Database Users

Tab vs Playbook

Soooo...
Rim have just announced their own tablet device. And the specs are pretty impressive.
7" LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
1 GHz dual-core processor
1 GB RAM
Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
HDMI video output
Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
Speculation says that its running the dual core Tegra 2.
Soooo... How does the Tab shape up against the playbook ?
Well...
It would seem that aside from the Playbook having extra oomph in the hardware department, there's not a whole lot to pick. Not news yet on storage options and what not, or how the BB OS will work on a device like this.
Like everything, it'll be a wait and see, but it looks like RIM have really nailed this tablet, and certainly I'd say this puts some pressure on samsung to try and get our attention with some low pricing for the Tab. If it looks like they are going to cost around the same, then... Well it'd be really hard for me to pick the Tab, and as you may have noticed I have been rather in favour of it... And since it would appear that the Playbook will hit Q1 2011, I dunno if I'd be happy with a device that's going to be overtaken that quickly.
As ever, stuff is up in the air. Things could drastically change, but at the moment, I'm feeling a little uncertain. If someone ported android onto the playbook, then there wouldn't even be a choice for me. I'd just be getting one.
What do you guys think ?

some pretty incredible specs. i am still sticking with the Tab though, and here are my reasons:
1. my OS of choice is between Android, WP7, or MeeGo.
2. don't know the battery size or life of the Playbook yet. battery for the Tab is a huge plus to me.
3. Android may not be "optimized" for tablets yet but we do know that it is quite functional at least. the Playbook OS may have a lot of growing pains to go through as far as developers coming out with apps. who really knows?
4. Q1 of 2011 is a long wait for me and i have been waiting a long time already. if i wait that much longer the chances are high that i will be waiting again as news of some of the better tablets will start to flow down the pipeline. next thing you know, 6 months have passed and i could have been enjoying SOMETHING during that time. i think i will just shoot for the Tab and upgrade again in a year or two.
that said, who knows... with the pricing still up in the air on the Tab, i may end up settling for a Streak for now, LOL

unitea said:
that said, who knows... with the pricing still up in the air on the Tab, i may end up settling for a Streak for now, LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I really wish Sammy would release some proper pricing details. Despite my raging hard-on for the Tab, im starting to feel like by the time it drops it won't be that unique any more, but will be priced like it is, and that'll disappoint me.
I agree about the choice of OS tho, especially how RIM have been plagued with teething troubles over the past years. I've never had an BB6 device, and I hear its ok, but its still not android, and that definitely makes it less sexy to me.

[Review] Xoom vs Galaxy Tab 7"

