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Just placed pre-order for the Amazon tablet. Don't know if it will replace my galaxy tab but for $200 the Amazon tablet looks like a good deal. Also I like the 7 inch better than the 10. I think this will force all others to seriously think about their tablet pricing.
What are your thoughts?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051VVOB2/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1317224821&sr=8-1
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium
HPs firesale was evidence that pricing can be king outside of the iOS ecosystem, Im personally not interested in one, but I do like the pricing, it could put pressure on other OEMs to drop their prices, look at RIM there are starting to move more playbooks since they are starting to price cut
This also goes to show you how big of a mark up these things have
I just preordered mine as well. I'm crossing my fingers that this thing has bluetooth. Otherwise no external keyboard.
atoy74 said:
I just preordered mine as well. I'm crossing my fingers that this thing has bluetooth. Otherwise no external keyboard.
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No bluetooth. Complete specs at the Amazon Landing Page.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=tsm_1_bl_aw?tag=vglnk-c1655-20
But it does have USB 2.0, so you could plug in a Bluetooth adapter. Potential issue: battery life issues from adapter.
Ashyford said:
No bluetooth. Complete specs at the Amazon Landing Page.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=tsm_1_bl_aw?tag=vglnk-c1655-20
But it does have USB 2.0, so you could plug in a Bluetooth adapter. Potential issue: battery life issues from adapter.
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Depending on the chipset used, it might have latent bluetooth, just like the Nook Color.
Doesn't look like it has a SD slot either. With just 8Gb storage a few movies etc will fill that up.
--bill
There are two considerations I take in above all else these days when I consider a purchase, especially for phone/smaller computing devices.
1. Price to performance (lets be real, tablets are *finally* getting out of over priced stage.)
2. What the support here at XDA is going to be like.
I can handle getting a "mid ranged" device if the price is right.
IF there are enough tweaks, roms, and third party support.
A "Cheap" and "Midranged" tablet can go toe to toe with the best of them.
*if* I consider a tablet.. the lenovo A1 and Amazon Kindle Fire are going to be on the top of the list, because I am suspecting I'll see strong support on both.
Then again, being able to "reverse" whatever I do is also important.
Snow_fox said:
There are two considerations I take in above all else these days when I consider a purchase, especially for phone/smaller computing devices.
1. Price to performance (lets be real, tablets are *finally* getting out of over priced stage.)
2. What the support here at XDA is going to be like.
I can handle getting a "mid ranged" device if the price is right.
IF there are enough tweaks, roms, and third party support.
A "Cheap" and "Midranged" tablet can go toe to toe with the best of them.
*if* I consider a tablet.. the lenovo A1 and Amazon Kindle Fire are going to be on the top of the list, because I am suspecting I'll see strong support on both.
Then again, being able to "reverse" whatever I do is also important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely think there will be lot of dev support for kindle fire given the price point.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium
pokey9000 said:
Depending on the chipset used, it might have latent bluetooth, just like the Nook Color.
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Ah! I see. Good point.
The Nook has "latent Bluetooth" but no antenna so it's not very useful.
The new Kindle looks nice, but no 3G/4G (yet). If they do offer it with mobile data it will probably be locked to one carrier. That and being stuck with Amazon's app store makes it a non-starter for me. I'll stick with my old Galaxy 7" for non-home use for now.
burhanistan said:
The Nook has "latent Bluetooth" but no antenna so it's not very useful.
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Not quite true.
I'm not impressed what amazon did. Combine their services with good hardware and "real" Android Honeycomb/ice cream sandwich and they might have a winner.
But with this, medium hardware (RAM, int storage, display resolution), missing components, a bit heavy, depends on cyanogen mod to get a real taste of Android, I'm not sure. I see little more than a new Nook color.
With the support of the amazon services like music, video and appstore (since there is no market at least at the beginning) it might be interesting for some people. But for me the 7.7 seems like a much better choice if you look for something smaller than 10.1 or 8.9, even if it costs twice as much.
gokpog said:
I'm not impressed what amazon did. Combine their services with good hardware and "real" Android Honeycomb/ice cream sandwich and they might have a winner.
But with this, medium hardware (RAM, int storage, display resolution), missing components, a bit heavy, depends on cyanogen mod to get a real taste of Android, I'm not sure. I see little more than a new Nook color.
With the support of the amazon services like music, video and appstore (since there is no market at least at the beginning) it might be interesting for some people. But for me the 7.7 seems like a much better choice if you look for something smaller than 10.1 or 8.9, even if it costs twice as much.
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Price is the key though, look what the recent HP firesale did, this will be a mass product aimed at those wanting their first fray into tablets, other manufacturers will need to take note if they want their product to sell. At the way the current global financial state is in Amazon have got a winner here.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Damn for $199, I'd love to buy it.
