I hate the ASUS TF300 - Transformer TF300T General

I'm going to start this off by saying that I realize that I am a crazy person. I wasted a lot of time working on 3 tf300ts with broken screens. I'm bitter, I'm frustrated, and I feel like I've been wronged by ASUS. I'm a flashoholic, I've never bricked a device I couldn't recover, and I've been all over these forums since I got my first Samasung Galaxy S a year and a half ago. I've bricked 2 of these tablets and I've had to ask for help twice because the search button only lead me to dated advice and misery. The developers here are crazy good and my hat goes off to them.
I want to thank you amazing developers for making my devices do tricks that the average device can't. You've shown me that anything is possible with Android.
I barely knew how to use ADB, and knew nothing about flashboot before I got these tablets 3 weeks ago. Now I understand what bootloaders are, I'm a wizard with ADB, and fastboot is what the pimps call; my bottom b**ch. I suppose I should be thankful for the learning experience, but I'm not, because I couldn't fix those tablets.
I bought those stupid daughter cards, a usb hub, and spent untold hours trying to figure out all of the stupid issues these tablets have. From bootloaders that freeze when rewriting to recovery mode not being able to mount anything, I am done with this crap. I called tech support because my ego finally caved this morning, they had me repeat everything I had just submitted on the trouble ticket, and spell each of my responses... for verification purposes. After I answered each question the technition responded with the exact tone and inflection each time "and thank you so much for your patience". His voice, echoed in my head, mocking me louder and louder as it bounced from synapse to synapse until I snapped and hung up on him when he asked for my device's serial number.
I'm going back to Samsung and I will never recommend an ASUS product again. Keep up the good work you guys, thank you for taking the time to document your successes with ASUS's sloppy engineering, and teaching me so much.

and the stupid trickle charging, even off of 2 amps
I hate proprietary chargers, especially when no one has them in stock. Same was true with samsung, but at least I had the A1 kernel.

Samsung isn't all that amazing either. The fact is that the state of Android tablets has been pretty crappy overall. The fact that they have not really taken off isn't magic.

I love the concept of the Asus Transformers, and it's generally executed extremely well, and the TF300T is a great improvement on the TF101 it replaced (for me)... but dear god, it's a steaming pile of donkey turd. Once you get past the bootloader and associated technical annoyances that must only bug power users, it's so fundamentally let down by the I/O speed that I wouldn't recommend the tablet to anyone now that the polish has worn off.
The thing is, Asus have me completely hooked on this idea of a transforming tablet. It's brilliant, especially with the added battery capacity in the dock. I can't go back to using just a regular slate now, so I sure hope the new Transformer Infinity is a step up.

i feel like i wasted on this thing too, just because of that i/o issue, everything is great but putting that slow storage on a device like this is a stupid decision, seriously, and they even did this with the (now old) flagship transformer pad infinity tf700
i heard they "fixed" that i/o issue for the memo pad, so i think the new infinity they just announced won't have the slow storage, and with all the tegra 4 & new stuff, i think it's going to be a great tablet. oh and they need to provide better customer services.
in short, i hate asus for the slow storage and their customer services, they better improve these 2 things.

The slow I/O is definitely the biggest fault of this tablet for me, not counting all the changes Asus keeps making to the bootloaders. I was really optimistic at first that it would get fixed by an OTA update, but it turned out to be a hardware issue, so there was no possible fix. I personally wouldn't have opposed a recall or something. But whatever, not much I can do about it now.
It still gets infuriating, and greatly hinders the ability to multitask, or even use the tablet for that matter. I like to load several web pages in background tabs while I read articles and forums, but it's nearly impossible with this tablet, because scrolling gets choppy and laggy. And then there's updating things in the Play Store. That's even worse.
My next tablet will most likely be a Nexus, or I will at least be more critical of flaws in my next tablet. I won't let anymore I/O problems slide while I wait and hope for a fix. If it can't handle I/O out of the box, it's getting returned.

Me too. I don not have any good experiences of TF300t. I was frustrated for the auto-reboot from time to time. And battery drained too fast.
I will not consider ASUS for the next tablet.

Sometimes i wait..
And wait...
And wait as this pos sits there locked up doing who knows what.
As much as i hate apple, my sisters seems smooth all the time.
When hazwell win8 tablets come out android might be done for me...

Also it would've been nice if ASUS gave a **** about the petition for nvflash. Well they didn't give a damn at all...so much for service...
but besides that crappy i/o I like this tablet

The IO problem is really disappointing, considering how nicely engineered some of their other hardware like Motherboards for PC's are.
I have been running the Data2SD script with a fast class 10 MicroSD and it has helped a lot with the IO. That combined with Fsync disabled, and you wouldn't know they put garbage flash memory in the device.
Otherwise I really like the tablet. There wasn't anything else good on the market at the same price point. The only other option would have been to spend a lot more on a Nexus 10 or Tab 10.1, both really nice devices. Speaking of the Tab 10.1 I really wish more devices get dual forward facing speakers

So what tablet out there would you all recommend next time? I feel it is a lottery at the moment. There are still reviews out there of the Transformer that ignore the problems, so I don't trust reviews.

Do you need one now, or any time in the future? If you need one now, Nexus is always a good choice. Well made and inexpensive, plus easy to hack if that's your thing. Sony's Xperia Tablet Z sounds good, too.
If you want a Transformer-type experience (with a dock), I've heard that ASUS has remedied the I/O issues in their next gen tablets, so you could still consider them if you're willing to wait. Also, HP is supposedly releasing a dockable tablet soon. Not sure when, but it looks like quality.

