Screen blobs - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Hey guys, has anyone experienced issues with spots on the screen? Mine has developed 4 or 5 small spots on the screen, noticeable on white screens. The spots are super bright, almost like the back light in those spots is just at 100 all the time and are oh I'd say probably 2mm in diameter each. My unit is unlocked, I need to hear from someone at Asus on this if possible, this unit has already been back once for wifi/bt issues.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Mine has those developed those too, after a toddler sat on it.

Mine has it... no toddler. In fact I use a case. Kinda sucky
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium

Yes, I have. A few bright on the left and right a few less bright.
It sucks!
Could this be a reason (would they accept this?) to exchange prime even though he is rooted.
Gr. Walter

Its generally called mura. If younare not unlocked they will RMA for this. I'm unlocked and they won't do anything for me. Good luck!

I have one on my screen, it has been there since I got my tablet but I didn't want RMA the device for that since it hasn't grown yet and it is fairly small. Plus I don't want to RMA and end up having more issues.

You know that kind of thing, where they won't RMA something which is clearly not caused by anything to do with unlocking or rooting really annoys me. I defended this tablet for a long time, but I've gotten sick of it and honestly I can't bring myself to ever buy anything Asus again, this one product speaks volumes about them as a company.
Hopefully I can sell this thing and get a real tablet which I actually enjoy using. The wifi is still weak, the colors on my screen are washed out, I have the blobs and just to add insult to injury the IO problems which make this thing run like $hit. My Galaxy Nexus with dual core and 1GHz stock speed runs better than my quad core ov to 1.6. Figure that out
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Gersonian said:
Its generally called mura. If younare not unlocked they will RMA for this. I'm unlocked and they won't do anything for me. Good luck!
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You are incorrect. I am unlocked and have a ROM on my TF201 and I sent it in due to mura in 3 spots on my screen. They replaced my screen and I/O board and it is on way back to me now. And let me say it was a 2 week process, and I was left in the dark as their site shows no history of my RMA. Yesterday I got the email stating what was replaced and that it has been shipped back to me.
I simply said in the letter you must include with RMA that support and effort ASUS has put into this product is unacceptable and I want mine fixed to 100% perfect state. So I put a sticky note on the screen pointing to affected areas and that was it.
I have no idea why you just assume being unlocked means the end of help from ASUS, many users here are unlocked and had successful RMA cases.
And just for all you who will try to say I am wrong here is proof:
(BTW: It has androwook 2.1 ROM on it)
If you were not given a quote,then your unit was repaired under warranty. It looks like we replaced your LCD screen due to the dead pixels on the screen. And we also replaced your I/O Board for you touch pad. You will have a 90 day manufactures warranty on the parts that have been replaced.
Thank you for your patience!
Jolene L.
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Honestly I haven't really had an bad experience with asus in the past I had a few DOA motherboards from them that were replaced and I was also able to get a replacement chip for one of my motherboards when a bios flash failed.
I also really don't RMA anything unless it is completely broke, for the reason that it may come back worse or with the same problem with a message saying nothing wrong, and I wouldn't be able to use my device during the time it is being "repaired". If the problem isn't critical then I don't want to waste my time doing something when the outcome may become worse.
I have had worse experiences with Microsoft and so has my co-workers, my boss has sent in his Gears of War xbox back to microsoft 5 times because they can't seem to get it working right. And with all the time it has been taking he might as well just bought another xbox the first time he sent it in. He has had a long history of microsoft not properly fixing his xbox when they red ring or the wireless controller chip fails.
Although I am also annoyed the the galaxy nexus out performs the prime, I just got the phone a few weeks ago and everything just works like it should. If every android device preformed as advertised then that would really help out androids image and if they also updated in a timely manner.

Related

Chances Of Getting A Propper Prime?

