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Xoom vs. EEE Pad Transformer

Hi guys,
now I'm probably not gonna win a popularity contest posting this but after reviewing the technical specs of the transformer with those of the xoom, I'm a bit surprised - where's the catch?
I mean the transformer is gonna have a dock and as far as I have seen the same basic features the xoom has, only its lighter. And it costs less?!
Normally, when things appear to good to be true, they usually are...
So - where's the catch?
And, where's the hype??

I find the Asus tablet (the name is just silly, though; "eee pad" for real?) interesting as well, although of course the proof will be in the pudding. The dock looks nice, but if it's an additional $300 or so then I'll not be interested. And I've found that Asus can have really mixed build quality--some stuff is great, others not so much.
The thing that does interest me, though, is the IPS screen. If reviews come out that show it has great build quality (equal to the Xoom, which I consider excellent), it's available for a similar price ($599 or less for 32GB wifi-only), the dock is reasonably priced (say, $150 or less, which might be a stretch since it includes a battery), and it's available from my retailer of choice (Costco), then I might consider returning the Xoom and getting it instead.
The one huge caveat for me, though, is the custom skin Asus is putting on it. I do NOT want anything to slow down updates, and so I like that the Xoom is stock Honeycomb. I don't really know that I'd trust Asus to come out with timely updates...

The catch is that the Xoom is available now, and the Asus one isn't (unless you're in Taiwan). Ditto with any other HC tablet, which in all likelihood will be cheaper than the Xoom's current pricing. When the mass release comes, my bet is that the Xoom will get cheaper as well. Moto's CEO has said as much, although not explicitly for the Xoom.
BTW, if you are in the States and are looking at the Euro prices as a benchmark, be aware that the US dollar has been slipping as of late, and there is no guarantee that there'll be a 1:1 parity with the Euro pricing. Not sure about the Canucks, but generally they get the same prices as the Yanks'.

e.mote said:
BTW, if you are in the States and are looking at the Euro prices as a benchmark, be aware that the US dollar has been slipping as of late, and there is no guarantee that there'll be a 1:1 parity with the Euro pricing. Not sure about the Canucks, but generally they get the same prices as the Yanks'.
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Also remember that most European countries have a VAT (Value Added Tax) that inflates prices by about 20%-25% depending on the country. Keep this in mind when looking at European prices and converting into USD.

If you own a Xoom now you are in a good position to get early updates and in one year the tablet market should be extremely competitive with great deals. Faster, lighter, thinner better screens, Android 4.0, you name it.
Quite often the hands on with some of these new tabs reveals a lot of cheap plastic, etc. The Xoom is extremely well built and I bet well be very desirable for quite some time.

Asus has only tablet i'm interested in & that's the Slate tablet..it costs like $1100.Plays 1080p video.Has a full Windows 7 operating system on a 12 inch tablet screen.Plus it has a I5 processor!!! But the all that said this thing has a battery life of only 3-4 hours & if you're watching a 1080p movie then you only get 2 hours . If it had a battery life of 7-8 hours i'd be all over it.So nothing can compare to the Xoom but that tablet
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

Arun01 said:
Asus has only tablet i'm interested in & that's the Slate tablet..it costs like $1100.Plays 1080p video.Has a full Windows 7 operating system on a 12 inch tablet screen.Plus it has a I5 processor!!! But the all that said this thing has a battery life of only 3-4 hours & if you're watching a 1080p movie then you only get 2 hours . If it had a battery life of 7-8 hours i'd be all over it.So nothing can compare to the Xoom but that tablet
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
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I had a win7 tablet and can tell you win7 is a very cumbersome touch interface.

Hmm yea i've heard a few people say that too.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

rjoudrey said:
I had a win7 tablet and can tell you win7 is a very cumbersome touch interface.
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+100000.. To the point where you'd actually rather use a mouse and keyboard than it's touch capability..
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

rjoudrey said:
I had a win7 tablet and can tell you win7 is a very cumbersome touch interface.
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I have a dell duo which is a 10 inch windows tablet/netbook. I agree win 7 is tough for touch interfaces but there are ways you can fix that. I adjusted a bunch of settings to make it more touch friendly
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

krat0s123 said:
+100000.. To the point where you'd actually rather use a mouse and keyboard than it's touch capability..
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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It is like the inverse of 2.2 on a tablet. As we now know it has to be built for a tablet from the ground up!

