Related
I posted this in the stock thread but feel it would be better placed in its own thread to help those who have a xoom and are considering making the jump to the Transformer.
Got my phone order in to TD yesterday and the transformer showed up today!
Screen: Simply looks better however my finger doesnt seem to "glide" as easy as the xoom. However on the flip side I have already noticed less fingerprints.
Audio: not sure where the speakers are but the sound seems more like its coming at you as opposed to the xoom where the speakers were in back facing away from you, much improved.
Responsiveness: Maybe im crazy but the overall response time seems improved, especially when switching orientation. I also especially notice this in angry birds, when I restarted a level on the Xoom there would be a half second pause while it reloaded the level. On the transformer it restarts the level RIGHT NOW. I thought the Xoom lagged a bit because of all the apps I had installed but I have all the same apps on the transformer and have not noticed any lag whatsoever.
Weight: I knew it was lighter but didnt think I would notice. I was wrong, I noticed the first moment I picked it up. Granted I had the 4G Xoom so maybe the cellular radio made it heavier however it is very refreshing to have a lighter tablet.
Camera: This is the one place where the xoom wins, well kind of. Low light enviroments make a low light shot. The Xooms ability to have flash give it the advantage here. However I will say when there is enough light the transformers pictures seem to be a bit more "crisp". Video is the one area where the transformer falls down. The video is laggy (choppy) and I have a feeling this may be something that firmware can fix (Im still on the original factory firmware).
Wi-Fi: I am in the same location as where I had my Xoom tied into my office wifi. The xoom always read 3 out of 4 bars where the Transformer gets 4 out of 4 bars all over the entire building. I really think the Transformer gets better wi-fi reception.
GPS: The GPS radio in the Transformer is just as good as the one in the Xoom. It pickes me up spot on in a building where we have two steel roofs.
On Screen keyboard: I love the transformers on screen keyboard. Its like they actually put some thought into it. Its button placement is much more refined then the xoom. At first I didnt think i would like it but after 20 minutes of use I found myself being much more productive with the new layout.
Market: Both Droid market and Amazon App store immediately downloaded all my old apps so making the switch was cake. I was concerned I would have to individually re-download all my old apps but both app stores did a fantastic job of getting all my old apps.
The basic feel and operation of Honeycomb seems to be exactly the same. I LOVE the floating ice cube wallpaper and noticed on the Xoom whenever I had an animated background it slowed down the tab. This is NOT the case with the transformer, everything still seems fluid even with the animated background. It is not my intent to bash the Xoom but I paid $800 for it and spent half on this device and it honestly feels like a step forward. Granted I dont have verizon access anymore but found I always used wifi regardless.
Add all of this up and then take into factor you can use a dock that will give you full size USB, keyboard, mouse, a Micro SD card slot that actually works right out of the package and you have a no brainer. Absolutely thrilled I made the switch!
EDIT: added info after one full night of playing with it;
Well after a full night of playing with the transformer (as well as doing the firmware upgrade) I did come up with some more input
Audio: As others have stated the overall sound quality from the Xoom speakers are superior. Yesterday when i was playing with the device I was at work and couldnt really turn it up all the way. When you do hit max volume it is not very loud and is very distorted. At normal volume levels I think it sounds better simply because the speakers arent facing away from you. Now since I rarely run the tablet at max volume this shouldnt be an issue
Video recording: Yes the firmware did help significantly but it did not cure the problem entirely. The video now only slightly studders, which is somewhat tolerable. However my Xoom from day 1 took stellar video and never had an issue. Hopefully future updates will eliminate all studdering but for now the Xoom has the clear advantage in this area.
Battery life: Keep in mind I dont have the dock yet but the battery life on the Xoom is definately better. Not by leaps and bounds but it is noticeable. I played on the TF for 4 hours last night doing everything from video to firmware updated and I dropped to 40%. I did this same process when I got my Xoom for approximately the same amount of time and only went down to 60%. Perhaps its the floating ice cube background? Who knows, but for now the Xoom definately has the edge for now.
On screen keyboard: Yes I like the layout better on the TF but the input is slightly slower then the Xoom. Overall the TF seems more responsive but in this department the Xoom wins out. Again, hopefully this is something that is fixed in future updates.
Im trying to be as fair and honest as possible here so that I can help people make wise decisions. From my original post im still sold on the transformer over the Xoom but there are definately things the Xoom does better and vice versa.
Happy Hunting!
03stage2 said:
Screen: Simply looks better however my finger doesnt seem to "glide" as easy as the xoom. However on the flip side I have already noticed less fingerprints.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just FYI, this gets better. There appears to be a coating of something on the screen that disappears over time, or maybe the first time you vigorously wipe it down. I was worried because I found my finger skipping across the screen instead of gliding, but now it's normal. Maybe it's from the protective plastic the Transformer ships in.
i heard about that finger glide thing, take a micro fiber cloth make it very slightly damp and wipe the screen down
I'm mad you got yours already! I'm waiting on the UPS guy right now haha.
Thanks for the comparison!
dfin13 said:
Just FYI, this gets better. There appears to be a coating of something on the screen that disappears over time, or maybe the first time you vigorously wipe it down. I was worried because I found my finger skipping across the screen instead of gliding, but now it's normal. Maybe it's from the protective plastic the Transformer ships in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I thought my screen was broken when I first used it.
This changes over time. If it doesn't, a screen protector will solve any problems.
The difference in wifi strength could be due to the fact that the Transformer doesn't have a metal back. I remember when the iPhone 1's had problems cuz of the metal back.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
You forgot to mention a huge selling point: the GREAT price.
I got a TF + dock+ sleeve + 16 GB memory card for LESS than what I spent on the wifi only Xoom.
strikethreeout said:
You forgot to mention a huge selling point: the GREAT price.
I got a TF + dock+ sleeve + 16 GB memory card for LESS than what I spent on the wifi only Xoom.
