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Well guys i have been using this TP for about 2 weeks (I bought the 32GB with touchstone at the firesale price) and I must say its bad ass! Personally I think its a nice looking tablet and it feels good in the hand. It may not be the lightest but I personally dont really notice it " fituging my hand". Now let me say I have been using "Palm" for years and think WebOS is by far the best OS with the worst people behind it... but I digress. After the original Pri and all the promises "Palm" made about new hardware just to keep the loyal customers waiting I dropped them. I am now a loyal android user and am using my romed Epic 4g with no problems (waiting for that Galaxy S 2 to drop).
So after putting my TP to 1.5ghz this thing is an amazing tablet and as far as specs go there is not many duel care 1.5ghz 1gb or ram having tablets out there. Plus the GPU is pretty amazing (and I dont think we have even started to utilize it yet). So for 150 bucks I think I got a good deal. If they where to put honeycomb on it this thing would rock (not that I like HC more the WebOS but all the apps really make it worthwhile). Now my favorite thing by far is the Touchstone, I fell in love with it with the Pri and missed it with every phone since. Why no one else has "copied" it is beyond me (yea there is Power matt but its not even close). It is amazing, not only does it "look cool" but its nice to just set the phone/tablet down and not have to find cords to hook up. The feel of tablet of smooth and I really like it.. even better then the Xoom or Ipad2 (yes I have had both). But one of the best features is the "Beats Audio" speakers. This tablet really sounds amazing compared to any other tablet.
So I just wanted to share ... Thanks for reading.
[DISCUSSION] webOS - A Rock to be polished into a Diamond
I'm a cappy and touchpad owner. I don't feel the hype of android on touchpad. You guys take all that effort and money to make WebOs better. There are a handfull of tablets with android around but there's only one with WebOs. Isn't that unique. Make those hours count on something special, not on something
more of the same. Still, I love Android!
loro1575 said:
I'm a cappy and touchpad owner. I don't feel the hype of android on touchpad. You guys take all that effort and money to make WebOs better. There are a handfull of tablets with android around but there's only one with WebOs. Isn't that unique. Make those hours count on something special, not on something
more of the same. Still, I love Android!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also managed to get a stupidly cheap touchpad and I have to say, I really don't know why webOS has been taking such a beating. Ok, the app support is very limited but I really like it, ok i've OC'd and tweaked a little but im more than happy with its performance. The only thing that I am missing is VNC and yes I know there is a VNC app in preware but it doesnt work on the touchpad, certainly not without a hardware keyboard anyway.
There are several website sites that just don't work on any of the android browsers I've tried but the touchpad handles them flawlessly. I have skype video which I can't get on Android either.
I'll be keeping webOS unless two things happen...
1) Android is available as a dual boot solution
2) There is no performance loss running Android
I feel the hype, but I'm not sure why...
I have a nook color that I ported to android. Yes, I understand that it does not even come close to the hardware in the touchpad but webOS is so much more fluid than gingerbread.
I really do miss all the available apps for android but also really like how webOS handles certain things, very easy to learn. Might have to hold out converting my touchpad over until they get honeycomb.
Wish some devs would put their effort into making apps for the touchpad. With so many sold, there is a good market there. I am willing to pay for apps, I think many people are, but really, there are no good ones right now.
Things the touchpad needs:
FTP client
Be able to connect to ad hoc networks (for tethering) my rooted OG droid only supports ad hoc for tether
Better Browser (firefox!) i'd even settle for an xscope or dolphin port! The browser is surprisingly severely lacking
There are so many more apps I could use but would settle for the above.
This probably isn't the right sub-forum, but I kind of agree. I also have a Nook Color with CM7 and am loving the slickness WebOS. The lack of apps is disappointing, but on the other hand a lot of Android apps are nothing impressive. I'm really not sure if I would put Android on the Touchpad if/when it's easily available (of course, I already have two other Android devices at home).
Like the above, ad hoc networking, some browser options or plugins, and personally a better PDF reader would be great (ezPDF on Android is nice), along with others. Hopefully since the market has grown from the fire sale, some devs will write or port more apps.
ponyboy82 said:
The lack of apps is disappointing, but on the other hand a lot of Android apps are nothing impressive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are far too many pointless apps out there both in the android market place and the store for that "i-thingy" that people are always harping on about
My needs are simple...
1) A web browser that works and has decent flash support - Check
2) Skype Video - Check
3) SSH Client - Check
4) VNC Client - FAIL
5) Occasional HD video playing (Kinda check)
I'm really hoping that a proper VNC client is developed, then I can forget about android.
foobar1977 said:
I also managed to get a stupidly cheap touchpad and I have to say, I really don't know why webOS has been taking such a beating. Ok, the app support is very limited but I really like it, ok i've OC'd and tweaked a little but im more than happy with its performance. The only thing that I am missing is VNC and yes I know there is a VNC app in preware but it doesnt work on the touchpad, certainly not without a hardware keyboard anyway.
There are several website sites that just don't work on any of the android browsers I've tried but the touchpad handles them flawlessly. I have skype video which I can't get on Android either.
I'll be keeping webOS unless two things happen...
1) Android is available as a dual boot solution
2) There is no performance loss running Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you guys that WebOs isn't that bad... However, I am going to port Android on mine for sure. The problem is the severe lack of apps. Developers are not going to want to develop for it since the Touchpads are dead. Yes they sold a crap ton of them in a matter of days but who wants to develop for an Os that will most likely be dead in a matter of years.
Something I would really like to see is a split keyboard like Thumb Keyboard or Swifkey Tablet. And Ad-Hoc Support would be nice too.
That's just my 2 cents.
Well my problem is that the SSL web login for my university wifi doesn't even work on the touchpad, which pretty much deem the tablet useless.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA Premium App
I dunno if you knew about this, but WebOS natively supports USB-Host accessories. Look at that video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXRcvN50-nU (i am not the author, and not even an owner of touchpad yet)
it's on russian, but you can get the main idea: without any modifications, using microusb host cable and powered hub you can attach any USB KB to TP.
I have to say I agree with the OP in some sense. I'm an avid Android fan and I was once an avid windows mobile fan. WebOS seems like the marrying of Android, with its openness, and iOS, with its idiot proofness. I am excited about a dual boot but to be honest i won't see myself using android much on this tablet. I'm liking webOS more and more everyday.
i would actually want webOS with a sort of android app emulator if the apps is what you're after....otherwise i'm pretty happy with it, just wish someone would optimise the OS cuz i'm sure there's a lot of room for improvement
Bxsteez said:
I have to say I agree with the OP in some sense. I'm an avid Android fan and I was once an avid windows mobile fan. WebOS seems like the marrying of Android, with its openness, and iOS, with its idiot proofness. I am excited about a dual boot but to be honest i won't see myself using android much on this tablet. I'm liking webOS more and more everyday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree more, with the Touchpad updated to 3.0.2, overclocked to 1.8ghz on both cores and all the tweaks installed, it's a pretty good OS. I was looking ofrward to Android, now I think I'll stick with WebOS, or at most Dual-Boot, though as we've seen before, Android 2.3 doesn't work that fantastically on a tablet anyway...
ace9988 said:
i would actually want webOS with a sort of android app emulator if the apps is what you're after....otherwise i'm pretty happy with it, just wish someone would optimise the OS cuz i'm sure there's a lot of room for improvement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you load preware and overclock that helps smooth out the os quite a bit
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
For me the 1990's era stock browser is the only major problem in the otherwise outstanding OS. I don't understand the logic of using such a basic featureless browser for such a critical aspect of the device.
trialdoer said:
For me the 1990's era stock browser is the only major problem in the otherwise outstanding OS. I don't understand the logic of using such a basic featureless browser for such a critical aspect of the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. The awful browser and no alternatives is what makes webOS useless for me. Love the concept of the OS, but damn is it buggy. Have to reboot mine twice a day because the sound stops working. Haven't rebooted my iPad in over 3 months.
