Database Users

What do you think the chances are the next Transformer2 will work w/ the dock?

Aside from some quality control issues, Asus has done a lot right with the Transformer. Great price, functionality, and the incredible dock.
So with talk of the Transformer 2, what do you think the chances are the dock will work with the new version? I think pretty good, even if there is a new dock that is "better", would be great if they gave legacy support to existing dock owners.
I generally would wait to buy if I know something "better" is around the corner, but i am throughly enjoying my Transformer right now. Say I can get the new version for $400, sell mine for $200 or even just hand it down. I am hopeful!!!!

i read a Taiwanese article saying the new transformer will be thinner and lighter, given the design of the hinge on the current dock, I think the possibility that it'd be compatible is quite low.

andyxover said:
i read a Taiwanese article saying the new transformer will be thinner and lighter, given the design of the hinge on the current dock, I think the possibility that it'd be compatible is quite low.
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I tend to agree though I suppose there's also the possibility that Asus could produce an adaptor that clips around the botton of a TF2 to make it compatible - unlikely though!
Regards,
Dave

Asus has stated the dock will be compatible with future models, this simultaneously confirmed compatibility and the fact that another transformer-like tab was on the way.

seshmaru said:
Asus has stated the dock will be compatible with future models, this simultaneously confirmed compatibility and the fact that another transformer-like tab was on the way.
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Just a thought but could this not be referring to a 3G version of the tablet...i.e. not TF2 but an exact same version of the tablet but with 3G?
I am still hopeful the TF2 will be compatible tho.

seshmaru said:
Asus has stated the dock will be compatible with future models, this simultaneously confirmed compatibility and the fact that another transformer-like tab was on the way.
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I think you are referring to the anandtech review, however Asus has never made that statement themselves. I still think its quite unlikely that they'll be compatible. Tabs are getting thinner and thinner, if the next tf remained this thick its gonna feel ancient.

im going to have to go with it wont be compatible with tf2. considering the fact that most 2nd versions of tablets an phones always seem to go thinner and a redesign. So most likely not. I bought the buyback program from best buy cuz i know i'll trade this one in 6 months to get the next greatest thing

it could be a little thicker on one side to have legacy dock support, or as previously posted they could have a dock adapter. They don't need to make the whole tablet as thick just to fit the dock.

I'm sure that i have read somewhere that the reason the tablet was priced so low was that they were looking to grab market share and bolster the profits with a high profit margin on the keyboard - which seems to fit with the price of the dock.
So to my way of thinking it would not make sense for Asus to include support for their cash cow in the next model. I think they will expect you to buy a second dock to keep the profitability high.
As noted by others - I suspect that there will be reductions to the thickness and bezel which also suggests there will need to be a new dock.

No telling.... we can speculate.
I'm very happy with the size as it is. I had the Tab 10.1 for a shot period, it is thinner and lighter but not to where it outweighs the functionality of the Transformer, IMO.

I sadly would agree with the more to gain from not making it compatible, however I think it's just as likely that they hope to make money by pleasing the crowd and making it compatible as well.
I think trying to guess is just that, guessing. I wouldn't put money on it either way. (Well, logically, if asked to, I would put money on them making it NOT compatible. That way if I win I have money to buy a dock, if not, well I lose the bet but don't have to buy a dock).

The other thing they could do, is make the TF2 slightly thinner (but remain compatible with the existing dock) and create another new tablet which is not dockable, thus giving the consumer a choice - i.e. a tablet/netbook hybrid, or a "pure" tablet.
Regards,
Dave

The video information at allthingsd.com/20111019/jonney-shih-video-highlights-from-asiad-video/ makes it look like the tablet will work with the old dock, just based off of the positioning of the locking slots and the charging interface. It looks a little thinner, but not much.
However, the new dock has what looks like the same hinge, albeit on a wedge shaped keyboard dock rather than a flat dock, and aluminum housing like the zenbook seems to replace the molded plastic exterior on both the tablet and the base. They are clearly trying to take away thickness from the combined units by shaving the dock. Can anyone tell if the tablet shape is also shaved down towards the front? (That would make for an awkward flat viewing angle).

Any TF owners considering switching to Thrive?

The Thrive is officially out. And to be honest I'm considering switching to the Thrive. The reason why I purchased the TF in the first place is because of the added ports that comes with the dock. But now looking at the Thrive and having all the ports on the tablet itself is plus for me. Yes it's a bit heavier and thicker but if you carry the TF along with it's dock then there really isn't much difference. Another plus is being able to change the battery. I know many of us bought the TF because of the dock and it's extra ports which no other tablet could offer until now. Will any TF owners be making the switch to the Thrive?

Not me. Liking my TF more everyday.
-bZj

What's a thirve?

