Related
Does anyone else that has one notice a funny vibration when it's charging and you touch the aluminum side? I have it sitting on a leather desk chair charging and whenever I touch the side I get a little vibration that feels like electric current. It's very noticeable when I run my finger up and down it.
Nope, I don't seem to have that. I bought one today, but the screen is horrible.
sublime167 said:
Does anyone else that has one notice a funny vibration when it's charging and you touch the aluminum side? I have it sitting on a leather desk chair charging and whenever I touch the side I get a little vibration that feels like electric current. It's very noticeable when I run my finger up and down it.
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Yes I was Checking that out at a Best Buy today and noticed that. Also I get the same vibration when I do the same thing on my HP Zeen android tab when it is docked to my printer.
quietas said:
Nope, I don't seem to have that. I bought one today, but the screen is horrible.
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Horrible? What makes the screen horrible for you? Why did you buy it? Surely, you could see that the screen was horrible before you decided to buy...??
I purchased one today as well. I haven't noticed the charging thing.
I think 'horrible' is a terribly harsh word, but many people tend to nitpick when it comes to these things and by all rights that's fine as it is their money. If you look carefully at the screen you'll see tiny vertical lines. In essence, if you sit there and stare up close you WILL see a tiny grid. I doubt many people will even notice it without it being called to attention. If it affected me negatively then I'd have an issue but it doesn't. It's obvious that some people are going to take issue with it though. It's up to the person to decide if they feel it's a problem or not.
The light acer ui software seems elegant and well thought out and all in all I do like it. I am still deciding between the iconia tab and the eee transformer. There are trade-offs. The eee doesn't have a camera flash and the front cam is 1.2 vs. the iconias 2.0 MP, not that that's a huge deal. The eee is also supposed to get a bit more juice from it's battery over the iconia tab. The eee doesn't have a host usb on the tab, you'll need the dock, not a big deal to some but I actually like having it on the tab. The eee has gorilla glass and an ips screen, the iconia doesnt have either but has a nice brushed metal backing and one thing I haven't noticed any reviewers mention is the Acer has a backlit power button which occasionally lights up....there's no method to it, ie: it's not lighting up because you have notifications but I'm sure a future update could result in that behavior. Heck, maybe it can be set right now (I haven't played with it in depth yet). The iconia tab also has some buried features...dolby sound which actually sounds pretty nice and 2 noise cancelling mics for really great skype/voip convos. These 2 tablets are going to give people a hard time in deciding I think. The eee has that keyboard/trackpad/battery dock, the iconia tab has a dock with a keyboard/trackpad/remote (rumored, I havent SEEN it).
One gripe I'm having with the Iconia is it doesn't seem to play many video file types over dlna. If it doesn't play them directly then this will definitely be a problem for me. I had a GTablet and would regularly use upnplay to stream videos from my Windows 7 machines and now I can't seem to get the Iconia to play a single file. I've tried Vplayer, Rockplayer, Doubletwist, nothing works. I don't know if this is Acer's fault or Honeycomb so I'm waiting patiently for the eee transformer to come so I can do my tests on it to finger the culprit.
I really like the tablet and hope I don't have to exchange it. I was all for the eee but got tired of the long drawn out wait. Now I'm hearing it's supposed to come tomorrow so I'll get to do some direct comparisons and end up with the one that fits me the most.
Why are you asking about the Acer in the Asus forum? just curious not being a jerk
Im picking up the iconia today. I don't care about the keyboard. If i wanted a Keyboard its get a netbook. I like the usb feature and the sim slot and hspa ready.
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using XDA Premium App
graffixnyc said:
Why are you asking about the Acer in the Asus forum? just curious not being a jerk
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Click to collapse
For those of us who don't want to wait until the middle of May for a Transformer, this is a viable option and I'd like to hear about their experiences with it, especially since there isn't a dedicated subform for it here yet (which is odd).
Got the A500, too. I like it, but will be checking out the transformer when I can get my hands on one.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
I bought one A500 today, the screen is fantastic.........
Is there really an issue with the grid being visible?
Great screen
Excellent Dolby sound
USB 2.0 port that actually works
Micro HDMI port with 1080p output
Working memory expansion
Great suite of included apps
Think I'll have to take a looksie at my local Best Buy.
I placed my order for the Transformer at Amazon in hopes that stock will come in soon, but I am still considering the A500. The main thing that's keeping me from it is the apparent lack of popularity compared to the Transformer. Doesn't affect the quality of the unit, but it does affect the availability of accessories and dev support.
