Related
should i buy a vega because i have always fancied it but never put down the cash.
So what is it like to use?
Does the tegra 2 really preform in games?
and what are the chances of getting honeycomb when it source code is released because i see u have cm7 allready which is promising and honeycomb would make it a definate yes!!
cheers, Adam
For the price the advent vega is great. The tegra chipset is more than powerful enough to handle everyday activities, nice and smooth. Game performance is good, but with future updates i think it will be even quicker. Honeycomb will come to are device, i have no doubt on that. Its just will it be official or a custom rom from one of are (or other great mobile site) Great dev's
I have had mine since Christmas, and i have no regrets.
Hard to say if YOU should buy it...
I have no regrets but I can see myself going for a higher res tablet once those come out (the currently announced honeycomb tablets).
The screen is the only real disadvantage of this tablet, regarding viewing angles and perhaps resolution. (About android, android 2.2 is ok for tablets... not the best but works just fine. Really hope honeycomb will become available though.)
But for regular browsing, watching videos, listening to some music, checking some email, playing the occasional game (I'm not a gamer though) it's just fine and imo certainly worth the money.
Lo there,
the vega is a nice "cheap" piece of kit.
Do not expect to have an ipad like experience though, and out the box its a bit poo.
You definitly have to be prepared to have a fiddle to get the best out of it.
Rgds
L
cheers guys
i have heard it is a bit ram out of the box but i dont mind custom romming it it would be the second thing i do after turn it on!
I do really hope it can get honeycomb because that would make it a real i pad competitor for £250
It does seem well suited to honeycomb since it has no physical buttons, tegera 2, and a ten inch display which is what the xoom and galay pad are. but alot more moneys!
Do not underestimate the effect of the screen. You use a tablet interacting through an user interface with a screen. The UI here is Android, which is top... but the screen is bottom. Seriously. I would have shelled out 60 euro extra for a better screen.
Logseman said:
Do not underestimate the effect of the screen. You use a tablet interacting through an user interface with a screen. The UI here is Android, which is top... but the screen is bottom. Seriously. I would have shelled out 60 euro extra for a better screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? what else is their out their for that price and whats so bad about it the viewing angles?
The bad viewing angles make tasks like reading or watching videos while lying on bed a more straining task than it ought to. Plus, they strain the eyes more than better screens. That said, no tablet offers what the AV gives for its value, especially for mod-savvy use like the folks here or in MoDaCo.
Cheers thats what seems to be the general consensus. I cant justify the big price tags my self and i think i could live with pore viewing angles.
Plus im hopeful for honecome for this which shouldnt be too hard to build from source code since it has no cellular capabilities or gps which will mean their are less things to fix. WiFi would probably be an issue but fixable and personally i dont care about bluetooth.
if it gets this it will realy add value because the only niggles seem to be the screen and software!
well I have the galaxy tab...but miss the large screen of the ipad..(gave to son for xmas)....so I ordered a vega and it arrives wed morning..so will see if it does me...obviously will have to mod it..will just try the add on first...market etc...then try it out for a week and if happy enough will sell the galaxy tab..
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
Gotta say, ive had no issues with viewing angles at all in real world use.
Its definatly not great, especially when comared to an ipad, but i use m vega to read books, graphic novels, watch videos etc and unless youre a quality nut, the vega is perfectly useable, for the price.
I think of the vega as more of a kit or scratchbuilt pad rather than a finely honed apple product so i put up with its shortcomings.
Rgds
L
The viewing angles are a bit dodgy but bareablyr, tbh I Havnt touched ny vega for over 2 months, I just don't really have a use for it right now, but as soon as honeycomb offically/gets ported onto the vega I'm going to start from scratch on this beast, start bringing it to work, etc...
Right now its just not 100% for me, something is missing, I don't know what apart from honeycombskis.
By the way, in no way do I regret buying it though, under the bareable screen is a beast begging to be unleashed, just a matter of time...PLUS the support for the product from officials is outatanding, I have seen the best customer support and its still going...they actually listen to their customers which is a good strategy!
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
kalfou said:
The viewing angles are a bit dodgy but bareablyr, tbh I Havnt touched ny vega for over 2 months, I just don't really have a use for it right now, but as soon as honeycomb offically/gets ported onto the vega I'm going to start from scratch on this beast, start bringing it to work, etc...
Right now its just not 100% for me, something is missing, I don't know what apart from honeycombskis.
By the way, in no way do I regret buying it though, under the bareable screen is a beast begging to be unleashed, just a matter of time...PLUS the support for the product from officials is outatanding, I have seen the best customer support and its still going...they actually listen to their customers which is a good strategy!
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the customer service statement - just have a look over at MoDaCo!
Also, I can't wait for honeycomb too. It'll be great. If you want a preview just search for the sdk on google, bing etc.
After having a bit of time to play with my Xoom, I'd thought I'd tell everyone how I felt about the Xoom and whether you should be think of upgrading from your Galaxy Tab.
Build quality
The Xoom is very will built, all the components are solidly put together - there are no rattles or any bendy bits. That said the extra weight of the tablet is definitely noticeable compared to the Tab, and certainly makes reading while holding the tablet in one hand less comfortable - plus you don't really need the larger screen for this use.
The screen does not go quite as bright as the Tab, and is not so readable in sunlight. Also it attracts fingerprints like moths to a light, after an hour of using it it looked worse than an iPad does after a whole day, though you can't really see the fingerprints while the screen is on.