Related

[INFO] Now the bad - Transformer has Honeycomb

I read this earlier today
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/an...f-baked-at-best/16905?tag=mantle_skin;content
Its a reality check.
Full Disclosure - I own a Samsung Captivate and LOVE it. Never owned a single apple product until I purchased the iPAD2 a few weeks ago. The current plan is to get the Transformer and sell the iPad on ebay. I am on pre-order on Amazon and Target.
After reading that zdnet article I am thinking about cancelling my preorder.
While I like tinkering with stuff (I rooted my Captivate and use Barnacle to make it a free AP for my wifi ipad) ... the fundamental issues with HComb kills my interest.
Here is a followup to the above article ...
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/dear-google-heres-your-roadmap-out-of-android-honeycomb-hell/16940
Wow. Well, let me just say that I like Honeycomb just fine. It's not perfect, but it's nowhere near as bad as this guy is letting on. In fact, I think it's pretty damn good overall. I think (and I rarely say this) he must have quite an investment in Apple stock.
Update: The guy referenced Mossberg's review of the G-Slate as representing another voice that agrees with him. However, while Mossberg doesn't like the G-Slate, he has generally good things to say about Honeycomb.
So, in short, the guy's full of ****, generally.
vulcan195 said:
I read this earlier today
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/an...f-baked-at-best/16905?tag=mantle_skin;content
Its a reality check.
Full Disclosure - I own a Samsung Captivate and LOVE it. Never owned a single apple product until I purchased the iPAD2 a few weeks ago. The current plan is to get the Transformer and sell the iPad on ebay. I am on pre-order on Amazon and Target.
After reading that zdnet article I am thinking about cancelling my preorder.
While I like tinkering with stuff (I rooted my Captivate and use Barnacle to make it a free AP for my wifi ipad) ... the fundamental issues with HComb kills my interest.
Here is a followup to the above article ...
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/dear-google-heres-your-roadmap-out-of-android-honeycomb-hell/16940
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erma ...... 24 hours in and I've found honeycomb no more buggy than early froyo of gingerbread ........ found a few bugs but they are mostly software rather the os.
I believe even the 'mighty' iPhone 4 had a few teething problems ...... like not being able to make calls!?
The point is that technology is moving fast. You are either an early adopter (and therefore tolerant of a few quirks) or a late adopter living with last years tech.
Either is good. Just take your pick ..... early or late .....
i wouldnt change your mind because of one or two articles, ive owned ipads in my time and sold them all, mainly because its not "your"tablet so to speak
Got my AsusTF yesterday and it took all of about 1 hour to feel at home with the device, yes it operates differently to froyo and Gbread (own a galaxy s hacked to bits) but in all fairness it works pretty well imho.
Yes you get the odd force close, and yep a few apps just wont work but the majority do and pretty well.
Multitasking is the best ive seen on this type of device, the hardware is tops, the screen (if you get a good one lol) is ace, it nevers drops a connection, has great battery life and the gps is pretty damn accurate and fast, can the ipad wifi version do that? nope.
Overall im more than happy with the tf and trust me if i dont like an item within a few hours it goes on ebay, however this is a keeper i think.
And for christ sake yes the market can be random at times but never had a failed install like he claims, but seeing as the first pieces of hardware containing honeycomb have only just been released its unfair to state there are not enough apps, give it a few months and the market will be flooded.
Sounds like the guy was having an off day to be honest lol
And in all fairness the majority of people on xda will nearly always be beta testers as he puts it, but with devices running how we want them and pushed to the max, in theory what we have at the moment is a freshly plastered brick wall, just waiting for us to slap whatever we want on it how WE see fit and create a canvas we like, cant say that about the ipad!
If you let online articles sway your purchases, then you deserve exactly what you get.
I'm sorry but as a honeycomb user I can see that those articles are a load of rubbish. He complains that barely no apps work without crashing and that the market doesn't work which is odd as it is completely against what I have seen with huge numbers of apps working installed from the market. The second article goes on about a lack of experience at google - as if the developers and designers there had never worked on anything like an os before and that there is no way developers can read and learn from the development of other operating systems (a load of rubbish, just like the rest of the content in those articles).
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
If his point is that Honeycomb appeals to a different kind of user then the ipad, well ... duh. If you want something you can hand to grandma and have her launching apps in a few seconds, by all means, go iPad.Honeycomb and Android in general require more work from the user to customize the experience, and Honeycomb definitely requires more patience due to its rawness, and that is pretty well known at this point. So if you buy a Transformer expecting an iPad, I will gladly take one off anyones hands because I know several folks dying to jump in.
I hope you've had a chance to read other reviews and hear first impressions from users here on xda. The zdnet articles are one persons opinion. I've had my Transformer for about 48 hours and I am absotely thrilled with the tablet! I Love Honeycomb and have had a great experience so far. Also, keep in mind the price difference... that article is based on the Xoom... without an IPS screen, lighter and at $399 like the TF.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
I came from 2.3 and 2.2. I bought the transformer FOR the ultimate honeycomb experience
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
I am digging honeycomb so far. Yes every so often it gets a little choppy here and there. I've had more force closes when I bought an ipad 1 at release than I've had with honeycomb, and you can do so much more, like use a keyboard you actually like nor the one Steve tells you is the right one.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
ryude said:
If you let online articles sway your purchases, then you deserve exactly what you get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And aren't you doing the same thing by trying to dissuade someone from being dissuaded......online?
I had read the article and never experienced the problems with Honeycomb which Jason Perlow had. With any 1st generation Honeycomb tablets there are going to be a few software issues but these should be fixed with downloadable updates.
I thought that this was a blogger trying to generate a story rather than a proper review of Honeycomb or the Xoom.
LordLugard said:
And aren't you doing the same thing by trying to dissuade someone from being dissuaded......online?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Point is he's allowing one article to change his mind. There are plenty of reviews out there that state HC is a work in progress, and the ride is bumpy right now. If he'd read more articles/reviews and stated that he'd done his research and HC was not for him, then great, happy trails and enjoy the iPad, it's a neat device. But taking one person's opinion and saying, "Well, that seals it!" is a little rash.
At least that's how I took the guy's response about letting an article change your mind.
The article author acts like google will never update honeycomb lol
Google IO is coming up, and i am sure they will announce an update to honeycomb
(Adobe already hinted)
I think honeycomb is great, but the lack of tablet apps does suck, i agree with that
But remember that Honeycomb only was released 4 months ago, it will pick up soon
worst article ever.
go online and 80-90% of articles have a POSITIVE review on honeycomb.