I'm liking the A500. I see no problem with the screen. There's an included app to stream music from any PC in your network. The USB port can charge my EVO while I'm tethering and read files off of my phone or flash drive.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Are you able to install non-market apps?
dfin13 said:
Is there really an issue with the grid being visible?
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I saw that in the cnet review. Have not seen what they were talking about. Seems like they go out of their way to nitpick.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Cubfan99 said:
I saw that in the cnet review. Have not seen what they were talking about. Seems like they go out of their way to nitpick.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
You really have to look at it and look for it to see it imho. But it's there. Is it a dealbreaker? Only if it bothers you.
As for the question about non-market apps. The answer is yes, you can...and you can sideload just fine.
I'm still not able to play any videos :/ Even with the files directly on a microsd. My last choice is to copy them to the device and try the included player. If they still don't play this is going to be a big problem for me.
Anyone else able to stream videos from their pcs or from a microsd?
My local BB has decided to sell them telepathicly instead of putting them out for display. He said we have them but wont have a display until next week, maybe. They rather sell them instead he says, and I'm like not having them out on the floor helps...
I wanna see it in action first. Oh well sale lost....
That's goofy. My local BB had one on display right next to the Xoom.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/20/lenovo-thinkpad-tablet-and-keyboard-folio-case-hands-on-video/
Looks like we have some competition now...
I must say that when I first heard of the thinkpad I thought it would be trash but reading this article definitely changed my mind.
I don't regret my purchase but if I didn't already have the TF there would be some definite consideration between these two tablets.
I honestly think what Asus did with the dockable keyboard and what Toshiba is now doing with there feature set are the biggest things to happen to android since the arrival of the G1 and then the OG Nexus.
Watch apple come out w/ the next ipad and charge a fortune for it because it has a "revolutionary dockable keyboard? Don't be in shock when it happens... I'm psychic.
I personally don't like any android tablet, honeycomb runs smooth but it just doesn't appeal as an OS. It looks outdated with that black bar and boring bottons at the bottom. I do like the designs, especially the S Tab 10.1! What I find awkward about this Lenovo tablet its the huge borders at the sides. Pure opinion!
The Lenovo keyboard doesnt actually dock with the display though does it? Also no extra battery in the keyboard so I dont see much similarity and definitely not as versatile as the TF
Mark.
the asus wins hands down on the keyboard dock. the lenovo dock just has those angled slots that all tablet keyboards have - which looks like the tablet would be kind of loose and prone to flap around a bit if you had it on your lap.
also looks a bit chunky and heavy, but if the hardware performs better than the asus, it might be worth a look at.
but what ever happened to the U1 android/windows hybrid that lenovo was supposed to be bringing out? that looked like a device worth getting.
Alexander243 said:
I personally don't like any android tablet, honeycomb runs smooth but it just doesn't appeal as an OS. It looks outdated with that black bar and boring bottons at the bottom. I do like the designs, especially the S Tab 10.1! What I find awkward about this Lenovo tablet its the huge borders at the sides. Pure opinion!
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Then why are you in a subforum dedicated to a Honeycomb device? Go suck on an iPad or something, you boring twat.
grainysand said:
Then why are you in a subforum dedicated to a Honeycomb device? Go suck on an iPad or something, you boring twat.
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Why do you assume I like the iPad? Are you a psychic now? I am giving my opinion, if you don't like it you can just ignore it! Stop trolling.
It looks nice to me. I bet they sell a lot. Lenovo is a standard in corporations, unlike Asus.
it does look nice
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I have had my TF for about 4 days now, and I am considering returning it to BestBuy so I can buy the Thinkpad. Here are my reasonings so maybe someone can set me straight ;-)
+ Enterprise Features from the Get Go - Cisco AnyConnect... I want to use my tablet for work when I am travelling and I get a call for an emergency. No other tablet that boasts the features of the Thinkpad has the Cisco client in the package. Yes I know I could root, but some corporations consider this a security violation and do not allow rooted devices on campus.
+ Netflix with ability to store movies locally. This isn't coming to the Asus device if the hardware parts are true and being able to store a movie and watch it on an airplane is compelling.
+ Standard Thinkpad-like Keyboard - Now this one is sort of a up and a down for the Lenovo, the Thinkpad keyboards are great, but their design is no where near as nice as the ASUS integration.
+ Standard looking power supply? - I still can't find anyone who mentions the power adapter, it looks from what I can see to be a fairly standard USB connector but for some stupid reason no one shows it. At least I can probably bet extra power cables for less than $40 a pop and they might actually be in stock.