I'm hearing nothing but problems. I hear the majority of primes have some form of defect. It seems to me that ASUS screwed up pretty royally with there launch.
I'm in canada and i have a preorder on some small time website. Whats the story? is it only these first few that have defects?
I doubt i would be able to return it to my retailer so im really worried about getting a defected model.
Most things are some small issues so worst that happens is you keep it for a few weeks until stocks fill up and can exchange
My hunch is that the first batch of Primes were defective. ASUS halted the shipment to Canada and delayed the shipment to the US so they could examine existing Prime inventory and correct the wifi problem. They likely had to open each prime to fix it, which likely caused new problems which seen reported here like the Prime screens bleeding light, and looseness, and markings on the basel.
Hopefully those who are waiting in pre-order hell will be the lucky ones who will get the next new batch of Primes fresh off the conveyor belt with the wifi problem fixed.
That's my hunch.
tylermaciaszek said:
Most things are some small issues so worst that happens is you keep it for a few weeks until stocks fill up and can exchange
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screen bleeding, bad wifi, something else.. lol (not dead pixel, could care less)
plus a couple of peoples are just crapping out on them. those issues would bug the crap out of me.
and i couldn't return it to my provider, but could i return it to ASUS?
If your retailer had them in stock you could return it to them if not have to go through asus
As for issues don't worry many people have perfect tablets some just got unlucky Asus will sort it all out
tylermaciaszek said:
If your retailer had them in stock you could return it to them if not have to go through asus
As for issues don't worry many people have perfect tablets some just got unlucky Asus will sort it all out
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tell you what. my prime is perfect. not a problem at all.
Mines not. My gamestop prime has horrid wifi screen bleeding and no gps... It actually just rebooted after freezing while viewing this very thread... I just want the tablet to work... I hope gamestop will exchange it with a version thatcomes in jan or feb... Im not even a room over and i am between -70 and -80 on wifi analyzer.... Awful.... But i am willing to wait if it means i can get working prime
kinda makes me glad I didn't get a prime now. after going 4 tfs I wondered if asus could do better with their second Gen tablet... doesn't seem like they've done much qc this go round either.
guess I'll be getting another Sammy when they get released.
I've been using mine all day long, haven't noticed any problems with mine, no screen bleed...wifi works good for my situation, only thing I can see wrong is it looks like I may have one dead pixel but it doesn't bother me enough..plus if it does bother me ill just wait a little but for fresher models
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
I'm actually glad I ordered my 64 GB now... once I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get it before Christmas, I am glad and hopeful that some of these initial problems might be ironed out & better quality control put in place, in the next few weeks before I'm expected to receive mine; the rush to push the product out before the holidays being over now.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
My Prime is working great. Everything works well including wi-fi and GPS.
No bleeding, battery is great and no lagginess whatsoever, no matter what I am doing.
I doubt "the majority" have problems. It's just that people are more likely to post their problems with their Primes (in the hopes to get them fixed) than others whose Primes are working well.
It's certainly not a clean launch by any means. But to say the majority of Primes are defective is a jumping to conclusions.
If your unit is defective, return it for a new one.
Just got to open mine today for Christmas, although it arrived from Newegg 2 days ago. I also got the docking station. Knock on wood, mine seem to be working just fine so far.
heh...mine was working flawlessly...that is until I charged it to 100% and powered it off. It now will not turn on so I guess I got a nice shiny cutting board for Christmas.
LondonGentleman said:
heh...mine was working flawlessly...that is until I charged it to 100% and powered it off. It now will not turn on so I guess I got a nice shiny cutting board for Christmas.
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Not to make light of the situation, but it probably would make a good cutting board - did you see the video of that guy cutting apples on the screen? You would need to make sure the juices don't ruin the circuit board, though.
LondonGentleman said:
heh...mine was working flawlessly...that is until I charged it to 100% and powered it off. It now will not turn on so I guess I got a nice shiny cutting board for Christmas.
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You mean there's no pin-hole to do a hard reset like you could do on a smartphone or PDA?
tbns said:
Not to make light of the situation, but it probably would make a good cutting board - did you see the video of that guy cutting apples on the screen? You would need to make sure the juices don't ruin the circuit board, though.
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Haha, yeah you're right... I do like to cook so I might as well get some use out of it.
Sent from my SGH-I727R using xda premium
the_game_master said:
You mean there's no pin-hole to do a hard reset like you could do on a smartphone or PDA?
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Yup, just there is but it did nothing when I pushed it. The only life in the unit is a green LED when the charger's plugged into the wall. It doesn't even show up on my PC when I plug it in. Good and truly dead it seems.
At least I got a couple of hours out of it before it died. Other than the whole catastrophic power failure thing it was a real pleasure to use...except maybe for the vibration...it also seemed a little busted.
Sent from my SGH-I727R using xda premium
Every new tablet had it's issue. Look at all the early threads for each tablet. Some people had issues, some people didn't. Your choice whether you want to venture down that road or wait. But what I have seen is that the later models, it has taken longer to get root because the development had the earlier models.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium App
unknown_owner said:
Every new tablet had it's issue. Look at all the early threads for each tablet. Some people had issues, some people didn't. Your choice whether you want to venture down that road or wait. But what I have seen is that the later models, it has taken longer to get root because the development had the earlier models.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium App
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this thread isnt about whether or not tablets normally come out with issues, its about whether i should take a chance, its about if theres a chance of defects in the later models.
blaziner18 said:
this thread isnt about whether or not tablets normally come out with issues, its about whether i should take a chance, its about if theres a chance of defects in the later models.
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And I answered you: Your choice whether you want to venture down that road or wait. There may or may not be defects down the road, we're not there yet so no one knows that answer, only Asus, maybe.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium App

[Q] My Prime, should I keep it?

Ok, so I bought my Prime on 2/27 from Best Buy. I was very lucky because you can't find these things anywhere where I live and they seem to be sold out online in a lot of places as well. I got even more lucky because it was the only one in stock and was an open box item, so I got it for $50 bucks less.
Issues:
Of course the WiFi seems pretty crap weak, but it works good enough in my house.
I have 1 dead pixel, not really noticeable but still bugs me because I know its there.
Slight bit of screen bleed, but this might be impossible to get away from...
I have until Monday (14 days) to decide if I want to return it or not. I really do like it a lot. I am just questioning whether the Tegra 3 will be strong enough for the long haul and if there will be a fix for the WiFi anytime soon.
What would you do? Hold onto it, because it is a pretty great tablet? Or return it and hold out for a little bit for something better around the corner?
Thanks!
There is always something better round the corner, so if you are not happy with it send it back
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
First post nailed it
andyiacovou said:
There is always something better round the corner, so if you are not happy with it send it back
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
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Yeah good point. I am just wondering if I bought at the point that the price might drop in a few weeks anyway because something better is coming.
Also, since the screen has just ONE bad pixel, I can't imagine that in the future, if I send it in for a WiFi fix that they would do anything about the screen would they?
mine has 6 bright pixels
the pixels developed lately, and would not go away with pixel fixer either. i am past return date now.
u should try pixel fixer though, to see if it works for u
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Same applies to the Wife...no 14 days policy thougth....
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
nunosm said:
Same applies to the Wife...no 14 days policy thougth....
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
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Yeah, my wife didn't have return window too. Neither I can send her anywhere for warranty repair.
Sent throught the wormhole from my CoinInserted Sensation OG.
In my experience with several primes that the wifi thing is not on all of them. I've had a unit with a weaker wifi than another. My current one is good. I've also seen some with semi working gps (still doesnt work when driving). Also seen some with different variation in screen (warmer vs cooler). Also seen some with more light bleed than others. So if you really like the prime I'd say return it and get another one if you can find one somewhere else.
aznmode said:
In my experience with several primes that the wifi thing is not on all of them. I've had a unit with a weaker wifi than another. My current one is good. I've also seen some with semi working gps (still doesnt work when driving). Also seen some with different variation in screen (warmer vs cooler). Also seen some with more light bleed than others. So if you really like the prime I'd say return it and get another one if you can find one somewhere else.
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Yeah my WiFi definitely doesn't seem as bad as some people are complaining about. And my GPS can actually give my location when I am inside the house, so that is good too. I honestly don't care about the GPS. I will never need it for Navigation or anything, my phone does that just fine. I am mostly concerned about the WiFi (which apparently isn't that bad) and the screen. It seems like Asus has some pretty excellent support after reading some of Gary Key's posts, they should have a WiFi fix in soon and if I voice my concern I am sure that they will help me out. I am really leaning towards keeping it now...
alias747 said:
Yeah good point. I am just wondering if I bought at the point that the price might drop in a few weeks anyway because something better is coming.
Also, since the screen has just ONE bad pixel, I can't imagine that in the future, if I send it in for a WiFi fix that they would do anything about the screen would they?
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I would not expect the prime to drop price anytime in 2012 personally. Asus has already divulged their pricing scheme for the tf300 and infinity and the prime has its correct spot right in the middle. Current prices will hold through holiday 2012 mark my words.
If you like it keep it, if not return and wait for the next thing. There will always be something better coming with tech products. Only way to enjoy them is to choose what you want and jump in on that device and enjoy it unethical until it can no longer do what you obtained it for.
Personally I love my prime and nothing I see coming in 2012 entices me enough to even entertain the thought of selling or replacing it. I am confident it will be more than enough for me for at least a full year and probably 2.
alias747 said:
Ok, so I bought my Prime on 2/27 from Best Buy. I was very lucky because you can't find these things anywhere where I live and they seem to be sold out online in a lot of places as well. I got even more lucky because it was the only one in stock and was an open box item, so I got it for $50 bucks less.