The question is what can you do on Thrive, that you can't do on Asus pad?

tq745 said:
The Thrive is officially out. And to be honest I'm considering switching to the Thrive. The reason why I purchased the TF in the first place is because of the added ports that comes with the dock. But now looking at the Thrive and having all the ports on the tablet itself is plus for me. Yes it's a bit heavier and thicker but if you carry the TF along with it's dock then there really isn't much difference. Another plus is being able to change the battery. I know many of us bought the TF because of the dock and it's extra ports which no other tablet could offer until now. Will any TF owners be making the switch to the Thrive?
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Not a chance in the world. It's far too expensive (8GB Thrive is *more* expensive than a 16GB TF, and 16GB Thrive is identical price to a 32GB TF). Of course it lacks the versatility of being able to switch between netbook and tablet modes -- a separate wireless keyboard with no touchpad is of no use to me -- and despite that, as you note, it's also larger and heavier. The battery might be removable, but I'd place money you won't be able to get hold of one for a sane price within a year of the thing being discontinued, and it also packs less battery power than the Transformer alone, let alone with the dock attached.
No thank you.

knoxploration said:
Not a chance in the world. It's far too expensive (8GB Thrive is *more* expensive than a 16GB TF, and 16GB Thrive is identical price to a 32GB TF). Of course it lacks the versatility of being able to switch between netbook and tablet modes -- a separate wireless keyboard with no touchpad is of no use to me -- and despite that, as you note, it's also larger and heavier. The battery might be removable, but I'd place money you won't be able to get hold of one for a sane price within a year of the thing being discontinued, and it also packs less battery power than the Transformer alone, let alone with the dock attached.
No thank you.
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if you consider the dock with the TF then it is more than the Thrive. I only like the idea of having a removable battery because batteries don't last forever. I like having the option of changing the battery myself rather then having to send it in to the manufacturer. When I have my TF docked I still find myself using the touch screen rather then the touchpad as it is faster.

Has anybody seen the thrive? It looks like a butcher's cutting board. It's as fugly as the Viewsonic g tab.
Why does one have to compare that monstrosity to the TF with dock? Alot people own the TF without the dock, in terms of form, function and price, the TF to me has always been the best Android T2 tab out there. I would be interested in seeing what Sony comes out with but all the rest just don't cut it.
The only thing that the Thrive beats the TF on is OBESITY.

Is that the Toshiba one?
Since a couple years ago when I had one of its phones, I promised to myself not to Toshiba again...
Skickat från min ASUS Eee Pad TF101

Thrive = no thanks. Just not seeing it.

tq745 said:
if you consider the dock with the TF then it is more than the Thrive.
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If I consider the dock with the TF, then it has more than double the battery life of the Thrive, plus a keyboard and touchpad that the Thrive lacks, etc.
And I bet if you count the wireless keyboard for the Thrive, then its weight is similar to that of the TF plus dock, but still with far less battery life, no touchpad, and far less versatility.
tq745 said:
I only like the idea of having a removable battery because batteries don't last forever. I like having the option of changing the battery myself rather then having to send it in to the manufacturer.
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And I'd be willing to place money that you'll never actually do it.
No standard battery type is going to fit in a tablet, so you'll be reliant on a specific proprietary battery type that no third party is going to make. It won't be in Toshiba's interest to supply one to you for long after they stop making the tablet itself, so chances are by the time you actually need a battery, you either won't be able to get one at all, or it'll be extremely expensive and from very old stock that's already got inadequate battery life.

Yeah, I'm just not seeing the replaceable battery idea.
If you run low on battery, you run low, but with the TF, you have the keyboard to get you into the 16 hour range of full use. By the time these batteries die or can't be charged anymore, you'll have replacements on the market for cheap, or local shops that can do it for you easily.
When that time comes, there will be something else in the market that you will buy anyway!

I'm actually considering it, because of the ports, and the biggest (yet to be proven) feature, that the device won't creak, won't have light bleed, and if it does, I might be able to actually send it in without worry of getting a worse problem sent back to me. (by all this I mean the supposed build quality I might get) Though if I sell my Transformer, I'll have spent ~$750 for a tablet including money I got back and the price of a Thrive.

The Thrive's ports are appealing to me but then again, I have gotten a hold of the dock to go with my Transformer. I think once I get that, the Thrive will lose its appeal.
I also think if I got the Thrive, I'd spend time reminiscing about the Transformer's better display every time I turned it on.

tq745 said:
if you consider the dock with the TF then it is more than the Thrive. I only like the idea of having a removable battery because batteries don't last forever. I like having the option of changing the battery myself rather then having to send it in to the manufacturer. When I have my TF docked I still find myself using the touch screen rather then the touchpad as it is faster.
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Not sure why you are concerned about battery, looking at your sig and fact that you consider changing for a new option, you will most likely trade up longbefore the battery needs to be replaced.

I agree the built in ports, no creaks and light bleed, user removable battery, regular ac adapter as well as a rubberized back cover that can also be replaced is enough for me to switch

semaphor74 said:
regular ac adapter
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Maybe I'm confused but I don't see this as a plus. Have you seen the size of that thing? The last thing I want to do is have to carry around a power brick for a tablet...

At least, you can easily find its replacement and the round tip is more reliable and easier to insert.

walkamongus said:
Maybe I'm confused but I don't see this as a plus. Have you seen the size of that thing? The last thing I want to do is have to carry around a power brick for a tablet...
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At least, you can easily find its replacement and the round tip is more reliable and easier to insert.

Rumbleweed said:
Not sure why you are concerned about battery, looking at your sig and fact that you consider changing for a new option, you will most likely trade up longbefore the battery needs to be replaced.
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when it comes to tablets i think i'll do less trading up as i do with phones. the only reason i'm considering the thrive is because of the ports being on the tab itself.

