Got the ASUS tablet - Here are a few thoughts

[Android30User]

So overall the ASUS Transformer is probably the best tablet on the market, but I lack a couple of things that will make this tablet PERFECT.

A couple of bad things about it:

- USB plug missing (I know this is going to be on the keyboard and I plan to purchase that too)

- There is currently no way to play your movies that you may have on your laptop. No app out there currently supports all formats (and I have movies in .avi). So lets all hope that VLC will be done with their Android app soon and the movie feature will be perfect as well. (This is not an ASUS problem, but an Android problem).

- No 3G! This should be a standart in all tablets, but I assume some later versions will have this feature as well. Not a biggie since I am not a fan of walking and browsing the internet.

The good things:

- All seems to be working flawlessly. I installed and tried: Barcode Scanner, BBC iPlayer, Xe Currency, Wikipedia, Skype, Youtube, Twitter, Trip Advisor, Press Reader, IMDB and a ton of other applications that are important to me. No complaint here!

- Widgets work flawlessly and setting up the 5 screen interface is fun and just a brilliant feature! My email works, I have temperature display and great RSS feeds for my news.

- I managed to access my Windows shared folder and download files to my ASUS tablet. This is again a feature I really was worried would give me trouble, but I found a great app to do it with (ES File Explorer).

- The sound searching by google is simply astonishing as well as the photo search. Again something I can never have on my laptop, so here is a great new feature for a tablet.

Still trying to archive the following:

- I have yet to move some of my word documents and excel sheets as well as some PDF files to the tablet, but I doubt this will give me a headache.

- I have yet to figure out how to share a destination on the tablet with the rest of the LAN network, but I doubt this wilk be a headache as well.

Overall:

Brilliant! Just amazing is all I can say Lets just hope that more people will join the Android fever and we can finally get some of the app needs fixed. For now VLC is eagerly awaited by many, since there is no video player out there that actually works for Android.

 

[freeky1]

Nice review! Glad you like it. Do you notice the "creakiness" in the plastic back when you squeeze the unit, which was mentioned in the Anandtech review?

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[anon(18050)]

While the native video player may not play all media formats, there are others out there that will play a large majority of them. Two that come to mind are RockPlayer and arcMedia.

I personally am impartial on the USB. I can see a use for it, but not enough to have on on the tab itself. I don't mind needing the keyboard/media dock to use a USB device.

3G... well, I don't need it or want it. Some may, I don't. In fact, not having 3G is a good thing.

Having not used a Honeycomb tablet with a PC yet, I'm not sure how they handle file transfers. I doubt it should be too difficult. Folder sharing... that depends on what you'r trying to achieve. There are programs that sync certain folders with dropbox, but I haven't seen any that actually share over LAN (admittedly, I haven't actually looked) unless you're looking for a DLNA server.

While I don't have the tablet yet, I'm looking forward to finding one, eventually.:'( The price point is there and the specs are right

Nice review! Glad you like it. Do you notice the "creakiness" in the plastic back when you squeeze the unit, which was mentioned in the Anandtech review?

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Like to know this too. I've seen multiple people report this. I just want to know how noticeable this is.

 

[Android30User]

I am not even sure what creakiness you refer to? I just opened the box, took out the ASUS and...well, plugged it in and started playing with it.

 

[Gameboy70]

Did you mean the USB adapter wasn't included, of the fact that the tablet lacks a USB port? If you're missing the adapter, are you able to charge it?

Personally, I'll never pay for 3G service on a tablet, so I'd rather not have the extra radio circuitry built in. It's nice to see Acer and Asus shipping affordable wifi-only models first.

 

[jon_stewart]

agree with Gameboy70... Why on earth would most of us want 3g when we have it on our phones, and can tether (I'm in the UK here!) Cut costs!

 

[anon(18050)]

I am not even sure what creakiness you refer to? I just opened the box, took out the ASUS and...well, plugged it in and started playing with it.

A lot of people have said that the plastic creaks if you squeeze it or put much pressure on it. I've even seen people say that when they pick it up they can hear it creak.

Did you mean the USB adapter wasn't included, of the fact that the tablet lacks a USB port? If you're missing the adapter, are you able to charge it?

Personally, I'll never pay for 3G service on a tablet, so I'd rather not have the extra radio circuitry built in. It's nice to see Acer and Asus shipping affordable wifi-only models first.

By what he says about the tablet lacking it and the keyboard having it, I assume he means a USB slot.

 

[hanano17]

I'm with the other posters, not having 3G is a Pro for me, not a Con. I wouldn't have purchased this, or any tab, had it been 3G. I have a phone and I can tether with it, why on earth would I want another subscription. Plus, it kept the price right for me to wander over the line of "I don't really need a tablet, do I?" mindset. I think Asus was smart in doing wifi models first and 3G later, instead of how Moto and Co. are doing it.

 

[Android30User]

Hey all.

There is no cracking when squeezing the tablet in any way. I dont even see how that would be possible.

Yes I guess I can live without the 3G plugin, since that was not a mayor issue anyway.

And no, there is not USB port on the tablet itself. I miss that since USB is so....universal and versatile. But a keyboard add-on should fix it up just nicely.

 

[Smokexz]

I thought this device come with a USB port? Also is your browser crashing very frequently? Cause on the Xoom, the browser barely lasts and crashes quite frequently.

Sent from my Xoom

 

[freeky1]

I thought this device come with a USB port? Also is your browser crashing very frequently? Cause on the Xoom, the browser barely lasts and crashes quite frequently.

Sent from my Xoom

It has two USB ports...on the dock. No USB ports on the tab itself, just a proprietary port on the bottom.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[farwest]

I thought this device come with a USB port? Also is your browser crashing very frequently? Cause on the Xoom, the browser barely lasts and crashes quite frequently.

Sent from my Xoom

So far, no FC on my Transformer browser vs what I see on the Xoom. But only been using for a few hours, so too early to tell if that trend lasts. So far, so good.

Absolutely no creaking from the plastic back on the Transformer. Don't know why that nonsense ever started.

 

[koxler]

How does the screen compare to the xoom? I thought the xoom colors were washed out and not very bright. How is the eeepad?

 

[hanano17]

Screen looks really good, but i've never owned a xoom to compare. No browser crashes here either, but I got it today so my time on it isn't extensive yet.

 

[E_man]

Try Mobo Player. It doesn't play MKV, but it plays .avi's great.

 

[Payne78]

Sounds good. But with no USB how can you tether it? Do you need to have the keyboard dock to tether? Hope not.

 

[dsstrainer]

Did you mean the USB adapter wasn't included, of the fact that the tablet lacks a USB port? If you're missing the adapter, are you able to charge it?

Are you serious?

 

[fm123]

I think the comment about the USB was that in previews, there was supposed to be a dongle cable that attached to the docking connector to give you a USB port.

Is there no such cable with the tablet?

 

[freeky1]

Sounds good. But with no USB how can you tether it? Do you need to have the keyboard dock to tether? Hope not.

It has a proprietary port on the bottom (think iPad), which requires a proprietary cable.

 

[Android30User]

I am posting this directly from the tablet.

To answer a few more questions:

- The screen is amazing, crystal clear
- The lack of usb is not a mayor issue since shared folders on the lan does the job
- Getting a keyboard will however make the tablet superior since 3g usb will be possible as well as charging through usb
- Browser crash or any other crash has been non existant since i got it

This tablet is without doubt the coolest toy i got, and keyboardor no keyboard its worth every penny. Ansd the price was quite good to begin with anyway.