I should clarify a few points before proceeding.
- I do not have the keyboard dock
- I purchased my unit on dec 23, serial starts with: BCOKA
- My GPS does not work, I dont mind .. i didnt even know it had GPS
- My WiFi signal is weak, as others report, but it hasnt effected performance so far
- I dont know if BT works, or interferes with wifi .. i dont use BT. Let me know how to test this and i will
Ill conclude this immediately, to save you all from reading my unnecesarily long post lol. I love my prime. Id hope for a fix to increase the wifi reception, but it hasnt effected me much in real-world use, so im not going crazy over it.
Browser
I really dont like having to "test" all different browsers to see which, if any, will perform best. Ill piggy back that comment with: I really LOVE having the ABILITY to test different browsers ... i.e have the option, i.e unlike iOS. That being said, i think if the single only thing you ever do on a tablet is use the browser ... go buy an ipad. The browser performance, in my opinion, is far superior. It feels more fluid, more responsive, less crashes/hangups, etc. However, since different options are luckily available, I went through several browsers and settled on "Boat Browser". It has performed the best for me and i am happy with this! YMMV.
FC's, Stutters, Freazings, etc.
This is EXTREMELY RARE. I do sometimes run an app that all of a sudden freaks out and i have to close it, or it just FC's itself. Most recently I am having an issue with Gmail, but im confident this will be addressed. In all honesty i think whats happening is a bit of a mental game! I know i bought a bleeding edge piece of gadgetry, i know it has been under the microscope for weeks now, so any little thing that happens im like "omgz call Asus, its a defect!!!". When in reality, its no big deal lol. In most cases just restart the app, or restart the tablet, in worst case just wait few weeks for the app to be updated for ICS compatibility.
Typing on the TF201
I find it slightly more awkward to type on this due to the 10+ inch size. I have some big hands, and i still find it awkward! However i am getting used to it, and Thumb Keyboard is a LIFE SAVER!! I do WAYYYYY more typing on this thanks to that one app.
Replacing my laptop
Not quite! Admittedly i dont have the keyboard dock so its not fair for me to even comment, however i still need my laptop for World Of Warcraft! ha! I also really need to have a hard drive, with a file structure ... i maintain a LOT of images of my family and daughter specifically, and take pride in the orginization on my drive. I cannot give that up, and dont feel confident i can migrate this to my TF201 just yet. I guess its a personal preference here .. the real question might be "are you ready to be 100% in the cloud?" the answer for me, right now, is no.
Apps
There arent 11tybillion apps for the Android Tablets just yet, but I use a lot of apps and I have never said to myself "crap, this is not available on android!" a single time. Well admittedly, i said that the other day about a game my friend was bragging about on his iphone called Tomb Runner, or something. But for the most part I have found anything i have looked for! Go to the app market, then "staff picks for tablets" will give you a good start.
Accessories
This is one thing that really had me wishing i wanted an iPad, it has a TON of accessories! Anything you can think of .. and a few things you wouldnt want to think of (a fleshlight case, wtf?). For my TF201, i bought a leather folio case (MiniSuit) and thats it. I also bought a clear screen protector but couldnt get it on.
Power Plug
This is just annoying to me, so it gets its own spot on my review. Why the hell did they choose to use a proprietary plug? I guess they had their reasons, but frankly i dont care lol. Just let me use the same cable im using for the rest of my android devices. Now every day i head to work and I have to carry my lunch, my tablet, and my power cord in case i need juice? I guess ill eventually buy a second cord, but again ... whyyyyyyy???
WiFi Reception
Ill give this its own section, since this is the single most talked about topic when it comes to this tablet. I have had NO issues connecting, or using wifi. No issues with it being slow, or anything like that. So whats all the fuss? Ill admit i have opened "wifi analyzer" and when on top of my router it has crazy strength. When walking more than 12ft away from router the signal TANKS. This is rumored to be something to do with the aluminum back, or possibly faulty antenna connections, or something. Ill repeat ... yes my signal suffers when walking away from router (more so than any other device) but even 30ft away and many walls in between (my typical work spot) I do not notice any of my apps or surfing suffering at all.
In this case "Ignorance Is Bliss" ... if you never download Wifi Analyzer, you'll never complain about this, in my opinion.
HOWEVER ... my tests, and most i read, are from someone sitting at work or home. Those that are effected worse would be campus dwellers, or starbucks surfers ... anywhere that has really weak signal to begin with. According to that group even if your TF201 is able to connect, the speed is not usable. Speedtest wont even run, said a few people. But thats not me, so im not worried about it.
I think ultimately id LIKE to send it back to Asus once they streamline the process of repairing the wifi reception. Also I see they have already have new S/N batches, so i would definitely want the newest/best hardware available for what i spent. My only fear right now is that everything else on this unit is perfect, id hate to open a can of worms!
In a month or so when the iPad3 comes out ill be buying that as well, sick of my daughter and wife touching my Prime hehe ... so ill be able to do some serious comparisons. But as of right now i dont regret my decision at all, not a single bit!