Software
This is the main part I was excited about - there has been quite a bit of hype surrounding Honeycomb. Sadly, IMHO, quite a bit of it is just hype -- the main changes are in the home screen and the task/notifications bar. Both of these work really well, the 3D carousel effect when turning pages of the Home screen is really smooth, and the new notification system works really well giving you a system which works quite like a desktop. Sadly you can't pinch the screen to show all of your desktops at once.
The rest of it though, it is pretty buggy. The settings app and gmail apps have force-closed on me a number of times - these are pretty important parts of the OS and so it's seriously disappointing to see them not quite finished. The Facebook app seems to work for a few mins then crashes and won't work until I restart the device.
The browser is very nice, with proper tabs (and incognito tabs!), but if you dare to switch on Flash 10.2 all the time then the whole thing is no faster than the Tabs browser with Flash enabled -- in fact it's quite possibly worse than my Tab with an OC kernel and the latest leaked ROM.
But main problem is - where is the software? Google made much issue about Android 2.x not being fit for tablets but the truth is all they've mostly done is what Samsung did - the email app now has one pane with a list of your emails in and another showing the content of your email. It's the same with the other apps, nowhere is there an incredibly large difference in functionality between the modified Samsung apps and the new Honeycomb ones.
Sure you get a film editor app, but that was pretty much put in to grab a bit of press after Apple put iMovie on the iPad - I'm sure most people, me included, would prefer a decent photo editing/retouching app more than a pretty basic video editing one.
No free, Xoom optimized apps with the device or a store for them like you get with Samsung.
And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
That might not be so bad if there was a store like the Samsung Movies Store or iTunes where I could buy or rent a movie in a compatible format. Except this being a "Google Experience" device there are no apps apart from the few that Google put on there (and aside from film studio that's just upgraded standard Android apps). So you have a tablet that doesn't support that vast majority of media formats used by the largest desktop OS; I feel justified in saying that is a slight fail -- is Youtube supposed to be my entire source of entertainment? It's not like you can call the quality of most Flash videos on the web HD.
The one upside is the tegra 2, and all the nice games it will let you play. Except there are only a couple at the moment, and if the Tegra Zone app is to be believed, most of them won't be out for another couple of months. That said the few that are available are very nice, and run perfectly smooth.
Overall
Overall I'd give the Xoom 7/10. It's good, and the first Honeycomb tablet, but I think it will probably not be in the top 5 come the end of the year.
I can understand some people might buy it over others on the promise of slightly quicker updates, but I'm seriously considering taking mine back and waiting for the Tab 8.9, I have a few more days to play around with it before I decide. Sure it will have customized interface so it might not get updates as quickly, but actually it will do much more out of the box than the Xoom does, and it will still probably do more than the Xoom will even after the Xoom has received an update.
I used to be someone who bought plain Android devices on the basis that they quicker updates (have an NS, had an N1, etc), but a lot of the time it makes little difference. Google doesn't actually release updates often enough anymore for that to be much of an issue, and in some cases these days manufacturers have actually made things better than Google did (e.g. the standard browser in the Galaxy S on 2.2 is far better than the stock browser on a Nexus S on 2.3).
Sadly in this case the bad experience reflects badly on Motorola even though it isn't really their fault - they've had nothing to do at all with the software. At the same time that is their fault - it's their tablet and if I was head of a Motorola I'd want to make sure the software I was putting my name on did everything I wanted and worked properly - Android manufacturers should stop getting so desperate to compete with Apple and actually focus on the quality of their own products.
So my advice would be wait. And possibly in this case don't let the factor of whether it's a pure Google device affect your decision so much -- Honeycomb is still an infant and it really needs some features added on for a full tablet experience.
* I was completely aware the Xoom would come with no added extras like the Tab did when I bought it. I just thought Google would have put more work into making Honeycomb for great for tablets.
That's a pretty accurate description. I went through 2 XOOM's which I bought once they released the WIFI only model, and my experience was the same if not worse. Lots of potential, but they really missed the mark with that one. The second XOOM had a hardware failure and refused to charge, and since I was pretty let down overall, and that needle thin power adaptor is just waiting to snap off, I got rid of it entirely. I bought my first Galaxy Tab WIFI model Monday from Tigerdirect, got it Wed and have used it since and I absolutely love it.
That's an interesting review.
It surprised me that honeycomb still isnt working perfectly. I thought that they would update it regularly.
The Xoom seemed to me, to be a liitle bit too fast released device.
I also agree that it probably wont be the best in the flow of the year - off course.
I think HTC looks quite promising, if they release a bigger version of their Flyer.
Let's see if the Companies learn from the others - if a company releases later, it always has a lower risk of failing, because it can learn out of the mistakes of the others...
And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, x1,000. I own an original iPad, and picked up a T-Mo Galaxy Tab for $100 on Craigslist. Once the wifi Xoom came out, I went to Staples to pick one up.
Disappointment doesn't begin to capture it. Such a lovely screen...why, why, why wouldn't you include a Movies app with the tablet? Videos that played flawlessly on the Tab would stutter and whimper on the Xoom. That's just inexcusable.
I also co-sign everything you said about Facebook; I had the same experience with Seesmic.
I bought it on Friday evening. I returned it on Sunday afternoon. I can handle rough edges with software, but this goes beyond that. And selling it for $600? Yeah...not so much.
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.
rnoboa said:
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're interested, here's my short review of the Transformer, originally posted in the Transformer XDA forum. I do compare it to my Galaxy Tab, so I don't think it's unreasonable to post here!