does honeycomb has it's issues? hell yes. but so did android 1.0, 1.5, and 1.6. and hell even the latest versions of android and iOS have issues.
is honeycomb beta? yeah, but so was android, and still is.
I've had a decent amount of force closes in the browser and have had to force a shut down a couple times, but honestly, i still love the tablet and i love honeycomb because honeycomb is an ACTUAL tablet OS, where as the ipad is nothing more than an oversized iphone, with less quality.
Honeycomb will get better. and The transformer is an amazing deal and well worth the buy.
SlimDan22 said:
The article author acts like google will never update honeycomb lol
Google IO is coming up, and i am sure they will announce an update to honeycomb
(Adobe already hinted)
I think honeycomb is great, but the lack of tablet apps does suck, i agree with that
But remember that Honeycomb only was released 4 months ago, it will pick up soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree it will be nice to get some apps that explicitly take advantage of the bigger screen, but unlike the iPad (I have owned one since they came out in the UK), Android phone apps generally work well on the tablets. On iPad upscaled apps were dreadfully pixellated in the 2x zoom mode, or ridiculous looking floating in the middle of the screen with huge boarders. For the honeycomb tablets, the apps can look a little spaced out, but they generally look fine and work well. More to the point, they often just take advantage of the additional space seamlessly.
My problem is with the comparison between the stability of the iPad's iOS with Honeycomb.
iOS is literally a homescreen. Without apps it is nothing; with apps it's just a wallpaper with hundreds of tiles barfed up onto a few scrolling pages. So yes, Scrolling between the pages can be butter smooth, but it's like saying "I can swim through this water faster than you can swim through that custard." since Honeycomb stands on its own even without any additional applications, and even the home app is 3-Dimensionally oriented with multiple widgets constantly fetching data and displaying animations, and animated wallpapers.
I also hate people comparing Honeycomb tablets with the iPad 2, since Honeycomb is a year behind Apple, so we should compare both initial releases. I remember reading reviews for the original iPad and while people swooned over the revolutionary and magical product (sarcasm), the unbiased reviewers complained about the lack of apps for a long time, the constant crashing, the sluggishness, so Google has done a fantastic Job of competing with the second iPad with their first attempt.
Edit: It's also much easier for apple to write software for 1 set of hardware, where Android has to accommodate for varying specifications (screen size, RAM, [currently only Tegra 2 is supported {I think} but more with be added], Screen type, varying resolutions, different peripherals etc, which is bound to take longer to iron out and will probably never reach the same efficiency.
DISCLAIMER: I am by no means a Fandroid, and I think Google's biggest flaw is that they don't completely fix problems before adding some new shiny feature, adding even more bugs. While I love the new features, I can't stand thinking how efficient Android would be if they spent a longer time fixing things, rather than releasing NEARLY-finished features.
This guy's arguments are outdated and full of hyperbole. Don't listen to him.
You expect there to be a certain level of polish and maturity on the software in a $600.00 consumer device. The problem is, there’s nothing at all polished about a Honeycomb tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now, there are cheaper tablets with similar hardware: the Acer Iconia, Asus Transformer, and the upcoming galaxy tab. Nothing at all polished? Hyperbole! Plenty of things feel polished to me. Simple, intuitive multitasking. Awesome built-in apps. Easy and intuitive way of adding widgets. I could go on and on.
On the first page of the article, he only makes a single argument that isn't just ranting (it's still full of hyperbole, however):
While there are well over 100,000 applications available for Android, 99.99 percent of them are not properly optimized to run at the higher screen resolution on Honeycomb tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing: he can't do math. 99.99 percent is 99990. 100000-99990=10. Is he seriously saying there are only 10 tablet apps optimized for honeycomb? He's got to be kidding me. I know the math isn't the point, but this immediately shows what kind of writer he is.
However plenty just plain crash, do weird and strange unexpected things, have UI elements placed in unusual or unusable areas, or just refuse to install... This issue is made even worse by the fact that the re-vamped Android Market on Honeycomb is just plain broken. It blows up constantly and fails to install applications at least half of the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, BS and exaggeration. Most apps work great. I've only had a couple force closes. Nothing beyond the norm: even my iPod touch apps kill themselves without warning (battleheart, infinity blade...etc.). His argument about the market has some merit: it had some hiccups yesterday with the "see more details" bug, and it does occasionally fc. But he's exaggerating again: the market doesn't blow up constantly or fail to install apps. On the contrary, I've had a pleasant experience with it: the layout is nicely optimized for tablets, apps have installed on first click, and the market rarely "blows up."
Just trying to wrap my head around the way and where the menus are supposed to show up in Honeycomb and where UI and control elements are buried gives me a headache, and it doesn’t behave the way I expect it to.
By comparison, if you give an iPad to someone who has been using iPhones or iPod Touches, they’ll know exactly how it’s supposed to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you serious? It's not difficult at all to figure out how it works. By now, a lot of my friends have used my tablet. They have had no problem whatsoever. I suspect his problems come from the shifting menu button. Here, let me spell it out for you: on a tablet-optimized app, menu button is in the top right. Otherwise, it will be on the bottom left.
In conclusion, take his arguments with 99 truckloads of salt.
That moving menu button does annoy the hell out of me, though...
Google needs to pick a part of the screen and make sure it sticks there whether it's a HC app or not.
I'll touch on everyone elses points im sure with this but here goes:
That was a funny read. Love the way they compare success to number of units sold, rather than actual revenue made from overall sales.
While honeycomb is still in it's infancy, it's come a long way in a few short months. Unfortunately some people don't seem to realise that with more options and customisation of a device, the more problems can arise. Having a fixed OS that is locked down will of course always be smoother than one which is open, as there are less things to test and make compatible with each other.
I've always seen apple products as something you can just pick up, it will work first time, it has simple controls, but it will do a basic job. Things have improved over the years in making it feel a bit more advanced though to be fair.
With android devices, and honeycomb, I see more options to customise, and more options to explore, with a freedom to basically do whatever you want, only limited by the hardware.
At the end of the day, they are quite different beasts for different people. I guess i'm a google-ite, as I see their approach to their work as inspirational. It seems as if they are willing to experiment more, and release their work freely for others to edit or grow on top of. They're not focussed on sales figures, more a method of growth to show off and expand on people's creative sides. Of course it's all about public image, apple always seems to be quite greedy in trying to make money from every little thing, and google makes their money by cleverly hiding it in the background with advertising etc.
I've had both apple and android devices btw. Liking honeycomb more than I thought I would. I've not had a Xoom and maybe they really are as crap as he says they are. Just glad I have the transformer.