+ Availability of a stylus that has been engineered to work with the Lenovo package (this one worries me if I decide to go with a custom ROM assuming root is achievable, will the stylus still work? )
- Keyboard dock doesn't appear to lend itself to laptop use, more toward desktop use, it looks flimsy in a way.
- No power in the dock to extend the useful time without a charger, although if it is a standard power port, I can charge on long plane flights without an inverter or some other craziness.
- Odd looking interface changes and not clear if you can go with a generic Honeycomb layout on your desk.
There are other pluses such as I may be able to get a discount through work and so on, but they aren't really generic. My big things really are the power cable that may be more than about 3' long and the enterprise package. But man do I love my TF and going to anything without as good of integration at the keyboard dock is just going to be so hard.
Right now I am leaning toward sticking with what I have rather than inviting problem, not to mention the Thinkpad does seem to have a fair amount of wasted space on the edges, not that the TF doesn't.
captmiddy said:
. My big things really are the power cable that may be more than about 3' long and the enterprise package.
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You can get a USB3 extension cable for your TF for about $7 on Amazon. I use on my dock which is on top of my desk.
Enterprise support would be nice, but we have such as custom package we have trouble getting it to run on Windows 7 let alone Android.
The Lenovo keyboard is a minus for me. I have a T410 i5 and it's a great machine, but I use cut and past a lot and hate the position of the function key next to control!!!
captmiddy said:
I have had my TF for about 4 days now, and I am considering returning it to BestBuy so I can buy the Thinkpad. Here are my reasonings so maybe someone can set me straight ;-)
+ Enterprise Features from the Get Go - Cisco AnyConnect... I want to use my tablet for work when I am travelling and I get a call for an emergency. No other tablet that boasts the features of the Thinkpad has the Cisco client in the package. Yes I know I could root, but some corporations consider this a security violation and do not allow rooted devices on campus.
+ Netflix with ability to store movies locally. This isn't coming to the Asus device if the hardware parts are true and being able to store a movie and watch it on an airplane is compelling.
+ Standard Thinkpad-like Keyboard - Now this one is sort of a up and a down for the Lenovo, the Thinkpad keyboards are great, but their design is no where near as nice as the ASUS integration.
+ Standard looking power supply? - I still can't find anyone who mentions the power adapter, it looks from what I can see to be a fairly standard USB connector but for some stupid reason no one shows it. At least I can probably bet extra power cables for less than $40 a pop and they might actually be in stock.
+ Availability of a stylus that has been engineered to work with the Lenovo package (this one worries me if I decide to go with a custom ROM assuming root is achievable, will the stylus still work? )
- Keyboard dock doesn't appear to lend itself to laptop use, more toward desktop use, it looks flimsy in a way.
- No power in the dock to extend the useful time without a charger, although if it is a standard power port, I can charge on long plane flights without an inverter or some other craziness.
- Odd looking interface changes and not clear if you can go with a generic Honeycomb layout on your desk.
There are other pluses such as I may be able to get a discount through work and so on, but they aren't really generic. My big things really are the power cable that may be more than about 3' long and the enterprise package. But man do I love my TF and going to anything without as good of integration at the keyboard dock is just going to be so hard.
Right now I am leaning toward sticking with what I have rather than inviting problem, not to mention the Thinkpad does seem to have a fair amount of wasted space on the edges, not that the TF doesn't.
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Click to collapse
imo if you really want the stylus features (which seems pretty sweet) and the keyboard then you are better off with the thinkpad. People are saying the dock integration isn't as good on the thinkpad as it is on the TF, not sure where they are getting that from other than speculation. From what I can see, other than the keyboard being larger and thicker it seems to dock pretty much the same way as the TF.
For me though, I don't care much for the features on the Thinkpad and my TF has done everything I need it to do thus far.
starplaya93 said:
imo if you really want the stylus features (which seems pretty sweet) and the keyboard then you are better off with the thinkpad. People are saying the dock integration isn't as good on the thinkpad as it is on the TF, not sure where they are getting that from other than speculation. From what I can see, other than the keyboard being larger and thicker it seems to dock pretty much the same way as the TF.
For me though, I don't care much for the features on the Thinkpad and my TF has done everything I need it to do thus far.
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Click to collapse
Well, actually, it doesn't seem to dock the same way at all. First, it's not as sturdy, i.e., the TF/dock combo is essentially the same as a single integrated device. The Lenovo docks into a piece that then can be moved within the case. That's a nice feature if you use it on a desk or other flat surface, but I can't see using the Lenovo solution, e.g., while in bed, perched on my blanket, the same way I can my TF. Second, there's no second battery in the Lenovo dock. Finally, if you like the typical trackpad, then you'd want the TF.
