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The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

M

Mr. Incredible

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 16, 2010
541
0
Southern California
Hey guys

What are your thoughts on this Tablet? It looks pretty sweet, it's super thin, has a huge screen, a higher resolution than the current iPad2, and the rear camera is pretty good too, and it comes with Android ICS. But, I've read that the metallic design is interfering with GPS and some performance (this is referring to the TF201 model).

They're releasing an upgrade to this tablet on June, the TF700T, which will have an even higher resolution (1900x1200), a 2mp front facing camera, and the design material will be changed to fixed the problem stated above.

One thing I love about this tablet, is that it has Gorilla Glass, and after dropping my iPhone4 and that glass shattering, I need something more durable and less fragile.

Anyway, again, what are your thoughts on this?

(And before you guys start thumbing down my post, and bashing, just be open minded and less hostile. I've seen how the peeps in the iPhone forums are with anything that involves Android, so hopefully you guys will play nice. :D)
 
Well, one thing I can tell you is that iPhones and iPads also use Gorilla glass, so the Asus won't be shatter proof, either. Gorilla glass is just shatter resistant, not shatter proof.
 
Mr. Incredible said:
Hey guys

What are your thoughts on this Tablet? It looks pretty sweet, it's super thin, has a huge screen, a higher resolution than the current iPad2, and the rear camera is pretty good too, and it comes with Android ICS. But, I've read that the metallic design is interfering with GPS and some performance (this is referring to the TF201 model).

They're releasing an upgrade to this tablet on June, the TF700T, which will have an even higher resolution (1900x1200), a 2mp front facing camera, and the design material will be changed to fixed the problem stated above.

One thing I love about this tablet, is that it has Gorilla Glass, and after dropping my iPhone4 and that glass shattering, I need something more durable and less fragile.

Anyway, again, what are your thoughts on this?

(And before you guys start thumbing down my post, and bashing, just be open minded and less hostile. I've seen how the peeps in the iPhone forums are with anything that involves Android, so hopefully you guys will play nice. :D)
Click to expand...


i think that if you come to a mac forum hoping people tell you that buy other than idevices, or ipad in this case, then maybe you are in the wrong forum :D

but anyway, the asus trans is a great tab. a friend of mine has one and i had the chance to try it the other day and one thing i know for sure, if the ipad wouldnt exist, i would choose the transformer
 
I totally don't see the point of these discussions. It seems the consensus that a Transformer Prime is the best Android tablet. So if you like Android, get a Transformer Prime. If you prefer iOS and Apple, then… take the obvious option.

The iPad runs really great and smooth, and I'm sure the next iPad will run just as smooth or better as well.

All it really comes down to at this point is which operating system you prefer. Hardware specs are almost meaningless against this.

If you prefer Android, then neat and all power to you. It's just personal preference, and comparing your computer preferences with others, or I should say, actually being judgmental and feeling really emotional about it just seems… unnecessary if you enjoy what works for you.

(seriously, emotionalism in computer preference is becoming increasingly disheartening to see and it's why I've more often tried not to spend as much time on tech sites lately. it's soo much not something that matters outside of what you personally prefer.)

So really, just find out which OS you like over the other. Both the iPad and [it seems] the Transformer Prime seem to have solid reviews and are each the best hardware option for each OS option.
 
I can jump in here with my thoughts on the Prime. First thing I will say is that frankly I'm a little bit of an Android fanboy. I had waited for the Prime for a long time and was really impressed what it was going to offer. In my opinion I thought it was going to be the first Android tablet to really challange the iPad. I preordered the tablet a little before Christmas and three weeks later I recieved my Prime!

Out of the box I loved the thing, I charged it, and then used it for an entire day. It was still running gingerbread (still a week before the ICS update) however it was fast, had a great screen, and the battery life seemed great. The wifi speed was fine on my unit and the GPS was also working. After the first day I went to give the thing a charge, and alas nothing. I tried a bunch of things and the unit refused to charge. Eventually the decision was made and my first Transformer was on its way back.

Cue the second Transformer. This one out of the box has issues. the first thing I notice is that the glass in the corner of the screen is cracked. Furthermore the thing has a couple dozen dead pixels. Sure enough it was sent back as well.

On to Transformer part 3. This time I get one and everything appears to be good. The screen is working fine, and wifi is fine, the GPS was spotty, however when I opened the camera the tablet crashed. I tried resetting the thing and again going through everything possible and still the same result. My third Transformer was returned.

At that point I gave up on the Transformer. I still believe that it is the first tablet in terms of specs to really challange the iPad, however what was missing was any form of Quality Control. While I'm not a huge Apple person and still have some reservations, the fact is I see the iPad as being in a league of its own right now. I imagine that the iPad 3 is going to continue this tradition. Now at some point i do think Android may catch up, but at this point they haven't for tablets. The point of this entire post? I wouldn't reccomend the Transformer Prime at this point. The best evidence of that is that a self proclaimed Android fanboy is posting on Macrumors.com and is waiting excitedly for the release of the iPad 3.
 
I wanna add my 2 cents to the mix. I had the prime since launch day and I happily sold it on ebay a couple weeks ago. One thing it did prove to me is that no matter how many cores a tablet has, it's the software that matters the most. I had my 4 core prime running ICS with flash turned off and it still couldn't beat my wife's iPad 2 in a simple browser speed test.
 
thetruth1985 said:
I wanna add my 2 cents to the mix. I had the prime since launch day and I happily sold it on ebay a couple weeks ago. One thing it did prove to me is that no matter how many cores a tablet has, it's the software that matters the most. I had my 4 core prime running ICS with flash turned off and it still couldn't beat my wife's iPad 2 in a simple browser speed test.
Click to expand...

Agreed, thats the whole reason im making the switch. I have used Android for a few years now, but using other ppls apple products just seem so much easier and snappier.
 
I upgraded my Touchpad from Gingerbread (CM7) to ICS (CM9) and it is still a big paperweight that I never use. It was only $99, and I still feel like it was a terrible decision to buy.

Just go with the iPad 3. Hundreds of thousands of apps and games designed for the tablet and a much more enjoyable experience.
 
Only thing that android has over Apple is the offering of a sd card slot.If Apple saw fit to put one in an ipad the game would be over
 
i still cannot get my hands on the transformer prime. until i do, i have to rely on reviews, and so far those have not been great. there are gps issues, quality control issues, wifi issues, and poor design choices. even with those, people who like android like this tablet. and, they should, because it is (from what i can tell) easily the best android tablet on the market.

for people like me, who are android curious, but need a nudge to switch, the prime isn't exciting enough. it's a fine piece of hardware, but IF the ipad 3 has a camera, processor, ram, and display upgrade, then it will be a far better investment. if it is missing any of those (it is possible that the display will only get a minor improvement), then i might take another look at the prime. by the way, asus failed big time with this product launch. it has been months and i still cannot actually see one in a store (at least, in my area).

gorilla glass? don't drop your toys :)
 
Didn't Apple buy Corning Gorilla Glass initially but now they make their own form of it within their supply chain...technically NOT Gorilla Glass but pretty much the same thing?
 
wirelessness said:
Didn't Apple buy Corning Gorilla Glass initially but now they make their own form of it within their supply chain...technically NOT Gorilla Glass but pretty much the same thing?
Click to expand...

Apple claims they use aluminosilicate glass. Corning brands their aluminosilicate glass with the Gorilla Glass name. Both Apple and Corning remain silent on whether or not Apple uses it; and when pressed Corning just says they don't name all their customers.

So anyone who really knows for sure isn't telling.

All that is moot though. There's an unproven assumption that Gorilla Glass doesn't break, or at least is significantly tougher than whatever Apple uses. That Gorilla Glass does break is easily discovered with a simple web or youtube search. As to tougher or not is difficult to prove due in phones to significant design differences in terms of the edges of the glass being protected by a plastic bezel or a inconsequential strip. Not sure about tablets; though I suspect a significant edge or corner impact will create a lot of problems with the shell rather than the glass.

I do know for sure that my iphone 4S took a fall from waist high onto pavement and survived with no glass scratches or breakage. It hit at the front edge by the headphone jack, scarring the aluminum and plastic; the Incipio Feather case took some of the damage and has been replaced.
 
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