So I Recently Ordered a Prime... - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

A few days ago I finally managed to score a Prime on Best Buy's website (had been waiting for them to show up in stores but realized that would take forever) and now its set to arrive this week. But then I read the news on the new "premium" ugly Prime set to arrive later this year and its got me wondering if sticking with Asus is a good idea.
First off, I guess I'm not really familiar with the issues of the Prime, I thought it was just GPS problems but apparently there are WiFi issues as well? GPS problems don't really bother me because I never really planned on using it as a GPS device unless there's something I'm failing to realize about GPS's silent contributions to app functionality.
Second, I'm not bothered by the fact Asus is releasing an update to the Prime soon. I bought the original Transformer a few months ago for $400 knowing the successor would likely be out before years end, then sold it to a friend for 350 a few days ago to pay for the Prime. Selling and upgrading doesn't bother me but what does bother me is Asus seemingly deciding to sweep the GPS (and WiFi?) issue under the rug and ignore it which I can see bothers early adopters and shows a **** side of Asus I wasn't expecting. I'm thinking of just cancelling my purchase in protest but the alternatives of equal specs are still a ways off and probably higher priced.

Xionas said:
A few days ago I finally managed to score a Prime on Best Buy's website (had been waiting for them to show up in stores but realized that would take forever) and now its set to arrive this week. But then I read the news on the new "premium" ugly Prime set to arrive later this year and its got me wondering if sticking with Asus is a good idea.
First off, I guess I'm not really familiar with the issues of the Prime, I thought it was just GPS problems but apparently there are WiFi issues as well? GPS problems don't really bother me because I never really planned on using it as a GPS device unless there's something I'm failing to realize about GPS's silent contributions to app functionality.
Second, I'm not bothered by the fact Asus is releasing an update to the Prime soon. I bought the original Transformer a few months ago for $400 knowing the successor would likely be out before years end, then sold it to a friend for 350 a few days ago to pay for the Prime. Selling and upgrading doesn't bother me but what does bother me is Asus seemingly deciding to sweep the GPS (and WiFi?) issue under the rug and ignore it which I can see bothers early adopters and shows a **** side of Asus I wasn't expecting. I'm thinking of just cancelling my purchase in protest but the alternatives of equal specs are still a ways off and probably higher priced.
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...do it
10char

In a nutshell, the WiFi issue is that the reception isn't the strongest. It works fine when you're not too far away from your router, but as the distance increases, the speed and ability to pull in a signal deteriorate faster than most other similar devices.

nyijedi said:
In a nutshell, the WiFi issue is that the reception isn't the strongest. It works fine when you're not too far away from your router, but as the distance increases, the speed and ability to pull in a signal deteriorate faster than most other similar devices.
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how far are we talking before it deteriorates? I don't want to have problems in my own house

DroidHam said:
how far are we talking before it deteriorates? I don't want to have problems in my own house
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From my testing at different locations, it really depends on two things:
1) How much is between the router and the tablet (e.g., thick walls)
2) How many other WiFi networks are in range (it seems that the speed takes more of a hit in areas w/ a lot of WiFi, at least from my testing).
Sorry for not being able to give you a definitive answer, but it really does depend. In my main use case, I have no drop-offs in my apartment being about 35 feet away from the router, going through 3 walls, and having a bunch of other WiFi signals interfering with mine, however my speed is only about 5-10 Mbps while my iPad1 gets about 18-22 Mbps in the same spot.

nyijedi said:
From my testing at different locations, it really depends on two things:
1) How much is between the router and the tablet (e.g., thick walls)
2) How many other WiFi networks are in range (it seems that the speed takes more of a hit in areas w/ a lot of WiFi, at least from my testing).
Sorry for not being able to give you a definitive answer, but it really does depend. In my main use case, I have no drop-offs in my apartment being about 35 feet away from the router, going through 3 walls, and having a bunch of other WiFi signals interfering with mine, however my speed is only about 5-10 Mbps while my iPad1 gets about 18-22 Mbps in the same spot.
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Alright that doesn't sound too bad, not too many networks where I live and I probably wont be too far away from my router with the tablet, thanks for the reply. What about the GPS issue? Is it just as simple as it sounds? People can't get good GPS signal away from an internet source so things like Google Maps and weather apps might have problems? That doesn't seem like too big a problem for e as I have a phone for those things but all the fuss about it is making me think there must be more to it.

