Asus Transformer Prime - Buy now or not???

[Droid415]

I'm in desperate need of a tablet as I don't currently own one and I have many work related uses for it. I've looked at the different OS's on the market and decided Android was the way I wanted to go. After much research, I thought the Asus Transformer Prime would be the best choice, but it seems there are still a few bugs that need to be worked out? At the same time, some other tablets that were on my "short list" of considerations are dropping in price such as the Asus Eee Transformer 32gb and the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab 32gb.

If I could pick up one of those two alternate tablets (Asus Transformer or Sumsung Galaxy Tab) for $75 - $100 less than the prime, would it make sense doing so given some of the bugs that are coming to light with the Prime?

 

[Frederuco]

I'm in desperate need of a tablet as I don't currently own one and I have many work related uses for it. I've looked at the different OS's on the market and decided Android was the way I wanted to go. After much research, I thought the Asus Transformer Prime would be the best choice, but it seems there are still a few bugs that need to be worked out? At the same time, some other tablets that were on my "short list" of considerations are dropping in price such as the Asus Eee Transformer 32gb and the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab 32gb.

If I could pick up one of those two alternate tablets (Asus Transformer or Sumsung Galaxy Tab) for $75 - $100 less than the prime, would it make sense doing so given some of the bugs that are coming to light with the Prime?

What are you planning to do with it?

If it involves heavy 3D gaming, then you should probably get the Prime. If not, I would go for the previous version IF you can get a good deal on it.

I have the TF101 version in the 16 GB flavor. Plenty of space and horsepower for what I do with it. I have no plan on upgrading at the current time as Honeycomb still does not take full advantage of the Tegra2 for hardware accelleration. This should change with Ice Cream Sandwich just around the corner.

Also, I would recommend the Transformer + Keyboard Dock (TF101 or TF201) if you are serious about using this for business/work. The clamshell keyboard dock is awesome, and the option to use it as a tablet for notes is second to none IMO. Yes, the GTab 10.1 has a keyboard dock, but no extra battery, no adjustable angle, and it does not fold up nicely like a netbook. Do keep in mind this is still a tablet and not a full on laptop or netbook. It cannot do everything, but it can do a LOT.

As far as a good deal, if you can get a TF101 sixteen gig for $250-275, or if you decide for the extra space the 32 GB flavor for $300-$350 and grab the keyboard dock for $100, that is my opinion. If you are gonna wonder what could have been if you had gotten the Prime, then obviously drop the coin for that.

As for the WiFi and GPS issues that are all around the Prime, keep in mind those with the issues yell the loudest. I know a lot of people with a Prime that have no noticable issues with either of these. Granted, WiFi reception may be less at distances far from a WiFi node, but for 99% of most peoples usage it is not going to be an issue.

 

[Adastra]

Speaking of the Transformer Prime, could someone please tell me how far the screen will bend back when it's in the keyboard dock?

I used to own an ASUS eee PC 1000, and one of the things I loved about it was that I could bend the screen back until it was almost horizontal. The netbook I had after that wouldn't bend back very far at all, much to my disappointment.

Droid415, I'm very curious as to what work-related uses you have for your tablet...? In my own case I want my tablet to be good for a lot of non-work uses, although I also want a tablet that would have some potential as a productivity machine. A consideration for me is that I don't want a tablet that's going to be obsolete in the near future, since I can't afford to upgrade my machines very often.

If all goes well I'm finally going to get an Android tablet in about a month, and it's going to be a Transformer Prime. It definitely seems to be the best option currently out there. When I had an ASUS netbook I was pleased with the level of software support (frequent updates to the linux OS), and found it to be a very well-built machine.

I was having doubts about the Prime when I read that the bootloader was locked--I'm not a modder, but I strongly believe that people have the right to hack their own machines if they're so inclined. That was almost a dealbreaker for me, so I was pleased when ASUS immediately changed their policy on that when people started protesting. (If I wanted a great machine built by control freaks I'd buy an iPad.)

 

[Frederuco]

Speaking of the Transformer Prime, could someone please tell me how far the screen will bend back when it's in the keyboard dock?

I do not have a Prime, but I know someone who had that and the TF101. Both open to approximately the same point. It does not go flat because the hinge sticks out the bottom side to give the keyboard some elevation when typing to make it easier to type on. The max opening is approximately 135 degrees. No where near flat. Sometimes this would be nice, but most of the time I do not miss it.

Here is a picture I found that shows it close to, if not at the maximum opening:

 

[JerseyRider]

I have a dock but it is not connected at the time so I can't tell you how far the screen will bend. I read somewhere that the bootloader will not be locked in the ICS firmware upgrade. ASUS gave in to the complaints of owners and prospective owners. We should know if it's true soon since ICS should be released later this week.

 

[Adastra]

Thanks, Frederuco and JerseyRider. (Especially for the picture, very helpful.)

Too bad it doesn't go back further, but I guess I can live with that...considering that I can just take the screen off if I'm not typing. The netbook I found so irritating would only open to about 90 degrees, which was definitely not enough.

 

[JerseyRider]

Ok here is a picture of my Prime and dock opened as far as it will go. Notice that they are not the same color. I ordered them both gray but the dock is champagne.
View attachment 5245View attachment 5246

 

[Frederuco]

Ok here is a picture of my Prime and dock opened as far as it will go. Notice that they are not the same color. I ordered them both gray but the dock is champagne.