Regards,
Dave
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I've had my Transformer for 4 full days now, and I've a few comments to make for prospective purchasers.
First of all, a little background - I've had Android phones since the original G1 was released in the US (I was there when it was released), and since then have owned the HTC Hero, the HTC Desire, and now the Desire HD (and a Pulse Mini as a backup device).
I also have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7", which I've been using since October last year and I still think is a fantastic device, so most of my observations on the Transformer (henceforth called the TF) will be in comparison to Galaxy Tab (henceforth called the GT). As an aside, I also have a Toshiba AC100 Android netbook, so I think I have some feel for how the TF will be once the keyboard dock arrives.
Build quality
The TF feels like a really high quality device. I know some people have reported issues with back light bleed etc, but I've had no such issues. The aluminium case is really nice to the touch, as is the back of the device which is a plastic made to look a bit like carbon fibre.
Design - the design is generally really nice, though if I had one criticism it is the size of the bezel is rather large. Additionally, it does feel a little odd holding the device in portrait mode as it comes over as very tall and thin, especially when compared to the GT.
The IPS display is lovely and crisp, though it does seem a little less bright than the display on the GT.
OS and software
This is both simultaneously the best and worst feature that the TF has over the GT. In general browsing use, the TF is much more like a laptop/desktop experience than the GT, and you can see Honeycomb has great potential. However, it does feel very much like an unfinished product.
When the GT first came out, the stock browser was notoriously laggy (fixed in later iterations), and the TF suffers from the same issue - in fact it is worse because whilst the GTs browser was basically just laggy, the TFs browser is laggy and buggy.
Specifically, clicking on links in other applications often causes the browser to pop up, but it doesn't load the new page - this can be fixed by "killing" the browser and restarting it, but it shouldn't be this way. Whilst I much prefer the native browser when it works correctly, I'm now using Opera Mobile for day to day use.
Honeycomb Gmail on the TF is a revelation - it is a far superior client than the client on the GT.
Other minor Honeycomb/TF complaints are:
1. There doesn't seem to be a way to clear all notifications easily.
2. Just getting to the Settings menu is overcomplicated.
3. The keyboards do seem overly large in my opinion, and there don't seem to be enough long press options to get to alternate characters, though I'm aware these are easily replaceable.
4. Overall the TF performance is good, but I don't feel that Honeycomb is taking advantage of the dual core Tegra 2, and thus in general use it doesn't really feel any faster than my single core GT.
Media Playback
This is an easy one - the GT is a better media player than the TF, simply because it natively supports more formats (e.g. DivX).
I'm not unused to transcoding video to H264, as I had to do this often on my earlier Android devices, but with the advent of Cortex A8 class devices with Neon, I found software players like RockPlayer more than acceptable. This does not seem to be the case for the TF, since Tegra 2 doesn't support Neon instructions. However, the AC100 is a Tegra 2 device, and the built-in media player is much better than the stock TF one too, so really I think that Asus should have done more here.
With the TF, I'm back to having to transcode media, and to be honest for the most part that means I'll just my GT instead.
Overall Usage
Here's where it gets interesting!
The TF provides a very different experience to the GT and for the most part it is very enjoyable- when I bought the device, I knew it be mostly be a "coffee table" device, and that the size, weight, and built-in 3G of the GT was going to a distinct advantage over the TF when it comes to travelling.
What I didn't expect is that the GT still holds some advantages at home too.
Put simply, the TF is still too big and heavy sometimes - when I get up in the morning, I usually take my GT off charge and slip it into the pocket of my dressing gown, and this means it goes with me when I go to make a coffee, visit the "office" in the bathroom etc.
Also, late at night, if I want to watch something whilst lying in bed, the GT is simply much more comfortable to hold for any period of time, and coupled with better media support is always going to be the preferred option.
The Future
I don't think it is really fair to judge the TF until the keyboard dock becomes available, because I honestly think this will significant change the nature of the device.
When I first got my AC100, it was running Eclair and to be honest it was pretty rubbish, but it got so much better when Froyo landed.
I can see the TF similarly getting a completely new lease of life once the dock arrives.
Also, Honeycomb does feel like a work in progress, and I'm hoping for regularly updates to this device, which again should improve the experience, along with more Honeycomb specific apps on the market.
Conclusion
I think the TF is a fantastic product and the price is extremely good for what it is. I certainly wouldn't want to put anyone off buying one if they have a genuine interest this form factor. In the UK at least, I think the Xoom has priced itself out of the market massively, which currently leaves the TF as the 10.1" tablet of choice.
The biggest issue for me is that 10.1" tablets are generally too big and heavy, and whilst newer tablets may be lighter, they will still be similarly sized unless they can dramatically reduce the size of the bezel.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" may well be a better compromise, and I will be looking closely at this once it arrives. However, it won't fit in a jacket pocket, so would still likely just be a coffee table tablet for me.
Ultimately, I think my ideal tablet device would be a 7" form factor device like the GT, similar internal hardware to the TF (dual core, IPS, memory etc), and built-in 3G. Until something like this ships, I think my GT will still be my primary media consumption/browsing device.
Steve Jobs may think that there is no market in 7" tablets, but in my case he's wrong!
Thank you soooo much for the Tab vs Xoom reiew. I was looking at the Xoom a couple weeks ago, but when I saw Sprint marked the Tab down to $199, I bought it instead. Although the Xoom is a gorgeous device, I am becoming quite sold on the 7" size. After using my Tab for a week, I love it! Now if the Xoom was only, say $100 more than the Tab, I may change my mind, but as it is now, it's way too expensive for what it offers out of the box. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Xoom have a price drop soon.
