How satisfied are you with your Asus Eee Pad Transformer tablet?

[amino]

***Transformer vs Ipad 2

I know this is an android forum; however after reading your responses there is alot of criticism of the honeycomb android operating system. I am looking for a tablet mainly for storing and reading many research papers in pdf format, annotating, managing them in files, emailing, modifying and editing documents, note taking (with a stylus) and reading large textbooks with complex illustrations. I am looking for easy connectivity, long battery life and perhaps a good range of apps to use to teach medical students eg: anatomy demonstrations etc....

I am attracted by the well developed app store from apple but the ipad lacks connectivity (via usb), multi-tasking, good file management and flexibility. WHat are everyones thoughts ?

 

[AutobahnSHO]

Doing all of that on ANY tablet will be tedious/cumbersome.

Right now I don't know of any good notetaking (stylus) apps for Android, but look in the note-taking thread.
-Dunno if Adobe for Android allows annotating.
-I believe the apps for doctors/nurses are much more developoed by now for iPad, as much as I hate to recommend that route.

The reason I immediately wanted the Transformer the first time I saw it was the keyboard. I literally have a tablet that becomes a netbook, or a netbook that becomes a tablet. HDMI out, USB on the keyboard, and microSD storage were all super pluses as well. Typing is just as fast as any netbook, for my note taking and document writing. Battery life can't be beat, and if you mostly use the tablet but get low on juice, just put it on the keyboard for a half hour and it's good to go again.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who try to use a tablet for work but in my opinion I just wouldn't be able to survive that way.

You MIGHT look into hacking the Transformer and putting linux on it- however don't know if the software you need is available, you'd likely need to spend many hours of research, installing, and tweaking to get it to do exactly what you want.
(I like hacking as much as the next guy but am using stock Honeycomb, I use mine for games, email, movies, music, light workstuff. In that order.)

 

[Nitro Fan]

My Rating 1

I received my Transformer last Tuesday set it up on Wednesday and by Friday afternoon the front of the case was already coming away from the back!

Imagine holding the tablet part in landscape view with connectors to the bottom, then with your left hand very very gently grip the case about halfway up the left hand side and I can hear it taping as the front of the case hits the back part of the device! I paid​

 

[bill@freuchie]

The Transformer is a brilliant design concept severely handicapped by the marketing genius who talked asus into supplying a 'universal'charger. My first Transformer had a charger which wouldn't output at all. Amazon.uk immediately sent me a replacement Transformer, but again the the charger was DOA. Just give me a country-specific charger, even if you have to charge a few euros more.
Replacement chargers are unavailable from asus.uk, and out of stock at asus.us (even the 2-pin US type).
On another forum I read weird and wonderful solutions: bend the charger pins outwards, stick it in the freezer for an hour. They can't be serious.
This is a beautifully-designed, well-build mini-computer marred by that cheese=paring charger.

 

[gwc17]

Had my Asus Eee Pad Transformer 3 weeks and give 10 as it is better than I was expecting....Only Con...Seating Pad back onto the Dock takes a little practice.

 

[UBRocked]

On another forum I read weird and wonderful solutions: bend the charger pins outwards, stick it in the freezer for an hour. They can't be serious.

Haha! The freezer? What is this...a clicking hard drive?

Sorry...back on topic...just thought that was pretty funny

 

[ukpetey]

Hi everyone, just registered so I could post, but I've been lurking here for a few weeks, reading all the hints/tips/news etc. Thanks to everyone.

I have to say that I LOVE my Transformer, BUT am returning it to the retailer. I've had it close to four weeks, and it is a brilliant piece of kit, superbly designed and implemented, but oh-so badly let down by Android, and particularly the complete lack of anything decent to run on it!

I'm not an Apple fan boy - but I do have an iPad 2. The thing I hate about the ipad is that there is no dock with a keyboard, at least not one built by the manufacturer - that's why the Asus Transformer appealed so much.

I had hoped I might love the TF101 and sell the ipad. I search the android store in vain, someone here has posted the available apps, but there's nothing. Those free apps that I've tried have been appalling!

The iPad as everyone knows, has tons of great apps. For example, I read the UK's Times newspaper, and I have a subscription on my iPad - it's a great app, and I get the newspaper every day.

The same app on Honeycomb is shocking, and crashes frequently. As does the browser. Typing has terrible lag.

I really, really wanted to love my TF1, and I do. It just doesn't have anything for me to do on it, and to tie up

 

[juniorcleff]

So far, I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10. No light leaks, but I do still get some keyboard lag on web forms. Give me netflix, and it's a 9.

You can get netflix directly through your browser rather than an app. Also Opera's browser has virtually no keyboard lag.