After having a bit of time to play with my Xoom, I'd thought I'd tell everyone how I felt about the Xoom and whether you should be think of upgrading from your Galaxy Tab.
Build quality
The Xoom is very will built, all the components are solidly put together - there are no rattles or any bendy bits. That said the extra weight of the tablet is definitely noticeable compared to the Tab, and certainly makes reading while holding the tablet in one hand less comfortable - plus you don't really need the larger screen for this use.
The screen does not go quite as bright as the Tab, and is not so readable in sunlight. Also it attracts fingerprints like moths to a light, after an hour of using it it looked worse than an iPad does after a whole day, though you can't really see the fingerprints while the screen is on.
Software
This is the main part I was excited about - there has been quite a bit of hype surrounding Honeycomb. Sadly, IMHO, quite a bit of it is just hype -- the main changes are in the home screen and the task/notifications bar. Both of these work really well, the 3D carousel effect when turning pages of the Home screen is really smooth, and the new notification system works really well giving you a system which works quite like a desktop. Sadly you can't pinch the screen to show all of your desktops at once.
The rest of it though, it is pretty buggy. The settings app and gmail apps have force-closed on me a number of times - these are pretty important parts of the OS and so it's seriously disappointing to see them not quite finished. The Facebook app seems to work for a few mins then crashes and won't work until I restart the device.
The browser is very nice, with proper tabs (and incognito tabs!), but if you dare to switch on Flash 10.2 all the time then the whole thing is no faster than the Tabs browser with Flash enabled -- in fact it's quite possibly worse than my Tab with an OC kernel and the latest leaked ROM.
But main problem is - where is the software? Google made much issue about Android 2.x not being fit for tablets but the truth is all they've mostly done is what Samsung did - the email app now has one pane with a list of your emails in and another showing the content of your email. It's the same with the other apps, nowhere is there an incredibly large difference in functionality between the modified Samsung apps and the new Honeycomb ones.
Sure you get a film editor app, but that was pretty much put in to grab a bit of press after Apple put iMovie on the iPad - I'm sure most people, me included, would prefer a decent photo editing/retouching app more than a pretty basic video editing one.
No free, Xoom optimized apps with the device or a store for them like you get with Samsung.
And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
That might not be so bad if there was a store like the Samsung Movies Store or iTunes where I could buy or rent a movie in a compatible format. Except this being a "Google Experience" device there are no apps apart from the few that Google put on there (and aside from film studio that's just upgraded standard Android apps). So you have a tablet that doesn't support that vast majority of media formats used by the largest desktop OS; I feel justified in saying that is a slight fail -- is Youtube supposed to be my entire source of entertainment? It's not like you can call the quality of most Flash videos on the web HD.
The one upside is the tegra 2, and all the nice games it will let you play. Except there are only a couple at the moment, and if the Tegra Zone app is to be believed, most of them won't be out for another couple of months. That said the few that are available are very nice, and run perfectly smooth.
Overall
Overall I'd give the Xoom 7/10. It's good, and the first Honeycomb tablet, but I think it will probably not be in the top 5 come the end of the year.
I can understand some people might buy it over others on the promise of slightly quicker updates, but I'm seriously considering taking mine back and waiting for the Tab 8.9, I have a few more days to play around with it before I decide. Sure it will have customized interface so it might not get updates as quickly, but actually it will do much more out of the box than the Xoom does, and it will still probably do more than the Xoom will even after the Xoom has received an update.
I used to be someone who bought plain Android devices on the basis that they quicker updates (have an NS, had an N1, etc), but a lot of the time it makes little difference. Google doesn't actually release updates often enough anymore for that to be much of an issue, and in some cases these days manufacturers have actually made things better than Google did (e.g. the standard browser in the Galaxy S on 2.2 is far better than the stock browser on a Nexus S on 2.3).
Sadly in this case the bad experience reflects badly on Motorola even though it isn't really their fault - they've had nothing to do at all with the software. At the same time that is their fault - it's their tablet and if I was head of a Motorola I'd want to make sure the software I was putting my name on did everything I wanted and worked properly - Android manufacturers should stop getting so desperate to compete with Apple and actually focus on the quality of their own products.
So my advice would be wait. And possibly in this case don't let the factor of whether it's a pure Google device affect your decision so much -- Honeycomb is still an infant and it really needs some features added on for a full tablet experience.
* I was completely aware the Xoom would come with no added extras like the Tab did when I bought it. I just thought Google would have put more work into making Honeycomb for great for tablets.

That's a pretty accurate description. I went through 2 XOOM's which I bought once they released the WIFI only model, and my experience was the same if not worse. Lots of potential, but they really missed the mark with that one. The second XOOM had a hardware failure and refused to charge, and since I was pretty let down overall, and that needle thin power adaptor is just waiting to snap off, I got rid of it entirely. I bought my first Galaxy Tab WIFI model Monday from Tigerdirect, got it Wed and have used it since and I absolutely love it.

That's an interesting review.
It surprised me that honeycomb still isnt working perfectly. I thought that they would update it regularly.
The Xoom seemed to me, to be a liitle bit too fast released device.
I also agree that it probably wont be the best in the flow of the year - off course.
I think HTC looks quite promising, if they release a bigger version of their Flyer.
Let's see if the Companies learn from the others - if a company releases later, it always has a lower risk of failing, because it can learn out of the mistakes of the others...

And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, x1,000. I own an original iPad, and picked up a T-Mo Galaxy Tab for $100 on Craigslist. Once the wifi Xoom came out, I went to Staples to pick one up.
Disappointment doesn't begin to capture it. Such a lovely screen...why, why, why wouldn't you include a Movies app with the tablet? Videos that played flawlessly on the Tab would stutter and whimper on the Xoom. That's just inexcusable.
I also co-sign everything you said about Facebook; I had the same experience with Seesmic.
I bought it on Friday evening. I returned it on Sunday afternoon. I can handle rough edges with software, but this goes beyond that. And selling it for $600? Yeah...not so much.
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.