Arun01 said:
Asus has only tablet i'm interested in & that's the Slate tablet..it costs like $1100.Plays 1080p video.Has a full Windows 7 operating system on a 12 inch tablet screen.Plus it has a I5 processor!!! But the all that said this thing has a battery life of only 3-4 hours & if you're watching a 1080p movie then you only get 2 hours . If it had a battery life of 7-8 hours i'd be all over it.So nothing can compare to the Xoom but that tablet
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
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I have three windows based tablets: A Viliv X70, A Viliv S5 and an HP 2510US. All are running windows 7 and all are gathering dust.
Believe what the others on this forum are saying. Windows is an awful operating system for tablets. Its just painful to use. Even with a fast processor, somehow everything seems to bog down and crawl. Just scrolling a PDF file becomes a chore.
Stick to Windows for Laptops and Netbooks, and Android for tablets. You'll be much happier.
And if you think an Android convertible will give you the best of both worlds, I found that the trade-off in thickness and bulk with a convertible made it easier to just use my cell phone or a laptop then a convertible tablet. Becomes painful and awkward to hold after a while.
Edit: Might have to amend that last statement: just took a look at the Asus eee Pad transformer - seems the keyboard completely separates from the main tablet so you aren't forced to hold the added bulk. I guess, if one was willing to carry the keyboard around, I could see something like that being pretty useful.

The Asus 12'' Win7 slate has stylus (with pressure sensitivity!) - so it's no problem to click even small icons. On the other hand the battery live is very short and it has two fans. I was considering it but will probably buy Android device instead.

Yeah, I was semi interested till I saw 2 hour battery life under normal usage. I'll stick with my Xoom.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

Guys,
I don't mean the Windows version of the ASUS tablet but the transformer.
It runs Honeycomb just like the Xoom and according to Facebook has a video playback duration of 9 hours.
Plus it's cheaper, lighter and has an IPS screen.

graffixnyc said:
I have a dell duo which is a 10 inch windows tablet/netbook. I agree win 7 is tough for touch interfaces but there are ways you can fix that. I adjusted a bunch of settings to make it more touch friendly
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
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Have you put android on the duo to dual boot? If so how is it in comparison to IDK let's say the xoom? lol

pub00515 said:
Guys,
I don't mean the Windows version of the ASUS tablet but the transformer.
It runs Honeycomb just like the Xoom and according to Facebook has a video playback duration of 9 hours.
Plus it's cheaper, lighter and has an IPS screen.
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Click to collapse
Don't forget when put on the keyboard it DOUBLES your battery life! Supposedly a total of 16 hrs with both batteries!!!

fabian29906 said:
Have you put android on the duo to dual boot? If so how is it in comparison to IDK let's say the xoom? lol
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I did run a x86 version of android on it, it sucked. hahaha Now I just basically use it to take to school or work and dual boot win 7 and ubuntu although with the duo I've been using it more for ubuntu instead of windows. If it did come anywhere close I wouldnt have gone out and gotten a xoom

martonikaj said:
Also remember that most European countries have a VAT (Value Added Tax) that inflates prices by about 20%-25% depending on the country. Keep this in mind when looking at European prices and converting into USD.
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Remember that in european countries VAT is actually included. What you see is what you get.

the transformer will be sold tomorrow on uk. hope someone make a video to compare screens and multi-touch.

Iconia A500 or Transformer?

I am debating on which to buy. I've been wanting a tablet for awhile now and have slimmed it down to these two options, but would like some feed back if possible.
I'm looking for s-off and root (quickly glancing at the forums, it looks like both are able to achieve this. I like to toy and tinker with things and having a root, with s-off, is a must for this.
Are there any huge differences between the two? I am liking the additional dock available for the Transformer.
Going to post this in the Transformer forum as well. Iconia people, win me over!