The Lenovo looks nice, don't get me wrong, and that N-trig active digitizer would be nice if you want to take handwritten notes. If I were in my previous sales engineer role where I took copious notes during many sales meetings a week, that would be a nice feature. Then again, if that were the case, I'd probably just keep using my Windows 7 Tablet PC, which has the best handwritten notes tool (OneNote) and recognition on the market.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
You should buy one or two
Wow looks like Netflix is working on the Tab 10.1 and Xoom.....No love for our TF????
wynand32 said:
Well, actually, it doesn't seem to dock the same way at all. First, it's not as sturdy, i.e., the TF/dock combo is essentially the same as a single integrated device. The Lenovo docks into a piece that then can be moved within the case. That's a nice feature if you use it on a desk or other flat surface, but I can't see using the Lenovo solution, e.g., while in bed, perched on my blanket, the same way I can my TF. Second, there's no second battery in the Lenovo dock. Finally, if you like the typical trackpad, then you'd want the TF.
The Lenovo looks nice, don't get me wrong, and that N-trig active digitizer would be nice if you want to take handwritten notes. If I were in my previous sales engineer role where I took copious notes during many sales meetings a week, that would be a nice feature. Then again, if that were the case, I'd probably just keep using my Windows 7 Tablet PC, which has the best handwritten notes tool (OneNote) and recognition on the market.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, it isn't the same, the Lenovo keyboard isn't a dock, you don't power through the keyboard, you just plug it into a USB keyboard that has some Android specific buttons added in. And it does look a little flimsy from a sitting in an odd position perspective. There is nothing holding it in that position other than what appears to be a few indentations on the keyboard panel.
As for the notes, I haven't run Windows in about 8 years, not planning to start now ;-). And since I am considering going back to graduate school here in the future, I like the concept of the hand written notes, but you know if I really do go back to school I will just add it as a school expense and buy a the current well designed unit with a stylus, I really am thinking I will stick to the Asus as I really do like the dock integration. But I still do hate the power cable and I know it is only one thing, but it is driving me to distraction as it is like the thing that has me almost tipping toward returning this for the Thinkpad.
Alexander243 said:
I personally don't like any android tablet, honeycomb runs smooth but it just doesn't appeal as an OS. It looks outdated with that black bar and boring bottons at the bottom. I do like the designs, especially the S Tab 10.1! What I find awkward about this Lenovo tablet its the huge borders at the sides. Pure opinion!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess what sooner or later ios will copy it.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
It is pretty obvious that Lenovo is targeting this system as a business tool. For that market it looks very good.
I can imagine having this unit sitting in its it keyboard dock at my desk and grabbing it to go to a meeting. At the meeting I would take notes with the stylus and having my crummy handwriting converted to text on the fly. Then when I got back to my desk I could integrate my notes into other documents, emails, etc.
The same scenario would probably work for students going from their desks to classes and back.
Of course it won't be as entertaining as watching someone on an iPad try to take notes, but you can't have everything.:->
Every week there are several new posts asking" Should I get an XXXX tablet now or wait for the YYYY tablet. You can fill in the XXXX and YYYY with any brand you want as there has been and probably will be new names to insert for a while. Each new tablet seems to have something that the previous one lacked along with some issues ( both new and old). If you are looking at a tablet do some searching ( not asking) here on XDA and find one that you are happy with and buy it. After you get it use it, enjoy it and upgrade firmware as needed. WAY too many people are spending unnecessary time and money always seeking the greener grass on the other side of the fence. With PC sales sagging, every manufacturer is looking for something to replace their revenue. Today it is the tablet. What works for me may not work for you. Read the specs and research before you buy. I am amazed by how many people buy items only to find out that a key feature they need is not there even though the specs indicated it was missing.
I guess Lenovo designed this tablet for 2.x, judging by the hardware buttons. It's a nice looking tablet, and the folio case is cool, but the buttons scream "last minute HC decision."
dazz87 said:
Wow looks like Netflix is working on the Tab 10.1 and Xoom.....No love for our TF????
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Click to collapse
There is a Netflix patch for the transformer. Check out the thread in the development forum. It works great!
So, recently I've seen a lot more threads comparing the Eee Transformer to the A500. Before I bought either of these tablets I did a ton of product comparison in store with various display models, at least 3 A500's and 3 Transformers.