Issues:
Of course the WiFi seems pretty crap weak, but it works good enough in my house.
I have 1 dead pixel, not really noticeable but still bugs me because I know its there.
Slight bit of screen bleed, but this might be impossible to get away from...
I have until Monday (14 days) to decide if I want to return it or not. I really do like it a lot. I am just questioning whether the Tegra 3 will be strong enough for the long haul and if there will be a fix for the WiFi anytime soon.
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With regard to dead pixels, I dunno why it bugs the hell outta some people. Mine has 2 bright pixels at the middle of the screen. But unless the screen is totally dark and the brightness is set to maximum, you cannot see them. In auto brightness mode, you can't see them at all, even on a black screen. Unless you are anal about this or use your prime at a distance of 1 centimeter, it shouldn't be a problem. Perhaps my bright pixel is not as bright as others. I dunno.
As far as WiFi is concerned, I don't care. Yes, speed tests reveal that my WiFi is slower than my phone's or laptop's. But I can download any file just as fast as on my phone/laptop. It is because not all sites offer you blazing fast download speeds. I can download stuff at a steady 1-1.3 MBps speed. Finally, with regard to screen bleed, I probably don't have it.
All in all, it is a very fast tablet. It is very capable and may be faster than iPad 3 (a.k.a. "The New iPad"). Though the new iPad has a quad core GPU, it has a dual core CPU and CPU is what matters on a daily basis... Anyway, I think i went off topic a little here.
Long story short, I don't think you really need to return the tablet. It is a very capable device. Hopefully "Ubuntu for Android" gets released soon on this!
alias747 said:
What would you do? Hold onto it, because it is a pretty great tablet? Or return it and hold out for a little bit for something better around the corner?
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
If you do that, you'll have to wait indefinitely. Because, everytime a great tablet (or phone) comes out, there is always a better one coming round the corner...
tegra3 more than strong enough. new Ipad A5x chip is hype n uses exact same CPU as in ipad2. check out other thread for proof. tegra3 CPU is alot more powerful than either ipad2 A5 or ipad2 A5x chip(which only includes a slight Gpu performance increase which is needed for their new display).
I'd say keep it if you satisfied with it. if not, just exchange it.
litetaker said:
With regard to dead pixels, I dunno why it bugs the hell outta some people. Mine has 2 bright pixels at the middle of the screen. But unless the screen is totally dark and the brightness is set to maximum, you cannot see them. In auto brightness mode, you can't see them at all, even on a black screen. Unless you are anal about this or use your prime at a distance of 1 centimeter, it shouldn't be a problem. Perhaps my bright pixel is not as bright as others. I dunno.
As far as WiFi is concerned, I don't care. Yes, speed tests reveal that my WiFi is slower than my phone's or laptop's. But I can download any file just as fast as on my phone/laptop. It is because not all sites offer you blazing fast download speeds. I can download stuff at a steady 1-1.3 MBps speed. Finally, with regard to screen bleed, I probably don't have it.
All in all, it is a very fast tablet. It is very capable and may be faster than iPad 3 (a.k.a. "The New iPad"). Though the new iPad has a quad core GPU, it has a dual core CPU and CPU is what matters on a daily basis... Anyway, I think i went off topic a little here.
Long story short, I don't think you really need to return the tablet. It is a very capable device. Hopefully "Ubuntu for Android" gets released soon on this!
If you do that, you'll have to wait indefinitely. Because, everytime a great tablet (or phone) comes out, there is always a better one coming round the corner...
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Well I think that I am really anal then, because yeah, it does bug me unfortunately. I really do need to get over it because like you said, I know that if I were to show my tablet to 100 people, 99 of them wouldn't even be able to notice it. Mine isn't "bright" as you describe it, its just DEAD. So on an all white screen it stays black. Same with just about every other color. No Pixel fixer applications do anything to help either. As for the screen bleed, it is only mostly visible with a black screen. Its on the right side of the screen and when I push on it a little bit it changes a little. I really wonder what causes that...
Anyway, I have made up my mind that I am going to keep my Prime. I love it and there is no major reason why I should dump it at this point. Glad you all talked me out of it. By the way, I noticed that you are from the X2 forums with the Melvin signature... haha too bad we are stuck that turd of a phone... We had to buy a Transformer to get our fill of ICS! lol
Sort of off topic but not really: Since I did buy this Prime as an open box I just thought about the possibility that someone could have bought this before me, locked the bootloader and then returned it... I REALLY don't want that since I really want my 1 year warranty... Is there a way for me to easily tell if my Prime has been unlocked? Thanks!
