Is it worth it? [Update] Definitely!

Is it worth it? [Update] Definitely! - Acer Iconia A500

Hi all,
I'm looking into tablets and for now it seems that Acer Iconia A500 is "the one". Owning a HTC Desire HD with it's beautiful 4.3" screen, I really don't see the point in buying 7" tablet, so I'm left with iPad (like I'll ever buy Apple's icr.p ), Motorola XOOM (a bit too expensive), Asus EEE Tab (which isn't released in Europe yet) and Acer A500. So what's your experience with it? I've seen a thread about screen quality (seems that the only drawback is the fingerprints, which could be cured with a good screen protector and it doesn't bother me that much anyway, because people are saying the same about the DHD and I have no problems with it), but what about the other aspects of the tablet? I've read that it can be rooted, but does it come with preinstalled market? Seems that there are many tablets that have their own versions of the market and this is something I deffinately don't want. Also what about the build quality. Alluminum body sounds nice and having a device with one, I'm definitely into that! How's the sound, are the ports and buttons easily accessable (mostly the headphones jack, the charging port and the volume buttons)? How's your overall experience with the tablet? From all I've read the only drawback is the lack of a GSM module, but while on the go, I can use my phone's wifi router, so that's not such a big deal. Thanks for all your input!

tkolev said:
1. does it come with preinstalled market?
2. Also what about the build quality.
3. How's the sound
4. are the ports and buttons easily accessable (mostly the headphones jack, the charging port and the volume buttons)?
5. How's your overall experience with the tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yep, all Honeycomb tablets come with the new Google Market.
2. In my opinion, it's pretty great. It has a very solid feel to it and the brushed aluminum makes it feel classy and won't get scrapes very easily. The seams are well done and I don't foresee any parts lifting or moving from where they should be, I also don't see how dust or dirt can get into or under the screen.
3. Excellent for a mobile device. In fact, I haven't heard a portable device save for some blackberries with such deep, thorough sound. They are better than standard with the equalizer off but with it enabled it sounds really nice. There's still very little bass, of course but it's still very full sound. I have a bluetooth speaker system and sometimes I don't bother using it because the a500 sounds so good.
4. Yes. The power button is on the left which means it's at the top in portrait mode, same for the headphone jack. I don't think there's any way to accidentally press it. It's also lit which can become useful with a future update. Right now it blinks every now and again, seemingly randomly.
The volume rocker and lock switch are on the top in landscape or right side in portrait mode. The volume rocker switches automatically when you change orientation if you haven't enabled the hardware lock - so initially in landscape mode, a right press is volume up and left is down but when it goes to portrait mode right (which is now at the bottom) becomes down and left (which is now at the top) becomes up which is a very nice touch I think. But I'm assuming all tablets do this so I'm not sure if I should bother to highlight it.
The charging port is on the right top, the micro usb and usb are side by side on the bottom right. I find their placement optimum because I don't get any cables tangled from being too close.
I don't like the flap that I have to flip to get to the microSD but it's understandable since beside it is where the GSM equipped Iconia Tabs have their sim card slot. In the end I think that's a good place for them. It's protected by the flap so no liquid can sneak in. The docker is of course on the bottom in the middle, the obvious place.
5. Let me put it this way. I wanted a Transformer. Now I don't, lol. I'm still interested in testing/feeling out the Transformer but the Iconia Tablet has won me over, pretty much 98% completely. Right now I'm anchored to simply the idea of the Transformer for ONE reason only, the dock. Each day Asus decides not to release it in the U.S and I read more and more user experiences of the dock causing it to lock up, reboot etc. is a day I care less about the dock and more about just enjoying the A500.
Hope this helps in some way. Sorry if I missed any questions.

All HC Tablets have preinstalled Market.
For your other Questions:
My A500:
Build Quality: Good
Sound: Is really good for a Tablet in my Opinion, I had the Ipad1 and 2 and Archos 7.. and the Sound from the Acer is definetly better (Dolby Mobil support)
Buttons are good in Position, but the Lock Rotation Button is a Pain for the Fingers...
One thing i have to concern right now... There seems more community around the transformer and already som roms! Acer seems to have a locked bootloader from what i read.. so maybe custom roms will last some while and maybe never with newer and self comiled kernels (like the motorola milestone)
Custom Roms is a important factor to me, the tab ist fast... but not always... the community is always faster (and often better) in "fixing" such things
Because i have one Build Failure (A little Hole in the LCD Glass) i will bring it back to the shop and im thinking of getting the transformer instead, just for the open bootloader (i don't need a full size usb every time)

Thanks for the replies, guys! Well, I can't care less for the dock of the transformer, since I'm used with the on-screen keyboard for my mobile devices and I have a laptop, which I use for work anyway, so the tablet will be mostly for browsing and media and that's good enough without a keyboard. Also, I heard that you can plug an USB keyboard and use it with the A500. Docking a mobile device makes little sense IMO. One of the main usage of the tablet will be in the car, because I have two kids and driving anywhere without some sort of entertainment for them is a nerve breaking experience. I'm thinking about replacing the "baby on board!" warning sign with "I have two whining kids in the car and I'm not afraid to die!"
The news about the bootloader isn't good . I care much more about custom kernels than custom ROMs mainly because of the overclocking, but then again I seriously doubt that in the coming year or two we'll need to overclock it, so it's not that big deal anyway. I've put a custom ROM on my DHD months after they were released (and I have the DHD since October), just to see what the fuss is all about. Coming from a WM device, I think the difference is not that great between custom and stock ROMs (at least not what it is with WM). I'm running a GB custom ROM now and still have to see what it has over the Froyo. I'm sure there is something, just can't figure out why Google hid it that good.

Well two days ago I finally got the A500. So far I'm loving it. They had both the Acer and Asus at the store and I'm sure the A500 is the better choice. To anyone wondering which one to choose, here is my experience. The first thing you'll notice is that the transformer's display looks a little bit better than the iconia's. Part of this is the auto brightness setting on the iconia being too power conservative. That's a good thing for your usage of the tablet, but not great for showing off. Still hats off to Acer for valuing user experience higher than sales experience. Compared to my Desire HD (both pumped up to max brightness) the screen is great. Brighter and the white is whiter (though with a little bluish tint). Anyway if it was just the screen, I would have gone for the transformer. But it's not. The next thing you'll notice is the weight. It's noticeably heavier, but it's because of the alluminum casing and that's worth the extra weight. As I said I own a DHD and to me the plastic feels... well cheap. Next comes the rotation lock. Very important with Android which restarts the current activity every time you rotate the device (and trust me you WILL accidentally rotate it). True - difficult to switch on and off but it also makes it difficult to switch it by accident. Volume button changes behaviour as you rotate the tab and once you get used to that, you'll come to like it. If you intend to use the tablet mainly as a netbook for heavy email writing, then the transformer will be better suited for you with it's battery packed keyboard (which costs extra), if you'll use it mainly for browsing, media, e-books, gaming - the a500 is the one for you. And finally the selling point of the A500 - you get full USB port without the extra cost (and bulk) of the docking station. This means keyboard, external drives, card readers, etc.
What I don't like with it is... well just a few minor things really. The icon for the headset being strange, also the occasional turning on of the screen is annoying, wifi signal is somehow weak but that's a part of life when having devices with alluminum back (the DHD has the same issues and I already had my home wifi APs repositioned when I got it) and the market being landscape only (probably honeycomb feature).
Overall being an HTC fan, I'm surprised that I like an Acer device that much. But considering the current HTC tablet (7", gingerbread and ridiculously high price) it all makes sense. Even without Sense ;-).
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

i did a little bit of my own research about Iconia and other tablets. I pretty much came down to 3: 1) iconia - excellent build quality for its price and a nice screen, 2) xoom - the best build quality, okay screen, 3) toshiba - unknown build quality but very thick, their very first tablet but the best IPS screen.
overall I am satisfied with Acer, it doesn't have as good build quality as iPad1, definitly better build quality than iPad2. i am a perfections thou. and the i am getting more and more used to the android operating system. what i like the most is that there is a lot of high quality apps that are for free. on iOS you have to pay 99c even for fart apps.