The major differences are that the Transformer has that keyboard dock and a slightly better screen, while the Iconia has built-in USB host and slightly better sound.
I personally greatly prefer having the USB host port built into the device rather than in a bulky dock.
ASUS also appears to be doing a slightly better job of providing software updates than is Acer.

I'll be ordering an Iconia on Friday. I have seen both in the flesh and normal use as at work there's 1 guy with an Iconia and 2 with Transformers. The Iconia seems solidly built and no slower than the Transformer on 3.1, and the screens are almost identical. Not to mention the built in USB.
On the other hand both Transformers have been replaced already, one with a strange screen issue that looked like a liquid under the glass when you touched the screen, and one because the case doesn't line up properly - it creaks noticeably if you hold it landscape fashion.
Also I've been buying Acer kit for years (3 laptops and a netbook so far) and the oldest is still going strong after 5 years, no build quality issues in any of the Acer kit i've bought contrary to popular belief, and they've lasted longer than some of the so called premium brands we use at work.

I have a500 and a Transformer so, I think I can answer to your question... If you want my 2 cents opinion, the a500 is way better. I think the screen is more responsive and more brighten. Plus the transformer's screen get incredibly dirty very quickly. The usb thing has no comparison. Just, for example, I bought a cheap silicon keyboard and it works pretty well with the iconia. Same about the mouse. The transformer has just 2 advantages: 1) it's lighter 2) it has a way better microphone. About all the rest it is inferior or equal to the iconia.
If the mic, for you, is a must then buy a Transforemer. If it's not... then buy a a500.

Try both and decide for yourself. You will be happier.
Don't let others do your thinking for you.

If you can, definitely try both as bungaboy suggests, your own preferences may certainly steer you in a different path. In the end it could quite simply come down to something as off-the-cuff as the location of the front-facing camera.
In terms of companies, I currently have an Acer laptop (very happy with) and an Acer monitor (happy with), and have purchased and installed about 6 ASUS motherboards and video cards over time (only 1 less-than-stellar experience with those) so I'd happily recommend either company in general.

Just a quick reply before I go to work. I live in Japan. I don't have a Best Buy here. They have a Iconia A500 at the BX and I've played with it some, but can't compare to the Transformer.
I'll reply back later today when I have more time. Thanks for all the good input!

inifekt said:
Just a quick reply before I go to work. I live in Japan. I don't have a Best Buy here. They have a Iconia A500 at the BX and I've played with it some, but can't compare to the Transformer.
I'll reply back later today when I have more time. Thanks for all the good input!
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Alright. Thanks for all your replies everyone. I am and will decide for myself but since I cannot try out both I was reaching out to the community to give me their pro's and con's so I can weigh them for my own decision.
I'll have to go back to the BX later and play around with the Iconia some more. I didn't really play with the form factor, but what I really like from the Transformer is the keyboard/battery/etc dock. From my understanding it'll be future-compatible too.

why do you like the dock? will you carry with you all the time? if not, pointless. if you want a tab and a keyboard, wait a few more months till the asus eee slide comes out. i got an iconia, and as much as everyone at work bashes me for it, i can do much more than their ipad2

shdw03 said:
why do you like the dock? will you carry with you all the time? if not, pointless. if you want a tab and a keyboard, wait a few more months till the asus eee slide comes out. i got an iconia, and as much as everyone at work bashes me for it, i can do much more than their ipad2
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I was going in with the idea of selling my laptop and leaving the dock at home and use while I'm there. And what is the eee slide? I was also looking at the ASUS W7 tablet they have.

Iconia is my preference... cause of USB port.