rnoboa said:
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're interested, here's my short review of the Transformer, originally posted in the Transformer XDA forum. I do compare it to my Galaxy Tab, so I don't think it's unreasonable to post here!
Regards,
Dave
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I've had my Transformer for 4 full days now, and I've a few comments to make for prospective purchasers.
First of all, a little background - I've had Android phones since the original G1 was released in the US (I was there when it was released), and since then have owned the HTC Hero, the HTC Desire, and now the Desire HD (and a Pulse Mini as a backup device).
I also have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7", which I've been using since October last year and I still think is a fantastic device, so most of my observations on the Transformer (henceforth called the TF) will be in comparison to Galaxy Tab (henceforth called the GT). As an aside, I also have a Toshiba AC100 Android netbook, so I think I have some feel for how the TF will be once the keyboard dock arrives.
Build quality
The TF feels like a really high quality device. I know some people have reported issues with back light bleed etc, but I've had no such issues. The aluminium case is really nice to the touch, as is the back of the device which is a plastic made to look a bit like carbon fibre.
Design - the design is generally really nice, though if I had one criticism it is the size of the bezel is rather large. Additionally, it does feel a little odd holding the device in portrait mode as it comes over as very tall and thin, especially when compared to the GT.
The IPS display is lovely and crisp, though it does seem a little less bright than the display on the GT.
OS and software
This is both simultaneously the best and worst feature that the TF has over the GT. In general browsing use, the TF is much more like a laptop/desktop experience than the GT, and you can see Honeycomb has great potential. However, it does feel very much like an unfinished product.
When the GT first came out, the stock browser was notoriously laggy (fixed in later iterations), and the TF suffers from the same issue - in fact it is worse because whilst the GTs browser was basically just laggy, the TFs browser is laggy and buggy.
Specifically, clicking on links in other applications often causes the browser to pop up, but it doesn't load the new page - this can be fixed by "killing" the browser and restarting it, but it shouldn't be this way. Whilst I much prefer the native browser when it works correctly, I'm now using Opera Mobile for day to day use.
Honeycomb Gmail on the TF is a revelation - it is a far superior client than the client on the GT.
Other minor Honeycomb/TF complaints are:
1. There doesn't seem to be a way to clear all notifications easily.
2. Just getting to the Settings menu is overcomplicated.
3. The keyboards do seem overly large in my opinion, and there don't seem to be enough long press options to get to alternate characters, though I'm aware these are easily replaceable.
4. Overall the TF performance is good, but I don't feel that Honeycomb is taking advantage of the dual core Tegra 2, and thus in general use it doesn't really feel any faster than my single core GT.
Media Playback
This is an easy one - the GT is a better media player than the TF, simply because it natively supports more formats (e.g. DivX).
I'm not unused to transcoding video to H264, as I had to do this often on my earlier Android devices, but with the advent of Cortex A8 class devices with Neon, I found software players like RockPlayer more than acceptable. This does not seem to be the case for the TF, since Tegra 2 doesn't support Neon instructions. However, the AC100 is a Tegra 2 device, and the built-in media player is much better than the stock TF one too, so really I think that Asus should have done more here.
With the TF, I'm back to having to transcode media, and to be honest for the most part that means I'll just my GT instead.
Overall Usage
Here's where it gets interesting!
The TF provides a very different experience to the GT and for the most part it is very enjoyable- when I bought the device, I knew it be mostly be a "coffee table" device, and that the size, weight, and built-in 3G of the GT was going to a distinct advantage over the TF when it comes to travelling.
What I didn't expect is that the GT still holds some advantages at home too.
Put simply, the TF is still too big and heavy sometimes - when I get up in the morning, I usually take my GT off charge and slip it into the pocket of my dressing gown, and this means it goes with me when I go to make a coffee, visit the "office" in the bathroom etc.
Also, late at night, if I want to watch something whilst lying in bed, the GT is simply much more comfortable to hold for any period of time, and coupled with better media support is always going to be the preferred option.
The Future
I don't think it is really fair to judge the TF until the keyboard dock becomes available, because I honestly think this will significant change the nature of the device.
When I first got my AC100, it was running Eclair and to be honest it was pretty rubbish, but it got so much better when Froyo landed.
I can see the TF similarly getting a completely new lease of life once the dock arrives.
Also, Honeycomb does feel like a work in progress, and I'm hoping for regularly updates to this device, which again should improve the experience, along with more Honeycomb specific apps on the market.
Conclusion
I think the TF is a fantastic product and the price is extremely good for what it is. I certainly wouldn't want to put anyone off buying one if they have a genuine interest this form factor. In the UK at least, I think the Xoom has priced itself out of the market massively, which currently leaves the TF as the 10.1" tablet of choice.
The biggest issue for me is that 10.1" tablets are generally too big and heavy, and whilst newer tablets may be lighter, they will still be similarly sized unless they can dramatically reduce the size of the bezel.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" may well be a better compromise, and I will be looking closely at this once it arrives. However, it won't fit in a jacket pocket, so would still likely just be a coffee table tablet for me.
Ultimately, I think my ideal tablet device would be a 7" form factor device like the GT, similar internal hardware to the TF (dual core, IPS, memory etc), and built-in 3G. Until something like this ships, I think my GT will still be my primary media consumption/browsing device.
Steve Jobs may think that there is no market in 7" tablets, but in my case he's wrong!

Thank you soooo much for the Tab vs Xoom reiew. I was looking at the Xoom a couple weeks ago, but when I saw Sprint marked the Tab down to $199, I bought it instead. Although the Xoom is a gorgeous device, I am becoming quite sold on the 7" size. After using my Tab for a week, I love it! Now if the Xoom was only, say $100 more than the Tab, I may change my mind, but as it is now, it's way too expensive for what it offers out of the box. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Xoom have a price drop soon.