Related

[Q] Pre-purchase questions about Archos 43

Hi,
I have a 10" Android tablet (a Viewsonic Gtab), but am thinking of getting a smaller tablet, for portability. I guess that, functionality-wise, I've been somewhat spoiled by the Gtablet, but the Archos 43 seems to come close, but with a smaller form factor.
So, I've been researching it.
I know that the screen is resistive and only 1 point touch, and that it has 256MB of RAM memory, and is available with either 8GB or 16GB, but had some questions:
- The Archos site says it comes with Froyo, but starting Nov 2010. I'm assuming that the current units are shipping with Froyo, but the Archos wiki site still lists 2.1, so I was wondering: What are the current (new) units shipping with? Is it Android 2.2? Or, are they still shipping with 2.1?
- On the Archosfan site, I've seen some threads about the size of the system part of the nonvolatile memory (/system ?), but it seems like there hasn't been any success in increasing that. Is that still the current case?
- What kind of debug-type, unbricking capability does it have? For example:
o Does it support ADB via the mini-USB port?
o Is there a recovery capability (e.g., power on + vol, to flash recovery)?
- I gather that it's possible to get Android market installed, but wanted to confirm that that's the case?
- Some general questions: How are the display (both viewing and touch responsiveness) and internal speakers, and is the Archos 43 reasonably fast (I know that that last one is a relative question)?
Sorry for all of the questions!
Thanks in advance,
Jim

jimcpl said:
I know that the screen is resistive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try it out before you buy -- you might hate it.
The Archos site says it comes with Froyo, but starting Nov 2010. I'm assuming that the current units are shipping with Froyo, but the Archos wiki site still lists 2.1, so I was wondering: What are the current (new) units shipping with? Is it Android 2.2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They ship with 2.1, but will update to a highly-hacked version of 2.2 when you connect them to the Internet. Careful -- the custom 2.2 build uses an older kernel (2.6.29), and it seems that the JIT is disabled.
o Does it support ADB via the mini-USB port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
o Is there a recovery capability (e.g., power on + vol, to flash recovery)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
I gather that it's possible to get Android market installed, but wanted to confirm that that's the case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
Some general questions: How are the display (both viewing and touch responsiveness)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For viewing, the display is pretty nice. The touchscreen is pretty horrible -- I find it's unusable with fingers, you need a so-called "stylus" (a match or the cap of a ball-point pen will do fine).
A few other caveats, which might or might not be relevant to you:
there's no GPS, which is a real shame for a device with such a nice, large screen;
the camera is pretty poor, it's really only useful as a webcam;
the MPEG-1/2 and AC3 codecs cost extra, and while it is possible to install a free software player, that won't allow you to play HD content;
there's no IPv6 support in the official kernel.
In short, I'm finding it's quite nice as a media player, but certainly not as a general-purpose Android device.
--jch

jch,
Thanks for the info.
Re. the Froyo and the older kernel: What is the impact of that? Does that mean that some (all? a lot?) of apps from market won't run on the 43?
Re. the screen. I have some older PPC/Windows Mobile PDAs (IPAQ 100, Dell Axim, etc.). How the touch sensitivity on the 43 compares to those?
I don't need IPV6 or GPS...
Thanks again,
Jim

Jim,
Have you considered a phone like the Droid X or the Evo? Screen size is nearly the same, but then you would always have it with you and you would probably be happier with it as a portable device.
BTW...once you go capacitive, resistive screens seem like ass ancient technology that you kinda hate. Its like sleeping in silk pajamas and then changing into polyester ones.

ExploreMN said:
Jim,
Have you considered a phone like the Droid X or the Evo? Screen size is nearly the same, but then you would always have it with you and you would probably be happier with it as a portable device.
BTW...once you go capacitive, resistive screens seem like ass ancient technology that you kinda hate. Its like sleeping in silk pajamas and then changing into polyester ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Explore,
I mentioned that I have a G tablet, and that has a capacitive screen. I'm just looking for something smaller, kind of to use as an Android pda, not a phone, and esp. No monthly plan.
I've actually also been thinking of getting an LG Optimus V from Virginmobile, which is also Froyo, but Flash apparently is no-go on that because it uses an ARMV6 cpu.
Jim

jimcpl said:
Hi,I know that the screen is resistive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must try before you buy!!! I didn't know this when I bought my a43 and let me tell you, typing on this device is near impossible. In fact I find the resistive screen so bad I no longer bring my a43 to work with me and I have reverted to my iPod Touch since I can easily and quickly thumb type on it.
The a43 has been relegated to my desk at home strictly as a "learning about Android" device. I have paired it with an Apple BT keyboard and that makes it usable but not portable.

Hmmm - I kind of like my A43 IT. I find the resistive touch screen pretty good. It compares well with my now ancient Palm T|X and is almost as good as the capacitive multi-touch on my A101 IT.
After close to 20 years using a Palm, I am very used to small resistive touch screens. I am most comfortable with a stylus in my hand. I have fairly large hands and fingers, so it amazes me when I'm fingering my A43 and it gets it right most of the time. I actually have a sense that it knows what I'm thinking to get it so right. Again, 20 years of using Palm gestures with a stylus, as well as their tiny on-screen keyboard. I bought SwiftKey for both my A43 and A101. It's very intuitive (if software could be intuitive ). The few minutes I played with an iPad were no better to me.
Bye.

CrunchyDoodle said:
Hmmm - I kind of like my A43 IT. I find the resistive touch screen pretty good. It compares well with my now ancient Palm T|X and is almost as good as the capacitive multi-touch on my A101 IT.
After close to 20 years using a Palm, I am very used to small resistive touch screens. I am most comfortable with a stylus in my hand. I have fairly large hands and fingers, so it amazes me when I'm fingering my A43 and it gets it right most of the time. I actually have a sense that it knows what I'm thinking to get it so right. Again, 20 years of using Palm gestures with a stylus, as well as their tiny on-screen keyboard. I bought SwiftKey for both my A43 and A101. It's very intuitive (if software could be intuitive ). The few minutes I played with an iPad were no better to me.
Bye.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crunchy,
I have a couple of TC1100's, so for this use, I'd not prefer having to use a stylus, I just realized though, that I also have a Fuj U820, which also has a 5" resistive touchscreen. The 43 would be a bit smaller screen, but seems like it'd be comparable, but w Froyo instead of Windows 7, so I'm kind of leaning to trying the 43.
Thanks for all the feedback, everybody!
Jim

jimcpl said:
Explore,
I mentioned that I have a G tablet, and that has a capacitive screen. I'm just looking for something smaller, kind of to use as an Android pda, not a phone, and esp. No monthly plan.
I've actually also been thinking of getting an LG Optimus V from Virginmobile, which is also Froyo, but Flash apparently is no-go on that because it uses an ARMV6 cpu.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I decided to go ahead and order a 16GB a43 from Amazon yesterday. Should be here tomorrow, or so I hope.
I'll let you know how it is... the a32's resistive screen is VERY responsive,probably one of the best that I've used, or at least as good as the old PDAs and MUCH better than either the WPDN or Augen GT78...
Heh. Didn't notice that about the kernel... although a larger disappointment to me was only 256MB of RAM... and the uSD lack of the a32 but I knew about that ahead of time, still odd for something that is more useful as a PMP than a general purpose device. (The 3.2" screen @ 400x240 is just too tiny to really use for web browsing or reading except in a pinch. Also would've preferred a uSD slot over the crap camera(640x480) might be useful for barcode scanning, works for QR codes...)
One additional comment, I've take to using a stylus with the a32 as some programs(and keyboard) are really kind of small and the stylus makes it less painful to select various things... fingernail gets by most of the time, but I've come to prefer a stylus for pro-longed use so I'll try to keep that in mind when I get the a43... probably won't have much meaningful to say until Friday though... unless it's really awful...
[EDIT]
Seriously?! You're running stock fw on the gtab?! Has it gotten good enough to use? (Which is the main reason that I started exploring custom fws in November...)
Which reminds me of another comment about something that I already know for certain from using the Nook Color & a32: do NOT expect a cortex-a8 tablet to be as fast and smooth as a tegra 2 tablet. They just aren't.
Also forgot to mention that it seems that Archos added a swapfile w/the froyo upgrade so a little more internal storage is lost to it. Not sure if it makes any difference as I upgraded the a32 as soon as it had fully charged which took me straight to the latest fw which is what I'm using on it. (Seemed kind of pointless to bother with anything else on it since I'm only using it for music playing and occasional video... played some over uPnP from my linux box the other day(mediatomb) which went well...)
[/EDIT]
[EDIT2]
...so I decided to pull out the a32 and check some things with the Android System Info app, and found this hilarity: (this is stock 2.1.8 fw)
Android ID: dead00beef
and yep,
o.s. version: 2.6.29-omap1
[/EDIT2]