How bad is Honeycomb? The reviews of the G-Slate, Xoom, and even Eeepad Transformer suggest that Honeycomb itself is... not ready and quite laggy. How does it compare to plain old Froyo on a 7'' Tab?
so if understand correctly, android market does not install the tablet version of gmail or any other app on the galaxy tab?
You will have special section of apps created for the Honeycomb and for 2.2 or 2.3.
Apps that are not suppose to work will not be shown on the Market.
Some apps created for phones freeze or fail to work but overall you can find apps that suit your needs. I would agree that at this point software has rough edges but this is always an issue for the early adopters. The 1st iphone had no software choices at all and it took more than half a year to get something else.
Screen size and resolutiin make Xoom almost a laptop.
I like Xoom but prefer Galaxy Tab because of size and weight.
So I was just wondering what is the overall feeling about this tablet? I'm thinking about getting it and i was just wondering if everyone likes it or if its 50/50 or what?
I've owned the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Acer Iconia, Motorola Xoom, and the Transformer. I can say that the Transformer is the best tablet for the money on the market. It's not as sexy as the Galaxy, but it's more functional, far more flexible, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Always hard to get objective views on a product specific forum.
I'm in a love/hate relationship with it at the moment. I love the form factor and the functionality. I hate the lack of tablet optimized apps/games and the awful build quality.
To me, it feels like a beta product. This isn't a bad thing per-se as I like to tinker.
I like mine a lot, and its definatley the best bang for your buck Honeycomb tablet out there right now. Although I do wish it had the form factor / looks of the Galaxy 10.1, the HDMI out and Micro SD card slot are oh so nice to have, especially for $100 less
The build quality and lightbleed issues are the only downsides to the tablet in my opinion. I got one with a few creaks in the back and some light bleed, but I just look past it. Its not enough for me to sell or go through ASUS to replace it. Still works great for me. Also, not all of the tablets have this, and Im hoping the newer builds have been fixed.
If your thinking about getting one, I would definatley consider it. Great tablet and a great price right now.
Other big plus is that Asus is really quick at getting the Honeycomb updates out. We've got Honeycomb 3.2 already which is great.
rilot said:
Always hard to get objective views on a product specific forum.
I'm in a love/hate relationship with it at the moment. I love the form factor and the functionality. I hate the lack of tablet optimized apps/games and the awful build quality.
To me, it feels like a beta product. This isn't a bad thing per-se as I like to tinker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely feel like im a beta tester, but I dont really consider it a bad thing. I enjoy using new equipment and working out kinks. Just wish i didnt have to pay so much for it . That being said, a lot of the kinks are worked out now from my experience.
Keyboard lag is gone. Havnt had a sleep of death since the first update. Everythings running a lot smoother with the last firmware update.
Its replaced my laptop in class more or less completely. I use evernote and ezpdf to take notes and its wonderful.
do you use any of the attachments?
I got a Transformer and didn't regret, that I bought it. I got it without dock, because I only wanted a nice tablet ... for everything else I have an i7 notebook with 6 GB RAM.
If I can recommend it? Maybe ... depends on what you want to do with it.
Regarding quality control ... it's the fortune of the early adopter nowadays to be a beta tester. Example: I also got me a Galaxy S2 and though I'm very happy with it, the S2 forum here at XDA is full of complaints about QC.
jnad32 said:
do you use any of the attachments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The keyboard is the big attachment and its really the selling point of the tablet. If you anticipate ever using it then the TF is the way to go, if you dont anticipate ever using it then you could be happy with the Samsung, albeit with no SD card and costing a lot more.
The TF has a great screen, its flexible and its cheap. Its not built as well as an ipad (or the other android tablets) but I havent had any functional issues with its built, its not like its breaking on me. Its just you can feel the difference in the "tightness" between the two.
Being said I ended up buying a second for the girlfriend, tired of her constantly using mine.
I got mine in the first batch to come out- from TD. I have had no real issues accept a tiny light bleed- build quality is great for mine. no creaking etc.
It has done everything i ask of it and thrown at it. I use mine for about 70% work related with notes at meeting, signatures on contracts, email, polaris app etc. Even skype calling..
Constantly listening to music watching movies etc. Never had any issues with Battery usage.
I think it has gotten better with each update. Yes little bugs here and there after an update ut usually fixed or have work around within 24 hours. That stuff doesnt bother me.
I never got the keyboard because i felt it was an option that i would never really use so i invested in a nice case- ( PDAIR ) I love the concept of the keyboard but just wasn;t going to use itand did no need the extra bulk.
For me never needed to root it yet (maybe down the road ) but for now it is great as stock.
Last thing i will say is there have been alot of new choices out since i have bought it... yes they might have had a thing or 2 that the TF did not have but i never have second guessed my choice.
Good luck.
Well you get 16hrs of battery life with the dock. No other tablet has this kind of a feature at this price point.
The screen quality and responsiveness is in the top quartile of tablets released so far.
I am pretty happy with my purchase. 10x better build quality than the Archos 101 I purchased earlier!
I absolutely love my TF, probably best 399$ I have ever spent on gadget, mine also comes with some light bleed, other than that, build quality is great. Have 2 Ipad2 in the house and they both have worst light bleed.
Would I suggest this tablet to a friend over other Android tablet? Yes, best tablet in the market IMO.