How bad is Honeycomb? The reviews of the G-Slate, Xoom, and even Eeepad Transformer suggest that Honeycomb itself is... not ready and quite laggy. How does it compare to plain old Froyo on a 7'' Tab?

so if understand correctly, android market does not install the tablet version of gmail or any other app on the galaxy tab?

You will have special section of apps created for the Honeycomb and for 2.2 or 2.3.
Apps that are not suppose to work will not be shown on the Market.
Some apps created for phones freeze or fail to work but overall you can find apps that suit your needs. I would agree that at this point software has rough edges but this is always an issue for the early adopters. The 1st iphone had no software choices at all and it took more than half a year to get something else.
Screen size and resolutiin make Xoom almost a laptop.
I like Xoom but prefer Galaxy Tab because of size and weight.

share your impressions

Hi
I have rooted Desire and I just love Android, so I'm buying Android tablet for browsing web, watching movies and some gaming. It was hard to figure out which tablet to buy but I think I'll get Transformer instead of Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it is more functional. So it would be nice if you Transfomer owners could share some impressions.
How good is build quality?
How responsive it is?
How fast it is?
How good does it play 1080p vidos?
Does it work with turn-by-turn navigation?
And would you recommend it?

People have had issues with build quality but I personally haven't. My TF101 has been fine.
Responsiveness is top notch, no issues here.
Depends on what you're comparing it to, it's benchmarks are above the Xoom and Galaxy tab 10.1, but if this relates to real world performance I don't know.
It plays low profile 1080p flawlessly, and 720p high profile flawlessly. Don't quite know why you'd want to watch 1080p on a 750p screen though.
Yes it has turn by turn navigation.
I'd recommend it if you need the extra features it has over the Galaxy tab.

seshmaru said:
People have had issues with build quality but I personally haven't. My TF101 has been fine.
Responsiveness is top notch, no issues here.
Depends on what you're comparing it to, it's benchmarks are above the Xoom and Galaxy tab 10.1, but if this relates to real world performance I don't know.
It plays low profile 1080p flawlessly, and 720p high profile flawlessly. Don't quite know why you'd want to watch 1080p on a 750p screen though.
Yes it has turn by turn navigation.
I'd recommend it if you need the extra features it has over the Galaxy tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said. Screen is totally mindblowing , btw!
I myself have had absolutely zero issues, like seshmaru, but buy it 4m a store, and open and check it, would be my recommendation. Light bleed is the most common issue, followed by some creakiness issues and speaker balance issues, very rare though
Sent from my cell phone. DUH.

Mine eee pad had serial B5xxxxxxxx. So far no issues with it.
But it's quite heavy to hold the eee pad with one hand and using it while laying on the couch.

I got mine like two weeks ago, and I guess I'm lucky that it's pretty perfect (although there's a slight creakiness on one corner).
I don't have any complaints right now, but I'm scared to get the dock because I keep seeing problems about it (battery, lag, what else??).

seshmaru said:
Don't quite know why you'd want to watch 1080p on a 750p screen though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As has been said many times on these forums, it's more about not having to re-encode 1080p movies you already have just to play them on the TF.
Regards,
Dave

I am on my 2nd transformer now, the first one had some light bleeds along with head pixels in the midldle.
The only thing that i suggest is to root it when you get it and throw Prime 1.4 and a custom kernel on it so you see the true speed of it. Im semi please with it, still better then the ipad 2 imo. there are some issues but should be fixed over time. the only really annoying issue is when typing in the browser and how long it takes to show up on the screen.

Then I'll get one. Actually after some googling on iPad 2 I understood that I really wont get one, Transformer has so much better hardware and I love honeycomb. iPad has 0.3 Mpix front camera and 0.9Mpix back camera, lol.
Thank you all for helping.

I just put Prime 1.5 on it, run really smooth..

my only issue is the lack of volume. Its too low for my taste. Other than that i love my TF.