Related

Calling everybody. Put the WiFi issue to rest. It was fixed in all retail Primes.

Anandtech just updated their Asus Prime review.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5175/asus-transformer-prime-followup
It seems that the Prime has not one, but two WiFi antennas! The problem with the first samples ASUS sent to reviewers was one of those antennas not working.
So the great Anand Lal Shimpi himself is saying..
It turns out that the Eee Pad Transformer Prime features WiFi antenna diversity. We've talked about antenna diversity most often with reference to the cellular chain on Apple's iPhone 4 and 4S, but here it's present on the Prime's WiFi. There are two antennas on the Transformer Prime, one located on either side of the front facing camera. In the second Transformer Prime sample, one of the two wasn't working. In my third review sample, taken from the retail lot that's on its way to vendors this week, both were fully functional. The result is peak WiFi performance that is virtually identical to the original Eee Pad Transformer.
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Thanks and gold luck.
What are you referring to as "WiFi issue"? Sure, the retail ones are fixed but most of us aren't worried about getting Primes that have the malfunction. We trust that Asus won't release a product that has a malfunction. The "WiFi issue" we are worried about is how it has or will affect the dates/stock. We witnessed the delay in Canada and smaller retailers in the US. Ultimately, we believe Asus will fix the issue before selling them but we wonder what the cost of this fix was.
CyberPunk7t9 said:
Anandtech just updated their Asus Prime review.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5175/asus-transformer-prime-followup
It seems that the Prime has not one, but two WiFi antennas! The problem with the first samples ASUS sent to reviewers was one of those antennas not working.
So the great Anand Lal Shimpi himself is saying..
Thanks and gold luck.
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Haha, I told you guys, ASUS did NOT oversee the issue with the metal backplate
They knew (of course) about this all the time, so they added a second antenna to circumvent these problems
Good job ASUS!
xGary said:
What are you referring to as "WiFi issue"? Sure, the retail ones are fixed but most of us aren't worried about getting Primes that have the malfunction. We trust that Asus won't release a product that has a malfunction. The "WiFi issue" we are worried about is how it has or will affect the dates/stock. We witnessed the delay in Canada and smaller retailers in the US. Ultimately, we believe Asus will fix the issue before selling them but we wonder what the cost of this fix was.
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Well said. Thank you.
I used Asus PC motherboards for years myself and know how good their products/support is.
but seems some users were still worried and wanted to give them the heads up.
Good to hear!
DroidX | XDA App
Diamondback2010 said:
Haha, I told you guys, ASUS did NOT oversee the issue with the metal backplate
They knew (of course) about this all the time, so they added a second antenna to circumvent these problems
Good job ASUS!
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Well, one way or another, this might not actually be what some people are reporting. People who have a 'weaker WiFi signal' may actually have the device without that problem. Problem is that multiple WiFi issues have been reported. For one, heavily fluctuating signal that is is a better sign of a flawed antenna. Weak signal, however, not and may simply be the result of how Prime is built.
It's a fact that WiFi signal would be stronger if Prime was not built the way it is. Half a decent laptop will still outperform Prime. I just hope that the signal is better than it was on my previous latptop (that had plastic body).
We will not really know until next week. I don't mind a weaker WiFi, personally, but I am using it in places where WiFi is below average and if it fails in those areas I hope that it at least holds onto the signal.
kristovaher said:
We will not really know until next week. I don't mind a weaker WiFi, personally, but I am using it in places where WiFi is below average and if it fails in those areas I hope that it at least holds onto the signal.
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This is what is worrying me.
I barely manage a signal with my TF101. What chance will the Prime have I ask myself?
Lets hope the debbi downers n trollers see this. Forum doesn't need any more threads worrying about wifi issues. One of the main reviewers that had issues has figured out why. Plus they said the issue is fixed in retail units. Im optimistic my prime won't have issues. Plus this was still more so an isolated event. With both antennaes working properly, the Prime should get great reception.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
They also said the unit with both antennaes working, had wifi quality/strength virtually identical to original transformer.
Plus wifi test showed it has one of the best wifi setups out there. Came in 3rd out of all tablets. Way better than ipad 2
take that negative nancy's.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
demandarin said:
They also said the unit with both antennaes working, had wifi quality/strength virtually identical to original transformer.
Plus wifi test showed it has one of the best wifi setups out there. Came in 3rd out of all tablets. Way better than ipad 2