Are you keeping your A500 or gonna try the next best thing?

I am still on my 14 day return and have been thinking about this. Android biggest problem is something new is always right around the corner. I think a lot of you are here cause the Asus was unavailable and may still be waiting on that.
So are you keeping it.
Did it surprise you enough to stay with it.
Is the upcoming Samsung Galazy Tab 10.1 or the burning desire to have the Transformer gonna make you take it back.
Maybe the Toshiba Tab with it's built in USB might persuade you.
Sticking. Stuck.
I bought the Acer because the ASUS wasn't available, but I'm quite happy with it anyway. As you said, there's always something new around the corner, but what I've seen about the Toshiba models put them in the Xoom price range, and I haven't seen pricing on the Samsung 8.9 and 10.1 (new thin models, not the 10.1V original design.)
Honeycomb in general's still a very new system, and I expect by this time next year most of the things we're looking at as "missing" or "broken" will be available and/or fixed. Kinda the way I'm still using my (original generation) Droid phone, which, when overclocked and ROMd over to Gingerbread is just fine
Actually...
I figured that I'd get it to play with Honeycomb and wait for some of the vaporware tablets to emerge. I had bought a Xoom but it was a real POS - nothing worked including the falsely advertised charging dock, etc. So I returned it.
Now I'm absolutely keeping the Iconia - I have a rooted Nook Color - very nice but not in the same league as the Iconia.
Don't believe all the BS put out about how bad the screen is, or other stuff.
I rooted it (easiest root I have ever done) and everything works as advertiszed.
I still got until Monday wiki decide Saturday if I will return or not to get the transfoemer, tegra 3 tablets are also coming out in august
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Got both the Asus and the iconia and will keep the iconia ..
The Asus just feels so cheaply made that no amount of screen quality can make up for it feeling like a cheap toy in my hands.
I can understand the whole IPS vs standard screen debate as i have owned many great screens over the years including IPS desktop screens and iPads etc etc .
They both have there pros and there cons but a good screen and good build quality are more important to me and the whole USB host thing built in without the need for a dock or separate accessory is just great.
Will never need a keyboard attached to it either and i think thats what really pushed me over the edge to keep the Acer.
Not slamming on the Asus btw because its decent in other areas but after getting 2 with some nasty light bleed on top of questionable build quality the Acer just took the crown for overall winner .
I am keeping mine. I actually had a Xoom first and took it back...thought it was too expensive for what it was. I actually really like the Acer better. I love the USB port, the micro card slot actually works ( didn't on xoom as of yet), It feels a lot lighter and I actually like the bezel being larger as it is easier to hold without hitting the screen. The viewing angle is good (not sure why bad comments on that). I like it a lot.
Keeping. Was waiting on the Asus, but i'm more than happy with the screen of the Acer, absolutely love the usb port, and since removing the phone apks, I have no complaints about battery life. I'm happy.
Right before I got the Acer I had purchased a used Galaxy Tab 7" thinking that would satisfy me.
Then I saw the Acer. Once I touched it I fell instantly in love and fought myself not to give into temptation everyday. Suddenly it hit me... I have a Bestbuy card and it means I can take 18 months to pay for it without a dime of interest.
1/2 hour later I had the Iconia in my sweaty hands.
Sure the wife *****ed but hey, it's only a new toy once.
For me it's a keeper. Like others have said, the USB port is a big factor and I see nothing wrong with the screen.
Keepin'. I am surprised how much I enjoy the Acer iconia Tab. The USB port makes all the difference. I think the build quality is very nice indeed and I really like the design. Root doesn't hurt either.
I was an early adopter of the Linux Eee Pcs and thought they were very solid little machines, but later models had some serious build quality issues. So the Eee Transformer quality/build problems I have read about do not surprise me one bit. . . .
Also have the Galaxy Tab 7" and a Nook Color. Not sure which one of those I'm sticking with though. I like them both but I leaning toward the Nook and selling the Galaxy Tab on Ebay.
Keeping for sure
I will be taking mine back, but only cause I will be waiting for Samsung galaxy tab 10.1. The weight of the Acer is an issue for me, but can understand why it is. Feels very sturdy. I absolutely love the USB port & sdcard working out of the box. So testing the Acer gave me a few things to think about far as what I want in a tablet. I know Galaxy tab 10.1 will not have USB port. Not sure how Toshiba's will feel.
I definitely recommend people to try the Acer
Also the corners of acer are kind of pointy if holding for awhile.
def keeping mine. I don't know why the Asus got so much media and Acer didnt
I'm still on the fence. I'm coming from daily use of a convertible Fujitsu with stylus and have wanted something this light for a while and miss not having a stylus for normal handwriting.
There are also some things I may not be able to live without which require Window$ but I'm going to give it another week and see if I can see a way to fit it into my normal working life.
If there weren't things that were broken out of the box (gps, compass) I'd probably be leaning more towards keeping at this point
Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.
bhageman said:
Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?
nubbin77 said:
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Immediately did a factory reset. Eliminated problem with screen coming back on after screen time out and an odd problem I had with my screen timeout being stuck at 15 seconds.
-Rooted with GingerBreak (make sure you lock in portrait during process)
-WPA supplicant
-changed phone.apk and telephony___.apk to .bak to kill the phone processes. Mad a HUGE improvement in an already satisfactory battery life. WARNING: This will brick your phone if you do a factory reset without changing them back.
-Installed ADW for my home screen
-Installed SyncSMS to get SMS functionality
Apps that help:
-GingerBreak
-Root Explorer
-Terminal Emulator
-Uninstaller for Root
-Super Manager
-ES File
Apps I love:
-PlayOn: Streaming TV from my NAS drive
-SugarSync: All my work docs in the cloud
-WinAmp: Sync music with my desktop over wifi
-Feedly: Google RSS feed looks like a magazine
-Chrome to Phone
Still on the edge
I like the screen and feel of it, but with Honeycomb there aren't many apps out there that run on it (without FC all the time).
I'm trying to justify keeping it for work, but there's no Activesync (without rooting), Calendar is a joke and other than playing movies/games on it what do YOU use it for?
I can't see dumping my laptop anytime soon, so my question is what are you using it for? Serious question.
Thanks
S
I wanted the EEE TF as well but got the Iconia in the interim. I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't want the TF anymore. After playing with a friends, I'm not convinced it's worthwhile to exchange them. It has a gorgeous display and is a tad lighter but I'm afraid I've been jaded by the really bad things I've read about it and am convinced the first batch was very shoddy. Unfortunately, by the time it's released there will be competitors with possibly better options (toshiba, samsung, sony, htc, etc.)
My goal is to get something I'm 100% happy with. I'm 98% happy with the Iconia.
What's in that 2%? Limited video file and format playing ability and bugs due to Honeycomb right now.
Otherwise, hell yeah! I'd have liked an IPS screen. This AUO screen isn't bad at all but it's no IPS, right? Acer could have at least pegged Samsung for PLS.
It's also in wrestling with the idea of having the faith in Acer to believe they really will update and fix these things in the near future. These companies aren't known for keeping their products updated beyond a certain period. I can easily see their promised June update becoming Samsung-esque and not seen for months if ever.
That being said, I've entertained the idea of returning it and waiting to see what I can get in June. But tech is tricky and if you decide to wait, you can easily end up waiting forever for the next best thing as it's always around the corner. If the competitors are too expensive, it's not like the A500 won't be there for me to fall back on, it may even be cheaper! Of course, just like a cell phone - once you own one of these things you come to depend on it rather quickly if you're used to doing things a certain way.
I use it for everything now. My notebook sits in it's bag most of the time.
It's awesome for multimedia, period.
I use it in the kitchen and around the house to play music and videos if I don't feel like sitting in front of the TV.
I use it in the kitchen to look up new and different things to cook.
I use it as a visual remote for my PC (to control music or manipulate downloads). I use it in the couch to look up stuff I see on TV.
I bring it with me EVERYWHERE, yes...I now own a manbag.
I use it on the road when I'm out with the wife and she's in Macys/JCPenny/Kohls or any of those places I don't feel like venturing with her into for hours.
I use it when I'm at the cafe or out at dinner. I don't have it out all the time, but it's with me in case I want to use it and I must say, it's nicer than flipping out a netbook which I guess is ironic but I always thought that was so odd looking. You know, when people pop their netbooks out on a table in the middle of 4 people being social. For me it's a matter of looking up something quick and then popping it back in.
The list goes on and on.
It's basically replaced my android phone in its smart abilities while managing to be more comfortable in that the screen is bigger. It's replaced my notebook in it's lighter tasks like multimedia due to it being ultimately way, way more portable and touchscreen.
My dilemma is living without it for 2 months while I wait for something that I'm hoping will satisfy me 99 or 100%, should I decide to return it. I still have a few days to decide.
kalric said:
Calendar is a joke
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Jorte?