Note: for full disclosure the Eee Pad what I thought I wanted when I first started looking at tabs.
I am writing this review as I believe all of these comparisons to date have been based on box stats and not real world trials. Below I will layout the features that really matter (e.g. I'm not going to review bluetooth, let's make some assumptions here) and how they stack up in a direct comparison.
Weight / Build Quality
Held each tab, A500 in my left, Transformer in my right, you CAN notice the difference, is it significant? Strangely when holding one tab the Transformer feels way lighter, however, when you pick the Acer up again, it feels almost the same. It's hard to explain, go try it yourself.
When holding the Asus you immediately realize the reason for the Acer's extra weight is better build quality. You can literally FEEL the build quality difference. I pushed on the screen of the Asus around the power button and it receeded about 1/8th of an inch! The Acer's screen also flexes, but not nearly as much. Asus build quality is terrible, I would gladly pay the extra weight penalty for the stronger build of the Acer.
If you are a thumb typer, and if you find wide bezels to be an issue, you will notice that the Acer actually has a narrower bezel than the Asus, I couldn't believe the Asus' bezel was wider, but it is!
Battery Life
Looking at the tech. specs each of these tablets should have pretty much the same battery life. The battery capacity of the Asus is 6600 mAH and the Acer is about 80 mAH less, a negligible difference. They run similar processors, however, some have said the IPS panel of the Transformer equates to better battery life. Something however is amiss in the numbers department though... Asus has said 9.5 hours of battery life, however, every review online (and I looked at 6) pegged the Asus' battery life at ~7.5 hours and the Acer's battery life at ~7.5 hours, there is no real world difference here.
Considering the Acer has low power DDR2 RAM while the Asus does not, this may also explain some of the balance as IPS panels have been shown to run less power.
Camera Quality (back camera, who cares about front anyway)
With the update to 3.2 and 1080P recording, the Acer has an AWESOME video camera now which takes great stills too, I was blown away (have you tried it yet? If not, try it now!). This paragraph will be short and sweet, the Asus' camera blows. It takes crappy video, it looks way less clear and crisp and the same is true for stills. Not even in the same league as the Acer's camera now and there is no flash, the Acer dominates in cameras bigtime!
Connectivity
The Asus tries hard, however, it just can't match the Acer. The USB port of the Acer will come in handy at least once in its lifetime, not to mention the ease of adding a keyboard, game controller, etc. Moreover, the HDMI connection on the Acer is micro, while the HDMI on the Asus is mini. Mini HDMI is much harder to find than micro, I had no problem finding a micro HDMI cable, however, mini HDMI cables had to be ordered off the web.
Price
$399 for 16GB, both models, no difference anymore!
UI Performance
The Acer I ran tested on the floor of course utilized Honeycomb 3.1 while the Asus was running Honeycomb 3.2. Even though the Asus has the latest version of Honeycomb, the Acer performs much smoother while scrolling the UI and loading applications. The difference was evident, so much so, this was ultimately the deciding factor for me. The Acer appears to dominate here even with the older software and similar hardware. Some have rumored that the speed increase of the Acer is due to its using LPDDR2 RAM when the Asus uses older DDR2 RAM. I can not confirm this, but benchmarks also showed a slight edge to the Acer.
Screen Quality
There has been a lot of discussion of Asus' screen quality vs. Acer's. I went in with the expectation that the Asus would be noticably different (I have perfect eyesight btw). I could not, repeat, could not tell a single damn difference between the two when both on high brightness with XDA Developers loaded in the browser. Perhaps the Asus was slightly "crisper", however, that could be my IPS bias. There is no difference folks, and if you can tell, my hats off to you.
The Acer losses out on glass though. The Asus uses corning name brand Gorilla Glass, while the Acer states it only uses "tempered glass". If you expect to not get a case, or if you are prone to dropping your tablet on its face (most likely you will destroy more than the glass) then you must consider this angle. Gorilla glass is going to help a bit with scratches and perhaps cracks, however, I also noticed it shows more finger prints than the Acer does. *see post #2 apparently the A500 does have gorilla glass!
Screen angles on both are a joke. You can look at the Acer up to 160 degrees, why would you want to? You can look at the Asus up to 179 degrees, but why would you want to? Screen angles are pretty much identical, both are very viewable from the side.
Accessories
Acer has basic cases and other crap, the Asus of course has the whole battery extending USB-porting keyboard dock. Obviously, Asus destroys Acer here. If you don't already own a laptop or netbook, this may matter to you. However, remember that most of your productivity applications are probably not in Android and if you want to be productive, a tablet no matter what dock it has is not nearly as effective as a laptop.