Unrealwolf said:
I dunno if you knew about this, but WebOS natively supports USB-Host accessories. Look at that video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXRcvN50-nU (i am not the author, and not even an owner of touchpad yet)
it's on russian, but you can get the main idea: without any modifications, using microusb host cable and powered hub you can attach any USB KB to TP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried this with my USB Host cable I have for my Xoom and it doesn't work. It does however work beautifully on my Xoom .
Is there something I have to load on the Touchpad for it to Work?
muyoso said:
Yep. The awful browser and no alternatives is what makes webOS useless for me. Love the concept of the OS, but damn is it buggy. Have to reboot mine twice a day because the sound stops working. Haven't rebooted my iPad in over 3 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand how people are saying the browser is awful? Maybe I just haven't experienced the issues people are having. It loads fast, it renders the internet just as a desktop would, flash works flawlessly. This is by far the best web browsing experience i've ever had. The only other thing i would want is tabs and a search function. I know advanced browser has this but advanced browser is super buggy.
I think webos can be a real competitor to the ipad, but many of the blogs I've watched seem to downplay the touchpad. I think a lot of people fear the touchpad is taking all the attention away from other tablets and gadgets. I've seen lots of hope with the Amazon tablet, but if HP comes back with another round of $99 touchpads all other tablets will be sitting on their butts.
It cannot be said enough, webOS is the most complete and most functional multitasking mobile OS out there. My wife has been a webOS fan and we just got 2 Touchpads and we love them, so do our kids. The ONLY thing missing are some key apps (Netflix, Googles) or this pad would be unbeatable which it almost is right now.
Bxsteez said:
I don't understand how people are saying the browser is awful? Maybe I just haven't experienced the issues people are having. It loads fast, it renders the internet just as a desktop would, flash works flawlessly. This is by far the best web browsing experience i've ever had. The only other thing i would want is tabs and a search function. I know advanced browser has this but advanced browser is super buggy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive posted about it elsewhere so I'll make it short. Doesn't render pages right. Glitches text rendering sometimes. No background downloading in background cards. Multiple cards open leads to the browser never re-sharpening the text when switching between them occasionally (25% of the time prob) until you close the card and reopen a new one. No search in page. Barely any customization. Slower than my Epic4g and iPad 1 at rendering and downloading webpages.
Flash works alright though. I don't really get what there is to like about the browser. It would be awesome if I didn't have an iPad or android phone to compare it to I guess.
I just made a video. Loading engadget. Single core 800mhz Ipad 1 on the left, Dual core 1.5ghz overclocked Touchpad on the right. iPad is using Safari and loading with ads and all and Touchpad has flash OFF and is using an ad blocker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmUyADNN4w
Pathetic performance by the Touchpad frankly.
The link below is to a blog from Dianne Hackborn. She's a software engineer at Google and works in Android OS development. She provides, in great detail, an explanation of how Android renders graphics. She compares Android to iOS and discusses why there's perceived stuttering and/or lag and what Google's doing to make it better.
There are tons of posts here where people are looking at ICS to be the second coming of Christ. It is for 2.X users. For HC users, not so much. HC is the foundation for ICS and the h/w acceleration that was introduced in HC isn't going to change in ICS. Bottom line is ICS will bring a teriffic new UI, updates to many existing OS functions, new features, and the inclusion in the OS natively many of the functions previously added by the manufacturers (EG: MKV support). Like all OS updates, it will be more refined then the versions preceding it but it is an evolution of HC not an entirely new OS. In other words, the biggest technical enhancement is introducing h/w acceleration to 2.X devices; something we HC users already have.
There's been discussions here about stuttering, lag, and the performance of some apps not seeming to benefit from a quad-core processor. Dianne's blog explains why that is and why ICS isn't going to change much. The fastest h/w can't overcome s/w issues or bottlenecks and the GPU and memory bandwith can play a bigger role than the processor in graphics rendering. Hopefully Dianne's summary answers questions people have about UI performance and sets an expectation for ICS.
And, unless you too are an engineer on Google's payroll writing Android OS code, it would seem kind of futile to challenge what Dianne's stating as fact. In fact, if you have issues or comments for her, she responds to posts in her blog.
Happy reading - it's a long one.
https://plus.google.com/10505198573...8x93s#105051985738280261832/posts/2FXDCz8x93s
Where are all those fools that flamed me saying the ATP has no lag and is as "smooth as butter" even with the live wallpaper running in the background? Some of them also post how ICS is gonna own this and own that......yeah yeah yeah....blah blah blah. I'll reserve a wait and see attitude. I hope their right lol.
I just picked up my ATP w/dock. It took the opening of 3 units and a pissed off manager to get one with absolutely no defects and working wifi/gps. They ever tried to hide one from me. All 3 of them and the store demo experience lag. I only got it to take advantage of Tegra 3 optimized games and the sick dock. Compared to my ipad 2 the UI experience is meh...outside of Riptide GP & Shadowgun.
For gaming and general consumer usuage I choose iOS/A5 over Android/ATP. Hopefully when I have my ipad 2 on me no one shows up with Shadowgun on ATP
Thanks for the link!
That was a good read. Very informational. I always kinda thought thats how it works but didnt have any actual evidence, now I do..and have an even better understanding.
It isn't *just* ics that I think will make a big impact on the prime. Hardware accelleration is there, sure, but what we do have to like forward to is the software optimization for more than 2 cores, either done by Google for ics, or by Asus for the ics distribution we will eventually see.
TF201 / XDA premium
skygunner27 said:
Where are all those fools that flamed me saying the ATP has no lag and is as "smooth as butter" even with the live wallpaper running in the background? Some of them also post how ICS is gonna own this and own that......yeah yeah yeah....blah blah blah. I'll reserve a wait and see attitude. I hope their right lol.
I just picked up my ATP w/dock. It took the opening of 3 units and a pissed off manager to get one with absolutely no defects and working wifi/gps. They ever tried to hide one from me. All 3 of them and the store demo experience lag. I only got it to take advantage of Tegra 3 optimized games and the sick dock. Compared to my ipad 2 the UI experience is meh...outside of Riptide GP & Shadowgun.
For gaming and general consumer usuage I choose iOS/A5 over Android/ATP. Hopefully when I have my ipad 2 on me no one shows up with Shadowgun on ATP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running live wallpaper (Christmas HD), on normal mode, and THERE IS NO LAG in screen transitions. Call me a liar if you want. I can make a video if you like. Why are you so incessant about this? Calling me a fool? How old are you buddy?
All she have to say is bad news ...
anything good from her article ?
tdrussell said:
It isn't *just* ics that I think will make a big impact on the prime. Hardware accelleration is there, sure, but what we do have to like forward to is the software optimization for more than 2 cores, either done by Google for ics, or by Asus for the ics distribution we will eventually see.
