Asus Transformer Prime -- Need Some Help Here

[palpatine]

Yeah. I know this is an iPad forum. I've been Android curious for a while and thought I would indulge myself while waiting for the iPad 3.

So far, I've been pretty disappointed. I thought four cores would be a lot better. Anyways, there's lots to like about the device and Android, but I've got two problems:

1. The Apple Wireless keyboard doesn't work. Yes, I tried Bluekeyboard JP and Bluetooth Keyboard Easy Connect. No luck.

2. PDFs. I always felt like the iPad 2 was a little slower than I'd like on page rendering. The Prime doesn't go much faster (if at all)...

Anyhow, I'm hoping one of you also have some experience with this kind of thing and can help out.

 

[Arnezie]

Your first sentence speaks for itself. it's an iPad forum good luck with your problem.

 

[Buildbright]

Yeah. I know this is an iPad forum. I've been Android curious for a while and thought I would indulge myself while waiting for the iPad 3.

So far, I've been pretty disappointed. I thought four cores would be a lot better. Anyways, there's lots to like about the device and Android, but I've got two problems:

1. The Apple Wireless keyboard doesn't work. Yes, I tried Bluekeyboard JP and Bluetooth Keyboard Easy Connect. No luck.

2. PDFs. I always felt like the iPad 2 was a little slower than I'd like on page rendering. The Prime doesn't go much faster (if at all)...

Anyhow, I'm hoping one of you also have some experience with this kind of thing and can help out.

Ebay is very helpful in helping people to get rid of Android devices...lol

Just Joking.

1. Apple Keyboard is known to not work with alot of non apple products. I think you may have to buy the TFP dock,

2. PDFs render slow on all mobile devices. Adobe likes to code things sloppy. Their solution is someone will build a faster processor. I thought the ipad did well with PDFs but it is not a desktop experience for sure.

I thought about getting a Transformer Prime to play with but after I found out it had a Tegra processor, I decided not against it. My opinion of Nivida mobile processors is not very high. But other than that no matter how many cores you have it all comes down to the software. Android has a alot to learn to from iOS. To make mobile devices work seamlessly you have to leverage the GPU. ICS is great step in the right direction but still not there yet.

 

[palpatine]

Ebay is very helpful in helping people to get rid of Android devices...lol Just Joking.

The keyboard problem is annoying, and I am not too keen on buying the special keyboard just to solve it. Ugh. That seems to be the only solution so far. As for the PDFs, I scan a lot of stuff, the files are big, and each page is a little slow to render. It was acceptable on the iPad 2, but I was hoping four cores and newness would speed things up. So far, it hasn't.

Your first sentence speaks for itself. it's an iPad forum good luck with your problem.

Thanks for the help. I knew someone would say this

 

[Buildbright]

I think its great you are sharing your experiences and trying something new. It makes you the most educated on giving advice as you have a more well rounded opinion.

Last android tablet I tried was a kindle fire and it made me through up a litttle..lol

 

[palpatine]

I think its great you are sharing your experiences and trying something new. It makes you the most educated on giving advice as you have a more well rounded opinion.

Last android tablet I tried was a kindle fire and it made me through up a litttle..lol

thanks for the kind words. there are a lot of things i like about apple's products (typing this on a macbook pro now), and a lot of things i like about android. when it comes to a tablet, i need to be able to read and write. i'm pretty pleased overall with the ipad, but i feel like i want to try something new and see what possibilities are out there.

hardware-wise, the prime is far superior in many ways (not all), but four cores and not-especially-fast page views on pdfs is really frustrating.

its inability to work with my apple keyboard is a real killer at the moment, but i guess if i could get the reading part to work, i could fork out money for a new keyboard.

so far, though, i don't see this being superior to the ipad 3. i want to give it a fair shot, but it tasks me...

 

[Buildbright]

thanks for the kind words. there are a lot of things i like about apple's products (typing this on a macbook pro now), and a lot of things i like about android. when it comes to a tablet, i need to be able to read and write. i'm pretty pleased overall with the ipad, but i feel like i want to try something new and see what possibilities are out there.

hardware-wise, the prime is far superior in many ways (not all), but four cores and not-especially-fast page views on pdfs is really frustrating.

its inability to work with my apple keyboard is a real killer at the moment, but i guess if i could get the reading part to work, i could fork out money for a new keyboard.

so far, though, i don't see this being superior to the ipad 3. i want to give it a fair shot, but it tasks me...