Sound Quality
Another landslide for the Acer, the Dolby sound is the best sound I've ever heard on a mobile device, no joke. I had heads snapping in my living room trying to figure out how such big clear sound was coming out of a tiny little tablet. People will notice. The Asus? Sounds exactly like you'd expect a tablet to sound, like a tin can.
Conclusion
In summary, I ended up buying the Acer A500. With the Asus I could get a bit lighter weight and a keyboard dock that's totally awesome. These were the main benefits the Asus offers over the Acer. As I discovered the lower weight was due to poor construction and materials, the slighter weight of the Asus was no longer a factor. As I didn't need a keyboard, the obvious choice became the Acer due to its superior usability overall.
I hope this helps prospective buyers!
Very nice review! Makes me glad I chose the Acer over the Asus too, although my main reason was that the Acer was available locally with no wait.
Just a quick correction though, even though Acer doesn't say so, according to www.corningorillaglass.com the A500 does sport the Gorilla Glass. I'm not sure why Acer wouldn't mention it, since it is a decent buying point, but there you go.
funny but i bought because of 100 dollar staple coupon.
and then keep reading reviews on amazon...this is best review i ever read.
ipad iconia and zt-180 v2 all over sofa and bed...
Very thourough review. I have been enjoying my A500 for a couple weeks now. Got a good deal on Amazon. I am new to Android devices, so I have spent a lot of time on xda forums learning how to root and flash new ROM on my device.
Would have been interested to hear how the mics compared for video calling etc.
pankaj2000 said:
funny but i bought because of 100 dollar staple coupon.
and then keep reading reviews on amazon...this is best review i ever read.
ipad iconia and zt-180 v2 all over sofa and bed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my reasoning as well! I was thinking that I may look at tablets around Christmas, since I am sure there will be some crazy deals, but I happened to see the $100 Staples coupon and decided to jump on it. It was originally intended for the kids but they have a hard time pulling it away from me.
Is it just my unit, or have others noticed a MAJOR difference in recorded video quality when running a custom 3.2 ROM as opposed to 3.1? I recorded some video in the kitchen of my house, played it back, and it looked extremely realistic. My wife who doesn't even like tech. was pretty happy about it, that's saying something. It was super crisp and clear, definitely the best video device I have now! But I also don't have any dedicated video camera...
goofytim said:
Exactly my reasoning as well! I was thinking that I may look at tablets around Christmas, since I am sure there will be some crazy deals, but I happened to $300 see the $100 Staples coupon and decided to jump on it. It was originally intended for the kids but they have a hard time pulling it away from me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
got ipad for me on my birthday $400 and wife took it..$100 off staples coupon got me iconia
$300 and kids took it..now i m stuck with zt-180v2....but iconia is the best...
I liked the more solid feel, and the full size USB port on the tab itself. I couldn't tell much difference between the screens either.
Sent from my A500 using xda premium
As a transformer owner I can vouch on three things:
1. IMO the screen quality is miles ahead of the A500;
2. The weight difference is neglible but the A500 feels bulkier and slightly more awkward to hold;
3. The A500's sound quality is killer. The TF101's speakers make a train station passenger information system sound like a bose home theatre.. Yes, it's ****e !!!
Don't berate me, these are just my opinions...
The two are so close. The TF is noticeably lighter. Screen is a bit better on the TF. The keyboard dock is rad, but kind of pricey. Not a bad decision either way. It was a REALLY tough choice to pick between the two.
Sent from my A100 using XDA Premium App
Yes, it is a VERY difficult choice, for me, I love the sound and cameras and don't mind the weight nor need the keyboard dock. If you think like me, go Acer, if you really need the dock and the weight, perhaps a bit better screen (if you can notice), go the Asus!
I use my A500 mostly in portrait mode since I do a lot of reading so that makes the keyboard useless. The extended battery is a welcome addition but if I need the tablet docked while I'm reading, that seems kinda awkward. Also the color sucks. No offense to Asus owners but seriously the color sucks. The finish on the A500 is really nice and feels sturdy.
Dolby Mobile is awesome
I just felt like chiming in regarding the A500. I think the audio is better than any other tablet. The iPad does not have stereo. Even the TouchPad, with it's "beats" music system does not sound as good as the Dolby Mobile on the A500. Rock on!
I tried video conference the other day, and the audio on my A500 was horrible, can't hear anything. I have the Acer folio on it, so it should not be a problem?