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Click to collapse
I said in my conclusion that I spent $800 on the 4G Xoom and half on this tab. But youre completely right, even when I add the cost of the dock I am still WAY ahead of the game.
donatom3 said:
The difference in wifi strength could be due to the fact that the Transformer doesn't have a metal back. I remember when the iPhone 1's had problems cuz of the metal back.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did some tests last night and my Xoom was getting better wifi performance than my TF. I'm guessing any differences in either direction could be related as much to the router as to the tablet...
03stage2 said:
Audio: not sure where the speakers are but the sound seems more like its coming at you as opposed to the xoom where the speakers were in back facing away from you, much improved.
Camera: This is the one place where the xoom wins, well kind of. Low light enviroments make a low light shot. The Xooms ability to have flash give it the advantage here. However I will say when there is enough light the transformers pictures seem to be a bit more "crisp". Video is the one area where the transformer falls down. The video is laggy (choppy) and I have a feeling this may be something that firmware can fix (Im still on the original factory firmware).
Wi-Fi: I am in the same location as where I had my Xoom tied into my office wifi. The xoom always read 3 out of 4 bars where the Transformer gets 4 out of 4 bars all over the entire building. I really think the Transformer gets better wi-fi reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with most of what you wrote, just some clarification on these items:
Audio: I've actually found that my Xoom's audio is higher quality than my TF's. I don't know if there's variability between TFs, but the Xoom's is both richer (more base and midrange, I think) and louder (even without something behind it to redirect the sound forward). I did a test last night and found the TF's speakers to be very inferior to the Xoom's.
Camera: The newest firmware definitely improves video capture, so no worries there.
Wi-Fi: I did a test last night with the Xoom and TF, and actually found the Xoom to perform better. However, there are too many variables to say which is better. The TF's performance is just fine regardless.
And ultimately, the screen is SO much better and the keyboard dock really does seal the deal. For $399, I think the TF is by far the better machine and would be even if the Xoom were the same price.
I believe it is something to do with the Gorilla Glass
wynand32 said:
I agree with most of what you wrote, just some clarification on these items:
Audio: I've actually found that my Xoom's audio is higher quality than my TF's. I don't know if there's variability between TFs, but the Xoom's is both richer (more base and midrange, I think) and louder (even without something behind it to redirect the sound forward). I did a test last night and found the TF's speakers to be very inferior to the Xoom's.
Camera: The newest firmware definitely improves video capture, so no worries there.
Wi-Fi: I did a test last night with the Xoom and TF, and actually found the Xoom to perform better. However, there are too many variables to say which is better. The TF's performance is just fine regardless.
And ultimately, the screen is SO much better and the keyboard dock really does seal the deal. For $399, I think the TF is by far the better machine and would be even if the Xoom were the same price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. For audio I agree the Xoom had more midtones but to me they were muffled and being priduced by a tiny speaker that has no business trying to replicate those frequencies. The TF is much more treble based and to me sounds better due to that. I still stand by the TF highs sound better overall though.
Thanks for the input on the camera. I see you can manually download the new firmware but my TF is so new I think I will wait for the OTA update as I dont want to risk bricking a brand new device.
Maybe I just got lucky on the wi-fi but it definately gets better signal even at distance. But as another poster stated sometimes wi-fi signal performance isnt always dictated by the using device as much as it is by the router itself.
Damn I love this screen....
wynand32 said:
Audio: I've actually found that my Xoom's audio is higher quality than my TF's. I don't know if there's variability between TFs, but the Xoom's is both richer (more base and midrange, I think) and louder (even without something behind it to redirect the sound forward). I did a test last night and found the TF's speakers to be very inferior to the Xoom's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree too, even the audio out is worse than the xooms. there's just too much emphasis on the highs. it also doesn't get as loud and distorts more at lower levels - this is all through the headphone jack, not onboard speakers.
i was hoping that audio out would be as good as the xoom as i thought the xoom was as good or possibly better than my ipad's output. i'd have to assume it's a software tweek since i'd guess they'd have the same audio processors.
one other thing about the tf - make sure you have fingernails if you like to insert and remove micorsd cards in this unit. i cannot replace my sdcard without something to push it back in after removing it.
Well after a full night of playing with the transformer (as well as doing the firmware upgrade) I did come up with some more input
Audio: As others have stated the overall sound quality from the Xoom speakers are superior. Yesterday when i was playing with the device I was at work and couldnt really turn it up all the way. When you do hit max volume it is not very loud and is very distorted. At normal volume levels I think it sounds better simply because the speakers arent facing away from you. Now since I rarely run the tablet at max volume this shouldnt be an issue
Video recording: Yes the firmware did help significantly but it did not cure the problem entirely. The video now only slightly studders, which is somewhat tolerable. However my Xoom from day 1 took stellar video and never had an issue. Hopefully future updates will eliminate all studdering but for now the Xoom has the clear advantage in this area.
Battery life: Keep in mind I dont have the dock yet but the battery life on the Xoom is definately better. Not by leaps and bounds but it is noticeable. I played on the TF for 4 hours last night doing everything from video to firmware updated and I dropped to 40%. I did this same process when I got my Xoom for approximately the same amount of time and only went down to 60%. Perhaps its the floating ice cube background? Who knows, but for now the Xoom definately has the edge for now.
On screen keyboard: Yes I like the layout better on the TF but the input is slightly slower then the Xoom. Overall the TF seems more responsive but in this department the Xoom wins out. Again, hopefully this is something that is fixed in future updates.
Im trying to be as fair and honest as possible here so that I can help people make wise decisions. From my original post im still sold on the transformer over the Xoom but there are definately things the Xoom does better and vice versa.
Happy Hunting!
03stage2 - In general I agree with your comparison. I've been using the TF and Xoom side by side for the last week.