I thought the transfomer prime had some advantages (keyboard dock and such) but the Tegra 3 quad core (actual five cores) is still only as fast as the dual core A5. Not to mention the SGX543MP2 mops the floor with the Geforce ULP.

 

[palpatine]

I thought the transfomer prime had some advantages (keyboard dock and such) but the Tegra 3 quad core (actual five cores) is still only as fast as the dual core A5. Not to mention the SGX543MP2 mops the floor with the Geforce ULP.

the keyboard dock is cool. but, i'm not really into buying device-specific accessories like a keyboard. i want something that can play well with others. so, it isn't really a selling point to me, even though i think it is a good way to distinguish themselves from others.

the five cores are snappy and all, but... i am just not feeling like i am much faster than the ipad 2 yet. i will continue to play around with it.

 

[Scarpad]

I have one and Love it, I specifically bought it to use with Comic Rack, the best Comic Book Software on any platform, but unfortunately not for the Mac or IOS, I think its a very nice Tablet and I have gotton the Keyboard dock. I find it about as fast as the Ipad, but it's hard to judge since there is not a whole lot of apps designed for ICS nevermind Quad core. I will still use it even after I get my Ipad 3.

 

[Buckeyestar]

My best suggestion to help you with your Transformer: sell it and buy an iPad.

 

[palpatine]

My best suggestion to help you with your Transformer: sell it and buy an iPad.

it's still early, so i haven't really decided, but i am warming to it. i spent a little money on ezpdf reader, and it is a much nicer experience now.

1. the good
the os environment is really nice in many respects (apple can be so controlling about every little thing), and i enjoy a lot of the features: files stored in one easily accessible place, file transfers without suffering the tyranny of itunes, widgets, some familiar apps with markedly better features, and some not so familiar apps that i love like the chrome and dolphin browsers or google docs. you get really far without paying a thing in the android app store.

best of all, in my case, it turns out that this aspect ratio is wonderful for reading asian language pdfs, because there is lots of vertical space. i don't know why i never thought of this. also, a weird little quirk--no pdf reader on the ipad that i know of can select and copy vertical text, but android has no problem. the japanese keyboard actually learns something and after a few hours it is predicting things with wonderful accuracy. it is far superior to the ipad or even osx.

i think asus really did a great job with the hardware. sure, the speaker placement is a little stupid, but otherwise it is a really solid piece of kit (in contrast to so many other android things i have used). the camera puts the ipad camera to shame (so did my phone camera from the 90s), but i guess i already have a great camera on the iphone, so probably not such an important thing for me.

oh, and i can use a mouse

2. the bad
then, there are the not so great things. wifi reception is poor (asus admitted as much, and basically said there is nothing to be done about it). occasional weirdness like flickering (you gotta hardboot it to get rid of this), app crashes (i get that plenty on the ipad too), the apple keyboard thing (i've ordered another keyboard--never hurts to have one at work and home, even if i end up with the ipad), and occasional restarts (!?). the ipad had its fair share of annoyances, but i have to say it never failed me on basic stuff like the display or wifi. the wifi is not so bad to be useless--now i even have all of my bars, but when i am sitting in the same seat and drop down to one or two, that is just not right.

3. it's a tough decision
i admit to being torn. on the one hand, i have had great experiences with apple, and i am sure i will be very pleased with whatever the ipad 3 turns out to be like. apple's products are a safe bet. and, it's really nice to know you can just walk into a store and get help if something goes awry. why not stick with apple, its os, and the really impressive apps people have made for it?

on the other hand, i like the aspect ratio, and the freedom to do more things like multitasking, downloading incredible apps at really low prices from all over the world, and pretty much doing whatever i want to the device. heck, i can even manage the processor. sweet. the ipad is kind of like a golden cage, and i am not sure i want to commit to another year of that.

maybe i'll keep both

 

[djrod]

Have thought of getting a 11" Air? Maybe suits better your needs of writing

 

[palpatine]