I'm still loving my TF and use it constantly. Does it all for me and wouldn't consider switching. I have no reason to jump ship.

Transformer vs Galaxy tab 10.1

I literally just put my order in about 3 days ago and will see my TF on Thursday, but I'm having second thoughts. A friend of mine just got his TF in today, and - well I dunno, I'm not all that impressed.
Out of the box came with the speaker issue (one side is louder than the other). The sound wasn't all that loud
Screen brightness was kind of low
The sharp edges were cutting my fingers
So I started to have a read about the differences between the Transformer & the Galaxy tab in the Galaxy Tab section. However, I think everyone posting there is biased toward the tab because they are now tab fanboys posting in their forum.
A few things I do like about the TF. Price of $399 (unbeatable) Expandable ports, dock option, memory slot, hdmi out, 5mpx camera. Do I think I'll use all of that (except price)? Probably not.
A few things I like about the Tab. Same size screen with less bulk, thinner, lighter, rounded edges, very solid build quality. Do I think its worth an extra $100 for these items? I think so. Plus I know the resale value will definitely be there because its a well known brand.
I haven't made up my mind completely on this but im about 80% of the way there in returning my TF and going with the Tab.
Thoughts, comments?

Nobody can decide for you. Do whatever you are happiest with.

Having used a hybrid tablet/netbook like the Transformer, I would never buy a tablet-only device.

^x2
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

It's more than $100 (or here in germany 100€). You don't have a MicroSD Slot and HDMI-out. Do you need both options you must pay way more. And for the same price you can get a Transformer+Dock.
I don't see, why anybody would pay more for less...

Hi mate,
I have had the TF since release day and to be honest I'm very happy with it. It does what I need it to do very well: reading books, browse internet, playing games, plays movies (although there are some issues).
On the other hand I don't need and I will never get the dock, simply because if I wanted a netbook there are much better options on the market. And I have one of them as well.
Because of that I'm waiting to see the Galaxy Tab in real life, hold it in my hands. And if that offers everything that I need and is better than the TF I might go for it.
So good luck choosing! Let us know what you go for.
rio
PS: Actually what I'm considering at the moment is the small Galaxy tab 8.9 (I think). That one was on the Samsung website for a while, but I'm not sure what is the current status

rio911 said:
PS: Actually what I'm considering at the moment is the small Galaxy tab 8.9 (I think). That one was on the Samsung website for a while, but I'm not sure what is the current status
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Actually that is the "MEDIUM" Galaxy Tab. THe "small" one is the 7 inch versions and there are two of them. The powerful 3G/Wifi one and the neutered and less power Wifi only version.
The MAJOR downside to any Galaxy Tabs are :
1.) Updates are so slow....MONTHS behind the others.
2.) 10 inchers have no expansion slots.....and the 8.9 as well I think.
Get whatever YOU decide to be happy with. Others cannot make that choice for you. Only YOU can.

Some people like smaller I would not be able to stand a 7" tablet or laptop without optical media. My motto has always been its the size/shape that makes it portable it doesn't matter if its 20lbs its still light and easy to move around. But then again I compare it with moving around 300-400lbs.

Digiguest said:
Actually that is the "MEDIUM" Galaxy Tab. THe "small" one is the 7 inch versions and there are two of them. The powerful 3G/Wifi one and the neutered and less power Wifi only version.
The MAJOR downside to any Galaxy Tabs are :
1.) Updates are so slow....MONTHS behind the others.
2.) 10 inchers have no expansion slots.....and the 8.9 as well I think.
Get whatever YOU decide to be happy with. Others cannot make that choice for you. Only YOU can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gtab. 10.1 also with build issues. Many are suffering from Newton rings. Dust under screen. Colors are way oversaturated.....
If u want android in an ipad like body then go Samsung. If Samsung would have made the device 1 or 2 mm thicker and put in micro SD and HDMI they also would have been able to prevent the Newton ring issue and have the one killer tablet.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

Digiguest said:
1.) Updates are so slow....MONTHS behind the others.
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I don't know how you can say that really.... there hasn't been any major updates for Samsung to pass onto the Tablets. The only time when you'll be able to use that point is when Ice Cream Sandwich comes out. I'd say that 1/2 months is a good enough turn around for manufacturers to update their devices a major version.
I'd also like to note that I have a Galaxy S. While Americans are still using Eclair because of their crappy carriers wanting to hack the firmware to bits, us using unbranded european devices got Gingerbread before any other device (bar the Nexus devices). Samsung know what they are doing.

The way I see it, from my experience with the TF is this:
16GB is not enough. My music alone is near this and more. Since there is no additional storage options on the GT, you are going to have to opt for a 32GB or more which equals greater $$$ to spend. But sacrifices could be made...
So, I would say the dock is the real reason to get this thing. If you are not too excited about the dock, I wouldn't bother. The GT excels in design, but the TF excels in utility and value.

If the "sharp edges" of the Transformer are really "cutting [your] fingers," that's a physical problem with the device (or your fingers, I guess!).