alias747 said:
Well I think that I am really anal then, because yeah, it does bug me unfortunately. I really do need to get over it because like you said, I know that if I were to show my tablet to 100 people, 99 of them wouldn't even be able to notice it. Mine isn't "bright" as you describe it, its just DEAD. So on an all white screen it stays black. Same with just about every other color. No Pixel fixer applications do anything to help either. As for the screen bleed, it is only mostly visible with a black screen. Its on the right side of the screen and when I push on it a little bit it changes a little. I really wonder what causes that...
Anyway, I have made up my mind that I am going to keep my Prime. I love it and there is no major reason why I should dump it at this point. Glad you all talked me out of it. By the way, I noticed that you are from the X2 forums with the Melvin signature... haha too bad we are stuck that turd of a phone... We had to buy a Transformer to get our fill of ICS! lol
Sort of off topic but not really: Since I did buy this Prime as an open box I just thought about the possibility that someone could have bought this before me, locked the bootloader and then returned it... I REALLY don't want that since I really want my 1 year warranty... Is there a way for me to easily tell if my Prime has been unlocked? Thanks!
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Click to collapse
If you use the Asus bootloader, then it's unlocked, or you can try calling Asus, and giving your Serial number and see if it's in there.
If you have big problem with it, just try to exchange it from where you bought it, or a brick and morter store.
alias747 said:
Well I think that I am really anal then, because yeah, it does bug me unfortunately. I really do need to get over it because like you said, I know that if I were to show my tablet to 100 people, 99 of them wouldn't even be able to notice it. Mine isn't "bright" as you describe it, its just DEAD. So on an all white screen it stays black. Same with just about every other color. No Pixel fixer applications do anything to help either. As for the screen bleed, it is only mostly visible with a black screen. Its on the right side of the screen and when I push on it a little bit it changes a little. I really wonder what causes that...
Anyway, I have made up my mind that I am going to keep my Prime. I love it and there is no major reason why I should dump it at this point. Glad you all talked me out of it. By the way, I noticed that you are from the X2 forums with the Melvin signature... haha too bad we are stuck that turd of a phone... We had to buy a Transformer to get our fill of ICS! lol
Sort of off topic but not really: Since I did buy this Prime as an open box I just thought about the possibility that someone could have bought this before me, locked the bootloader and then returned it... I REALLY don't want that since I really want my 1 year warranty... Is there a way for me to easily tell if my Prime has been unlocked? Thanks!
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Click to collapse
I believe you can't re-lock it once it is unlocked. And I believe you can't return it on warranty claims once it is unlocked, unless may be you are lucky. What you can do is return it and buy it at bestbuy and ask for a price match with Micro center's price. I got $53 off my Prime! Bestbuy is rad, and I love the price match thingy.
And yeah, I am from the Droid X2 forums! I didn't buy this for filling the ICS void per se but it is sweet that this has ICS! It is super smooth, though I didn't have much experience with Honeycomb to tell if it is any better than it. Still very sexy stuff!!!
litetaker said:
I believe you can't re-lock it once it is unlocked. And I believe you can't return it on warranty claims once it is unlocked, unless may be you are lucky. What you can do is return it and buy it at bestbuy and ask for a price match with Micro center's price. I got $53 off my Prime! Bestbuy is rad, and I love the price match thingy.
And yeah, I am from the Droid X2 forums! I didn't buy this for filling the ICS void per se but it is sweet that this has ICS! It is super smooth, though I didn't have much experience with Honeycomb to tell if it is any better than it. Still very sexy stuff!!!
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To add on to the BestBuy thing, technically they require a microcenter store within 25 mile of where you live, but some agent doesn't know that.
I saw a pretty decent article the other day about upgrading the iPad but it seemed to apply well to other tablets, etc. it said to upgrade if you found yourself using it at least 10 hrs a week. it's wholly arbitrary, but the idea being, if you're going to spend 10+ hours a week with the Transformer it's worth keeping as your daily driver. It's a piece of tech that has become a part of your daily life.
There will always be something better within about 3 months in the Android tablet space. What I disagree with is that specs mean much outside Tegra 3s better video decoding and screen resolution that is probably going to get a lot better very soon.