Have thought of getting a 11" Air? Maybe suits better your needs of writing

even with two tablets i'll come in under the price of an air
you are, of course, making a good suggestion based on my needs, but:

1. tablets are better as ereaders, because they work in portrait mode.
2. tablets are lighter, sometimes even with the keyboard (depending on what you choose)
3. tablets have longer battery life--sometimes double or more
4. tablets are more flexible in the sense that you can read one moment, and pair up a keyboard to type the next
5. tablets allow you to write by hand, so you can go totally paperless
6. tablets are more portable, and can be pulled out in line at the grocery store, propped up for reading over breakfast, or taken to bed

nothing against the macbook air. i even had one for a while. because i don't do much formatting, i don't really need all of the features it offers. i am aiming for a day when i don't even need to have a regular computer at all. now, i can get by with about 90% of my work on the tablet

 

[barkomatic]

You probably should have posted this to the appropriate forum at Android Central.

Anyway, from what I've read about the Transformer Prime although it has great hardware specs--the OS is just not optimized for it. This seems to be the MO for most Android devices. I've also read that a high res version of the Prime is in the works so you should unload that puppy ASAP.

 

[palpatine]

You probably should have posted this to the appropriate forum at Android Central.

Anyway, from what I've read about the Transformer Prime although it has great hardware specs--the OS is just not optimized for it. This seems to be the MO for most Android devices. I've also read that a high res version of the Prime is in the works so you should unload that puppy ASAP.

i did post there, thanks

my hope was that someone with an apple keyboard (probably one of us) also had the tablet and knew how to solve the problem.

as for the high res version, i am still not clear about what is going on with that. rumors suggest it will be 100 dollars more than this one, and i am not terribly keen on that. i might end up selling it and getting a 16gb ipad 3, depending on what happens next month.

 

[NameUndecided]

You may have better luck with this keyboard: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...iPhone/dp/B005EOWBKE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Please pardon me if this comes off as a shameless / endorsed plug. I just own the keyboard and I highly recommend it (surprisingly, even to me) over the Apple keyboard if you're using it for portable stuff like an iPad or other tablet. At least one of the reviews says that it pairs perfectly fine with all of their Android devices, including the Asus Transformer.

Also, sort of off-topic -- is Ice Cream Sandwich still not available for the Prime tablet? It seems like three-fourths of the headlines I've seen about the Prime in recent months is that something about it has been delayed or with a *speculative* release date. ICS being the latest. I don't keep track well enough, but it's crazy how it seems like almost every aspect of the device has or was met with delays, building up anticipation for those who were looking forward to it, and in the end people still end up saying that the software downplays the exciting technical specs.

 

[jonhcox]

I have a Prime and I enjoy it but I do prefer my iPad 2. Interestingly, I have not been able to pair my BT keyboard to the Prime either so I ordered the mobile dock. My experience with the Prime has been mostly good except for an issue that kept my Prime from properly booting up. That issue got fixed with a new device. Given the purported 12 hour battery life, I'm not getting that. More like 9, and that's not with a lot of multimedia programs running. I still don't consider that bad, though. It's nice, thin and generally pretty solid. Really, really want to see how ICS looks on it.

I agree with you that the Prime seems no faster than my iPad. The other thing I notice is that the apps seem to be more expensive on average than the apps available on the iPad. I still prefer the reading experience on the iPad more than I do on the TF Prime. I really want to wait and see what ICS looks like on the TF Prime before deciding whether to keep it or not. My buddy has ICS on his Galaxy Nexus and I do like it. That said, I'm going to get an iPad 3 when it is announced. Given the large amount of reading that I do, the high-res display would be most welcome.

 

[Scarpad]

When I bought my Prime it had 4.0 on it

 

[palpatine]

You may have better luck with this keyboard: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...iPhone/dp/B005EOWBKE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

yep. that is the one i am thinking about getting

Also, sort of off-topic -- is Ice Cream Sandwich still not available for the Prime tablet?

it has it. the problem, as you pointed out, was that they announced the tablet early, sold it with far too few devices available, could not offer ice cream sandwich until more than a month later, and then announced that they had screwed up this device and were planning on releasing a new and improved one (to be displayed next week?). wow. what a mess. i must say, it is a really nice device, if only it had been released more in advance of christmas, or in its improved state later this spring.