Buy sleeve m8,than will be perfect

Your not the first to have these concerns. I bought the tf and was considering selling it for a tab. But what you've stated (price, microsd, HDMI out, and KB option) kept me from doing so.
I played with the tab for an hour or so and still prefer my tf. I didn't like the button placement on the tab, (they're in a more natural placement on the tf.
I did have the speaker issue on my tf but it was an easy fix. Just root it (there's a very well written guide by yours truly ;-)) and read up on the thread in the development section and it's as easy as editing a txt file.
If the edges bother you, grab a case, I'm currently using the roocase multi-angle which I got from amazon for under $30.
Other than that the only downside of the tf I see is the charger. Proprietary connection, short cable and sometimes the adapter doesn't want to work.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

I was in the same boat. I traded my iPad2 for an Android tablet and had lots of offers. I was looking at the Galaxy Tab and thought it was for me until I found that it didn't have any expansion ports like the iPad2. It is one of the reasons why I HATED the iPad2 because you had to carry around the special USB cable to sync it... then you needed special software for it to work...
Screw all that. I need to be able to quickly get files on and off the my tablet. I don't want to have to rely on another computer or a computer with special software to read my stuff.
90% of the time you'll have access to a Home or Work PC which you will probably have setup properly... but trust me... you WILL find yourself somewhere needing to pull a picture off or text or an attachment or something and you'll be stuck. It will happen more often the more you use it.
Plus the price point. I was trading my iPad2 for whichever I wanted. Did I need the keyboard dock? No. Will I use the keyboard dock often? No. Is it badass? Yes.
The keyboard dock has an additional battery that will charge the tablet battery when docked. It also increases the functionality of the tab.
Both tablets are identical in hardware except the Transformer has lots of additional ports. microSD is a must and HDMI out is actually very handy for throwing pictures, movies, games, etc on a larger screen.
I just can't see buying the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the same price as you could buy the Transformer + Dock.

sontin said:
It's more than $100 (or here in germany 100€). You don't have a MicroSD Slot and HDMI-out. Do you need both options you must pay way more. And for the same price you can get a Transformer+Dock.
I don't see, why anybody would pay more for less...
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I wouldn't exactly call the Samsung as "less" than the Transformer. I think they're different enough that it's gonna come down to how you personally use it.
One thing I'd like to point out - the Gtab is much easier to hold in your hand than the Transformer. Corners aren't as sharp, it's lighter, and seems better balanced. The texture on the back of the Gtab is easier to grab, though this could be solved with a sleeve on the Transformer.
Another point is screen reflection. The Transformer's glass is much farther away from the LCD than the glass on the Samsung. IPS screens are nice, but unless you're always going to be in a optimally lit room, you'll see a lot more reflections with the Transformer than with the Samsung Tab. Some Samsung Tab's have issues with the screen actually touching the LCD and making oil marks, but most don't.
So - the differences are definitely there. I don't you can write off the Gtab's advantages. The reflection and ergonomics itself might be worth $100.

My experience is that I just bought the Galaxy Tab 10.1 16GB about 5 days ago. I played with it over night and returned it the next day.
The following day, I purchased the Transformer 16GB and a dock for $50.00 more.
Now that I've owned the TF for 3-4 days, I'm very satisfied with it for many reasons:
- Multiple media input/out options: mini HDMI out, x2 USB ports, and SD/MMC card reader. - Will work perfectly with my Nikon P100's SD card and I can use a external HDD and plug it right into the USB port if I want to watch my movies.
- Dock acts as extended battery: I also tether my HTC Thunderbolt and plug it into the dock to keep a charge on my Thunderbolt while tethering my 4G to the Transformer.(SO MUCH WIN!!!)
- Having a keyboard when I want to compose an email is x100 better than thumbing my words through the tab. - I still use the touchscreen kb for somethings.
- Dock/keyboard has shortcut buttons which I take advantage of all the time.
- Textured casing makes handling the tablet/net book very secure and eliminates any smudges.
*I do not see where in the world you could cut your hand/finger on the tablet or the docking station. - You should tell your friend to get an RMA because there's something wrong with the one he has. Either that or he may need to see a dermatologist about amyloidosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Re: Samsung Galaxy 10.1
I chose that tablet first because of the sleek design. I was extremely impressed with the way that Samsung engineered the design.
HOWEVER, no more than 1-2 hours after playing with it, I came back to my senses and see how limited I was with any options. Not only does it look like an iPad but it also has all the shortcomings in hardware that the iPad does.
I have had a few Android devices and so it's practically a religion to have a microSD card for my stuff. Samsung decided to cut back on adding any option to extend storage and that was a the biggest decider for me. - All the selling points that a Android tablet has in terms of hardware-media expansion was nerfed on latest Galaxy Tab. Did Samsung want to imitate Apple so much that they even decided to try and sell a tab that requires additional parts to make it comparable to all other tablets?
In the end, this is only my real life opinion having owned both devices and what I still have now is the Asus Transformer.
Once I used the keyboard/dock with my tablet, I can not imagine another tablet without this option. Asus did a decent job in engineering the look/feel of the tab with the dock/keyboard.
*I did have to return both tab and dock/keyboard to Best Buy until I found the right Best Buy which had B60 as my previous ones were B50.
Good lucking in making your decision. If you buy it at Best Buy, you can at least return it in 14 days without restocking fee and get the other one. If you felt that first one was better than you can simply return it again and go back to the other model. I am in NO WAY suggesting to abuse a return policy but it's there and it works as mentioned.