I compared at a Office depot store, the screen seems brighter on the Asus, nicer, I feel. But given the fact that buying the Asus means I'll have to end up with buying a dock for $140 more, just not worth it.
ctiger said:
I tried video conference the other day, and the audio on my A500 was horrible, can't hear anything. I have the Acer folio on it, so it should not be a problem?
I compared at a Office depot store, the screen seems brighter on the Asus, nicer, I feel. But given the fact that buying the Asus means I'll have to end up with buying a dock for $140 more, just not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You couldn't hear the audio? Do you know if the other side had their mic's turned up? The audio is very loud on my A500, too loud, I get complaints when I crank it up from the wife..
Has anyone tried the new video recording in 3.2 yet? It's epic on mine! Please, chime in with your experiences..
Nice comparative write up!
While I agree with just about everything you've written, I have to say that the difference in display is very noticeable....as noticeable as viewing an image on the A500 and TV via HDMI out at the same time. Colors are much more vibrant on a Transformer's display, but panel brightness is visually the same in my opinion.
When I was first in the market, I purchased both the Transformer and Iconia A500 to try with in the limitations of the return policy. I basically came to the same conclusion as yourself.
The first Acer I purchased had a questionable build. The upper left corner of the tab would creak under slight pressure. Very annoying, but after researching a bit...some people was stating the same experience and some were not. The Transformer seemed to be more solid in comparison.....well as solid as plastic could be, but at the time, the most important part was that it didn't creak nor had hairline cracks at the seams like the A500 I first tried.
Also the right speaker sounded like it was in a tin can while a pebble rattled around. I opened it up to see if the speaker was torn or what have you, only to discover a set screw was backed out enough to allow the speaker to vibrate against the mounts/casing.
But after going back to the store and checking to see if the display model shared the same annoyance, I realized I had received one that got past quality control. So I'm happy to say the current A500 is solid.
Anyway, in my opinion...if it weren't for the built in USB port, I probably would still be trying to decide between the two.
autom8r said:
Has anyone tried the new video recording in 3.2 yet? It's epic on mine! Please, chime in with your experiences..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Taboonay 2.0 and I have to say yes the video recording id epic.
I couldn't find micro HDMI cables in Australia in any shop. Unless you count a micro to full HDMI adapter some idiot store wanted $99 for! I bought a 4m cable from eBay for about $20. Just starting to see cables in stores now, but still very expensive rip-offs.
As for keyboard ports, don't. Need them on the Acer as I use the Acer Bluetooth keyboard. Keyboard connectors are so old tech!
And when I bricked my machine playing with ROMs from in here, Acer was very understandering and fixed my machine for me. So i'll stick to the stock ROM. but I did appreciate acer rescuing my machine.
Sent from my A500 using xda premium
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.
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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.
Hi all,
Been a while since I posted in these forums! I think my last check in was around the time of the HTC Titan.
Anyhow, I recently I have been designing cases for high end tablets. I just finished work on the Samsung Ativ700t. Check it out.
Demo and making of.
http://youtu.be/-QlsQIz71KU
Now that I'm finished with the Ativ I'm looking for the next best high end tablet to work on. I was thinking that the Helix may be a good fit.
The Surface Pro seems like it would be fun but MS seems to have things pretty well covered already with their kickstand and keyboard cover.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Isaiah Coberly
Routb3d said:
Hi all,
Been a while since I posted in these forums! I think my last check in was around the time of the HTC Titan.
Anyhow, I recently I have been designing cases for high end tablets. I just finished work on the Samsung Ativ700t. Check it out.
Demo and making of.
http://youtu.be/-QlsQIz71KU
Now that I'm finished with the Ativ I'm looking for the next best high end tablet to work on. I was thinking that the Helix may be a good fit.
The Surface Pro seems like it would be fun but MS seems to have things pretty well covered already with their kickstand and keyboard cover.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Isaiah Coberly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, what about a 500t one? There is a lot more demand for the 500t tablet than the 700t.
Appreciate the video for the fabrication process.
Looks like Batman armor. You should stick in a bat insignia (and hope DC Comics won't sue). Suggest Batman-style "musculature" styling accents. Glow accents? (http://thatscoolwire.com) Right now it looks...utilitarian. No sizzle. For high-end toys, you want some panache. A little je ne sais quoi.
The handstrap in the back looks useful and you should use it as the leading pitch, since most cases don't have the feature. As a logical progression, suggest enhancing strap with a 360 pivot--although it would be wasted on Windows tabs, since Win8 Metro is still functionally limited to landscape. Which segues to another question: Why Windows tablets, which has about zero market share? Why not popular Android tablets? Adjustable retention tabs?
Frankly, the origami folds look way too complicated to use, and can't be locked in place for optimal touch use, ie if you press on the screen, the whole thing bounces up and down like a bad shock absorber. Apple's tri-fold is the simplest and best. That allows two incline angles (for viewing & typing), which is all you need. You can allow said tri-fold in both landscape & portrait orientations, ie a tic-tac-toe pattern.
>Yes, what about a 500t one?
With a $129 price, OP is right in sticking to high-end toys. I think he can simplify the design and reduce a substantial part of the labor. But for higher volume (for lower margin), he'd need to go to a mass production process anyway.
e.mote said:
Appreciate the video for the fabrication process.
Looks like Batman armor. You should stick in a bat insignia (and hope DC Comics won't sue). Suggest Batman-style "musculature" styling accents. Glow accents? (http://thatscoolwire.com) Right now it looks...utilitarian. No sizzle. For high-end toys, you want some panache. A little je ne sais quoi.
The handstrap in the back looks useful and you should use it as the leading pitch, since most cases don't have the feature. As a logical progression, suggest enhancing strap with a 360 pivot--although it would be wasted on Windows tabs, since Win8 Metro is still functionally limited to landscape. Which segues to another question: Why Windows tablets, which has about zero market share? Why not popular Android tablets? Adjustable retention tabs?
Frankly, the origami folds look way too complicated to use, and can't be locked in place for optimal touch use, ie if you press on the screen, the whole thing bounces up and down like a bad shock absorber. Apple's tri-fold is the simplest and best. That allows two incline angles (for viewing & typing), which is all you need. You can allow said tri-fold in both landscape & portrait orientations, ie a tic-tac-toe pattern.
>Yes, what about a 500t one?
With a $129 price, OP is right in sticking to high-end toys. I think he can simplify the design and reduce a substantial part of the labor. But for higher volume (for lower margin), he'd need to go to a mass production process anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yours is the best reaction I think I've ever gotten from one of my videos! I woke up, Read your review and subsequently woke my girlfriend up Giggling at the thought of the Batcase. Seriously though, "Batman, if you're really out there, I want to make your case!". You know he wouldn't be caught dead with an iPad!
As for the rest of the suggestions and comments.
Hand Strap
There are other cases that have the hand strap. You are the third to suggest a swiveling hand strap. I'll look into it and see if I can find a way to Swivel the hand strap without increasing the thickness of the case too much. Too much is any more than .07".
The Price
The Ativ family of tablets taught me something about price. I initially offered the case for both the 500T and the 700T at $99. I had way more interest for the 500T but way more orders for the 700T. I Think of it like this, If someone were to offer me one of the two tablets for free, I would certainly take the 700t. That said, the people who bought the 500T most likely settled. It's that same decision making that prevents the majority of them from justifying a case that is X11 more expensive than the cheapest case they can get. Not every tablet has a bigger brother to separate out the price conscious shoppers so I'm greatful for having accidentally stumbled into the Ativ family. Though my product has the potential to be much more widely adopted, I am fine with the idea that I can continue making small quantities of hand made cases For a fair and sustainable price. With limited time and resources, it's imperative that I find tablet users that recognize the value in what I do. The very tablet that my potential customers buy tells me something about their decision making. I will never hand make a case for a product that someone has most likely settled for.
Origami Folds
The cover automatically folds into the stand. A child can do this. There's a removably attached Teather that activates this folding mechanism. The auto fold is one of the surprising features of the case. When people see the case in action for the first time They experience some rare form of the Bewilderment that is particularly stronger when they see it in person.. Because it delights people, The case is a lot of fun for show and tell. It is really commonly stated from users that they are giving demos in public places to perfect strangers and loving Or loathing the attention.
The stand has a very minimal amount of spring even before the live hinges are broken-in and is a sturdy enough stand that you would literally destroy the case before it would collapse/bend into an unusable viewing angle.
I couldn't agree less about the trifold being the best or better solution. The trifold is a design that fails to adapt and requires way more energy and attention to actually set up. If you can open a book cover and set something down you can use my case. The structure of the case will naturally adapt whether you're setting it down on a table, a knee, a pile of laundry or an un-even surface of any kind. I have literally had Amputees writing me and telling me that they love my case because they don't need a second hand to use it.
Thanks! And great reply!
Isaiah Coberly