KRolands said:
Hi
I have rooted Desire and I just love Android, so I'm buying Android tablet for browsing web, watching movies and some gaming. It was hard to figure out which tablet to buy but I think I'll get Transformer instead of Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it is more functional. So it would be nice if you Transfomer owners could share some impressions.
How good is build quality?
How responsive it is?
How fast it is?
How good does it play 1080p vidos?
Does it work with turn-by-turn navigation?
And would you recommend it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With all the issue pointed out here I was a bit worried about buying one. I have not had any issues except for bugs which are part of honeycomb. When I got my Galaxy S2 there were a lot of people *****ing about various issues but when I got my phone I had none of these so called issues once I tweaked things! So each to their own.
You'll find that most posts are about complaints. Very few people come online and say how awesome something is. Most of the time there are solutions to issues but people don't want to search.
1. I chose it over the Galaxy Tab 10.1. I like how light the Tab is but I love the dock and the extra features that the Transformer has to offer.
2. Build quality on mine is outstanding. I have had a lot of android devices and you can see the extra effort Asus put into the dock and the tablet. I don't have any light bleed or flex on my device. Even the USB docks have magnetic port covers. How cool is that? Keyboard is very nice and the keys don't feel cheap.
3. Very fast device and very responsive. Interesting to see how both the Tegra processor and the Exonys (in my S2) differ in different tasks but both are blazing fast (the S2 is faster at rendering pages on wifi vs the transformer). Make sure to update to 3.1 firmware. Mine came with 3.0 which was not very responsive and sucked [email protected]
4. No idea about the 1080p. It is touchy at playing high def files (honeycomb hardware decoding issue). My S2 plays 1080 no problem. I find 720p MP4 videos plays perfectly fine if encoded with the proper specs for the transformer
5. Yes turn-by-turn works great. I tether with my phone and off I go
My only complaint is an issue with honeycomb and the stock browser lag when typing. Also, no auto correction when typing on the hardware keyboard.
Cheers. Hope this helps

I have used the Transformer for couple of weeks now having previously owned the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 inch.
All in all, my impressions are very positive and I would definetly recommend the device. The screen's great, device is quick to use, to comfortable hold in hand thanks to clever backside texture and reasonable weight, overall design is good. The keyboard dock has been a true surprise, it is way better than in many laptops and the integration with the tablet is seamless.
My unit (Scandinavian) is faultless, no cranky build quality or light bleeds.
However, there are some things to improve
- Flash performance: Flash being the most obvious advantage over iPad, I was disappointed that my old Galaxy Tab plays Flash better than this Dual Core Honeycomb device
- Browser is a bit buggy (closes unexpectedly once a while)
- Lack of Honeycomb apps evident, no way to sort out Honeycomb apps from all Android Market offerings (not a Transformer issue, though)

KRolands said:
Hi
I have rooted Desire and I just love Android, so I'm buying Android tablet for browsing web, watching movies and some gaming. It was hard to figure out which tablet to buy but I think I'll get Transformer instead of Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it is more functional. So it would be nice if you Transfomer owners could share some impressions.
How good is build quality?
How responsive it is?
How fast it is?
How good does it play 1080p vidos?
Does it work with turn-by-turn navigation?
And would you recommend it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my Transformer for just over a week now and am absolutely loving it. I have had no problems with my Transformer apart from when I managed to brick it and then get it working again (my fault not ASUS ). The screen is great (though I wish it was SAMOLED+ because my SGSII has an amazing screen) and the build quality is very good - it feels a little heavy compared to an iPad but also very sturdy.
After updating to 3.1 the tablet is very smooth - with the possible exception of the browser when using the dock. Sometimes it takes a couple of seconds for the tablet to realise I'm typing something but generally not too bad. Using the tablet as a tablet (on-screen keyboard) there is no lag anywhere. Youtube 720p and normal 720p play flawlessly and look great. I haven't personally tried a 1080p video yet. Turn-by-turn navigation works well and it's nice they included a GPS chip in it, though you still need WiFi/3G for it work correctly.
The main attraction for me is the fact the Transformer is basically an Android Netbook! Good sized, clear screen with amazing battery life (I get about ~16 hours with Auto-Brightness and browsing/watching films). The best thing is when you root it and under/over clock it however! Under clocked to ~800Mhz I can browse for hours and hours, it's great! Over clock to 1.6Ghz and it's blazingly fast and everything (and can probably handle full 1080p video).
My only slight disappointment is in the rear camera which despite being 5MP is pretty crappy but it's not very often I use it. Bonus points for having Polaris Office and a Remote Desktop service packaged in for free which means I've been playing Portal on mine through my gaming laptop just for fun!
-X

[Q] Is it really that bad?

I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?

my tab isn't perfect... some light bleed and random rebooted when wifi is on during sleep. Despite that I absolutely love my tablet and have zero regrets. Just get one.

My unit has zero problems and is not one of the fabled "new skus" either.
With that said, Honeycomb is still really lagging behind iOS in Gaming apps. It's about priorities man.
sassafras

I am on my 5th unit, all of them had really bad quality issues ranging from black stripe across the screnn to no volume, no HDMI out, massive light bleed, completely unresponsive screen etc. Today I got the 5th replacement, guess what light bleed and no wi - fi, cannot connect to my home network, so tomorrow when BB open this one is going back. But I am still coming back to this tablet again and again because if it was built perfect it is the best tablet in the world. Unfortunatelly Asus blew it. I am still searching for the perfect one. (actually the working one)

Mine is pretty alright. Almost no light leak, but has one dead pixel (or a dust particle under the screen) on the lower left quadrant, not very noticeable, so I don't care.
Even though you see many complaints here, you have to understand that people mostly come here when there are problems; since asus is shipping 400,000 units a month, I’m pretty sure there are thousands more out there who are happy with their tablet.

there are always problems if you are picky enough, i think mine is good enough for me, there are a little bleeding on the bottom but you can hard tell, and also some other minor issues that won't bother me that much. i would say go to a store and try it out first see if you like it.

