Tag: TF-201

I Love/Hate My Tablet

TF-201 Asus Transformer Prime tablet

I did a lot of research before I bought my Asus TF-201 Transformer Prime tablet. I guess I did a bad job. The tablet has not lived up to expectations. Considering its hardware and operating system that shouldn’t be the case.

The TF-201 is a 10″ tablet with 1280×800 resolution. The screen uses IPS+ technology which makes for faster response, wider viewing angle and sharper colors. No complaints there.

There are cameras front and rear. Image quality is very good. It’s a great machine for Skype or any other video chat app. Again, zero complaints.

The CPU is an NVIDIA® Tegra3™ Quad-Core with 1GB RAM. That should be enough. It is not. I don’t think it’s the CPU’s fault.

Graphics are smooth. Animations are smooth. Video playback, even at high resolution, is smooth.

The Transformer Prime’s weakness seems to be Asus’ implementation of Google’s Android operating system!

Webpages that should load immediately can taken 15-20 seconds or longer. While pages load, the browser often turns unresponsive. The only way you know the page has finished is by the appearance of an error message saying the process is taking too long!

It’s slow with the stock browser, Chrome and Firefox. Unfortunately the browser enters into the bulk of computer use.

It’s possible the answer to my problems is just a jailbreak away. I’m not sure. Often these unofficial aftermarket ROM images do the trick.

I’ve looked around. I’m not sure I know how to ‘get root’ with this machine. There are instructions scattered on the web, but often with missing steps… or what seems like missing steps.

Even if I do load a new ROM will it make a difference? Your guess is as good as mine.

I use the tablet all the time, but my sessions nearly always end in frustration. That shouldn’t be.

The Tablet Arrives

After a few hours playing I wiped the tablet clean, brought it back to its factory configuration and started over. That’s become common with me. It’s tough to know what you need before you know what the tablet does.

“So it’s a toy?” That was Helaine’s comment after some pointed questions about my new tablet. Of course it’s a toy! I already have enough practical stuff.

My Asus Transformer Prime arrived by UPS yesterday evening while I was at work. Unboxing took place about two minutes after I was ‘pajamaed’ up for the night!

The Transformer was on my Christmas list, but Asus had trouble keeping up with demand (after a pre-release recall) and Amazon said I’d have to wait until February. Last week I saw a note that NewEgg had them in stock. The rest is history.

For the geeks reading this the Asus Transformer Prime is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core CPU with 1Gb RAM and 32 Gb storage. It runs Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). This tablet connects to the Internet solely through WiFi.

It’s amazing how little there is to the tablet. It’s wafer thin though it feels substantial and solid. The screen is bright with lots of contrast. Unfortunately it’s also a fingerprint magnet!

I loaded up some apps and started playing around. I screened a few minutes of a movie over Netflix. Beautiful.

I let the Android Market sync my apps from the Samsung phone. That was a mistake. Lots of those are formatted for the smaller screen of a cell phone.

I was disappointed Swype isn’t compatible. I love Swyping! I’m using the SlideIT Keyboard app instead. Pretty similar. Swype may lose me.

After a few hours playing I wiped the tablet clean, brought it back to its factory configuration and started over. That’s become common with me. It’s tough to know what you need before you know what the tablet does.

I still haven’t tried out Skype or any of the video functionality. That’s still to come.

Everyone said I ‘needed’ one. Now the fun begins.

BTW – this entry would have been done hours ago except I was playing.