Cutterjohn,
Yep. Still on stock w Gtab... not even w the enhancement pack. Maybe I'm not as discriminating as others, but it's been fine for me, and I use it a LOT.
Besides the screen on the A43, the things I'm hesitating about are the 256Mb /system, whuch seems kind of restrictive, and what the downside if the older kernel is.
Thanks for the comments, and post when you get yours!
Jim

jimcpl said:
Cutterjohn,
Yep. Still on stock w Gtab... not even w the enhancement pack. Maybe I'm not as discriminating as others, but it's been fine for me, and I use it a LOT.
Besides the screen on the A43, the things I'm hesitating about are the 256Mb /system, whuch seems kind of restrictive, and what the downside if the older kernel is.
Thanks for the comments, and post when you get yours!
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do. UPS finally got updated and they say that it's supposed to be delivered by end of day today...
One more comment that I can make wrt a32(hoping a43 will be similar as well) WiFi: the a32 seems to have about as good range as the gtab and NC which is pretty good for such a device. I'm just mentioning this because @ archosfans I'd read threads about poor WiFi. Maybe I just got lucky.
1st a32 was DOA BTW(probably deeply discharged batt), looked like a return unit as it wasn't sealed, a32 was out of it's shipping sleeve(missing) as were the USB & headphones also missing twist ties and packaging. So I exchanged it for a clearly new one. (I'm just mentioning this since I got mine from Sears and I remember someone mentioning that their gtab from Sears appeared to be a return unit... ) Actually I'm kind of surprised that Sears is still in business as most times that I stop by to look for something, e.g. USB card reader, it's nope we don't have any of those... Seems like they have next to no stock of anything, and alot of empty space in the elctronics section of the one that I went to...
[EDIT=c. 2p EDT]
OK it arrived not too long ago, but had to let it sit and warm up close to room temp before I wanted to start charging, which it's doing now. Just did the basic setup so far and started downloading 2.1.08, it came with 2.0.71 loaded on in(A32IT came with original Android 2.1)... will try to get in some usage time this afternoon/night. (Charging should go fairly quickly since I'm using the NC charger w/Archos cable 1A charger... used it last night on the A32IT and it charged it faster than by USB port on notebook and it seems OK...)
First evaluation: touch screen seems OK, but again I haven't done much besides the setup and look in the "about device" in settings...
...and yes this one apparently unlike the A32IT, actually did have a small plastic protector over the camera lens... I could just barely make out the tab to pull it off when held at a certain angle... double checked the A32IT again and it didn't have one... Screen protector is difficult to make out as well as the pull tab was pushed down and flush w/edge of case... best to remove it as it's only for shipping protection...
[/EDIT]

cutterjohn,
So how is it working so far? How bad/good is the touch vs. the Gtab? Also have you installed market, and tried apps from there?
Jim

jimcpl said:
cutterjohn,
So how is it working so far? How bad/good is the touch vs. the Gtab? Also have you installed market, and tried apps from there?
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just going to post my preliminary impressions this morning. (I see that stock gTab got a nice update... now if they'd only go for honeycomb...)
Anyways, back to Archos:
I used the A43IT primarily as an ereader(FBReaderJ) on Wednesday afternoon along with trying the camera(haven't gotten around to xferring the files to nb yet to check), added a bunch of apps from appslib and sideload(mostly DolphinHD & AndFTP for sftp). Otherwise I've got everything still bog OOB 2.1.08 stock fw.
OK, Wed. set it to "powersave" in Power management(under About device) as my battery level by meter seemed to be dropping pretty quickly. I didn't see where this made much of a difference though, presumably it limits the max CPU clock to something less than 800MHz(probably 600MHz) which was fine for me since I was reading which isn't exactly CPU intensive. Also had the brightness set to min in Settings->Display->Brightness, WiFi & bluetooth OFF, and killed most running apps with "System Monitor". (FBReader looked good, or as good as it ever does while I was never able to set it to my liking on the A32IT.)
I had about 70% battery left Thursday morning(probably ran 2.5-3.5h Wed mostly with WiFi, etc. off reading.) Used it in the morning browsing the web for about 2h, same low backlight setting, and was at c. 50% charge -> recharged via USB to computer cable attached to nb, took about 2.5h(!). (Optimal power setting.) I had a single hard freeze in DolphinHD, as in it wasn't responding to screen presses, power button, etc. Long pressed power button to shut it down, and restarted it. (It has been fine since.) I set the font size setting from "normal" to "large" as some non-mobile sites the font still was a little small to me, if there was a bold setting I probably could have gone with normal + bold, but... Browsing is MUCH nicer on the A43IT v. A32IT but NOT as nice as gTab.
Used it again as a reader later that afternoon/evening, but left the power setting at Optimal, and started using Aldiko(render italicized text, etc. while FBReader doesn't plus the font looks better).
Compared Aldiko on A32IT v. A43IT, and I can actually get Aldiko to display decently on the A32IT, but it's still a bit small to hold(to me). I also noticed that the touch screen is MUCH better on the A32IT v. A43IT.
A43IT touchscreen so far to me is a bit better than either the Augen GT48 or Pandigital Novel(white), but obviously not as nice to use with fingers as a capacitive screen device, e.g. gTab. Working best for me by using fingernail or stylus(especially scrolling web pages). In reader apps finger presses are fine. There might be a bit of residue from the shipped screen protector as immediately after removing it, the screen felt rough to the finger/nail in some spots and still does after a few cleanings. (The A32IT initially did as well, but now after more than a week feels smooth.)
Build quality: A43IT just doesn't "feel" (or look) as sturdy to me as the A32IT. There is a small but obvious gap where the two halves of the case meet, especially on the side with the uSD & mini-HDMI port. Volume keys are loose, but they are on the A32IT as well, which doesn't really bother me. The power button is a bit small ovoid shape and IS more difficult to operate than the more exposed rectangular buttons on the A32IT & gTab, but not a big problem IMO.
Screen: hmmm... probably a bit better than the gTab as far as viewing angles go, but not as "bright". It looks a bit washed out to me v. gTab or A32IT. I still haven't played video on it yet(or even games) so I'll have to check on that later. (None are as nice as the IPS screen on the Nook Color.)
uSD slot: PITA period. Exposed finger side is UP as you look at the screen and it's a PITA to pop a card out. They left no finger depression, so unless you've got some nails you're going to need something to push the card in and then hope that it pops out enough to grab...
uUSB: I wish that they'd've got miniUSB as these uUSB ports do NOT feel very robust on the A43IT, A32IT, or Nook Color.
Sunny/bright LCD display: A32IT washes out, but it's been overcast here since I received the A43IT and I haven't been anywhere with it that's been extraordinarily bright... ?
hw Buttons: Just power & vol rocker. Home, Menu, Back, and Search are displayed as part of the screen and I'm guessing that they've modified the OS such that they ALWAYs appear at bottom portrait orientation, or right landscape which would explain the odd resolution of 480x854 v. 480x800. The 54 pixels are probably permanently reserved for those button rather than having touch screen(non-display part)/hw buttons like on the gTab or A32IT. These buttons work OK, just a matter of calibrating which I recommend using a stylus to do. (learned this from the A32 as finger calibrating led to Vol +/- hits sometimes v. home, menu, etc. (A32 has physical vol keys PLUS resitive touch +/- vol keys.)).
Games: as mentioned, dunno yet. I haven't tried any and the ones that I'd like to (emulators) would really work better with a bluetooth controller(e.g. wiimote) which I don't have. (I haven't really played any on the gTab either though...)
Physical Overall Size: Still a bit smaller than I'd like, and I'd've preferred a 4:3 screen for it, as it does look really narrow when held in portrait mode, i.e. when used as a reader. It's quite a bit thicker than the A32, and a little thinner than the gTab. (Probably and inch shorter than a paperback and maybe .75" less wide at a guess...)
Weight: MUCH lighter than the gTab, and noticeably heavier than the A32. Probably about the same weight as 2-3 paperback books.
TV Out: dunno. I haven't gottent around to buying/ordering any HDMI cables yet as I really haven't had a need for them... and/or a desire to hook anything up to the TV until now. (Emulators would probably be more fun played on the TV...) I haven't tried the A32 TV out either as I don't have the composite cable and haven't ordered one for it either, and also don't have the dock for the gTab so along with no cables, no HDMI out for it.
Android: pretty well stock Android. As to v. TapnTap dunno, but since I'll be wanting to go to TnT lite 5.0.0 soon, I'll probably be loading TapnTap 3991 today and might try using it for a bit as it's apparently a MAJOR update(2400 quadrant, 40+ fps Nenamark) so the A43IT isn't likely to get much use today unless I decide to try video later tonight.
USB hostmode: No cable for the A32 or A43 and just never bothered on the gTab since it has uSD slot. I'll eventually want a host cable though at least for the A32 since that's the ONLY means of expanding storage via host cable to flahs or other kind of drive... again probably not likely to ever update this here soon as this is yet another cable I haven't ordered/don't have.
bluetooth: actually haven't tested this on any of my tablets yet. I'll try to connect them to my nb over the next few days, but it should just work and beyond that will be do the various tablets have the necessary drivers to support whatever devices...
WiFi: range seems to be a fraction worse than either the A32, Nook Color, or gTab, but better than the Pandigital Novel(white). I'm able to get a 1-2 bar connection outside at what I guess to be about 50' from the router(DLink DIR-615 rev B2, G mode, WEP (have legacy devices that only do B and WEP that I use)) plus misc. (7-8) other neighboring routers that I can see go up and down at various times.
builtin speakers: They're there. They work. They're not as nice as the ones on the gTab or they don't sound as good to me, but thats fine since you can always use headphones(3.5mm jack or bluetooth) if you'd like better. I'd wish that they'd've squeezed in at least one speaker for the A32... (of course I'd've like uSD as well...)
Market: I haven't done that yet, not sure if I will since sleep works rather well right now on both my A32IT & A43IT w/o Google apps installed, which tends to break sleep on some of the other tablets that I have, e.g. I ALWAYS shutdown my gTab v. sleeping it, and do the same with the Pandigital Novel(white)... I have sideloaded some apps that I've downloaded on the gTab from the market to it and it worked, so mostly everything not requiring GPS/phone service should work. That said I have no idea how much of the market they can see as you know every market fix that I've seen so far, some apps show up on one, but not on others AND even then there are apps that just never show up... (tied to various carriers or something I think... not really sure how the market identifies which apps to display for which device...) The market install is supposed to be easy, so I might get around to trying it eventually, but I was really think of leaving it stock and just pulling apps from elsewhere, i.e. gTab -> Titanium backup -> dropbox(or nb, etc.) -> A32/A43
So that's where I'm at. It's decent. Not as snappy as the gTab, but I already knew that this was going to be the case though. The touchscreen is not nearly as nice as the A32IT's, but better than some others. I'm still not sure about the touchscreen and will have to use it some more before deciding on that.
My verdict at this point is not bad. Trifle small yet, and touch screen is not a responsive as I had hoped yet not completely awful. It's the only thing in the just about the right size category for tablets, so not much choice...
[EDIT]
Couple of adds:
offtopic: I see now that the gtab stock 3991 fw isn't OTAing everywhere, roebeet just discovered by checking their ftp site...
benchmarking: no quadrant on the A43IT yet, but my a32IT was getting around 1350(read others get 1300-1600 about 1400 or so average) or so, so I'd expect the A43IT with the overdrive power management option to be a bit higher, but certainly not the 2400+ that we get on the gtab. (I believe that the overdrive option keeps the CPU @ 1GHz, so it should make up for having to push more pixels around on the A43IT's larger display...)
[/EDIT]