Battery life: I've noticed the the TF battery drains faster when it's not being used, like overnight. The Xoom seems to use less battery when it's not doing anything. In active usage I haven't noticed a difference, but I use them for different things.
Screen Keyboard: I hated the Xoom OSKeyboard from day one, I almost took it back it was so frustrating. The Xoom does not seem to have the same level of multitouch. The TF keyboard has been much better, I can almost touch type with the TF keyboard.
I've already promised the Xoom to a family member as a gift. Now I'm debating selling the Xoom and giving them a TF instead (assuming I can get my hands on another one!).
wtf you said the TF was good then in blue you praise xoom
jerichoholic said:
wtf you said the TF was good then in blue you praise xoom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read my comments in the end of the blue I still say the TF is better IMO. However I dont want to be one of those biased folks who simply promote the product they own. As I stated they both have areas that each one does better in but overall the TF still feels like the better choice to me. Also, the TF is so new that i have a feeling allot of the bugs im seeing will be corrected with FW updates.
I would hope that the folks here would benefit more from an honest review rather then sugar coating the review and making it seem like I had my own agenda....
I just wish I could find on in stock anywhere
jerichoholic said:
wtf you said the TF was good then in blue you praise xoom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xoom has some advantages over the Transformer, obviously. I believe if they were both the same price, it'd come down to the screen.
Mikey450GT said:
I believe it is something to do with the Gorilla Glass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
I have an iPad 2 with its "Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating" and the glass is so smooth and easy to slide your finger on.
I also have an ASUS EP121 Tablet with Gorilla Glass and i did notice a different feel than the iPad 2. It does get better the more you clean the glass.
I haven't got a Transformer yet but since it has Gorilla Glass, it should feel the same as the EP121.
Not complaining, just different technology.
Well, I've managed to find one and ordered a 32GB version. It should be arriving on Monday.
However, from all the negative 3.1-related threads I'm kind of regretting it now. Talk of battery drains, speaker issues, lags, random reboots, worse wifi, etc. is making me wish I'd held off or gone for something else (Acer Iconia?)
Please someone tell me that in the grand scheme of things, this is actually a bloody decent device!
Aside from a small bit of light leak mine is all good. What you're experiencing is people that aren't satisfied will be more likely to speak up than people who are satisfied with the devices. These issues are things that have happened to certain users but its not like your device will automatically present all these symptoms. In the grand scheme of things this is a really nice device. If you are looking for something where everything is perfect and there are no issues,you might have to wait a while longer until honeycomb matures a bit more and the 2nd Gen of android tabs come out (i don't really count gb tabs as officially supported android tabs)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
While I can't speak for anyone else I bought mine sight unseen and could not be happier.
I'm rooted on 3.1 and overclocked and while kernel is a little rough I am loving it. Only gonna get better. Besides, stock kernel is an option.
Light bleed...not an issue for me. (Haven't noticed so I don't care)
Random reboots. May have happened overnight but I haven't seen any.
I haven't killed my battery yet. Lowest I've gotten was last night to 23% but I was flashing **** like crazy. (No dock btw)
Lots of storage.
Videos play great now.
Speakers are fine to me. (They make it so I can easily hear what I want to hear)
Screen is gorgeous.
Kills the zoom as far as I can tell.
I am happy and with all the development going on I am only going to get happier.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
No battery drains, speaker issues, or wifi problems with mine. Have had it randomly reboot on me once though. And I've seen the Xoom lag way worse. Overall, this is the best tablet currently available. I wouldn't touch an Acer product with a 10 yard stick.
Stick with 3.0 if you don't like all the problems with 3.1. Though, I'm using it and am only bothered by the browser.
I just ordered mine too and don't yet have it. I had what you are having and even cancelled the order at one point in favor of the a500. After cancelling, I did a pretty thorough look at the Acer a500. Even though it has better speakers, a USB 2.0 port, and vibrate, it's downsides are too much to take.
I don't want something that heavy or bulky. It has known GPS problems. The battery life is pretty mediocre when compared to the Transformer. And, currently anyway, the development for this tablet is much more promising.
Don't worry about the bleed issues. That seems to be the biggest one people complain about. Just keep exchanging until you get one with minimal bleeding.
It is a bloody fantastic machine! Love it, it has been used pretty much non-stop since the 3 of May!
Excellent piece of hardware - I only got the 16GB version, so plan is to purchase a good microSDHC card soon - 32GB version.
I am running on the latest version (3.1) and I could not be happier. Got the dock a week ago and I amazed on how much I use it. Often combo-use the touch screen and keyboard for interactions with the transformer.
I game, surf, read, watch movies and some hobby software development. Plan is to soon be able to actually develop on it as well
I know the experience migth vary, but for me, this piece of wonderful wholesome goodness could not be better, unless someone covered it in batter and deep fried it!
- Authored on my transformer
The fact that you can sell it technically used for the price of new must mean that there are around 10,000 people a month that like theirs.
QUOTE=jhanford;14433435]Well, I've managed to find one and ordered a 32GB version. It should be arriving on Monday.
However, from all the negative 3.1-related threads I'm kind of regretting it now. Talk of battery drains, speaker issues, lags, random reboots, worse wifi, etc. is making me wish I'd held off or gone for something else (Acer Iconia?)
Please someone tell me that in the grand scheme of things, this is actually a bloody decent device! [/QUOTE]
Aside from a small amount of light bleed, that is only noticeable if you are sitting in the dark with the screen ramped up to maximum brightness, I haven't had any problems with my mine. It's a great bit of kit and the dock takes it to a completely different level. No regrets at all about buying mine,
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-selection_bias
I don't need a signature.
16 hours off the charger and I'm at 52%. Granted, a good deal of that has been idle, I haven't played with it for 16 hours straight, but that is in line with what I expect from a tablet -- mess with it some, lay it down for hours, and pick it up again later with a decent amount of juice left. Mine creaks a bit in the upper right corner, and I notice one small spot of light bleed under perfectly dark conditions, but otherwise, I'm glad I bought it. Won't find a better value anywhere else.