Over an Ipad2? Probably not unless someone familiar with Android and a geek just like me...
tonyz3 said:
I got mine in the first batch to come out- from TD. I have had no real issues accept a tiny light bleed- build quality is great for mine. no creaking etc.
It has done everything i ask of it and thrown at it. I use mine for about 70% work related with notes at meeting, signatures on contracts, email, polaris app etc. Even skype calling..
Constantly listening to music watching movies etc. Never had any issues with Battery usage.
I think it has gotten better with each update. Yes little bugs here and there after an update ut usually fixed or have work around within 24 hours. That stuff doesnt bother me.
I never got the keyboard because i felt it was an option that i would never really use so i invested in a nice case- ( PDAIR ) I love the concept of the keyboard but just wasn;t going to use itand did no need the extra bulk.
For me never needed to root it yet (maybe down the road ) but for now it is great as stock.
Last thing i will say is there have been alot of new choices out since i have bought it... yes they might have had a thing or 2 that the TF did not have but i never have second guessed my choice.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
I got my U.S. Transformer a few weeks ago, and I enjoy using it very much:
With my PC, most of the time is spent going on the Web, so on the Transformer I just set up bookmarks for my most frequently visited sites in both the stock browser and the Dolphin for Pad (downloaded from the Market) browser and that takes care of my usual browsing needs. Email is now handled through the stock Gmail app, so again most of that can be done on the Transformer side.
For music, I've started using Google Music to upload my stuff, so I can just stream down to my Transformer through WiFi. For videos, I had already encoded a lot of stuff to MP4 format using Handbrake to play on my phone. But with ES File Explorer installed on my Transformer, I can now keep those MP4 files on my networked server and then stream them to the stock video player. This all works great and takes up no local storage.
Games that I had on my smartphone are all installed onto the Transformer and work fine. I've also found that classic game console emulators work quite well on the Transformer.
If I'm desperate to watch Hulu or Netflix (without any hacked or rooted methods), the MyCloud > My Desktop > SplashTop method works acceptably well.
Painting with SketchBook Pro is quite fun with this fantastic paid app, and I'm looking into various do-it-yourself stylus methods to enhance the experience.
I haven't had the need yet to use Polaris Office yet, but after reading user reviews, it looks to be a very capable Office app when compared with other non-free competitors, and I actually appreciate Asus for giving this for us.
The build quality, in my opinion, is quite nice. I don't have any LCD light bleed issues. The LCD itself is great with fantastic viewing angles. The built-in speakers are surprisingly loud. The touch screen is very responsive. And the textured plastic back panel keeps the whole unit lighter and gives it a nice feel.
The only negatives I have are:
Camera - absolutely terrible, especially when using indoor lighting. But I already know that the video and photo taking experience on almost all tablets is not good anyway, so I never expected much. I almost never use the stock camera app. I have Vignette installed on my Transformer for the heck of it, but this rarely gets used either. I leave picture taking to my digital camera and my smartphone.
Browser - for some sites, I get slowdowns with both the stock browser and Dolphin for Pad. With Android 3.1, I experienced quite a bit of force closings with the stock browser. It's improved with 3.2, but it still happens. I find it hard to believe that Google makes such a good browser as Chrome but has such a mediocre one for Honeycomb.
Linux support - the only thing I ask for is the simplicity of plugging my Transformer into my Linux PC and have access to its SD and MicroSD cards. But I have to jump through the hoop of running a few lines in Terminal just to get those drives mounted and unmounted. It's a pain, and I wish it was as easy as the Windows experience.
Since using my Transformer more and more, my smartphone has pretty much been relegated back to being just a phone which is fine. This morning I began charging my Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 once it dropped to 1% battery power...and it had been running on that one full charge for 174-hours-33-minutes! I'll still use the phone for navigation and portable music after I get over the honeymoon period with the Transformer, but right now using my smart phone just isn't the same any more.
So since I've gotten the Transformer, I've made a conscious effort to reduce using my PC and my smartphone, and it's worked out great as a personal computing device. For a business environment, there might not be enough apps to support various needs just yet, but it'll get there, I'm sure. The Transformer is a very good bang-for-the-buck kind of device, and I have no regrets about having it.
Enjoy my tablet a great deal. I actually use it more than i thought i would. Im constantly looking for new apps that will make this into my swiss army knife.
I use splashtop a lot, and now added a Wake on Lan app which now has got me the bright idea to go out and purchase a home server...lol
build quality is definitely not the greatest. Personally, i dont think it compares to the newer tablets coming out. (build)
Dont own the keyboard. Im waiting for a good deal down the road when it drop to around $100. by then, i figure, ill give the TF to my wife (with a keyboard), and ill jump on to the newest tablet. (maybe TF2)
Im a first time android/tablet buyer and user, so i came with no expectations..
Ill know what to look for in my next purchase though.
(so, i guess im a beta tester)
jnad32 said:
So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are applications that let you fill out and/or sign PDF files. Adobe also has an app that converts things to PDF. Ive used my TF to fill out forms and sign them multiple times.
jnad32 said:
So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are alot of choices for this. I use Repligo PDF and love it.After i sign or client signs,on the TF I email it and looks just as clear as original.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cerience.reader.app&feature=search_result
worth the $4.99 investment,
Love mine, I'm confident I made the right choice. £400 for a tablet-only device is not a wise spend. £400 for a tablet AND a netbook IS thou...