Yep, wonder of wonders it unexpectedly got to be actually sunny yesterday afternoon, so I ran out to check the display. Lowest setting is entirely readable, whilst max brightness is barely legible as was to be expected...
Back to touch screen, when I say "difficulties" in browsing what I really meant was how with EVERY resistive touch screen Android device that I've used when attempting to scroll a web page it's either sluggish, "bounces back"(difficult to describe, like when you want to do a small or delicate move and the screen adjusts but removing your finger it jumps back to about where it had been), or wildly scrolls(these are the worst since it is more readily controllable with capacitive screens, but with resistive it seems to be a bit slower to register touches which makes stopping this more difficult).
But as I mentioned in other applications, touching for turn pages or swiping it seems to work better than many, and I've had no problems using the default keyboard. On the A32IT it was more of a matter of size than anything else, i.e. portrait mode the keyboard is nearly useless w/o a fingernail or stylus, and landscape is big enough that if your careful fingers will do but sylus still gives best performance.

Cutterjohn,
Thanks for the great info! Much more than I would've ever expected .
My situation is that I'm still "on the fence". In the past I've "collected" a few tablets, and I guess I'm a bit of a packrat... never got rid of any of them, but I'm trying be more discriminating nowadays, lest my wife starts trying to get me to dump some of them.
The A43 sounds pretty good, and you've covered a lot, which I greatly appreciate. I think I'm a little comfortable w the screen situation, but I'm concerned about the "longevity", esp. the small /system partition, which apparently hasn't been cracked.
I'll keep watching, and maybe if I can find a deal, may just try it if it's too tempting .
Thanks again!
Jim

jimcpl said:
Cutterjohn,
Thanks for the great info! Much more than I would've ever expected .
My situation is that I'm still "on the fence". In the past I've "collected" a few tablets, and I guess I'm a bit of a packrat... never got rid of any of them, but I'm trying be more discriminating nowadays, lest my wife starts trying to get me to dump some of them.
The A43 sounds pretty good, and you've covered a lot, which I greatly appreciate. I think I'm a little comfortable w the screen situation, but I'm concerned about the "longevity", esp. the small /system partition, which apparently hasn't been cracked.
I'll keep watching, and maybe if I can find a deal, may just try it if it's too tempting .
Thanks again!
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
np. I'm hoping that the screen is just a matter of getting used to using a resistive screen with a finger.
I've got an old pocketpc case which is fits into. It's perfect heightwise, but the A43 is MUCH thinner and narrower than the old pocketpcs were, but it also has a little pocket which I stick a stylus into and enough extra space to put some earbuds in with it as well and not damage the screen... so I'll always have the stylus around with it.
As a side note about the screen a user in a thread on archosfans suggested people download an app called DrawNoteK(simple drawing app), which I did and it seemed to track my finger pretty well and the stylus/fingernail better of course. I'm pretty much of the opinion that resistive screen problems are just a matter of them reading more contact area(multiple locations) when using a finger v. a fingernail/stylus which has a much smaller point of contact. After all all of the old PDAs used to come default with a stylus...
app storage: yep, still stuck at I guess where they had it originally. I think that it MIGHT be possible to manually change it but I haven't looked into it too much. I've hardly use any app storage space on any of my tablets so far. [EDIT2] Another problem with increasing storage in stock fw is that devices like my A32IT and the A28IT have no other memory expansion options, other than USB host. My A32IT IIRC w/stock fw 2.1.08 had a little over 6GB available for media, and I've already used half of that or more... Iwouldn't mind giving up another 300MB for apps, but not the 2GB that many people wanted who had 43, 70, or 101s. [/EDIT2]
longevity: well, Archos'll probably have their gen9 this fall with a cortex-a9 and maybe more memory. (So I'm kind of on the fence about keeping the A43, but I still have a few weeks to return it to Amazon... just want try it some more and see if any of my quibbles end up as deal killers with lengthier usage... I'm just still not entirely sure about the touch screen.)
[EDIT]
...and I played some video streamed from my notebook last night uPnP(mediatomb) which worked OK and looked pretty good on the A43IT's display. The kickstand seems to be kind of a useless "feature" on this though, and feels pretty flimsy(semi-rigid plastic). Likely the stand will be one of the first things to get broken accidentally, but I'll probably never use it again...
[/EDIT]
[EDIT3]
Forgot to mention this above, and I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but Archos have an additional fw available which is a version of the Angstrom linux distro... voids the warranty though, so I won't be trying it unless I decide to keep it in the end, and then I'll wait a year for the warranty to expire...
[/EDIT3]

minor update:
I've started to get some FCs with various apps, nothing horrible/continuous like I got with early versions of stock gtab fw, but worrisome.
Got one yesterday after running the camera app, and had one the day before but I didn't really pay attention to what it was as it didn't re-appear but since getting one from the camera app will be paying more attention. I suppose that it could possibly be a low memory condition sine Archos chose a subpar 256MB RAM spec... and yes I usually use system monitor to kill just about everything periodically... Limited memory is just another reason to NOT install Google apps & market as many of those seem to want to be permanently in RAM...
I suppose that I need to look into this some more, and additionally use the A32 more often to see if it starts occuring there as well, since they're basically the same hw... also need to do some research as I quite like the A43 form factor(little wider would've been nice) and there's nothing comparable ATM... (nor will there be apparently, as I have no doubt that Samsung will continue their egregious pricing practices with their player... you'd think that they had Apple, Motorola, or Sony quality & support levels with their pricing!)
gTab stock 3588 fw wasn't too bad, MUCH snappier and stable than the earlier ones... installed this on my way to TnT lite 5.0.0...

