When Good Tablets Go Bad

IMG_8136 asus transformer prime

My Asus Transformer Prime was a disappointment from day one–the Ishtar of tablets!  It died a gruesome death this weekend.

I was on the hammock reading when I shifted a little too much to the left.  Helaine said she saw the tablet hit the ground.  I was holding it, but didn’t feel it touch.

I recovered and continued reading, but around ten seconds later the screen spontaneously shattered!  Delayed action.  Surreal.

Tablets scratch an itch.  I like carrying one as I walk around the house or watch TV.  Except for heavy writing and photo/video editing applications they’re more convenient than a laptop.

nexus-7-2013It didn’t take long for me to get a replacement.  I bought a Nexus 7.  It too is made by Asus, but to Google’s specs.  Everyone sells this unit for the same price.  Staples got my business just by being close-by.

The Nexus 7 is faster than the Transformer Prime.  It didn’t take long to see that. The TP memory problems were documented here on the blog a week ago.  Having an a/b comparison showed me just how bad the problem really was.

I’ve traded the 10″ screen for a 7″ model.  It’s more convenient to hold, but text sometimes seems tiny.  That can be adjusted.  The screen itself is exceptionally high-res, crisp and bright which hides a lot of problems a smaller screen might bring.

IMG_8135nexus 7 and keyboardHelaine suggested I buy a case, which I did through Amazon.  It comes with a built-in Bluetooth keyboard.  Now my little tablet is a little laptop.

Using this $229 Android tablet with a $19.95 keyboard has to send shivers down Microsoft and Intel’s spines.  Their prime market has been marginalized.

This weekend we travel to Rachel Frank’s wedding.  This tablet/keyboard combo will be my only computer.  I expect it will be a trouble free substitute.

I’ll let you know if I’m wrong.

8 thoughts on “When Good Tablets Go Bad”

  1. I got a Nexus 7 earlier this year, and I’ve been loving it. Now I only schlep my laptop when I’m going away for a long tour, or I know I will have video/audio editing to do while I’m gone. I’ve dithered on getting the keyboard for it … so far I’ve managed fine without one.

    The only thing I’ve noticed about it is that if I let the battery drain all the way down, sometimes it doesn’t want to take a charge right away, and it takes a while to start up again once it does charge a bit. I just try not to let the battery go down to 0 before I plug it in. Other than that, no complaints whatsoever. Android is a great OS, and it’s a good little machine.

  2. Have had my Nexus 7 since January and absolutely love it. Prefer it to my Windows 7 desktop for most things online these days; good luck with yours Geoff.

  3. Love my iPad. I do a lot of serious stuff on the computer, but much of my life, including most communication and entertainment, happens here. As does most after hours work. It’s portable, it’s fast, the graphics are great, and everyone should have a tablet. You don’t need to have mine, but everyone should go tablet. This one has a crack in the screen that is two years old (it was new and I trusted the ‘case’ from apple….it still functions perfectly fine, ensconced in a real case, as is downloading ios 7 as I type.
    We live on our tablets.

  4. Geoff, Geoff, Geoff,
    You should have done an iPad or iPad mini. With all the claims of Android being “open”, a Jailbroken iOS device puts Android to shame. Geek that you are my friend, you should give the jailbroken route a shot. That said, the timing is wrong in that it may be a little while now given the newly released iOS 7. Good luck with your new tablet. Put this as a consideration in your pocket for the future. I kid you not, jailbroken iOS vs Android is no comparison. Jailbreak wins. Bonus… You’d have fun with it too.

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