TF201 / XDA premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read the article? It's the GPU and memory bandwidth that impact the UI and what's rendered to the display. For video and other CPU intensive apps like games, the processors will do a better job at the task level but once the display gets involved there's not much they can do. You can only get 10 pounds of **** in a 10 pound bag.
tbns said:
I am running live wallpaper (Christmas HD), on normal mode, and THERE IS NO LAG in screen transitions. Call me a liar if you want. I can make a video if you like. Why are you so incessant about this? Calling me a fool? How old are you buddy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you know I was calling you a fool? I guess if the shoot fits...huh?
skygunner27 said:
How do you know I was calling you a fool? I guess if the shoot fits...huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*sigh*. If you can't see how your post implies that... you need to get honest with yourself about a couple things.
tbns said:
*sigh*. If you can't see how your post implies that... you need to get honest with yourself about a couple things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I probably didn't give your post much thought. My bad. We're all on the same team. So help me out. After an exhaustive search for the perfect ATP at my local gamestop, I'm experience random restarts and 2 to 3 second freezes in Riptide. Any ideas?
If I can't fix this in 30 minutes I'm going to try to return it. I've only owned it for a little over an hour.
skygunner27 said:
I probably didn't give your post much thought. My bad. We're all on the same team. So help me out. After an exhaustive search for the perfect ATP at my local gamestop, I'm experience random restarts and 2 to 3 second freezes in Riptide. Any ideas?
If I can't fix this in 30 minutes I'm going to try to return it. I've only owned it for a little over an hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are all in the same boat. My screen is defective, what can I say? I've played both riptide and shadowgun with no problems, but I'm always in normal mode. Sounds like you got a dud?
I'll make sure to read the article. Barry always tell it like it is. whether we like it or not. is this a new blog or same one I think you posted before?
I'm glad my prime isn't suffering from these issues some users are experiencing.
seriously though, I wish these people didn't have issues so they could truly see how great this device really is. just as people with issues' , there's even more people greatly satisfied with prime/tegra3.
p.s. this thumb keyboard is really cool and works very well.
vitalero said:
All she have to say is bad news ...
anything good from her article ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't thinks it's bad news. For what I do with a tablet, I think Android's great. So much time and energy is spent seeking the perfectly fluid UI and transitions when, if you think about, we probably spend ten percent or less of our time moving between things and 90% doing things. If my choice is to give up the freedom of Android and move to iOS to avoid occasional stutter and lag, I'd rather stay on Android. The better GPU and increased memory bandwidth in Teg3 should make things incrementally better which is great. And I'm sure what Dianne shared is pretty well know so hopefully future chips will continue to improve the experience. My purpose of posting wasn't to piss and moan but just to share the science behind it all.
demandarin said:
is this a new blog or same one I think you posted before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's new...
edit: spoke... to... slow...
skygunner27 said:
I probably didn't give your post much thought. My bad. We're all on the same team. So help me out. After an exhaustive search for the perfect ATP at my local gamestop, I'm experience random restarts and 2 to 3 second freezes in Riptide. Any ideas?
If I can't fix this in 30 minutes I'm going to try to return it. I've only owned it for a little over an hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you DL the OTA update? Is it set to normal? I played with one at my local gamestop and it was great. Transitioned from screen to screen very smoothly and shadow gun was sick, just plan sick! It was super thin and sturdy and i can't wait to get mine on wednesday.
I do hope they fix the GPS issues that some people are having though. The won't effect me but obviously it really affects some.
As as far as the WIFI stuff is concerned I keep hearing about how many bars it shows and hear nothing about how the wifi actually functions. Other than that it works like any other device they have used.
skygunner27 said:
I probably didn't give your post much thought. My bad. We're all on the same team. So help me out. After an exhaustive search for the perfect ATP at my local gamestop, I'm experience random restarts and 2 to 3 second freezes in Riptide. Any ideas?
If I can't fix this in 30 minutes I'm going to try to return it. I've only owned it for a little over an hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious how you found a Gamestop that was open on Christmas Day. All of them in my area are closed, but I'd love to swing by and pick up an ATP if one's open.
BarryH_GEG said:
Did you read the article? It's the GPU and memory bandwidth that impact the UI and what's rendered to the display. For video and other CPU intensive apps like games, the processors will do a better job at the task level but once the display gets involved there's not much they can do. You can only get 10 pounds of **** in a 10 pound bag.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did read the article. Do we not have an increase in memory bandwidth over tegra2? Has HC been optimized for that? Does it matter? I would like someone to address the specific hardware differences.
TF201 / XDA premium
Shut up Androids the best! Don't complain about problems that don't exist
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Nate Dawg said:
Just curious how you found a Gamestop that was open on Christmas Day. All of them in my area are closed, but I'd love to swing by and pick up an ATP if one's open.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Gamestop employee called me up and said that they got the primes and docks in and would open for 4 hours on Christmas. They had forgot that I canceled my original order on the 16th. I asked him if other Gamestop's are open and he said no. He only opened so we could get our primes by Christmas and to catch up on inventory. If you read my other post you'd see that the manager refused my return becuase of the Holiday and said he'd call me tomorrow.
Update: I was able to return my defective Prime
I would like to start off by saying I tried a search and did not find conclusive results to my question so apologies if I missed a thread on this.
I would also like to say I am not a Apple fan by nature. I was a preorder on the Andoid G1 if that serves any background on me.
So my dilemma.. What sold me on the iPad 2 was trying out a iPad 1 early last year and took to the speed, performance, form etc. So learning the ipad 2 was down the road I waited a few months and walked into the store on launch day and picked one up.
My dilemma - I have not been very happy with Apple in general for many reasons which I won't get into but seeking real feedback if the Prime would compare to the iPad 2 for owners of both.
In desperation to have an Andriod device I recently purchased the Galaxy Tab 10.1 only to be disappointed and returned it. It is nice, don't get me wrong but pales in comparison to the speed in which I am used to. At least out of the box. I am not looking to mod my tablet (already do that with my Evo and Photon).
So, is there anyone here that can provide real feedback to owning both units? I really want to go Android but don't want to feel like I am sacrificing on anything. The browser tests I did with the Galaxy vs the iPad were significant enough for me to be a deal breaker. I know I am giving up flash on the iPad but in reality most of what I do doesn't require it. I would just prefer a Android device that has similar speed in browsing and responsiveness, screen etc..
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post..
my prime should be here tomorrow so ill post up my results for you. also keep in mind that the ipad 3 should be coming out sometime this year. but you said you wanted an android device so that may not matter.
Thanks.. I did hear the iPad 3 is coming out but it seems like a rumor at the moment? Like you mentioned though I am really looking to get away from the limitations Apple has which is my drive. The IOS 5 update took away my direct print function from email and Safari from an app I paid for which i was told from the developer was intentional and there is nothing they can do about it. I am not unhappy enough with the iPad to just make a change for the sake of change as it does work nice for most of what I do. I wish this was in store to try it out first but I can be patient.
sdynak said:
Thanks.. I did hear the iPad 3 is coming out but it seems like a rumor at the moment? Like you mentioned though I am really looking to get away from the limitations Apple has which is my drive. The IOS 5 update took away my direct print function from email and Safari from an app I paid for which i was told from the developer was intentional and there is nothing they can do about it. I am not unhappy enough with the iPad to just make a change for the sake of change as it does work nice for most of what I do. I wish this was in store to try it out first but I can be patient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya thats the way i feel, if the prime doesnt preform well ill send it back and wait to see if the ics update fixes it. but have you looked at the galaxy tab 7.7? i heard thats supposed to be pretty nice and if you already have an ipad 2 maybe the smaller size would be good for you. Either way i think you have to wait for the ics update to get a real comparison.