Hi,
I've been reading the stuff about the Samsung Player also. The 5" is the one I'd be interested, but I want to see how locked down it is/will be.
Jim

jimcpl said:
Hi,
I've been reading the stuff about the Samsung Player also. The 5" is the one I'd be interested, but I want to see how locked down it is/will be.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
glad that you have excessive amounts of cash to spend on low quality korean junk... (face it, they're not worth their asking price, if they halved it maybe...)
anyways Archos is now being frog junk, incapable of connecting via ssh/scp/sftp w/o FCing likely the dimwitted decision to go with a "whopping" 256MB of RAM... an excessively moronically low amount of RAM given how relatively "cheap" it is nowadays, but go figure out frogs...
buh-bye archos junk... (sad but these POS are going out with the trash like they are...)
F--- for frog crap Archos
[EDIT]
OK, at least for the A32 a reboot -> I now can xfer stuff again momentarily, but my gods what a POS hack job on android with such monumental memory leaks that cause it to fail after running for a while... what sort of monumental midget intellects decided to try to phail hack Android?! i.e. Archos Android == memory leaking POS...
@Jim better off spending $400 on another good gTab rather than an overpriced toy regardless of form factor... hell, even the Nook Color does better for almost half the price although it's 7"... just wonder when B&N are going to get off the pot and cough up their updates sine ATM they've seemed to've managed to pissoff all their attracted devs for apps for their mythical appstore... (they missed ALL update targets for Q1 2011 so far and only a couple of weeks left to make up for it... but maybe they can now publish a book about how NOT to start an app store for everyone else...)
[/EDIT]

I didn't realize, until doing further searching, how much the Samsung Player was estimated to be priced . They haven't announced pricing yet, but it sounds like th $400 range (shock!).
More waiting ...
Jim
P.S. Sorry about you problem w A43, but thx for posting that info.

Are you keeping your A500 or gonna try the next best thing?

I am still on my 14 day return and have been thinking about this. Android biggest problem is something new is always right around the corner. I think a lot of you are here cause the Asus was unavailable and may still be waiting on that.
So are you keeping it.
Did it surprise you enough to stay with it.
Is the upcoming Samsung Galazy Tab 10.1 or the burning desire to have the Transformer gonna make you take it back.
Maybe the Toshiba Tab with it's built in USB might persuade you.

Sticking. Stuck.

I bought the Acer because the ASUS wasn't available, but I'm quite happy with it anyway. As you said, there's always something new around the corner, but what I've seen about the Toshiba models put them in the Xoom price range, and I haven't seen pricing on the Samsung 8.9 and 10.1 (new thin models, not the 10.1V original design.)
Honeycomb in general's still a very new system, and I expect by this time next year most of the things we're looking at as "missing" or "broken" will be available and/or fixed. Kinda the way I'm still using my (original generation) Droid phone, which, when overclocked and ROMd over to Gingerbread is just fine

Actually...
I figured that I'd get it to play with Honeycomb and wait for some of the vaporware tablets to emerge. I had bought a Xoom but it was a real POS - nothing worked including the falsely advertised charging dock, etc. So I returned it.
Now I'm absolutely keeping the Iconia - I have a rooted Nook Color - very nice but not in the same league as the Iconia.
Don't believe all the BS put out about how bad the screen is, or other stuff.
I rooted it (easiest root I have ever done) and everything works as advertiszed.

I still got until Monday wiki decide Saturday if I will return or not to get the transfoemer, tegra 3 tablets are also coming out in august
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

Got both the Asus and the iconia and will keep the iconia ..
The Asus just feels so cheaply made that no amount of screen quality can make up for it feeling like a cheap toy in my hands.
I can understand the whole IPS vs standard screen debate as i have owned many great screens over the years including IPS desktop screens and iPads etc etc .
They both have there pros and there cons but a good screen and good build quality are more important to me and the whole USB host thing built in without the need for a dock or separate accessory is just great.
Will never need a keyboard attached to it either and i think thats what really pushed me over the edge to keep the Acer.
Not slamming on the Asus btw because its decent in other areas but after getting 2 with some nasty light bleed on top of questionable build quality the Acer just took the crown for overall winner .

I am keeping mine. I actually had a Xoom first and took it back...thought it was too expensive for what it was. I actually really like the Acer better. I love the USB port, the micro card slot actually works ( didn't on xoom as of yet), It feels a lot lighter and I actually like the bezel being larger as it is easier to hold without hitting the screen. The viewing angle is good (not sure why bad comments on that). I like it a lot.

Keeping. Was waiting on the Asus, but i'm more than happy with the screen of the Acer, absolutely love the usb port, and since removing the phone apks, I have no complaints about battery life. I'm happy.

Right before I got the Acer I had purchased a used Galaxy Tab 7" thinking that would satisfy me.
Then I saw the Acer. Once I touched it I fell instantly in love and fought myself not to give into temptation everyday. Suddenly it hit me... I have a Bestbuy card and it means I can take 18 months to pay for it without a dime of interest.
1/2 hour later I had the Iconia in my sweaty hands.
Sure the wife *****ed but hey, it's only a new toy once.
For me it's a keeper. Like others have said, the USB port is a big factor and I see nothing wrong with the screen.

Keepin'. I am surprised how much I enjoy the Acer iconia Tab. The USB port makes all the difference. I think the build quality is very nice indeed and I really like the design. Root doesn't hurt either.
I was an early adopter of the Linux Eee Pcs and thought they were very solid little machines, but later models had some serious build quality issues. So the Eee Transformer quality/build problems I have read about do not surprise me one bit. . . .
Also have the Galaxy Tab 7" and a Nook Color. Not sure which one of those I'm sticking with though. I like them both but I leaning toward the Nook and selling the Galaxy Tab on Ebay.

Keeping for sure

I will be taking mine back, but only cause I will be waiting for Samsung galaxy tab 10.1. The weight of the Acer is an issue for me, but can understand why it is. Feels very sturdy. I absolutely love the USB port & sdcard working out of the box. So testing the Acer gave me a few things to think about far as what I want in a tablet. I know Galaxy tab 10.1 will not have USB port. Not sure how Toshiba's will feel.
I definitely recommend people to try the Acer
Also the corners of acer are kind of pointy if holding for awhile.

def keeping mine. I don't know why the Asus got so much media and Acer didnt

I'm still on the fence. I'm coming from daily use of a convertible Fujitsu with stylus and have wanted something this light for a while and miss not having a stylus for normal handwriting.
There are also some things I may not be able to live without which require Window$ but I'm going to give it another week and see if I can see a way to fit it into my normal working life.
If there weren't things that were broken out of the box (gps, compass) I'd probably be leaning more towards keeping at this point

Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.

bhageman said:
Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?

nubbin77 said:
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Immediately did a factory reset. Eliminated problem with screen coming back on after screen time out and an odd problem I had with my screen timeout being stuck at 15 seconds.
-Rooted with GingerBreak (make sure you lock in portrait during process)
-WPA supplicant
-changed phone.apk and telephony___.apk to .bak to kill the phone processes. Mad a HUGE improvement in an already satisfactory battery life. WARNING: This will brick your phone if you do a factory reset without changing them back.
-Installed ADW for my home screen
-Installed SyncSMS to get SMS functionality
Apps that help:
-GingerBreak
-Root Explorer
-Terminal Emulator
-Uninstaller for Root
-Super Manager
-ES File
Apps I love:
-PlayOn: Streaming TV from my NAS drive
-SugarSync: All my work docs in the cloud
-WinAmp: Sync music with my desktop over wifi
-Feedly: Google RSS feed looks like a magazine
-Chrome to Phone

Still on the edge
I like the screen and feel of it, but with Honeycomb there aren't many apps out there that run on it (without FC all the time).
I'm trying to justify keeping it for work, but there's no Activesync (without rooting), Calendar is a joke and other than playing movies/games on it what do YOU use it for?
I can't see dumping my laptop anytime soon, so my question is what are you using it for? Serious question.
Thanks
S