Is the Iconia capable of good tablet drawing?

bluemax137 said:
I have a500 and a Transformer so, I think I can answer to your question... If you want my 2 cents opinion, the a500 is way better. I think the screen is more responsive and more brighten. Plus the transformer's screen get incredibly dirty very quickly. The usb thing has no comparison. Just, for example, I bought a cheap silicon keyboard and it works pretty well with the iconia. Same about the mouse. The transformer has just 2 advantages: 1) it's lighter 2) it has a way better microphone. About all the rest it is inferior or equal to the iconia.
If the mic, for you, is a must then buy a Transforemer. If it's not... then buy a a500.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, ignorance is bliss, eh? it is a well known fact that the Transformer screen is the second best android tablet screen on the market right now (after Gtab 10.1) while the Iconia screen is far behind.
OP, just go in store and compare the two side by side with the screen set at max brightness. You'll see the big difference especially when viewing from an angle. The Asus blows the Iconia away in this respect.
my 2 cents:
Asus Transformer
-way better screen (most important feature in a tablet, imho)
-a lot lighter then the Iconia (Iconia is the heaviest Android tablet)
-faster updates
-less freezes & runs smoother
-dock option
Acer Iconia
-USB port (the Transformer only has this on the dock)
-better built? allegedly. (my Asus is also very solid but the Iconia metal back feels stronger)
-better sound
-better camera (with flash)
For me it boils down to needing a USB port or not & to wanting the dock option or not.
If you don't need the USB port, then the Transformed is the obvious choice.
If you do (and don't want to spend the extra $150 for the dock) then go for the Acer.
Also if you really want a better screen and the dock option, again the obvious choice is the TF.
good luck & enjoy your new toy either or!

I just purchased the Iconia myself. But from forum postings of people who have bought both and checked them out, it seems people are generally more satisfied with the Transformer (apart from the people who got bleeding screens).
The guy above summed it up pretty well.

I bought both when the Staples coupon came out (Inconia from staples, TF from Office Depot), and kept them sealed in box for a couple of days while I did my research on which one I wanted to keep.
I spent a couple of hours over a few stores comparing and then read a bunch on forums, etc.
There is really no reasonable argument for Acer screen over the Asus. The TF is brighter and displays more colors, this is a fact, not opinion. I also thought things looked slightly sharper on the TF (perhaps it was due to the better contrast). I did not like the one port pulling all duties and its location (understandable as its for the keyboard as well). I have no intention of using a keyboard with any tab that use (I have laptops for that). The TF design appeals to me more, I like it's shape more.
I chose the Iconia over the TF due to the additional ports, better xda dev support and numerous reports of quality controls issues on the TF. Frankly, the last issue was the biggest factor in my decision.

The one complaint I have about the Iconia is the screen. It leaves MUCH to be desired. I'm not sure if it's a problem with the Iconia or with Android tablet screens in general, but you can easily see individual pixels on the screen if you hold the device closer than usual.
Text also is somewhat blurry, not sure if this is an issue with Android text rendering or with Iconia's screen.
Everything else is great though.

Hi, i'm planning to buy an iconia, but i've read on soms sites that the display can only display 265k colors while other devices have 16million.
Is this true? And if so, do you really recognise it if you compare it directly to another device?
Sent out of my Free Candy Van.

Yes Plestiuc, ignorance is a bliss... Even not being able to understand what's written is a bliss... and even attention lack is. If you re-read what I wrote, hoping you're able to focus on all the world and not just on random ones... you will notice I wrote: "If you want my 2 cents opinion". If you do not know the meaning of the word: "Opinion", I do suggest you to go back to elementary school.
Over

even tho the iconia is heavy keep in mind that all of the tablets are to heavy to comfortably hold with one hand for more than 5 min. soo I dont know how much the little wieght difference matters....
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App

Flussen said:
Hi, i'm planning to buy an iconia, but i've read on soms sites that the display can only display 265k colors while other devices have 16million.
Is this true? And if so, do you really recognise it if you compare it directly to another device?
Sent out of my Free Candy Van.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In all seriousness, you can't see it. I like the colors on both tablets, and the screen on the transformer is superb. But when I play a movie (the guy at the store let me try a video on the display transformer) I don't notice a difference. The black on the TF is a bit darker, and that's about it.
I didn't think that a built in USB was going to matter to me, but I am actually using it a TON. Thank you so much ACER!

Kindle Fire vs. Acer Iconia A100

I'm am thinking about getting a 7" tablet. Do you think the Iconia A100 is worth the extra 100 bucks?
The point on the Kindle I'm struggling with is that you don't know now if the custom roms will give you the ICS experience... Without the custom roms, the Kindle will be a piece of crap, because the ecosystem is so limited!
The Iconia will receive an ICS early next year and has all the additional features, everyone wanted to see (camera, BT, micro SD, micro HDMI, Tegra 2, 1 GB ram).
What do you think?

