There are two vids posted on Youtube showing GPS tests. Neither one shows what I consider good accuracy.
Here's the outside test. If you watch closely the accuracy fluctuates between 6 and 28 meters, and is pretty unstable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SHJ6wFi7H8
6m is ok, though not great, but 28m is pretty bad. And the jumping around is disconcerting.
In this one it never gets below about 111ft, which is also quite bad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuCZ75r2GZY
It is performed inside, but I typically get under 30ft inside with my Galaxy S. I understand "inside" is variable depending on the type of structure, but he's getting a lock on at least 8 sats, 6 with SNR's in the 20's, so the accuracy should be decent.
I'm hoping in both cases the videos are just too short and they would settle down within a minute or so with good, stable accuracy, but this preliminary sample is not as good as I was hoping for.
Any comments from current S2 owners?
Thanks.
samnada said:
There are two vids posted on Youtube showing GPS tests. Neither one shows what I consider good accuracy.
Here's the outside test. If you watch closely the accuracy fluctuates between 6 and 28 meters, and is pretty unstable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SHJ6wFi7H8
6m is ok, though not great, but 28m is pretty bad. And the jumping around is disconcerting.
In this one it never gets below about 111ft, which is also quite bad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuCZ75r2GZY
It is performed inside, but I typically get under 30ft inside with my Galaxy S. I understand "inside" is variable depending on the type of structure, but he's getting a lock on at least 8 sats, 6 with SNR's in the 20's, so the accuracy should be decent.
I'm hoping in both cases the videos are just too short and they would settle down within a minute or so with good, stable accuracy, but this preliminary sample is not as good as I was hoping for.
Any comments from current S2 owners?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like you said, indoors is not the the best place to test.
Also the accuracy estimate is just that. It gives you possible error.
My Nexus S accuracy within 78 feet but its bang on with location in map ( hell it shows me even on the right side of the road. ).
The best way to test stationary GPS accuracy is to go to easy to recognize outdoor location and then try to get a lock.
Even with 30 meter accuracy in Google Map, usually GPS shows my exact position.
Do a tracking while driving and see how accurate the navigation is .
Haven't done a "proper" test yet but having used navigation a couple of times now I can say that it's far quicker and more reliable than my ancient SGS1. There was also an engadget article about GPS performance -
http://tinyurl.com/6y4ncfd
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
http://domarmstrong.blogspot.com/2011/04/samsung-galaxy-s-2-gps.html
I did a quick test with MyTracks and it got it spot on. I was actually a little worried. I've not done a test with Google Nav / car mode yet but I'll pilfer a car over the next couple of days and post up the results!
Funkym0nkey said:
Also the accuracy estimate is just that. It gives you possible error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but this margin of error is a very imortant piece of data (for any kind of measurement, really), that's vitally important for the further processing of the location data. As long as the accuracy data is correct any algorithms can safely assume you really are inside a certain radius. If it isn't the location data is basically worthless. (The "but it's spot on anyway" argument only works if you already know exactly where you are, but then the GPS is sort of a moot point.)
Naturally it's better to err on the side of caution and assume slightly worse than calculated accuracy, but on the other hand a 20 m radius is pretty much worthless for a lot of applications.
That's exactly why proper tests should be done - before you test each phone vs a reference GPS and a few landmarks with known high precision coordinates you can't even tell if the accuracy reading the phone's GPS gives is accurate in itself. It's entirely possible that LG and HTC fudge their numbers just to look good, while Samsung is a bit over-cautious, but we don't know that and I like to know things.
We just don't have enough data yet to conclude Samsung has fixed the GPS problems.
The two videos I linked are not very impressive. And the Endgadget test is hard to judge. He says it's "pretty close" in locating him on the map, but we can't tell what that means, 20ft, 60ft? The track log posted by Dombledore is also hard to judge without knowing his actual track.
Part of the problem in testing this is even with my S sometimes it works great, and then the next time it's way off. Getting consistent quick locks, and high accuracy will tell the tale. For driving, geocaching and track logging this is a critical function. If the S2 isn't a major improvement over the S it will be a no-go for many.
Thanks in advance for any additional updates.
samnada said:
We just don't have enough data yet to conclude Samsung has fixed the GPS problems.
The two videos I linked are not very impressive. And the Endgadget test is hard to judge. He says it's "pretty close" in locating him on the map, but we can't tell what that means, 20ft, 60ft? The track log posted by Dombledore is also hard to judge without knowing his actual track.
Part of the problem in testing this is even with my S sometimes it works great, and then the next time it's way off. Getting consistent quick locks, and high accuracy will tell the tale. For driving, geocaching and track logging this is a critical function. If the S2 isn't a major improvement over the S it will be a no-go for many.
Thanks in advance for any additional updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello!
I did a more extensive route with MyTracks. It's pretty impressive!!
Blog entry is here, with a google-maps import of the .gpx file: http://domarmstrong.blogspot.com/2011/05/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-2-gps-with-mytracks.html
Dombledore said:
Hello!
I did a more extensive route with MyTracks. It's pretty impressive!!
Blog entry is here, with a google-maps import of the .gpx file: http://domarmstrong.blogspot.com/2011/05/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-2-gps-with-mytracks.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That looks very good.
Really appreciate you taking the time to do this test and post it.
Wish I could get my hands on an S2 before Q3.
Here is an comparison with Nexus S. Look at 8:00 for a indoor GPS comparison, it looks good for SGS2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqSeXL7fw5o
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Whilst driving.
tjtj4444 said:
Here is an comparison with Nexus S. Look at 8:00 for a indoor GPS comparison, it looks good for SGS2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqSeXL7fw5o
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good vid that, shows how good the lock is on SGS2!
Intratech said:
Whilst driving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh just up the road from me!
The GPS performance for me so far has been fantastic compared to my Milestone.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
i would like to no what program (copilot,navigon ect...) works the best as this device will be used regular as sat nav for me esp with its 4.3" beast of a screen
Intratech said:
Whilst driving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this on my galaxy s and i was off road most the time. Cant belive how good that line is the rounderbout in particular. Galaxy s was fine for in car nav but useless really with my tracks.
I'll go out Geocaching when mine arrives tomorrow, i'll soon know if the gps is inaccurate if i dont find anything.....
Burko said:
I'll go out Geocaching when mine arrives tomorrow, i'll soon know if the gps is inaccurate if i dont find anything.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So? ten chars...
Well i use mine 4-5 times a week hour to two each time for running, using both runkeeper and runstar at the same time, my route never touches a road, up over hills, through a large forest, the gps signal is spot on, better than my old hd2, iphone4 and samsung galaxy s put together, very accurate no nasty spikes
Before you complain about GPS accuracy. So yes, it sounds about right for 20m. It is definitely an improvement over the original 100m.
highest quality signal was reserved for military use, and the signal available for civilian use was intentionally degraded ("Selective Availability", SA). This changed with President Bill Clinton ordering Selective Availability to be turned off at midnight May 1, 2000, improving the precision of civilian GPS from 100 meters (about 300 feet) to 20 meters (about 65 feet).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The accuracy increases if you turn on DATA with your 3G signal. It also improves the time used for initial gps lock.
Related
Guys i pre-ordered a TFPrime from amazon UK and will be getting it shortly (12-Jan). However after watching a few reviews, etc, I noticed the Wifi / GPS seems really buggy which could be a deal breaker for me. Can anyone share their experiences? Any workaround?
Wifi Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=nzCZc3pjtrA
GPS Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=YeiOh09v54I
dereking said:
Guys i pre-ordered a TFPrime from amazon UK and will be getting it shortly (12-Jan). However after watching a few reviews, etc, I noticed the Wifi / GPS seems really buggy which could be a deal breaker for me. Can anyone share their experiences? Any workaround?
Wifi Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=nzCZc3pjtrA
GPS Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=YeiOh09v54I
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
You can't spit in any direction on this forum without hitting a thread that talks about these issues...why do you need yet another thread? A solution to these, if they are deal breakers for you, is to not buy the Prime.
Yep i guess your post signature leaves it clear... "Asus Transformer Prime (Waiting on a replacement) "
Wifi seems to be fine GPS is wacky but will get fixed
Yes wifi and gps have issues. Be careful about saying anything bad about the Prime in these forums.
A lot of town criers...
The WiFi is working fine, at least with mine anyways. GPS is still broken, but I have faith in ASUS that they'll come up with a fix.
You guys are killing me with this. I was hell bent on purchasing a Prime & Keyboard as soon as stock arrived. I checked all the reviews. I knew about it's pros & it's cons. I was sold. It was just a fluke that I wound up searching about the Prime's GPS accuracy and all of the BS ASUS has been covering up surfaced.
I'm not going to drop nearly $700 on a fancy toy if:
1. WiFi sucks. Especially on a portable device. That simply makes no sense.
2. GPS doesn't work. --I go to UC, so this bad boy needs to be LoJacked. I've seen too many laptops & tablets "walk off and disappear" during lecture.
3. Paying $700 for anything that doesn't have all of it's features intact is a non-starter.
ASUS makes great video cards & motherboards. But they need to get their sh*t together on this device if they plan to stay in tablet game.
Not gonna lie. I got my prime last week thru BB pre order and my GPS and wifi are working great! Not sure why other people $are having issues with this.
Early models did have hardware issues. (especially with wifi)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1394611
This is one reason why you don't want to rush to get one.
A lot of people will state that their wifi and gps is working just fine, but they dont really know any better...
Wifi works but its got a very slow upload and download speed. They may be thinking GPS works but not realize they are using wifi location.
But yes on every unit regardless of what others may say. Wifi does not work as good as it should and GPS doesn't work at all.
And if it is any indication...
TF101 shipped with screen bleed & loose casing defects, to this very day Asus has not bothered to fix the issue.
jzen said:
A lot of people will state that their wifi and gps is working just fine, but they dont really know any better...
Wifi works but its got a very slow upload and download speed. They may be thinking GPS works but not realize they are using wifi location.
But yes on every unit regardless of what others may say. Wifi does not work as good as it should and GPS doesn't work at all.
And if it is any indication...
TF101 shipped with screen bleed & loose casing defects, to this very day Asus has not bothered to fix the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is with bad Internet aka not what I normally use. Through a few walls about 30 from the really crappy router at my mom's house.
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I would say my wifi is fine. GPS is useless though. Don't say people don't know what they are talking about when you don't know them.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
jzen said:
A lot of people will state that their wifi and gps is working just fine, but they dont really know any better...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With so many people reporting problems with GPS and WiFi strength it's become almost a complete certainty that these devices are suffering from some sort of severe design flaw.
I wasn't on the design team for this device, so take anything I say with a grain of salt, but I am quite savvy as an engineer so I'll drop my 2 cents on this issue.
From my standpoint it's appears to be DEFINITELY the aluminum chassis. Aluminum is quite good at reflecting/bouncing RF signals at a focal point (receiver). When crafted correctly, aluminum is great at bouncing rf signals. When used incorrectly, aluminum is great at dispersing and blocking rf signals.
However, as frequency increases, so does penetration. This is most likely why people have been able to notice relatively normal WiFi strengths. Even at wireless-g speeds they're operating at as low as 2.4GHz and up to 5GHz. However CIV GPS operate at around 1.1GHz. In this case, the aluminum shell has turned the GPS unit's "moderate voice" into a "whimper" when it attempts to lock & fix on satellites. -- Think tin foil hats, but for your GPS & WiFi
I also believe ASUS outfitted the Prime with 2 WiFi antennas whereas I believe the GPS only has a single antenna. I won't speak for ASUS's design decisions, but I wouldn't doubt they opted for 2 antennas to deal with the interference from the aluminum casing. However, that's simply my speculation. Why they botched this tablet so badly just to conform to a silly aesthetic design boggles my mind. As Spock would say, "their decisions were highly illogical."
jzen said:
And if it is any indication...
TF101 shipped with screen bleed & loose casing defects, to this very day Asus has not bothered to fix the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They'd be wise to rethink that choice.
I'm right now wondering if WiFi on my TF101 is OK, because it doesn't get a lock i a room adjacent to the one with the router while laptop in the same place has 3 to 4 bars! So if people say their WiFi and GPS are fine take it with a grain of sand. It's not easy to check them properly in a short time.
don_cheadle said:
With so many people reporting problems with GPS and WiFi strength it's become almost a complete certainty that these devices are suffering from some sort of severe design flaw.
I wasn't on the design team for this device, so take anything I say with a grain of salt, but I am quite savvy as an engineer so I'll drop my 2 cents on this issue.
From my standpoint it's appears to be DEFINITELY the aluminum chassis. Aluminum is quite good at reflecting/bouncing RF signals at a focal point (receiver). When crafted correctly, aluminum is great at bouncing rf signals. When used incorrectly, aluminum is great at dispersing and blocking rf signals.
However, as frequency increases, so does penetration. This is most likely why people have been able to notice relatively normal WiFi strengths. Even at wireless-g speeds they're operating at as low as 2.4GHz and up to 5GHz. However CIV GPS operate at around 1.1GHz. In this case, the aluminum shell has turned the GPS unit's "moderate voice" into a "whimper" when it attempts to lock & fix on satellites. -- Think tin foil hats, but for your GPS & WiFi
I also believe ASUS outfitted the Prime with 2 WiFi antennas whereas I believe the GPS only has a single antenna. I won't speak for ASUS's design decisions, but I wouldn't doubt they opted for 2 antennas to deal with the interference from the aluminum casing. However, that's simply my speculation. Why they botched this tablet so badly just to conform to a silly aesthetic design boggles my mind. As Spock would say, "their decisions were highly illogical."
They'd be wise to rethink that choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An aluminium shell like on the Transformer can only distort the signals a bit but not completely block it (like many are experiencing with GPS). That is probably because of a manufacturing defect and not because of the aluminium shell.
WiFi on this device is fine. I get over 11 mbps speeds on a 15 mbps cable connection.
GPS also locks within a reasonable amount of time when view of sky is unobstructed.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
flight777 said:
An aluminium shell like on the Transformer can only distort the signals a bit but not completely block it (like many are experiencing with GPS). That is probably because of a manufacturing defect and not because of the aluminium shell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually aluminum can do quite a bit to obstruct an RF signal. Depending on thickness, resistance can be quite high. While I somewhat agree it shouldn't be able to block a strong signal, the major function of GPS is to "listen", not to "talk." What I'm trying to say, is it is not producing strong signals, it's trying to receive them, and it's ability to listen is only as good as the ability of such signals to penetrate whatever is obstructing them. In this case, it's Aluminum.. which has quite a high resistance to RF.
mrljt said:
WiFi on this device is fine. I get over 11 mbps speeds on a 15 mbps cable connection.
GPS also locks within a reasonable amount of time when view of sky is unobstructed.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YOUR GPS also locks....
If you look at the poll in the GPS Problems thread you'll see that it's about 80 working GPSs to 50 non-working.
Just because yours locks, don't assume everyone else's does. Especially when there is a large amount of evidence to the contrary.
Col.Kernel said:
YOUR GPS also locks....
If you look at the poll in the GPS Problems thread you'll see that it's about 80 working GPSs to 50 non-working.
Just because yours locks, don't assume everyone else's does. Especially when there is a large amount of evidence to the contrary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got those numbers switched. It's around 50 working, and 80 not.
>However, as frequency increases, so does penetration
Higher frequency = shorter wavelength = less penetration. 5GHz wifi has shorter range than 2.4GHz wifi because it can't penetrate as well. Public hot spots only use 2.4GHz. More articulate explanations here. That wifi in the Prime is more functional than GPS is probably because wifi signals have more energy than the weak GPS signal.
I do agree that the Al shell is the main culprit, probably exacerbated by mediocre antenna design. I generally see better wireless performance from phone vendors (Moto, Samsung, HTC) than non-phone vendors (Acer, Asus).
>I'm right now wondering if WiFi on my TF101 is OK
Wifi on most mobiles will be less than that on laptops, because their antenna is usually much smaller and lacks diversity. Size isn't the only determinant in antenna gain, but it's a big determinant. Here are the GPS and wifi antennae on the OG Transformer.
Here is one (of many possible) design for laptop dual diversity antenna
You're right. I got the 2 switched. I distinctly remember writing that on the top of my cheat sheet in Phys. I'm sorry it's 2 am, and I can't brain.
Anyway, as for the signal strength, that's what I was saying earlier. I assume when you take into account considerable distances, even though routers are usually only pumping out around 250ma per antenna, they probably still yield much better signal strength than GPS satellites after the signal has reached the ground.
However aside from ASUS simply not attaching an antenna to GPS mod, it really can only be the aluminum shell creating such resistance. And the fact it seems to affect WiFi as well, although to a lesser degree, means it's most likely not a symptom faulty workmanship on part of the internals.
But as mentioned in other threads, it would be nice if someone tore the aluminum backing off of their brand new Prime to see if it's the real culprit.
There’s been a lot of discussion about just how bad the Prime’s GPS is, especially for navigation, with some folks claiming theirs is “working.” There have even been claims it works in a moving car and someone posted this pic as proof.
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Six out of nine satellites with a 90’ accuracy while the Prime is completely horizontal on the dashboard and smashed forward against the windshield is piss poor and by no means a realistic example. If that’s the best it can do, it’s unusable for navigation. And that’s using GPS Test, not real navigation s/w.
I took these three vids today using a G-Tab to show what navigation typically looks like. I use navigation a lot while traveling and the Zoom and Jetstream perform identically. In other words there’s nothing special about the G-Tab or its performance in these videos. And I intentionally used different routes that changed directions so that no one can say "but..." Navigation shouldn’t be hard and you should never have to question its performance. It should just work. This also isn't to show how great the G-Tab is, but to help you guys understand what your expectations should be of GPS and navigation on a tablet, any tablet.
CoPilot
1) Cold Boot
2) Flight Mode On
CoPilot doesn’t require either a 3G or Wi-Fi connection to work at any time. All the data it relies on is stored locally. In this example the G-Tab ran solely on its stand-alone GPS from start to finish. The G-Tab’s sitting on the passenger seat which is where it usually is when I use it rental cars on the road. The direction it’s facing changes numerous times so its ability to maintain a satellite fix isn’t dependent on being in a particular position. At 2:35 you’ll see it navigate an S turn. If accuracy was any higher than 15’ that would be impossible. Throughout the video you’ll see how accurately it keeps position and changes direction as the car does. At 6:19 I intentionally go off route. It corrects so quickly you have to look at the orientation of Ash Street to even notice. The same thing happens again at 7:50. And for the finale you can see the tablet fall off the seat of the car in a turn. G-Tab’s are sturdy.
Google Navigation 1
1) Cold Boot
2) 3G On (to download route guidance)
3) Start Google Navigation
4) 3G Off
The maps are cached but Google Navigation needs to download the driving directions via 3G or Wi-Fi. Once downloaded it can navigate from GPS alone. That’s what this vid shows. You can see how accurate the positioning is based on how well Google Nav keeps up with the car’s position; especially approaching turns. The car changes position multiple times and you can see it passing under bridges and overpasses without losing the signal. At 4:19 watch how accurately it navigates a curve. At 5:18 watch the car’s position change at a turn and how well Google Nav keeps up with it.
Google Navigation 2
1) Cold Boot
2) Flight Mode On
3) GPS Test (1:10 – 1:45, 10 out of 10 satellites and 15’ accuracy in 35 seconds)
4) Flight Mode Off
5) Google Nav downloads driving directions
6) Flight Mode On
Like the first Google Nav vid, it never misses a beat. But why would it? It’s maintaining 15’ accuracy consistently.
So comparing against the pic of the Prime on the dashboard you can see just how bad the GPS in the Prime is compared to a G-Tab (and other tablets) So while everyone beats there head against the wall trying to prove it works you can also see how futile that is. Even a 50% improvement would be half of what the G-Tab’s (or Zoom, or Jetstream) capable of. And I use navigation sometimes twice a week in cities in the U.S. and Europe. If the G-Tab was operating at 50% it would be useless to me (and you too). So god's speed to the developers and to those hoping for an ICS fix. In all my time on XDA I’ve never seen s/w fully overcome a h/w problem. And this my friends is a h/w problem. Anyone else that's used a tablet for navigation feel free to share your expereinces and how they compare to what I've shown.
PSA: Spokane's a podunk town. I strongly recommend against shooting video in a moving car on busy streets.
While I agree you pay $500 for a working tablet with GPS... on the other flipside,who the F uses a tablet for GPS. Use your phone or buy a garmin god damnit. It's just not practical to use a tab.
chugger93 said:
While I agree you pay $500 for a working tablet with GPS... on the other flipside,who the F uses a tablet for GPS. Use your phone or buy a garmin god damnit. It's just not practical to use a tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do whatever you want. For me, and probably others, using a tablet for GPS makes sense. Here's some of the advantages:
1) It's got a bigger screen which is easier to see when you're driving.
2) A lot of the tablified GPS apps have a split screen mode which makes it easier to navigate at turns and on expressway on and off ramps.
3) Tablets have better GPS chips and antennas so they're more accurate (ironic, isn't it).
4) The battery on a tablet's a lot bigger than a phone so it'll last three times as long if it's not plugged in.
5) Using a tablet vs. a phone doesn't drain the phone's battery while you're on the road.
6) The phone's free to make and receive Bluetooth calls.
I posted the vids only to give people that even care about navigation something to benchmark against. I could care less what people choose to use for navigation or if they don't care about GPS at all. I'd assume the latter group would have no interest in this thread anyway (hint).
Have you tried using a 7" tablet for car nav? How would legibility fare against a 10"? Seems to me that it would be easier to mount a 7" in a location more in front of the driver, as opposed to a center location where you have to turn your head and look.
oh man not again
we know. I bought it and kept it anyways.
BTW, have an Ipad 3g. Never used navigation on it without it being wired to the internet, 3g or tethered. Will be the exact same with tf201.
AND, now, my phone has google maps. this way, I can still watch old Billy Mays infomertials on youtube whilst navigation with the phone.
just don't buy it dude. put it on craiglist and get something else.
Now is the time to be looking for or finding a solution. Or seeing what Asus is going to do about it. this is beating a dead horse. already known GPS sux, even Asus admitted. So instead of dragging the issue out, which is widely known, lets focus more of solving the problem vs. just keep talking about how bad it is.
e.mote said:
Have you tried using a 7" tablet for car nav? How would legibility fare against a 10"? Seems to me that it would be easier to mount a 7" in a location more in front of the driver, as opposed to a center location where you have to turn your head and look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To me, 7" is too close to the size of my phone. I mostly use the tablet for video, web, news and stuff like that while I'm traveling so I like the extra real estate. With 5.3", 7", 7.7", 8", 8.9", 10", and 11.6", it really comes down to personal preference.
demandarin said:
So instead of dragging the issue out, which is widely known, lets focus more of solving the problem vs. just keep talking about how bad it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So without an example of "good," how would you know how bad "bad" is and what a working threshold is? Also, people trying to use Google Nav to do some of their own testing couldn't figure it out. At least they can now see how it works. And some people who haven't seen a tablet navigate might find watching one in action interesting.
Again, with no interest in GPS, I don't understand why anyone would keep extending a thread on it just to let the world know (once again) they don't care. It's important enough to some people that they returned their Prime's over it so it's not like no one cares.
Hmm, that's a good demo of Co-Pilot for me. Although, I think I prefer the graphic of Sygic... But yea, pretty accurate demo of GPS navigation on a tablet.
Btw, I noticed some significant lag with your G-Tab....
You've listed Moto/Samsung/HTC as tabs with good GPS. Not sure about the Jetstream, but both the GTabs and Xoom also have dual-band wifi. I don't think it's a coincidence that all these are also phone vendors. Their tablets tend to be better designed, and unsurprisingly, cost more.
Despite the shiny iPad-like shell, the TF201 is pretty similar in build quality and price to the TF101 and other "mainstream" tabs. Even without a metal shell, I wouldn't bank on GPS performance for any of the non-phone vendors' units.
Connectivity is something these tab vendors will need to improve. Most of the issues listed with the Prime (and to a lesser extent, with 1st-gen Droid tabs) are about I/O: HDMI, bluetooth, USB, wifi, GPS.
Some of the blame lies with the OS. Frankly, I'm looking forward to Win8 tabs if only for Windows' proven connectivity.
shinzz said:
Btw, I noticed some significant lag with your G-Tab....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blame me, not the G-Tab. I have a ton of stuff syncing and widgets that dependent on outside data so booting takes a while. It's 3G so it's always connected so it's not an issue in daily use. It's actually worse in airplane more because everything looking for a signal does and has to fail before the UI’s normal again.
Thanks for making this thread, maybe it will shut up those that swear their GPS is working flawlessly lmao.
A lot of people use a tablet for GPS. Just because you don't see yourself using it doesn't mean everyone should also not use a tablet for GPS...
I don't use GPS at all for anything but I could see how many people would like to use it, especially for their jobs.
jzen said:
Thanks for making this thread, maybe it will shut up those that swear their GPS is working flawlessly lmao.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Part of the issue is everyone seems to have a different definition of "working." The guy with the Prime on his dashboard swears his is "working." If people watch even short segments of the video it shows how important precision is for accuracy. And the difference between 90' and 15' hurling along an expressway at 70MPH looking for an exit is the difference between making it and not.
e.mote said:
You've listed Moto/Samsung/HTC as tabs with good GPS. Not sure about the Jetstream, but both the GTabs and Xoom also have dual-band wifi. I don't think it's a coincidence that all these are also phone vendors. Their tablets tend to be better designed, and unsurprisingly, cost more.
Despite the shiny iPad-like shell, the TF201 is pretty similar in build quality and price to the TF101 and other "mainstream" tabs. Even without a metal shell, I wouldn't bank on GPS performance for any of the non-phone vendors' units.
Connectivity is something these tab vendors will need to improve. Most of the issues listed with the Prime (and to a lesser extent, with 1st-gen Droid tabs) are about I/O: HDMI, bluetooth, USB, wifi, GPS.
Some of the blame lies with the OS. Frankly, I'm looking forward to Win8 tabs if only for Windows' proven connectivity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm, can you tell me how dual-band WIFI helps with GPS?
Jetstream and Xoom has better design over TF101?
Last I checked, all these vendors use similar GPS chip (btw, Asus is releasing padfone.. doesn't that qualify Asus and phone vendor?)
shinzz said:
Umm, can you tell me how dual-band WIFI helps with GPS?
Jetstream and Xoom has better design over TF101?
Last I checked, all these vendors use similar GPS chip (btw, Asus is releasing padfone.. doesn't that qualify Asus and phone vendor?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the point of what he's saying. Asus has far fewer products dependent on far fewer radio combinations than a manufacturer that builds phones does. Motorola, Samsung, and HTC sell tens of millions of mobile devices equipped with multiple radios. It makes sense that their experience makes a difference in the finished product.
>Jetstream and Xoom has better design over TF101?
I don't know about the Jetstream, but the Xoom is better constructed. It has none of the build-quality issues that occurred with the Acer/Asus/Toshiba tablets. You can verify by scanning the start of the respective tablets' general forums for complaint frequency.
The GTab has some issues, eg the "Newton rings". But in overall volume of complaints, it's a still only slight second to Xoom. The largest by far is the Prime, followed by Acer A500, then Asus TF101.
There are other models with worse issues, eg the Iconia A100 with terrible screen & battery life, but they aren't as popular, so complaints are fewer.
>Last I checked, all these vendors use similar GPS chip
Consumers tend to obsess over chips and specs, eg quad-core. For GPS, antenna and overall system design matters more, or even most. For other aspects, the proof is real-world app performance.
>(btw, Asus is releasing padfone.. doesn't that qualify Asus and phone vendor?)
Dell sold a phone as well. That doesn't make it a phone vendor.
e.mote said:
I don't know about the Jetstream
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Jetstream's built like a tank. And it's as big as one and weighs as much too. I wanted to like it and Sense on a tablet was cool, but it just wasn't comfortable to carry around or even hold.
The GTab has some issues, eg the "Newton rings".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the biggest complaint. Samsung changed the screen design in October so newer G-Tabs don't have the issue. The other biggest "discussion" is the love/hate relationship with TouchWiz.
the proof is real-world app performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^^^
This. Always.
Dell sold a phone as well. That doesn't make it a phone vendor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if the PadPhone fares as well as Dell's phone attempts sell your Asus stock. I love the concept of the PadPhone, just not from Asus.
People who use a tablet for gps, please post a sign on your windshield or something. Cause I would sure love to drive in front of you and when you look down at you tablet gps on the passenger side, slam my brakes and get paid by your insurance. Easy win. "Officer it's not my fault. I bet you he took his eyes off the road to play with the gps on his tablet". CHA-CHING!!
Better yet, why not set up a 22 inch monitor on the dash and have your phone output to the monitor. Instant ultimate GPS!! BAM!!
Of course this is all fun and games
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
I'm a bit confused by the videos and such. I appreciate you making them, but what are you comparing them to? Is it to the picture of someone's prime?
I don't really see how that is accurate at all. Was the photo shown the best possible accuracy anyone with a prime has ever had? There are so many variables here that are out of your control that is there is no way you could claim this as proof that the prime's GPS in extremely bad.
I'm not trying to argue that the prime's GPS is fine, I just don't see how this test proves anything. Show a prime next to you galaxy tab in these videos to show that there is in fact a difference if you want to claim such, otherwise it doesn't support your argument at all.
unxconformed said:
I'm not trying to argue that the prime's GPS is fine, I just don't see how this test proves anything. Show a prime next to you galaxy tab in these videos to show that there is in fact a difference if you want to claim such, otherwise it doesn't support your argument at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, with two different nav programs, GPS Test, and multiple different driving scenarios, you've witnessed what a typical tablet using GPS is capable of without depending on Wi-Fi. Can the Prime pass any of those tests? Until it can, no one can say the Prime’s GPS is “working.” Besides, now that the bootloader’s unlocked I’m sure the devs are going to look at GPS. They now have a bogie. But having used tablets for GPS all over the world, anything less than 75% of the performance shown in the vids isn’t usable for driving navigation. The G-Tab even becomes a bear in thunderstorms.
P.S. - The best performance of a moving Prime is in the pic in my original post. And since it's a still vs. a video I'm guessing that's the best it could do, not the worst.
Does the aluminum case affect your WiFi?
Here's a simple test. Run WiFi Analyzer.
1. Hold your Prime with the aluminum back towards the router. Take note of the WiFi Analyzer's meter reading.
2. Hold your Prime with the glass front facing the router. Take note of your reading.
My Prime consistently gets weaker signal with the aluminum back towards the router compared when the glass front is towards the router. (The Prime is about 10dBm weaker signal with the back pointing toward the router, compared to when the front is.)
Try this, what is your difference?
Unfortunately it does affect my WiFi. The range of my router reaches half way down my street. My M18x, iPad 2, Japanese PS Vita and iPhone 4S can reach my router 5 houses down at my friend's place. My TF201 can't even make it out of my living room.
skygunner27 said:
Unfortunately it does affect my WiFi. The range of my router reaches half way down my street. My M18x, iPad 2, Japanese PS Vita and iPhone 4S can reach my router 5 houses down at my friend's place. My TF201 can't even make it out of my living room.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but is that due to the metal back, or the pogo pins?
Do what the OP said to find out.
Col.Kernel said:
Yes, but is that due to the metal back, or the pogo pins?
Do what the OP said to find out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most likely a combination of both defects.
skygunner27 said:
Most likely a combination of both defects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
<sigh> Look, I'm not trying to be a horses backside here, but you can't prove jack. The OP, if they are asking for anything, is asking for facts. You keep supplying opinions.
Do the test, or don't post. That's the only proof you have. Or propose a different test.
Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine, but when you ask they don't use it and haven't tested it.
Col.Kernel said:
<sigh> Look, I'm not trying to be a horses backside here, but you can't prove jack. The OP, if they are asking for anything, is asking for facts. You keep supplying opinions.
Do the test, or don't post. That's the only proof you have. Or propose a different test.
Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine, but when you ask they don't use it and haven't tested it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who are you to question me lol....First off my GPS is PERFECT! It even works from my bedroom. Of course I performed the test!! The OP mentioned his discovery in a different thread. Go troll somewhere else.
I'm starting to believe that you don't own a Prime. Post some pics along with both boxes and a piece of paper with your handle over the top of your Primes box. Make sure I can see the box. Hurry I don't have all nite.
Here it comes you are about to get owned...
skygunner27 said:
To be honest I have one of the best Primes. But it's still not good enough.
Here are some pics showing GPS from my bedroom and to validate that I actually own a Prime and am not trolling. My Prime has better GPS than WiFi!! Go Figure!! If I'm outside I have 13 satelites all in the green at the least.
WiFi Disabled
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WiFi Enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Col.Kernel said:
<sigh> Look, I'm not trying to be a horses backside here, but you can't prove jack. The OP, if they are asking for anything, is asking for facts. You keep supplying opinions.
Do the test, or don't post. That's the only proof you have. Or propose a different test.
Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine, but when you ask they don't use it and haven't tested it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is right though. Proving that the aluminum back interferes with wifi does not disprove that the login pins are an issue with signal strength. Nor would this test provide enough quantitative data to compare potential problems. A single test without equipment or a control (basis for comparison) is not meaningful.
I do not believe it is in dispute that the aluminum back will to some degree interfere with wifi and GPS signal strength. Perhaps a better question is to what extent does the back interfere and to what extent does the pogo pin. Then you can combine the two to better understand where the faults in signal strength lie and why.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
JanetPanic said:
He is right though. Proving that the aluminum back interferes with wifi does not disprove that the login pins are an issue with signal strength. Nor would this test provide enough quantitative data to compare potential problems. A single test without equipment or a control (basis for comparison) is not meaningful.
I do not believe it is in dispute that the aluminum back will to some degree interfere with wifi and GPS signal strength. Perhaps a better question is to what extent does the back interfere and to what extent does the pogo pin. Then you can combine the two to better understand where the faults in signal strength lie and why.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of talking about how to word the test. Lets get a standard agreed on and written in stone so we can move on. The sooner we understand what's really happening here the better off we'll be. Believe it or not we are all on the same team with the same common goals. Some people have problems with GPS, I have proven I do not. Even so, it still is a problem that needs to be addressed since it was deviously removed from Asus's website and continues to be printed on the box.
You forgot to mention that he got owned on the "Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine" post. and that I was right.
---------- Post added at 02:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 AM ----------
skygunner27 said:
Who are you to question me lol....First off my GPS is PERFECT! It even works from my bedroom. Of course I performed the test!! The OP mentioned his discovery in a different thread. Go troll somewhere else.
I'm starting to believe that you don't own a Prime. Post some pics along with both boxes and a piece of paper with your handle over the top of your Primes box. Make sure I can see the box. Hurry I don't have all nite.
Here it comes you are about to get owned...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's taking you so long to post a couple of pics proving you have a Prime? What are you doing? Are you out driving around trying to buy a Prime and dock? I see that your still on. Let's get this over with. You have problems with GPS, I have problems with BT/WiFi/Youtube Artifacts. I need you to be on the same team with the same common goal.
Yea, unfortunately the aluminum case is a real pain. If Asus just came out and told us the truth about all this might have been better. They are just going to fix the issues by taking all the hard work that we did and apply it to another version tablet or slider.
Try it, what are your results?
Edited my original post with.....
(The Prime is about 10dBm weaker signal with the back pointing toward the router, compared to when the front is.)
Try this, what is your difference?
OK. I tried this. For me, there is hardly a difference or improvement. With glass facing router I might see a 2-4dbm improvement. Which is nothing really that'll make or break wifi performance. Plus I've noticed also you could sit still with metal back or glass facing router n the signal will strength will fluctuate. So for me, it not affecting my performance. Don't think this is really a good way to tell if back is affecting strength to a noticeable point. Since signal strength is always constantly fluctuating. Even 10dbm difference could be accounted for normal varying in signal strength. 10dbm difference won't hardly affect performance at all really. Need a more controlled test method to where other factors won't influence strength. Just by the way u holding tablet or angle or whatever can make the strength dbm change.
10dbm difference won't hardly affect performance at all really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Close to the router you are right. But further away, when reading say -60dBm, then another -10dBm is pretty significant for the Prime.
And someone else posted they saw 10 to 15 db difference.
Just curious what others might find. Does turning the back to the router give you a weaker signal, than when the glass is towards the router? By how much?
Ride525 said:
Close to the router you are right. But further away, when reading say -60dBm, then another -10dBm is pretty significant for the Prime.
And someone else posted they saw 10 to 15 db difference.
Just curious what others might find. Does turning the back to the router give you a weaker signal, than when the glass is towards the router? By how much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is about the differences I see, about 15-20 foot away. Up close, it does have less impact. Seems somewhat exponential, I may start doing proper method tests but so far I just check it when it kicks my curiosity.
Just got my 3rd Prime and this would be my second C3 (first I had was C1)
Thankfully there is no lightbleeding and no dead pixels or white-freaking spots.
Wifi is just like before, I haven't tested it from a far distance yet.
Inside I get 65Mbps
GPS is crap as usual, in my balcony it finds 1 satellite but does not lock.
Will try more outside later.
Camera has been good pretty much from the beginning but i feel it could be improved.
I like that you can zoom in 1080p now.
Have had the unit for about 48 hours and it has rebooted 3 times.
Was so ****ing stupid that I did not root before the latest OTA .21
All in all it feels pretty solid and the Prime is awesome, I hope Asus will eventually release firmwares that make full use of the CPU's Full Potential.
Browser is OK, but it crashes every now and then but you can resume your previous windows so that's cool I don'http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=986740&stc=1&d=1333731891t remember this existing before .21
OkI! Just sharing!
Edit: Speed test via Prime,
Edit: April 6, Testing.
Information about Battery Life so far with the C3:
At the moment my battery stats are 19 hours and 11 minutes, and battery time left is 57% (See Image).
My image settings has been at around 70% with IPS+ on sometimes on and off, maybe 20% of the time.
I have downloaded heavy files maybe 3,4 or four of them.
I've watched HD youtube flicks, transfered files to ext.HDD, taken pictures and experimented with the camera functions.
I've done ALOT of surfing.
I have also downloaded and deleted apps, tested Shadowgun, and some other games.
I have skyped quite a bit, I have filmed as well.
I've tried the HDMI out connection.
I have sent and received many emails.
I've switched from Normal to Performance mode many time for testing and for faster browsing or general speed But honestly I dont see much differene). NEED TO ROOT!!!
I have done a lot and am happy with the performance (although it ca be tweaked and the the battery will last less but I don't really care to surf or use my machine for than 5 hours at a time.
My prime has been connected with the Dock but not constantly, I took the Surfpad off the dock at least 4 times.
Im pretty happy so far with my Pime and I am not rooted and running .21
EDIT: I am still not done and the battery is at 35% and i've sending images via dropbox and other ****.
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Information about Wi-Fi range so far with the C3:
Wifi is not bad and I have never experienced much problems with it but I decided to do a test anyways, in the picture below you can see a building in which I live on the third floor, and I took it from the ground just outside of the building door entrance. And the wifi was not strong at all haha as you can see in the picture but I was connected and was pretty stable.
Distance I would have to be in meters is maybe 8 or 10 meters?
That in Feet is 26 or 32 feet.
Building is concrete.
GPS Info:
While I was outside I thought why not test the GPS while im there, so I tested and I WAS F-ING suprised!
At first the GPS Status tool started showing 3 Satellites (no biggie i thought).
So at first it was showing 3, then 7 then a fix and then more, see images.
FIX!
Good Fix!
And more!
First Fix with Wi-Fi OFF
And some more after that, I ran around abit (my neighbours probably thought I was insane LOL) to see how stable the signal was once fixed, these are images taken while lightly running around:
Well I hope this info helps, its seems the Prime is perhaps underestimated?
Also, I am still using it Will take one last snapshot before the battery dies
Some comments on the hardware externally, the dock buttons feels different from the first and second Prime this one the C3 has more smooth button material, the other ones were more rubbery (Which I thought was better). It could be my imagination.
Then there is the backplate, the first one had a more 'flat' surface somewhat similar to the iPad, the second was slightly less 'flat' but on this Prime the backplate is more curved (Again I could be imagining this but I doubt it), there is not 'flat' square in the overall shape that I remember from the first the C1 model.
Any comments are welcomed and I hope this info helped.
Cheers!
What build was on it prior to updating? Getting my prime this week =]
Ziocomposite said:
What build was on it prior to updating? Getting my prime this week =]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It came pre-installed with ICS and .15 build.
Cheers
Do you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones? Stream a movie with Diceplayer .mkv and sync headphones with your bluetooth. See if audio is in sync on the .mkv movies thru the bluetooth headphones. Mine is working fine for the C2 prime i have. But, some say that even with the new CX models they are still having the Bluetooth fallout issue.
Thanks!
Not sure I do, I rarely ever use bluetooth earphone.
I will see if I can test it and come back with the results.
Cheers
After 1 month exactly of asus having my rma, they finally shipped me a new one last night. It too shows the c3 serial, so I'm prayin!!
Any updates?
About to send mine in for the green screen camera issue.
chivas228 said:
Any updates?
About to send mine in for the green screen camera issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely no camera issues so far.
Cheers
Can anyone help out?
How the HELL do I attach images to the post I mean for example under a text. not via URL.
How is the color temperature of your screen? I got a C2 from BestBuy and a C3 from Amazon.com. The C2 is slightly blueish and the C3 is yellowish. I pre-ordered another from Amazon hoping to get another C3 with a better screen, but was curious how your C3's screen is.
weinshin said:
How is the color temperature of your screen? I got a C2 from BestBuy and a C3 from Amazon.com. The C2 is slightly blueish and the C3 is yellowish. I pre-ordered another from Amazon hoping to get another C3 with a better screen, but was curious how your C3's screen is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Color is fine, I've never given it any thought, I only know that sometimes the screen is bright sometimes after watching a movie, but I noticed that if I go back to player used and turn the brightness down the 'colors' are more vivid and not overly bright.
Could be a SW problem, I know that my last 2 units had this issue.
Cheers
Johnny0906 said:
Color is fine, I've never given it any thought, I only know that sometimes the screen is bright sometimes after watching a movie, but I noticed that if I go back to player used and turn the brightness down the 'colors' are more vivid and not overly bright.
Could be a SW problem, I know that my last 2 units had this issue.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my C20 often does this. also experiencing increasing light bleed on the center left side of the screen.
Sent from my TF201
bk201doesntexist said:
my C20 often does this. also experiencing increasing light bleed on the center left side of the screen.
Sent from my TF201
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How heavy is the lightbleed?
You have a right to return if you have it in general, but if its alot and bright then you can surely get a new one.
I'm sure the C4 will be interesting, I might change because I still have lightbleeding even though everything is fine, you have to get the most of your money and this machine is not ridiculously cheap.
Maybe those C4's will be better or maybe even C5 by now.
Cheers
Johnny0906 said:
How heavy is the lightbleed?
You have a right to return if you have it in general, but if its alot and bright then you can surely get a new one.
I'm sure the C4 will be interesting, I might change because I still have lightbleeding even though everything is fine, you have to get the most of your money and this machine is not ridiculously cheap.
Maybe those C4's will be better or maybe even C5 by now.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well , it's not heavy yet, but it wasn't there in the beggining i guess. i only notice it when using black background or app with dark coloured theme, which is to say i prefer dark desktops/homescreens/apps. it's becoming more and more noticeable. i have no complains on mine, other that wifi could be just a bit better and this light bleed. my fear is that it will only get worse, like i've seen people describe around here.
i would like to get a newer model, sure, i'll just explain the situation to the store where i bought it. got it the 23rd march. maybe RMA works, who knows, might get lucky.
Sent from my TF201
bk201doesntexist said:
well , it's not heavy yet, but it wasn't there in the beggining i guess. i only notice it when using black background or app with dark coloured theme, which is to say i prefer dark desktops/homescreens/apps. it's becoming more and more noticeable. i have no complains on mine, other that wifi could be just a bit better and this light bleed. my fear is that it will only get worse, like i've seen people describe around here.
i would like to get a newer model, sure, i'll just explain the situation to the store where i bought it. got it the 23rd march. maybe RMA works, who knows, might get lucky.
Sent from my TF201
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there are C4's out now so when you talk to your shop of purchase, TELL them that you would like a C4, I am on my 3rd Prime and main reason I returned the previous 2 was because of whitee spots,dead pixels and heavy lightbleeding.
Hi!
I have been considering the Amazfit smart watch to be my first smartwatch for a while now. Is it any good? How is the GPS accuracy?
Br J
Everything looks great. Except, you have to deal with transflective technology that will not display like ips or amoled.
Sent from my MI MAX
For the watch, transreflective display is better. Always on and battery friendly.
About worth buying. I replaced Garmin Vivoactive HR with Amazfit
Sent from my LG-V940n using Tapatalk
In fact, GPS accuracy still has some problems, someones drift away from the route, or the distance is shorter or longer... Mine now gots the first problem but not so far and acceptable
[BY]onicS said:
Everything looks great. Except, you have to deal with transflective technology that will not display like ips or amoled.
Sent from my MI MAX
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zeljko1234 said:
For the watch, transreflective display is better. Always on and battery friendly.
About worth buying. I replaced Garmin Vivoactive HR with Amazfit
Sent from my LG-V940n using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aaah so that is why it looks so dull. Thought it was just ppls pictures on the watch that was bad. Ok that is a bummer but I guess you cant get it all. The amoled screens on some watches looks so good but then they have much shorter battery life.
lucas_max said:
In fact, GPS accuracy still has some problems, someones drift away from the route, or the distance is shorter or longer... Mine now gots the first problem but not so far and acceptable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok that is not good to hear, going to use it as my running watch. How much does it differ?
Br J
Jaxione said:
Aaah so that is why it looks so dull. Thought it was just ppls pictures on the watch that was bad. Ok that is a bummer but I guess you cant get it all. The amoled screens on some watches looks so good but then they have much shorter battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Amazfit display looks way, way better than Vivoactive HR. For me looks dull when people are wearing watches with display turned off
Jaxione said:
Aaah so that is why it looks so dull. Thought it was just ppls pictures on the watch that was bad. Ok that is a bummer but I guess you cant get it all. The amoled screens on some watches looks so good but then they have much shorter battery life.
Ok that is not good to hear, going to use it as my running watch. How much does it differ?
Br J
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think its screen is just as the normal watch, the screen as bright when outdoor.
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lucas_max said:
I think its screen is just as the normal watch, the screen as bright when outdoor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ordered one Its so cheap so it does not have to be perfect But in thoose pictures the display looks great.
Jaxione said:
Ordered one Its so cheap so it does not have to be perfect But in thoose pictures the display looks great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will love your watch, that's for sure!
I have mine since the beginning of January, and although it has a few bugs, but it has so many options, and this always on display is one of the best you can get. This is an outdoor watch, so it has to be well readable under direct sunlight, and it is! Indoors it's just OK.
AMOLED displays are awesome, my Galaxy Note 4 has the best display I've ever seen personally (I know S7-S8's display is better, but I love being able to replace the battery of my phone, plus the IR blaster to use it as a remote control), but they will burn in with time, which means you CAN have your Gear S3's display always on, but it will degrade with time, and it consumes a lot more battery than this transflective display.
About Amazfit: yeah, it really has over 30 hours of GPS time, which is awesome! My previous watch was a Polar M400, and I had to recharge it after 5-6 hours of GPS use. As I always walk, (almost) never run, the accuracy of the GPS is pretty cool for me (the difference between my Note 4's GPS and the Amazfit's is like 50-100m / 10km; the Amazfit measures the distance a bit shorter than it is).
5tormChild said:
You will love your watch, that's for sure!
I have mine since the beginning of January, and although it has a few bugs, but it has so many options, and this always on display is one of the best you can get. This is an outdoor watch, so it has to be well readable under direct sunlight, and it is! Indoors it's just OK.
About Amazfit: yeah, it really has over 30 hours of GPS time, which is awesome! My previous watch was a Polar M400, and I had to recharge it after 5-6 hours of GPS use. As I always walk, (almost) never run, the accuracy of the GPS is pretty cool for me (the difference between my Note 4's GPS and the Amazfit's is like 50-100m / 10km; the Amazfit measures the distance a bit shorter than it is).
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Click to collapse
One worse thing about Amazfit I am not satisfied untill now that is the GPS drifted away from the route, I think its not the GPS problem because the GPS track is quite right but it locates on the wrong point (maybe because the code, the map scale...or something like that) I am the runner and cyclist also so thats the most important thing I need from the watch. One more thing, why isnt the screen backlight on when the notification comes? Could it be fixed by the code?
Of course, notification backlight can be easily fixed by the code.
One line to turn it on with notification, one to turn it off when notification disappear. But, with a lot of notifications/lights on, will impact battery life.
Better way is to check ambient light sensor before turning light on, still not complicated to implement and will save battery even ambient light drains some.
Another implementation would be to turn light on only if needed (ambient sensor) and user makes a gesture to take a look. Gesture is already supported and turnings light on, so again just few lines of the code.
All those options should be possible to configure in the settings. Not all users want to turn light on for every notification (me).
P.S.
Amazfit team, if you're reading, see how many ideas you can just pick up from comunity
Zeljko1234 said:
Of course, notification backlight can be easily fixed by the code.
One line to turn it on with notification, one to turn it off when notification disappear. But, with a lot of notifications/lights on, will impact battery life.
Better way is to check ambient light sensor before turning light on, still not complicated to implement and will save battery even ambient light drains some.
Another implementation would be to turn light on only if needed (ambient sensor) and user makes a gesture to take a look. Gesture is already supported and turnings light on, so again just few lines of the code.
All those options should be possible to configure in the settings. Not all users want to turn light on for every notification (me).
P.S.
Amazfit team, if you're reading, see how many ideas you can just pick up from comunity
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just enable notification for text messages, email and phone call because thats important and need quick responding.
Skype at work, or fb messenger push alot but not important so I turn them off.
Gesture is good but not work well, so I just use setting 'Awake - When Unlocked', and want to quick look at notifications when i am in dark (outside at night, cinema...)
Here is a video about the Amazfit
Do your Amazfit watch move the hands back and then to correct time when you wake it with the button? Looks Kinda strange
Jaxione said:
Do your Amazfit watch move the hands back and then to correct time when you wake it with the button? Looks Kinda strange
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Yes, I think is a glitch (or maybe to have cool animation?!). It's like old screen remained in the buffer, quickly showed and then refreshed with the current. I didn't even notice until you asked.
About your original question before you edited, in idle watch is updating screen every minute.
Devs did excellent job with batter optimization. Instead of draining battery every second, now is draining 60 times less often. They did couple of other battery tricks, like auto airplane mode, sport mode, etc.
Zeljko1234 said:
Yes, I think is a glitch (or maybe to have cool animation?!). It's like old screen remained in the buffer, quickly showed and then refreshed with the current. I didn't even notice until you asked.
About your original question before you edited, in idle watch is updating screen every minute.
Devs did excellent job with batter optimization. Instead of draining battery every second, now is draining 60 times less often. They did couple of other battery tricks, like auto airplane mode, sport mode, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. Really loving the watch so far!
Jaxione said:
Thanks for the reply. Really loving the watch so far!
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Click to collapse
Me too, still many things should/could be done. Depends how much effort Huami will put into software development. Opening source or releasing SDK would be great for everyone.
I've started with Polar chest strap (the best HRM), then two different Mio products, Basis, Garmin and now Amazfit. So far, Amazfit has the best look, display, smartwatch features (still a lot can be added) and still one of the best battery life. GPS accuracy is good enough (as far I remember, when I compared, Garmin and Amazfit were very close), HRM also good enough. But app is probably the worst of all I had. Without Mi Fit, no info about any data collected. And Mi Fit is not great either. No web at all, except Strava. Garmin has the best app and web even I didn't use the web except few times at beginning.
So all in all, hardware has great potential. Firmware is also very good but rest is just fundamental.
Zeljko1234 said:
Me too, still many things should/could be done. Depends how much effort Huami will put into software development. Opening source or releasing SDK would be great for everyone.
I've started with Polar chest strap (the best HRM), then two different Mio products, Basis, Garmin and now Amazfit. So far, Amazfit has the best look, display, smartwatch features (still a lot can be added) and still one of the best battery life. GPS accuracy is good enough (as far I remember, when I compared, Garmin and Amazfit were very close), HRM also good enough. But app is probably the worst of all I had. Without Mi Fit, no info about any data collected. And Mi Fit is not great either. No web at all, except Strava. Garmin has the best app and web even I didn't use the web except few times at beginning.
So all in all, hardware has great potential. Firmware is also very good but rest is just fundamental.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your words all are correctly, I had time using Garmin watch, it has prefectly accuracy, good phone app and website also, but if you want to get a nice-look Garmin watch you must pay alot.
lucas_max said:
Your words all are correctly, I had time using Garmin watch, it has prefectly accuracy, good phone app and website also, but if you want to get a nice-look Garmin watch you must pay alot.
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And even if you pay such price, you will still get retro look, low res display and no touch screen. They are targeting professionals but I'm not pro. Just casual user who likes to track sport activity, have some goals, notifications and of course nerd toy to play with
Sent from my Moto X Force
Zeljko1234 said:
Me too, still many things should/could be done. Depends how much effort Huami will put into software development. Opening source or releasing SDK would be great for everyone.
I've started with Polar chest strap (the best HRM), then two different Mio products, Basis, Garmin and now Amazfit. So far, Amazfit has the best look, display, smartwatch features (still a lot can be added) and still one of the best battery life. GPS accuracy is good enough (as far I remember, when I compared, Garmin and Amazfit were very close), HRM also good enough. But app is probably the worst of all I had. Without Mi Fit, no info about any data collected. And Mi Fit is not great either. No web at all, except Strava. Garmin has the best app and web even I didn't use the web except few times at beginning.
So all in all, hardware has great potential. Firmware is also very good but rest is just fundamental.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gesture is not working great i noticed, it works but far from perfect. But I have seen this on many other smartwatches to including Apple Watch.