Aside from the keyboard drain (which is being fixed under RMA as we speak), I have no issues whatsoever with my device, and overjoyed with it.
jnad32 said:
So my question to you is my boss has an ipad that we use for our invoices and paper work to get people to sign off on pdf files and what not. Does android have an app that lets you do that? And overall how good is it for work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be very surprised if there is any app that iPad can do, that Android can't, as because of Android's open and less restrictive nature, you won't find missing apps, because "Apple don't like it, or Apple can't make money from it, or it cuts into Apple's buisness".
My TF is all good I have no problems with my tablet, maybe one of the lucky ones or just the fact that those few who have bad units choose to come to forums like this to seek advice and let everyone know how bad their unit is. With the dock it is an amazing bit of kit, I have tried the xoom, Acer and the Gtab, and unless you want form over function the TF is the best of the current bunch. As all the present android tablets running honeycomb are running the same os and internal spec. My own preference would be ports and functionality, screen, speed of updates and build quality. For me the TF ticks all the boxes.
Xoom, highintial price, lack of support and working ports, poor screen
Gtab, lack of ports, slow updates from Samsung.
I like the design of the TF especially when combined with the dock, equal to any high end net book, Asus have done a great job with amazing fore sight, it is original only the Gtab is thinner and that is purely because it is an I pad clone.
I would think the units with defects are no different to apple I pad or even the Gtab on a percentage basis, plenty of apple units go back to their stores.
With regards to being beta testers, we are with regards android for tablets, like we were back in the 90,s with win 3.11. My recommendation to anyone wanting a android tablet with the best all-round functionality at the best price, get the TF.
Had my TF about two weeks now, and am yet to have any issues with it. I love peoples reactions when I undock the screen though, it's brilliant.
Hi,
I am new to the world of tablet & I am going to buy my first tablet & got stuck with two choices - xoom & sony tablet S (ruled out tab 10.1 due to lack of expandable storage option). can you guys please suggest on this? (p.s. - android OS is not new to me)
Also, I would be grateful if you guys can inform me about the 3G frequency band being used in xoom. Also, please let me know what type of SIM being used in 3g xoom for ex - normal SIM card or U-SIM.
p.s. - didn't found any thread for this comparison
Both tablets aren't really very smooth.
Of the two, its hard to choose. The sony tablet looks very nice.
As the owner of the xooms, the display is dull and poorly calibrated, unbearably ugly heavy and fat. Shadowgun isn't completely smooth. Playable, but not smooth.
Live wallpapers does not work, UI still lag. Sony tablet also didn't get such rave reviews
You sure you need so much space? Please consider the samsung 10.1, due to the ****ty screen of the xoom I didn't even bother putting videos on the tablet.
32GB sounds enough I seldom use my sd card too.
Mine has a good screen, the weight is fine, live wallpapers work fine and ICS is on par with iOS.
The Xoom's panel is really bad.
I wouldn't think like that if I also didn't own a Galaxy S2. Comparing the 2 panels is like comparing a V12 Ferrari to a V8 Mustang on a racetrack. Obviously the Mustang is pretty and powerful, but once you have them side by side competing against each other, you come to think that the once mighty Mustang might be just a cheap POS when compared to the almighty Ferrari V12.
The other downside of the Xoom is the lack of 1080p output on the micro-HDMI port. I can connect if to my big LED TV, but all I get is 720p.
It has many obvious advantages over the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but if image output (either on its display or on TV) is important to you and a deciding factor, rule the Xoom out.
ccaian1 said:
Both tablets aren't really very smooth.
Of the two, its hard to choose. The sony tablet looks very nice.
As the owner of the xooms, the display is dull and poorly calibrated, unbearably ugly heavy and fat. Shadowgun isn't completely smooth. Playable, but not smooth.
Live wallpapers does not work, UI still lag. Sony tablet also didn't get such rave reviews
You sure you need so much space? Please consider the samsung 10.1, due to the ****ty screen of the xoom I didn't even bother putting videos on the tablet.
32GB sounds enough I seldom use my sd card too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would return the Xoom if you are not happy with it. I love my Xoom and wasnt expecting the best of the best when I purchased it. The build quality of the Xoom is far superior over any other Android Tablet out there right now. Maybe the screen isnt the best or some other asepects but that doesnt bother my. It does what I want it to do. Enjoy. Thanks
hotdude2411 said:
Hi,
I am new to the world of tablet & I am going to buy my first tablet & got stuck with two choices - xoom & sony tablet S (ruled out tab 10.1 due to lack of expandable storage option). can you guys please suggest on this? (p.s. - android OS is not new to me)
Also, I would be grateful if you guys can inform me about the 3G frequency band being used in xoom. Also, please let me know what type of SIM being used in 3g xoom for ex - normal SIM card or U-SIM.
p.s. - didn't found any thread for this comparison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For us to better help you, I would suggest listing things that are important to you.
Then instead of people complaining about things only they care about, you can actually get some usable opinions.
Also,the Xoom uses a standard SIM. Not sure about the bands it uses.
ccaian1 said:
Both tablets aren't really very smooth.
Of the two, its hard to choose. The sony tablet looks very nice.
As the owner of the xooms, the display is dull and poorly calibrated, unbearably ugly heavy and fat. Shadowgun isn't completely smooth. Playable, but not smooth.
Live wallpapers does not work, UI still lag. Sony tablet also didn't get such rave reviews
You sure you need so much space? Please consider the samsung 10.1, due to the ****ty screen of the xoom I didn't even bother putting videos on the tablet.