coachclass said:
I wouldn't exactly call the Samsung as "less" than the Transformer. I think they're different enough that it's gonna come down to how you personally use it.
One thing I'd like to point out - the Gtab is much easier to hold in your hand than the Transformer. Corners aren't as sharp, it's lighter, and seems better balanced. The texture on the back of the Gtab is easier to grab, though this could be solved with a sleeve on the Transformer.
Another point is screen reflection. The Transformer's glass is much farther away from the LCD than the glass on the Samsung. IPS screens are nice, but unless you're always going to be in a optimally lit room, you'll see a lot more reflections with the Transformer than with the Samsung Tab. Some Samsung Tab's have issues with the screen actually touching the LCD and making oil marks, but most don't.
So - the differences are definitely there. I don't you can write off the Gtab's advantages. The reflection and ergonomics itself might be worth $100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course the closer together glass in the gtab has led to the oil blob effect for Many
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

I've had my TF since right after it launched in the US and I do love it. With that being said, I do plan on picking up a galaxy tab tomorrow, the last day that you can use the $50 off coupon for any tablet at staples.
The TF definately has the advantage when it comes to storage, because of the SD card and dock if you want to buy it, which I have no interest in. The galaxy tab however has a great form factor and from my limited use with one seems to have snappier performance than my TF, even though they have almost idendical specs, and my TF is overclocked. I also prefer the screen on the tab compared to the TF.
Honestly I think that the OP will be happy with either one. My only real gripe against the TF is that the majority of them seem to suufer from light bleed or some manufacturing defect, thankfully I only have minimal bleed, and that Asus has been slow with delivering on most of the official accessories that they promised months ago. I really want the desktop dock, which is readily available for the GT at a reasonable price.
I will say that if the galaxy tab disappoints me in any way during my return window, I will gladly buy a second TF after returning it.

I own the TF since late May...only problem I have with it is that the right speaker is louder than the left.
This past Sunday I bought the Galaxy Tab for someone and yeah it looks very nice it's thinner and lighter, but it seemed to have less options than the TF (specially within the browser settings.) The browser actually froze up on me and didn't want to display any pages. Didn't like that fact that it doesn't have an external microSD slot! I ended up returning it 2 hours later because the person preferred a laptop! My short experience with it wasn't good

Looking for preorders / donations

Hello everyone, recently picked up an acer a500 over the weekend and i have to admit i am in love with it, i have always thought that tablets were useless when i have an android phone but i have to admit, this thing has changed my mind, and the fact that it has full usb makes it even better, but I have been a little annoyed at the lack of a keyboard / laptop dock. After reading a couple of threads about what the dock connector does on the tab I have decided to fill the need for this adapter. What i have planned includes the following.
Definite features are:
Full Keyboard
Charging ability
Extra usb ports
Possible features are:
Built in harddrive and OR memory card reader
Built in battery (obviously a little expensive to add so may be not possible)
Built in trackpad to use as a mouse.
I am just trying to see how many people would be interested in this and what they would be willing to pay for this. I would love to provide an adapter for the community since acer didn't make one, I also have a couple of other questions as well, if i made two models, one with a battery built in and one without how much more would you be willing to pay for an extra battery, also this would be a fordable dock meaning you could fold it together to carry like a normal laptop.
I look forward to hearing some responses, i hope to be able to offer this for about $100 or less however the more features obviously the more expensive it will be to implement.

if its possible, i'd love to buy one!

Awesome, I plan to have a prototype made by the weekend, i think the material of choice is going to be wood since it's light weight, easy to manipulate and also sturdy and it doesn't conduct electricity

once i see a working prototype, then id preorder, until then all your doing is fishing for donations, ive been lurking xda for quite some time and usually people with so few post and not a recognized developer are just spewing flights of fancy and never actually create anything, though if im wrong, prove me wrong and ill be the first to not only apologize but preorder one. not trying to be a d*ck just saying how it usually goes..

If it looks good and works ill be instrested
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

H4k3r4r34l said:
once i see a working prototype, then id preorder, until then all your doing is fishing for donations, ive been lurking xda for quite some time and usually people with so few post and not a recognized developer are just spewing flights of fancy and never actually create anything, though if im wrong, prove me wrong and ill be the first to not only apologize but preorder one. not trying to be a d*ck just saying how it usually goes..
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No worries I understand completely, once I have a prototype done then and only then will I accept any orders or donations, should have made that more clear beforehand sorry about that, right now I'm just judging the interest of the community for such a product.

How will you be connecting this? AFAIK, the full pinouts and capabilities of the dock connector are not known...

FloatingFatMan said:
How will you be connecting this? AFAIK, the full pinouts and capabilities of the dock connector are not known...
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Click to collapse
Using my volt meter and some old fashion trial and error, I'm pretty confident in my abilities just need to actually get started on development, going today to look into what my supplies are going to cost.

A voltmeter isn't anywhere near enough... You might want to check out this thread first.