The only problem I have with mine is the unbalanced speakers, which really is a minor problem. I'm very happy with it, it has completely replaced my netbook. It's great as a tablet and when needed, the keyboards dock makes it a breeze to type on.

Jardicel said:
I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't recommend a android tablet for gaming, if you want a tablet for gaming buy a ipad 2 instead
iOS has way more high quality games and more game that are optimized for a tablet
I have some issues with backlight bleeding

Jardicel said:
I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?
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I have none of these problems, I love my (B05) Transformer, it's a really great Tablet/Netbook.
I think people read stuff on the internet and then go off and find problems they would have otherwise never noticed. I haven't gone searching for light bleed, or speaker inbalance, but I have never noticed it.

Theres no one tablet that doesnt have problems,my dad bought a motorola xoom and has taken it back twice and its like 700 bucks,I'm very happy with my transformer,just remember,it doesnt matter what you buy,there almost always will be something wrong somewhere.

The ASUS Transformer is worth every penny at an affordable price. Everyone I know whose seen my tablet commented on how affordable and nice the Transformer is.
My only wish is, I hope SAMOLED IPS screens will be released some time in the near future. Then, I would be completely satisfied. ↖(^▽^)↗
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

Jardicel said:
I've been looking on the TF101 forums before I make my final decision as to which tablet I want, so far I'm riding on the Asus wagon. I do see all of these threads about how the Transformer has many issues, and how it's near impossible to get a unit without light bleed, creaking bezel, dead pixel(s), dust problems, random reboots, speaker balance problems, etc... I'm afraid that I may get a unit with one of those problems listed above... Also, I really only want a tablet for gaming, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking... I have no use for the keyboard dock whatsoever, is this the tablet of choice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Self selection bias. You have to keep in mind that most of the people who frequent these forums are here because they want something, even if that is resolving a problem or just an ear to complain to. The thousands upon thousands that are perfectly happy with their tablets arent on forums complaining about light bleed, etc.

I've had my transformer for a couple weeks now, and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to start rooting it and really putting it through its paces.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

I actually own both the TF and an ipad 1. We are a family of 5 and the ipad was often unavailable so I looked into getting a second tablet. I was considering the ipad 2 but then I decided to go with android.
The ipad is great and there are lots of apps, however the honeycomb tablets are coming along nicely as well. Here are my comparisons...of course ipad is getting an update that will address some of this but then again android will be getting ice cream sandwich as well. So this comparison is for the devices as they are today.
1. We like to take our videos with us on the road.
With ipad I have to transcode everything to mp4...and even then itunes will tell me the ipad can't play them sometimes (even though if I transfer the files with a 3rd party app they work just fine).
With android rockplayer allows me to play 720p .mkv files, etc and no need to transcode. Just copy over and it works. The widescreen video looks alot nicer on the TF as well instead of letterboxed on the ipad.
Also since we have microSD, we can bring alot more video with us for long trips.
2. Easy access to network shares:
-piece of cake on the TF
-pain in the *** on ipad.
3. The tabbed chrome-like browsing experience and integration of google apps is a big advantage on the android platform. Browsing is 80% of what I do on a tablet.
4. Integrated hdmi and usb support on android is definitely a plus.
5. The non-3G ipads have no GPS and no support for bluetooth GPS.
6. Fully customized home screens with widgets on android.
7. Notifications are really well implemented on android. Ipad can't get an update (to copy androids system) soon enough to replace the inexplicably silly notification system they have now.
8. The 32GB ASUS + 32GB sd is much cheaper than the equivalent ipad 2 wifi 64GB.
($720 vs $520)...and that ipad will have no GPS.
9. Splashtop HD has a much higher refresh on the TF vs my ipad...but I assume that would be addressed in the ipad 2.
10. ITUNES...did I mention how much I hate itunes?
APPS go to the ipad though...however USEFUL apps is a much closer race IMO (though still to the ipad).
I did have to return 2 ASUS TFs thanks to light bleed, but my current model has no problems at all.
Bottom line: If I am going to pick up a device to do some reading/browsing/email/calendar...or even to edit some docs on my desktop with the native polaris or with remote desktop...I will pick up the TF every time. My son also prefers dungeon defenders on the TF...but I assume the ipad 2 would have better performance compared to my ipad 1 on this app.

