
Shhh, I'm redirecting all the whiners to apple.
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Nope, IMHO you are (in this specific incident) pushing away a potential customer.
The guy is just making a legitimate question and asking for feedback, I don't see any whining here, so if you don't feel the need to give him true feedback (perhaps because one might think that its listed all over the forum and reviewed to death online) then don't give him an unjustifiably negative one (at least without enough smilies) .
I just don't think the guy is in a situation that would make him see logic behind your "get an ipad" canned reply (not to mention it doesn't even apply to him).
basically for me is simple; if ipad or xoom were 250$ i would have bought them... but they are not worth it at that price...
I think i'm going for thr nook although kindle just slipped in the options...
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk
Fekish said:
basically for me is simple; if ipad or xoom were 250$ i would have bought them... but they are not worth it at that price...
I think i'm going for thr nook although kindle just slipped in the options...
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk
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I do own the two (nook and gtab), both are overclocked and running the same CM7 ROM.
I honestly think both have different usage scenarios, nook is incredibly more portable, screen more beautiful, the gtab is incredibly more powerful (more capable of running heavy and resource demanding applications and future ROMs) bigger screen though less portable but there is an undeniable screen real estate (that makes the difference).
GTab should only be considered if its below $300 all in (as mentioned earlier), nook has been as low as $200 (N&B ebay deal), currently $225 (refurbished).
Again it all depends on how you intend to use it.
GTab vs. Nook
Comes down to use. If you want an eReader which is a powerful tablet, get a nook and plan on putting a custom ROM on it (the latest update is better, but no match for a custom ROM and rooted device). If you want comfortable eReading, don't get a GTab - way too heavy.
If on the other hand you want a netbook replacement, get a GTab, case and bluetooth keyboard (still plan on the custom ROM).
Kindle got mentioned, not sure why but it implies you only really want an eReader. I have all three, and the Kindle has the best screen for reading books outside, the Nook the most beautiful screen and is fine inside but harder outside and the GTab (as noted above) is just not designed for that use.
All are good devices - we need a better idea of what you want from your device.
I had a nook but gave it to my wife and bought the gtab. No regrets at all. Its kinda heavy but with overclock now has more juice than my netbook. If you want an ereader that does some other stuff too, get a nook. If you want a true tablet for half the price of the competition, get the gtab. Also be ready to mod it out - I really was worried I had made a mistake at first. It took me about a week to get it all set up. Overclock and a keyboard replacement (thumbkeyboard) were key for me to make the tablet responsive enough.
I had a gtab (from Nov 10 - March 11) and sold it on Eby and got a nook color for $200 dollars. Gtab was fast and good.. except the weight and screen. I mostly used it for reading comics, playing games and web browsing. Holding it for over an hour caused pain to my wrist and the viewing angle was bad for gaming such as raging thunder, backbreaker, etc. The nook color screen is just great and the weight is very nice too. I installed Amazon appstore on it and running CM7 on SD card, it is definitely not as fast as Gtab but it is not bad, very useable and responsive. My son (5 years old ) loves the nook since it is very light and small, he can play with it all day.. and my wife can carry it on a subway to work too. very family oriented..
If you can get the nook for about $200, I will go for it. If you want a powerful android tablet, I would either get the Asus transformer (target has it onsale for $360 - preorder) - check out slickdeals.net.
I am keeping my nook and I am going to get a nice tablet soon (Galaxy tab 8.9 or G-slate or Asus Transformer)
Good luck..
I have both. I had wanted an android tablet and was going to get the xoom, but couldnt justify the high cost. After reading about the custom roms available for the nook, I picked it up. I loved it and still do. But I got a great deal on a Gtab and couldnt pass it up. Now I'm selling my nook color. Its still a great device (gorgeous screen), but I found that for me personally, a 7inch screen is too small for a true tablet experience. I also love the extra ports/speed of the gtab.
Like everyone is saying, it really depends on your usage. If you really want a nice ereader, with some very cool extras and a tablet-like experience, nook color hands down.
However, if you're like me and really wanted a tablet, and hoped the nook would fill that void, you'll most likely feel more satisfied with the gtab. Just make sure you get it for a good price. I would never in a million years pay the prices for the gtab that it used to sell for. But now that its sub 300 (with some people selling theirs for a lot less), I think its totally worth the cost.
Side note: I don't actually have a problem reading on the gtab like a couple of other people on here seem to be complaining about. The screen seems fine in portrait mode to me. Its great for reading comic books and not having to pan around (which became a little annoying on the nook). But I may just not be as sensitive as some
Side note: I don't actually have a problem reading on the gtab like a couple of other people on here seem to be complaining about. The screen seems fine in portrait mode to me. Its great for reading comic books and not having to pan around (which became a little annoying on the nook). But I may just not be as sensitive as some
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I've been reading books and new on the train.
Nook - No Camera or Mic
The one thing I forgot in my last post and is not covered in the thread is the lack of communications - you will not be using Skype, GTalk, etc, for anything other than text messaging if you go with the Nook.
GTab has a front facing camera and mic. - so if comm's is important, it's a no brainer.
So, have you ordered anything yet ?