Does anyone know if true Android can be hacked or developed for the Kindle fire? It's android based but it doesn't run honeycomb or anything.
I know the Blackberry playbook you cant but that's cause it's RIM software and their security stuff.
It'd be cool if there was a lot of support for it and you can flash all different kinds of ROMs and stuff.
kettlecorn said:
Damn for $199, I'd love to buy it.
Does anyone know if true Android can be hacked or developed for the Kindle fire? It's android based but it doesn't run honeycomb or anything.
I know the Blackberry playbook you cant but that's cause it's RIM software and their security stuff.
It'd be cool if there was a lot of support for it and you can flash all different kinds of ROMs and stuff.
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I think Amazon tablet will be locked to start with since it is running Amazon's customized Android. We will only know for sure when this is released.
But I think as usual developers will eventually crack it open.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium
nikzDHD said:
Price is the key though, look what the recent HP firesale did, this will be a mass product aimed at those wanting their first fray into tablets...
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What do HP touchpad firesale and every china tablet in common (other that the 99$ price tag)? You buy the thing, get frustrated that it doesn't do what you expected and you get a "real" tablet. We have a saying here, if you buy cheap you end up paying twice.
I'm not arguing that it won't sell,it will probably sell pretty good. but I'm saying it's not what it could've been. And I don't think 199$ is particularly cheap for that tablet. It's a good price but not really cheap considering what you give up.
And don't forget everyone who has no access to the amazon services like video and cloud music, which is half of europe. They would get even less out of it but I don't think that it'll be available here.
I think it takes more than a good price to make a winner.
But I don't think amazon really wants to play the tablet game. They want to give you an easier way to subscribe to and consume their content and that's what they can archive with the kindle fire.
I'll wait for the "Fire" app to show up. You know Amazon is going offer one before long.
Jay Evans said:
I'll wait for the "Fire" app to show up. You know Amazon is going offer one before long.
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I would think it would be more something like "Amazon Portal" that would manage all your Kindle, MP3, Amazon App store, etc on a non-Kindle device.
kirdroid said:
I think Amazon tablet will be locked to start with since it is running Amazon's customized Android. We will only know for sure when this is released.
But I think as usual developers will eventually crack it open.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium
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I'm sure it can be cracked in one way or another. OMAP4 is something a lot of devs have experience with, and I doubt they're deviating much from the components we keep seeing on other platforms.
I'd like to believe that this will be as easy to root as the Nook Color, but given that Amazon has been playing cat-and-mouse with hackers and the older Kindles, I doubt it. Amazon didn't preen their own app store for the last year for nothing, and that's only one content channel they want to own. An open platform means most people will probably install the default Google Market and avoid Amazon's store altogether. The OMAP has some security features in the same vein as the Tegra2, and I'd be surprised if it's not as locked down as the Atrix was before the unlockable bootloader.
That being said, there's a nice tool out there for booting a kernel/ramdisk (read:recovery) OMAP4 over USB, so should Amazon decide to have a change of heart it will be a quick test to tell if the boot process is as easy to hijack as the Nook.
Why not just buy a Galaxy Tab 7" WiFi? Or a used 3g/carrier-branded version on Craigslist. Both can be had for about the same prices as the K-Fire, and they're a whole lot more functional.
Sure, it's single core, but it's single core Hummingbird/SGX540, which is still pretty competitive with the chipset in the PlayKindleBookFire, especially in relation to graphics.
It's also lighter, has a LOT more functionality (GPS, Bluetooth, light sensor, microphone, etc.). And, it's not locked down to the Amazon infrastructure, and has a pretty good XDA community already.
You can still use the Kindle app, but you can also read ePubs, use Google Music, Netflix, etc.
So my friend is willing to sell me a Kindle Fire for $60.
I'm heavily thinking about buying it, but I also want to save for a Galaxy tab.
Either, way I can get the Kindle Fire for the right price. But is it actually a decent tablet like device? Performance wise that is. Also, I kinda want one because I know some group of intelligent people are going to port a working Gingerbread or even Honeycomb ROM. Thus making it a full tablet.
tl;dr
Should I buy a Kindle Fire?
Is it good performance wise?
What do you want to do with it? I use it for web, forums, other basic Internet activities, and it works very well.
//Tapatalk.KindleFire//
60 bucks? What's your hold up? You can't go wrong at that price.
Boo
It depends on what you need it for. The KFire doesn't come with Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, camera, or a built in microphone. So if you really depend on those features then I would get the Galaxy Tab. The KFire is still a great device though. You can read books, watch movies from Amazon Prime, get apps from Android Market, and much more.
