Disappointing?

[pwrmetal]

I am a new Iconia owner and I must say I am disappointed. I have had the tablet lockup up more than once. It clearly can't handle facebook
Games - to be fair there may not be any tabket that can currently handles that now... I can,t seem to be able to type in this post and still keep the text I am typing visible at the same time... Am I crazy? It doesn't seem like this is ready for primetine. Am I alone in my disappointment?

 

[pwrmetal]

Ahh, apparently browsing in desktop mode prevented me from being able to see what I was typing. I am still underwhelmed by the tablet so far. Am I expecting too much?

 

[jharo]

I'm in desktop mode all the time. This thing works as fast as my laptop. It definitely is a different experience, and takes some time to get adjusted.

 

[Fumetsu]

I am a new Iconia owner and I must say I am disappointed. I have had the tablet lockup up more than once. It clearly can't handle facebook
Games - to be fair there may not be any tabket that can currently handles that now... I can,t seem to be able to type in this post and still keep the text I am typing visible at the same time... Am I crazy? It doesn't seem like this is ready for primetine. Am I alone in my disappointment?

I dont know your level of familiarity with rooting and custom ROMs but we now have ClockworkMod recovery and a couple 3.1 ROMs available and the difference is like night and day performance wise.

Outside of that, I found that a factory reset right out of the box and the most recent system update alleviated some of the sluggishness and system lockups I had when I first used it. You may want to try Opera or Dolphin Browser HD as alternatives to the stock browser as they seemed to be faster performing in my experience.

All in all, the utility of the Iconia with the full USB on board and working SD slot place it ahead of the Xoom by far. If the 3.1 update from Acer is anything like the ASUS update that was leaked (which is what my ROM is based on) , then you won't be disappointed once it's available.

 

[pwrmetal]

If I decide to keep it I will look into custom roms. I remain disappointed in how many sites don't quite work with the browser even in desktop mode. Is there a way to make the browser refit to screen after zooming in?

 

[Fumetsu]

If I decide to keep it I will look into custom roms. I remain disappointed in how many sites don't quite work with the browser even in desktop mode. Is there a way to make the browser refit to screen after zooming in?

Are you getting this on the stock browser or on a 3rd-party browser?

 

[pwrmetal]

Stock browser

 

[Fumetsu]

I did some reading on it and it looks like the browser reflow issue isn't specific to the Iconia - it's also present on the Xoom so it may be an issue with the stock Honeycomb browser rather than with the Iconia itself. I can confirm I don't have any reflow problems with Dolphin or Opera set to Desktop View. I don't use the stock browser much due to the utility I have with Dolphin and Opera - I switch back and forth between them often.

Did you get the system update? The firmware should be Acer_A500_1.141.07_COM_GEN1. This got rid of some of the annoying bugs like low Wifi signal, screen sleep issues, and improved responsiveness. I had a few reboot issues but very infrequent after the update.

I'll admit that when I first bought mine the bugs kind of disappointed me and I had buyers remorse. I was all set to return it within the 30 day window and wait for the Transformer to become available (it was my first choice but they were sold out everywhere) or for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that had just been announced with pricing and the release date (I would have had to wait another 20 or so days for it to come out after the end of my return window).

However, the more and more I used the Iconia, the more it grew on me. If you look at the other tablet options, they each have their pros and cons. The iPad 2 has more apps but that's about all it had going for it. No USB, expandable SD memory, Flash, customization options, etc, that were a must for me. The Xoom was too expensive and didn't have working SD or a USB port, the screen wasn't as good as the one on the Iconia, but had an unlocked bootloader, 3G options, etc. I couldn't find the Transformer anywhere, it does have a better screen but you'd have to be docked to have full USB. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesnt have USB (without an adapter) and no expandable memory. Now that we have the bootloader unlocked, most of my gripes with the Iconia are gone and I use the USB port on a daily basis, and it's going to prove itself useful with 3.1 and accessory options. By far this is what sets it apart from the other Tablets.

My recommendation - keep it for as long as you can, try it out, and see if it doesn't grow on you. If it doesn't, you always have other Android tablet options and more coming down the pipeline. I think if you give it time, though, you'll see it's a great device.