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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Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Advice on RMA

I've been reading through the RMA pieces and they are long and really don't end with good notes, but does anybody know of an escalation process for the Texas RMA center? I'm on my second go around with them after having the tablet since Feb where now I can't use it for more than 30 minutes without it locking up and / or rebooting and once it starts, it gets progressively worse until it just locks up and reboots at the first boot screen. It's happened both times with the tech support (so they even said it's not working right) even trying to go into the boot loader and doing a reset there and freezing up before I can even navigate over to do it).
Needless to say, the repair status is, "Product repair is in progress.-[WF9] Wait for Customer Confirmation-No Trouble Found". They haven't contacted me yet and really the trouble was found / seen by the tech on the phone. I use it for work non-stop (well, when I have it, back to pen and pencil now and explaining why I'm without it yet again) so I really need it fixed. Anybody have a way to escalate it? I really want it back and working. I loved it when it worked but now I feel that I was sold a defective product and they really don't have a repair department above if something is physically cracked.
phikapjames said:
I've been reading through the RMA pieces and they are long and really don't end with good notes, but does anybody know of an escalation process for the Texas RMA center? I'm on my second go around with them after having the tablet since Feb where now I can't use it for more than 30 minutes without it locking up and / or rebooting and once it starts, it gets progressively worse until it just locks up and reboots at the first boot screen. It's happened both times with the tech support (so they even said it's not working right) even trying to go into the boot loader and doing a reset there and freezing up before I can even navigate over to do it).
Needless to say, the repair status is, "Product repair is in progress.-[WF9] Wait for Customer Confirmation-No Trouble Found". They haven't contacted me yet and really the trouble was found / seen by the tech on the phone. I use it for work non-stop (well, when I have it, back to pen and pencil now and explaining why I'm without it yet again) so I really need it fixed. Anybody have a way to escalate it? I really want it back and working. I loved it when it worked but now I feel that I was sold a defective product and they really don't have a repair department above if something is physically cracked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you purchase your Prime from? I might consider talking to the retailer, particularly if it was Amazon. I would explain to them the details of your situation and ask if they can do an exchange. You'd be happy to exchange this one for a working one, right?
I'm reasonably happy with my Prime. The features make Apple's product look like a toy. The post-sale support from ASUS, on the other hand, is absolutely horrible! After losing a couple of rubber feet on my dock, I sent a support REQ asking if I could get a set of rubber feet. They wanted me to do an RMA.
It's worth a try, asking your retailer...
phikapjames said:
I've been reading through the RMA pieces and they are long and really don't end with good notes, but does anybody know of an escalation process for the Texas RMA center? I'm on my second go around with them after having the tablet since Feb where now I can't use it for more than 30 minutes without it locking up and / or rebooting and once it starts, it gets progressively worse until it just locks up and reboots at the first boot screen. It's happened both times with the tech support (so they even said it's not working right) even trying to go into the boot loader and doing a reset there and freezing up before I can even navigate over to do it).
Needless to say, the repair status is, "Product repair is in progress.-[WF9] Wait for Customer Confirmation-No Trouble Found". They haven't contacted me yet and really the trouble was found / seen by the tech on the phone. I use it for work non-stop (well, when I have it, back to pen and pencil now and explaining why I'm without it yet again) so I really need it fixed. Anybody have a way to escalate it? I really want it back and working. I loved it when it worked but now I feel that I was sold a defective product and they really don't have a repair department above if something is physically cracked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Email Hai ([email protected]) he is the technical manager that was listed as a contact on the forums by Gary Key. He is not in Texas, he is in California however I worked with him on 3 separate RMA's for my prime and the guy is great. If you email him with the RMA number I am sure he can offer some assistance.
Hope this helps.
For anyone who has sent their prime in for RMA: do you recommend removing a screen protector before sending it? Will ASUS likely take it off? I have a Skinomi, and could probably get a new one under the lifetime warranty they have (if I have to take it off and it accidentally gets damaged), but if I can leave it on that would be ideal.
Thanks.
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
I wouldn't use a protector on prime in first place, it has gorilla glass but that's me . It all depends what are they fixing. The cpu or dock? If cpu, take it off and save it.
Sent from my Samsung Relay using Tapatalk 2
RaMcHiPTech said:
I wouldn't use a protector on prime in first place, it has gorilla glass but that's me . It all depends what are they fixing. The cpu or dock? If cpu, take it off and save it.
Sent from my Samsung Relay using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its for the camera issue. I guess I'll take it off just in case
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
I sent mine in and got it back fine. Took just about 2 weeks total turn around. I took a bunch of photos of me packing it to prove it was packed. I sent NOTHING but the tablet. Nothing. No case, no SD card, no charger, no GPS dongle, no screen saver, no nothing.
But now, I am over this tablet and seriously don't even use it. Going to likely sell it.
Lock-N-Load said:
I sent mine in and got it back fine. Took just about 2 weeks total turn around. I took a bunch of photos of me packing it to prove it was packed. I sent NOTHING but the tablet. Nothing. No case, no SD card, no charger, no GPS dongle, no screen saver, no nothing.
But now, I am over this tablet and seriously don't even use it. Going to likely sell it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm actually sending it in to see if I can get the camera fixed under warranty (even though I'm unlocked...fingers crossed). Then I am probably going to sell it. I figure I'd have better luck selling it with a working camera, so worth a shot to see if they'll fix it.
cbasse said:
I'm actually sending it in to see if I can get the camera fixed under warranty (even though I'm unlocked...fingers crossed). Then I am probably going to sell it. I figure I'd have better luck selling it with a working camera, so worth a shot to see if they'll fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In case anyone cares, I have some good news for anyone considering an RMA for the camera. Just got mine back after sending it in, and upon first inspection it looks like 1) they replaced the camera module (works now!), and 2) I am still unlocked! I'll report back after trying to install Hairy Wookie Bean (or whatever it's called these days). :beer:
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
cbasse said:
In case anyone cares, I have some good news for anyone considering an RMA for the camera. Just got mine back after sending it in, and upon first inspection it looks like 1) they replaced the camera module (works now!), and 2) I am still unlocked! I'll report back after trying to install Hairy Wookie Bean (or whatever it's called these days). :beer:
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you were able to send it in without paying for repairs? They want to charge me 200 for it....
Sent from my Samsung Relay using Tapatalk 2
RaMcHiPTech said:
So you were able to send it in without paying for repairs? They want to charge me 200 for it....
Sent from my Samsung Relay using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Asus authorized the repair of my unlocked prime, they swapped out the motherboard because of a sound problem, thats the good news
the bad news I got back it wiped, locked and restocked, with no current way to unlock, or OTA.So im stuck