Id love any feedback or questions!
- I do not have the keyboard dock
- I purchased my unit on dec 23, serial starts with: BCOKA
- My GPS does not work, I dont mind .. i didnt even know it had GPS
- My WiFi signal is weak, as others report, but it hasnt effected performance so far
- I dont know if BT works, or interferes with wifi .. i dont use BT. Let me know how to test this and i will
Ill conclude this immediately, to save you all from reading my unnecesarily long post lol. I love my prime. Id hope for a fix to increase the wifi reception, but it hasnt effected me much in real-world use, so im not going crazy over it.
Browser
I really dont like having to "test" all different browsers to see which, if any, will perform best. Ill piggy back that comment with: I really LOVE having the ABILITY to test different browsers ... i.e have the option, i.e unlike iOS. That being said, i think if the single only thing you ever do on a tablet is use the browser ... go buy an ipad. The browser performance, in my opinion, is far superior. It feels more fluid, more responsive, less crashes/hangups, etc. However, since different options are luckily available, I went through several browsers and settled on "Boat Browser". It has performed the best for me and i am happy with this! YMMV.
FC's, Stutters, Freazings, etc.
This is EXTREMELY RARE. I do sometimes run an app that all of a sudden freaks out and i have to close it, or it just FC's itself. Most recently I am having an issue with Gmail, but im confident this will be addressed. In all honesty i think whats happening is a bit of a mental game! I know i bought a bleeding edge piece of gadgetry, i know it has been under the microscope for weeks now, so any little thing that happens im like "omgz call Asus, its a defect!!!". When in reality, its no big deal lol. In most cases just restart the app, or restart the tablet, in worst case just wait few weeks for the app to be updated for ICS compatibility.
Typing on the TF201
I find it slightly more awkward to type on this due to the 10+ inch size. I have some big hands, and i still find it awkward! However i am getting used to it, and Thumb Keyboard is a LIFE SAVER!! I do WAYYYYY more typing on this thanks to that one app.
Replacing my laptop
Not quite! Admittedly i dont have the keyboard dock so its not fair for me to even comment, however i still need my laptop for World Of Warcraft! ha! I also really need to have a hard drive, with a file structure ... i maintain a LOT of images of my family and daughter specifically, and take pride in the orginization on my drive. I cannot give that up, and dont feel confident i can migrate this to my TF201 just yet. I guess its a personal preference here .. the real question might be "are you ready to be 100% in the cloud?" the answer for me, right now, is no.
Apps
There arent 11tybillion apps for the Android Tablets just yet, but I use a lot of apps and I have never said to myself "crap, this is not available on android!" a single time. Well admittedly, i said that the other day about a game my friend was bragging about on his iphone called Tomb Runner, or something. But for the most part I have found anything i have looked for! Go to the app market, then "staff picks for tablets" will give you a good start.
Accessories
This is one thing that really had me wishing i wanted an iPad, it has a TON of accessories! Anything you can think of .. and a few things you wouldnt want to think of (a fleshlight case, wtf?). For my TF201, i bought a leather folio case (MiniSuit) and thats it. I also bought a clear screen protector but couldnt get it on.
Power Plug
This is just annoying to me, so it gets its own spot on my review. Why the hell did they choose to use a proprietary plug? I guess they had their reasons, but frankly i dont care lol. Just let me use the same cable im using for the rest of my android devices. Now every day i head to work and I have to carry my lunch, my tablet, and my power cord in case i need juice? I guess ill eventually buy a second cord, but again ... whyyyyyyy???
WiFi Reception
Ill give this its own section, since this is the single most talked about topic when it comes to this tablet. I have had NO issues connecting, or using wifi. No issues with it being slow, or anything like that. So whats all the fuss? Ill admit i have opened "wifi analyzer" and when on top of my router it has crazy strength. When walking more than 12ft away from router the signal TANKS. This is rumored to be something to do with the aluminum back, or possibly faulty antenna connections, or something. Ill repeat ... yes my signal suffers when walking away from router (more so than any other device) but even 30ft away and many walls in between (my typical work spot) I do not notice any of my apps or surfing suffering at all.
In this case "Ignorance Is Bliss" ... if you never download Wifi Analyzer, you'll never complain about this, in my opinion.
HOWEVER ... my tests, and most i read, are from someone sitting at work or home. Those that are effected worse would be campus dwellers, or starbucks surfers ... anywhere that has really weak signal to begin with. According to that group even if your TF201 is able to connect, the speed is not usable. Speedtest wont even run, said a few people. But thats not me, so im not worried about it.
I think ultimately id LIKE to send it back to Asus once they streamline the process of repairing the wifi reception. Also I see they have already have new S/N batches, so i would definitely want the newest/best hardware available for what i spent. My only fear right now is that everything else on this unit is perfect, id hate to open a can of worms!
In a month or so when the iPad3 comes out ill be buying that as well, sick of my daughter and wife touching my Prime hehe ... so ill be able to do some serious comparisons. But as of right now i dont regret my decision at all, not a single bit!
Id love any feedback or questions!