[INFO] The New Hotness

Ok, so as a brit I got the new firmware this morning and the increased stability has really highlighted what a great concept and execution the Transformer and dock is (its now starting to show its true potential and that's in no small part to the exchange of info here on xda and the efforts of Asus to get fixes and updates out)
So.. the build quality has disappointed some people.. and delighted others..
So.. the NEW Galaxy tab is garnering plaudits with some stellar reviews about the sceen and form factor (lighter than the ipad 2! thinner than the ipad 2! etc...)
However.... showing this bit of kit to techies and non techies alike.. the potential is really starting to surprise people. Its a netbook, but it isn't.. its got insane battery life.. its a tablet with a pretty stunning screen.. its a netbook wtih a stunning screen.. Honeycomb is a lot more flexible than people realise.. etc etc..
I should caveat this with a disclaimer that (so far) I've been one of the 'lucky ones' with a unit with few if any quality control issues.. and perhaps ASUS need to ramp up in that department if the posts here about build quality issues are any barometer.. but so far, this is a kick ass bit of kit and IMHO thoroughly deserves the title of 'The New Hotness' - there's nothing out there like it
We need more positive threads like this.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I've found that people don't really "get it" when I just describe how the TF is both a tablet and a netbook. However, when I _show_ them by popping it on and off the keyboard, suddenly the lightbulb seems to always go off. Makes for a great demo, and of course, it's just generally cool...
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Agreed... well written.
It will be perfect with 3.1 and an oc kernel that runs as fast as my gtab.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Agreed that conceptually this is a great product.
I am on my second and both tablets suffer from built issues most notably significant light bleed.
If stock was more available I would like to exchange for a third and hope to get one that works just right but it is consitently out of stock and feels like a lottery to get one only to be let down when it copmes flawed.
Any of you having these issues?
Am I just being over picky about the light bleed?
Still can't get a keyboard here in Seattle
Well, after I got the Transformer, I envied the people that got the Galaxy Tab at the Google IO. Then I played with one and then I realized that if I had the choice, I'd go with the Transformer. And my wife, she now wants everything in the house to be Asus.
They say light bleed. I had to search for it a lot to find it. They say creakiness and I also had to twist the Transformer hardly to hear it. They said a lot of bad things, but you know what I think? Only people who have problems write comments and try to discuss their problems with the community and trying to fix it. But pleased people always stay away.
Anyway, I think the Transformer is the best compared to all the others and it is worth more that $400...
Theres a lot of love for this tablet, warts and all.. bring on Honeycomb 3.1... Definitely favour a stability release over a feature release at this stage
I am also very happy with mine. There is a little light bleed, but nothing I find bothersome. Way better than the iPad.
The docking station is the killer component of the system. With it the transformer changes from a device best suited to consumption to a device that can effectively create content. This is a huge advantage to me.
Jerry
PS. Glad to hear the new update made it to the UK. Mine received it the day I bought it and I have never had these sleep of death or other problems that occurred before the update.
Loving mine so far. With the last update the dock works even better. Now my ipad sits on a shelf.
jerrykur said:
I am also very happy with mine. There is a little light bleed, but nothing I find bothersome. Way better than the iPad.
The docking station is the killer component of the system. With it the transformer changes from a device best suited to consumption to a device that can effectively create content. This is a huge advantage to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, reading that comparison thread of the four office products in the Apps & Themes section really brings home the content creation side of things... now for more music creation apps (iOS has a huge lead here)
Overaill, I guess the satisfied users will just have to evangelise the Transformers merits some more - but the lightbulb going on in peoples' heads when they see it in action (as was mentioned earlier) is really satisfying especially when its people who think tablets begin and end with Apple
I think only the really "anal" are harping on the light bleed and creaking.
Honestly the average consumer probably won't even notice these issues.
I notice, but really don't care that much.
There's slight creaking when bending it hard....but really is that affecting my user experience? Not really...maybe it speaks to build quality, which isn't THAT bad.
Light bleed...if i focus reaalllllly hard on the bottom right hand corner on a fully black screen I can see it....but everyday usage it goes unnoticed.
newtybar said:
I think only the really "anal" are harping on the light bleed and creaking.
Honestly the average consumer probably won't even notice these issues.
I notice, but really don't care that much.
There's slight creaking when bending it hard....but really is that affecting my user experience? Not really...maybe it speaks to build quality, which isn't THAT bad.
Light bleed...if i focus reaalllllly hard on the bottom right hand corner on a fully black screen I can see it....but everyday usage it goes unnoticed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or perhaps you're making your own assumptions on the lack of severity of other peoples light bleed problems or whatever? They're not all the same you know.
newtybar said:
I think only the really "anal" are harping on the light bleed and creaking.
Honestly the average consumer probably won't even notice these issues.
I notice, but really don't care that much.
There's slight creaking when bending it hard....but really is that affecting my user experience? Not really...maybe it speaks to build quality, which isn't THAT bad.
Light bleed...if i focus reaalllllly hard on the bottom right hand corner on a fully black screen I can see it....but everyday usage it goes unnoticed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I am anal then. I don't expect perfection but I don't need to search for light bleed I only need to view a dark background like a movie trailer in a dark room to see 4-5 patches of it along the bottom.
This has now happened on 2 different models so can't attribute it to a rare lemon.
As for creaking my first one was bad. The top and bottom bronze medal would click when holding it which was annoying.
The new one is much better in that regard. But the right side of the back plastic kind of gives when I first hold it.
So yes I am anal that I want my nearly 600$ tablet to have better build. But I also recognize the brilliance of the concept and if I can get one with less screen bleed I would be in love instead of on the fence to return.
I think the light bleed issue is somewhat inherent in the panel technology. The iPad seems to suffer light bleeds quite a lot and it seems to be somewhat worse in the new one. I also hear the new iPad is more fragile than the old one since Apple glued down the screen to make it thinner.
love my eee pad
I am really in love with my transformer.
I have a very light cracking on the right side....that's all.No hardware trouble at all.
I really LIKE HC, even it's not perfect, yet But it has a lot of potential for the future.
Most of the time the transformer runs smoothly and without trouble.
I gotta say this is the best tech device i have brought in ages.
Anyone whop knows me can guage how good a bit of tech is by how long it takes for me to whack it on ebay (normally a week lol) however the TF is just perfect for what i need.
Having owned 2 ipads and a galaxy tab i gotta say imho that this beats them all hands down. The dock makes a huge difference and turns a device which is mainly a concumption device into an excellent all rounder. It turns from a "i dont need it but its cool" device into a laptop/netbook replacement for most day to day tasks.
Ok you still need a pc if your into photoshop or video conversions etc but my gen 2 core i5 has just sat there limp and lonely for the last two weeks, basking in the shadows caused by this monolithic beauty.
When reading reviews before mine arrived i was worried about QC however i have come to realise that nothing will ever be perfect for everyone, and yes if you have a fault then you have the right to swap it. But am i going to go looking for faults NO, i have spent a nice £400 quid plus on this unit and you know what im gonna enjoy it for what it is!.
I love Samsung always have done but then again i have also always owned asus pc gear and know that there support generally is second to none let alone the reliability of there products. Hell lets not forget who invented the netbook in the first place, and while Apple may of have made the tablet popular Asus have made it USEFULL
thering1975 said:
I gotta say this is the best tech device i have brought in ages.
Anyone whop knows me can guage how good a bit of tech is by how long it takes for me to whack it on ebay (normally a week lol) however the TF is just perfect for what i need.
Having owned 2 ipads and a galaxy tab i gotta say imho that this beats them all hands down. The dock makes a huge difference and turns a device which is mainly a concumption device into an excellent all rounder. It turns from a "i dont need it but its cool" device into a laptop/netbook replacement for most day to day tasks.
Ok you still need a pc if your into photoshop or video conversions etc but my gen 2 core i5 has just sat there limp and lonely for the last two weeks, basking in the shadows caused by this monolithic beauty.
When reading reviews before mine arrived i was worried about QC however i have come to realise that nothing will ever be perfect for everyone, and yes if you have a fault then you have the right to swap it. But am i going to go looking for faults NO, i have spent a nice £400 quid plus on this unit and you know what im gonna enjoy it for what it is!.
I love Samsung always have done but then again i have also always owned asus pc gear and know that there support generally is second to none let alone the reliability of there products. Hell lets not forget who invented the netbook in the first place, and while Apple may of have made the tablet popular Asus have made it USEFULL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Must say, I feel the same way about the Transformer. Since purchasing it I seem to be taking it everywhere with me like my phone. Did not think I would become that attached to a gadget even my wife is starting to get jealous!!!
I love my transformer too! It's an awesome piece of kit!
I bought an iPad2 the day after it launched (I managed to wander into a local store and they had one in stock!) and returned it a week later. There's no 'killer app' really, garageband was pretty cool and some of the games were nice, but as I already own an iPhone4, there was nothing I could do on the iPad that I couldn't do with my phone, and in fact as I've jailbroken my phone, I actually found the iPad very restrictive!
What really got me was having to jump through hoops wearing clown shoes with butter smeared on the bottom of them just to get any media on the iPad. I don't use iPhoto for my pictures and I don't buy movies from iTunes, so was fairly boned in terms of getting stuff on the device easily. With my transformer I just plug it in, and drag and drop! Or use wifi file transfer! Or use the microSD or SDHC on the dock! Or use the built in DNLA! So many options!
I've had my transformer for over a month now, and I still haven't sold or returned it! I will admit I've been lucky with mine, the only real problems I have are apps crashing a bit more often than I'd like them to. Everything else works wonderfully!
Compared to the iPoo, on my transformer I have a bunch of HD movies (including Avatar, which looks AMAZING!), loads of photos that the gallery just picks up on automatically, a few games, including fpse with final fantasy 7, 8 & 9, super puzzle fighter 2 turbo and a bunch of others, and a web browsing experience that actually works on pretty much every website I've been to! And I won't even bother mentioning the dock, and how many benefits that brings to an already great tablet!
Apple could learn a lot from the flash implementation! Practically the only use I found for the iPad was as a couch-based web browser, and without flash, that's pretty useless too!
Add that to the fact that there aren't as many decent tablet apps for the iPad as most of the media would have you believe (I spent a week looking for apps for the iPad2, and couldn't really find anything that wowed me), and the iPhone apps look terrible on the iPad, and it leads me to the conclusion that most of the people who praise the iPad over a device like the transformer have either sub-par intelligence, are living under a rock as far as knowing how tech works, or have fingers like pork pies (extremely fat).
Pretty much everyone I've shown my transformer too has been very impressed by it, and I know at least 10 of them are now trying to source their own transformers! I work in a big office full of techie people, so that number will probably increase! I kinda wish I could get some form of commission!
If I had to say anything bad about my transformer it's that the marketing behind video playback on tegra 2 devices has been a bit misleading. I have handbrake on my PC and mac and have saved templates that create lovely running HD files, but when I bought my transformer, I was kinda under the impression that it would play almost anything, what with the marketing touting "Full 1080p playback".
The only advice I have offered people is "if you don't have a tablet already, and you're not in any rush, keep an eye out on the upcoming tegra 3 tablets. They will handle pretty much any video resolution and encoding, and if you're planning on waiting a couple of months before getting a tablet, it *may* be worth holding out for the tegra 3."
Apparently the tegra 3 can handle resolutions up to 2560x1600, so it should handle high profile 1080p video fine, according to this demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPN3hHI9y-E
I just hope more can be eeked out of the tegra 2 chips, so I don't have to transcode every HD movie I want to watch on my transformer!
Although that said, other than that minor annoyance, I think my transformer is one of the best gadgets I've ever owned, and I like my gadge! Plus, it allows me to browse the net and remote control my home PC from work, with it tethered by bluetooth to my iphone. Pleasing.
Sorry for the long post, can't help gushing about the transformer sometimes! haha!