 

[mrputzy]

i have had mine freeze up completely 3 or 4 times now, in the month i have owned it. In fact, I believe it has only happened in the last couple weeks. Seems some app has corrupted something. I need to do a hard reset, with a pin in the little reset hole. I wish the reset hole was exposed in the OEM case. It has happened enough now, that I carry a couple paper clips in my wallet, so I can reset it while on the road.

I like my android, and would never buy an apple product, but i can't imagine their's a locking up so often.

 

[Mouretsu]

I did some reading on it and it looks like the browser reflow issue isn't specific to the Iconia - it's also present on the Xoom so it may be an issue with the stock Honeycomb browser rather than with the Iconia itself. I can confirm I don't have any reflow problems with Dolphin or Opera set to Desktop View. I don't use the stock browser much due to the utility I have with Dolphin and Opera - I switch back and forth between them often.

Did you get the system update? The firmware should be Acer_A500_1.141.07_COM_GEN1. This got rid of some of the annoying bugs like low Wifi signal, screen sleep issues, and improved responsiveness. I had a few reboot issues but very infrequent after the update.

I'll admit that when I first bought mine the bugs kind of disappointed me and I had buyers remorse. I was all set to return it within the 30 day window and wait for the Transformer to become available (it was my first choice but they were sold out everywhere) or for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that had just been announced with pricing and the release date (I would have had to wait another 20 or so days for it to come out after the end of my return window).

However, the more and more I used the Iconia, the more it grew on me. If you look at the other tablet options, they each have their pros and cons. The iPad 2 has more apps but that's about all it had going for it. No USB, expandable SD memory, Flash, customization options, etc, that were a must for me. The Xoom was too expensive and didn't have working SD or a USB port, the screen wasn't as good as the one on the Iconia, but had an unlocked bootloader, 3G options, etc. I couldn't find the Transformer anywhere, it does have a better screen but you'd have to be docked to have full USB. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesnt have USB (without an adapter) and no expandable memory. Now that we have the bootloader unlocked, most of my gripes with the Iconia are gone and I use the USB port on a daily basis, and it's going to prove itself useful with 3.1 and accessory options. By far this is what sets it apart from the other Tablets.

My recommendation - keep it for as long as you can, try it out, and see if it doesn't grow on you. If it doesn't, you always have other Android tablet options and more coming down the pipeline. I think if you give it time, though, you'll see it's a great device.

I'm at 1.104.02 and I've checked system updates and it says I have no updates available. Thoughts?

 

[pwrmetal]

I did update to the tab to the latest version. I am giving dolphin a try. I used to use it on my droid before its stock browser got pinch zoom, but since then I have always preferred the stock one. So far I am a bit irritated with dolphin. I have repeatedly told it to import my bookmarks from the stock browser. It tells me it did it, but they don't show up. I also can't find an option for reflow after pinch zoom (and it isn't doing it by default).

I do like the tab but was expecting a smoother experience. It also doesn't really feel all that much quicker than my droid (1). I love android, but i'm irked that it seems like rooting is required to get it to run well....

 

[kmiller1021]

How did you get the update. I got my tablet a few days ago, but have not been able to find the update, and my tablet seems to have some issues that from what I have read seem to be cleared up in the new update. I plan on using custom roms, but want to run it through it's paces before I go down this road so I have something to compare to.

 

[trgilman]

I can understand your disappointment with your experience so far. To be fair, you have to deal with a few bugs with Honeycomb. I would say that 99% of the issues have nothing to do with the hardware, and everything to do with the software, be it apps or the actual OS.
I have worked around just about all the bugs without rooting my Iconia. I still have lag issues, but I'll wait until the update and decide then if I need to root the thing. I am checking into my battery life, as it seems like I'm not getting more then 4 hours of actual up-time. I'm going to do a full charge and run some video under a loop and check my discharge time this weekend.
All in all, it still seems to be the best choice if you want storage and flash options.
If you just want to browse the web and have a wider choice of apps, then look to the iPad.

 

[pwrmetal]

How did you get the update. I got my tablet a few days ago, but have not been able to find the update, and my tablet seems to have some issues that from what I have read seem to be cleared up in the new update. I plan on using custom roms, but want to run it through it's paces before I go down this road so I have something to compare to.

I got it the first time I booted it up and connected it to wifi. I got a pop up immediately asking me to update. I hadn't even put in my gmail account at that point.

 

[splatoid]

I am using a browser I just found that is probably the best one I have tried and I tried them all it is called Maxthon. Give it a try no pausing when typing great layout.