Asus Eee Pad Transformer $839.00

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Master Geek

#503382 8-Aug-2011 15:26

I'm also reading on XDA how you can use a dongle to get 3G. though I can achieve 3G making a wireless hotspot with my phone. There seems to be few limits with the tablet.

I can't say I'm a fan of Polaris (software). I'll look to see if there are alternatives.

Have you seen anybody successfully using a 3G dongle with the transformer?
Can you please point me to the thread? My searches on xda were unsuccessful :(

_Allan

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#503392 8-Aug-2011 15:41

In the weekend I decided to figure out how to get some music onto the Transformer, and it turned out to be very easy in my case.
I have all my music on Windows Media Player using the lossless format. I?ve never liked clipping off the top and bottom notes of my album (cd) collection.
I sync Windows Media Player with my mobile phone (WM 6.5), so I have the same music on my phone with me, where ever I go. The music on my phone is stored on a mini SD card.
I found that all I had to do is put that same Mini SD card into my tablet and then I started the default music application. The application recognised the SD Card and brought up all my music - album art included.
So the solution for me is easy, one SD card which I put into my preferred device of the moment ? simple!

_Allan (my blog, my tweets, company tweets, company web site)
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Neets

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#503398 8-Aug-2011 15:52

droopanu:

I'm also reading on XDA how you can use a dongle to get 3G. though I can achieve 3G making a wireless hotspot with my phone. There seems to be few limits with the tablet.

I can't say I'm a fan of Polaris (software). I'll look to see if there are alternatives.

Have you seen anybody successfully using a 3G dongle with the transformer?
Can you please point me to the thread? My searches on xda were unsuccessful :(

From reading the thread many have it working, not all, and you need the right dongle. And you'll need to root the pad in order to flash the necessary rom. So there are a few steps some may not be prepared to do.

Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900I

timmmay

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#506835 15-Aug-2011 14:58

Hi all, I was going to start another thread about this but figured I might as well tag onto this one.

I'm looking for an Android tablet, and the eee Pad is looking like a strong contender. I want it for email and web at home and at work, reading rss entries, maybe reading in bed, that sort of thing. I'll very occasionally watch a movie on it, but at most a few times a year, so that's not so important. How is it for what i'd use it for?

Specific questions.
- How's the weight, when you're sitting up and lying down?
- How's the comfort in the hand? Is however it joins to the optional keyboard annoying or uncomfortable, or will I never notice it?
- How's the screen? Can the brightness be turn real low for reading at night?

I was looking at 9in tabs, but they seem only slightly smaller or lighter overall. I like the Xoom, but it's quite heavy, I like that it's relatively though. The Acer A500 is quite nice too, but something's holding me back on that one - the eee is a bit lighter. The Galaxy makes you buy adapters to do anything. Any thoughts on what i'd use it for? Weight, comfort, and overall dimensions are most important.

I looked at buying through Amazon, but they only charge a little less, and they charge customs fees up front. Since I have my own business i'd rather pay the GST myself, as I can have it refunded. I'd probably just buy from Ascent or similar, I consider local support worthwhile. Any others ideas where to get one from?

justjay

93 posts

Master Geek

#506842 15-Aug-2011 15:13

timmmay: Hi all, I was going to start another thread about this but figured I might as well tag onto this one.

I'm looking for an Android tablet, and the eee Pad is looking like a strong contender. I want it for email and web at home and at work, reading rss entries, maybe reading in bed, that sort of thing. I'll very occasionally watch a movie on it, but at most a few times a year, so that's not so important. How is it for what i'd use it for?

Specific questions.
- How's the weight, when you're sitting up and lying down?
- How's the comfort in the hand? Is however it joins to the optional keyboard annoying or uncomfortable, or will I never notice it?
- How's the screen? Can the brightness be turn real low for reading at night?

I was looking at 9in tabs, but they seem only slightly smaller or lighter overall. I like the Xoom, but it's quite heavy, I like that it's relatively though. The Acer A500 is quite nice too, but something's holding me back on that one - the eee is a bit lighter. The Galaxy makes you buy adapters to do anything. Any thoughts on what i'd use it for? Weight, comfort, and overall dimensions are most important.

I looked at buying through Amazon, but they only charge a little less, and they charge customs fees up front. Since I have my own business i'd rather pay the GST myself, as I can have it refunded. I'd probably just buy from Ascent or similar, I consider local support worthwhile. Any others ideas where to get one from?

Hi timmmay!

I find the weight fine and spend an hour or so just using like a book every day (reading books on kindle, rss feeds, web, etc...). No problem lying in bed reading for me. If you've had a feel of the Acer and dont have a big problem with its weight you'll love the TF, its no Galaxy or iPad2 but its pretty sleek IMHO.

No problem in comfort. All the connectors on the TF are recessed so its as smooth as anything else out there.

Screen is good. IMHO I would like an even dimmer setting but as I said I have no problem using it for reading. Most of the time I use it in the evening I have it at minimum brightness. For ebook reading I usually use kindle and run it either in night mode (white text on black background at minimum brightness) or sepia mode which I find easier on the eyes. If I could use Aldiko for my kindle books I'd be happier as that one I can have set so dim you can read with the lights out and not strain your eyes! (black background and grey text).

I'd definitely rate the TF over the Acer tablet. Its a bit lighter, nicer to hold and somehow seems more responsive. I've also had a good run with ASUS quality too in many different things (disclaimer: because I bought an early B5O keyboard I had to return it for an RMA fix but the process was simple and painless - this was to fix a design fault rather than any quality issue).

The only thing that would make me think twice about leaving my TF would be the Galaxy 10.1, that is one damn sexy tablet. But I dont like the Samsumg UI as much and its not as expandable.