My quick hands on experience with Transformer Prime at GameStop.

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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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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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.
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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

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.
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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...
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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.
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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>
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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.
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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.

We should appreciate the transformer prime more.

With all the complaints in this forum, you'd think this was a bad device.
I'll tell you, over in the tf101 forum there was no where near as many complaints and the tf101 wasn't the perfect device either.
The prime is an improvement in alot of ways.
The tf101 had backlight bleeds, I went through 3 of them before I settled.
The tf101 was sluggish, no one here can fully respect the power of the tegra 3 processor without experiencing the tegra 2. The boot time was like 4 minutes, it was slow in alot of areas that the prime isn't.
It had to use honeycomb up until 2 weeks ago, that's about a year - prime owners got it asap with a slew of support from asus for the gps/wifi issues.
The tf101 had keyboard dock issues, alot of the docks had to be sent back in.
It was fat and plastic. It was brown. It collected dust under it's camera.
It wasn't perfect.
But what device is? Galaxy tabs are diet vanilla, nothing really special or innovative about them. The follow the ipad status quo. Toshiba tabs are jokes on battery life. Acers are humongous. Ipads use proprietary apple garbage and are extremely limited by their OEM.
When I got my prime I would grip this thing tightly and say to myself "I own a ****ing transformer prime".
I waited for this thing for months through using my tf101, when everyone was hoping Q4 release meant October, but october stretched on to november, and then december when it finally came out.
But this exceptional tablet gets overshadowed by a couple of it's faults, rather than how great it's advantages are.
We own the world's first quad core tablet, it's thin, it's beautiful, it get's ridiculous battery life with it's incredibly well designed keyboard dock. We have usb connectivity, micro sd, full sized sd, hdmi, etc. Some devices don't have any of those, let alone all of them like we do.
Sure something better will come. Maybe you want a more expensive Ipad 3 with a redundant screen resolution, slower cpu, thicker design to compensate for it's thirst of excessive battery life, and lack of expansion. It's not perfect and the devices after it won't be either...
It's time we be happy prime owners. Asus did design a good device, and they don't receive credit where credit is due. I'm proud to own this tablet.
@OP: The Church of Primetology seeks chaplain
!Hail to you, oh holy Prime, father of connection lacking communication specialists!
Forgive me that I don't see your creators wisdom as he provided you also with that microsd slot so this shall be your door to the world.
Just let your green light shine and don't punch the xcsd out again because I will not find it in the sewage where I would be looking for my missing GPS if you hadn't already disappeared somewhere on a shelf of the ASUS repdep. Thank you for having enlighten my life longer than a week. Which is exceptional or was it the rule?
Give me a thank or another tablet will you.
I endorse the OP post. I ran out of thanks. good viewpoint/angle on the situation. preach on my brother thrash all those who committed sins against the prime. they need redemption NOW! lol
lolololololololol
Agree w the OP. I ranted about its short comings when I first got it, but after using it for a few weeks, I love it. It really is a beautiful device and fast. Its my first tab so maybe my expectations were too high at first.
BTW, what do you mean by redundant screen?
This a great device once you get it to work without crash. Everything's stable for me on .15 nd the browsing is super fast thanks to OC 1.6ghz ... its perfect for what I do
Honestly looking at benchmark (I'm at 13162) scores its the best android device out now by far
Sent from my HERO200 using xda premium
I really like it. I'm not an Asus fanboy, in fact I try as hard as possible to not be a fanboy of anything.
That being said, there were and are shortcomings. But over time the bugs will get ironed out, CM9 and other ROM makers will do some wonders.
I don't know, when I use the Prime (especially with the new floaty browser!) I feel more like I'm using a computer, not an appliance. You know, file management is in my hands, I can f*** around with the OS, break it if I want. Whenever I use my friends' or coworkers' iDevices they just feel like appliances with a shallow OS.
But I'm not trying to sell anyone on it. Some people like it, some people don't. I like seams, I like tinkering. I learn more from it. All those folks complaining about their wifi, gps, screen issues; I guarantee you they have learned MUCH more about those aspects of mobile computing because of those faults.
demandarin said:
I endorse the OP post. I ran out of thanks. good viewpoint/angle on the situation. preach on my brother thrash all those who committed sins against the prime. they need redemption NOW! lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol how do you run out of thanks?
nhshah7 said:
lol how do you run out of thanks?
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Click to collapse
the thanks button underneath a post. you only have 8 per day.
NastroGlide said:
BTW, what do you mean by redundant screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OP probably means retina display shows everything so cristallclear now you can look at it through a microscope...
Give me a thank or another tablet will you.
this is kind of weird and hard to understand how you guys settle with a device that has a lot of design flaws on both hardware and software. Asus transformer prime was my first tablet. And to be honest the one I got had nearly no light bleed, an okay wifi, kind of working GPS and fairly stable device in comparison with the horror stories that we all know through the forum. I made the though call return my transformer prime one day before my return window. The idea I had was wait a little until Asus get the problems fixed and buy a great one. However, I realized that I have to have a tablet as waiting for a fixed transformer. So I went ahead and bought a Samsung galaxy tab from Costco which has a 90 days return window. Here is my impression out of my first 10 days
-way stable. Had to reboot only one time due to firmware upgrade.
-no hiccups as I use or browse. It is dual core but performs way better than the balance mode of transformer
-screen readability is better than transformer
-wifi, GPS and Bluetooth works in a way it is suposed to be
- Form factor way comfortable than prime. No sharp uncomfortable edges. Way better feeling in your hand. I don't believe I would have written this.
-battery last way longer than prime
There are a few benefits that prime has over.
super ips display is better for outdoor use
Tergra 3 may be better for tegra optimized games. But I am not a game person and use my tablet for business.
prizm74 said:
this is kind of weird and hard to understand how you guys settle with a device that has a lot of design flaws on both hardware and software. Asus transformer prime was my first tablet. And to be honest the one I got had nearly no light bleed, an okay wifi, kind of working GPS and fairly stable device in comparison with the horror stories that we all know through the forum. I made the though call return my transformer prime one day before my return window. The idea I had was wait a little until Asus get the problems fixed and buy a great one. However, I realized that I have to have a tablet as waiting for a fixed transformer. So I went ahead and bought a Samsung galaxy tab from Costco which has a 90 days return window. Here is my impression out of my first 10 days
-way stable. Had to reboot only one time due to firmware upgrade.
-no hiccups as I use or browse. It is dual core but performs way better than the balance mode of transformer
-screen readability is better than transformer
-wifi, GPS and Bluetooth works in a way it is suposed to be
- Form factor way comfortable than prime. No sharp uncomfortable edges. Way better feeling in your hand. I don't believe I would have written this.
-battery last way longer than prime
There are a few benefits that prime has over.
super ips display is better for outdoor use
Tergra 3 may be better for tegra optimized games. But I am not a game person and use my tablet for business.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy tab smoother than the prime, that's cute haha. I can see how those sharp rounded corners would be a pain seeing as how they would break the laws of physics and all, can't be having that.
I'm just meeting with you though, to each his own
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
prizm74 said:
this is kind of weird and hard to understand how you guys settle with a device that has a lot of design flaws on both hardware and software. Asus transformer prime was my first tablet. And to be honest the one I got had nearly no light bleed, an okay wifi, kind of working GPS and fairly stable device in comparison with the horror stories that we all know through the forum. I made the though call return my transformer prime one day before my return window. The idea I had was wait a little until Asus get the problems fixed and buy a great one. However, I realized that I have to have a tablet as waiting for a fixed transformer. So I went ahead and bought a Samsung galaxy tab from Costco which has a 90 days return window. Here is my impression out of my first 10 days
-way stable. Had to reboot only one time due to firmware upgrade.
-no hiccups as I use or browse. It is dual core but performs way better than the balance mode of transformer
-screen readability is better than transformer
-wifi, GPS and Bluetooth works in a way it is suposed to be
- Form factor way comfortable than prime. No sharp uncomfortable edges. Way better feeling in your hand. I don't believe I would have written this.
-battery last way longer than prime
There are a few benefits that prime has over.
super ips display is better for outdoor use
Tergra 3 may be better for tegra optimized games. But I am not a game person and use my tablet for business.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a few things i hate about the galaxy tab 10.1 wifi was the newton rings on the screen...it gets worse and worse over time.
also it did not have a microsd slot nor a micro hdmi.
those were the deal breakers for me
less people complained about Toyotas having brakes that didnt work than have whined like babies about this TOY. and look at that, Toyota's still the #1 car manufacturer. so when people say we ''settled'' for our Primes, they are sorely mistaken. my Prime had to settle for ME as a user, as it is FAR beyond anything i can hope to do. I love my Prime, best gadget I ever bought