The sad truth..

This is, without doubt, the most failed product I've ever bought. I have bought many unnecessary and failed products, and painfully regretted them all, but none as much as the Prime. I bought it because all the hype around it lead me to believe it would be a good tablet. How deceived I was. Poor wifi connection, no working gps without external dongle, slowdown to almost freeze when installing something from Google Play, etc.
Many times have I wanted to throw it in a brick wall, but it cost 750 dollars and it would pain me even more to lose all that instantly. I can't sell it because no one wants it now when the bootloader's unlocked (meaning no support etc, from already useless Asus) and I don't live in the US so I can't ebay it. I should have just waited until the 32GB 3G Nexus 7, or a Nexus 10, but instead I foolishly bought this sad piece of metal. I have to admit I found a lot more usability in it after upgrading to JB and I was ecstatic for a moment, well, until I installed an app from the Play Store..
So that's it, basically. I'm stuck with a pathetic piece of metal and it's no value in selling it and not worth the energy. I smacked Hairy Bean in it but it's just polishing a turd, really..
Theshawty said:
This is, without doubt, the most failed product I've ever bought. I have bought many unnecessary and failed products, and painfully regretted them all, but none as much as the Prime. I bought it because all the hype around it lead me to believe it would be a good tablet. How deceived I was. Poor wifi connection, no working gps without external dongle, slowdown to almost freeze when installing something from Google Play, etc.
Many times have I wanted to throw it in a brick wall, but it cost 750 dollars and it would pain me even more to lose all that instantly. I can't sell it because no one wants it now when the bootloader's unlocked (meaning no support etc, from already useless Asus) and I don't live in the US so I can't ebay it. I should have just waited until the 32GB 3G Nexus 7, or a Nexus 10, but instead I foolishly bought this sad piece of metal. I have to admit I found a lot more usability in it after upgrading to JB and I was ecstatic for a moment, well, until I installed an app from the Play Store..
So that's it, basically. I'm stuck with a pathetic piece of metal and it's no value in selling it and not worth the energy. I smacked Hairy Bean in it but it's just polishing a turd, really..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are using hb1.51 with a clemsyn overclocked kernel and still have play store lag?
agreed. Owell, you live and you learn, screw asus.
Yes, I have lag everywhere. When browsing Play, when installing apps, etc. The ONLY reason (read: ONLY) I'm keeping this disgraceful excuse of a tablet is because it would pain me even more to lose all that money.
Theshawty said:
Yes, I have lag everywhere. When browsing Play, when installing apps, etc. The ONLY reason (read: ONLY) I'm keeping this disgraceful excuse of a tablet is because it would pain me even more to lose all that money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am only asking based on an honest interest in the problem. There should be no lag in any of those areas using the rom kernel combination I mentioned earlier. Your post otherwise should have come at the end of one of the many complaint threads.
Theshawty said:
This is, without doubt, the most failed product I've ever bought. I have bought many unnecessary and failed products, and painfully regretted them all, but none as much as the Prime. I bought it because all the hype around it lead me to believe it would be a good tablet. How deceived I was. Poor wifi connection, no working gps without external dongle, slowdown to almost freeze when installing something from Google Play, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And... what exactly do you expect to accomplish by complaining about it here? Should we all pass the hat so that we can fund a replacement for you?
With all of its warts, why on earth didn't you return it when you had the chance? All of your gripes are problems that you should have seen from the start. Why did you hang on to it? Did you think it'd get better.
Look, Asus has horrible post-sale support. For that reason alone, I'll never buy another Asus product.
Pretty sure you can still sell it. Part out the dock and you might get $250-300 for both. Which would put you almost $100 within a Nexus10.
Seeing these woot offs and deals for this tablet fly at $200-250 means a lot of people understand the value of a $200 10" tablet. Most of them are probably like me looking to unlock and load up a different ROM anyway. Give it a shot on ebay or CList and get something you really want.
Androwook 1.51 absolutely flies with this thing on mine, sorry to hear you have issues. Got a 32GB preowned one for $200 few weeks ago and besides the wifi drain it's what I expected out of $200. Definitely not $500+ tablet though
whycali said:
I am only asking based on an honest interest in the problem. There should be no lag in any of those areas using the rom kernel combination I mentioned earlier. Your post otherwise should have come at the end of one of the many complaint threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pfft.. Like a kernel can magically solve a ****ty io performance because of crappy nand memory.
Jgrimoldy said:
And... what exactly do you expect to accomplish by complaining about it here? Should we all pass the hat so that we can fund a replacement for you?
With all of its warts, why on earth didn't you return it when you had the chance? All of your gripes are problems that you should have seen from the start. Why did you hang on to it? Did you think it'd get better.
Look, Asus has horrible post-sale support. For that reason alone, I'll never buy another Asus product.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because when I first got it I foolishly thought it was a software issue hence why I unlocked the bootloader and flashed another rom.
Mikey-Z said:
Pretty sure you can still sell it. Part out the dock and you might get $250-300 for both. Which would put you almost $100 within a Nexus10.
Seeing these woot offs and deals for this tablet fly at $200-250 means a lot of people understand the value of a $200 10" tablet. Most of them are probably like me looking to unlock and load up a different ROM anyway. Give it a shot on ebay or CList and get something you really want.