I have a Prime and I enjoy it but I do prefer my iPad 2. Really, really want to see how ICS looks on it.

i was quite impressed with ics. i feel like android is finally hitting its stride, and in many ways it makes ios look dated and clunky. if their updated prime were hitting the store shelves at the same time as the ipad 3, i honestly might try a switch.

I agree with you that the Prime seems no faster than my iPad. The other thing I notice is that the apps seem to be more expensive on average than the apps available on the iPad. I still prefer the reading experience on the iPad more than I do on the TF Prime. I really want to wait and see what ICS looks like on the TF Prime before deciding whether to keep it or not. My buddy has ICS on his Galaxy Nexus and I do like it. That said, I'm going to get an iPad 3 when it is announced. Given the large amount of reading that I do, the high-res display would be most welcome.

i disagree about the expensive apps, but that could be entirely the result of my particular use habits. anyhow, i am with you on the display. i read a lot, and i just don't know how i feel about a device that is already dated like this (even asus is tossing it aside). as much as i love it, the minor issues (wireless reception and restarts) along with the relatively poor display (in just a few days) will make me regret it down the road.

and, this is going to sound silly perhaps, but like i said earlier in the thread, it makes me feel much more comfortable knowing that apple has my back if something goes wrong. i have had nothing but good experiences in apple stores, and nothing but bad ones with asus's customer support (they once tried to get me to ship a brand new computer to them for a repair that would take several weeks because of a manufacturer's defect (uneven keys) at my own expense!). i like asus's products in general, but i just don't trust them if something goes wrong.

 

[Night Spring]

the japanese keyboard actually learns something and after a few hours it is predicting things with wonderful accuracy. it is far superior to the ipad or even osx.

Have you used the Japanese input on the iPad with iOS5? I find that it learns my more frequently used words pretty quickly, to the extent that I sometimes find myself typing entire sentences just by typing the first kana character of each word. I also like that when you use the 50-kana input, then split the keyboard, you get the iPhone-style keypad. I find it pretty convenient. If Android has a predictive system that's better than iOS/OSX, then that's impressive, but you make it sound like iPad's input system doesn't learn anything at all, and that's not the case in my experience.

 

[palpatine]

Have you used the Japanese input on the iPad with iOS5? I find that it learns my more frequently used words pretty quickly, to the extent that I sometimes find myself typing entire sentences just by typing the first kana character of each word. I also like that when you use the 50-kana input, then split the keyboard, you get the iPhone-style keypad. I find it pretty convenient. If Android has a predictive system that's better than iOS/OSX, then that's impressive, but you make it sound like iPad's input system doesn't learn anything at all, and that's not the case in my experience.

it has improved over time (with ios5?), hasn't it. i should not have been so harsh on the japanese. but, i think it is considerably better in ics. at least, that was my impression. i'd be interested in hearing how others are doing with both. simeji on android is just a nice system.

 

[Steelgrave]

even with two tablets i'll come in under the price of an air
you are, of course, making a good suggestion based on my needs, but:

1. tablets are better as ereaders, because they work in portrait mode.
2. tablets are lighter, sometimes even with the keyboard (depending on what you choose)
3. tablets have longer battery life--sometimes double or more
4. tablets are more flexible in the sense that you can read one moment, and pair up a keyboard to type the next
5. tablets allow you to write by hand, so you can go totally paperless
6. tablets are more portable, and can be pulled out in line at the grocery store, propped up for reading over breakfast, or taken to bed

nothing against the macbook air. i even had one for a while. because i don't do much formatting, i don't really need all of the features it offers. i am aiming for a day when i don't even need to have a regular computer at all. now, i can get by with about 90% of my work on the tablet

As an owner of a 1st gen Asus Transformer tablet, an iPad2, and an 11" MBA I'll add a few observations.

1) Apple keyboards generally don't work with anything non-apple (as was already stated), but the asus keyboard is also more than just a keyboard. Mine is a 2nd battery, 2 usb ports and an SD card slot. With that attached I'm breaking 16 hours of use between charges (with wifi on).