I wanted the EEE TF as well but got the Iconia in the interim. I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't want the TF anymore. After playing with a friends, I'm not convinced it's worthwhile to exchange them. It has a gorgeous display and is a tad lighter but I'm afraid I've been jaded by the really bad things I've read about it and am convinced the first batch was very shoddy. Unfortunately, by the time it's released there will be competitors with possibly better options (toshiba, samsung, sony, htc, etc.)
My goal is to get something I'm 100% happy with. I'm 98% happy with the Iconia.
What's in that 2%? Limited video file and format playing ability and bugs due to Honeycomb right now.
Otherwise, hell yeah! I'd have liked an IPS screen. This AUO screen isn't bad at all but it's no IPS, right? Acer could have at least pegged Samsung for PLS.
It's also in wrestling with the idea of having the faith in Acer to believe they really will update and fix these things in the near future. These companies aren't known for keeping their products updated beyond a certain period. I can easily see their promised June update becoming Samsung-esque and not seen for months if ever.
That being said, I've entertained the idea of returning it and waiting to see what I can get in June. But tech is tricky and if you decide to wait, you can easily end up waiting forever for the next best thing as it's always around the corner. If the competitors are too expensive, it's not like the A500 won't be there for me to fall back on, it may even be cheaper! Of course, just like a cell phone - once you own one of these things you come to depend on it rather quickly if you're used to doing things a certain way.
I use it for everything now. My notebook sits in it's bag most of the time.
It's awesome for multimedia, period.
I use it in the kitchen and around the house to play music and videos if I don't feel like sitting in front of the TV.
I use it in the kitchen to look up new and different things to cook.
I use it as a visual remote for my PC (to control music or manipulate downloads). I use it in the couch to look up stuff I see on TV.
I bring it with me EVERYWHERE, yes...I now own a manbag.
I use it on the road when I'm out with the wife and she's in Macys/JCPenny/Kohls or any of those places I don't feel like venturing with her into for hours.
I use it when I'm at the cafe or out at dinner. I don't have it out all the time, but it's with me in case I want to use it and I must say, it's nicer than flipping out a netbook which I guess is ironic but I always thought that was so odd looking. You know, when people pop their netbooks out on a table in the middle of 4 people being social. For me it's a matter of looking up something quick and then popping it back in.
The list goes on and on.
It's basically replaced my android phone in its smart abilities while managing to be more comfortable in that the screen is bigger. It's replaced my notebook in it's lighter tasks like multimedia due to it being ultimately way, way more portable and touchscreen.
My dilemma is living without it for 2 months while I wait for something that I'm hoping will satisfy me 99 or 100%, should I decide to return it. I still have a few days to decide.

kalric said:
Calendar is a joke
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Jorte?

[INFO] What the Transformer plus dock can do for you

The more I use my TF the more I like it. Although I understand that people with problems need to vent I want to add another positive post to the forum.
First off, I do NOT believe that there is such a thing as the "perfect tablet" (but that doesn't mean that there is not a lot of crap out there!). For some the iPad might be the best, for others the XOOM, for some the Transformer or even the Nook Color.
Now here are some of the Transformer's benefits that make it the currently best tablet for me:
The dock. This was probably the main reason for switching from the XOOM. I was looking for a case with Bluetooth keyboard for so long that the dock just came like an answer to my quest. I do a lot of typing so a physical keyboard was a must for me. The additional battery life and connectors are a HUGE plus (see more below). The keyboard is very sturdy and it is fun to type on. And of course the touch pad. Especially when browsing the web the pointer makes it indefinitely easier to click those tiny links!
ASUS's software. The widgets are minimalistic and beautiful. They add to the Honeycomb experience without forcing a manufacturer's UI upon the user. The applications that are included are well designed and work great.
Polaris Office. So far the best office suite that I have tested. This restores my faith in developers caring about productivity on tablet as compared to only entertainment and "consumption".
Connectivity. I was amazed. I have setup media sharing on my PC so I could stream videos and music to my PS3s. The first time I fired up MyNet it automatically detected my PC and the content was instantly available. No settings to alter, no messing around. Then just yesterday I connected my external HDD (NTFS) where I ripped all my movies in HD (as compared to the 640x480 res for my iPod). It also was detected and mounted automatically and the content plays flawlessly (with Mobo Player). SD card, microSD card, everything works out of the box; I remember how much trouble that was with the XOOM...
The display. Well, admittedly, an IPS screen is just great even though it might not have the most natural color reproduction or brightness. However, the viewing angles and contrast are amazing! I also like the wider bezel (compared to the XOOM) which allows for holding it in one hand without touching the actual touch screen (and I have not the biggest hands!). Sure, I have a bit of light bleed but the one on my Nook Color is worse. If I want to see it I will...
Updates. For not being a "Pure Android Experience Device" the ASUS got updates rather frequently. There seems to be a real person from ASUS support active in this forum and on other social media like facebook (in Europe at least).
Weight and Build. The TF feels nice and light when held. That it is made of plastic is unfortunate because it does feel kind of cheap but it is not too flimsy. I was apprehensive about the goldenish color but I have gotten used to it. I covered the back with carbon fiber skin though
So everyone considering to buy one of these I can only recommend it. There might be some lemons out there but you will have that with every device. If you want to wait for the newest gadgets, good luck, because as soon as you buy a high-tech device you can be sure that it's obsolete a week later...
Hope that helps some folks that were still indecisive.

I have to agree with you my experience with the transformer and dock has been wonderful. My roomate asks why I didn't just buy a net book/laptop and whenever I detach the tablet and go to work or a coffee shop it makes it worth it all. Being able to have the tablet for casual use and the dock for longer/power use is the flexibility a lot of people want. For the most part at home it's in the dock just for ease of use, battery, and I don't have to prop it up on something.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

Great post!
I would like my Transformer build quality to be a little better, but otherwise I can't complain too much after getting my dock firmware update.
It is so cool to snap the Transformer into the dock and have a netbook with an additional SD card of storage. The keyboard is pretty good, but the trackpad is amazing. I really like the feel of it. Using the trackpad doesn't feel tacked on either, Honeycomb feels like it was designed to be used with a mouse and keyboard.
I also really liked how my tablet was down to about 40% power, and when I put it in the dock it automatically started leeching energy from the dock and recharging itself. Now that is impressive! (The dock wasn't even plugged in.)
Really looking forward to Honeycomb 3.1!

bleclair said:
Great post!
I would like my Transformer build quality to be a little better, but otherwise I can't complain too much after getting my dock firmware update.
It is so cool to snap the Transformer into the dock and have a netbook with an additional SD card of storage. The keyboard is pretty good, but the trackpad is amazing. I really like the feel of it. Using the trackpad doesn't feel tacked on either, Honeycomb feels like it was designed to be used with a mouse and keyboard.
I also really liked how my tablet was down to about 40% power, and when I put it in the dock it automatically started leeching energy from the dock and recharging itself. Now that is impressive! (The dock wasn't even plugged in.)
Really looking forward to Honeycomb 3.1!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point! I forgot the touch pad. Will add it right now

Two things also impressed me about the keyboard dock that I hadn't thought of and wasn't expecting:
1. My Logitech Anywhere MX mouse works perfectly with it. Just plug the adapter into one of the dock's USB ports and it just works. For whatever reason, I didn't think it would, but I'm very happy to see that it works so well.
2. I've been using the dock to charge my Epic while away from a charger. I also hadn't thought about using the dock as a portable charger for my phone, but that works great as well.
Overall, this combo is working better than I expected, and I think my expectations were pretty high. I haven't used my HP Envy 14 notebook since I got the dock, and so I'm left wishing the TF had been available last November. Would have saved me $1000 for the Envy.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

wynand32 said:
2. I've been using the dock to charge my Epic while away from a charger. I also hadn't thought about using the dock as a portable charger for my phone, but that works great as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
However, I noticed you can only charge a device when the tablet is docked.
I still can't believe the dock didn't come with it's own power cord. For $150 it really, really should have.

shoehopper said:
However, I noticed you can only charge a device when the tablet is docked.
I still can't believe the dock didn't come with it's own power cord. For $150 it really, really should have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's true: the tablet has to be docked, but it doesn't have to be open or turned on. So, when stored for carrying it can charge.
And agreed: it would have been nice to have another charger and cable. Given the build quality of the dock and the fact that it includes a full-size battery, I don't know that $150 is enough at retail to give the gross margins they're looking for if they included an adapter and cable. And given that they're pricing the tablet at $399, I'm sure they're happy to maybe squeeze out a few bucks of additional gross margin out of the dock.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

The killer features were undoubtfully keyboard with a trackpad (I hate taking hands off the keyboard just to move focus around), and the battery life.
Also, I see this becoming an awesome combo once running desktop Linux on it is perfected. That way I can pick whether I want the battery-conserving Android or full-size productivity desktop at any given moment.

int_19h said:
The killer features were undoubtfully keyboard with a trackpad (I hate taking hands off the keyboard just to move focus around), and the battery life.
Also, I see this becoming an awesome combo once running desktop Linux on it is perfected. That way I can pick whether I want the battery-conserving Android or full-size productivity desktop at any given moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never used Linux (well, I tried to use it in the late 90s) but just to have the option is exciting! I wish to have an OS that allows for multitasking in different windows, even if it's just 2 or 3. Hopefully the Android of the future will have that!