32GB sounds enough I seldom use my sd card too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely disagree with you, regarding the performance of the Xoom.
My experience is the opposite. On EOS ICS, especially, my Xoom is super smooth, fast and responsive. I have a good screen. I can do everything I want with my Xoom. I don't have all the troubles reported by owners of other tablets, including the Transformer Prime. I don't know the Sony tab but, the Xoom is a terrific device...even better than when it was first released, because of the software development.
Also have to disagree with ccain1,
the xoom is a nice product, performance wise even on stock ICS the performance is great, no lag, very smooth. apps are snappy.
as for the screen, majority say its dull, but thats because its not as contrasty as the samoleds that people regard as the holy grail of screens, the screen does the job, looks fine with movies, youtube and games. its just a heavy duty LCD screen.
they arent many niggling issues that other tabs suffer from that many complain about. (transformers dock/battery issues, 10.1s screen "oil mark" defects/all other tabs lack of updates)
Plus the Xoom, is considered a nexus device, which is why its the only tab released last year that officially running ICS. and likely will continues to receive updates.
You also gotta realize that is this complaint/fix heavy forum. Most things you read hear unfortunately will be negative, people don't come to brag about how things are great too much, only to complain and look for fixes.
bundled with a 32gb mSD you max out at like ~60GB of usable space.
easy to unlock/root
it is kinda heavy tho buts a 1st Generation tab, @ 1.7lbs, same weight as the first gen ipad
Only have the wifi version of the Xoom so can't tell you anything about its 3g. Have never tried the Sony model so can't give you an opinion on it. However, what I can tell you is that the Xoom has taken me completely by surprise. I was lucky enough to pick up a cheap xoom at the airport and within one day I had rooted it and put a custom rom on it. It was really easy even for a non-techie like me. And when the ICS custom roms started appearing it was not a problem putting that on it. It's a whole new experience from Honeycomb.
All in all I can only recommend the Xoom. Unless you can get the Sony model a whole lot cheaper I can't see the reason for you not getting a Xoom
Don't get the Sony. Made of plastic, even the screen is plastic, not Gorilla Glass like the Xoom. There's no development on the Sony and is not very popular. ICS on the Xoom is very very good.
I was also considering between these two and I finally chose xoom. It is cheaper and the screen is gorilla glass.
I don't what you are looking for in the Xoom so like others I will give you my opinion based on my needs. I am middle aged business man not interested in rooting and playing games on the Xoom. I use it for travel and work when I don't need my laptop. I have the 4G version so still on Honeycomb. All the griping about lag, delays and fingerprints is just that gripes. If someone thinks a tablet should be the end all to all of the computer needs well they are not very realistic. Got a problem with fingerprints then get a screen protector or a stylus pen. Need to access your laptop from afar, download an app and there you go. Wanna watch a movie on the plane no problem works great. Do you want to read in bed it works great. Good battery life and one last thing I would rather have a little bit heavier device that is built better then save a few grams for a plastic device.
KGOKnicks said:
I don't what you are looking for in the Xoom so like others I will give you my opinion based on my needs. I am middle aged business man not interested in rooting and playing games on the Xoom. I use it for travel and work when I don't need my laptop. I have the 4G version so still on Honeycomb. All the griping about lag, delays and fingerprints is just that gripes. If someone thinks a tablet should be the end all to all of the computer needs well they are not very realistic. Got a problem with fingerprints then get a screen protector or a stylus pen. Need to access your laptop from afar, download an app and there you go. Wanna watch a movie on the plane no problem works great. Do you want to read in bed it works great. Good battery life and one last thing I would rather have a little bit heavier device that is built better then save a few grams for a plastic device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed!!
Minus that im a younger geeky dude that like to expirement with rooting and getting my hands dirty unlocking the true potential out of our devices, The only thing I hate about the Xoom is motorolas lack of not being able to give there customers the support we deserve and for releasing other newer products before perfecting the ones that have been released!!!
KGOKnicks said:
I don't what you are looking for in the Xoom so like others I will give you my opinion based on my needs. I am middle aged business man not interested in rooting and playing games on the Xoom. I use it for travel and work when I don't need my laptop. I have the 4G version so still on Honeycomb. All the griping about lag, delays and fingerprints is just that gripes. If someone thinks a tablet should be the end all to all of the computer needs well they are not very realistic. Got a problem with fingerprints then get a screen protector or a stylus pen. Need to access your laptop from afar, download an app and there you go. Wanna watch a movie on the plane no problem works great. Do you want to read in bed it works great. Good battery life and one last thing I would rather have a little bit heavier device that is built better then save a few grams for a plastic device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.... I purchased my Xoom on day one and haven't looked back. With the HC upgrades and now ICS it's like I have a brand new top of the line device.
Even with all the new tablets being released I have yet to see one that is as well made as the Xoom.
I currently have the Asus prime and love the tablet, but it doesn't work for my needs as a multimedia device on the go. With the blue tooth and streaming video/audio issue, my main purpose of it is no longer functional. I could careless about the gps.
I was looking at the Acer 500 tablet. I know it would be a tegra2 compared to the tegera3 and there is the 510 model just released. After the mess that is happening with the prime I'm hesitant to try another brand spanking new model right out of the gates. I don't mind yesterdays technology if it's proven to work and tweaked already. Plus it should be a bit cheaper.
So my question is, how do you owners of the Acer brand of tablets like your devices? Particularly the media abilities of it. I use youtube, stream tv shows, stream cartoons, and internet radio. Being able to use my blue tooth headset is my sore spot and is what I'm looking to rectify with a different tablet.