Thanks for the feedback
Wow, filled up a page in less than an hour!
Thanks guys. It IS good to hear the other side of the coin, and I completely get the "self selection bias" point.
I have less remorse than I did an hour ago, so thank you everyone.
Now I'm looking forward to it arriving again
I am thrilled with the TF!!! And let me just say that I am very hard to please when it comes to electronics.
I had the G-Slate and the TF whips it, hands down.
The Acer tab is alright, but it is wayyy too bulky and still not quite as good as the TF IMO.
I am using 3.1 and although it is not as fast as 3.0 when I had it overclocked it still works fine. I haven't tried the 3.1 oc kernel that got posted today yet.
jhanford said:
Wow, filled up a page in less than an hour!
Thanks guys. It IS good to hear the other side of the coin, and I completely get the "self selection bias" point.
I have less remorse than I did an hour ago, so thank you everyone.
Now I'm looking forward to it arriving again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah only two things to really be concerned about is the light bleed, if it's massive, and battery life after 3.1.
For the $400 price, the IPS display, and all other tablets sucking, I guess I'm happy with the Transformer. But I got a few problems.
My first transformer had a defective screen that was separated from the glass making the back light visible on one side and causing the glass to bend.
I'm on my second Transformer now. It's got back light bleeding, which doesn't bother me too much. But it's also got a quarter inch circle on the screen that is brighter than the rest of the screen. Looks like something is wrong with the panel there.
So now I got to return a second Transformer. And this is such a pain because I got to time it right with when they have something in inventory or just be without a the tablet for a while like last time.
There are other build quality issues. The back plastic edges are not flush with the metal bezel, some corners are popped up a little.
And the speaker volume is not balance (fearing this might be hardware problem too since its still not fixed from the 3.1 update).
I was having some performance issues and found I had to reboot the tablet often to refresh the performance. Then I started removing some applications. After removing TweetCaster Pro, suddenly the performance improved significantly.
I seem to get a lot more keyboard lag (ASUS or Android keyboard) with the stock browser after the 3.1 update. It's a little disappointing.
I've got gripes. But I think I'll be keeping the Transformer (though definitely need to go through another exchange). The A500 doesn't have an IPS display and is very heavy. And I suspect it'll have it's share of software problems too. Same thing for the Xoom. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has it's own quality build issues (it's glass likes to pop out of the bezel like the Transformer's back side is doing on mine) and it's lack of micro SD is a huge disappointment.
The state of Android tablets is still in a rather sad state. But we are still kinda early adopters and it's the price we pay.
PS. Almost forgot to mention, the GPS on my Transformer doesn't work at all. Though this really doesn't bother me since I don't use it anyway.
Yikes! I swear I think there are just bad batches out there, that can be the only explanation of these wild swings in quality. I guess the OP needs to cross his fingers and hope he gets one of the good ones.
lacrossev said:
Aside from a small bit of light leak mine is all good. What you're experiencing is people that aren't satisfied will be more likely to speak up than people who are satisfied with the devices. These issues are things that have happened to certain users but its not like your device will automatically present all these symptoms. In the grand scheme of things this is a really nice device. If you are looking for something where everything is perfect and there are no issues,you might have to wait a while longer until honeycomb matures a bit more and the 2nd Gen of android tabs come out (i don't really count gb tabs as officially supported android tabs)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS so much.
I am REALLY surprised with how much damn COMPLAINING there is across these boards. My unit came perfect apart from a small bit of light bleed at the bottom.
And best of all? 3.1 DOUBLED the functionality of the tablet. I was super happy with it when I got it, and then the update made it feel like a new tablet.
Besides the light bleed, my only problem with it is that it doesn't seem to do 1080p output through the miniHDMI jack.
Other than that, it's perfect and one of the best technology purchases I have ever made.
TBH, when I purchased mine I read all the complaining about problems and also was worried. But when I opened it, plugged it in, and used it, I was blown away and all my worries were destroyed.
Seriously, it's an amazing product that benefits even more by the dock and by Honeycomb 3.1. Even if new tablets with better hardware come out, this tablet is going to retain its uniqueness and power through the ever-increasing capabilities of Honeycomb (and eventually Ice Cream Sandwich!) and because of its fantastic Dock.
EDIT: Please don't get me wrong, by "complaining" I don't mean that people are whining about illegitimate problems. Problems DO exist, but it's as the person I quoted said: it's just biased because all the people without problems are enjoying their tablets and not looking for solutions on this forum.
The only "problem" that I feel IS complaining is people who whine about how their tablets "creak". It's like the most minor problem of anything, and yet there are people who have returned their tablets and won't buy another one just because their first one makes a small creak sound when you press on it.
Remember this device is on the edge of tech. New product. Growing pains in manufacturing, etc. There will be returns.
But I can tell you that I have been on the edge of tech since before the IBM PC. And I have never had a "toy" that brought such amazement and sheer joy. Run google body on it (while you have two email accounts updating and google voice updating while you have a map with the latest earthquakes updating while you have a maps window open while you have conversion software to convert anything to anything and gps navigation at your fingertips with Copilot Live) and prepare to be amazed. All while listening to music.
I have no problems others than the sound is not very good. I think it will get better with updates; there are $25 solutions to this problem.
pnnorth said:
Aside from a small amount of light bleed, that is only noticeable if you are sitting in the dark with the screen ramped up to maximum brightness, I haven't had any problems with my mine. It's a great bit of kit and the dock takes it to a completely different level. No regrets at all about buying mine,
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had two with bleed and speaker balance issues. one experience the frame separation too and it got worse the longer I had it. for me the bleed was noticeable even at lowest brightness sine I read books with black bg and red text. one had way more bleed than the other.
my third try is coming on Tuesday. I've decided to give up using the tf as an ebook reader and keep it limited to comics or reading in daylight.
as for the crappy speakers, sound quality and balance issues, ive just decided that for what it offers at the price its good enough. plus i have my archos 101 as back up. crappier build and screen but better av playback quality.
the tf is a great device, if that weren't true I wouldn't give it three tries. I just really wish the qc was better.
I've had mine since April 28th and it's fine. No problems to speak of except minor light bleed, which doesn't bother me at all. 3.1 even improved my battery performance, so I'm kind of surprised to hear about the other issues here. Enjoy your TF and post your thoughts after you receive.
I know the Acer A510 has a slightly better (prime comparable) tegra 3 but I don't feel like theres that big of a performance gap. I know that the Acer is $50 more but forgetting about the price, what would you guys recommend considering your past experiences with Acer? Btw the Wifi and Gps issues seem to be fixed according to Anandtech in this version.
Advantage TF300t = screen
Advantage A510 = battery
Thanks in advance and sorry if this post upsets some.
i got the tf300t. the cpu difference isn't as big of a deal as people are making it out to be. the mobiletechreview mentioned that the benchmarks are about the same for this cpu vs the cpu on the prime which is also the cpu on the a510. the battery life is a bigger deal but you still get a decent 8 hrs of usage out of it so thats not too bad. the main thing was the support for asus. they always seem to do updates to fix issues. to me that was the deciding factor. also i can convert this into a netbook with a dock. since i do some work from home, it would be nice to be able to do this on a tablet from the bed with the dock.
jblah said:
i got the tf300t. the cpu difference isn't as big of a deal as people are making it out to be. the mobiletechreview mentioned that the benchmarks are about the same for this cpu vs the cpu on the prime which is also the cpu on the a510. the battery life is a bigger deal but you still get a decent 8 hrs of usage out of it so thats not too bad. the main thing was the support for asus. they always seem to do updates to fix issues. to me that was the deciding factor. also i can convert this into a netbook with a dock. since i do some work from home, it would be nice to be able to do this on a tablet from the bed with the dock.
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Click to collapse
Just grabbed one myself today. I have owned a Viewsonic, an Acer Iconia A500, Iconia A100 and this tablet. This is by far the best so far. The weight is good, yet still feels solid. The sound is what I found to be really good. The Youtube videos I was watching were at 50% volume and plenty loud enough.
I haven't checked much else, but 720p video is stutter free on youtube so far, and of course all the usual apps work: Adobe Reader, Kindle, Estrongs. For the price I'm very happy with it.
How good are viewing angles of A510 compared to tf300?
gaetanolip said:
How good are viewing angles of A510 compared to tf300?
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Click to collapse
I haven't seen an A510 in person, it is more or less the same as the A500, maybe a bit better. I can still read text when I'm 60 degrees off of being directly above the screen to either side.
I got the 510 yesterday (posted compare/review in 510 thread) and would have got the 300 as well, but Best Buy only has the 16gb version. I ended up getting the 510 and testing the heck out of the display for the 300 (they just put it out). Either case I was only keeping one, none the less.
Build: 510 wins and feels better to hold.
Speed: Both seems the same speed with browsing, media and game emulators like FPSe and N64oid. Due to higher clock, the 510 was a tad faster with MAME Reloaded (like the Prime).
Display: I am biased due to the iPad "3", but for 1280X800 tabs, it seems a tie to me. Contrast is a little better on the 300, but definition seems better on the 510. 510 also seems brighter to me and more natural color. Too subjective to call, so call them a tie.
Speaker sound: 510 is far better
Temps: Perhaps inside the case, both are about the same temperature, but the 510 is warmer to hold on the right side.
Can say that I do not like the location of the USB. The 300 and Prime have an excuse, but not the 510. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE SIDE!!!! The caps and exclamation points should represent my feelings.
IMO it is a tie, since for $50 more, you get a bigger battery and USB on the tablet, but have the dock option on the 300 if you want it. Either device rocks.
The one thing that bugs me on the software side with the 510 is that even when using Desktop agent, all browser apps tried go to mobile sites with some sites on the 510, but not on the 300, Prime or Thrive.
I had the same problem with the Droid X 2. These are the only two Android devices out of many I have tried that does this.
muqali said:
I haven't seen an A510 in person, it is more or less the same as the A500, maybe a bit better. I can still read text when I'm 60 degrees off of being directly above the screen to either side.
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If you haven't seen one, then don't comment; especially when you're wrong.
The screen is far superior to the A500's, it has a Tegra 3 CPU clocked at 1.3ghz as opposed to the A500's Tegra 2 at 1ghz. It's internal storage is considerably faster than that used in the A500, it has ICS as default, with the Acer Ring, and generally just outperforms the A500 in all areas.
I can not stand the Ring interface, but do agree the display is better than the 500. Wifi is also FAR better than the 500.
I returned two 500 tablets due to weak wifi range.
FloatingFatMan said:
If you haven't seen one, then don't comment; especially when you're wrong.
The screen is far superior to the A500's, it has a Tegra 3 CPU clocked at 1.3ghz as opposed to the A500's Tegra 2 at 1ghz. It's internal storage is considerably faster than that used in the A500, it has ICS as default, with the Acer Ring, and generally just outperforms the A500 in all areas.
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I believe he was referring to the viewing angles, in which case he is right. It is more or less the same as the A500 where the picture becomes a bit washed out at a certain angle. It has really good viewing angles just like the A500 though. And it's very rare for people to USE the tablet at any angle where the color starts to fade. The screen is definitely better than the A500 but "far superior" isn't necessarily right. The colors are richer (than the A500) and it is bright, I don't think anyone could possibly complain about it but I think most people would agree the Asus has technically a better screen with deeper viewing angles.