mike infinity said:
I actually own both the TF and an ipad 1. We are a family of 5 and the ipad was often unavailable so I looked into getting a second tablet. I was considering the ipad 2 but then I decided to go with android.
The ipad is great and there are lots of apps, however the honeycomb tablets are coming along nicely as well. Here are my comparisons...of course ipad is getting an update that will address some of this but then again android will be getting ice cream sandwich as well. So this comparison is for the devices as they are today.
1. We like to take our videos with us on the road.
With ipad I have to transcode everything to mp4...and even then itunes will tell me the ipad can't play them sometimes (even though if I transfer the files with a 3rd party app they work just fine).
With android rockplayer allows me to play 720p .mkv files, etc and no need to transcode. Just copy over and it works. The widescreen video looks alot nicer on the TF as well instead of letterboxed on the ipad.
Also since we have microSD, we can bring alot more video with us for long trips.
2. Easy access to network shares:
-piece of cake on the TF
-pain in the *** on ipad.
3. The tabbed chrome-like browsing experience and integration of google apps is a big advantage on the android platform. Browsing is 80% of what I do on a tablet.
4. Integrated hdmi and usb support on android is definitely a plus.
5. The non-3G ipads have no GPS and no support for bluetooth GPS.
6. Fully customized home screens with widgets on android.
7. Notifications are really well implemented on android. Ipad can't get an update (to copy androids system) soon enough to replace the inexplicably silly notification system they have now.
8. The 32GB ASUS + 32GB sd is much cheaper than the equivalent ipad 2 wifi 64GB.
($720 vs $520)...and that ipad will have no GPS.
9. Splashtop HD has a much higher refresh on the TF vs my ipad...but I assume that would be addressed in the ipad 2.
10. ITUNES...did I mention how much I hate itunes?
APPS go to the ipad though...however USEFUL apps is a much closer race IMO (though still to the ipad).
I did have to return 2 ASUS TFs thanks to light bleed, but my current model has no problems at all.
Bottom line: If I am going to pick up a device to do some reading/browsing/email/calendar...or even to edit some docs on my desktop with the native polaris or with remote desktop...I will pick up the TF every time. My son also prefers dungeon defenders on the TF...but I assume the ipad 2 would have better performance compared to my ipad 1 on this app.
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Click to collapse
Great report

wokao118 said:
there are always problems if you are picky enough, i think mine is good enough for me, there are a little bleeding on the bottom but you can hard tell, and also some other minor issues that won't bother me that much. i would say go to a store and try it out first see if you like it.
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i second this. most happy people don't post to this thread.

I love my Transformer and everyone whos played with it wants one even after I point out a couple problems. It has some light bleed (as does the ipad2) and when stock had an unbalanced left speak which a custom rom seemed to fix.

I've got no issues with light bleed, wifi works, bluetooth works, case is not that creaky, if at all. Only minor imbalance in speakers, but I bought a portable external speaker so thats not an issue anymore. This is my second tablet. I'm very much enjoying it.

Don't the custom roms correct the speaker imbalance? I guess so...
Edit: Didn't read Leonpr's post before I posted this. hehe.

Divinedark said:
Don't the custom roms correct the speaker imbalance? I guess so...
Edit: Didn't read Leonpr's post before I posted this. hehe.
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Click to collapse
the latest OTA update fixed this also ... according to my hearing, it's now balanced.

[Q] coming from a prime, have a question on an acer.

I currently have the Asus prime and love the tablet, but it doesn't work for my needs as a multimedia device on the go. With the blue tooth and streaming video/audio issue, my main purpose of it is no longer functional. I could careless about the gps.
I was looking at the Acer 500 tablet. I know it would be a tegra2 compared to the tegera3 and there is the 510 model just released. After the mess that is happening with the prime I'm hesitant to try another brand spanking new model right out of the gates. I don't mind yesterdays technology if it's proven to work and tweaked already. Plus it should be a bit cheaper.
So my question is, how do you owners of the Acer brand of tablets like your devices? Particularly the media abilities of it. I use youtube, stream tv shows, stream cartoons, and internet radio. Being able to use my blue tooth headset is my sore spot and is what I'm looking to rectify with a different tablet.
I do some gaming but not much on the android platform has really taken me yet. If these Acer models play Order and Chaos then it would be a boon.
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

THere are video limitations with 1080p . mosy 720 will play fine. Streaming for me works well,of course some of the roms are better then others.I will not make comments on any of them. I would say read the forums of those roms.Order and Chaos does actually run very well on my A500. as with most other android games. I can also say my Bluetooth motorola hd 9 headset works flawless.
Good Luck .