I think the iconia a100 price is coming down. I see that Best Buy has it available online for $250. This is $60 more than the black friday price but still a decrease from the previous $330 price. If you can't wait it is only $50 more than the fire. If you can wait, there are a fleet of other tablets coming out so that price might drop a bit more in the near future.

Had a Black Friday one for less than a day. The terrible viewing angles killed it.

If you plan to spend $300 on a 7" tablet right now I'd suggest the HTC flyer. You can only buy it at Best Buy but it's a single core 1.5 GHz tablet. Has an optional pen that only works in a few apps but that I find quite useful.
In general if you spend more you'll be buying a tablet that has market out of the box, a GPS, vibrator (thought that was gimmicky until I had a tablet with one), more memory both for storage and while running, usually some sort of SDHC card slot, possibly USB host. Quite a bit more feature-wise. You'll be giving up the tight integration with the Amazon ecosystem but everything but the silk browser can be gotten by running separate apps for each feature.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

I returned the a100 after seeing how inferior the screen was to my wifes Fire. My eyes would hurt on the a100. I now have a Fire of my own.
Scott

I agree, the A100 is a nice snappy tablet, but the screen and awful battery life kills it for me, such a shame.

aimfire72 said:
I agree, the A100 is a nice snappy tablet, but the screen and awful battery life kills it for me, such a shame.
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True. Had mine for a week. Loved the build quality and responsiveness but screen and battery was a deal breaker.
Bit the bullet and rather than compromise on a minimal tab like the KF, got the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Fabulous little tab! Snappy, great battery, HC (ICS coming). Bit pricey but you get what you pay for these days.

bsoplinger said:
vibrator (thought that was gimmicky until I had a tablet with one)
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A vibrator, you say... well that gives me an idea!

how is the tab? I bought one for my parents as a gift and got a fire for myself? no point in getting a tab for myself when quadrant core tablets are tint around the corner
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

Avoid the A100
I looked at it at Best Buy and the screen was horrible. If you slant it on any angle it has this reflective view. It is really bad. I bought the Fire and it is a LOT better. I don't regret it at all.

Wow, I'm surprised by the hate for the A100. I may be coming from a different perspective than most but I like it. I've had a Viewsonic G tablet for a year. It has the same hardware as the A100 and I've found it to run terrifically. The Viewsonic G really does have terrible viewing angles but this never bothers me. I either use it while holding it (and it is easy to hold it with at a good viewing angle) or I put it in a case with a kickstand. I almost never hold where I'm trying to look at it from odd angles. I guess from that background I find the A100 screen to be way more viewable. Maybe the Kindle Fire has an amazing screen (I don't know) but I have no issues with the A100 screen.
For comparison, both have 1GHz, duel core processors but the A100 has double the RAM. The Fire doesn't have an sd card slot so you are locked into 8 GB but the A100 does have an sd card slot so when you start building up a movie and music collection you can swap out cards. The A100 has a good GPS in it so you can use it for offline navigation while the Kindle does not. The Kindle doesn't have a microphone while the A100 does. I've used Groove IP and it creates a nice VOIP phone but you might want to use headphones for this or you will look a little silly holding the A100 to your ear (LOL).
I really think it depends on what you want to do with it. I like using the Amazon App Store but it is limited in its selection so it is nice having both markets on the A100. From my perspective, if you want a full featured tablet I'd get the A100. If you want a more closed system that keeps things simple but is optimized for media content (except for the 8 GB limit) then I'd get the Fire. The closed system approach is very Apple-esk so I see the Fire as the cheap version of the iPad. Then the question becomes do you want the smaller screen for the (much) cheaper price?
Also, just a note about the Samsung Galaxy Plus. The Plus looks like an awesome tablet. The A100 is definitely a lesser qualified tablet in comparison. I got the A100 for $190 so it fit into my price range and I wanted a full functioning tablet. But if I were willing to spend $400 for a tablet I'd definitely get the Plus.