I agree with that too. The 300 has better angles, but the sweet spot angles of the 510 show better clarity and more natural color. Total net result to me is a tie. The 500 has a lot more pronounced screen door lines than the 510, as well as less color, brightness and contrast. 500 to me seems washed out in comparison. I tried two 500s and returned both due to weak wifi range. IMO, the 500 has weaker wifi range than the much maligned Prime.
So, if viewing angles are narrow, can i have problem if i watch a movie with another person (i can't stay straigth to display obviously)?
Inviato dal mio Transformer TF101 con Tapatalk 2
Viewing angles are NOT a problem. At all.
For my use im fine with the A500, the A510 isn't enough of a jump. THe A700 however is, and I am glad they will have faster usb and a full port again. THe 1080p screen is nice, the #d display model nicer.
The price of the A700 however may be another story.
FloatingFatMan said:
Viewing angles are NOT a problem. At all.
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Agreed. I've used it propped on my lap, and laying flat on the couch in front on me... my son and I shared it for reading together last night. We we're both able to read without having to move it. I should note that this is all at minimum brightness. In fact, I'm looking for a way to dim it even more... indoors even the minimum seems brighter than I care for. So no, its not IPS, but the display is excellent none the less and provides excellent viewing angles.
Sent from my A510 using xda premium
I'm sure its common but wanna ask others. If I game for a good 15 minutes..this guy heats up real good. Its pretty dam hot but only at like the top...probably where the CPU is. Anyone else?
chugger93 said:
I'm sure its common but wanna ask others. If I game for a good 15 minutes..this guy heats up real good. Its pretty dam hot but only at like the top...probably where the CPU is. Anyone else?
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Yup, about the top left... Just prolonged use in general it warms up..
It's the most powerful chipset at this time, clocked at 1.7 Ghz - not really suprising that it gets hot.
crazyjoezx said:
Yup, about the top left... Just prolonged use in general it warms up..
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It's it uncomfortable or just noticable?
I haven't noticed it while gaming. I only noticed if I actually grip the tablet at the top by the camera.
Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2
Zephyrblade said:
It's it uncomfortable or just noticable?
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Well just got done playing NFS for about 2 hours and its pretty damn hot...can almost pin point it just to the right of the vol up rocker...its not noticeable while holding it BC its so high up...wonder if the purposely put it away somewhere people would put their hands ..... I also noticed the hotter it got the more the game lagged, could be quincedence but it does make sense...
This is where it gets hot: http://www.powerbookmedic.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nexus10-takeapart-007.jpg
Note the two heatspreaders at the top.
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/wordpress/2012/11/16/google-nexus-10-take-apart-first-look
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nexus10-motherboard.jpg
Yup! Its the CPU for sure! That's exactly where the heat is coming from on mine
Mine gets hot enough to make the whole back a little warm after a while. Unfortunately, as one might expect, it does get a little "crashy" when it's hot. Anyone else getting that too? I've been playing games from the Humble Bundle such as Machinarium and Eufloria, and they are prone to force close once the heat builds up. Say 45 mins. No fc dialogue box though; just crashes to home screen.
I'm impressed with 2 hours of Need for Speed... not just the tablet's endurance but your thumbs. =)
Yeah mine gets warm as anything does when being pushed for long periods of time. Nothing uncomfortable though - warms my hands nicely when its getting colder!
I don't know why people are surprised by heat coming from a high-performance CPU/GPU.
Just because it's a mobile processor, that doesn't mean the laws of physics are going to be suspended.
Does this kind of stuff happen on the iPad or Android tablets like the Infinity too?
jdatb said:
Does this kind of stuff happen on the iPad or Android tablets like the Infinity too?
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A few people confirmed that the iPad was actually hotter in some cases... not sure about the Infinity.
It's a fair point; for the record I'm not surprised about a little heat.
I'm surprised that my Transformer Prime is outperforming it in these games with no heat and no crashes.
I have the infinity too, and it gets kinda hot, but not like the N10. Maybe I dont notice it though too much because it seems like a general hotness throughout the whole back. It's not just pinpointed to the top like the N10. Ah well
xvsacme said:
I'm surprised that my Transformer Prime is outperforming it in these games with no heat and no crashes.
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Doubtful considering that my Nexus 7 was a turd in gaming compared to Galaxy Note 10.1 Exynos 4412 and Nexus 10 Exynos 5250 is even faster. If anything all I see are a lot of comments for popular games on Google Play regarding Asus Transformer series (TF201, TF300, TF700) not working or has performance issues when it's fine on other non-Asus Transformer series tablets.
Mine gets warm like everyone else's but I'll take that over the laggyness from my TF700.
My nexus 10 got really hot while video chatting through google talk yesterday.
Mine get hot but not to a point that its uncomfortable when I put my hand on it. I am glad its on the top rear though as I dont touch that side ever when I'm using the tablet. My prime and tf700 doesnt have a faster gpu and plus the aluminum back does a great job dissipating heat compared to the n10 which is mostly plastic back. I love gaming on this device.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
I bought a 32gb Nexus 10 from Staples over the weekend and am enjoying it, but I realize that I'm seven months late to this hardware (while still paying full price). Is there anything coming in the next month that I should return this unit for? A high PPI is a must at this point.
Thanks.
Samsung was trying to get a Nexus 11 going and had specs for it, but at the time Google had not yet approved the production of it. No word has been heard since then about a new model upgrade for the Nexus 10.
trimalchioinwestegg said:
I bought a 32gb Nexus 10 from Staples over the weekend and am enjoying it, but I realize that I'm seven months late to this hardware (while still paying full price). Is there anything coming in the next month that I should return this unit for? A high PPI is a must at this point.
Thanks.
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The next Nexus 7 will probably come out in a month or so, if you're okay with a 7" tablet. If you must have 10", the high-end announcements so far are a new Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, not coming till the fall, and the Toshiba Excite Pro, coming next month, both running Tegra 4 and with the same 2560 X 1600 resolution as the Nexus 10. If you want a stylus, the Toshiba Excite Write is the same as the Pro, but with a Wacom digitizer and a stylus.