funnycreature said:
The more I use my TF the more I like it. Although I understand that people with problems need to vent I want to add another positive post to the forum.
First off, I do NOT believe that there is such a thing as the "perfect tablet" (but that doesn't mean that there is not a lot of crap out there!). For some the iPad might be the best, for others the XOOM, for some the Transformer or even the Nook Color.
Now here are some of the Transformer's benefits that make it the currently best tablet for me:
The dock. This was probably the main reason for switching from the XOOM. I was looking for a case with Bluetooth keyboard for so long that the dock just came like an answer to my quest. I do a lot of typing so a physical keyboard was a must for me. The additional battery life and connectors are a HUGE plus (see more below). The keyboard is very sturdy and it is fun to type on. And of course the touch pad. Especially when browsing the web the pointer makes it indefinitely easier to click those tiny links!
ASUS's software. The widgets are minimalistic and beautiful. They add to the Honeycomb experience without forcing a manufacturer's UI upon the user. The applications that are included are well designed and work great.
Polaris Office. So far the best office suite that I have tested. This restores my faith in developers caring about productivity on tablet as compared to only entertainment and "consumption".
Connectivity. I was amazed. I have setup media sharing on my PC so I could stream videos and music to my PS3s. The first time I fired up MyNet it automatically detected my PC and the content was instantly available. No settings to alter, no messing around. Then just yesterday I connected my external HDD (NTFS) where I ripped all my movies in HD (as compared to the 640x480 res for my iPod). It also was detected and mounted automatically and the content plays flawlessly (with Mobo Player). SD card, microSD card, everything works out of the box; I remember how much trouble that was with the XOOM...
The display. Well, admittedly, an IPS screen is just great even though it might not have the most natural color reproduction or brightness. However, the viewing angles and contrast are amazing! I also like the wider bezel (compared to the XOOM) which allows for holding it in one hand without touching the actual touch screen (and I have not the biggest hands!). Sure, I have a bit of light bleed but the one on my Nook Color is worse. If I want to see it I will...
Updates. For not being a "Pure Android Experience Device" the ASUS got updates rather frequently. There seems to be a real person from ASUS support active in this forum and on other social media like facebook (in Europe at least).
Weight and Build. The TF feels nice and light when held. That it is made of plastic is unfortunate because it does feel kind of cheap but it is not too flimsy. I was apprehensive about the goldenish color but I have gotten used to it. I covered the back with carbon fiber skin though
So everyone considering to buy one of these I can only recommend it. There might be some lemons out there but you will have that with every device. If you want to wait for the newest gadgets, good luck, because as soon as you buy a high-tech device you can be sure that it's obsolete a week later...
Hope that helps some folks that were still indecisive.
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Click to collapse
Such positive vibes! maybe it's not as bad as some people are trying to make out

Agree with the OP on most points. People have to keep in mind that the users with bogus units are always going to be the most vocal so it makes it seem like there are more problems than happy customers.
After the latest update that fixed my dock/keyboard, I am 99% happy. I have a discernable amount of light-bleed at the bottom left that bugs me a bit when watching video/on a dark screen. If not for that, i would be at 100%.
My sleep of death issue seems to have gone away and beside the high profile x264 issue, I don't regret my purchase one bit.

the list keeps growing!
Just shamelessly bumping this thread due to plenty of whiny 'I return my Transformer for the iPad' threads...
More things that I love about the TF:
Overclock. Yep, it's done! Several kernels now available (Netarchy's Netformer, Blades' 1.6GHz MEATABALL).
Network integration. I mentioned that in the OP but I have to reiterate how great the TF works with the installed software. The past few days I was cleaning the house a lot and simply turned on my PC, turned on my TF and streamed videos and music without having to adjust anything.
USB ports. Also mentioned in the OP. I found an awesome use for them: hooked up a goose neck USB reading light and the keyboard shone even more

Acer Iconia vs Galaxy Tab 10.1 hand on comparison.

I hope this is of some use to someone as Ive been on a search for an ideal tablet for myself since the Xoom was released.
Ive had the Acer for about a month and love it for the most part.
Galxy Tab owner for about a day ((so why a review ??)) Its not.
Its a physical comparison as its difficult to track down an Acer without a huge magnet brick stuck to the back and the Tab releases country wide tomorrow.
Anyways...here goes any questions more than happy to answer.
HxW
This was a big surprise. Unlike the Asus Transformer with its mega wide bezel the Acer is actually pretty compact in that area. So much so that stacking the Tab on top produced negligible difference. As far as height and width theres about 'half a skinny straw' difference.
Weight
Well this is where the difference comes in. The Tab is simply much lighter. If you hold both in your hands it may seem like a "slight" difference. But after a short period you will quickly notice the acer is just plain heavy. After using the Tab for a bit then picking up the Acer the difference is huge.
Thickness
This IMO is the second biggest determining factor. Do you want the slimmness ? .......Or the Ports.
Holding the Tab it feels like a larger Kindle. Or just a truly "slate" computing device. Ive had several star trek moments holding it thus far.
Acer has always felt like a laptop cover ripped off the keyboard where the ports somehow magically transferred to the top. Yes its thick but I can connect this sucker to a monitor , a external drive , a card reader , and easily expand with a micro SD.
Look good or be efficient ?? Your choice IMO cant go wrong.
FYI:Tab will require at least 2 add ons , plus a case that can accommodate your extra accessories in order to match connectivity.
Microphone-
**SO FAR*** my biggest grip with the Acer has been the awful mic. It just sucks. Dont know if its the quality or the placement but the end result remains suckage. Far too often a phrase like "When can we meet ?"
results in "can we me".... or worse "w"..... WTF?!!?
Voice to text is my primary need/use for a tablet, this was a huge deal for me.
Galaxy Tab has been better. But frankly neither are up to snuff to my Nexus One. Im assuming phones in general will just have better mic quality.
Audio clip from Tab (using camcorder)
http://db.tt/XrcHGaK
Audio clip from Acer (using camcorder)
http://db.tt/eZ0rOIa
While not a tell all example the above differences in clarity were consistent with other apps as well.
Screen-
Thus far there really isnt a reason to side for one or the other outside of need or preference. Until this.
The screen on the Tab is gorgeous and is simply richer in color and after flicking through Picasa it seems to have gotten a more accurate representation of the pictures taken.
While I do feel the tab pushes colors a bit much ;almost like oled does. Ex: The YT still shot Rebecca Blacks red jacket is too saturated
However over a wide range of pictures and videos it just felt more vivid with better blacks.
This isnt a Ipads "cool" vs Tabs "warm" approach to color temp. The Tab is simply a better looking screen.
Software---
Not touching on this unless asked.
I will say I still have numerous videos FC on YT and the browser does NOT have any quick controls on the galaxy tab. Major bummer and worthy of return or sell if it cant be added as I find the controls are what make two handed Tablet browsing possible.
Wrap up-
In short Lebron James is overrated.
But seriously
Acer-8/10
Tab- 9/10
If you will make regular use of the ports , or weight isnt an issue the Acer is the choice.
If you care about aesthetics and or mobility is a bigger concern then the Tab is the way to go.

i stopped reading when u said the acer is heavy and teared up with laughter at the thought of u weight lifting

BrianDigital said:
i stopped reading when u said the acer is heavy and teared up with laughter at the thought of u weight lifting
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Right, because "heavy" means "unable to lift" and not relative to the topic of tablets. Try harder next time.

Very detailed.connectivity is why my Acer rules
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App

LIKE YOUR REVIEW, very truthful...
i bought the acer because it came first in my country.... but then loving it... usb port is the biggest difference among 2 tablets in favour of iconia, where weight is the biggest difference in favour to the tab

I was contemplating on whether to buy Galaxy Tab or Iconia A500, and I chose Iconia A500 because of USB host mode port, plus the fact that I don't need any proprietary adapters or cables. Those kinds of things are surprisingly hard to come by here, and they're a lot more expensive to replace should they break.
As for the weight: well, everyone has their own taste. I personally don't see enough of a difference for it to make matter to me.

I choose Acer because of non proprietary adapter and cables...
now
- galaxy tabs is really toooooo light... I feel like I was about to broke it just by holding it hahahah
I wanna buy it so deep... but after tested it... hu... no thanks, maybe the 8.9...

I'm amazed at the white color temperature difference between the two displays. Which is which in the pictures?

I guess samsung is the warmer one... you don't mess with samsung displays.