To be honest the keyboard integration with the TF is so smooth that its replaced my laptop in 95% of cases. I even invested in remote desktop software to cover the other 5% :D

Two thumbs up for supporting local stores. The price difference is narrowing to the point where if I was buying today I'd probably buy local too.

timmmay

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#506848 15-Aug-2011 15:21

Thanks Jay, appreciate your reply! I'd love to hear from others too.

I've never held an eee or a Galaxy, or even seen them. I've played with the A500 for an hour, and i've held a model Xoom in a Telecom store a few times. That thing's pretty solid.

I'm hoping with the openness and flexibility of Android there's a dimming type app, something that will make an rss reader white text on black, so it's nice and dim. If there's not maybe i'll work out how to write it myself!

Is there anywhere I can try an eee before I buy? Do any stores carry them? I'm in Wellington.

hairy1

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#506858 15-Aug-2011 15:37

Justjay summed it all up nicely. Weight is no problem for reading. I use kindle Sepia mode and have read two novels on my eee so far. It has made my laptop pretty much redundant now that I have the keyboard. It is awesome to have the instant on and it lasts for days on one battery charge. It feels pretty solid with the keyboard attached but by itself is nice and light.

The only real issue is some lag when typing in the stock browser. I think there is a fix but haven't had time to chase up the fix.

PB tech Wellington may have some?

Cheers, Matt.

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timmmay

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#506862 15-Aug-2011 15:39

Given the back is designed to kinda look like a laptop, is it comfortable to hold for extended periods? It looks a bit odd, how does it feel? The photos i've seen of it make it look a bit ugly! How is it in person?

justjay

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Master Geek

#506875 15-Aug-2011 15:54

timmmay: Given the back is designed to kinda look like a laptop, is it comfortable to hold for extended periods? It looks a bit odd, how does it feel? The photos i've seen of it make it look a bit ugly! How is it in person?

Always going to be a matter of personal opinion on look. The back has a sort of matt feel to it and I think it works really very well. It doesnt smudge or mark and gives a nice "grip" when holding it (ie, not slippery). Very comfortable. The brown colour is interesting to some but I think it actually works really well, but that one detail is a matter opinion. Looks better in person than in a photo thats for sure.

timmmay

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#506876 15-Aug-2011 15:57

Thanks Jay. I think i'll get me one :-) Shame about the price, $700, they're based on the US price they should be about NZ$550 even after GST.

justjay

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Master Geek

#506894 15-Aug-2011 16:17

Yeah, although its not tooo bad by the time you factor in freight costs, from memory it was about $100 for me to bring it down so that only makes it about 10% more expensive here which isnt toooooo bad when you consider you dont have to wait for it and if you can get it from a reputable dealer you have a local point of contact.

Debin

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Master Geek

#506922 15-Aug-2011 17:25

How is the responsiveness on the device?

Is there much lag between windows?

Samsung are updating the 10.1 with touchwiz, which apparently speeds it up significantly. Do Asus have any plans for something similar?

Does the Transformer have the much derided 'keypad lag' or whatever it is known as?

hairy1

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#506928 15-Aug-2011 17:40

The only lag I have is when typing in windows in the browser and sometimes it seems to build "blocks" of pages when scrolling down the page when browsing a web page. These are both issues with the browser and not the device itself. Launcher seems very responsive to me.

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

justjay

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Master Geek

#506930 15-Aug-2011 17:40

Debin: How is the responsiveness on the device?

Is there much lag between windows?

Samsung are updating the 10.1 with touchwiz, which apparently speeds it up significantly. Do Asus have any plans for something similar?

Does the Transformer have the much derided 'keypad lag' or whatever it is known as?

I've never had any problem at all with responsiveness. Very quick and smooth between windows. There are one or two apps which can cause small bits of jitter as they are cached and restored but this is normal on any device I've used and is a problem with the app, not the device (for example I find Evernote when working on a really long note (5+ pages) can be a bit laggy).

I'll condition that statement saying the minute I got the device I upgraded to 3.1 and am now running 3.2. I have heard 3.0 could be a bit laggy between windows but that was largely solved in the 3.1 update that ASUS pushed out.

I'm not convinced touchwiz is faster than stock Android. It seems a big claim to make and I'd be pretty cautious of it. Its possible its much faster than stock 3.0 but cant imagine its faster than stock 3.2.

Its possible Samsung are doing something tricky to speed things up even more, but frankly my ASUS is pretty slick with no lag to notice anyway.

Personally I prefer the stock Android experience. It tends to mean you get updates faster and has a longer support life, whereas a heavily modded UI can be subject to a lot of delays in updates and can also get dropped by the provider as they release new generations.

As far as I know all Android devices have some lag in the stock browser when using the stock keypad. I have never seen it myself as I tend to use Dolphin browser 99% of the time and that works sweetly.

The biggest reason to chose the Galaxy I think is its formfactor. Thats one damn sexy tablet. If I didnt really love the "netbook" features of the ASUS and just used it as a tablet with no keyboard I'd be tempted by the Galaxy... the only thing I'd wait for is some indication if Apple will force Samsung to stop selling it everywhere which could affect the accessories market a bit...

Bloody Apple :(

timmmay

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#506938 15-Aug-2011 18:02

The Galaxy does look pretty nice, at 8mm instead of 13mm, and about 100g less. It's about $250 more, which I don't think to me is good value.

I know the quad core ones are only a few months away, with the better GPU, but the current ones are easy good enough for what I want.

Can anyone recommend a case for the transformer? One that lets me toss it in my backpack without worrying about it getting scratched, then lets me open it up easily enough when I want it. If it's easy to get in and out of the case that's a bonus.

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