There are always new announcements being made in the runup to the holidays, this is just what we know so far. We can't say how good any of these devices will be, as none of them are out yet.
Just got the Toshiba Excite Write
And it looks to be a damn fine tablet. Antutu scored 28k+ and the graphics power is phenomenal. Has built in video and audio enhancements, seems pretty stable on this kernal build, although I expect an update soon because of a couple of weird quirks. The stylus works great (love the eraser by turning over the pen!), but not as developed as the Note 10.1, however, the screen rez is fantastic at 320 DPI and looks as good as the Nexus 10. The rear camera is REALLY great...best I've seen so far on a tablet, and the speakers are clear as a bell with excellent surround sound controlled in hardware, so anything you play gets enhanced. It does get a little warm on the left side under the camera when running an intensive app.
If you have any questions or requests, fire away!
babblin5 said:
And it looks to be a damn fine tablet. Antutu scored 28k+ and the graphics power is phenomenal. Has built in video and audio enhancements, seems pretty stable on this kernal build, although I expect an update soon because of a couple of weird quirks. The stylus works great (love the eraser by turning over the pen!), but not as developed as the Note 10.1, however, the screen rez is fantastic at 320 DPI and looks as good as the Nexus 10. The rear camera is REALLY great...best I've seen so far on a tablet, and the speakers are clear as a bell with excellent surround sound controlled in hardware, so anything you play gets enhanced. It does get a little warm on the left side under the camera when running an intensive app.
If you have any questions or requests, fire away!
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I will keep my tablet thanks. At least I know my benchmark scores are 100% raw horsepower and not shady nVidia "optimizations".
brees75 said:
I will keep my tablet thanks. At least I know my benchmark scores are 100% raw horsepower and not shady nVidia "optimizations".
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Suit yourself, but that's a lot of wasted CPU cycles and amps there for a misplaced sense of "power." Mobile devices are all about optimization right now, and if the reports show the device to be fully usable, then you're unlikely to run into issues. Certainly this has my eye.
babblin5 said:
And it looks to be a damn fine tablet. Antutu scored 28k+ and the graphics power is phenomenal. Has built in video and audio enhancements, seems pretty stable on this kernal build, although I expect an update soon because of a couple of weird quirks. The stylus works great (love the eraser by turning over the pen!), but not as developed as the Note 10.1, however, the screen rez is fantastic at 320 DPI and looks as good as the Nexus 10. The rear camera is REALLY great...best I've seen so far on a tablet, and the speakers are clear as a bell with excellent surround sound controlled in hardware, so anything you play gets enhanced. It does get a little warm on the left side under the camera when running an intensive app.
If you have any questions or requests, fire away!
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How did you get your hands on it? None of the major tech sites have even reviewed it yet and they say it's not supposed to be delivered to buyers for another week.
How does it compare to the Nexus 10 otherwise? Specifically, the resolution is the same, but are the colors as good or better? Forget about benchmarks, do you notice any differences in a quad-core A15 compared to the dual-core A15 in the Nexus 10 in real-world use? What is battery life like with such a powerful CPU? Do the speakers go louder than the Nexus 10's speakers, when cranked up to the max? Can you post some pics from the rear camera, so we can see how good it is?
I'm happy with my Nexus 10, so I doubt I'll be picking up another tablet for a while. But I'm curious how these upcoming spec-hogs will compare to the current spec-hog king, the Nexus 10.
joakim_one said:
How did you get your hands on it? None of the major tech sites have even reviewed it yet and they say it's not supposed to be delivered to buyers for another week.
How does it compare to the Nexus 10 otherwise? Specifically, the resolution is the same, but are the colors as good or better? Forget about benchmarks, do you notice any differences in a quad-core A15 compared to the dual-core A15 in the Nexus 10 in real-world use? What is battery life like with such a powerful CPU? Do the speakers go louder than the Nexus 10's speakers, when cranked up to the max? Can you post some pics from the rear camera, so we can see how good it is?
I'm happy with my Nexus 10, so I doubt I'll be picking up another tablet for a while. But I'm curious how these upcoming spec-hogs will compare to the current spec-hog king, the Nexus 10.
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I don't have a Nexus 10 at the moment for direct comparisons, but I personally think the brightness and color are at least on par. I do feel that the viewing angles aren't quite as high however in the Write. Don't know if this has anything to do with the digitizer or not. The pic of my kitteh was taken with the rear camera in room light, but I'll shoot a few more and post.
I also think that the Write's Tegra 4 delivers the goods in gameplay, even when set to balance mode, there's no stuttering in anything I've thrown at it so far, and Autocad 360 rendering is blazingly fast in real time 3D view, even when rotating fully rendered 3d models. I'm not sure how well the Nexus 10 would handle the same stuff, especially in power saving mode.
I do question the battery life a bit, as it seems to chew through the battery at times, and at this point I'm kind of doubting the life claimed by Toshiba. I'm not sure if the current kernel build is fully optimized yet, as there's at least one major issue when streaming or watching video, both through Google Play or from a file saved on the SD card. The screen goes black after a few seconds of playback, although the sound continues to play. Pressing the power button to put it in sleep mode, then again to wake it up, solves the issue and everything plays and streams fine after that. YouTube streaming doesn't have this issue. Also, it doesn't matter which player you use, it still does it, which leads me to believe that the unit I got might still have an early, unoptimized build on it. I seriously can't see them mass shipping with that kind of readily apparent bug, but who knows?
The sound is also a bit odd. It seems pretty muted, even at full volume, when playing any type of media. Games are plenty loud though, and the stereo separation and surround enhancements are simply stellar, even when I have the thing parked on my lap. I strongly suspect that there's some sort of limit as to the max volume switched on in the hardware to avoid blowing out the speakers or something, or it could be in the kernel itself...I honestly don't know at this point. I just know that the maximum volume is significantly lower in media playback for some strange reason.
As for how I got it, I'm just as amazed as you are. I pre ordered on July 2, and the shipping date showed July 3 on my order. I called toshiba and asked them if this was correct, and was told that they weren't scheduled to ship until the 18th. I thought they'd go in and change the date after I called attention to the ship date, but it stayed showing the 3rd. Low and behold the next day I got an email with a tracking number, and sure enough it arrived the following Monday due to the delay caused by the 4th (2 day shipping).
Was it a mistake? I have no frigging idea, and feel pretty privileged to have one before any of the major sites have reviewed it. Here's a pic of the tablet and box it came in, to satisfy any doubters that might be out there, as well as the invoice that came with it.
babblin5 said:
Was it a mistake? I have no frigging idea, and feel pretty privileged to have one before any of the major sites have reviewed it. Here's a pic of the tablet and box it came in, to satisfy any doubters that might be out there, as well as the invoice that came with it.
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Thanks for the info, sounds like a nice device, although with some early hiccups. This is the first Tegra 4 device on the market, now that the Nvidia Shield has been postponed, so I was curious how it would do.
How long does it last in normal, continuous usage? My Nexus 10 goes about 5-6 hours.
joakim_one said:
Thanks for the info, sounds like a nice device, although with some early hiccups. This is the first Tegra 4 device on the market, now that the Nvidia Shield has been postponed, so I was curious how it would do.
How long does it last in normal, continuous usage? My Nexus 10 goes about 5-6 hours.
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I'd say it's at least 5-6 hours, but nowhere near the 9-11 that Toshiba claims.
Here's some photos off the rear camera of the Excite Write.
Excellent stuff, thanks for posting babblin :thumbup: I have one heading my way (shipped July 12th) and will admit to a certain amount of trepidation since that last 5 tablets I've tried to buy (2 Nexus 10, 2 Nexus 7, 1 Xperia Tablet Z) were faulty out of the box.
I'm curious — although I suppose I'll find out for myself soon enough unless it's a total dud — does stylus pressure register in any drawing app (eg. SketchBook)?
TellTenPeople said:
Excellent stuff, thanks for posting babblin :thumbup: I have one heading my way (shipped July 12th) and will admit to a certain amount of trepidation since that last 5 tablets I've tried to buy (2 Nexus 10, 2 Nexus 7, 1 Xperia Tablet Z) were faulty out of the box.
I'm curious — although I suppose I'll find out for myself soon enough unless it's a total dud — does stylus pressure register in any drawing app (eg. SketchBook)?
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I'm not sure, but I'll check into it. I did use it to sign a PDF though, which was pretty cool...
babblin5 said:
If you have any questions or requests, fire away!
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What is the available ram after reboot? The N10 GPU takes 800 meg now so only ~1.2gig available.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
no.
this tablet will long for the next 3 years at least
rxnelson said:
What is the available ram after reboot? The N10 GPU takes 800 meg now so only ~1.2gig available.
T
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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I have quite a few things running in background, and it's using .89 gb
To the OP...
There is "ALWAYS" a better tablet coming soon. You should never, ever, ever purchase a tab because of what is around the corner.
Of course this means that you'd never, ever, ever own a tablet either
I don't see a problem with an N10 purchase around this time, after all, I purchased one last month. The closest "reviewed" tab is the Sony 10.1" tab and it's not enough of a boost over an N10 to warrant upgrading from the N10 to one.
Specification wise, other than a microSD slot (which has less benefit with each release of Android due to DRM), camera and the ability to take it swimming (water isn't good for the Nexus), the N10 still seems to have the top specs. Screen resolution, audio quality and several GPU benchmarks appear to have the N10 still in the lead.
This fall? That's when you'll likely see some 10" tablet refreshes.
babblin5 said:
Here's some photos off the rear camera of the Excite Write.
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Nice, there's no way the Nexus 10 produces shots like those, with its below-average camera. Looks like a clear win for the Excite Write camera, though I barely use the camera on my Nexus 10, so not a big deal for me.
To answer my own question, the Toshiba Write doesn't get pressure sensitivity — much less good performance — out of either SketchBook Pro or Ink. It does, however, do a nibble job in HandyNote Pro which is why I bought it.
The normal swiping and app switching is not quite as smooth as I was expecting from the "next gen" Tegra 4 — especially not in Balanced performance mode. I also find it odd that it has a dedicated charging port which I keep mistaking for the headphone/mic jack, but at least it charges reasonably quickly which is good because battery life leaves something to be desired — like more of it.
Nevertheless, I'm still giddy from actually being sent a tablet without any discernible defects. 6th time the charm And it only took 8 months.
Update - July 29, 2013:
I celebrated too soon — defects discerned.
1) Brightness fluctuates even with Auto-brightness OFF. The screen seems to go brighter when displaying light content and dimmer when displaying dark content. It does it abruptly and annoyingly at any brightness and there's no way to disable it.
2) Dust under screen protector or, worse, glass. The Write, like the Xperia Tablet Z, seems to have a factory installed screen protector over the glass. Whether the dust was under this protector or the glass I could not tell. The two Nexus 10 I had (and returned) had stuff under the glass so it's possible.
I contacted Toshiba Canada and they sent me a box to send it back to them for service. At least they're paying for all the shipping.
After a week's heavy use, I have to say that either the OS is still unoptimised for the hardware, or the tablet I got was defective (not beyond the realm of possibility). The Balanced mode was very stutter-y and sluggish especially in app switching. Maximum Performance mode was smoother but ran real hot and got about 6 hours battery life.
Furthermore, some apps (including the built-in Think Free Office) flickered when the onscreen keyboard was engaged. Also happened with the xda-developer app and Flick Note and a few others but not with Google Docs or Evernote so I suspect it's down to app/OS optimisation for high res screens. Does the Nexus 10 have this problem?