take that negative nancy's.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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This sounds promising, but who said that it has 'one of the best wifi setups out there'? Was there an article or test conducted? I still remain skeptical. I am sure Asus has fixed the malfunctioning antennae issue though and maybe the other problems can be helped by firmware and other software updates. I don't care if WiFi is weaker than usual, but I would be annoyed if it fluctuates heavily.
And does anyone know if the dock boost WiFi in any way? Has there been tests with and without the dock?
kristovaher said:
This sounds promising, but who said that it has 'one of the best wifi setups out there'? Was there an article or test conducted? I still remain skeptical. I am sure Asus has fixed the malfunctioning antennae issue though and maybe the other problems can be helped by firmware and other software updates. I don't care if WiFi is weaker than usual, but I would be annoyed if it fluctuates heavily.
And does anyone know if the dock boost WiFi in any way? Has there been tests with and without the dock?
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I meant based on that wifi comparison test of all or most major tablets. The chart near end of article. It really tied for second.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/15/...romised?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
hope we are not to follow
BiGMERF said:
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/15/...romised?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
hope we are not to follow
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We are literally 4 days away from their announced launch. Their last response only a few days ago was it was still on track even if they choose to not mention in limited quantities. It would be bad PR to backtrack at this point or have next Monday arrive and then they announce a delay. It's safe to say US launch is next week. UK was supposed to be next year anyways and I assume they grouped Italy with them. Also delayed Canada to shift product to US.
Anyways thanks for the link OP. I'm once again excited for this tablet with only 4 days left. I hope newegg ships next week as well. As far as lingering issues. It's confirmed throughput will be just fine. In most use scenarios your reception will be fine no matter how you hold it. Range is the only thing but its not horrible by any means. So if you already have poor WiFi reception you may want to look into a repeater or a more powerful wireless router. Whichever one makes sense for you're scenario.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
BiGMERF said:
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/15/...romised?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
hope we are not to follow
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This is not really a 'delay' in Europe, it was never supposed to be released in Europe in December anyway, there was no announcement. And it makes sense for Asus to take a breather and launch with ICS in Europe, which helps sales, since they can 'announce' it, differently from just launching something with a delay. It also gives Asus to build up stock for the launch.
It's a smart call by Asus from marketing standpoint, though it does technically push the European release a little.
I still would have preferred for launch in Europe and US simultaneously, but I can understand why Asus is kind-of limited in that regard.
He actually has a really good video review, it has a lot of salient points. I am really starting to wonder how this thing is going to stack up to Krait when it comes out.
kristovaher said:
And does anyone know if the dock boost WiFi in any way? Has there been tests with and without the dock?
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The dock won't affect the signal as it does not contain any antennas or circuitry that can interfere with the signal.
It's great to see something resolved that I'd never given much thought to. I've been using ASUS products since 1992, and I've never had concerns about quality on any of the 11 or so Motherboards I've used.
My main concern now is just GETTING the darn thing. I sold my Transformer TF101 before ordering the Prime, and Tablet withdrawals are starting to get to me!
CyberPunk7t9 said:
Anandtech just updated their Asus Prime review.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5175/asus-transformer-prime-followup
It seems that the Prime has not one, but two WiFi antennas! The problem with the first samples ASUS sent to reviewers was one of those antennas not working.
So the great Anand Lal Shimpi himself is saying..
Thanks and gold luck.
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Click to collapse
Here is the WiFi chart from this article showing the PRIME performance which is BETTER than the iPad2 for WiFi transfer speed
Thanks for the post.
Paraphrasing the video re: WIFI, it says the two antennas increase download speed, so that issue is covered. The WIFI range is still a little less than many tablets because it's an Aluminum body without any built in window for WIFI antennas. Unless you added some kindof plastic window to the tablet design, the " all aluminum " body will always bring down the WIFI range a bit.
But: shouldn't be an issue that will be noteworthy in overwhelming majority of tablet users. Prime is still the one to get.
The_FNG said:
It's great to see something resolved that I'd never given much thought to. I've been using ASUS products since 1992, and I've never had concerns about quality on any of the 11 or so Motherboards I've used.
My main concern now is just GETTING the darn thing. I sold my Transformer TF101 before ordering the Prime, and Tablet withdrawals are starting to get to me!
Click to expand...
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I know what you mean I sold mines too
Sent through my Black market i9250 Galaxy Nexus

[Q] Should I? Or Should I Not?

I think Ultimately it boils down to whether should I buy the Transformer Prime.
Been browsing the net lately & I've been following the news on the Prime.
The Wifi/GPS/Screen issue is really turn off, but here I am asking you guys who have the Prime, Was it worth it?
It cost a hefty sum of money... so yeahh...
Really, if the 3 major issues that people are having are turn-offs, then why bother?
My screen is beautiful. Wi-fi is working fine. Don't even care about GPS. Have a dedicated GPS and one in my Galaxy S is great too. For me, this is too big to be used as a GPS.
Again, if the 3 major issues that people have are issues for you, it seems silly to keep looking.
CursedBat said:
I think Ultimately it boils down to whether should I buy the Transformer Prime.
Been browsing the net lately & I've been following the news on the Prime.
The Wifi/GPS/Screen issue is really turn off, but here I am asking you guys who have the Prime, Was it worth it?
It cost a hefty sum of money... so yeahh...
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I'm am not having wifi or screen issues , I love my prime and find it has almost completely placed my laptop
sent from my Transformer Prime
The problem here is that the chances of getting a not flawed device is slightly over 70%,
Read it off somewhere.
But wifi is an important issue to me since it's not a 3G device..
I don't have wifi or screen issues. I half-heartedly tried to get GPS going but really have no patience or the inclination to do so! GPS is not what I bought the device for...and I bought the TFP knowing full well of the GPS issues. If I can't see any satellites...oh well. Am I a "dumb" consumer for buying a product that doesn't have all marketed specs working...I don't know...maybe. But spending $500 on the TFP without GPS was well worth it to me. I've bought PCs in the past where I knew the video card was crap....I simply swapped it out for something that met my needs.
If you're worried about encountering the noted issues (not including GPS which sounds like it will never work 100%), buy from somewhere with a good return policy. Try it out for a couple of weeks. That is what I'm doing and so far mine is a keeper. Actually, I bought two from two different stores...the second is still en route. I did this just in case one of them had problems...the second one is probably going back without ever being opened.
Good luck with your decision.
You could wait forever to get the "perfect" device. I still haven't seen anything announced that is going to be ahead of this tablet. This thing is way ahead of the curve and should have great longevity.
Just updated to the latest firmware and got a gps lock inside my house in under 15 secs. I didn't buy mine for the GPS but I think it's great that ASUS is addressing the issues quickly.
I haven't had any wifi, issues. I have a 3300 square foot house with my router in the office in my basement which is one corner. I get good connection everywhere. It is down to 2 bars in the upper far corner, but so is my DesireHD.
I went ahead and got the keyboard (I debated about the extra $150, if it was worth or not), and am very very glad I did. It is well thought out and very sleek.
All you can do is research and research some more, and make your decision. It looks like your off to a good start.

[Q] Keep returning until I find the right prime?

Bought a 32gb grey prime, serial starting with BCOK from Office Depot. I'm noticing that I hardly ever get more than 2/3 the signal of the computers in my house, and no GPS (as expected). Lately I have seen from this forum that SOME people are getting C1 serial number primes and are reporting that their wifi is great and that their GPS is fully functional (something that people seem to have all but given up on).
The quality seems to vary from prime to prime, but at least people are reporting perfectly functional tf201 primes out there.
Any thoughts on whether I should start playing the return game until I get the perfect one? Observed any trends in what company seems to be selling the better primes?
Note: First xda post- after the forum intro video, I must that you be nice to me if this seems to be a silly question to ask on here
Maybe try this fix. Might work might not...or might just be temp.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1467964
otherwise if you can get an exchange right away I would exchange it. Or return it and buy another one if you see it somewhere else.
Does your wifi work? Yes, just not as strong as other computers in your house. Do you really need the GPS? Probably not, but you paid for it.
I think the return game just screws it up for others that really are looking to get their hands on a Prime but can't because of all the useless returns. Yes, some people have issues, but I'm sure 90% of the returns are pointless.
Looking into the fix aznmode . Currently combing the forums to see if I can get exact measurements as to where I should squeeze. I am unsure about the envelope method across the whole top of the screen, as I have no clue what else is under there (mind I am still researching).
I completely respect your stance 05GT. As I get the time, I am testing my wifi in different conditions, and am steadily developing an opinion as to whether this is going to be a real problem with me. Naturally, it just feels safer to have a more efficient machine, since these devices are so exclusively integrated with the internet. With my college lifestyle jumping from network to network it may be, might not. Its why I plan on dragging my trial period out a little longer to see if I can just get on with my device or if a fix will spring up.
I've tested a BC Prime, made in December. And Asus sent me a C1 Prime made in January. With the exception of a tiny bit of light bleed on the C1, they seemed identical.
mt6272 said:
Looking into the fix aznmode . Currently combing the forums to see if I can get exact measurements as to where I should squeeze. I am unsure about the envelope method across the whole top of the screen, as I have no clue what else is under there (mind I am still researching).
I completely respect your stance 05GT. As I get the time, I am testing my wifi in different conditions, and am steadily developing an opinion as to whether this is going to be a real problem with me. Naturally, it just feels safer to have a more efficient machine, since these devices are so exclusively integrated with the internet. With my college lifestyle jumping from network to network it may be, might not. Its why I plan on dragging my trial period out a little longer to see if I can just get on with my device or if a fix will spring up.
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In your tests, it may be good to use wifi analyzer mentioned in that video. It's actually very useful in determining how well your device picks up wifi around you. I have another tablet I compare mine to and for the most part they're almost the same. I do notice from time to time my other tablet will have slightly longer reach as it can pick up 1 more wifi than the prime but its a very weak signal so I just discount it.
Such a first world problem hey? Kinda disgusting... No one wants a bad unit, im not judging anyone but some people can't even get their hands on one.
reNeglect said:
Such a first world problem hey? Kinda disgusting... No one wants a bad unit, im not judging anyone but some people can't even get their hands on one.
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So we should be happy we have units that see no GPS satellites and have intermittently non-functional vibration motors because at least we have a prime? Right. That's just stupid.
No WiFi issues on my TF201-B1-CG, WiFi is great on this thing. GPS is a hit or miss for me.
deltatux
beavertank said:
So we should be happy we have units that see no GPS satellites and have intermittently non-functional vibration motors because at least we have a prime? Right. That's just stupid.
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Vibration motors work fine, go to market, and download a vibrator app and test it. I'm sure with custom roms it will be fixed. As for GPS well you could just use your phone or if you really want to use it on a tablet just wait for the next android tablet to hit the market instead of complaining and complaining.
I thought I would follow up on my situation. My last day to return my prime is tomorrow.
I have done more extensive wifi testing, and I can conclude that the wifi is just weak. Close to the router it gets 2/3 signal. On the other side of the house where my sisters computer is getting 24mb/s, my prime is getting 1 mb/s.
Against my every wish ( everything else on the tablet is wonderful) , I am returning tomorrow. Good wifi is just something I need. Every store around is sold out on primes
So, what I will do is get a replacement tablet until ASUS gets things together ( best buy has a generous 45 day return policy).
As a college student, what will be a good replacement?
I was looking at the htc flyer ( a low end price replacement) or the lenovo thinkpad 1838 ( a higher end replacement..) as they both seem to have responsive touch screens that are good for writing. Would anyone recommend one of these, or something else within this price range for me?

RMA Sent back today

So i sent my Prime to Asus to get the gps and Wifi Issue fixed. I get no sats inside or out and 3 bars on wifi when im in the same room as my router. So now its a waiting game. I'll update when i get it back to see if they fixed the issue or if they re-issue me a new one.
I think they never fix the GPS problem! But I don't really need it and Wifi works fine.... so i like it
Are they actually going to fix the GPS issue? I thought their official stance on that was that it was not a "professional" GPS?
I get a few birds outside but they are all in the grey, however their SNR sometimes stays above 30 (on my og Droid 20 is enough to get/keep a lock!). Occasionally I'll see yellow but not for long and once the car starts moving the birds drop like flies. The most I've had in view are 7 and while moving I'm lucky if any stay in view.
Right now (indoors) on my Droid I'm seeing 6 birds ranging between 18-30 SNR and locks on 4-6 of them. I'm inside of an old brick building near a window facing north with another brick building next door. The TFP gets nothing.
Wifi is worse than the Droid, staying around -55 dbm in the same room as the router and around -75 two floors up. The Droid consistently adds 5dbm to those values in the same spot.
I'm nearing the end of my return period and I have to decide what to do. I really want this to work out but it seems as if ASUS doesn't care much about the issues. I can understand that it takes time to fix these things (I'm a developer) but they're more or less leaving us in the dark here. And having to pay return shipping is also ridiculous...for ANY under warranty service, let alone problems on the scale that we're seeing.
To sum it all up, the fact that a 2+ year old phone is outperforming a state of the art full sized tablet in the RF department is a joke.
Feiwen said:
So i sent my Prime to Asus to get the gps and Wifi Issue fixed. I get no sats inside or out and 3 bars on wifi when im in the same room as my router. So now its a waiting game. I'll update when i get it back to see if they fixed the issue or if they re-issue me a new one.
Click to expand...
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Join the club.
You are going to get it back with a note saying nothing is wrong with it. People with reboot problems are getting them back and not having it fixed. Waste of money.
Exactly^^
Outside of XDA mods there isn't a fix. The best fix is exchange, return, XDA do it yourself, refund, buy a 2.4ghz WiFi extender, another brand of tablet or TF700t.
kdn102 said:
I'm nearing the end of my return period and I have to decide what to do. I really want this to work out but it seems as if ASUS doesn't care much about the issues. I can understand that it takes time to fix these things (I'm a developer) but they're more or less leaving us in the dark here. And having to pay return shipping is also ridiculous...for ANY under warranty service, let alone problems on the scale that we're seeing.
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Personally, I _never_ keep a product beyond its return period if it doesn't meet my needs. I _never_ think to myself, "Well, it doesn't work for me now, but maybe they'll fix it." That's virtually guaranteeing disappointment.
The Prime works for me because I never intended to use it as a navigation device, and mine works for whatever stationary geolocation I need it for. And the wifi works fine in the areas I need it to work. But if it didn't _today_, I'd return it.
wynand32 said:
Personally, I _never_ keep a product beyond its return period if it doesn't meet my needs. I _never_ think to myself, "Well, it doesn't work for me now, but maybe they'll fix it." That's virtually guaranteeing disappointment.
The Prime works for me because I never intended to use it as a navigation device, and mine works for whatever stationary geolocation I need it for. And the wifi works fine in the areas I need it to work. But if it didn't _today_, I'd return it.
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Honest and to the point. Well said.
Return it. I informed Asus of my limited return timeframe and they promised a 7 day turn around. They've had it for 21 days and I called today to discover they haven't looked at it yet. I'm now 3 days past my return period.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA App
Well who wants GPS just to spot you on a map? GPS is used for other purposesthan just putting a dot of your location on a map!

Decisions decisions | Return or keep? + Question

First off, I think it's an awesome tablet, nice screen, damn quick, and custom rom running, it's great BUT as we know wifi/gps issues. I'm not jumping ship to the iPad because personally I think i'll probably end drowning than be saved, but let's not turn into ipad vs prime and whatnot.
I pretty much have 1 day left to return the prime to the store and I'm not 100% sure what to do, although I feel like I'll probably end up sticking with it as I'm not entirely convinced the TF700 will be that huge of a difference.
GPS: Nonexistent, couldn't get a lock at all:
Bluetooth: I tried sending some photos from my nexus while streaming pandora on the prime and it seemed ok but when accessing a page on tapatalk it felt like it was slower. I don't have a bluetooth mouse, or headset to test it better.
WiFi
I'm not exactly sure if my tablet is suffering from the WiFi weakness.
Here is the scenario:
I have two ap's at home on 2 different channels. One on first floor and one in basement.
I was pretty much right in the middle of them and I ran WiFi analyzer on both my galaxy nexus and the prime and to my surprise both had very similar dbm and both had very similar speed test results.
My galaxy nexus was averaging at about -80 dbm
My prime was averaging at about -70 dbm or so.....
My laptop was no surprise better.
BUT at work:
I'm using a tenants AP, it's a bit strange. (I work as security and yes they gave me permission and the key to use it)
Galaxy Nexus will average at about -89 dbm and it will have enough WiFi bars showing in blue and i will be able to use the connection and browse around.
Prime will average at about -80 dbm but it will not catch a connection for me to browse, the first and/or second bar will either stay gray or it will just drop the connection completely.
Meanwhile my laptop is fine. There is an occasional drop of connection on both nexus and laptop but I feel like the AP is to blame.
But then why isn't the prime getting a lock enough for me to browse even though dbm is better?
Any ideas? Is this a keeper?
Down the road I'm planning to get a dock for it aswell but not sure any issue would really affect my experience there.
Just return it if you are unsure then if you have regrets you can buy another
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Return it! This thing is just a ticking time bomb, and all Asus does is say hang in there, a fix is coming, meanwhile your 30 days are up in smoke and you have no choice but to keep it.
I wouldn't feel this way if the first Prime I bought didn't have a washed out screen along with all the other defects. Upon contacting Asus they basically told me to return it, so I did. I got a C2O model, champaign color, 64gb. It had gorgeous, vibrant colors, no light bleed, GPS that worked somewhat, wifi that was acceptable but still had the wifi/bluetooth problem.
Eight days later I was at a Chicago Rush game so my daughter could get her Spirit award for cheer. I was sitting in my seat, wiped my screen off because I wanted to record the event and noticed when the light shined on my screen what looked like very fine scratches on the black bezel. Upon further examination I noticed if I rotated my prime the scratches had a rainbow effect. In my head I went OH NO!, I am a jeweler and know what rainbow flash means, stress cracks.
This occurs all the time in gemstones, they get stressed during cutting or mining and the stress can get much worse or break, and thats whats happening to a lot of peoples Primes, while docked. Stress is causing their screens to break, which Asus chalks up to user abuse, BS. I treat my "Toys" with care, I don't have a lot of money to blow on thi stuff so it needs to last. I sold my First gen Ipad a month ago to help pay for this thing.
Good luck in whatever you decide, I know I loved my Prime but, man, I would be pissed at myself for seeing all the warning signs and not taking heed.
I'd return this one. Gary says something is coming in a couple of weeks....repair parts are arriving at ASUS....
I'd give ASUS about a month, first to see what the surprise is, and to give ASUS a chance to get any "changes" into inventory. Then buy your new one.
If you saw nothing truly wrong with your unit just keep it. I've had mines since 12/22 and had no issues at all. One of the first ones. All it took was my 1 purchase to get a great unit. Nothing will be better on Android or comparable till around end of June at the earliest.
demandarin said:
If you saw nothing truly wrong with your unit just keep it. I've had mines since 12/22 and had no issues at all. One of the first ones. All it took was my 1 purchase to get a great unit. Nothing will be better on Android or comparable till around end of June at the earliest.