I did see something about the 7.7 but thought it was only avail through Verizon with LTE? The size is actually probably not bad and doable.
I recently picked up an ipad 2 while I wait for a replacement Prime to come in. I am by no means an apple guy, in fact I don't like a lot of things they do and have been an android user for years. That being said, I am very quite impressed with it so far. Very fluid ui and browser (great flash support using Photon browser). Games, are significantly ahead of android in quantity and quality. Software in general is polished and compatibility is excellent.
Now, unlike prime with storage and hdmi... With ipad you pay for everything. Hdmi, eternal storage etc. External output is Meh, requires google tv for most things. Peripherals in general are expensive, but will be compatible with most if not all apple things.
That's all I can think of right now... Plus typing on a phone sucks.
Let me know if you have specific questions.
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
sdynak said:
I would like to start off by saying I tried a search and did not find conclusive results to my question so apologies if I missed a thread on this.
I would also like to say I am not a Apple fan by nature. I was a preorder on the Andoid G1 if that serves any background on me.
So my dilemma.. What sold me on the iPad 2 was trying out a iPad 1 early last year and took to the speed, performance, form etc. So learning the ipad 2 was down the road I waited a few months and walked into the store on launch day and picked one up.
My dilemma - I have not been very happy with Apple in general for many reasons which I won't get into but seeking real feedback if the Prime would compare to the iPad 2 for owners of both.
In desperation to have an Andriod device I recently purchased the Galaxy Tab 10.1 only to be disappointed and returned it. It is nice, don't get me wrong but pales in comparison to the speed in which I am used to. At least out of the box. I am not looking to mod my tablet (already do that with my Evo and Photon).
So, is there anyone here that can provide real feedback to owning both units? I really want to go Android but don't want to feel like I am sacrificing on anything. The browser tests I did with the Galaxy vs the iPad were significant enough for me to be a deal breaker. I know I am giving up flash on the iPad but in reality most of what I do doesn't require it. I would just prefer a Android device that has similar speed in browsing and responsiveness, screen etc..
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not specific to the TF Prime, but rather all Honeycomb devices (And I guess Gingerbread too). Don't bother with the stock browsers until Chrome is finally introduced to Android, the stock browser is overall much clunkier and less responsive than other solutions that you can find on the market.
I personally use Opera Mobile on both Atrix 4G and Honeycomb Tablet, and I found a HUGE difference in responsiveness and ease of use.
EDIT: The thing about android is that only some stock apps are good (the others are barely adequate at best), however you can find excellent replacements on the market for whatever you need.
littleemp said:
This is not specific to the TF Prime, but rather all Honeycomb devices (And I guess Gingerbread too). Don't bother with the stock browsers until Chrome is finally introduced to Android, the stock browser is overall much clunkier and less responsive than other solutions that you can find on the market.
I personally use Opera Mobile on both Atrix 4G and Honeycomb Tablet, and I found a HUGE difference in responsiveness and ease of use.
EDIT: The thing about android is that only some stock apps are good (the others are barely adequate at best), however you can find excellent replacements on the market for whatever you need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree more. The Honeycomb browser is horrible and I can't even believe it still has not been improved. Opera Mobile is a million times better! The feature to change the user agent to "desktop" alone makes it worth it.
No Honeycomb tablet can compare to the iPad 2 in terms of fluidity and smoothness. I can tell you from personal experience that Ice Cream Sandwich is the first version of Android that can compare to iOS devices in terms of smoothness and fluidity of the UI (yes, it's still not as fast as iOS, but for me it has finally reached the threshold of what I would consider to be smooth). I've used iPads and iPhones before and I know what you're talking about when it comes to responsiveness and smoothness. It's IMO the best part of iOS, and I'm willing to admit that even though I prefer Android. I've also used Android tablets, and nothing running Honeycomb can compare, point blank. Including the Transformer Prime. Anyone who tells you their Transformer Prime has as much UI fluidity, smoothness, and responsiveness right now is either lying, has low standards, or has never used an iPad before.
Wait until ICS to decide for yourself if the Prime is speedy enough. I have a HTC Sensation, and for me my phone has never been up to my standard of what reasonably smooth is until I installed a beta AOSP ICS ROM. Now, I'm not referring to anything other than speed when I say wait for ICS. I'm not going to tell you that ICS will magically fix certain problems the Prime is having like Wifi and GPS issues.
The Janitor Mop said:
No Honeycomb tablet can compare to the iPad 2 in terms of fluidity and smoothness. I can tell you from personal experience that Ice Cream Sandwich is the first version of Android that can compare to iOS devices in terms of smoothness and fluidity of the UI (yes, it's still not as fast as iOS, but for me it has finally reached the threshold of what I would consider to be smooth). I've used iPads and iPhones before and I know what you're talking about when it comes to responsiveness and smoothness. It's IMO the best part of iOS, and I'm willing to admit that even though I prefer Android. I've also used Android tablets, and nothing running Honeycomb can compare, point blank. Including the Transformer Prime. Anyone who tells you their Transformer Prime has as much UI fluidity, smoothness, and responsiveness right now is either lying, has low standards, or has never used an iPad before.
Wait until ICS to decide for yourself if the Prime is speedy enough. I have a HTC Sensation, and for me my phone has never been up to my standard of what reasonably smooth is until I installed a beta AOSP ICS ROM. Now, I'm not referring to anything other than speed when I say wait for ICS. I'm not going to tell you that ICS will magically fix certain problems the Prime is having like Wifi and GPS issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that Honeycomb does not take advantage of multiple cores where ICS does. That would explain the difference if correct.
keitht said:
I understand that Honeycomb does not take advantage of multiple cores where ICS does. That would explain the difference if correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's an extremely simplified explanation, and one that's not necessarily true.
For a while, a popular topic of discussion going around about ICS was that ICS incorporates hardware acceleration and multi-core support, whereas Honeycomb and Gingerbread don't. That was all pretty much dispelled by a well-known post from a Google engineer who explained that that was just a popular misconception, because Honeycomb already offers hardware acceleration and multi-core support.
If you asked me why ICS is faster, I think it boils down to 2 things: 1) it's just an overall cleaned up OS, and 2) it makes better use of the hardware available. It's not that it makes use of hardware which previous versions of Android didn't do at all (as pointed out, Honeycomb did have hardware acceleration and multi-core support), it's that I believe it will make better use of hardware. I'm not a Google engineer and so this is just a conjecture, but I'm fairly sure that you can be confident ICS makes better use of multi-cores. I think it's entirely reasonable to suggest that because Google knows one of the primary advantages of iOS is speed, and also because essentially all high end Android devices today are multi-core. If Google went into the development of ICS with the goal of making it a faster OS in order to close the gap with iOS, and they went into the development with the knowledge that essentially all devices that would use it would be multi-core, then they certainly put some effort into making better use of such hardware.
The Janitor Mop said:
That's an extremely simplified explanation, and one that's not necessarily true.
For a while, a popular topic of discussion going around about ICS was that ICS incorporates hardware acceleration and multi-core support, whereas Honeycomb and Gingerbread don't. That was all pretty much dispelled by a well-known post from a Google engineer who explained that that was just a popular misconception, because Honeycomb already offers hardware acceleration and multi-core support.
If you asked me why ICS is faster, I think it boils down to 2 things: 1) it's just an overall cleaned up OS, and 2) it makes better use of the hardware available. It's not that it makes use of hardware which previous versions of Android didn't do at all (as pointed out, Honeycomb did have hardware acceleration and multi-core support), it's that I believe it will make better use of hardware. I'm not a Google engineer and so this is just a conjecture, but I'm fairly sure that you can be confident ICS makes better use of multi-cores. I think it's entirely reasonable to suggest that because Google knows one of the primary advantages of iOS is speed, and also because essentially all high end Android devices today are multi-core. If Google went into the development of ICS with the goal of making it a faster OS, and they went into the development with the knowledge that essentially all devices that would use it would be multi-core, then they certainly put some effort into making better use of such hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds close to the same thing I said except in a paragraph instead of a sentence!
The prime in its current honeycomb state, especially after this most recent update, is right on par with the UI fluidity of ipad1 or 2. as I own one also. I stayed with ipad1 because ipad2 wasn't a big enough jump all around to jusitfy dishing out for a new one. I have used the new ones extensively also though. I am constantly using my devices day n and day out so I have a good scope of how they compare. If you decide to get the Prime, it would be a great choice. there have been some issues that has arised for some people but overall doesn't affect everyone. going from ipad2 to a Prime would be a huge upgrade all around the board. definitely check out the various threads, good ones and bad one, and be the judge. you have my vote for getting the prime though. as an Ipad owner also, ipad1 or 2 can't compare because of the larger number of things and customizations that comes with Prime and Android. Apple puts out some great products but you have to live by their rules in their closed ecosystem. with Android, there is alot more freedom. you have to jail break I devices just to do half the things Android does right out the box. that's what sold me on Android. what sold me on the Prime was its Superior Display, best out of any tablet period, the great battery life, best out of any Android tab and on par with ipad2 battery life, superior specs-more powerful by far than anything out now and more than likely next few months down the road. then you have the perfectly integrated keyboard dock option which even has built in battery and extends battery life eveb further. no other manufacturer has been able to replicate that as good. plus Asus has a proven track record of putting out firmwares the fastest and keeps supporting devices.
good luck on deciding.
I just can't thank everyone enough for their kind and genuine responses..
This type of feedback is exactly what I was looking for.. I hate to admit it but I was not aware of the Opera browser. I tried Dolphin on the G-Tab which is very fast on my Photon and thought maybe it was related to the G-Tab. Now I know..
What I take from the responses is that ICS will certainly be something that will take advantage of the Primes true capabalitites. I am willing to give and take.. not one sided and understand that some things will be better and some not so much but the majority of my use is really plain browsing and e-mail. I don't do gaming at the moment so the real thing I want to maintain is a snappy browser and UI.
Sounds like I need to keep the Prime on the list for sure.. thanks again.. really could not ask for more than the true feedback here and not some bias article on the net.
Cheers & Happy New Year to ALL!!
Stan
ok so my prime came yesterday and I haven't had much time to use it yet so don't take this as a real comparison.
So far the only thing worse about it is that hineycomb has a few hiccups sometimes. It hasn't annoyed me but then again maybe it will down the road. Also I pad 2 has a slightly faster browser but its really not a deal breaker. With opening and closing apps they are pretty much the same.
I'll update as time goes on and when ics comes out.
gregnetz18 said:
ok so my prime came yesterday and I haven't had much time to use it yet so don't take this as a real comparison.
So far the only thing worse about it is that hineycomb has a few hiccups sometimes. It hasn't annoyed me but then again maybe it will down the road. Also I pad 2 has a slightly faster browser but its really not a deal breaker. With opening and closing apps they are pretty much the same.
I'll update as time goes on and when ics comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure to update device to latest system firmware. 33. it speeds things up and fixes alot of bugs.
The Janitor Mop said:
That's an extremely simplified explanation, and one that's not necessarily true.
For a while, a popular topic of discussion going around about ICS was that ICS incorporates hardware acceleration and multi-core support, whereas Honeycomb and Gingerbread don't. That was all pretty much dispelled by a well-known post from a Google engineer who explained that that was just a popular misconception, because Honeycomb already offers hardware acceleration and multi-core support.
If you asked me why ICS is faster, I think it boils down to 2 things: 1) it's just an overall cleaned up OS, and 2) it makes better use of the hardware available. It's not that it makes use of hardware which previous versions of Android didn't do at all (as pointed out, Honeycomb did have hardware acceleration and multi-core support), it's that I believe it will make better use of hardware. I'm not a Google engineer and so this is just a conjecture, but I'm fairly sure that you can be confident ICS makes better use of multi-cores. I think it's entirely reasonable to suggest that because Google knows one of the primary advantages of iOS is speed, and also because essentially all high end Android devices today are multi-core. If Google went into the development of ICS with the goal of making it a faster OS in order to close the gap with iOS, and they went into the development with the knowledge that essentially all devices that would use it would be multi-core, then they certainly put some effort into making better use of such hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
optimization is the name of the game. so far with most devices that have early builds of ICS on them, everything seems faster, so theoretically the prime should scream.
just a couple weeks and we'll see.
as to the OP's question, i've played with an ipad2 and owned an ipad1, i feel like with a few tweaks (change the launcher, use a different browser) the prime is just as fast if not faster than the ipad2 for most things even on HC.
iOS def has android beat when it comes to the amount of tablet optimized apps and games though, hopefully android will pick up the pace after ICS helps to unify the phone/tablet fragments. i am quite impressed with the tegra3 optimized games quality and fluidity though.
In terms of browser speeds, time to open applications, google maps rendering speeds etc...is the Touchpad overclocked to 1.7 with CM9 running faster or not? thanks
Singhman said:
In terms of browser speeds, time to open applications, google maps rendering speeds etc...is the Touchpad overclocked to 1.7 with CM9 running faster or not? thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll venture a guess here, and say no.
I've got a TP running GB, not overclocked. But GB and ICS are both still buggy as hell, which DQ's the TP in such a test.
If you're doing a speed test and you get FC's and reboots, IMO that should count for something.
I'm not trying to slam dev's here. I love the CM guys and everyone who's working so hard to give me Android goodness on the HPTP.
But seriously, do you think you could compare a $100 tablet running 3rd party open source ROMs and software to the leading market standard?!
sean is here. said:
I'll venture a guess here, and say no.
I've got a TP running GB, not overclocked. But GB and ICS are both still buggy as hell, which DQ's the TP in such a test.
If you're doing a speed test and you get FC's and reboots, IMO that should count for something.
I'm not trying to slam dev's here. I love the CM guys and everyone who's working so hard to give me Android goodness on the HPTP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont have ICS so you dont know how smooth ICS actually is in TP.
But seriously, do you think you could compare a $100 tablet running 3rd party open source ROMs and software to the leading market standard?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
Singhman said:
In terms of browser speeds, time to open applications, google maps rendering speeds etc...is the Touchpad overclocked to 1.7 with CM9 running faster or not? thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, first reply not withstanding, I'm running Xrons 2.9.1 at 1.782GHz and it's as smooth as silk with no FCs, reboots or any other faults.
I had the opportunity of using an iPad and all I can tell you is that the iPad owner was looking a little sick when he tried mine!
I wouldn't swop what I have and when a stable fully working CM9 hits the streets it will only get better.
I've tested them side by side and while browsing Opera Mobile under XRON 2.9 @ 192mhz/1.5ghz (up threshhold @ 40%) the TP was about 80% as fast as the iPad 2 at general responsiveness (zooming, scrolling through pages on heavy sites), and a tie at loading pages - some loaded faster on the TP and vice versa.
I also tried the stock XRON browser, but it was too choppy and there was really no comparison.
Google Maps is much faster on the iPad 2 with less jumpiness and is overall just smoother.
Strangely, Google Earth feels much more fluid on the Touchpad with smoother zooming/panning and faster loading.
General responsiveness probably goes to the iPad 2, the home screen is just smoother and more responsive compared to every launcher I tried (VTL, ADW, SPB Shell 3D, Launcher Pro and a few others), and apps tend to open faster.
Netflix is much better on the iPad 2, video is sharper with less compression and scrolling is much smoother.. Not sure if it is playing HD but there is a noticeable difference for sure.
Things have changed quite a bit on ICS and it could be closer now.
Varemenos said:
You dont have ICS so you dont know how smooth ICS actually is in TP.
Yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an Alpha build. If it were in Beta, or out of Beta, I'd consider it. But there are certain implications associated with the Alpha stages of software builds.
iPad 2's GPU outright slays all android devices, so as far as UI you're not going to find a device that even comes close that's out right now, including the Transformer Prime /:
I've heard good things about the Nexus Tablet though.....
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA App
While I love my HP TouchPad I have to tell you that nothing can touch the current A5 CPU/GPU the iPad 2 uses. It's amazing to say the least. But the TouchPad is good for lots of other things
I've compared my TP (both WebOS and Alpha 3 CM7) to my cousin's iPad 2 and the browsing experience is much better on the iPad. But like sean said, if ICS were in beta or even out then it would be a close battle. I'm running an ICS beta on my Samsung Fascinate and it's the most beautiful rom I've ever played with. Hopefully the TP gets to that same level.
Its hard to compare since they are running 2 completely different operating systems and browsers. Chances are the iPad2 will be faster only because its running a stable OS (I'm not saying Android is unstable, just that its not OEM).
But with the Touchpad you get decent hardware for a lot cheaper and you can run CM.
I'm not really sure where comments like 'buggy as hell' are coming from or what kind of experience other people are having, or apparently not having with some people not having tried and based on assupmtion, but the CM9 runs really smooth for me. The only area where it doesn't is Flash based video, which is a known issue due to the current lack of hardware acceleration.
Alpha is just a word. Some developers are very cautious and prefer to keep things in alpha and beta stages as long as possible to ensure everything is working as it should while others will just push anything out the door.
CM9 seems to run faster on the whole and is a much more responsive experience for me than CM7. I really haven't had any major issues either.
Honestly, even though it's an 'alpha' I've had no problems. On the other hand, I've definitely had the experience of dealing with lots of problems for final release products that I've paid for.
_Motoki_ said:
I'm not really sure where comments like 'buggy as hell' are coming from or what kind of experience other people are having, or apparently not having with some people not having tried and based on assupmtion, but the CM9 runs really smooth for me. The only area where it doesn't is Flash based video, which is a known issue due to the current lack of hardware acceleration.
Alpha is just a word. Some developers are very cautious and prefer to keep things in alpha and beta stages as long as possible to ensure everything is working as it should while others will just push anything out the door.
CM9 seems to run faster on the whole and is a much more responsive experience for me than CM7. I really haven't had any major issues either.
Honestly, even though it's an 'alpha' I've had no problems. On the other hand, I've definitely had the experience of dealing with lots of problems for final release products that I've paid for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
I find the ICS browser on the Touchpad to be great. Its the first all around great browser I've used in Android in terms of scrolling experience, UI, etc.
_Motoki_ said:
I'm not really sure where comments like 'buggy as hell' are coming from or what kind of experience other people are having, or apparently not having with some people not having tried and based on assupmtion, but the CM9 runs really smooth for me. The only area where it doesn't is Flash based video, which is a known issue due to the current lack of hardware acceleration.
Alpha is just a word. Some developers are very cautious and prefer to keep things in alpha and beta stages as long as possible to ensure everything is working as it should while others will just push anything out the door.
CM9 seems to run faster on the whole and is a much more responsive experience for me than CM7. I really haven't had any major issues either.
Honestly, even though it's an 'alpha' I've had no problems. On the other hand, I've definitely had the experience of dealing with lots of problems for final release products that I've paid for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I more or less agree.
I've had few major problems with CM9a0.5. I'd say it is at least as stable as CM7, and WiFi has actually been more stable for me compared to XRON/CM7 (although still not perfect). And of course the "tablet" experience of ICS is worlds ahead of GB.
The biggest downside to CM9 is the lack of video acceleration therefore lack of Netflix/Youtube HD and high bitrate 720p/1080p videos.
I only tried overclocking my cm9 touch pad with setCPU once and it crashed. Have not tried it since.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk
ICS>iOS 'nuff said.
Sent from my Touchpad using Tapatalk
Tykin said:
I only tried overclocking my cm9 touch pad with setCPU once and it crashed. Have not tried it since.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fixed in a0.5
ItsDon said:
ICS>iOS 'nuff said.
Sent from my Touchpad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^this
cm9 is just awsome. i wish i could get rid of the webOS part because it's a waste of space.
Friend at work as a Ipad2. Paid regular price for it. I took my TP in one day (with cm7) and again the other day (now with cm9). I think she feels rather foolish paying as much as she did and then seeing what I can all do with my $150 tablet...
apbling said:
Friend at work as a Ipad2. Paid regular price for it. I took my TP in one day (with cm7) and again the other day (now with cm9). I think she feels rather foolish paying as much as she did and then seeing what I can all do with my $150 tablet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably not. Given the level of effort required for installation, maintenance, and learning the more technical side of things, she'd most likely stick with the iPad.
I dont know your work friend, but that's my guess.
People naturally think that because you managed to get the TP up and running with ICS, that it was worthless getting an iPad. But those people most likely are the same one's that don't have the knowledge to really enjoy the TP, not to mention put the effort into keeping it that way. And at the current state (not even to Alpha 1), it's no comparison.
i payed less than $100 for my touchpad............it now has ICS, it's as fast as any tablet on the market, and has great developmental support. why the hell would i want to pay $500 for another tablet? it's not just ipad, i had tossed around the idea of getting a transformer prime for a while and probably would have one if they weren't so hard to get. then ics hit the touchpad and well the rest is history. i'm happy now. but that's just me and my "$100 fast as hell ICS tablet" talkin.
The thing most people don't understand is if it's this close to an ipad WITHOUT hardware acceleration. It'll straight blow an ipad 2 out of the water when we get it. ICS is more like iOS in that it has hardware accelerated ui. Android never offered that before, which is why we have compensated with faster and more powerful processors up until this point.
Sent from my MB865 using xda premium
I received my Asus Prime on Saturday. My first impressions were excellent, but very, very quickly it became clear how many issues the device has.
Wifi signal is just awful. I have an AEBS and while sat no more than 6 feet away, it can't manage full signal. Instead I end up with between two and three bars.
Actual wifi throughput is unpredictable at best. Sometimes it seems ok, but on a regular basis internet browsing seems ridiculously sluggish for a supposedly powerful device. Flash regularly crashes completely. On a few occasions a minor web site crash has resulted in a complete loss of any wifi throughput and my having to completely reboot the device.
I get zero GPS indoors. I occasionally get 1 or 2 satellite locks while outdoors. GPS is basicially unuseable.
Since the latest update, my wifi uses up as much battery life as the screen. Insane. I'd almost forgive it, if I had a good wifi signal. I do not.
The single speaker is a dreadful design flaw, with an atrocious maximum volume.
Plugging in headphones - you get various bizarre pops and crackles during use. This in a premium device? Really... just not good enough, Asus.
I have a Galaxy S2 phone which uses Android and really like that. I like it because it was designed properly, and it works.
I am not an Apple fanboy. Just a very, very disappointed customer.
This is being returned for a refund.
Just such a shame we don't have a genuine Android tablet competitor. I hope one arrives soon, then maybe I'll give this tablet malarkey another bash.
cool story bro
Yeah that's too bad that you had a tablet with that many issues.
Tempie007 said:
cool story bro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know... it was a crap story, and I apologise. Just needed to vent my disappointment.
lol
Tempie007 said:
cool story bro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came here just to wait for this
But seriously Dude, you had bad luck. Wifi and headphone quality are completly fine on mine. Take your prime back and get another one if you like the device. Most primes dont have the issues you describe, except GPS which isnt an official feature of the prime anymore. Its now just a bonus.
Stuff like speaker volume can be fixed with apps.
Or just get the ipad, its magical.
MRCANNADY said:
Yeah that's too bad that you had a tablet with that many issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Presumably the next Prime has been fast-tracked to fix the problems with this one. Hopefully it'll be a success and we'll get the killer device we're all after.
EVERY electronic device I've used from many companies these days always have at least one issue to deal with, so I doubt it.
Deckard79 said:
I received my Asus Prime on Saturday. My first impressions were excellent, but very, very quickly it became clear how many issues the device has.
Wifi signal is just awful. I have an AEBS and while sat no more than 6 feet away, it can't manage full signal. Instead I end up with between two and three bars.
Actual wifi throughput is unpredictable at best. Sometimes it seems ok, but on a regular basis internet browsing seems ridiculously sluggish for a supposedly powerful device. Flash regularly crashes completely. On a few occasions a minor web site crash has resulted in a complete loss of any wifi throughput and my having to completely reboot the device.
I get zero GPS indoors. I occasionally get 1 or 2 satellite locks while outdoors. GPS is basicially unuseable.
Since the latest update, my wifi uses up as much battery life as the screen. Insane. I'd almost forgive it, if I had a good wifi signal. I do not.
The single speaker is a dreadful design flaw, with an atrocious maximum volume.
Plugging in headphones - you get various bizarre pops and crackles during use. This in a premium device? Really... just not good enough, Asus.
I have a Galaxy S2 phone which uses Android and really like that. I like it because it was designed properly, and it works.
I am not an Apple fanboy. Just a very, very disappointed customer.
This is being returned for a refund.
Just such a shame we don't have a genuine Android tablet competitor. I hope one arrives soon, then maybe I'll give this tablet malarkey another bash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree with you, unfortunately you'll get flamed on here for voicing you disappointment with the device. Not sure why people feel so vexed about people posting negative experiences about the product they paid the same amount of money for.
I've had my prime for about a week now and I'm not entirely happy with my purchase, it just feels like the thing has been shipped out with little to no testing. The Asus software keyboard is a perfect example, it's just unusabe in landscape mode as the keys on the centre of the keyboard are impossible to reach without major strain on your hands and wrists. It has a Swype mode which is laggy, inaccurate and doesn't play well with the screen as your finger doesn't swipe across with ease.
You then have complete system pauses when anything is being written to the /data partition, something my two year old HTC Desire use to suffer from but not my Galaxy Nexus or my Gingerbread driven Galaxy SII.
Web browsing is plagued by "Connection to the server has timed out" messages and if it isn't that I'm getting the "Browser isn't responding message", all of this on web pages that my Galaxy Nexus eats for breakfast. Thankfully I'm not too bothered about GPS and have not tested my units GPS performance and WiFi has been fine but then again, I've only used it around the house and I don't really use Bluetooth.
I love Android, especially ice cream sandwich and my Nexus but Android on tablet just doesn't compare to the iPad experience that I've seen as my housemate has the iPad3. I mean majority of the apps on my Nexus do not have a tablet interface and I do not see this improving. Even pro Android blogs are reporting that developers struggle to make 25% of the income they get from iOS, on Android; it's no wonder they choose to put more resource behind iOS.
I fully expect to be flamed for my opinions, I really want to love the Transformer Prime but I feel disappointment in my purchase. I also really want Android to compete well in the tablet market as I use Google services and love Android on phones, it makes sense to use an Android tablet but it just doesn't offer a great experience right now.
No intention of flaming now.
You cant say the device is bad because of some apps that are preinstalled i think. I mean yeah the keyboard sucks, so i got thumb keyboard and that is awesome. Problem solved.
There are many awesome browsers as well, if you like the stock one but want an improved version just get ICS+ browser its even free in the market If you want the fastest one get Opera.
Thats like saying Windows is bad because Internet Explorer sucks. Because you know the first thing you're gonna install is Firefox anyway.
The fact that you can install customized parts of the OS like the keyboard is actually a strength of this device and Android in general. On iOS that is simply not possible, even 3rd party browsers are based on Safari because of the way apple locks up stuff...
And concerning app revenue, its true that devs make less money on the Google play store than with iOS, but they actually do very well with the Amazon app store. But i have to agree, there is room for improvement with alot of apps. Anyway i'm an optimist and things will only get better from here.
Deckard79 said:
I received my Asus Prime on Saturday. My first impressions were excellent, but very, very quickly it became clear how many issues the device has.
Wifi signal is just awful. I have an AEBS and while sat no more than 6 feet away, it can't manage full signal. Instead I end up with between two and three bars.
Actual wifi throughput is unpredictable at best. Sometimes it seems ok, but on a regular basis internet browsing seems ridiculously sluggish for a supposedly powerful device. Flash regularly crashes completely. On a few occasions a minor web site crash has resulted in a complete loss of any wifi throughput and my having to completely reboot the device.
I get zero GPS indoors. I occasionally get 1 or 2 satellite locks while outdoors. GPS is basicially unuseable.
Since the latest update, my wifi uses up as much battery life as the screen. Insane. I'd almost forgive it, if I had a good wifi signal. I do not.
The single speaker is a dreadful design flaw, with an atrocious maximum volume.
Plugging in headphones - you get various bizarre pops and crackles during use. This in a premium device? Really... just not good enough, Asus.
I have a Galaxy S2 phone which uses Android and really like that. I like it because it was designed properly, and it works.
I am not an Apple fanboy. Just a very, very disappointed customer.
This is being returned for a refund.
Just such a shame we don't have a genuine Android tablet competitor. I hope one arrives soon, then maybe I'll give this tablet malarkey another bash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Join the club.
---------- Post added at 04:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------
Mekrel said:
I completely agree with you, unfortunately you'll get flamed on here for voicing you disappointment with the device. Not sure why people feel so vexed about people posting negative experiences about the product they paid the same amount of money for.
I've had my prime for about a week now and I'm not entirely happy with my purchase, it just feels like the thing has been shipped out with little to no testing. The Asus software keyboard is a perfect example, it's just unusabe in landscape mode as the keys on the centre of the keyboard are impossible to reach without major strain on your hands and wrists. It has a Swype mode which is laggy, inaccurate and doesn't play well with the screen as your finger doesn't swipe across with ease.
You then have complete system pauses when anything is being written to the /data partition, something my two year old HTC Desire use to suffer from but not my Galaxy Nexus or my Gingerbread driven Galaxy SII.
Web browsing is plagued by "Connection to the server has timed out" messages and if it isn't that I'm getting the "Browser isn't responding message", all of this on web pages that my Galaxy Nexus eats for breakfast. Thankfully I'm not too bothered about GPS and have not tested my units GPS performance and WiFi has been fine but then again, I've only used it around the house and I don't really use Bluetooth.
I love Android, especially ice cream sandwich and my Nexus but Android on tablet just doesn't compare to the iPad experience that I've seen as my housemate has the iPad3. I mean majority of the apps on my Nexus do not have a tablet interface and I do not see this improving. Even pro Android blogs are reporting that developers struggle to make 25% of the income they get from iOS, on Android; it's no wonder they choose to put more resource behind iOS.
I fully expect to be flamed for my opinions, I really want to love the Transformer Prime but I feel disappointment in my purchase. I also really want Android to compete well in the tablet market as I use Google services and love Android on phones, it makes sense to use an Android tablet but it just doesn't offer a great experience right now.
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Well said. Now that you have called out the regular flamers they will try a different flaming approach.
Not the first time I read the Prime feels slow compared to the Galaxy S II(I got both too) but what ever secret sauce Samsung has, Asus clearly doesn't.
clouds5 said:
No intention of flaming now.
You cant say the device is bad because of some apps that are preinstalled i think. I mean yeah the keyboard sucks, so i got thumb keyboard and that is awesome. Problem solved.
There are many awesome browsers as well, if you like the stock one but want an improved version just get ICS+ browser its even free in the market If you want the fastest one get Opera.
Thats like saying Windows is bad because Internet Explorer sucks. Because you know the first thing you're gonna install is Firefox anyway.
The fact that you can install customized parts of the OS like the keyboard is actually a strength of this device and Android in general. On iOS that is simply not possible, even 3rd party browsers are based on Safari because of the way apple locks up stuff...
And concerning app revenue, its true that devs make less money on the Google play store than with iOS, but they actually do very well with the Amazon app store. But i have to agree, there is room for improvement with alot of apps. Anyway i'm an optimist and things will only get better from here.
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I've owned Thumb keyboard since owning my Samsung Galaxy SII, so I'm using it now but it's a paid solution that I shouldn't have to rely on or turn to. If the product had been tested enough, the keyboard would have been flagged as being not very ergonomic. All Asus have done is slapped a custom software keyboard onto the device and ticked a box. Someone gets paid to design these products and they're supposed to be professionals with good understanding of when something is good enough for the consumer market. If I can tell that the software keyboard is poor within a week, it should have been picked up in the months of testing this thing should have been through.
In regards to the browser, 3rd party applications are not a solution seeing as I use Chrome on my desktop and this syncs with the stock WebKit browser just fine. Chrome for Android is in beta and doesn't support flash, Opera means I lose my Chrome sync and Firefox is slow unless you use a nightly with native Android UI support and again, I lose my Chrome sync. The WebKit browser in 4.0.2 on my Nexus works completely fine so again, what has Asus done to make it work so poorly on the Transformer? I've tried ICS+ but again, this suffers from the same poor responsiveness on pages like The Verge, unsurprising as it's built off the WebKit source and only really adds features, rather than improving performance.
It's not like saying Windows sucks because of Internet Explorer at all, as I've not said the Prime's downfall is purely due to web browsing. The fact the system comes to a complete halt when applications are being written to /data is also very poor, considering that again, this is something the technically inferior Nexus doesn't suffer from. As per usual, I've mentioned this in another thread and have been told it can be fixed by changing the I/O scheduler but the default scheduler on the Prime is noop, which is the same as the scheduler on the Nexus. Noop and deadline schedulers are also reported to be the best for solid state flash storage too, so not sure what else I would change the scheduler to as it's already set to the best.
I don't even have root anyway as I'm on .21, so it's a moot point anyway.
Yes customisation on Android is great, it's one of the reasons I like the platform apart from being a massive consumer of Google services but third party applications shouldn't be viewed as a way excuse manufacturers releasing devices with inexcusable problems.
Anyway, I'm not exactly short of money so I'll keep the Prime for now as there's noting else Android tablet wise worth switching to. I'll wait until Samsung come out with an Exynos 5 based tablet as both my last two Samsung phones have always been very snappy and hopefully it will also have a metal back like the Tab 7.7.
I hear you, there are some (imho) small things that totally annoy you about the Prime. And they are potential deal breakers for you, thats fine with me.
The prime isnt perfect. I'm not trying to say that. But it has so many awesome aspects and fills most of my needs so good that i'm willing to overlook a 2-3 second lag when i install an application, or the fact that i have to pay 2 bucks or something for a very nice feature filled soft keyboard (Honestly you'd probably use Thumbkeyboard on your Samsung tablet as well or not?). And as you said there is nothing better on the market right now
Just a small thing i want to add theverge.com desktop version actually runs better on my prime (ICS+ browser) than on my Desktop PC (PhenomII X4 @3.5ghz, Radeon4870, 4gb ram win7 64bit, Firefox)^^ If i click the middle mouse button to get continuous scrolling it lags on my PC. On the prime its completely smooth. Both systems have adblock and flash/java always enabled.
clouds5 said:
I hear you, there are some (imho) small things that totally annoy you about the Prime. And they are potential deal breakers for you, thats fine with me.
The prime isnt perfect. I'm not trying to say that. But it has so many awesome aspects and fills most of my needs so good that i'm willing to overlook a 2-3 second lag when i install an application, or the fact that i have to pay 2 bucks or something for a very nice feature filled soft keyboard (Honestly you'd probably use Thumbkeyboard on your Samsung tablet as well or not?). And as you said there is nothing better on the market right now
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I would use Thumb Keyboard if the Samsung keyboard was also poor but I would really love SwiftKey to have a tablet version of their latest version 3 beta. It's very good and using it on my Nexus right now. I actually really like the stock Android keyboard as the voice input is very good, shame it doesn't have a split keyboard layout for tablets.
You're right about the lag and Web browser pauses being relatively small issues, just I was expecting flawless smoothness in these areas seeing as I've had phones with weaker specs and older versions of Android that manage better. I've read Gary is in Cali with nVidia and Google and browsing performance is on the agenda to discuss.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
The browser freeze/lag is pretty much the only issue left that annoys me on the Prime. I have found that Boat Browser is a huge improvement on the stock browser when it comes to that in the meanwhile.
Hopefully when we get 4.04, this last browser issue will be ironed out.
Oh my gato.
Mine works fine, I was outside BBQing in the backyard yesterday w/ the fam watching youtube/listening to music.
I honestly think some people just have better luck w/ their WiFi; or truth be told, it may just be the router or person itself?
I have no issues using opera mobile at all. no lags, scrolls fast and smoothly, plays flash video the best out of any browser, never throws up message do you want to wait or close. flawless
Mekrel said:
I would use Thumb Keyboard if the Samsung keyboard was also poor but I would really love SwiftKey to have a tablet version of their latest version 3 beta. It's very good and using it on my Nexus right now. I actually really like the stock Android keyboard as the voice input is very good, shame it doesn't have a split keyboard layout for tablets.
You're right about the lag and Web browser pauses being relatively small issues, just I was expecting flawless smoothness in these areas seeing as I've had phones with weaker specs and older versions of Android that manage better. I've read Gary is in Cali with nVidia and Google and browsing performance is on the agenda to discuss.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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SwiftKey does have a tablet version of beta 3. Using it right now
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
The Prime should ship soon-ish with a redesigned back panel to fix the radio issues. This is the reason their biggest non mail order retailer customer Best Buy does not have any more, or the current skus on order.