Is the Xoom worth purchasing?

Recently I was waiting til the new Samsung Galaxy tab was officially announced to see if it would come with sd card and/or usb....which it didnt so now i dont know what i want...I dont want to acer iconia because it just looks ugly...and same thing for the transformer...they both just look like ugly devices to me..so my only other pick is the Moto Xoom which i actually like the way it looks. But is the Xoom worth the purchase...i hear its a lil slow and jerky...has the 3.1 update fixed that issue?? and does the sd card slot work now??
I own a XOOM and my brother has a Transformer. While I agree them Xoom looks better and is more sturdy, I'd much rather the transformer. The included keyboard is a big plus, as well as the built in usb otg connection.
Edit - forgot to mention how very unimpressed everyone outside of the US is with Moto and its approach to updating the Xoom. Also, not a squawk about why its taking so long.
I think you should just go with what you like. The xoom has a keyboard case now. And as for Moto, updates will come when they come. Most people have rooted and updated anyway. There is plenty of support on XDA for whatever you get. You could always wait and see what comes out in the next few months. Newer processors, different screens, and even support from software companies. Remember you dont have to rush, take your time and make decisions you will be happy with.
But is the XOOM still laggy?? and for rooted users are there good roms out that take full advantage of the processors?
Well, thanks to brd, I've got my xoom overclocked and running stable at 1.7 and I have to say with the 3.1 upgrade, even at stock speeds the xoom is smoooooth as silk. I had the iconia and promptly returned it as the bootloader is locked, and the still have released no source code. Full custom roms won't come till I cream sandwich with any android tablet, as Google won't release the honeycomb source code. But owning a xoom, I am pretty sure it will be one of the first to get the upgrade, just as it was the first with 3.1
jase33 said:
I think you should just go with what you like. The xoom has a keyboard case now. And as for Moto, updates will come when they come. Most people have rooted and updated anyway. There is plenty of support on XDA for whatever you get. You could always wait and see what comes out in the next few months. Newer processors, different screens, and even support from software companies. Remember you dont have to rush, take your time and make decisions you will be happy with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said, I completely agree. The Xoom is the best tablet for "me" and I've owned a few.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
I've had mine for two weeks, I absolutely love it. I have no idea why people are so down on it! I had the acer iconia for a week beforehand, the body was pulling apart, the screen was awful and the shape was just... odd. I trust motorola to make quality products, not just software, that was a huge plus for me. As for the USB and SD card, with google music out now, are you really going to put 32+ gigs worth of info on your tablet?
I use mine for college text books, email, surfing, file transfer, etc and have yet to be even close to disappointed. I don't have any experience with the transformer, but given my experience with a less than quality build of the acer, I would be worried about the quality of the asus as well, just my two cents.
freddyfromutah said:
I've had mine for two weeks, I absolutely love it. I have no idea why people are so down on it! I had the acer iconia for a week beforehand, the body was pulling apart, the screen was awful and the shape was just... odd. I trust motorola to make quality products, not just software, that was a huge plus for me. As for the USB and SD card, with google music out now, are you really going to put 32+ gigs worth of info on your tablet?
I use mine for college text books, email, surfing, file transfer, etc and have yet to be even close to disappointed. I don't have any experience with the transformer, but given my experience with a less than quality build of the acer, I would be worried about the quality of the asus as well, just my two cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, actually the 32 gig expansion would be awesome. I don't want to be forced into paying for Google music just to have a good list of music access able. Then on top of that pay verizon for the data transfer to listen to my own music. I know I can root for it, but initially I wasn't going to root till after the 4g upgrade. I'm rather disappointed, maybe I confused myself expecting to have the SD work soon, and having 4g before any other tablet, but I'm pretty sure I was just mislead.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
The great thing about the Xoom is the AOSP experience. It's unfettered Android. All the other devices have each respective company's own flavor of Android which is something I, and many others hate. As with other devices that are AOSP, it will probably get all the updates much sooner than other devices.
When the Xoom came out I was determined to get it, because I'm a tech-whore and needed to have a device with Honeycomb. When I finally got around to purchasing the Wifi version upon it's release, I found myself wondering what exactly I was going to do with this thing...I couldn't figure it out. Now I use it all the time. I don't regret spending the $600 one bit.
had the Xoom for 5 days now, was a little aprehensive with what I'd read about the screen and lag but I'm so glad I took the plunge. I'm running 3.1 stock on an untouched Xoom, I have no issues with lag and everything is super smooth. I wanted it for surfing, games, comics and video and it is fantastic at these. I'd been using my wife's Ipad for a while and the Xoom just knocks the spots of it in all areas.
The slow and jerky performance is still here, but that appears to extend to ALL honeycomb tablets. Also, this only happens in portrait and upside down orientations. Absolutely no choppiness in my experience with a static background in regular landscape.
Try it for yourself... 0 deg is completely smooth. 180, 90, -90 are all choppy. Do yourself a favor and only use I in native orientation, heh.
Aside from that minor niggle, honeycomb, and the xoom as a whole, are absolute dreams. Coming from a particular competing product, as well as two hacked Android tablets, I can say that the xoom is the first time I've been satisfied with the tablet concept.
Buy one; you won't regret it. After all, you can always return it if you're not crazy about it.
PS. With bigrushdog's kernel, you can use SD.
Absolutely avoid the Xoom. Unless you enjoy paying too much, no updates at all, lack of support, non-functional hardware, etc.
It's incredibly heavy and bulky. The touch screen is not too responsive, and theres significant motion blur, notably on red.
It's also very slow. For my money you'd be better off waiting for quad core tablets. These phone processors simply can't cut it on a larger screen.
Not to mention the Xoom 2 leak.
Sent from my SGH-I897
I say... avoid everything with android 3.0 and beware of 3.1 tablets. why? because there are only about 40 apps that are optimized for honeycomb...optimized not full supported. Its strange for me that big companies arent excited about supporting tablet format (maybe the fact that we are only %0.3 of the users). Also the games that are suppossed optimized for tegra 2 are old apps from the ipad with a little light effects or glom ,etc. but the gameplay still laggy as in the ipad.
Also i like to say that the 3.1 update is a kick in the balls for users and devs. I purchased every game that it has come out from gameloft and they stop wrking after the update, only asphalt 6 after a patch gameloft send me. >Then they send me a link that they werent responsible for faulty updates...and they are right. I downloaded xmen arcade and it happens the same. try reset, hardreset and everything and nothing, support told me to wait for them to fix it or wait for google to fix it...its just the update that messed with games and apps.
My advice if you still going to buy....buy the transformer, they give you more for the money and your not missing anything the xoom have.
If your trying to get into the android tablets, then I would say the Xoom is very nice or the transformer has a attachment to a key bored, How I went on of buying one was I was comparing it to the iPad 2 and I'm a sucker when it comes to lil features like the camera Is way better on the Xoom (Front and Back) The stereo speaker is also a major plus, I like how to plug it to my TV all I needed was a 8$ Mini hdmi wire, Pretty sleek body, the 32gigs of space is plenty I can't seem to even fill 5Gigs of space, Idk why people are crying for the SD slot so much, Just root it and install the kernal, No hacking is required for the Xoom just get what you want and be done. My own thing I don't like about android in general, is their apps. but its w/e
also on the new 3.1, there is next to no lag or you can hack it and make it speedier its all up to you.
Thanks I think i'm going to pick up the Xoom soon! Man Samsung ALMSOT had me sold....they always seem to **** SOMETHING up...its like they can't have their cookie and eat it too, something always have to give....**** they better start eating them cookies lol.. Oh well XOOM it is..
Oh yes, definitely!
Had mine for almost 3 weeks and for me, this is the best $600 investment I've done. Touch screen response is excellent, I have yet to experience any lags and it feels (in regards to quality and workmanship) every bit as I expected it to be. In some aspects, it has even surpassed my expectations in performance and battery life! Not regretting in any sense the money spent and all the accessories I got for it (leather portfolio case, car charger, mini HDMI cable).
At work, I had the opportunity to play with iPads, iPads 2, Playbooks and I do not regret my decision to go with the Xoom. Everything I need to do I can do with it, that was one of the considerations I made while "checking out" all the alternatives out there and I'm really happy with the end result. Using it daily for EVERYTHING, it complements my HTC G2 phone perfectly and can't hardly put it down.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
The xoom is a great device but I don't like that there are two types of screens, neither of which are as good as the in-plane switching TFT design or the PLS in the new samsungs. Vertical viewing angles on the xoom are subpar, especially for the price point, in my opinion.
The light leakage issues on all these tablets is also a concern of mine and seems to be directly related to QC issues with the panel manufacturers.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Im on week 3. This Xoom wifi is my first tablet but I played with them all and liked the xoom better. I love it. I think the market will come with time. Devs are starting to get into honeycomb. There are a few software quirks with exchange 2003 and FB,for instance, for me, but I have no lag at all and I love this machine.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
This $500 Xoom sales is still ticking..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250829943160
If you are in the US, then maybe.
Otherwise avoid Xoom at all cost.
Also if you don't mind paying overpriced device with non functioning hardware and promised hardware upgrade which is not happened after couple of months.
timo2387 said:
Recently I was waiting til the new Samsung Galaxy tab was officially announced to see if it would come with sd card and/or usb....which it didnt so now i dont know what i want...I dont want to acer iconia because it just looks ugly...and same thing for the transformer...they both just look like ugly devices to me..so my only other pick is the Moto Xoom which i actually like the way it looks. But is the Xoom worth the purchase...i hear its a lil slow and jerky...has the 3.1 update fixed that issue?? and does the sd card slot work now??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

discounted transformers worth getting?

I've seen a bunch of TF101s in the $260-280 range lately...do you folks think one of these is worth picking up? I see the processor is a bit outdated, but the Jelly Bean roms available look like they work well. I'm interested in the 10" size and SD-slot for this price range, both of which the Nexus 7 doesn't have.
Bump. Also wondering
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
I think the TF for under $300 is a good deal especially if you're going to overclock it. With a little overclocking, Tegra 2 can still run almost anything very well.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
The tf101 is a wonderful tablet. I just bought a tf700, mostly for the screen, otherwise my tf101 would have been more than good enough for a long time still. I'll be selling my tf101 soon, but it's,a great tab.
going to be trading for a tf101 tonight cant wait to root and play around with it.
RUN AWAY!!!
I'd like to hope this is just my experience....but I'd avoid this tablet. It was the WORST purchase I've ever made.
The performance was lake-luster from the start. the first ICS firmware update brought my tablet to a screeching halt...and while the additional updates have made improvements and fixed a few issues, I still have major performance problems. These issue were NOT related to rooting...as I was trying NOT to root unless I absolutely had to (which I ultimately did just to have the tablet for use...it was that bad. I've tried two ROMs that are better and make it actually useful, but the headaches and the HOURS spent just weren't worth it.
1. Constant and frequent reboots...often in the middle of working on something
2. The sleep issue (which has improved....). Often when you let it "sleep", it goes into a "deep sleep"...you can't power it back up and it's fully running (but you can't see it or do anything)...so it drains the battery fast. Only fix was a cold linux reboot.
3. About 3-5 times a week...the tablet simply slows down...and when I say slow...I mean that every thing you do...(press a button, open a menu, select an option...anything) takes from 50-seconds to 3 minutes to complete (I timed them)...just getting to the app settings or an app that can tell you what is going on takes 20 minutes or longer. Only solution has been to try the cold-reboot...but that doesn't work about half the time...seriously. Can't even reboot. All I can find is...the acore process is running....twice. Both using 100% of the processor and memory. I haven't a clue what is going on there.
4. Rooting issue as well. Difficult to do, had multiple problems booting into and recovery..then probelsm with regular rebooting. See the forum for all the issues
5. Surprised I don't hear more about this problem....the IDIOTIC engineers at ASUS decided to label the root directory for the internal memory as microSD (supposedly because the tablet uses one internally for its memory) and the actual external memory card as Removable\MicroSD\..... Why this is a problem? Many of my apps that write, save, or use the SD card can't tell the difference and default to internal memory instead...because the root path is the same as 90% of all Android devices. I can't tell the apps to change the location... Two apps couldn't even function...as they couldn't find where to save data. My "internal" memory is almost full, and the removable SD card has tons of room. This issue holds true for most of the apps that allow you to move apps to the SD card...all they do is move the app data to the other partition of the internal memory...not the actual external SD card.
6. many, many more.
ASUS service....I really don't know why people think they are great. It has been terrible.
1. the average response time to any email service requests has been 3 weeks. Most of the responses weren't related to my problem.
2. No phone call ever resulted in an answer. They always default to "send it in"...which I did once...
3. The tablet was in their possession for two months. When returned...the small pieces of tape I placed over the power and other ports were still in place (evidence that no one had done anything to it) and the issues were still there. ASUS still refuses to acknowledge that nothing was fixed.
If I could afford it, I'd be switching ASAP. Like I said..this has been my experience.
glange65 said:
I'd like to hope this is just my experience....but I'd avoid this tablet. It was the WORST purchase I've ever made.
The performance was lake-luster from the start. the first ICS firmware update brought my tablet to a screeching halt...and while the additional updates have made improvements and fixed a few issues, I still have major performance problems. These issue were NOT related to rooting...as I was trying NOT to root unless I absolutely had to (which I ultimately did just to have the tablet for use...it was that bad. I've tried two ROMs that are better and make it actually useful, but the headaches and the HOURS spent just weren't worth it.
1. Constant and frequent reboots...often in the middle of working on something
2. The sleep issue (which has improved....). Often when you let it "sleep", it goes into a "deep sleep"...you can't power it back up and it's fully running (but you can't see it or do anything)...so it drains the battery fast. Only fix was a cold linux reboot.
3. About 3-5 times a week...the tablet simply slows down...and when I say slow...I mean that every thing you do...(press a button, open a menu, select an option...anything) takes from 50-seconds to 3 minutes to complete (I timed them)...just getting to the app settings or an app that can tell you what is going on takes 20 minutes or longer. Only solution has been to try the cold-reboot...but that doesn't work about half the time...seriously. Can't even reboot. All I can find is...the acore process is running....twice. Both using 100% of the processor and memory. I haven't a clue what is going on there.
4. Rooting issue as well. Difficult to do, had multiple problems booting into and recovery..then probelsm with regular rebooting. See the forum for all the issues
5. Surprised I don't hear more about this problem....the IDIOTIC engineers at ASUS decided to label the root directory for the internal memory as microSD (supposedly because the tablet uses one internally for its memory) and the actual external memory card as Removable\MicroSD\..... Why this is a problem? Many of my apps that write, save, or use the SD card can't tell the difference and default to internal memory instead...because the root path is the same as 90% of all Android devices. I can't tell the apps to change the location... Two apps couldn't even function...as they couldn't find where to save data. My "internal" memory is almost full, and the removable SD card has tons of room. This issue holds true for most of the apps that allow you to move apps to the SD card...all they do is move the app data to the other partition of the internal memory...not the actual external SD card.
6. many, many more.
ASUS service....I really don't know why people think they are great. It has been terrible.
1. the average response time to any email service requests has been 3 weeks. Most of the responses weren't related to my problem.
2. No phone call ever resulted in an answer. They always default to "send it in"...which I did once...
3. The tablet was in their possession for two months. When returned...the small pieces of tape I placed over the power and other ports were still in place (evidence that no one had done anything to it) and the issues were still there. ASUS still refuses to acknowledge that nothing was fixed.
If I could afford it, I'd be switching ASAP. Like I said..this has been my experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the reboot issues with ics were experienced by folks who refused to factory reset properly, that said some folks had issues, but I experienced almost none of these.
Rooting was a piece of cake, i was rooted day one. Installing ROMS is dead simple and the tab is unbrickable.
Performance compared to other tegra 2 was superior(still is).
Battery life is amazing
Customer support sucks across the board these days, but asus put out more useful updates than any other mainstream mfr.
NEVER rma a tablet unless its your last resort.
The preformance is allright for me -> office and internet surfing AND voodoo sound quality!
Size and display quality sucks ... not to mention in compare to never products.
Using this tablet in the summer? forget it.
What is the use of a mobile device when you have to avoid sunlight?
Anis108 said:
The preformance is allright for me -> office and internet surfing AND voodoo sound quality!
