Help n00b questions from a new Android convert

[suirauqa]

Having started to play with an ASUS Transformer Prime TF-201 (armed with Android 4.0.3 ICS), I am already experiencing a host of difficulties. Because I have no prior experience with this platform, I am feeling quite at sea. I hope some kind folks in this forum would provide some pointers/directions.

(a) I have downloaded and installed the EEPad PC Suite (from ASUS Support) in my Windows 7 PC; I found it to be v-e-r-y slow, at least for file functions, like copying or moving. Is this normal?

(b) The stock browser that came with the TF-201 seemed nice. It had nice tabs, and worked pretty much like Chrome. But then I started realizing the major drawbacks. (i) It is generally rather slow. (ii) Even when I am accessing Gmail through the web interface, upon opening the compose menu and tapping the cursor into a text field (such as the 'to' field or the message body), the keyboard wouldn't appear. This happened to me just now. I stopped the process, started it again, but to no avail whatsoever. And this is just one of the issues with the stock browser.

(c) The stock ASUS email app is... weird to say the least. I configured it to access my Gmail, Yahoo mail and Hotmail accounts. I was happy using the stock email app, until I realized everytime I was sending a message from Gmail using the email app, it created a label called 'Imap/sent' in my Gmail account. If I moved a message to the Spam account, it would create a label called 'Imap/spam'; if I deleted a message, it showed up in my Gmail account with an 'Imap/trash' label, but is not actually deleted.

(d) Initially the TF-201 seemed to be pretty fast, as I had expected it to be. But I've already noticed weird glitches, time lags, performance issues. Particularly vexing has been the clock issue. There are four clocks that show time. (i) The system time in settings. (ii) Clock in the taskbar (right bottom corner). (iii) Clock that shows up at the right top corner of the pop up menu when the taskbar is tapped. And (iv) an analog Clock widget on my homescreen. The system time (in the settings) shows the correct time. However, all the three other clocks shows completely different and arbitrary times. Check the screenshot composite that shows all of the above 4 clocks.

(e) The non-inclusion of a good unicode-compliant non-English Foreign Language font is cramping my style, because I use such fonts often. It's particularly odd, since the use of this font works out rather well even in Google's Chromebook CR-48. Not so in the TF-201, where somehow even Google's own Transliteration IME doesn't work.

(f) The apps that I am used to in the iOS platform behave slightly differently, and not in a good way. For instance, the individual webmail apps (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) didn't perform as expected in the Android platform. Each of them had some design issues that made them inconvenient to use. The Yahoo mail, strangely, has no means to delete a message once I am reading the message. I have to get back to the message list in order to select the message and then delete it. It was not like this in the iOS.

(g) The Prime doesn't support 5GHz wireless signal. My Netgear router (dual band) does G at 2.4GHz and N at 5GHz, with two different SSIDs for each band. The Prime sees only the 2.4GHz. In addition, the Wi-fi signal drops inexplicably even when I am sitting at the same spot and not doing anything online. It keeps fluctuating when the wi-fi is actually in use. I can't understand why.

(h) In the ASUS task manager, apps that I am not using show up when I wake the device up from sleep. Apps such as Twitter, Facebook, Keyboard, Google+, Gallery, Calendar etc.) show up, even when I haven't used them at all; for instance, I have never opened Google+ or the Calendar on my device, and yet they show up in the task manager as running.

These problems have been so bad (especially when the comparison with iOS jumps naturally to my mind) that I am tempted to return the TF-201. A part of me wants to try rooting it and installing custom ROMs and stuff to see if it would solve my worries. But then I probably cannot return it any more. I hope sincerely that folks in this forum would be kind enough to provide me with some pointers for different aspects of Android.

 

[cyberbob25]

For point C, this is how gmail works with all IMAP clients. For regular gmail functionality, you must use the gmail app directly.

 

[ylexot]

A) I've never used it. If I want to move files, I do it over wifi.
B) You could download Chrome
D) Something very funky is going on. I'm going to recommend a soft reset. Take a paperclip and stick the wire in the small hole on the left side under the microSD card slot until it clicks and the Prime resets. You don't lose anything, so there's no harm in doing it and it has fixed issues for others.
H) Some apps have background processes (i.e. syncing) that run even if you've never used the app. Don't worry about it.

 

[theandies]

If you are trying to compare your iOS experience with Android you are trying to compare Apples (no pun intended ) to Oranges. You'll just have to get used to the way Android works.
I think a soft reset as suggested may help with some of your problems. Also there is a cold boot method as well that you won't lose any of your data. Hold the volume down and power button until the device resets and you see an Android Icon and an Icon that says wipe data (or something like that) and in the top left corner you see tiny writing. Once you see this you can let go of the buttons and the Prime will boot itself. Not sure if this is a deeper memory clear than pressing the reset button but it works great if an app does funky stuff to the OS.
I turn off all my sync's and do it manually when I feel like it. It keeps my apps from syncing whenever they want and gives me more control. I have no idea why some Google apps open at boot such as Google+ but it happens on my Prime as well. There is a widget called ASUS Task Manager that can quickly close running processes with one click. Works well.
Also, since Android is a totally open architecture you will have poorly written apps that make the OS behave poorly. This is just the open nature of Android. Apple is so strict on what apps are released they have total control over them.
One thing about Android is it is very efficient in memory management so you don't really have to worry about running out of memory because it will kill background apps when other apps that the user want to open to free memory.