Androwook 1.51 absolutely flies with this thing on mine, sorry to hear you have issues. Got a 32GB preowned one for $200 few weeks ago and besides the wifi drain it's what I expected out of $200. Definitely not $500+ tablet though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only have the tab and not the dock. Who the hell wants it now? I tried selling it but since the b/l is unlocked not a single soul was interested. That, or the fact that the prime is goddamn useless.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Theshawty said:
This is, without doubt, the most failed product I've ever bought. I have bought many unnecessary and failed products, and painfully regretted them all, but none as much as the Prime. I bought it because all the hype around it lead me to believe it would be a good tablet. How deceived I was. Poor wifi connection, no working gps without external dongle, slowdown to almost freeze when installing something from Google Play, etc.
Many times have I wanted to throw it in a brick wall, but it cost 750 dollars and it would pain me even more to lose all that instantly. I can't sell it because no one wants it now when the bootloader's unlocked (meaning no support etc, from already useless Asus) and I don't live in the US so I can't ebay it. I should have just waited until the 32GB 3G Nexus 7, or a Nexus 10, but instead I foolishly bought this sad piece of metal. I have to admit I found a lot more usability in it after upgrading to JB and I was ecstatic for a moment, well, until I installed an app from the Play Store..
So that's it, basically. I'm stuck with a pathetic piece of metal and it's no value in selling it and not worth the energy. I smacked Hairy Bean in it but it's just polishing a turd, really..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel your pain. Here's my story to add to the mix:
My daughter got a TF201 for Christmas last year.. but it didn't arrive until sometime in January 2012 due to availability. We've had a long, hard journey with Asus over the past 11 months and it has apparently come to the point where Asus is saying it is what it is and I'm saying it's a defective product.
Apparently, my only recourse is to take Asus to small claims court.. and I have no idea if that would be productive or not.
The original TF201 with keyboard was received in Jan. 2012... it was updated to ICS and the audio quit working. No sound, no mic, no nothing. Dear Daughter doesn't want to give up her new device so it takes a month or so before she'll save everything and let me return it for repair. Also, at some point we realize the GPS is not working so we get the dongle (which never worked or fixed the GPS problem).
The repair takes care of the audio problem (new motherboard). However, less than 90 days later we get the rear camera green line issue. Again, DD doesn't want to let it go right away, but eventually saves her stuff and off it goes. The camera issue is resolved and we get it back in a reasonable time frame.. 2 or 3 weeks.
Less than 90 days later, the rear camera craps out again. This time I tell Asus it's time to pony up to the plate and just get us a new unit off the line, and not some refurb. We send in the original unit and this time get back a different unit... a refurb.
Right off the bat, it randomly reboots and does weird stuff. Plus, the wifi range is much shorter than the original unit. Asus has us do a factory data reset (which takes time since DD has again loaded her pics and music... so it has to be saved off again). Eventually, we do the FDR and the reboots dramatically improve, but are not completely eliminated. However, wifi range still sucks and of course, the GPS doesn't work.
Now Asus tells us the wifi and GPS fix is to use the dongle (which we can't even find now). But you can't use the dongle when the keyboard is docked... which is how the TF201 is used 99% of the time. So how it that a fix? And I'm being told by Asus CS that the reboot may be when the device needs to update itself. Really? Without asking first? I don't think so.
Asus refuses to step up to the plate and do the right thing. Personally? I'm done with Asus. I've been buying their motherboards, media drives, and laptops for years. But they have found a way to royally pi$$ off a (former) loyal customer.
I'm considering my options at this point.
I hope you guys have better luck with your Asus devices than we have had. DD wishes now she'd gone with the iPad instead. I have to agree.
This story (like all the others before) has touched my heart and I fully sympathize. I am so inconceivably sorry you bought this tablet. I wish there was something I could personally do for you. If there's anything, and I mean anything I can do to ease your pain, please just say.
David
roccodaone said:
This story (like all the others before) has touched my heart and I fully sympathize. I am so inconceivably sorry you bought this tablet. I wish there was something I could personally do for you. If there's anything, and I mean anything I can do to ease your pain, please just say.
David
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah David. You are too kind. No, really.
If I possessed the slightest knowledge and interest of messing with the insides of electrical hardware, I would open this tab and de-solder the nand chip and solder on a fully working one that would play nicely with the rest of the internals, and I would change the metal backing for a better one that doesn't kill off the wifi and gps signals.
But, it would probably be more worth it to buy a nexus 7 3GB 3G (although, made by ASUS :/), but there's one slight issue. Money.
At least your Prime could be unlocked. I might be stuck with lack of root forever.
..
I dont know I still love my prime+dock. It does all i need it to. Yeah there is the occasional stutter when i update an app - but this is certainly not the end of the world for me^^ The screen is awesome and there is nothing better for pdf viewing/annotation and note taking at university... Still makes every ipad/laptop user jaelous.
SD card takes all the series/movies it needs to and battery life is very good. Since JB i'm fully satisfied with what i expect from a tablet. Still got my root without that it would look different i guess. Of course this is a personal view but for me - this tablet is completely fine and worth the money i spent on it.
We got enough whining threads...
Closed.

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