 

[UBRocked]

You can get netflix directly through your browser rather than an app. Also Opera's browser has virtually no keyboard lag.

What browser lets you watch Netflix on this tablet?

 

[LaFlavor]

You can get netflix directly through your browser rather than an app. Also Opera's browser has virtually no keyboard lag.

I'll give that a try tonight. If it works, it's a 9, then bumped back down to a 7.5 because the USB and SD port in the dock don't seem to be working.

 

[UBRocked]

I'll give that a try tonight. If it works, it's a 9, then bumped back down to a 7.5 because the USB and SD port in the dock don't seem to be working.

I heard there was an update for the dock. Did you try that?

 

[question729]

What browser lets you watch Netflix on this tablet?

When I tried to watch Netflix on the tablet the site said it wasn't available for my platform. I'm guessing you'd need a browser that hid the fact you were using Android. The only way I've watched Netflix on the Transformer was with Splashtop, but that doesn't really count since you need a PC turned on somewhere.

 

[UBRocked]

When I tried to watch Netflix on the tablet the site said it wasn't available for my platform. I'm guessing you'd need a browser that hid the fact you were using Android. The only way I've watched Netflix on the Transformer was with Splashtop, but that doesn't really count since you need a PC turned on somewhere.

Yeah, I've never seen or heard about this being done. If netflix thinks you are on an windows PC then it would prompt you to install MS Silverlight...which isn't available on Android. I'm thinking someone was mistaken...but I would love to be proved wrong

 

[juniorcleff]

Yup, you are correct. I was mistaken. I was totally thinking about HBOgo. Netflix is indeed a no go for now.

 

[juniorcleff]

Just found this though concerning Silverlight:

InfoQ: Mono Brings Silverlight to the Android Tablet and Phone

 

[kampfwolf09]

Anyone have any word on when it will be available?

 

[Chaco]

I just got my Transformer 7/11

After having it for 5 days i must admit that i am in love. This device has exceeded my expectations.

I wanted the Toshiba Thrive and was waiting on it because of all the connectivity. But price and final configuration showed me the Transformer was the way to go.

I did get the keyboard and its a must have. I love just using my tablet, but when i want to take notes, and go web, its good to have, quite useful. Even connecting flash or hard drives, works like a charm. Battery life its excellent, exactly what i was expecting an Android device to be like. So far no regrets and i will not look elsewhere.

Only gripe is the camera doesnt give you the options to autofocus or touch to focus.

 

[crossy]

For those of you that own an Asus eee pad transformer, how satisfied are you with your tablet? (on a scale from 1-10, 10 being extremely satisfied) If you could list some of your pro's and con's as well, that would be great. This is the tablet I'm very likely going to purchase, but I'd like to hear from current owners of the tablet on their thoughts.

Hardware: 9/10, Software 6/10. Overall: 8/10
Pros: it's fast; it looks very good; on the whole it performs well as tablet and netbook; wifi hardware is good; sound quality is good; screen display excellent; pricing is very competetive.
Cons: getting it docked is a bit tricky sometimes (maybe because mine is less than a week old); the charger arrangement (see below) is crap; manuals provided are not much better than useless (there's a far better one available on Asus' site, so why not load that PDF as standard onto the tablet?) No real accessories available in the UK (although it fits perfectly into the 10" HP netbook bag I bought on sale locally)
Honeycomb has some rough edges, like a rash of browser crashes with no explanation, plus - on occasion - the keyboard/typing lag is abysmal. Strangely enough switching browser seems to sort that - Opera, Firefox or Dolphin are all good.

The Transformer is a brilliant design concept severely handicapped by the marketing genius who talked asus into supplying a 'universal'charger. My first Transformer had a charger which wouldn't output at all. Amazon.uk immediately sent me a replacement Transformer, but again the the charger was DOA. Just give me a country-specific charger, even if you have to charge a few euros more.

Oh, I couldn't agree more - and the bl**dy cable is too short to boot. The first company to come out with a proper charger is going to get a slab of my cash asap. I thought for a microsecond that it was actually the Apple dock connector - it looks kinda similar.

("@freuchie" - yer no a fella' Fifer by any chance?)

Do I regret buying it instead of an iPad or a Xoom? ... NO!
Do I think it could be improved? ... YES - a couple of OS updates and a better charger would boost that to a 9 or even 10/10.

 

[lunatic59]

Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It's been 5 days since I bought my Transformer and I still haven't told my wife

Of course I have been busier than a Congressman at a corporate recruiting fair and haven't had the chance to put it through many of it's paces, but here is my initial impression.

The screen is what I would expect from an IPS display. Bright and vibrant with colors reproducing anywhere from good to excellent. There is a bit of light leaking around the bezel but only on bootup (that I've noticed) when the screen is completely black. Also, out of the box, there was a stuck pixel (red) for the first day or so, but it has settled down and is gone.