GiageJoe said:
Wow, I'm surprised by the hate for the A100. I may be coming from a different perspective than most but I like it. I've had a Viewsonic G tablet for a year. It has the same hardware as the A100 and I've found it to run terrifically. The Viewsonic G really does have terrible viewing angles but this never bothers me. I either use it while holding it (and it is easy to hold it with at a good viewing angle) or I put it in a case with a kickstand. I almost never hold where I'm trying to look at it from odd angles. I guess from that background I find the A100 screen to be way more viewable. Maybe the Kindle Fire has an amazing screen (I don't know) but I have no issues with the A100 screen.
For comparison, both have 1GHz, duel core processors but the A100 has double the RAM. The Fire doesn't have an sd card slot so you are locked into 8 GB but the A100 does have an sd card slot so when you start building up a movie and music collection you can swap out cards. The A100 has a good GPS in it so you can use it for offline navigation while the Kindle does not. The Kindle doesn't have a microphone while the A100 does. I've used Groove IP and it creates a nice VOIP phone but you might want to use headphones for this or you will look a little silly holding the A100 to your ear (LOL).
I really think it depends on what you want to do with it. I like using the Amazon App Store but it is limited in its selection so it is nice having both markets on the A100. From my perspective, if you want a full featured tablet I'd get the A100. If you want a more closed system that keeps things simple but is optimized for media content (except for the 8 GB limit) then I'd get the Fire. The closed system approach is very Apple-esk so I see the Fire as the cheap version of the iPad. Then the question becomes to you want the smaller screen for the (much) cheaper price?
Also, just a note about the Samsung Galaxy Plus. The Plus looks like an awesome tablet. The A100 is definitely a less qualified tablet. I got the A100 for $190 so it fit into my price range and I wanted a full functioning tablet. But if I were willing to spend $400 for a tablet I'd definitely get the Plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say that the A100 screen looks really nice if you hold it in landscape with the home button to your right. The sucking starts when you use it in portrait. If you view it head-on in portrait, the image tends to look good when you view it from your left eye but becomes dark and inverted when you look through your right. The effect is really distracting.

I also bought the a100 on black Friday and I agree with everyone here, horrible viewing angles and poor battery life but to me the other features outweigh the cons. HDMI out, SDcard slot, and of course Honeycomb. I'd rather have a close to desktop like OS than a more locked down OS like the Kindle Fire. But if you don't mind that the Kindle Fire has excellent build quality and screen.

lcd swap???
I just bought one also on black Fri. ($189) .
I have to agree though the panel is pretty horrible, wonder if we could find a better LCD to swap with..
Is the kindle fire`s LCD the same res and dimensions . Might be willing to take apart my iconia for that.
Though we do not know if we can find a panel with the same exact ribbon connector.

The Fire has IPS and over just better screen quality, IDK the general specs on the a100 screen but as far as I know in general the Fires screen is specs wise superior

I was still set on getting the iconia even after hearing about the screen...until I got to Best Buy and tried it out for myself. I got the Kindle.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

GiageJoe said:
Wow, I'm surprised by the hate for the A100. I may be coming from a different perspective than most but I like it. I've had a Viewsonic G tablet for a year. It has the same hardware as the A100 and I've found it to run terrifically. The Viewsonic G really does have terrible viewing angles but this never bothers me. I either use it while holding it (and it is easy to hold it with at a good viewing angle) or I put it in a case with a kickstand. I almost never hold where I'm trying to look at it from odd angles. I guess from that background I find the A100 screen to be way more viewable. Maybe the Kindle Fire has an amazing screen (I don't know) but I have no issues with the A100 screen.
For comparison, both have 1GHz, duel core processors but the A100 has double the RAM. The Fire doesn't have an sd card slot so you are locked into 8 GB but the A100 does have an sd card slot so when you start building up a movie and music collection you can swap out cards. The A100 has a good GPS in it so you can use it for offline navigation while the Kindle does not. The Kindle doesn't have a microphone while the A100 does. I've used Groove IP and it creates a nice VOIP phone but you might want to use headphones for this or you will look a little silly holding the A100 to your ear (LOL).
I really think it depends on what you want to do with it. I like using the Amazon App Store but it is limited in its selection so it is nice having both markets on the A100. From my perspective, if you want a full featured tablet I'd get the A100. If you want a more closed system that keeps things simple but is optimized for media content (except for the 8 GB limit) then I'd get the Fire. The closed system approach is very Apple-esk so I see the Fire as the cheap version of the iPad. Then the question becomes do you want the smaller screen for the (much) cheaper price?
Also, just a note about the Samsung Galaxy Plus. The Plus looks like an awesome tablet. The A100 is definitely a lesser qualified tablet in comparison. I got the A100 for $190 so it fit into my price range and I wanted a full functioning tablet. But if I were willing to spend $400 for a tablet I'd definitely get the Plus.
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Click to collapse
I am really not seeing why all the hate for the A100 either..how exactly are you people looking at this thing? I have no problem with the "viewing angle" because im staring straight in front of the screen! This looks fine to me. Not sure why i would hold it from an angle. Plus the usb, hdmi, sd slots do it for me over the kindle fire, with the addtion of android market...to say the thing is "horrible" is overkill

Well, if you could afford the extra 100 bucks, then why should you turn to the Acer Iconia A100? There are many products you can choose, HTC flyer, Tab...
To me, I would like to go for a Kinlde fire, as the warranties and the lighted cover they offer, and I read the comparison between iPad and kindle fire in iFunia, think the Kindle fire is worthy investing

I owned the Acer for a short time. I think the screen and battery make me prefer the Fire. The Acer is a full tablet experience, but I guess they aren't features I need on a 2nd tablet. if I needed a deluxe 7" I'd spend the bucks for the Galaxy Tab, it destroys the Acer.

I was introduced to the Acer Iconia after I purchased my Kindle Fire.
The hardware seems nice; cameras, bluetooth, HDMI out, etc...
Everything my Android phone has and I thought this is interesting especially for only $50.00 more...
Then I saw how the Acer gets charged... and I'm glad I got the Kindle Fire because I can use the same charger for the Fire as I can for my Epic 4G Touch!
Still looks like a nice tablet though

A500 or A200?

So i am looking into getting my first tablet. I am debating between these two mainly for the price. I know the A500 is last years model but it has the hdmi and the rear camera which the A200 doesnt. However, Im sure the A200 will get the ICS update first being the newer model... Im leaning toward the A200 because i know i wont use the rear camera but im not sure i will be using the hdmi. Ideas?
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moates4 said:
So i am looking into getting my first tablet. I am debating between these two mainly for the price. I know the A500 is last years model but it has the hdmi and the rear camera which the A200 doesnt. However, Im sure the A200 will get the ICS update first being the newer model... Im leaning toward the A200 because i know i wont use the rear camera but im not sure i will be using the hdmi. Ideas?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
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I'm not going to tell you which to get, but a refurb A500 32gig model is $300 today on woot.
http://www.woot.com/

Oh great. Now I have to hurry up in my decision! Haha... Thanks for the info
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I bought a refurb A500 from Walmart.com for $278 & it just arrived yesterday (it's the 16gb model & the woot one is a 32gb)...I absolutely love the a500!!! I played wit hthe a200 at Best Buy after I placed my order for the a500...and I am VERY happy I got the A500. The a200 is a nice tab...but no HDMI out and no rear camera...not major things but any advantage is good...

I've had the A500 since July and I do not think I have ever tried the camera or the HDMI. To me, it's all about the custom roms (currently rocking the Honeylicious 3.2.1). I don't see the need for a rear facing camera and I'm sure we will get ICS in some form or another eventually. All comes down to $ imho.

Can go wrong with either. One drawback of the A500 is the microphone. Its crap
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium

Depends entirely on how you plan to use it, if you see a time in the future that you might want to play a movie over HDMI then go the A500 or A501, If you are happy just using the tablet as a tablet and not using the feature on the A500/501 then go for the A200...
I know its nice to save a buck or 2 but I have found that occasionally I have used the HDMI out and its good I don't have to stuff around to share movies at friends places...
But as I said, that was good for me....

i really like the feel of the a200. feels like a high-end device.
although i dont use the rear cam a lot, its one of those things where i would be kicking myself when a time comes that i do need it, such as taking pics of documents for pdf conversion
same with the hdmi port. i barely use it but the time i do i am happy i have a tab with hdmi and full size usb.
as for the front cam on the a500, be cautious tho that the alignment is fudged up. not sure if its like that on all a500 but it makes is useless and very awkward to use because u have to tilt the tab at an angle

Hello All!!!

Got myself a 16GB TF300 last night off of craigslist for $250 with keyboard and 32GB SD card and a gumdrop case. Screen has a couple scratches and overall I'd rate it about 8/10, happy with the deal. I currently also have an acer a500 too.
The transformer is much snappier than my rooted/rom'd/oc'd a500. Not long after getting the transformer I unlocked it, got ADB re-installed on my computer, rooted it, and installed Clean ROM, now it really flies! Running the stock kernel now, got a couple oc'd ones downloaded, but figured I'd wait until it starts to feel slow or I get bored! Got more reading to do to figure out a few more tricks and max out the battery life.
Screen is OK, not poor, but nothing to write home about. The display on my a500 seems to have brighter colors and better contrast. I primarily use my tablet for websurfing, watching movies on plane rides, and some polaris office action on work trips. I hope to now not have to take my laptop on trips anymore, with the keyboard I should be able to do everything I need. Will be nice to not have to tote that monster through airport security.
Tablet had JB on it already, just got flash going with Boat Browser. Got the latest Dolphin on here but it won't support flash on JB. No haptic feedback and the single speaker sucks, but when I watch movies its with headphones anyways, so should not be a real big deal.
Looking forward to learning some more and hopefully being able to contribute to this area of xda.
Later!!

al2fast said:
Got myself a 16GB TF300 last night off of craigslist for $250 with keyboard and 32GB SD card and a gumdrop case. Screen has a couple scratches and overall I'd rate it about 8/10, happy with the deal. I currently also have an acer a500 too.
The transformer is much snappier than my rooted/rom'd/oc'd a500. Not long after getting the transformer I unlocked it, got ADB re-installed on my computer, rooted it, and installed Clean ROM, now it really flies! Running the stock kernel now, got a couple oc'd ones downloaded, but figured I'd wait until it starts to feel slow or I get bored! Got more reading to do to figure out a few more tricks and max out the battery life.
Screen is OK, not poor, but nothing to write home about. The display on my a500 seems to have brighter colors and better contrast. I primarily use my tablet for websurfing, watching movies on plane rides, and some polaris office action on work trips. I hope to now not have to take my laptop on trips anymore, with the keyboard I should be able to do everything I need. Will be nice to not have to tote that monster through airport security.
Tablet had JB on it already, just got flash going with Boat Browser. Got the latest Dolphin on here but it won't support flash on JB. No haptic feedback and the single speaker sucks, but when I watch movies its with headphones anyways, so should not be a real big deal.
Looking forward to learning some more and hopefully being able to contribute to this area of xda.
Later!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You failed! Bestbuy was selling a brand new tf300 for only $270 and it was the new cooler black ones.

The Cookiemonster said:
You failed! Bestbuy was selling a brand new tf300 for only $270 and it was the new cooler black ones.
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270 + tax for new one. His used tf300 + keyboard =250. I don't see any failed in here.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA Premium HD app

Haha, its OK, I see he's from Chicago, probably a Bears fan
I got a used 16GB TF300 with keyboard and 32GB (albeit class 4) SD for $250.
Only complaint after a couple days use is when I touch the screen sometimes it's not responding, but only happens in Boat Browser so I think its the app. I only use Boat for flash when I need it.

seems like a good deal to me too

al2fast said:
Haha, its OK, I see he's from Chicago, probably a Bears fan
I got a used 16GB TF300 with keyboard and 32GB (albeit class 4) SD for $250.
Only complaint after a couple days use is when I touch the screen sometimes it's not responding, but only happens in Boat Browser so I think its the app. I only use Boat for flash when I need it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can download flash . apk and install it if you want to watch flash video.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA Premium HD app