I have to say, that does not look that bad together. Crazy that the box had the wrong part in it.

EDIT: Looks like your tablet is Champagne and the dock is grey.

 

[JerseyRider]

EDIT: Looks like your tablet is Champagne and the dock is grey.

ooops, that's what I meant to say. I wrote it backwards. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Droid415]

What are you planning to do with it?

If it involves heavy 3D gaming, then you should probably get the Prime. If not, I would go for the previous version IF you can get a good deal on it.

I have the TF101 version in the 16 GB flavor. Plenty of space and horsepower for what I do with it. I have no plan on upgrading at the current time as Honeycomb still does not take full advantage of the Tegra2 for hardware accelleration. This should change with Ice Cream Sandwich just around the corner.

Also, I would recommend the Transformer + Keyboard Dock (TF101 or TF201) if you are serious about using this for business/work. The clamshell keyboard dock is awesome, and the option to use it as a tablet for notes is second to none IMO. Yes, the GTab 10.1 has a keyboard dock, but no extra battery, no adjustable angle, and it does not fold up nicely like a netbook. Do keep in mind this is still a tablet and not a full on laptop or netbook. It cannot do everything, but it can do a LOT.

As far as a good deal, if you can get a TF101 sixteen gig for $250-275, or if you decide for the extra space the 32 GB flavor for $300-$350 and grab the keyboard dock for $100, that is my opinion. If you are gonna wonder what could have been if you had gotten the Prime, then obviously drop the coin for that.

As for the WiFi and GPS issues that are all around the Prime, keep in mind those with the issues yell the loudest. I know a lot of people with a Prime that have no noticable issues with either of these. Granted, WiFi reception may be less at distances far from a WiFi node, but for 99% of most peoples usage it is not going to be an issue.

So far the best price for a new 32gb EeeTransformer I've found is $399 which is good, but not sure if it's enough of a savings to bypass the Prime. I'm in sales and on the road with clients 3-4 days a week. I'll be using for email which includes viewing pdf & excel attachments. I'll need access various documentation from our website and/or saved files including word, powerpoint, excel and pdf's. Also, I'd like to be able to access my companies Intranet, but not sure if I'll be able to do that with a tablet?

 

[Frederuco]

So far the best price for a new 32gb EeeTransformer I've found is $399 which is good, but not sure if it's enough of a savings to bypass the Prime. I'm in sales and on the road with clients 3-4 days a week. I'll be using for email which includes viewing pdf & excel attachments. I'll need access various documentation from our website and/or saved files including word, powerpoint, excel and pdf's. Also, I'd like to be able to access my companies Intranet, but not sure if I'll be able to do that with a tablet?

I too would get a Prime if that is the best you can find on the TF101.

As far as your company intranet, you may want to talk to your IT group about that. I work for a large global company and they do not let personal devices on (they use MAC filtering on the VPN servers). Some companies are OK with this, or even allow you access to your corporate email on a tablet.

 

[Bigdog72]

Look at the Samsung tab 10.1. It's been through the paces and has recently been updated on or around 12/30/2011 with a firmware update, not yet ICS, but things are constantly improving. The Prime IMO still has serious bugs with WiFi. Yes, it's a range issue. The same distance with my other wifi devices ie. android phone, and ipad2, getting 5x the download speeds as my Prime.

 

[Droid415]

Look at the Samsung tab 10.1. It's been through the paces and has recently been updated on or around 12/30/2011 with a firmware update, not yet ICS, but things are constantly improving. The Prime IMO still has serious bugs with WiFi. Yes, it's a range issue. The same distance with my other wifi devices ie. android phone, and ipad2, getting 5x the download speeds as my Prime.

The wifi range issue is definately a concern... As far as the Samsung goes, my only 2 issues is that the price is still higher than where I believe this machine should be and that it has limited expandability with no SD or micro SD card slots...

It seems the Transformer Prime is being manufactured & shipped in waves with the next wave due to hit retailers this week (I believe), does anyone feel that Asus will fix their known wifi issues with their latest batch of Prime tablets???

 

[Frederuco]

I would imagine ASUS would do something to try to at lead improve it a bit. I know for the 3G. Erosion slated for March they said they will have improved WiFi and GPS. Only time will tell if they are changing the back of the TF201 for the next round or not.

 

[Droid415]

I would imagine ASUS would do something to try to at lead improve it a bit. I know for the 3G. Erosion slated for March they said they will have improved WiFi and GPS. Only time will tell if they are changing the back of the TF201 for the next round or not.

I just came across this update regarding the Prime: Asus Transformer Prime gets major screen upgrade | CES 2012: Tablets and E-book Readers - CNET Blogs

Highlights include the following:

- Camera will go from 1.2-megapixel to 2-megapixel and will now allow for HD video chat conferencing
- New back-panel design that Asus claims should enhance Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS performance.
- Upgraded 1,920x1,200-pixel-resolution screen
- Will ship in the second quarter, running Ice Cream Sandwich

I'm glad I didn't buy one yet, I just now need to decide if I want to wait as it sounds like it will truly become the "iPad Killer". Q2 however is a very long time considering I don't have a tablet now and have already been waiting 45+ days to pull the trigger on one...