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I have also had mine since christmas (BCOKAS serial) and honestly.. I have had nothing to complain about. It has gotten wifi everywhere I have wanted it to, the gps is there when I am outside (not that id ever use my tablet for gps), and the screen is b-e-a-utiful and SUPER bright. I bought the keyboard dock to go along with it, and the battery life is outstanding. I can use this baby all day and still have some battery life left when I go to bed.
In the end, though, it comes down to personal preference. ASUS has made a statement that there are repair parts coming... so worst comes to worse you can send it in to them.
Return it.
Either for exchange where hopefully you will get an additional amount of time to play with it and decide, or for cash.
If for cash you may have to wait a while for another to show up if you decide you can't live without it, or you can buy something less stressful.
I have finally decided that without the right software and ability to take handwritten notes properly that I don't care how cool, amazing and sexy the hardware is (and oh boy is it gorgeous hardware, especially with (then without, then with, etc) the keyboard dock. It just doesn't work regarding my use cases and specific needs.
Damn shame.
I can't say I didn't expect these responses. But ill admit it's a rough choice. If asus gets new parts I'm hoping they won't their customers in the dark.
I was quite shocked at the results from wifi range on phone and tablet and I think I'm kind of lucky.
Mine is a C10K serial. I'm not exactly how top notch the wifi is suppose to be so I don't have much to compare to but when comparing to my phone that gets great wifi reception, results are almost identical which simply makes me believe its fine.
If the screen cracks, well I bought warranty for a reason. Ultimate decision will probably be tomorrow morning and ill see how I feel when I pick it up
You're running a custom rom, so you unlocked the bootloader, voided warranty.
Are you sure returning the Prime is actually still an option?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA
YoMarK said:
You're running a custom rom, so you unlocked the bootloader, voided warranty.
Are you sure returning the Prime is actually still an option?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA
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Let me ask you if they'll know or check :-D
I never noticed a problem with the TFP WiFi when I had one. Granted, I wasn't comparing side by side with another device - I was just using the TFP, and WiFI signal never bothered me.
Totally ignoring the comparison with your Nexus, does the WiFi connection cause you trouble? If so, return it. If not, keep it and enjoy.
Coderedpl said:
Let me ask you if they'll know or check :-D
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I've heard that the serial number is uploaded to them when you unlock.
robertg9 said:
I've heard that the serial number is uploaded to them when you unlock.
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Yea it is, but i registered it, and ended up not liking it later
Coderedpl said:
Yea it is, but i registered it, and ended up not liking it later
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Not sure what you mean by this. When you unlock, your serial number gets marked in their system and your warranty is forever lost.
h3ckman said:
Not sure what you mean by this. When you unlock, your serial number gets marked in their system and your warranty is forever lost.
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The serial number is for that specific tablet. If i return it to the store, and the store accepts. It is no longer my concern as they accepted it in the way it was.
If i decided to get another one, new serial.
If i keep it and it gets damaged somehow, and i get warranty replacement = new serial.
see what i mean?
Coderedpl said:
The serial number is for that specific tablet. If i return it to the store, and the store accepts. It is no longer my concern as they accepted it in the way it was.
If i decided to get another one, new serial.
If i keep it and it gets damaged somehow, and i get warranty replacement = new serial.
see what i mean?
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Oh yeah. For some reason I was thinking you would be sending it to ASUS. My apologies. Yeah, the store will have no idea.
h3ckman said:
Oh yeah. For some reason I was thinking you would be sending it to ASUS. My apologies. Yeah, the store will have no idea.
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Last day tomorrow.....I still don't know, was on hold for 30 minutes with asus and nobody ever answered, will try again tomorrow.
I finally got one on number 6 that gets good WiFi I'm not letting this go but Bluetooth does drop WiFi down from 18mb/s same room as router Bluetooth takes it down to 3-4mb/s. So I go from 18mb/s down to 3 or 4mb/s with Bluetooth. I don't use Bluetooth that much though.

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