One thing I noticed right away was the way the screen was mounted. There is no separation or creaking on mine as has been reported by others, but the black plastic ribbon around the glass seems to be a little rough on one edge. I an not sure if it common from manufacturing or it was something done in the process of refurbing the unit. (FYI, purchased as new item from Best Buy with all seals seemingly intact.)

No matter, it's working fine so I am not going to get my boxers in a bunch over it.

Had some app freakiness, mainly from phone apps trying to run on a tablet, but that's to be expected. I also am marginally unimpressed with media support. I can play mpeg files okay with moboplayer, but if I try to fastforward or rewind the app force closes. I've tried converting a few to MP4's but the sound is out of sync. That's a problem with my conversion and not the player, so i guess I have to work on that one.

I'll be back when I have had more time with it, but for now I give it two thumbs up with a hangnail or two.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

Are people BENDING a tablet on purpose? I've notice if I take both hands and wiggle the Transformer it will move a little bit, but nothing like people have been complaining about.

It's a big piece of glass connected to plastic. Be careful with it!

 

[GeekClass]

Here's my experience.

Browser loves crashing, so you have to use Dolphin if you want a browser that doesn't look like crap on HC and actually works.

Flash works. Flash is crap. Thank God Apple is trying to destroy it. Someone has to. Too bad there's no iPad user agent in Browser like on the a500.

Build quality is good. I would've taken it back if it felt anything less than sturdy. Of course I'm not trying to break it on a regular basis either.

Not as fast/smooth as the iPad 2, but it's comparable with the iPad 1.

Not too many apps worth writing home about. And you have to deal with a bunch of 'people' recommending that you don't need an app when you have a website for it, completely ignoring that every other tablet out there has that exact same advantage. >_>

If it wasn't for the keyboard dock, I would've gotten an iPad 2.

Luckily, I have a usenet account with access to any xvid I want and it's my preferred way for getting/watching shows and movies. And of course you can always get your xvids in other ways. But no Netflix, no Google Movies, no Hulu, and it doesn't even support your average hd mkv out in the wild. Oh and TV Shows Stream has stopped working too, which may be a sign of further crackdowns in the marketplace or against devs.

HC is such a nice interface, much better than default iOS. But an interface can only take you so far.

The app situation is horrible, no matter what pitiful excuses you hear. But whether or not that affects you truly depends on what you plan on using your tablet for. Me? Web browsing, irc, shows/movies, music, and various rss feeds. It works just fine.

Honest feelings? It feels like I bought into a dying platform. That's how it feels. Hopefully, the app situation will get better, and that they will mostly err on the side of looking as good as the youtube app, and not as bad as the average pre 3.0 app (yea, I said it). The youtube app gives me hope that there's nothing stopping other apps like zinio from being as smooth and fast. It also feels like google needs to support their own OS a bit more, since it feels like the red headed stepchild in between gingerbread and ICS at times. I expect Asus to update to ICS when the time comes though.

 

[busted bones]

The new apk for netflix that 1.3 I believe is working on Xoom, Transformers, and Galaxy Tabs, you have to do a manual install though not through the market. Flash is getting better and will continue to do so as hardware improves on the tablets. The biggest advantages now is the newest flash updates allow for hardware acceleration and that significantly drops the CPU usage.

A good article about how it all stacks up is this one:
Does HTML5 Really Beat Flash? The Surprising Results of New Tests

Everything else you do have good points on however.

 

[UBRocked]

The new apk for netflix that 1.3 I believe is working on Xoom, Transformers, and Galaxy Tabs, you have to do a manual install though not through the market. Flash is getting better and will continue to do so as hardware improves on the tablets. The biggest advantages now is the newest flash updates allow for hardware acceleration and that significantly drops the CPU usage.

A good article about how it all stacks up is this one:
Does HTML5 Really Beat Flash? The Surprising Results of New Tests

Everything else you do have good points on however.

Not running on mine

Luckily...us rooted folk always have other options. I'll be trying this out tonight [DEV] Netflix patch for Asus Transformer - xda-developers

 

[UBRocked]

Not running on mine

Luckily...us rooted folk always have other options. I'll be trying this out tonight [DEV] Netflix patch for Asus Transformer - xda-developers

And it works like to charm

 

[rmp5s]

I see that a lot of people think the power adapter is really short...2' I think I saw someone say? Really? That is crazy short. When I get a tf here in the coming weeks, if the cable really is that short, I'm going to take some wire and shrink tube and lengthen it by about 4 ft. It's very cheap and easy to do and with some nice shrink tubing work you can even make it look stock. No one else has tried this yet?