Its OK
I have an a500, video and audio streamig works fine, same goes for bluetooth, I hate how the browser auto closes when it runs out of memory specially when watching heavy loaded web sites (I mean heavy Flash content).
I am on stock 3.2.1 rom, no root.
I love the big usb port as I can connect almost anything, I have a USB hub and can connect 4 things at the same time (memory, keyboard, mouse and gamepad).
Sound is good, not top best but is ok.
No good 1080p playback as Erica already said.
No GPS issues unless you go for custom roms.
Planned to update to ICS by the end of the month.

I like my A500 but I would never go from a Prime to an A500.
I don't have any issues with my device per say. I run netflix, crunchyroll, etc. on there and I use plex as well as tversity so 1080p videos and anything out of the scope of compatibility for my tablet from my library aren't an issue for me. Like you, I use it for multimedia purposes and I am satisfied.
My unwanted 2c is you just wait for a patch that makes you LOVE your Prime. It took several software revisions before Acer got it right with Honeycomb on the A500 and Tegra3 as well as ICS is brand spanking new so I'd give it a bit more time. I stuck with the A500 because I liked it and I found the USB port useful but as I said, I would not go from a Prime to an A500 for the mere fact that the Prime is technically speaking, a newer device with better/faster hardware and a better screen....even if you THINK you don't care about Tegra3 vs. Tegra2, once Asus gets the software refined, overall it will be better than the A500. If it's a case where you have some disposable dollars and are thinking of getting the A500 in the interim, go ahead; but if you're going to swap/exchange the Prime and then buy an A500 I would heartily advise against it.
Good Luck to you, whatever you decide.

As for me, here is what I can say about the A500 :
- for the videos, I'm used to ripping my DVDs and blu-rays so I can read them on the tablet. My favorite format is MP4. Nothing special to say about DVDs, but as for the Blu-rays 720p main profile works fine (high profile does not), just as 1080p low profile (both main and high profile won't be readable with a comforable frame rate). It's also a matter of bit rate : for 720p main profile, 3500 Kbps is almost perfect, 4000 Kbps is fine 90% of the time but it can get really laggy for some minutes at times. For 1080p low profile, 5500 Kbps was fine, haven't tested anything else yet because anyway good 1080p compressed movies weighs like 8GB and with FAT32 you're supposed to be limited to 4GB. No noticeable quality differences with the tablet screen anyway, and very little on a large TV screen given the compression, so to me 720p main profile remains the best choice.
- Sound is surprisingly good but mic really (and I mean really) sucks. Barely usable.
- Screen isn't as accurate as on other tablets. It makes no differences at all for a normal use but if you intend to handwrite it is still possible but not perfect.
- Battery life is fine for me, but it lasts less than others. Like 6 to 8 hours in video, the same for a standard use (internet, reading,...).
- The screen is good, but again not as good as the Asus's screens or iPads and Galaxy tabs ones.
- The USB port is a huge feature for me, it works just fine with my NTFS external hard disk, with all my USB keys, with all my USB PC controllers (that are already set the right way !), with my keyboard, my mouse, and my USB hub so I can use my keyboard and mouse at the same time on the tablet !
- With Honeycomb, internet browsing is a little bit too slow and lacks smoothness for me with the default browser (I'm used to great smoothness and speed with my SGS 2), so I chose to use Dolphin Mini, which is fine. Hope the ICS update will fix that though.
In conclusion it's a good device but for 2011, you're likely to be disappointed coming from a Transformer Prime. Better wait for the A510 or the A700 to my mind.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to hold on to the prime for another 2 weeks or so and see how the 510 is holding up. It's always the customers that find the little quirks which are not noticed by the manufactures in their testing phases.
Thanks again!

sureeee
fsured said:
I currently have the Asus prime and love the tablet, but it doesn't work for my needs as a multimedia device on the go. With the blue tooth and streaming video/audio issue, my main purpose of it is no longer functional. I could careless about the gps.
I was looking at the Acer 500 tablet. I know it would be a tegra2 compared to the tegera3 and there is the 510 model just released. After the mess that is happening with the prime I'm hesitant to try another brand spanking new model right out of the gates. I don't mind yesterdays technology if it's proven to work and tweaked already. Plus it should be a bit cheaper.
So my question is, how do you owners of the Acer brand of tablets like your devices? Particularly the media abilities of it. I use youtube, stream tv shows, stream cartoons, and internet radio. Being able to use my blue tooth headset is my sore spot and is what I'm looking to rectify with a different tablet.
I do some gaming but not much on the android platform has really taken me yet. If these Acer models play Order and Chaos then it would be a boon.
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i really love my tab
it supports all my needs
but on a500 you have to use external 3g modem (i dont use 3g on my tab)
if 3g is important i would rather a501
but the other things about it is really good
i use it for media too. i even dont use my pc since ive got it
and about the 1080p video playback
hardware codecs are kinda laggy but i use software decoders and its ok