@xManMythLegend,
What video files will it support?... the only thing that bugs me is my Archos can support all my xvid divx out of the box... my samsung epic also supports divx... my acer doesn't know what divx is... bummer.

After the Captivate, Samsung is dead to me. Thanks for the review though. The Acer holds up better than I expected it to in the comparison.

What was wrong with captivate? i9000 is still awesome for me. Branded/carrier versions will always suck.
I'm pissed at samsung's tablet atitude, It's like they're trying to imitate Apple. I don't want a stupid adapter to be able to use usb!
Anyway, great review! I was actually waiting for the Galaxy tab but now I couldn't care less. Iconia's connectivity outweighs it's weight by far

Excellent review -- thank you! I'm sold on my A500 (primarily because of the USB port), but it's always good to know what else is out there and how it compares.
I don't understand why people rely on the stock software and configuration for images and/or video on any tablet. Even with a desktop PC monitor, you have to fine tune the settings to get your photos and videos to display properly. I wouldn't use the Samsung's default display settings because I think they're (for the most part) over-saturated. I use 3rd party gallery and video apps, both of which allow for rather customized display settings. I'm very happy with my A500's display the way I have these apps customized, and this was very important to me (right along with the USB port and memory expansion options) due to being an avid photography hobbyist.
I hope that doesn't sound too defensive, because I'm really not -- I knew the A500's display is "cooler" (more blue) than most when buying it. I just think they all need tweaking -- even the precious iPad, which everyone raves about the display out of the box.
Thanks again!

Well i bought Acer Iconia A500 because of the ports i don't mind a difference of 0.00000033mm in thickness or 0.000000888 pound in weight but i do care a lot if my device has all the ports i can use without the worry of looking them here and there.

sanaell said:
I choose Acer because of non proprietary adapter and cables...
now
- galaxy tabs is really toooooo light... I feel like I was about to broke it just by holding it hahahah
I wanna buy it so deep... but after tested it... hu... no thanks, maybe the 8.9...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe 8.9 will be a very interesting form factor for many people especially if it does include an sd card slot.
silencer51 said:
I'm amazed at the white color temperature difference between the two displays. Which is which in the pictures?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Top Is the galaxy tab Bottom is the acer.
threedfreek said:
@xManMythLegend,
What video files will it support?... the only thing that bugs me is my Archos can support all my xvid divx out of the box... my samsung epic also supports divx... my acer doesn't know what divx is... bummer.
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Click to collapse
I immediately installed mobo player. Plays everything but .mov thus far it also has terrific on screen controls.
internetpilot said:
Excellent review -- thank you! I'm sold on my A500 (primarily because of the USB port), but it's always good to know what else is out there and how it compares.
I don't understand why people rely on the stock software and configuration for images and/or video on any tablet. Even with a desktop PC monitor, you have to fine tune the settings to get your photos and videos to display properly. I wouldn't use the Samsung's default display settings because I think they're (for the most part) over-saturated. I use 3rd party gallery and video apps, both of which allow for rather customized display settings. I'm very happy with my A500's display the way I have these apps customized, and this was very important to me (right along with the USB port and memory expansion options) due to being an avid photography hobbyist.
I hope that doesn't sound too defensive, because I'm really not -- I knew the A500's display is "cooler" (more blue) than most when buying it. I just think they all need tweaking -- even the precious iPad, which everyone raves about the display out of the box.
Thanks again!
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Click to collapse
I completely agree! If these were hd tvs you could not even begin the discussion without calibration. I even cut out a portion on it. In short since there are no universal apps to do this and most devices require root access ;along with the fact most people simply would not bother. So unfortunately out of the box is what people will judge it by.
But you are 100 percent correct calibration can fix many many issues. I have yet to try on the tablet but fully intend to.
P.s apologies for any weird typos. voice to text is strangely capitalizing words that shouldn't be.

I had the Acer and returned it for the Galaxy Tab 10.1
I'm loving the GT much better. The main reason I wanted a tablet was for mobility and having something lightweight. The Acer was nice, but after surfing the net for a while I was inclined to place it either in my lap or on a solid surface. If I put it in my lap it would start sliding all over the place. The GT doesn't slide in my lap like the Acer did. It's also not as heavy, so I don't mind holding it if need be.
All tablets that come with a USB will be rather thick in size. There's no way that the GT could keep it's slimness with a USB port on the device itself. This was a concern for me in deciding if I wanted the device. Once I found out that they have a USB adapter, I was sold. The Acer had many ports, but I rarely used any of them when I had the device. It all boils down to how you're going to use a tablet. That will determine which one is the best fit.

cdf3 said:
I had the Acer and returned it for the Galaxy Tab 10.1
I'm loving the GT much better. The main reason I wanted a tablet was for mobility and having something lightweight. The Acer was nice, but after surfing the net for a while I was inclined to place it either in my lap or on a solid surface. If I put it in my lap it would start sliding all over the place. The GT doesn't slide in my lap like the Acer did. It's also not as heavy, so I don't mind holding it if need be.
All tablets that come with a USB will be rather thick in size. There's no way that the GT could keep it's slimness with a USB port on the device itself. This was a concern for me in deciding if I wanted the device. Once I found out that they have a USB adapter, I was sold. The Acer had many ports, but I rarely used any of them when I had the device. It all boils down to how you're going to use a tablet. That will determine which one is the best fit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the exact same thing today and share the same sentiments. I think the acer is very good at being a full featured unit out of the box. But it was not comfortable for me to use and my glove size is an 11. I picked up the GT10.1 and wow I didn't care what is was missing.

usman3206 said:
Well i bought Acer Iconia A500 because of the ports i don't mind a difference of 0.00000033mm in thickness or 0.000000888 pound in weight but i do care a lot if my device has all the ports i can use without the worry of looking them here and there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The Acer wins for me based on connectivity and flexibility overall.

PLease tell us about the software. Tab is 3.1....is it smoother? The Acer is still driving me crazy with the scroll lag.

Actually the weight and size difference is dramatic. The photos and numbers paper really dont translate well to how well it feels in hand. Saying that I do miss the usb port on the a500 but the GT10.1 is more portable and hand friendly. Using it as an ereader is great as well because it balances in the hand without feeling top heavy.
Go play with one at BB and tell me what you think, just curious.
Another reason for my switch was I truly feel thus device will sell well and therefore have longer support. Acer already announced they were scaling back production due to slow sales. Which tells me Acer really needs to do better advertising because they have a winner.
I think noils down like this.......
If you want a light hand friendly device then get the GT10.1
If you want a device that has more media input/output accessiblity device and offers expandable storage then go with the a500.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

(review/rant) really like the tablet, but also pretty disappointed

I definitely like my transformer, but in another sense it is a let down as well. (but only in the same way that all tablets ares) I really like having the clamshell option with the keyboard, plus the extra battery life
Then there is decently size display and generally android is a good thing.
But....
1) why just 1 microsd slot? why not 2? 3? and so on.... I have a few smaller spare micro-sd cards now, but can't use them along with the main one
2) (dupe of question in accessories) why isn't the hardware keyboard a blue tooth/wireless keyboard when it's not connected or at least not connectable via a long thin cable?
3) android tablet gripe - can't get rid of the status bar/button row ever it seems, so just how much display landscape is lost? 1280x800 Not! 1280x760ish or 1240x800ish...
4) why can't we display apps that need only a fraction of the full size of the screen in some sort of small window or even widget window? look at some of the various remote control apps for example, they end up using the whole screen just to display a few buttons. talk about a waste
I like the device, but I can't help but feel that the industry has been creatively stagnant for decades now...
Moore's law doesn't seem to apply to improvements in form and usability.
Just consider the form of a laptop... when was the last time any serious improvement was actually made to the overall form which isn't really all that great if you look at all the people that sit hunched over while using one sitting on their lap or with their arms are weird angles when using one while at a desk or table.
The transformer in that sense is finally an improvement to the laptop form factor, but it was done it seems by accident. It's like a laptop that can have the display separated from it's base so you can position the screen a reasonable height or whatever...... EXCEPT the keyboard isn't wireless and doesn't have any sort of wired connector. *sigh*
So are there any other simple things that seem like they should have been included?

1. Name another tablet that has 2 microSD slots. Oh wait, that's the Transformer. Get the dock and you have another SD slot.
2. Because the docking keyboard includes extra battery life, USB etc. Unless you can charge your Transformer wirelessly using the dock. Not even going to go there.
3. It has nothing to do with this Tablet. It's Honeycomb in general. I agree with you on this and at times I want it gone like for videos.
4. Again, that's Honeycomb. It's a new OS and it's pretty good for a first catch at it.

Database Users

welcome