Size and display quality sucks ... not to mention in compare to never products.
Using this tablet in the summer? forget it.
What is the use of a mobile device when you have to avoid sunlight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's funny since the tf101 had one of the highest rated lcd displays both for quality and use in sunlight. The screen on mine is gorgeous(yes new infinity is better) and brightness was more than enough to use on sunny days.
I heard the TF series are one of the best android tablets out there. Maybe not the tf101 anymore...lol
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda app-developers app
Well I decided to get a refurb'ed TF101 last night. It was well worth the price I think. Loving it so far. It had ICS out of the box but I rooted & installed Jelly Bean instantly. Rooting, etc. was a piece of cake. I went back to stock & then installed Revolution HD ROM because Jelly Bean is still a bit buggy for me (no fault of the devs, it's labeled Alpha). It runs great! Fast as can be, not seeing any lag anywhere!
It's only been a day but I've had 0 issues with this tablet.
just got mine love it thing flys and no problems except cant get cwm to install
nm got team rogue to work
Bump
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
gottahavit said:
Most of the reboot issues with ics were experienced by folks who refused to factory reset properly, that said some folks had issues, but I experienced almost none of these.
Rooting was a piece of cake, i was rooted day one. Installing ROMS is dead simple and the tab is unbrickable.
Performance compared to other tegra 2 was superior(still is).
Battery life is amazing
Customer support sucks across the board these days, but asus put out more useful updates than any other mainstream mfr.
NEVER rma a tablet unless its your last resort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I stated, this was my experience. I do want to correct you on one thing.... you imply my reboot issues were the result of my carelessness or refusal to follow the correct procedures. I can assure you that this was not the case. I completed the required factory reset just as instructed (I've rooted 4 phones. and flashed ROMs as often as 2-3 times a week. This ain't my first goat rodeo.
I would have rather waited a few months longer for ASUS to update to 4.0 so they got it right the first time. The "useful" updates you refer to were to fix the poor 4.0 update. Seriously, the new features weren't worth this much hassle. Trust me, the only reason I sent it in was, I was too darn tired of dealing with it... figured it was their issue to fix. I sometimes think Android users are way to easy on the manufacturers... we just excuse it away and develop our own fixes, solutions, etc. We don't hold them accountable enough for serious problems and poor service. If/When Microsoft or Apple have these issues... you hear about. The consumer uproar is deafening. I wonder why that is? (I count myself in this as well)
Last thing... I mentioned the memory issue... this effects my nandroid backups as well. they take forever and weigh in 4 GBs each. They are having to back up all that "internal" data... which shouldn't be. beyond manually moving data to the removable card prior to back up and flashing .... still working on a better solution.
Enough... I've said my piece. Remember.... be good, or be good at it.
glange65 said:
I'd like to hope this is just my experience....but I'd avoid this tablet. It was the WORST purchase I've ever made.
...et cetera...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never experienced any of these problems, expcept for #5 which is just a little design flaw.
If you don't need tegra3 quad core and FullHD resolution, the TF101 is still good to go. 720p is still a bit dodgy on stock kernel. JB is on its way, but is hardly a usable rom (for me). ICS is still good enough.
Update
Thread, but in case anyone goes looking for info about this tablet.....
The issues and bugs continued, some minor, and some VERY big, making the tablet almost unusable.
Finally, two weeks AFTER the warranty expired, the processor fried. Just set it down to get a drink, came back 5 minutes later to dead, nothing. Three experienced techs all independently diagnosed a dead processor.
So in a word...The ASUS Transformer Pad 101 was a worthless piece of garbage.
glange65 said:
Thread, but in case anyone goes looking for info about this tablet.....
The issues and bugs continued, some minor, and some VERY big, making the tablet almost unusable.
Finally, two weeks AFTER the warranty expired, the processor fried. Just set it down to get a drink, came back 5 minutes later to dead, nothing. Three experienced techs all independently diagnosed a dead processor.
So in a word...The ASUS Transformer Pad 101 was a worthless piece of garbage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I had no idea worthless piece of garbage is one word.
My warranty has been out for 8 months and it is still running Android 4.2.2 just as smoothly as a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. IMO, it is a solid device.
If I were buying today, I do not think I would spend more than $150 on the tablet, or $250 if it comes with a keyboard dock myself, I would get a newer tablet.
frederuco said:
Wow, I had no idea worthless piece of garbage is one word.
My warranty has been out for 8 months and it is still running Android 4.2.2 just as smoothly as a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. IMO, it is a solid device.
If I were buying today, I do not think I would spend more than $150 on the tablet, or $250 if it comes with a keyboard dock myself, I would get a newer tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. Exactly... It was an amazing tablet when it came out, it's still a very good tablet 2 full years later. Yes, it was released 2 years ago (well, 21 months). I own 2, that I bought refurbished with the dock (also refurb), and haven't had a single hardware issue. I also know 2 other people that own one, and they also haven't had any hardware issues. Based on posts here on XDA, Asus will almost always blindly replace your defective parts even if you're rooted, rom'ed, etc as long as you're still under warranty.
As a contrast, I have 4 co-workers that bought the Nexus 7. Three of them had to RMA it within 2 months, and one of those had to buy a new one because Google/Asus kept throwing each other the ball and no one wanted to honor the warranty. Only one had a trouble-free tablet.
That being said, your CPU fried for a reason, CPUs don't simply "stop working". I've been working in IT for over 15 years and I have yet to see that happen. I'm not saying it's something you did, or didn't do, as I have no way of knowing. But there was an other problem that caused it to stop working (overvoltage, short, etc). I know at this point it's too little too late and I'm not here to do Asus PR, but chances are it would have happened eventually regardless of how long the warranty was. Just sucks it happened right when the warranty stopped...
Right now, as of March 2013, I don't see any tablet that can compare quality/price ratio to what this one was 2 years ago. Either all overpriced brands or cheap replicas.
i bought this tablet in Black Friday 2011 in an severely overcrowded and riot police-requiring Best Buy and I'm still happy as i can be with it. The hacking community still supports it and I find that there's frequently something new to update it with even if Asus itself has abandoned it. If anyone finds it on the REALLY cheap like $150 or so, i heavily recommend it. I haven't had any issues with it other than some Word-adaptation apps working weird sometimes.
According to Antutu benchmark, the tf300 only performs 50% above the tf101, just so you can have some comparative perspective.
Bought my TF101 back in 2011 when they first came out. I got lucky and found an "open box" unit at best buy with the dock included for $100 less than new (at the time).
It's worked great ever since, regardless of running Honeycomb, ICS or rooted with custom JB 4.2.2 ROM. It doesn't seem to care and has run consistently better with every upgrade. It still has enough hp to do all the things I use it for (games, youtube, HD movies, browsing, fb, the list goes on...). and I will continue to use it for a long time yet. Especially if it continues to receive support from dev's here on Xda with great/stable ROMs.
I love the full keyboard dock and love the crazy-long battery life. It's still a great tablet IMO and well worth $250 with a dock.

Categories

Resources