2) Droid OS is linux, and has "never" really been ready for anything current. Don't get me wrong I like using linux, but it's always been a few steps behind when it comes to general usability.

2) PDF's are Adobe, and anything adobe is generally poorly written anymore. I grumble anytime I see a pdf on pretty much any device anywhere anymore.

3) The droid app market is a horrible mess. Most of it is for phones and there doesn't seem to be a tablet specific section. It can be frustrating to try and search through. The apps are generally cheaper/free than the equivalent iOS apps too.

4) The droid app market is much less draconian than the Apple app store(s). There is no "big brother" judging the content of any given app. They do qualify them for malware and things like that, but as far as the content of what the app is doesn't determine it's being on the market. Also you are not required to only install apps from a market/app store. On the droid you can install from anywhere (can be good or bad depending on a few things lol).

5) Droid does have file system access. No messing with itunes to move a file over.

6) Having the 1st gen tablet, my MBA is actually smaller than this tablet (kind of funny really). The 2nd gen looked smaller, but not by much.

For the last couple months I've honestly used the asus tablet more than the MBA, and the iPad2 is rarely touched anymore.

 

[palpatine]

As an owner of a 1st gen Asus Transformer tablet, an iPad2, and an 11" MBA I'll add a few observations.

1) Apple keyboards generally don't work with anything non-apple (as was already stated), but the asus keyboard is also more than just a keyboard. Mine is a 2nd battery, 2 usb ports and an SD card slot. With that attached I'm breaking 16 hours of use between charges (with wifi on).

2) Droid OS is linux, and has "never" really been ready for anything current. Don't get me wrong I like using linux, but it's always been a few steps behind when it comes to general usability.

2) PDF's are Adobe, and anything adobe is generally poorly written anymore. I grumble anytime I see a pdf on pretty much any device anywhere anymore.

3) The droid app market is a horrible mess. Most of it is for phones and there doesn't seem to be a tablet specific section. It can be frustrating to try and search through. The apps are generally cheaper/free than the equivalent iOS apps too.

4) The droid app market is much less draconian than the Apple app store(s). There is no "big brother" judging the content of any given app. They do qualify them for malware and things like that, but as far as the content of what the app is doesn't determine it's being on the market. Also you are not required to only install apps from a market/app store. On the droid you can install from anywhere (can be good or bad depending on a few things lol).

5) Droid does have file system access. No messing with itunes to move a file over.

6) Having the 1st gen tablet, my MBA is actually smaller than this tablet (kind of funny really). The 2nd gen looked smaller, but not by much.

For the last couple months I've honestly used the asus tablet more than the MBA, and the iPad2 is rarely touched anymore.

So many great comments. Thank you. Where to begin?
1. Love the Apple keyboard, and it worked great with my Asus computer back in the old days. I got lulled into complacency. The Amazon one is on the way now.
2. I like the PDFs. I just wish something (even my computer) could render them more quickly. I guess that is the ugly code in the background.
3. I really like the droid market myself, especially the 15 minute refund. very smart. honestly, though, neither itunes nor android impress me with their organization. such a crucial thing, and both are unwieldy.

I used the iPad a lot more than my macbook pro. and, i bet if i had a keyboard i would be paired up with the prime as well. it is really liberating. i am still on the fence about the prime. i could get rid of it now for about a 20 dollar loss, or i could keep it. i actually like it...

 

[Buildbright]

I love gadgets but I am biased. I love Apples interface. I think ICS is cool but it still lacks in my opinion. Also for me I hate the interface design not my taste but that is a personal thing nothing against it as a whole.

Anyway, from what I've read about the Transformer Prime although it has great hardware specs--the OS is just not optimized for it. This seems to be the MO for most Android devices. I've also read that a high res version of the Prime is in the works so you should unload that puppy ASAP.

Its more than the OS being optimized for the Tegra 3. The Tegra 3 has bottlenecks. This Quad core processor doesn’t even have dual channel memory! Nivida really dropped the ball on that one. But their use to making Powerful Desktop GPUs and they have never been efficient.

 

[brand]

my hope was that someone with an apple keyboard (probably one of us) also had the tablet and knew how to solve the problem.

But you bought an Android Tablet so that would make you NOT one of us.