Performance-wise the KFire's processing speed is 1Ghz, the same as the GTab but the Kindle Fire has 512mb of RAM while the Galaxy Tab has 1GB. Don't worry about the performance of the Kindle Fire because 512mb of RAM is more than enough. Even the Galaxy Tab only makes 512mb of its RAM usable anyway. The overall performance of the Kindle Fire and the Galaxy Tab are the same though.
Hope this helps!
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
Thats good rate for stolen. Usually only get 50-25% off.
Thelgow said:
Thats good rate for stolen. Usually only get 50-25% off.
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That's exactly what I was thinking lol. Who would sell you a Kindle Fire for $60?
Well if you don't buy it send your friend my way.
I'd even up it to $100
I love mine. Awesome machine for the money!
Galaxy Tab 7 Plus and KF performs the same? HHmmmm. Not in my experience. The GTab is an android tablet where the KF (and NT) are really e-readers running android. Not that that is a bad thing. With all new shiny things there's a bit of giddiness and excitement as it should be. The KF is, and IMO will continue to be a serviceable unit primarily for reading and content consumption via Amazon. With all the new tabs coming out Devs are going to be hard-pressed to choose which to dig into. Likely choosing the ones with the greater return on time expended. Remember. most Devs do this because it's fun on their free time. HC and ICS on the KF? I have strong doubts on official releases. Ports perhaps but upgrading the OS doesn't have a return on investment for Amazon. They're making a buck or so on the units. Their profit is via content. I see Amazon releasing official upgrades ONLY if OS-specific content that they can charge for (locked down from their site/store). Heck even BN only released 2.2 from 2.1 on the NC after a year and that was for flash support (for BN content).
Perhaps I'm being cynical. Or realistic. But points to think about.
What are you waiting for? I though $199 was a steal! especially since it has an external mic capability is a bonus!
Actually nook Tablet is better for a low end Tablet
Sent from my EVO4G using Tapatalk.
UnU$UAL ROC said:
What are you waiting for? I though $199 was a steal! especially since it has an external mic capability is a bonus!
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And we are also working on enabling the on-board Bluetooth
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
Nice,
I would have definitely bought it as soon as I heard $60 come out of his mouth.
UnU$UAL ROC said:
What are you waiting for? I though $199 was a steal! especially since it has an external mic capability is a bonus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Literally...a steal. Tell your friend he could get more than $60 for stolen KF's.
Ive had my Fire a few days now and have done a lot of modding. Ive rooted it, installed TWRP, then CM7. Then gapps, market, etc. Then I decided I wanted to go back to rooted stock so I installed the prerooted 6.2.1 along with go launcher ex to have both the Amazon launcher and a more standard android interface, and be able to switch between the two. And no matter what way I set it up there was always something that just didnt work the way I wanted.
The main issue I had was that almost all video had out of sync audio. Internet videos, netflix. And I tried several different wi-fi connections. One of which is a very solid 20 mb/s connection to my laptop. I took my mother in laws samsung galaxy 7.0, set up the exact same video using the same wi-fi just to see if it might be the connection, and the galaxy was perfect, and the Fire just enough out of sync to be irritating.
So I set up a return with Amazon, got it back to full stock, and boxed it up. But now Im having second thoughts. I know how popular it is, and it seems like it has a lot of great developers working hard on roms. So Im wondering if I should just keep it, and hope that someone makes a fully functioning ICS port that fixes all the issues that are keeping this from being my ideal android tablet. Or should I go ahead and return it and cough up another $200 and get the Samsung galaxy plus.
Anyway I figured you guys would be the best ones to ask for advice regarding this. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
If it doesnt work for you, well, it doesnt! Thats that... Get an iPad 2 (seriously). The Android tabs despite their hardware specs arent that great currently.
/not trying to start a flame war here, i own several tablets and for me the iPad works best... YMMV
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I personally hate apple, plus I want a smaller tablet. I figure if im going to get a tablet that big I might as well just carry my laptop around.
Gam3r 4 Life said:
...I figure if im going to get a tablet that big I might as well just carry my laptop around.
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I have to agree, and the 4:3 aspect ratio of the iPad is annoying.
I'm confident ICS is coming to the Fire, but if you have the money to upgrade to the Galaxy, I would probably do that. Can't really complain for $200 on the Kindle, though. Plus Samsung had played games with customers before with promising updates and not delivering. So maybe I wouldn't go with it. Moto's new 8" tablet is appealing except for the fact that its tied to Verizon.
Sent from my rough sketch of a Vibrant on a brick.
Well if your having second thoughts, take it back. With a somewhat big purchase like that, you'd want to be 100% sure you like it. If you really want a small tablet get a cheap Asus tablet, or a small laptop that has a touch screen.
u have issues.
get what works for u, don't convince yourself to keep something u don't want. I sold my tf101 transformer too big for my taste, I don't watch videos on a 7" tab. the fire is awesome for me
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium
Well its gone. Boxed up and at the ups store.
Gam3r 4 Life I think I am right behind you.
I have used mine since Christmas day and although its a neat gadget its really neither a good reader nor a good tablet. It kinda lacks an identity. I emailed Amazon about their lack of TTS on the reader for this unit and their reply was pretty much "sorry.. you have 30 days to return it".
I guess for $200 I will just wait and see what comes down the road, and continue using my Samsnung Infuse for this kind of stuff. It has a 4" touch screen and I dont watch alot of videos anyway so it works ok for now.
Nice try Amazon, but I think you forced this thing to market without thinking it all the wary through. Maybe the next gen will be better. Well anyway I have another couple weeks to see if I can learn to like it. But at this point, I am thinking no.
I think the expectations might be too high. You're looking for the best of both worlds, and if you want media that you don't have to rip yourself, you're not going to get it on a rooted tablet, that's been made apparent by the MPAA. Netflix only runs on Silverlight or on platforms on which you don't have full access do the device where the studio's have guaranteed control of their media.
And given the limited RAM available on the Fire, it's not surprising that running a full sized ROM like CM7 could cause video issues when streaming. Probably not enough remaining RAM to buffer the video with CM7 running, that's my guess.
*IF* you want to get CM7 and then some other method of video streaming outside of Amazon, you'll need a more capable tablet like the Galaxy 7, Galaxy Plus, or the Flyer, and you'll need to pay a lot more for it up front to get the flexibility you want.
the 4:3 aspect ratio is the best feature of the ipad...
I hate how everything is 16:9 nowadays. it's terribly inefficient.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I've always been curious about this.
My pro-Apple friends have argued the same thing, saying Apple has done tons of research and 4:3 is best for a tablet.
But 4:3 is one of the main reasons why I'd never buy an iPad. If entertainment media is one of the prime features of a tablet, why would I want a screen that has black bars on the top and bottom (effectively shrinking the screen size) whenever I'm watching hi-def widescreen video?
In general, android tablets compete on price. They are the Yugos of the tablet world compared to the Benz that Apple offers (at a Benz price, I might add)...and the fire does a heck of a job at $199. If it works for you at that price point, great...if not, well get an iPad.
I wouldn't recommend looking to replace the fire with another android tablet, however, because once rooted and sorted it really competes with the best of them.
Amacx86 said:
In general, android tablets compete on price. They are the Yugos of the tablet world compared to the Benz that Apple offers (at a Benz price, I might add)...and the fire does a heck of a job at $199. If it works for you at that price point, great...if not, well get an iPad.
I wouldn't recommend looking to replace the fire with another android tablet, however, because once rooted and sorted it really competes with the best of them.
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LOL, I had a Yugo!!! I bought it from a guy that needed to pay his rent for under $500. If I remember right his name was Billy Bob, or something like that (and the name fit). The only thing he requested to keep from the car was a shifter knob that looked exactly like a bathtub water knob. My mother and I drove it til the engine gave out at about 30,000 miles. Not bad for under $500.
Funny story, that thing was such a piece if junk that the shifter knob and handle use to pop off and you could see through to the ground through the floor. So my mother would call me and say it happened again. I would have to go rig it back on just so she could drive it again. My mom was such a good sport and never got mad about it, and laughed about it with me. (RIP).
You know the saying that your first idea/answer about something is usually the right one. Well that applies here. When I first decided to get a tablet I wanted the HTC EVO View. But I didnt want to have to add a data plan to my bill so I ended up with the Nook tablet. Then the nook color, then the vizio vtab, then the Coby kyros, then the Kindle fire. Well after all that Im back to the evo view and found it on amazon for under $300. And this is a wi-fi/ 4g version, but doesn't require a data plan. So on payday thats what Im going to get. I originally had the evo 4g as my cell, and now have the evo 3d and love it. So the Evo view is basically a larger version of my phone which is exactly what I want from a tablet.
chaose said:
the 4:3 aspect ratio is the best feature of the ipad...
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
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Agreed, that's why I haven't wasted my money on one.
Damn you Swype!
I've got my KFire rooted running CM7 and haven't noticed any sync problems at all with netflix or youtube. I'm completely happy with it and all these devs are busting their butts to get some pretty sweet ROM's running on here. Hopefully MIUI will be one of them. ICS will work for now once they get the audio/video issues worked out.
Hey Everyone!
Like the thread title says, I'm looking to buy a tablet. I never really wanted one because I thought they were excessive luxury items but Amazon's Kindle Fire announcement (mostly it's $200 price tag) made me think for the first time about getting a tablet.
However, once I learned about the Fire not having a microSD port, I looked at the B&N Nook Tablet. I played with it in stores and I really liked it, but that 7" screen isn't optimal for me. I was looking for other options and came across the refurbished Transformers going for $300 on Tigerdirect. (Using my Chase credit card, I can buy it from Amazon and get 5% cashback which means I can get the Transformer for about $285)
Obviously this forum is biased, but do you guys recommend the Transformer? I'd love the Prime, but I just don't have that kind of money as a college student. Am I better off going with the newer Nook Tablet? Have you guys heard of any problems with these refurbed Transformers?
Thanks in advance!
Asus refurbs have a bad name to them lately. Either way, I love my Transformer. I returned an iPad2 to buy it. My wife returned her Kindle Fire because she expected it to be more like the Transformer. Said she'd rather have no tablet, then a half a tablet.
So, my vote goes to Yes, Buy it.
I'll chime in here. I've had my Transformer since the summer and I must admit that I absolutely love it. For me it offers the ultimate in portability and choice. Whatever your desire, be it watching a movie, reading a book, updating a work document, accessing your home computer, playing a game or browsing the web, it is an ultra portable extension of your computing life. If you are already in the Android ecosystem, once you register your tablet all of your Android apps will show up on your device for download. Some things it does not do well is picture taking but who uses a tablet for taking pictures? Tethered to my Android phone, I have the internet anywhere on the go. I use it with the Swype keyboard (you have to sign up for the beta) to take notes at meetings and can nearly keep up with the spoken word. If that's not good enough at a meeting, voice record it. If you have kids, there is plethora of movies, games activities to keep them quiet in the back seat on a long ride. I rooted my tablet more because I like to tinker, but out of the box I think you will find that there is not much need to do so if you are no so inclined. The stock ROM is smooth and responsive and full of useful apps; not overly bloated with proprietary B.S. In short, what are you waiting for? Pull the trigger and you won't regret the investment; it's tons of fun and useful when needed.
I have to agree with aburgthing, it's a great tablet. I also got mine this summer to replace my Asus eeepc 1005HA which was so slow that I would rather use my Incredible instead of that slow piece of crap. I use mine constantly.
The thing is absolutely amazing because IMO it can do way more than your standard netbook, if you're a college student (like I was up until a month ago!) you'll definitely want to get the keyboard also. It's a great addition for multiple reasons: It makes typing way easier (IMO it's kind of awkward to type with your thumbs on a 10" screen), it provides you with a stand when you don't feel like holding the tablet, It gives you another 9 hour battery, it provides you with 2 usb ports which function exactly like usb ports on a pc and you get an SD card slot which supports up to (the current) 128GB. Not to mention if you install an app like syncSMS you can send text messages to friends during class with the professor being none the wiser (since the texts can be sent and received via your TF to your phone)!
It's an amazing piece of technology, I spent $600 total on mine and I don't regret it one bit.
look for some used equipment deals first. Usually you can find better deal than refurb.
I've seen people call it "OG" but I don't know what it stands for?
Kermode said:
I've seen people call it "OG" but I don't know what it stands for?
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OG = OriGinal. (Added by edit - I guess it's original ganster. Always thought it was for original or orgie)
That or orgie. Come on! You know what I mean. I am absolutely convinced most guys got the TF101 to have a portible porn viewing device.
Kermode said:
I've seen people call it "OG" but I don't know what it stands for?
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Original gangster
OP: I love this tablet, I use it everyday for business, gaming, media, Web surfing... You get the idea.
I would but new or from a reputable source if you go used. If you plan on typing a lot then get the dock also, it really makes this tab stand out compared to the rest.
I have zero regret with this tablet, much preferred over all the other choices... Aside from the prime, but i'm waiting for the revised version.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
Kermode said:
I've seen people call it "OG" but I don't know what it stands for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Original Gangster
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
I bought mine "like new" from Amazon for a pretty reasonable price from warehouse deals.
id have to say the transformer in my opinion is the best tablet out there minus the prime when its worked out. ....laugh all you want but id be willing to bet i am over 10 ft away from my tab for less than a few minutes a day i m pretty much attached to it....and except for things tht are just impossible to do, i have completely replaced my laptop with it.im a student as well and its done everything ive needed it to do/
I decided to pull the trigger. I'm really excited to get it! Thanks again everyone!
BTW, what did one of you mean when you said ASUS refurbs have a bad name recently?
I am very happy with the Transformer purchased mine around the time of the Touchpad big sale.Boy glad I did not get that thing,and wanted a tablet and hands down it is the best for the price.Picked up the dock at Christmas for $99 from Amazon a good deal.Check online for a good price I was lucky the price had dropped under $370 at the time.The refurbished will save you some but not that much imo save and get it new.