I know I will need more than a voltmeter, and yes i read that before i decided to embark on this project. This is where trial and error will come in, from a usb standpoint since there is an apparent lack of usb support through the dock this will be circumvented by having a small plugin to the usb host port in order to connect the planned additional usb devices in the dock.

genius
This is fantastic! I've been searching for a good case too, this sounds perfect, give the Transformer a run for its money. I'd buy one, let me know.

The dock connector doesn't have the required pins for USB, or really anything other than charging.

any prototypes up? the idea of the keyboard dock extra battery and usb mouse sounds like bliss

It could be some sort of variation of the keyboard that Acer already made for this tablet. Perhaps modifying it so that you can put the dock in to charge and have the input device (in this case the keyboard) connect via bluetooth. Having the touchpad for a mouse is a different story though.

hardslog said:
It could be some sort of variation of the keyboard that Acer already made for this tablet. Perhaps modifying it so that you can put the dock in to charge and have the input device (in this case the keyboard) connect via bluetooth. Having the touchpad for a mouse is a different story though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather use USB for a mouse using a touch pad would not be so good with onlive
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

Be cautions with Trial and error on a mobile device . there electronics will not be forgiving any type of over voltage or short circuits . And you could very well be shopping for a new ICONIA .
To me a dock for a hand held tablet is counter productive . PEOPLE BUY A NETBOOK.its faster more power more storage more battery . LESS MONEY.
Ok the above is my opinion only I have a 11.6 inch hp notebook with the new multi core amd fusion cpu i get unbelievable battery life. Near that of my iconia .
with a full keyboard and track pad 1.2 tb hard drive
So good luck . by the way if you get the connectors and hardware worked out make the case out of lexon or carbon fiber both easy to work with and mold to any shape . acrylic works well also..
GOOD LUCK INSURE your iconia and home up front Erica Renee

erica_renee said:
Be cautions with Trial and error on a mobile device . there electronics will not be forgiving any type of over voltage or short circuits . And you could very well be shopping for a new ICONIA .
To me a dock for a hand held tablet is counter productive . PEOPLE BUY A NETBOOK.its faster more power more storage more battery . LESS MONEY.
Ok the above is my opinion only I have a 11.6 inch hp notebook with the new multi core amd fusion cpu i get unbelievable battery life. Near that of my iconia .
with a full keyboard and track pad 1.2 tb hard drive
So good luck . by the way if you get the connectors and hardware worked out make the case out of lexon or carbon fiber both easy to work with and mold to any shape . acrylic works well also..
GOOD LUCK INSURE your iconia and home up front Erica Renee
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't want a net book if Acer doesn't add something like this with their tablets I'm just going to smh
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

hardslog said:
It could be some sort of variation of the keyboard that Acer already made for this tablet. Perhaps modifying it so that you can put the dock in to charge and have the input device (in this case the keyboard) connect via bluetooth. Having the touchpad for a mouse is a different story though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Acer has not made a keyboard that uses the dock for this tablet. You may be thinking of the W500 keyboard, or of a USB keyboard.
To be honest, I don't see this going anywhere. OP, I'd suggest you find out how to get USB or Keyboard off of that connector before asking for preorders.
To anyone else, I'd suggest you just keep looking. Not to be rude or mean to him, but the OP seems to be rather noobish, and I think your money would most likely be better spent elsewhere, or at least held onto until there's some sort of result or breakthrough.
Also, the OP only having 9 posts throws up a red flag to me.

[Q] TF810 vs Ativ 500T

Seems simple as they are almost the same we should go for cheaper one...but...
is getting Samsung really a better deal?
Your thoughts? Which hybrid with Atom is the best choice and why?

I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out. Things just don't seem to be quite ready yet and I'm already second guessing the wisdom of spending $750 on the Samsung. So I definitely wouldn't pay $950 for the ASUS (with dock).
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750 (not sure how long this sale will last), that includes the dock. I really like the all aluminum build and the latch mechanism doesn't stick out as much as other tablets. It's also get a second battery in the dock, but has no stylus or a Wacom digitizer (apparently uses some cheaper digitizer). And some day the keyboard isn't that good either.
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart. At least it'll make a better tablet being lighter and easier to hold. And I can prop it up in a stand and use a bluetooth keyboard. And lastly I won't feel so bad spending so much money to be a first generation Windows 8 tablet guinea pig.

Lenovo Lynx is looking pretty good too. $600 for the tablet, $150 for the dock.
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/ideatab/lynx-k3011/?menu-id=learn&ref-id=learn
Being a Lenovo that means the keyboard should be pretty good, and the keyboard dock has a battery. Built quality looks quite nice overall, and a textured back appears grippy and finger print resistant. It has no pen though. And what really makes me nervous is the specs say the micro SD slot supports up to 32GB. No SDXC in 2013, seriously? I'm really thinking that's got to be a mistake, but I'm not sure. It's definitely a deal breaker if it isn't a mistake.

Ravynmagi said:
I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a true downside. I got Galaxy S3 and I have dropped it few times beacuse back has no grip at all , I suppose laptop/tablet will be less mobile than phone but still it should allow me to carry it in safety.
Ravynmagi said:
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly. So fat I have only seen 500t in reality as Vivo Tab is not in shops yet... but I just like the way it look.
One more downside of Asus in Poland is TERRIBLE warranty service. Services are being run by small companies that have agreement with Asus Poland and in most cases they blame user for everything - standard reply is "Seal was broken/tempered with - warranty void" even having pictures of it before send for repairs is not helping .
Ravynmagi said:
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
On the other hand I used to have old Asus 1201n netbook with dual-core Atom 300 and first gen. Nvidia Ion onboard and it played everything without an issue (12" screen with 1366x768).
So... what is going on here?
Ravynmagi said:
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saw it... don't like it either. Had HP/Compaq in the past and always had problems with them.
Since hardware of HP and 500t is the same I would go with Samsung in this one (I guess).
Ravynmagi said:
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More details, please
Ravynmagi said:
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was considering it, but in my case size of screen matters . When I write texts I work with few windows an 10" is just to small .

What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.

WingCero said:
What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?

galtom said:
Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In terms of the Samsung device, its build quality looks to be just as bad as it's phones. Samsung laptops are probably the best in the world (Series 9) To see the ATIV coming from them is a clear sign that they didn't really put much thought into it, especially when you compare it to DELL and ASUS' hybrids.
Looks like we're in the same situation. I cannot wait either :-/
I just posted this so maybe you'll find some help alongside of me.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2093981

Thanks for link.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

I have a TF810C and it's beautiful, the battery life is quite incredible. I consider this device perfect, except for the downsides:
-Slightly visible pixels at normal viewing distance, due to lowish resolution screen
-The pen bugs out when drawing 1cm near the edges of the screen
-The pen lacks drivers, and so does not work for Photoshop or nearly anything else. It works with some Windows 8 apps and both desktop & metro OneNote. When it does work, it works really well.
-Tinny speakers that are situated at the back of the tablet. They get a little bit distorted.
-No complex gestures for the touchpad. I like to tap on the right click area instead of pressing down, but the drivers for the tablet don't allow this!
-Dodgy, dodgy chipset drivers. Expect a BSOD every 2 days, sound that completely breaks until you reboot once a day, stability problems, unresponsive touchpad when waking from sleep, etc. These can happily be fixed by installing Samsung/HP/Acer drivers.
-No ASUS support at all. Drivers are not being updated, and the website doesn't even list the device correctly.
-The CPU can't handle fast-moving 720p 10bit .mkv files in VLC Player. Media Player Classic works, but it breaks for complex subtitles. Thankfully, a kickstarter for Windows 8-style VLC Player has been funded, and may offer better performance.
...And that's pretty much it for the problems. Every last one of them.
The tablet is thin, light, shiny, has a colourful and bright display, well-balanced with the keyboard dock, brilliant in every other way.
I can definitely recommend it, and hope that ASUS will eventually get around to fixing these problems rather than making users depend on other devices' drivers.

galtom said:
What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fortunately not as bad as the Tegra 2. I'm not sure if it's a hardware issue or maybe just a driver issue. I have trouble playing back some 1080p videos, there are noticeable frame drops. Stream HD video from Amazon Prime or YouTube gets choppy sometimes (not referring to buffering issues) as it's dropping frames. The ABC Player app in the Windows Store also drops frames. The Netflix app however seems to work flawlessly. And if I download 1080p YouTube videos and play them back with VLC that seem to work fine usually. 720p MVK files work most of the time, think I've had some higher bit rate ones that got choppy sometimes.
I have a smoother and more reliable video playback experience with my Kindle Fire HD. I'm hoping this is just a driver issue and things will get smoothed out soon.
Other driver issues...
Wireless sometimes has trouble reconnecting to an access point with bluetooth is being used. Some have also mentioned dramatic slows with wifi using bluetooth, though I haven't done any file transfers while using my bluetooth mouse yet, so haven't seen that first hand yet. If I disable the bluetooth the wireless never seems to have trouble reconnecting, only with bluetooth on.
The keyboard/trackpad don't seem to go to sleep when the tablet does. With the tablet in the keyboard dock, if I close lid this often causes the tablet to wake back up, even the screen will come back on. And it make stay on. I've also found that apps I didn't open will open up after I close the lid. I the tablet coming within close proximity of the trackpad while it's close is causing it to register clicks or interaction and wake up and run apps. I now have to manually press Fn-F5 to disable the track pad before closing the tablet lid on the keyboard. This seems to help a lot and now the tablet will go to sleep most of the time. Hopefully a driver update will make the keyboard/trackpad also sleep at some point.
However I don't think the keyboard/trackpad is the only issue preventing the tablet from going to sleep. Seems like if I have some applications running it has trouble sleeping as well. So if it doesn't sleep I may need to close some apps or go back to the Windows Start screen.
The audio is inconsistent. Sometimes the volume sounds good and sufficient and other times I have a real hard time hearing it. It's different on an app by app basis. Hopefully this can be improved through drivers.
galtom said:
More details, please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seem to run into big cons with each tablet I look at...
Samsung 500T, slippery back, no secondary battery.
ASUS TF810, expensive, no pen silo.
HP Envy X2, No pen, poor keyboard.
Acer W510, Too small, poor keyboard.
Lenovo Lynx, No pen, 32GB SD limitation.
Lenovo Tabet 2, No keyboard dock.
Dell Latitude 10, No keyboard dock, too small.
Pick your poison. I'd prefer a keyboard dock that converts the tablet into a clamshell laptop design (so I'm not a fan of the Surface kickstand and type cover design). 10 inch tablets mean the keyboard is going to be too cramped, so the W510 is too small (and the Dell is too if it had a keyboard).
Originally I didn't care about a pen, however after using the Samsung 510T for a while, I'm starting to realize the pen is pretty nice to have. It helps with desktop apps, such as when I want to highlight some text in the browser, which seems to be impossible to do by finger. I don't ink on my tablets, so the pen is just to make working with the desktop apps easier. And I need to be able to store the pen in the tablet otherwise it'll be hugely inconvenient. This is probably the one con I can overlook, I think I could live without the pen, it's just something I'd really like to have.
Seems like on the Lenovo Lynx has the 32GB micro SD limitation. I already own a 64GB microSD card and I got to be able to use this with my tablet. 64GB is going to already be cramped on the tablet (only about 32 to 40GB is available depending on the size of the recovery partition). I'm hoping the 32GB limit is an error in the specs list, but it's mentioned more than once in different places.
Lack of secondary battery is more an annoyance. So far I've been able to get through an entire tablet with my Samsung 500T despite not having a second battery. I'm also not using the tablet constantly all day long, but I do use if frequently through out the day. And the battery life of the Atom is already impressive. So it's disappointing there is no second battery, but it's not a deal breaker.
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
At this moment I'm probably going to end up keeping my Samsung 500T. If the Lenovo Lynx supported 64GB micro SD then I'd be highly tempted to switch to that. However if the sleep issues with the Samsung keyboard keeps bothering me, it's possible I just may give up on a tablet+keyboard=laptop dream and just go with a pure 10 inch tablet without keyboard and get an ASUS ME400 (VivoTab Smart) and save myself $250. And wait for the Bay Trail tablet at the end of the year.
---------- Post added at 08:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 AM ----------
One positive thing about the 500T. Despite some driver issus with the wireless, it seems like Samsung has been doing a good job with driver updates. And the tablet has been quite stable. I've never had a bluescreen of death and don't need to reboot it.