agree with the OP
I completely agree with the OP.
This device is really top notch.
Build quality is amazing, quad core is very nice (definitely will be more utilized in the close future, thank you xda ), multitasking is just awesome.
Converting from an ipad, I can safely say BYE APPLE!
Yes the "new ipad" has an amazing screen, I'll take the TFP thank you.
NastroGlide said:
Agree w the OP. I ranted about its short comings when I first got it, but after using it for a few weeks, I love it. It really is a beautiful device and fast. Its my first tab so maybe my expectations were too high at first.
BTW, what do you mean by redundant screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah...........wouldn't want to expect what was advertised !
Design? Who else designs a micro sd card slot that once a card is inserted, it can "Self" eject at any time !
The only thing ground breaking with this tablet is Tegra 3 and an all metal back............but I think we all know why no one else uses an all metal back, by now!
stretchwookie said:
less people complained about Toyotas having brakes that didnt work than have whined like babies about this TOY. and look at that, Toyota's still the #1 car manufacturer. so when people say we ''settled'' for our Primes, they are sorely mistaken. my Prime had to settle for ME as a user, as it is FAR beyond anything i can hope to do. I love my Prime, best gadget I ever bought
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate to correct you, but Toyota lost 16% of sales last year and is now no.3 after GM and VW (by a wide margin). Having said that I also have only good things to say about my lovely Prime, but it`s certainly important to note, that I don`t really use the GPS, since that duty is up to my GN. In any case I also respect other opinions, but life is sometimes nicer looking at a glass that is half full compared to viewing it as half empty
Coming from the Acer Iconia A500, I can honestly say that the ATP is WAY better in every way but one. The wifi is slightly poorer than on the Acer. That one was far from perfect either when coming to wifi. And the ranting in the Acer forum is way way less than on this forum.
I am simply AMAZED that some people expect their tablet to have a functionel GPS INDOORS!!! I can´t even get satelite lock indoors with my Garmin car gps.
I fixed the wifi problem quite simply by adding a second wifi router in the house using the house wires. And people complain about not getting a signal when they are other places than home... I just bring my own wifi in the form of a Huawei E586 (Search on Ebay)
On my Acer I had poor wifi, sluggish scrolling and browsing, squicky body, and a front and back part that did not want to stay together down in the left corner, Heavy, FAT, poor battery compared to the ATP, no alternatives regarding dockingstation.....the list just goes on.
And worst of all compared to ATP... Acers EXTREMLY POOR customer service. If you think that ASUS has bad service...try Acer!!!
Updates took forever compared to other tablet makers. I think the tf101 and Xoom got HC 3.2 about 2 months before any Acer tablet did.
I think that Acer A500/501/200 users still have to wait yet another couple of months before they get ICS.
When the A500 came out it had HC 3.0 and people had to wait several months to even get the HC 3.1. If you have ever tried the HC 3.0 you would be reluctant to even so much as try to complain about the ATP.
So if you think that ASUS works slowly to fix things.... THINK AGAIN!!
prizm74 said:
this is kind of weird and hard to understand how you guys settle with a device that has a lot of design flaws on both hardware and software. Asus transformer prime was my first tablet. And to be honest the one I got had nearly no light bleed, an okay wifi, kind of working GPS and fairly stable device in comparison with the horror stories that we all know through the forum. I made the though call return my transformer prime one day before my return window. The idea I had was wait a little until Asus get the problems fixed and buy a great one. However, I realized that I have to have a tablet as waiting for a fixed transformer. So I went ahead and bought a Samsung galaxy tab from Costco which has a 90 days return window. Here is my impression out of my first 10 days
-way stable. Had to reboot only one time due to firmware upgrade.
-no hiccups as I use or browse. It is dual core but performs way better than the balance mode of transformer
-screen readability is better than transformer
-wifi, GPS and Bluetooth works in a way it is suposed to be
- Form factor way comfortable than prime. No sharp uncomfortable edges. Way better feeling in your hand. I don't believe I would have written this.
-battery last way longer than prime
There are a few benefits that prime has over.
super ips display is better for outdoor use
Tergra 3 may be better for tegra optimized games. But I am not a game person and use my tablet for business.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HAHA your funny!!!! I have both sitting right in front of me and I can tell you the galaxy tab doesn't even come close to the performance as our primes. I have to test on both with our applications at work and I cringe every time I pick it up. Even the ipads 1's perform better then that brick.

[Q] Ipad 3 vs Asus Transformer prime ?

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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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 :"$
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.

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