Absolutely love my Transformer. I would definitely buy it again if I had to. It is fast and I have not had any problems with it at all, everything works great. I think some places are even selling new ones cheaper now that the Prime is out as well, but I could be mistaken. I say go with the transformer.
just make sure the refurbed transformers are not ones with the bad light bleeding issue! thats the only issue i've had so far with my transformer...not a major problem, but can really annoy you at times
I had an ipad, ordered the Prime. Changed my shipping speed and Amazon graciously kicked me to the back of the line and i got backordered untill mid Feb so i cancelled.
So glad it happened, i grabbed a refurb OG Transformer and i love it. With the right rom and kernel it kicks my wife's laptops butt on loading webpages, and if you have seen anything on ICS it will just be that much faster. Very glad i saved the 200 bucks, power button is pretty weak though on my refurb but ill fix it if it gets too bad.
Glad to see you pulled the trigger, welcome to the darkside!
Isn't that how it always works? I was originally with Nook Color, then I traded up to a Galaxy Tab, then I traded up to a Transformer. I kept finding reasons to justify the cost.
The TF201 has some issues of its own, particularly flaky QC and poor wi-fi and GPS reception, of which the TF101 has neither but has had QC issues in the beginning (I believe they're all ironed out now).
The TF201 has a smooth, slick design, better thinner profile and weight, a better processor, better screen, better camera, overall better device but its issues are alarming and the fact that they announced the TF700T which seems like an admission of poor design for the TF201 leads me to believe you should either stick with the tried and true TF101 or at least wait until the TF700T.
Try looking on craigslist.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
sadly i didnt like the TF201, finger print magnet :/ the TF700 looks better though
reaperzero said:
sadly i didnt like the TF201, finger print magnet :/ the TF700 looks better though
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You should get an ipad2. Apple came out with this anti-fingerprint technology where your fingerprints are instantly dissolved the moment you touched the screen.
Silly question, I suppose, but why isn't the nook hd+ just wildly popular. it's such a cool tablet, and you can get them cheap on ebay... or from barnes & noble, for that matter, what with the recent sales at various stores.
EDIT: 3 weeks later and I'm liking my nook more and more. It's just a joy to hold. The perfect size for me. I hope all the predictions about its demise are wrong. I'd love to see it continue to develop, keeping the hardware up-to-date as time goes on.
As a tablet it is fine and dandy with all that it has going for it but I felt it was too big to carry around as a reader. Obviously many many others disagree since the iPad is popular as a reader as well as being used as a tablet though so I don't know
I'm mostly unplugged from mainstream media, but I don't think it got nearly the exposure of the Nexus and Kindle Fire products. It also has the B&N app store dragging it down, and the original software (which is what most people experienced in-store last year, and maybe still do) was a bit laggy. Developers and tech lovers flocked to the Nexus 7/10 and "For Dummies" types looking for a media device went to Amazon and Apple. The low end of the tablet market is a lot more crowded than it used to be.
We have to remember, the Nook is targeted as an eReader. To be frank, it actually is - nothing more. Only once rooted, or once CM10 is installed, is it's true full potential unleashed, as a competitor against the Nexus 7, iPad etc. Without the XDA community, and the developers here (sincerely thankful to those), without them, this tablet would be basic eReader.
You can imagine the amount of people who have a Nook HD/+ and have no idea how to root, or install CM10. Those who simply use it as an eReader; they're not going to consider it competing against the likes of a Nexus 7. Once the developer community steps in, that's when it's popularity is increased.
So, as a stock ROM is shipped by default, and not many people are aware of it's "full-potential", we can assume this is the reason for lack of sales.
Boy, ain't that the truth. I think B&N are doing a huge disservice to themselves and their customers by being so uncooperative with all the developers who're making their tablets into useful multipurpose devices.
HiddenG said:
We have to remember, the Nook is targeted as an eReader. To be frank, it actually is - nothing more. Only once rooted, or once CM10 is installed, is it's true full potential unleashed, as a competitor against the Nexus 7, iPad etc. Without the XDA community, and the developers here (sincerely thankful to those), without them, this tablet would be basic eReader.
You can imagine the amount of people who have a Nook HD/+ and have no idea how to root, or install CM10. Those who simply use it as an eReader; they're not going to consider it competing against the likes of a Nexus 7. Once the developer community steps in, that's when it's popularity is increased.
So, as a stock ROM is shipped by default, and not many people are aware of it's "full-potential", we can assume this is the reason for lack of sales.
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Market
We tend to forget that B & N is in the book business not the hardware business. While I wish they would let this device be fully and easily converted to an Android tablet, why would they? I use the few hacks available and find it to be good as an Android Tablet and happy to have it.
dbrickg said:
Boy, ain't that the truth. I think B&N are doing a huge disservice to themselves and their customers by being so uncooperative with all the developers who're making their tablets into useful multipurpose devices.