I do some gaming but not much on the android platform has really taken me yet. If these Acer models play Order and Chaos then it would be a boon.
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
THere are video limitations with 1080p . mosy 720 will play fine. Streaming for me works well,of course some of the roms are better then others.I will not make comments on any of them. I would say read the forums of those roms.Order and Chaos does actually run very well on my A500. as with most other android games. I can also say my Bluetooth motorola hd 9 headset works flawless.
Good Luck .
Its OK
I have an a500, video and audio streamig works fine, same goes for bluetooth, I hate how the browser auto closes when it runs out of memory specially when watching heavy loaded web sites (I mean heavy Flash content).
I am on stock 3.2.1 rom, no root.
I love the big usb port as I can connect almost anything, I have a USB hub and can connect 4 things at the same time (memory, keyboard, mouse and gamepad).
Sound is good, not top best but is ok.
No good 1080p playback as Erica already said.
No GPS issues unless you go for custom roms.
Planned to update to ICS by the end of the month.
I like my A500 but I would never go from a Prime to an A500.
I don't have any issues with my device per say. I run netflix, crunchyroll, etc. on there and I use plex as well as tversity so 1080p videos and anything out of the scope of compatibility for my tablet from my library aren't an issue for me. Like you, I use it for multimedia purposes and I am satisfied.
My unwanted 2c is you just wait for a patch that makes you LOVE your Prime. It took several software revisions before Acer got it right with Honeycomb on the A500 and Tegra3 as well as ICS is brand spanking new so I'd give it a bit more time. I stuck with the A500 because I liked it and I found the USB port useful but as I said, I would not go from a Prime to an A500 for the mere fact that the Prime is technically speaking, a newer device with better/faster hardware and a better screen....even if you THINK you don't care about Tegra3 vs. Tegra2, once Asus gets the software refined, overall it will be better than the A500. If it's a case where you have some disposable dollars and are thinking of getting the A500 in the interim, go ahead; but if you're going to swap/exchange the Prime and then buy an A500 I would heartily advise against it.
Good Luck to you, whatever you decide.
As for me, here is what I can say about the A500 :
- for the videos, I'm used to ripping my DVDs and blu-rays so I can read them on the tablet. My favorite format is MP4. Nothing special to say about DVDs, but as for the Blu-rays 720p main profile works fine (high profile does not), just as 1080p low profile (both main and high profile won't be readable with a comforable frame rate). It's also a matter of bit rate : for 720p main profile, 3500 Kbps is almost perfect, 4000 Kbps is fine 90% of the time but it can get really laggy for some minutes at times. For 1080p low profile, 5500 Kbps was fine, haven't tested anything else yet because anyway good 1080p compressed movies weighs like 8GB and with FAT32 you're supposed to be limited to 4GB. No noticeable quality differences with the tablet screen anyway, and very little on a large TV screen given the compression, so to me 720p main profile remains the best choice.
- Sound is surprisingly good but mic really (and I mean really) sucks. Barely usable.
- Screen isn't as accurate as on other tablets. It makes no differences at all for a normal use but if you intend to handwrite it is still possible but not perfect.
- Battery life is fine for me, but it lasts less than others. Like 6 to 8 hours in video, the same for a standard use (internet, reading,...).
- The screen is good, but again not as good as the Asus's screens or iPads and Galaxy tabs ones.
- The USB port is a huge feature for me, it works just fine with my NTFS external hard disk, with all my USB keys, with all my USB PC controllers (that are already set the right way !), with my keyboard, my mouse, and my USB hub so I can use my keyboard and mouse at the same time on the tablet !
- With Honeycomb, internet browsing is a little bit too slow and lacks smoothness for me with the default browser (I'm used to great smoothness and speed with my SGS 2), so I chose to use Dolphin Mini, which is fine. Hope the ICS update will fix that though.
In conclusion it's a good device but for 2011, you're likely to be disappointed coming from a Transformer Prime. Better wait for the A510 or the A700 to my mind.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to hold on to the prime for another 2 weeks or so and see how the 510 is holding up. It's always the customers that find the little quirks which are not noticed by the manufactures in their testing phases.
Thanks again!
sureeee
fsured said:
I currently have the Asus prime and love the tablet, but it doesn't work for my needs as a multimedia device on the go. With the blue tooth and streaming video/audio issue, my main purpose of it is no longer functional. I could careless about the gps.
I was looking at the Acer 500 tablet. I know it would be a tegra2 compared to the tegera3 and there is the 510 model just released. After the mess that is happening with the prime I'm hesitant to try another brand spanking new model right out of the gates. I don't mind yesterdays technology if it's proven to work and tweaked already. Plus it should be a bit cheaper.
So my question is, how do you owners of the Acer brand of tablets like your devices? Particularly the media abilities of it. I use youtube, stream tv shows, stream cartoons, and internet radio. Being able to use my blue tooth headset is my sore spot and is what I'm looking to rectify with a different tablet.
I do some gaming but not much on the android platform has really taken me yet. If these Acer models play Order and Chaos then it would be a boon.
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i really love my tab
it supports all my needs
but on a500 you have to use external 3g modem (i dont use 3g on my tab)
if 3g is important i would rather a501
but the other things about it is really good
i use it for media too. i even dont use my pc since ive got it
and about the 1080p video playback
hardware codecs are kinda laggy but i use software decoders and its ok