Ravynmagi said:
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
QUOTE]
It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

knlmwq said:
It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The back is smooth glossy plastic. When your hands are perfectly dry there is no issue. Unfortunately for us humans, up to 60% of our body is water and most of us have a little bit of moisture that forms in our palms. So unless you are constantly rubbing your hands dry and wiping the back of the tablet with a cloth, it's going to get slippery for most people.
I have no fear it's going to just pop out of my hands like a wet bar of soap. But it's difficult to hold in the palm of one hand while interacting with the screen, because it keeps slipping.
This back is one of the big reasons I'm returning mine. It's just too much of a hassle.

In all those devices with 64GB SSD - how much space is left for user?

A base Win8 64-bit install will use ~15GB, counting pagefile, hiberfile, etc. (size highly variable on the amount of RAM installed, among other things). Adding things like Office and the legacy .NET frameworks will drive that up somewhat. Realistically, If there's a recovery partition (likely), it'll probably be at least 5GB and possibly as much as 15GB (if there's a ton of pre-loaded crap) but that just depends on where you get it from, and you can create external recovery media (flashdrive or similar), nuke the recovery partition, and extend the main partition into the space. Realistically, I'd say you should expect to have 30-40GB of fully usable free space - you can go higher than that, especially if you disable hibernate, but it will slow things down if the storage gets too full.

Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?

galtom said:
Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can move it to a USB flash drive, it needs about 8GB of space. I probably wouldn't put it in a cloud drive since if you actually need it it'll need to be on a USB flash drive anyway.
BTW, with my Samsung 500T, I sometimes had to reboot twice before it would recognize the USB recovery drive (USB boot is weird on this thing).

Hi Guys, I had both the Ativ 500t and now the TF810. For me the 500t seemed slower and seemed to freeze. so I returned it and last week I got the TF810 for my Bday. It is so much better quality and performance. I also had a huge problem with the keyboard disconnecting on the 500t. The keyboard is soo much better with the TF810 and the battery adds atleast an additional 8hours. All this aside I ended up winning a contest at work and will receive the surface pro when released so I will probably sell the TF810 and throw in the Keyboard for free. It turns out we just missed out on the extended return with Amazon holiday because Adorama is only 15days into the new year.
Out of the 2 the TF810 for me was the far better machine. Granted I have only used it for a week but everything from the Pen on is so much better.

Great to hear that my decision to spend more and get Tf810 was/is a good one

Before you sell the TF810, it would be interesting to observe your comparison with the Surface Pro. I have the Surface RT and love it, but I'd like to see some comparisons of the x86 options. The Surface is very tablet-y; it can be used as a laptop (I have the Touch Cover, which works but is not perfect) but even with the kickstand and all, it feels a bit more natural as a tablet. I'm worried that Surface Pro may try a little too hard to be a tablet (despite its disadvantages in weight, thickness, etc.), and end up being good at neither.

If I still have it when the Pro comes I will do the comp video. But right now it is on EBay with keyboard included for only $799 so I doubt it will last long. As it is priced to sell.