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Yes, of course they're in the book business. But they do sell other stuff, nice coffee cups, for instance, with cute book-related quotes printed on the outside. And they don't lock the top, making them useless for coffee, on the grounds that they're a book business and don't want to allow their customers to actually use their mechandise for anything other than reading. Or, maybe if they were selling sports cars, they'd take the wheels off, insisting that people only use them to sit in the driver's seat and read books on the heads-up video display. In short, it seems to me that, more than being in the book business, they're in the business of selling stuff, and, no matter what that stuff, it seems silly to deliberately cripple it. It's as if they started censoring their books based on some arbitrary rule....
diajohn said:
We tend to forget that B & N is in the book business not the hardware business. While I wish they would let this device be fully and easily converted to an Android tablet, why would they? I use the few hacks available and find it to be good as an Android Tablet and happy to have it.
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diajohn said:
We tend to forget that B & N is in the book business not the hardware business. While I wish they would let this device be fully and easily converted to an Android tablet, why would they?
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They just took a big step in that direction: http://liliputing.com/2013/05/bn-adds-google-play-store-to-nook-hd-nook-hd.html
If they would just let other launchers override the native button/notification bar and recent apps, I wouldn't need CM10.
dbrickg said:
Yes, of course they're in the book business. But they do sell other stuff, nice coffee cups, for instance, with cute book-related quotes printed on the outside. And they don't lock the top, making them useless for coffee, on the grounds that they're a book business and don't want to allow their customers to actually use their mechandise for anything other than reading. Or, maybe if they were selling sports cars, they'd take the wheels off, insisting that people only use them to sit in the driver's seat and read books on the heads-up video display. In short, it seems to me that, more than being in the book business, they're in the business of selling stuff, and, no matter what that stuff, it seems silly to deliberately cripple it. It's as if they started censoring their books based on some arbitrary rule....
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Comparing a tablet and a coffee mug is like me comparing a car and a tank.. Two COMPLETELY different things.. I'm pretty sure it probably cost B&N about 2 dollars to "make" that coffee mug and sell it at a 90% profit when they sell them.. Tablets are very content driven.. B&N probably isn't making any money on the Nook itself.. More off the content that people buy on it (Newspapers, books, magazine subscriptions, ect..)
Yes, of course you're right: they're very different things. Just like books and cups and nooks are all very different things. All I'm saying it *whatever* they sell, whatever *anybody* sells, they should probably sell the best stuff they can. I still buy ebooks from the B&N store, but I would never have bought a nook in the first place if it couldn't be uncrippled. As it is, I've bought 4 of them. But no thanks to B&N. A big thanks to xda developers.
bkosh84 said:
Comparing a tablet and a coffee mug is like me comparing a car and a tank.. Two COMPLETELY different things.. I'm pretty sure it probably cost B&N about 2 dollars to "make" that coffee mug and sell it at a 90% profit when they sell them.. Tablets are very content driven.. B&N probably isn't making any money on the Nook itself.. More off the content that people buy on it (Newspapers, books, magazine subscriptions, ect..)
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I don't think the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is selling well, either. It has had several $50-off sales, and has been marked down to $269 (16GB) from $299. Likewise, from the latest IDC report, the whole KFHD line hasn't had the same success as the orig KF had. A reasonable conclusion can be drawn that, as tablet users become more savvy and demanding of their tablets, walled-garden-style tablets with limited ecosystem are losing out to more "open" tablets. Perhaps that's the same conclusion drawn by B&N in adopting Goog Play.
http://www.geekwire.com/2013/amazons-kindle-fire-dips-4-market-share/
It'll be interesting to see how Amazon adjusts to the slowdown in adoption rate. It can't rely on low pricing to push KFs any more, not with low-end tabs dropping down to $170 for 7" and $250 for 10". From the B&N CEO's allusions, we can surmise that B&N is ditching the hardware route and concentrating on packaging its core IPs for existing ecos. There's no good business reason for B&N to do its own hardware, now that the walled-eco strategy has failed.
I just got the Nook HD+ a couple of days ago, about a day before the new 2.1.0 update, so have had experience with both the old and new software. The improvement is night and day. I'm hoping that this will kickstart the Nook line and get more users into the Nook fold, if for nothing else than to get more bodies into these forums. The hardware is great, and now the (stock) software is good enough. But for the long term, I do expect the HD line to be the last of the Nooks.
Yahoo! Sounds like they're starting to get the message.
Taosaur said:
They just took a big step in that direction: http://liliputing.com/2013/05/bn-adds-google-play-store-to-nook-hd-nook-hd.html
If they would just let other launchers override the native button/notification bar and recent apps, I wouldn't need CM10.
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Click to collapse
Nicely said. Yes, yes, and yes. And I imagine you're right, too, about the HD being the end of the line for nooks. But I hope not. I really like my HD+ and would love to see them continue to upgrade it!
e.mote said:
I don't think the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is selling well, either. It has had several $50-off sales, and has been marked down to $269 (16GB) from $299. Likewise, from the latest IDC report, the whole KFHD line hasn't had the same success as the orig KF had. A reasonable conclusion can be drawn that, as tablet users become more savvy and demanding of their tablets, walled-garden-style tablets with limited ecosystem are losing out to more "open" tablets. Perhaps that's the same conclusion drawn by B&N in adopting Goog Play.
http://www.geekwire.com/2013/amazons-kindle-fire-dips-4-market-share/
It'll be interesting to see how Amazon adjusts to the slowdown in adoption rate. It can't rely on low pricing to push KFs any more, not with low-end tabs dropping down to $170 for 7" and $250 for 10". From the B&N CEO's allusions, we can surmise that B&N is ditching the hardware route and concentrating on packaging its core IPs for existing ecos. There's no good business reason for B&N to do its own hardware, now that the walled-eco strategy has failed.
I just got the Nook HD+ a couple of days ago, about a day before the new 2.1.0 update, so have had experience with both the old and new software. The improvement is night and day. I'm hoping that this will kickstart the Nook line and get more users into the Nook fold, if for nothing else than to get more bodies into these forums. The hardware is great, and now the (stock) software is good enough. But for the long term, I do expect the HD line to be the last of the Nooks.
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dbrickg said:
Nicely said. Yes, yes, and yes. And I imagine you're right, too, about the HD being the end of the line for nooks. But I hope not. I really like my HD+ and would love to see them continue to upgrade it!
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I'm doubtful whether there will even be another generation of eink Nooks, though I'd love to see a reader with the screen and lighting of the new Kobo Aura, but running Android.
Sent from my LT28at using xda premium
You just need a bigger carry bag
Seriously, though, one of the reasons I like the HD+ is that it fits in my small Eagle Creek side bag... just barely. Whereas all the 10" tablets are too big. And I love that it's big enough to display a usable full hacker's keyboard in portrait mode. On my 7" tablets, the keys are too small for my big fingers. The keyboard works well on the 7"s in reduced mode, but it's kind of nice to have working Ctrl and Tab keys accessible all the time.
koreanschoolkid said:
As a tablet it is fine and dandy with all that it has going for it but I felt it was too big to carry around as a reader. Obviously many many others disagree since the iPad is popular as a reader as well as being used as a tablet though so I don't know
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Had it released with Google Market, it would have been. That of course would defeat the business model purpose of the device in the first place.
rushless said:
Had it released with Google Market, it would have been. That of course would defeat the business model purpose of the device in the first place.
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You are absolutely right. I was in the market for a tablet in last November and checked out Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD 7, and Nook HD. I ruled out Nook quickly after checking what's available in the B&N App store. I have Amazon Prime but still refused to pay for a KFHD due to the locked environment. In the end, I bought Nexus 7 and later received KFHD as a free gift. Now I just bought a new Nook HD+ as I prefer a larger tablet for reading books and technical manuals. I would not have bought one if they didn't add Google Play support.
I was able to take advantage of the Mother's Day sale on barnes&noble.com, got me a Nook HD+ for $228 with taxes and shipping—still a great steal at that. I wish B&N would turn the walled ecosystem biz model on its head and compete head-on with the other tablet giants. Heck, ship them all rooted, and watch the buyers drop the Kindle and iPad mini lines en masse once they realize what Nook HD+ can do. (the hope of course being that B&N can sell more books despite having that open platform)
I do hope they don't discontinue the Nooks; with their specs, they can price it up to $300 and it'd still be an attractive alternative to the other better-marketed options from Samsung, Apple and Amazon.
Taosaur said:
They just took a big step in that direction: http://liliputing.com/2013/05/bn-adds-google-play-store-to-nook-hd-nook-hd.html
If they would just let other launchers override the native button/notification bar and recent apps, I wouldn't need CM10.
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? I installed apex launcher from Google Play and everything worked fine sorry for bumping an old post
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
CubeCloudOS said:
? I installed apex launcher from Google Play and everything worked fine sorry for bumping an old post
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
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Ya I ran go launcher HD pad version and it works fine on stock nook HD+
I am running cm 10.1 now rooted.
I would have been ok with running stock rom, but got too many "you can't do that" messages lol.
So I'm running CM 10.1 and love it. This is a fantastic tablet for the value. I got the HD+ 32gb for $ 179
then added a 64GB sandisk class 6 (one of the very few 64gb sdcards that actually works without problems on nook)
so I have a 96gb tablet that still cheaper than a Nexus or Asus.
Very happy with it and recommended to all my friends.
I think if more people were fully aware how awesome it was for the low cost, they would quickly be bought up!