 

[suirauqa]

For point C, this is how gmail works with all IMAP clients. For regular gmail functionality, you must use the gmail app directly.

Thank you for your reply. However, I am not sure if your assertion of Gmail's IMAP client behavior is universally true. The mail client on iPhone (Sorry about harping on iPhone... I promise it will wear off with time!) is also an IMAP client, is it not? I have been using that on my iPhone for years now, and never have I had strange Imap labels being created!

 

[suirauqa]

A) I've never used it. If I want to move files, I do it over wifi.

I guess I placed too much faith in a software directly from ASUS...

B) You could download Chrome

TBH, it was there. I am a L-O-N-G time Chrome user, and naturally I gravitated towards using that. However, it appeared that Chrome on the Tablet is a somewhat dumbed down version from what I am used to (I use the Dev Channel on my PCs). I uninstalled it because it was behaving weirdly - including signing me on Google Talk/Google Chat without my express direction (I always remain invisible).

D) Something very funky is going on. I'm going to recommend a soft reset. Take a paperclip and stick the wire in the small hole on the left side under the microSD card slot until it clicks and the Prime resets. You don't lose anything, so there's no harm in doing it and it has fixed issues for others.

TYVM. This seems like something I should definitely try out, after I procure a paperclip from my office tomorrow...

H) Some apps have background processes (i.e. syncing) that run even if you've never used the app. Don't worry about it.

All right. I am glad to know that. Perhaps I should try turning off all syncs, and do them only manually.

 

[suirauqa]

If you are trying to compare your iOS experience with Android you are trying to compare Apples (no pun intended ) to Oranges. You'll just have to get used to the way Android works.

Point taken. I promise the traces of iOS experiences will gradually wear off with time. I don't really mind the differences - honestly. The only issue I have is that with personal devices like tablets and phones, *any* lag totally destroys the user experience. It seems Android is laggy compared to iOS. This is something that Google should most certainly address in the long term.

I think a soft reset as suggested may help with some of your problems. Also there is a cold boot method as well that you won't lose any of your data. Hold the volume down and power button until the device resets and you see an Android Icon and an Icon that says wipe data (or something like that) and in the top left corner you see tiny writing. Once you see this you can let go of the buttons and the Prime will boot itself. Not sure if this is a deeper memory clear than pressing the reset button but it works great if an app does funky stuff to the OS.

TY. I shall try both and see if this solves my weird time adjustment issue.

I turn off all my sync's and do it manually when I feel like it. It keeps my apps from syncing whenever they want and gives me more control. I have no idea why some Google apps open at boot such as Google+ but it happens on my Prime as well. There is a widget called ASUS Task Manager that can quickly close running processes with one click. Works well.

I did mention in my post that I have used the ASUS Task Manager. But on different fora, the consensus seems to be against using it, and letting Android handle its own memory allocations and stuff. You have said it yourself in your reply.

Also, since Android is a totally open architecture you will have poorly written apps that make the OS behave poorly. This is just the open nature of Android. Apple is so strict on what apps are released they have total control over them.

Once again, I am in complete agreement. This, in fact, formed the basis of an argument in certain tech magazine a little while back whether Android was too open and whether Google should attempt to retain at least some control over the OS. Anyway, to quote Pop-Eye, "I yam what I yam" - perfect for Android's mantra and users like me must learn to work around it.

 

[theandies]

I did mention in my post that I have used the ASUS Task Manager. But on different fora, the consensus seems to be against using it, and letting Android handle its own memory allocations and stuff. You have said it yourself in your reply.

Agreed - I usually let Android manage my memory but sometimes I just like to clean the slate so I use ATM. It's just a hold over from using PC's for all these years.

I forgot to add that when you do the cold boot start with the Prime powered on. Press and hold volume down then press and hold PWR until it reboots and you see the little icons and text in the left corner.

 

[cyberbob25]

Thank you for your reply. However, I am not sure if your assertion of Gmail's IMAP client behavior is universally true. The mail client on iPhone (Sorry about harping on iPhone... I promise it will wear off with time!) is also an IMAP client, is it not? I have been using that on my iPhone for years now, and never have I had strange Imap labels being created!

I have never owned an iphone, so I couldn't tell you. I can tell you however that both the IMAP client on my laptop (Thunderbird) and my IMAP client on my phone (K9) also get labeled with an IMAP prefix by default (until I go through and manually specify which IMAP folders to use on my clients).

 

[suirauqa]

I have never owned an iphone, so I couldn't tell you. I can tell you however that both the IMAP client on my laptop (Thunderbird) and my IMAP client on my phone (K9) also get labeled with an IMAP prefix by default (until I go through and manually specify which IMAP folders to use on my clients).

That's the exact point... This never happens with the iOS mail client. IDK why. Anyway, I took good advice and installed the K-9 client, customizing it to the point of specifying which folders to use for spam, trash etc. I think my email client worries are just about over... So, thank you! :adore: