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Question and Answer Time for the Asus Transformer Prime

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This time, believe the hype... The Transformer Prime from Asus is a very strong contender in the tablet market and sets new benchmarks in hardware.

What a wild couple of days! When we released the first article and video for the Asus Transformer Prime, it went ballistic and we were dealing with comments and questions from all over the world.

We believe in responding as much as we can to our readers on this website, and we wanted to do something similar for our video presentation.

So with the limited time that we had with the Prime, we took a few questions that seemed to be recurring frequently, and made two videos, calling out the user name of the viewers and answering the question.

In this way we hope to provide another level of interaction for all our visitors, who we appreciate spending time with us. Thanks again for your comments and here’s our off-the-cuff, much more informal videos for your viewing pleasure.

Feel free to ask more questions on this page as well!

This first video addresses some of the questions regarding Flash performance, pinch and zoom, using the browser, the touchscreen experience and other hardware features:

 

The second part of the Q & A details some aspects of game play, using live wallpaper and widgets, testing the screen in sunlight, trackpad performance and how to take advantage of a USB hub given there is only one USB port on the Prime:

 

This next segment shows how to download an image from email, edit it and then tweet it. Nice challenge, and I think we rose to it!

 

We were then asked to show a typical productivity activity, like writing a document, saving it and emailing it. With the keyboard, the Prime makes office tasks very easy:

 

Finally, a frequent question regarded game play. I don’t consider myself to be the most talented of gamers, and I’m sure I had this game, Riptide, on easy, but I couldn’t help some fistpumping (at 1:18) when I came in first. The main thing to notice here is the smooth graphics, instant response from the accelerometer and the water splashes that looked even more realistic in person. Casual portable gaming just took another leap forward:

 

And here is the original Transformer Prime video we released in case you missed it the first time around:

 

Once again, I’d like to thank all of our readers for spending the time to read our words, and for the effort taken to comment. The least we can do is respond in kind.

I hope you enjoyed the videos and we’re here to answer any more questions you may have.

Comments

  1. Hey Ritchie, thanks for the new video. Looks like cnet got a faulty unit as the performance they experienced was sub paar amongst other issues nvidia and Asus couldn’t reproduce on their side. Asus is sending them a new unit so it hopefully will be all good.

    • Hi Neo, it was a pleasure, as you can see it was done on the fly but we had such a small window of time, and it made sense to talk our audience directly.
      Yeah, it’s tough when review units aren’t what you want them to be, I feel for Asus – they have a great product and deserve for it to be seen as that.

  4. Thanks Ritchie, I really appreciated this Video: you’re the first person in the world who really cares about readers, about us! 🙂
    There is a “but”… Why have you posted the Q&A’s Video before the full-review’s one?
    Do you have a complete video review too?
    We’d like to see that, an then we will look at the Q&A’s video, so we can add our comments and let’s hope you will make another Q&A’s Vid.
    Yes: it will be a very hard work, but you’re the “Prime” person who did 😉
    Thanks a lot!

    • Hi Roberto,
      So much thanks for your kind words… but if we don’t care about the readers, then who will? Without our readership we wouldn’t exist, and the community we build here is the most important thing, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be here sharing and talking with you!
      As for the full review, it was all about time. We knew we only had this unit for a very short time period and decide to devote that time back to you, and everyone that visits us.
      We will get around to a full review when we next have it in our hands, we can assure you! In the meantime, this page is all about the readers – we wouldn’t exist without you all.
      Cheers,
      Ritchie

  6. Never heard of Ritchiesroom until that first Transformer Prime video. After that, I immediately added you guys to me rss reader. Looking forward to some more great videos!

    • Thank you Ed! And the new videos are actually being uploaded as we speak, again responding to questions from our audience!

  7. Great videos and Q&A.
    A few questions:
    Any idea on when we can see the smart (origami) covers for the prime in the market/online?
    What sort of images do you get from the camera, word on the street has been that it takes surprisingly good pictures and 1080p videos.
    What has been your general usage experience with prime vs the ipad? Any hiccups that you felt with honeycomb?

    • Hi Atomizer (cool handle!). Thanks for your positive comments. Third party accessories haven’t yet emerged, and it is a topic worth exploring. We’ll update you when we know, and also look for a round up useful and interesting add-ons for the Prime.
      We didn’t have a chance to play with the camera in detail, but we definitely will when we have a unit back in our hands.
      As far as iPad vs the Prime, they are very different beasts, even down to the natural orientation (iPad vertical, Prime horizontal, for me anyway). It’s the customisation, the ability to set your own live feeds to be displayed without having to enter an app, that makes the biggest difference I think. And of course the keyboard that serves as a charger provides an easier experience for productivity.
      Honeycomb is an evolving environment, and it’s about to get even more exciting with Android 4.0 around the corner. I didn’t notice any real issues with the Prime in terms of OS functionality.
      Thanks for the questions.

  8. This site has been added to my favorites. I have never seen this degree of interaction between moderators and their “commenters”

    Keep up the good work ritchie. You’ll go places 🙂

    • Hey Jolz,
      That’s why we do what we do – share our enthusiasm for tech in general, and to have a two-way conversation with our friends online. I’m feeling a lot of love in this room tonight, and it makes the effort to produce our material very rewarding.
      Thank you again.

  9. Great videos so far! I’ve been following all of your stuff about the Prime since your hands on. Makes me glad I pre-ordered one and make me more excited to get it.

    One quick question though (not sure if it’s in another video yet to be uploaded): How is holding just the tablet itself? I remember the original Transformer kind of dug into your palms when you’re holding it up with just one hand, and I’m wondering if that pressure has been at least minimized with the prime. Either by just it being lighter, or if the edges are softer.

    • Hi ShadowToNothing (another awesome handle!),
      The lightness definitely reduces any edge pressure on skin. The edges are probably more pronounced more than anything due to the slimness of the Prime, but it didn’t have any annoying effect, and I was holding it to camera for a while.
      Thanks for your complimentary comments, glad you’ve joined us here!

  10. Hi there!

    Great set of videos! Really nice to see how informative they were. About the fingerprint resistance… while I’m happy the metal backing is fingerprint resistant, what about the screen? I know there will inevitably be prints, but do they have a coating so it is easy to clean them away, like in the iPad?

    • Hey Raj! Thanks for your kind words.
      The screen is Gorilla Glass, I don’t think it is any different to other glossy screens in terms of fingerprints. We could see some finger marks on the screen after using it, but interestingly only when there was a fair bit of light directed at the screen. When we were in normal lighting conditions the same marks didn’t appear as noticeable. I’d put that down to the Super IPS+ screen, where the brightness is more than enough to overcome smudges or marks.

  12. The one thing I wanted answered but was missed was aus pricing/release date… any updates Ritchie?

    • Hi Alex, no pricing or release dates have been made public yet… but we will update when they become available.

    • Hi Cideway, we tried a portable (2.5″) HDD and it wasn’t recognised. That’s the case with all Honeycomb tablets so far in my experience though, the tablet doesn’t have the oomph to power the drive.

  14. Good job Ritchie.
    But 1 question, is the unit you have loaded with ICS ?Because I do see some lagging when you showing the pitch zoom. Hope not, as i know that only Honeycomb having this issue. 🙂

    • Thanks for the kind words! The unit we used had Honeycomb 3.2 installed. We didn’t really feel the lag while we were using the pinch and zoom function. If this is an issue for Honeycomb across the board as you mention, then I’m sure they will address it in the ICS update.

  16. Ritchieeeee you did not answer for my question 😉 Please connect it with some large 23″ lcd display and tell us about like-pc-experience is it possible. Does Android and Tegra 3 works fine and the browser could provide likepc webbrowsing.

    And related with it, could Prime work with lcd display and dock separately? Like Prime is connected with lcd and we have keyboard separated on our knees.

    Prime connects to the keyboard by BT or “traditional” by the port when connected.
    Is Prime enables connection of a wireless keyboard, like mouse?

  17. Hi Ritchie,

    Thanks for posting these videos!

    Three questions: First, how is the speaker volume and clarity? Second, can you please show us word processing on Google docs? Lastly, do you think that with the keyboard dock, this unit could be a viable laptop alternative?

    Thanks!

    • Hi Khaz,
      It was fun producing them, glad you liked them.
      The speaker is very good, it is only in one grill but the sound was very clear even at high levels. But here’s the thing I noticed… when you cupped your hand around the grill in the natural way of holding the Prime, the audio actually improved, as if your hand was amplifying the sound!
      We’ll definitely keep the Google docs demo in mind for the next round.
      As far as being a laptop alternative, I’m more inclined to say it’s a mobile addition – if your main device is a notebook, then this replaces the need to lug it around, particularly if you use Google docs to store documents in the cloud.
      Thanks for the questions.

  18. Hi iTomek,
    love the extra “eee”‘s in my name, you must have been yelling at me :-).
    We will definitely give it a go on a large screen TV next time we have one.
    The dock is not bluetooth enabled to my knowledge, and so needs to be physically connected to work. However, we have tried a wireless mouse as shown on the video so it stands to reason that a wireless keyboard would also work. We won’t know for sure until we have one in our sticky little hands again.

  19. Hello Ritchie and fellow posters! I am a college student from India. I chanced upon this wonderful site while while going through reviews of the Prime. I just loved the incisive reviews and the way Ritchie personally address our queries with so much care. I have a few queries of my own. (I am a bit technologically handicapped unlike my fellow posters, so please excuse me if they sound a bit lame or have already been answered)
    1. I have the Samsung Galaxy S mobile which I use as a Wifi hotspot to access the internet on my Windows laptop. Will I be able to tether the Prime to my mobile in the same way to access the net?
    2. I am on a tight budget, so I won’t be going for the keyboard dock, but plan to buy the Asus external usb adapter. Will I be able to surf the net by plug-and-play internet devices/3G usb modems/3G internet sticks via the external usb adapter?
    3. Will the Prime recognise and read files on my 1 TB external HDD through the usb adaptor that I plan to purchase?
    4. If I ask a friend to ship the Prime to me in India, will I be eligible to receive the software updates?
    6. Please clarify about the international warranty.
    Extremely sorry for the lengthy post!

    • Hi Abhirup,
      Thanks for your great words of kindness! I’ll try and answer as much as possible by your numbers:
      1. The Prime is Wi-Fi enabled so you should be able to hotspot your smartphone and connect to it via Wi-Fi. Just remember you may be using up more bandwidth due to your activities on the tablet.
      2. I do not know if 3G USB modems work on the Prime, or via a USB adapter. We’ll have to try and find that out.
      3. We couldn’t read from a 2.5″ portable hard drive, so that may also be the case for a desktop drive.
      4. I’m not sure if the Prime is regionally sensitive like some other manufacturers. Another good question for us to ask Asus.
      5 (your 6). Best to check with your local contacts for warranties.

      • Thanks for the reply, Ritchie. I may add, this is THE best tech review site on the net – one that cares for us and doesn’t consider its job done just by putting up a review, but actually goes on to answer individual queries. Keep up the good work!

        • And I am bowled over by the Prime’s gaming capabilities…can’t wait to have one in my hands soon!

        • Now that makes us warm and fuzzy inside… and determined as ever to make a difference for our readers. We won’t always have the answer, but hopefully others who join us can contribute (as they have been, much to our appreciation) and we’ll follow up where possible. Thanks again for your kind words and joining us here!

  21. Hi Ritchie,
    the Transformer Prime has a GPS unit, but only WiFi (no 3G/4G connections).
    Do you think that’s possible to use it like a BIG car navigation system? It could be perfect: video, music and GPS! WOW!

    So… Could you try to use it like as a GPS navigation unit?

    Is it possible to use the USB port with an external large sorage unit, as an HDD with a lot of space (example 1Tb, 2Tb or more)?

    Has it got a USB 3.0 port? (seems not)

    Could you try to put a microSD or an SD card with high class (example SDHC class 10)? It could be fantastic for images browsing and video playback!

    Is it possible to use a USB-3G pen to use internet out of home?

    Is it possible to use another Keyboard (example a Bloetooth one) that could be used for internet browsing (or other) while transformer prime uses HDMI output? (we all know that all people who has a big TV has a lot of space between him and his TV! It’s not possible to use the Asus Dock for that purpose).

    Great job!

    Cheers,

    Roberto.

    • Can you answer his question about the gps I am curious to know the answer as well. Thank You!

  22. Hi everyone,
    I’m heading off for a while, please keep the discussion going, and I’ll be back to join you again a little later.
    You’ve all made this a very enjoyable experience.
    See you soon!
    Ritchie

  23. Does the speaker gets mutet or sounds silly when you accidentally cover it with your hand while gaming? In any orientation?
    This is very anoying with the Galaxy S2.

    • Hi Sascha, when your hand covers (or cups) it the sound improves. It’s a weird impression to have but it must be to do with the grill and the way sound is pushed out from the speaker. I’ll have to explore it further when I get another unit.

  24. Hello Ritchie,
    Thanks for the great reviews. Can you tell me if the original transformer prime accessories like the USB adaptor and SD Card adaptor, work on the transformer prime as well?

    • Hi Sam, our pleasure. Not sure if original accessories work on the Prime, but I have been asked the same question a couple of times now so we’ll have to find out.

  25. Hey Ritchie, I was wondering how the display was. Engadget gave it a good review but said the color reproduction seemed “flat.” I’m a little concerned by that because that is the main reason I did away with the xoom. The display was horrible and colors didn’t pop. Do colors pop in this display similar to what they do in an ipad 2? Thanks in advance.

    • Hi Elliot,
      The display was very good as we mentioned but we didn’t use it much for entertainment like movie watching. We didn’t use it in ideal conditions (a studio with lots of light) so it would be wrong to judge on that basis. We will be covering the camera and movie playback in detail soon, that’s when we can address your issues above.

      • Thanks for the quick response! What about just normal viewing? Do colors look good on pictures and on websites? I was always impressed with how they popped on the ipad and was hoping it would be good on this too.

        • No problem Elliot! The pictures and websites we visited looked great. Even though it’s a glossy screen the brightness tends to burst through it easily, and the colours appeared rich in colour. We will take a much closer look for the full review of course!

  26. Thanks for the amazing reviews! One question: Could you give us a demo of the app stores? Thanks

    • Hi and thanks for your kind remarks. The Android marketplace is pretty standard across all tablets, but we may be able to fit in a quick demo next time.

  27. I followed a link on ZDnet and found you. On my very first visit to your site, your article, all the videos, and your direct and timely interaction with your readers have left me flabbergasted! And hooked. Thank you for the obvious hard work and dedication you put into your endeavors. I anxiously await further reviews for the Prime, as well as any other products that may pique my interest in the future.

    • Hi Trish,
      Thank you very much! Reading comments like yours makes it very easy to continue what we do, which is respond and have meaningful dialogue with our readers.
      As for more reviews, we should have that ready sometime next week.
      Cheers, Ritchie

  28. I know, but i was looking more into the tegra zone. It is not a big deal so, please don’t worry about it. Thanks again.

  29. Hi!

    I am planning to get the Prime, when it will be released in Europe, but before buying it, I must clear something up:

    You see, in Slovenia we use the same letters as (most of) the world does, the ones you are reading right now, but we have some special ones, which are absolutely essential for serious work in Slovene language.

    Right now I am typing on a laptop, whose keyboard already includes those special letters. I am wondering if it will be possible to get the keyboard dock for TF Prime in different languages (and if yes, when) or, if not, to easily (meaning ‘not too complicated’) input those special letters with ”english” keyboard layout?

    Might be, I am not adressing the right person here, but I m quite desperate, since ”wannabe pros” at our official distributer, don t know the answer to that… I should probably ask ASUS, right? Well, I would still appreciate your response. Btw, great reviews!

    • Hi Jim Doe,
      I’m not sure if the keyboard dock will be customised for each region or, or if it will be possible to modify the existing one. Definitely a question for your local Asus contact. Good luck, and perhaps share your news with our readers here?

  30. Ritchie,

    Thank you so much for your great review. I found you through ZDNET and I am glad I did. Great work.

  31. Hi Richie, i got a few questions.

    1. Is it true you can use game controllers out of the box on it? Example i have a wired USB Xbox 360 controller will it automatically work on the Prime?
    2. How does the keyboard feel? It is comfortable to type on it?
    3. I have read that when connected with the keyboard, the tablet is top heavy and tends to fall back, is this true?

    Thanks

  32. Hi Evilsuperman (all my readers have awesome handles!),
    1. USB Game controllers definitely work, which is part of the Honeycomb USB support. I haven’t seen the Xbox controller in particular work, I wonder if that is something our other readers have done?
    2. The keyboard is comfortable enough, it is a small keyboard but the island style keeps the keys separated. Great for short bursts of intense productivity!
    3. Throughout the whole time we had the Prime, it never became unbalanced or fell on its back. The weight of the battery in the keyboard would assist in this as it probably would tilt without the battery/keyboard keeping it anchored in position.
    Thanks for your questions!

  33. Hi Ritchie, what a great job you’ve done covering the details of this AWESOME tablet! I hope you add a video on reading experience for ebooks and pdf magazines.
    In case you can’t make this video now, please answer this question:
    – What is it like to read a full-color PDF magazine (of size 30-200MB) on the Eee Transformer Prime? regarding zooming, page-turn, loading pages and page layout.
    Keep up the good work

    Thanks & Best Regards
    Hany D.

    • Hi Hany,
      Thanks for your comments, and we’re pleased that we’ve helped showcase this model to so many people.
      With the limited time we had on the Prime, e-book and magazine reading wasn’t possible, so I can’t answer you right now. However we will keep this feature in mind for the next opportunity to use the Prime.
      Cheers!
      Ritchie

  34. I am sure you have used other tablets, including the iPad, so will you be using this tablet as your main tablet from now on? Do think it might even be a laptop replacement for you since it has a keyboard and you can easily take this anywhere? Do you like all the little features that it has with customization of that of other tablets, like the iPad?

    • Hi Jon,
      Yes I’ve tried out many different tablets, and this would definitely be my Android tablet of choice. I’m certainly not an Apple hater and still use their iDevices when needed. I still see a tablet as a secondary device, but they are becoming more powerful and feature rich so they can be relied on more for both entertainment and productivity, particularly on the road or away from the home or office. I’ve always loved the complete customisation that Android empowers: my home screens, live wallpaper and widgets would be completely different to yours. And now we beefy processors to handle even better gaming, image editing and movie watching. What’s not to like about it?

  35. Great look at the tablet that you in no small part have convinced me to get!

    I also would like to say how amazed and impressed I am that you interact with your readers at such a high level. You’ve earned a bookmark and a follow 😀

    • Thank you very much for your kind words. Reader interaction should be the norm, after all you’re the one taking the time to read and comment. Who could be more important than you, the readers?

    • I too would like to know. I asked this question in the previous section.

      I know I found a webpage saying you can run SDXC cards on Andriod formatted for fat32, but I would like to know if it has native support for the faster speeds and new exFat format.

      Thank you very much for the videos though, this way of answered the questions of viewers was very well done, very informative and very personal. I am sure you have just given ASUS a few more preorders. hehe

      • Hey Gerhard,
        It seems to be be frequent question and I’ve posed it to Asus here in Australia.
        Thanks for the comments, we do like to make the videos personal but still high quality – it’s what I like watching as well.

      • Hi Ritchie!!
        Thanks for answering my questions!
        You’ve done a really great job 😀
        For the past 3 days, I was reading a lot of reviews about the Prime. Coz of that, there were questions that popped out of my mind and the initial reaction that I had was.. guess what.. to go to your site and ask it 🙂
        But actually, I didn’t have to ask it anymore! Coz of how immense your interaction with us, your readers/commentators, I’m sure a lot of my questions were asked here already and I just have to go through the different posts 😀
        Thanks so much and keep it up! 😀
        Hope you’ll get a test unit again soon and hope Asus will get in touch with you soon!! Can’t wait to see the updates on our queries!

  38. Is the ‘Market’ part of the OS to download and rode applications? Will phone applications that run on a current smart cell phone run on the tablet?

    • Hi Robert,
      The official Android Market comes on any Tablet that passes Google’s criteria, and so far all Honeycomb tablets do meet the criteria. This is because the OS is by nature licensed, so all Honeycomb models by major manufacturers will meet the required standards.
      A recent update enhanced the pixel resolution of smartphone apps to fill the full screen of a Honeycomb unit so not only will most applications run, they will also be at full screen, although it is a “pixel fill”, not a native HD resolution.

  39. Sorry forgot these additional application questions. Do you funk ‘Market’ applications ‘documentsToGo’ and ‘Drop Box’ will run successfully on this tablet from your experience?

    • Hi again Robert,
      Both apps should work with no issues on the Prime. Documents to Go is productivity-based and will be enhanced with the keyboard existence, and DopBox will be reliant on your wireless internet connection.

  40. A few questions:

    1. How is it for entering information into a form in the web browser?
    (All Android Tablets I’ve used are very poor at this, it’s super slow and the text sometimes doesn’t come out quite right)

    2. Can you view maps.google.com in the browser as desktop version, choose directions (and then actually submit that) and then scroll the left side? This has never worked in any Android browser.

    3. If you go to the desktop version of images.google.com (in landscape view) and search for an image, can you scroll the left side menu?

    4. How’s the weight of the device? Especially in one hand?

    Thanks!

  41. Great videos! i cant wait to get mine. (its been on preorder at amazon). i do have some questions….
    1) this may be a os question but, with the HDMI conected to a tv, is the prime mirrored on the screen or is it just videos?
    2) does the GPS work with out an internet conection or is it like the ipad where you have to be conected to use it.
    3) do you know if ICS (android 4.0) will make better use of the 4 cores?

  42. If a person wants to upgrade there memory with a micro SD card, how much would it stick out of the tablet?

    • To clarify a little more.. How far does a micro sd card stick out of the tablet when plugged in?

      • Hey Bryson,
        A good question and something we should be able to ascertain when we get our sweaty excited hands back on one soon!
        Cheers,
        Ritchie

  43. Hi:

    Thanks so much for taking the time to produce useful Prime videos in a limited-time-frame environment.

    Tom

    • Thanks Tom,
      We were working against the clock but we got there, and were extremely happy to not only deliver but also interact with our audience once they were up.

  44. Just letting you know when I called ASUS today, the warranty is a Global Warranty and they said it will be coming to Australia in the 64gb Model at $899. I forgot to ask if it came with the dock as I was so excited that it would be arriving in Australia so soon.

    To be honest I am a little skeptical about it coming so soon, but here is to hoping!

    • Great news!
      My understanding is also that it will be coming to Australia with keyboard dock. As soon as we hear more, we’ll update everyone here.

  45. Hey Ritchie,
    Thanks so much for the in-depth reviews and the Q&A session. Great reader interaction you don’t see on other blogs, you’ve earned a spot on my very small RSS Feed list. I would ask a question for you to answer, but after reading all the comments and watching your vids, i can’t think of anything! Keep up the awesome work, mate!

    • Hey Andy,
      It’s an absolute pleasure chatting and discussing products here with like-minded people. Our goal, a you might have seen from previous articles, is to bring interesting topics and products to light for discussion and dialogue with you all. Thanks for adding us and see you again here soon!

  46. thank you Ritchie, for the review, videos, the replies, and the sharing. you’ve created a much better and enjoyable environment for your readers

    • Thanks Cybergyest, and we are grateful to have such positive readers! This room will only work if everyone participates – and that includes us as writers and presenters. We’re glad you joined us here!

  47. Great website! Three quick questions I hope you can get to
    1. How long is the charge cord? Original transformer is horribly short.
    2. How long does it take to charge? I have a Thrive now the charges in 1 hour which is the bomb!
    3. Read that screen keyboard is poor. I assume SWIPE can be installed? (Thrive comes with SWIPE and I have grown fond of it)

    I love this Toshiba Thrive but have to have the prime.

    • Hi Jeffrey,
      Thank you and welcome! For us it’s not the website that’s great, it’s the two way discussions that make it so interesting to visit – I’m constantly updated with comments to these articles and I look forward to every one of them. So, your questions by numbers:
      1. You’ll find the cord is still short, as it is still a USB cable with an adapter. My feeling is it’s kept that way because it will be travelled with and no one likes long cables in their backpacks and suitcases.
      2. Because we were filming a fair bit, we kept the Prime charged to ensure power during the shoot. I’d hazard a guess that charging, especially with two batteries (tablet and keyboard dock), would take a fair bit longer than an hour. That is a very good charging time.
      3. We didn’t try out the screen keyboard. Swipe should be able to be installed on any Honeycomb tablet. I have used it on an Acer Iconia, and I was in two minds about it. It’s great on Smartphones, and I wouldn’t enter text any other way on a Galaxy SII, but sliding your finger on a 10″ screen is not as intuitive in my mind. I tend to peck with two fingers on tablets, which is actually faster than Swype.
      Thanks again and please join us anytime!

  48. Hi Ritchie Fab review about the Asus Prime. Look forward to reading the full review when you obtain the Asus Prime again. Love the format of your blog/web page. What video camera are you using and are you uploading it in HD quality fab. I am in video production and can’t match your quality. Any idea when the unit will be available in UK so I can hop over to purchase one. Harry In Spain

  49. Richie, you are unreal! Do you ever sleep? It is next to never that you get a personalized response from anyone these days. Cudo’s dude.

    Regarding the charging cable, travel is perfect example for why you need a longer cable. As good as the battery life is on these tabs, they will eventually need charging and this short cable makes the unit unusable while it is charging (unless you are 2 feet from an outlet). Perfect example, I just came back from Hawaii with my Thrive. Got to DFW and battery was low. Had a 3 hour layover. Used the THrive the whole layover because the power cord easily reached and outlet. With the PRIME you will need to now carry an extenion cord with you. Please convey this problem to ASUS if you agree and have the chance.

    One last question now that I am on my PC and can type easier than on the Thrive.

    My friend has the TF101. Hates his web experience. Did set the browser to Desktop Mode but many FULL sites don’t display properly, fonts messed up and such. I did suggest to him to look for another browser and tried OPRA for him which seems better. If you get the PRIME again try http://www.bestbuy.com full site. That an example of a site that doe not render properly.

    Question is, do you know what browser is on TF101 and have they changed or improved it for the PRIME? I LOVE the browser on theToshiba Thrive and will hate to leave it. From what I can google on it, it is the standard Honeycomb browser on the Thrive. Any idea how I can confirm that? Also, if correctc, can I get this same browser in the PRIME?

    • Hi Jeffrey, yes I do sleep, hence the really delayed response to your question. The browser issue, of being able to browse full sites instead of mobile ones, seems to be a recurring issue.

      I’ll definitely ask the question, and I agree it’s important – just as a netbook can use a choice of browsers on standard sites, it makes sense for these higher performance tablets to provide the same experience.

      And I know some of my contacts from Asus are watching these threads, so I’m sure they’ll pick up the power cable length issue too, and I’ll point it out to them.

      Thanks again for contributing here, Jeffrey!

  50. Hi Richie,
    I have a funny question, i was wondering can the PRIME be a navigator even without any connectivity ? I’m using my android phone as my navigator now and I’m too greedy to have a 10″ navigator in my car… 😛

    • I have no idea on what the Prime can do with Nav without a connection that is not already available from Google.

      Goog built in a feature to the Maps/Navigation app so that you can download maps into your device, such as a 10 mile radius and be able to navigate that without a data/wifi connection. Not sure how big you can make the radius, but its something you can try out and get used to on your Android phone prior to receiving the Prime.

      Hope that helps! (I don’t work here, just frequent)

  51. Just read on Droid-Life that Amazon customers have gotten a cancelation notice on their Asus Transformer Prime orders. Shades of the first Transformer release. Any comment from Asus on product shortages?

  52. Hi Robert,
    Thanks for the heads up and sharing with our readers.
    In Australia, Asus hadn’t actually confirmed any dates for release locally, so there wasn’t a firm expectation over here. We’ll see what we can find out.
    Once again, thanks for contributing Robert!

  53. Thanks for the videos! They were great, but I’d like to ask more specific questions. I’m a student and I started hating the PC. The idea of a huge “box”(compared to a tablet) that takes a lot of time to start and is not portable at all seems awful now that there are so many great little alternatives. Unfortunately, all those tablets seemed to be just toys. The Transformer Prime really seems to make a difference and it appeals to me a lot. Now, I’ve been thinking whether I should choose it, a more expensive ultrabook or a simple notebook. Now, my mundane tasks are: surfing the web, chating, checking email and so on and I know a tablet can easily handle those. But sometimes I have to manage more complicated things like administrating a blog(blogger–nothing special), editing some photos or videos(not PS quality, of course, but something reliable), writing docs, spreadsheets or creating presentations(polaris?) and most notably, writing c++ programs. I know there is an app for the latter(c4droid) and I am not sure if you could help me with that but basically I want to write simple programs for school and test them. That being said, do you think this tablet could replace an ordinary computer in managing all this, even though it weren’t at the same level? Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad english.

  54. Hi Vlad,
    Thanks for the detailed question. In essence, I’m still of the firm belief that Android Tablets don’t necessarily replace your day-to-day computer, but gives you more functionality and flexibility in mobile and on-the-road situations.
    If you use Google Docs on your main PC, you can access them on the Prime, for example. Tablets are great for entertainment, reading and browsing, and of course social media interaction, and the Prime boosts this with the keyboard for bursts of intense productivity.
    The Prime, and other premium tablets, would be a great companion to your computing system – but probably not a complete alternative to it.

  55. I appreciate the great info on the Transformer Prime, I have one on order. One question though, is it possible to operate a dual monitor if needed?

    • Hi Jeff, not sure how the graphics processor handles monitors, this is something we will be testing on a big screen, along with a few other treats to come back to you all with!

  56. Thanks for the promt answer. I actually use google docs a lot at least for reading documents if not for creating them(I also tried it some documents and I’m quite comfortable with it). I’ve made up my mind and decided to buy the Transformer. There will be a PC at home lest I should need it but I will try to rely solely on the tablet. Yet again, thank you and have a nice day!

  57. My pre-order was cancelled by amazon US. Damn. this is the issue with small companies launching international quality products. they just don’t have the skill to launh a product world-wide. exteremely pissed-off with ASUS…

    • Looks like demand is outstripping supply only days after launching! We’ll try to find out from a local perspective what the stock situation will be like.

  58. Vlad,
    I use DocumentsToGo for reading, updating and some creating of word and excel documents on my. android phone, my iPad and my PC. I also use DropBox for cloud storage of my files so they are accessible from any of my devices no matter what the OS. Both work great. I am looking for the Transformer Prime to take the place of my iPad and a notebook when ever I can get one that is!

    • Robert thanks for your contribution, and I’d love to hear more about your experiences of moving over to your Prime as a full alternative to your PC.

    • Pen, or flash drives as they are known here in Australia, worked fine when we tested it via USB and a USB hub. However, the Prime didn’t recognise the portable hard drive that we plugged in. We haven’t tried an externally powered hard drive though – that may work if it is self powered. We’ll give it a go next time we have one.

  60. Hello. I have a question about asus prime… Does it have spanish language? Do you know when will it come to latin american?

    • Hi Patrick,
      So far we know only of two confirmed versions – English and German. You should probably contact your local retailer or Asus office to confirm if they are bringing a customised version. Feel free to come back here to share your findings!

  61. Hey – thanks for such a great review and for making videos based on people’s questions. Noticed in the Q&A Part 1 video when you are on the YouTube video (51 sec) that 720p doesn’t actually get selected. Stays on 480p. Is 720p just as smooth as what’s seen in the video? Thanks!

    • No problem, we really wanted to make our videos meaningful to our readers and viewers, what better way than addressing the questions you are asking?
      We didn’t adjust the resolution settings for the streaming, we will actually do a more robust testing of HD video playback when we next have a unit in our hands, along with camera functions and of course a few more questions from our great readers. 🙂
      Watch this space!

  62. Hey Ritchie,

    I commented on your other post about the release date in Australia of the Transformer Prime. I am looking to buy this tablet but need to get it before December 21st. I was just wondering, after the release dates for America have been revealed, do you still think that the Prime will still ‘grace our shores’ by the 21st???
    Thank you for all of your time and effort put into answering everyones questions, I am sure everyone is very appreciative. And thank you for giving me an insight into my possible future tablet 🙂
    Thanks again!

    • Hey Lucas,
      Our fellow reader Studat below mentions he has spoken to an Asus rep here locally and they are quoting sometime early next year. Given the shortages that we’ve heard about overseas via our readers, it may be a case of not forecasting the right demand levels. I should have some more info early next week.
      It’s our pleasure to respond, what I enjoy is seeing people posting a few times and even answering other posters’ questions, shows we are building a nice little community of readers who share the same passions.
      Cheers and have a great weekend!

  63. Hey Ritchie, the waiting is killing me. I have spoken to my local good guys who has call the Asus rep Australia. The rep had no info on release date but said it should be available in Q1 2012. Ok the point is do you recommend waiting for the prime or is the ipad2 just as good. Thanks for your great work. This site is my new favourite and go to for all the latest info. Well done

    • Hi Studat,
      I think a few people will be sharing in your pain right now! The iPad is still a great piece of technology and has a more mature app offering, particularly for tablet-specific offerings – something Google/Android are working on and are still lagging behind. If you’re an iPhone/iTunes user then you may find the cloud integration of iOS5 too hard to ignore.
      That said, the Transformer Prime is clearly a superior machine in terms of absolute hardware specs. If you can hang on a little longer, I reckon you won’t regret the wait.
      Thanks for your positive comments too, it means a lot.

  64. Can’t say thank you enough. You did make your website stands out of the crowd. Very different. Very interactive.
    You’re the man!!!

    • Hey Tuan,
      No need to say thanks buddy, it’s a pleasure to interact with our readers. If you’ve taken the time to read, then the effort to write on our site, the least we can do is be part of the conversation. Besides, check out this entire thread – there’s way more information, ideas and opinions provided by our readers because of our philosophy of responding and hanging out in the comments section. If that makes us different, I’ll wear that badge with pride!
      Thanks for your kind words, have a great weekend.

  65. Hi Ritchie,
    Your review is just awesome, thank you so much. To be honest, there is nothing to compare my feeling right now. This Prime makes me want it so badly, Prime will be my 1st tablet TT__TT
    People don’t die by Prime’s price, they die because of waiting !!!

    • Hey Song,
      Now THERE’S some passion! Thanks for your kind words and I hope the Prime lands in your part of the world soon before the wait starts adversely affecting your health. 🙂

  66. Thank you for all your hard work, I will only be repeating if I tell you all the reasons but I appreciate your unbiased review.
    One of the complaints or short comings that some of the other sites found was the browser speed. This is really important to me, but not a deal closer since I already tried the ipad2(i did not dislike it, just liked T1 better) and sold it and have played with the original transformer. They report that T2 is slower to load a page yet in my experience and in technobuffalo’s review, which is one of the only ones that I saw that had a side by side comparison live, T1 was equal if you turned off flash and much slower with flash on. My questions are:
    1. Did you find the browsing slow?
    2. Did you try browsing with flash off and is it possible?
    Once I thank you for your objective and careful information, i have done a lot of research on tablets and find errors or clear bias on almost every site. Your site has been the clear exception and it is refreshing as well as reassuring that people are getting good solid information.

    • Hi Sam,

      We did use the browser, but only with flash enabled, as that seems to be more pertinent to today’s browsing behaviour. We didn’t do a side by side test but it seemed to handle loading lots of content with no issues.

      Of course, browsing performance does depend on external (network) and internal (hardware/software) conditions, and for the limited time that we had the Prime the first time round, as you can see from the videos, it was a smooth experience. We will do a more rigorous test when we next have the Prime in our hands.

      Thanks for your questions and kind words. Hopefully we’ll see you back here soon!

  67. Can The Asus prime play MKV files?
    that was the reason I did not buy any tegra 2 tablets

    other question, can I connect wired xbox controller for windows to the tablet? is so can I connect it to the tablet itself using a converter from micro SD to Full SD host? or only to USB attached to the dock
    and if not to a wired controller how can I connect a wireless xbox controller?
    thx ritchie

    • Hi Mohammad,
      We are very keen to try mkv out when we get a Prime back in our hands. mkv is a great container for HD files and we’d like to think that with the right codecs on board, the Prime will be able to chew these high bit streams up and spit them out! You’ll have to watch this space though.
      On other news, our friends from Logitech are sending over a wired controller for gaming so hopefully the second part of your question can be answered soon!
      Thanks for the question as always.

  68. Hi Ritchie,
    When you get your hands on the prime again, would you be able to test the multitasking feature? Preferably with 2 PDF’s? since I am a student, i have all my books in pdf format. I will need to interchangeably change between tasks, eg for maths: SuperNote, 1 book in adobe reader, and another book which has solutions to that book.

    Also, theres on going rumours regarding release dates.., when is the confirmed (if any) US date ? and what is your prediction on the aussie date of release?
    If it comes in like feb or late jan in aus, im tempted to order from the US… :S

    • Hi John,
      We’ve tried multitasking on Honeycomb per se, and it’s a good interface for switching between open apps. We’ll try out your concept when next we have the One That Is Slim in our hands.
      As for Australia, I’m starting to hear some confidence in next week as an first batch date – should be able to confirm pretty soon.
      Thanks for the comment!

  69. I am ipone user but became very unhappy with iPhone until NetFix became available.

    I purchased the Xoom (no Netflix and no promise of getting it for that devise from either Motorola or Netflix)–so I took it back after a few days. kept it only a few days.

    Next I purchased samsung galaxey tablet but did not like this one.

    I am pretty sure that I will like the asus prime and was able to preorder it from Amazon on Nov 22.

    What are my chances of getting it before Christmas?

    Thanks do much!

    • Hi Cindy,
      Based on some reader feedback, they have had their order cancelled – if you got yours in early, you may indeed be one of the lucky ones. If it’s a Xmas present to yourself, then I hope you surprise yourself with one to unwrap before Xmas day!

  70. hey! I was curious about how the microphone quality on this thing? because this is going to be my first tablet and I’m nervous. Also, how responsive is this? Because I’ve seen in every review that people are constantly tapping an app twice just to open it up. I hope that’s just a coincidence. *fingers crossed*

    • Hey Roy,
      This whole “double tapping” issue is quite an important one, because you do have a number of people migrating from Windows to Honeycomb and are treating it like a PC operating system, which also sets up certain expectations.

      Then you also have the issue of the app not responding as you point out.
      When we had the machine for a day, we didn’t really see an issue with app selection. In fact, the live wallpaper and widgets worked well and didn’t hinder the experience. I think you can safely uncross your fingers.

      Thanks for the question!

  71. Hi Ritchie – Wow! the most interactive Site I ever been. Nice Presentation and Demo! Keep it up. This Prime is totally awesome! Can’t wait for this beast to last the Philippines shore. Would definitely get one!

    • Hi there Edmar!
      Thank you for your compliment, and we’ll be here in each discussion point to help or provide our view – that’s what a reader community is all about!

      We’re pretty excited about the Prime too, Edmar. We’re counting down the days until we have one back to get some more testing done, this time on video playback and camera performance.

      Thanks for joining us!

  72. Hey, I was wondering what is the microphone quality like on the Transformer Prime? Thanks for your time!! 😀

    • Hi Jacob, we didn’t try the microphone at all on our first look. We’ll be sure to with some video conferencing next time round.

  73. This may have been asked before, but I have not seen this answered yet. How fast does this thing turn on from full off. How fast does it wake up from whatever its rest setting is? Thanks.

    • Hi Smith,
      It’s not as fast as an Ultrabook if that’s what you were hoping! It still takes a fair time to turn on, but I find myself not fully shutting very often, only if absolutely necessary. The instant on from sleep is still as fast as ever.

  75. Since many of these reviews are talking about the benefits of the prime why is nobody mentioning the SD capabilities and subwoofer on the keyboard? This is the first mobile device to respect the SDXC protocol and the inclusion of a subwoofer on a tablet is quite exciting.

    • I remember Ritchie mentioning that he didn’t get a chance to test up to SDXC, or to see if there was a subwoofer (which is said that it’s there), and how well it works. It’s one of the things he mentioned testing next time he gets his hands on a unit.

      • Couldn’t have said it better myself Andy. Boy, there are so many things to test on the next round. We’ll collate all the unanswered questions and try to get as many tested and responded to as possible.

  76. Richie:
    I am speechless – great videos, and I see your passion.
    Thank you.

    One question that wasn’t answered yet and probably very important for all of us – could you test Skype and tell us if the video calls work? (and obviously your thoughts on it…)

    Thanks,

    Reuben

  77. One more question:

    Consider you plug in an external hard drive and the Prime does not recognize it because of lack of power. Could you attach a powered USB HUB (similar to the one you have in the videos) and see if it works then? Could the powered HUB feed the external hard drive?
    Thanks again!

    Reuben

    • In the past I have found that when trying to charge electronics with the powered usb HUB that the hub did not supply power. This may have only been my own so I do not know. However, there are many hard drives that have adapters to connect to a wall outlet and that is there only way to power themselves and this may allow the prime to see it.

      • If anyone out there has an Android tablet, could they try hooking up a powered hard drive to their unit to see it is recognised? So far the test we did was not favourable to reading a portable spinning hard drive.
        Thanks for helping answer, Bryson.

        • I hooked up an external hard drive (WD 1.5tb) that has its own power source and the Prime recognized the content on it right away. I wish the same were true of a portable hard drive that draws its power from a USB port.

  78. Hello Ritchie!
    First of all, congratulations for your great job.
    I have an iPad 2, but his camera makes me upset, and I wanted to know if would be an interesting thing for me to change my iPad 2 for this Transformer Prime, or I should wait until the next iPad ?
    And the Prime is going to be upgradeable for Android 4.0 if I’m not mistaken, how it will be done ?
    Thank you buddy.

    • Waiting for the next iPad is a little like waiting for the movie The Hobbit… you know the previous ones were great but don’t really know much about the next ones except for some teasers and rumours.
      No one knows anything about iPad 3. If you are willing to try Android, and trust me I’ve been there and it’s worth giving a go, then the Prime will be the perfect vehicle for your entry into this platform. The Prime will most likely get an OTA (over the air) update to be upgraded to 4.0.
      Thanks for your kind words too!

  80. Hi all, just made a call to Asus on there 1300 number and spoke to a rep who said the prime ( on his system ) is set for a mid december release. Yes december in oz . I think he may be wrong but I will hang on to that hope. Might just have a great xmas after all.

    Thanks guys!!!

    • Mid December would be cause for celebration! I haven’t heard anything that specific yet but hey, if it happens there will be dancing in the streets (or at least in the little rooms where we collect all our cool gadgets).

  81. Hi Ritchie,
    the Transformer Prime has a GPS unit, but only WiFi (no 3G/4G connections).
    Do you think that’s possible to use it like a BIG car navigation system? It could be perfect: video, music and GPS! WOW!

    So… Could you try to use it like as a GPS navigation unit?

  82. Damn! So the transformer prime is unavailable everywhere in the US as it is. I really need to get my hands on one of these amethyst grey babies. I live in the UK and I’m way too impatient to wait for the uk release. Do you think it is safe to get one from the US? Any idea if warranties are issued on a worldwide basis?

  83. Hey Jolz,
    Our understanding is there is a full international warranty from Asus, so it should be serviced regardless of where you purchased it. But you should check with your local Asus office first just to be sure.

  84. So i guess it isnt coming out today…
    why is asus so secretive about release dates? grrrrrrrrrrrr

    sorry to destroy high hopes, but when i called asus they said next year!

  85. I saw on a few sites and I heard that asus announced that it will be on the 19th. This may just be rumor though.

  86. Hi all, look at the Asus Australia website and you will see they are finally advertising the prime. Its a link to facebook. This is a step in the right direction. Xmas release?

    Cheers…

  87. Hi Ritchie!

    I just have a question about the USB port. Is there one on the main tablet, without having to purchase the dock/keyboard? I hook my Android phone up to my computer QUITE frequently to quickly transfer files to the micro-SD card in the phone and would love to be able to do this with this tablet without having to buy the keyboard. Honestly, I almost purchased the XOOM but heard this was coming out very soon, and would much rather have this than the XOOM, but having no USB port without the keyboard would definitely be a deal-breaker for me.

    Thanks!
    Shannon

    • Hi Shannon! The tablet component does not have a USB port per se, but there is an adaptor to connect a USB port via the proprietary dock, so you will still be able to connect directly to a PC without the keyboard. It is one extra thing you’ll need to buy, but if that’s what it takes to get full functionality for your investment, it’s probably worth it.

      • Do you mean the adapter would plug into the port that the dock/keyboard itself would actually plug into, if you used it? Also, do you have any idea if this will be a pricey accessory?

        Thanks!

        • Yes, it would connect in place of the keyboard. Price-wise, I haven’t seen it so I don’t know – as it’s just a connector it shouldn’t be terribly expensive.

  88. I’d love to see these in stores this side of Xmas. If I hear anything, you our readers will be the first to know.

  90. To try and answer the question about if you can attached to an externally powered USB drive. I have a Toshiba Thrive. I connected my 1 TB drive to it yesterday and it did not see it. It may be because it is formated NTFS and I suspect andriod can only see FAT. I have an extra drive laying around here somewhere. If I get a chance I will format that one FAT and give it another try.

    • Hi Jeffrey, yes my understanding also was there was an NTFS recognition issue for Android. Of course, most large hard drives would be formatted that way. If you’re willing to use an old hard drive as a guinea pig, let us know – I think that’s a really important fact to know.

  91. I’m getting really pissed off from the silence from asus. Can’t they just come out clean and tell us when we should truly expect this device. They’re so quiet and nonchalant even after seeing how anxious people are about the official release.

    One would have thought they’d have learnt a thing or two from the launch of the original transformer!

  92. It is such a shame that ASUS couldn’t have had this ready for XMAS. They are going to loose soooooo many sales to IPAD for XMAS. I called my local Gamestop 2 days ago. They said they were taking pre-orders in the store and the date was still the 19th. I went in yesterday and was too late. They removed it from pre-order, apparently like everyone else now. It popped up on Amazon again the other day but only with an option to get notified when available, and that was removed in one day too. I just don’t get ASUS’s strategy here………. Clearly they would want to get it out there ASAP and have their own issues around doing this, but you would think they could be clear about the target date. I have seen the date move 3 or 4 times now. Is anyone from ASUS watching this thread????? Also, their Twitter thread is a joke. This is really lousy PR in my opinion………….

    • Really lousy PR all over the place….they go about talking about all the irrelevant stuff and consciously ignore the questions their potential customers need answers to. Lets wait and see what the new year brings….maybe some other tablet maker will release a more compelling tablet offer than the prime…they will lose customers…..

  93. Is it a realistic possibility that the delay may be caused due to the fact that these units will all of a sudden be shipping with ICS 4.01. Just throwing it out there.

    • It is a possibility though. That would be a sweet deal of course. But regardless, being left in the dark really sucks….even if ICS is a planned surprise on the device, they should at least come clean and tell us when to expect it.

  94. Hello, a question for Richie or someone else that can answer. Despite the fact that it doesnt have 3G, is it possible to add 3G Capabilities by a 3G Usb Stick or by have your mobile phone share internet through it? This is my only thought, despite that everything else is covered from your superb videos.

    • The original transformer had that capability after the unit was rooted (and preferably a custom ROM was loaded onto it).
      Whether or not it will be possible on the Prime will depend on how compatible the drivers of the 3G USB stick are with the Tegra 3 platform. We will have to wait for atleast a month or two by the time the Developers are able to check if this is possible, and if so which with which dongles.
      I suspect it should be possible, but you never know..

  95. Hi Guys/Girls. Without trying to be repetitive, this website is RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME !!! I love that people can interact civilly without slander 🙂 Ritchie, thanks for making this possible. I’ve already added you to “favorites.”
    JOLZ, I was thinking/speculating the same thing a few days now; There may be a certain ICS flavor coming with this tablet. That would be awesome though…one can only hope.
    For those of you who tried ordering from the better-known websites and did not find it successful, here is a safe alternative. I ordered mine from here (And I assure you this is NOT a plug, I am in no way affiliated with them)
    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/825960-REG/ASUS_TF201_C1_GR_64GB_Eee_Pad_Transformer.html
    They still have them in stock.

  96. Lefteris, I have a Toshiba Thrive running 3.2. I have sprint EVO with hotspot and that works fine as one would expect. However, you have to pay for the hotspot, in my case I turn it on as needed at $1 a day. Another option is PDANET which has a tablet version that works via bluetooth from phone to tablet (no cell charges if you have internet phone). However, I have not gotten this to work yet and have not time to research with PDANET yet as to why bluetooth not connecting. I suspect with a little time and energy it would work though. Been using PDANET tethered to laptop from phone for years and it is great product.

  97. Hi guys, thanks for keeping the conversation going. I certainly do hope Asus is reading this thread as, thanks to the readers, this is probably one of the best information and discussion pages for the Prime in the world.
    From my point of view, if there is a delay due to Android 4.0 deployment, it would be worth it. I haven’t heard that at all but it would be a great surprise – a nice “thank you” to all the customers that waited patiently for their Prime.
    Thanks again for all the positive comments, it really keeps us going on this end.
    We have BIG plans for our next lot of videos for the Prime… just waiting for that new unit to arrive.

    • They had preorders for quite a while, now sold out, which is why it says coming soon. I preordered mine from there at the end of November, that’s how I know.

      • I went to Best Buy earlier and actually picked up the original Transformer. With the holidays, they said they are extending the returns until January 24th, which means even if the Prime is released in the first part of January, I can still take this one back and upgrade with no problems. Yay! Also, the guy there said he was still hearing the 19th for the Prime (said he’d just checked a couple hours before I talked to him.) Obviously this doesn’t mean a lot, but we can hope… ?

  99. I am hearing reports from a few users at XDA that they are delaying the shipment worldwide due to a problem with the WiFi range not being up to the mark. NCIX seems to have sent out emails detailing about this “eorldwide release delay” to the Canadian customers with no ETA, stating only that it will not make christmas.
    Not sure what to make of it but I hope we get it this month..

    • Wow…I guess right about now, we wud keep hearing all sorts till it gets released. No way to tell which is the truth 🙁

    • Hi Atomizer, thanks for the update. I’m going to see what I can find out from Asus. As I’m in Australia the situation may be different from other regions. We have had another heads up about Wi-fi from another reader and if it’s on the XDA boards it’s probably not a good sign.
      Jolz is right, a lot of rumour and conjecture right now, and not much solid info, but we’ll try to find out what we can and update here.

      • Thanks Ritchie.
        Some further updates from a few Taiwanese users here (google translate):
        http://goo.gl/HDxon
        What a lot of them seem to have noticed is that there are some real issues with both GPS and Wi-Fi signals. No idea yet if it is s/w or h/w issue and if it will cause a delay, but it is worth checking out for the bugs on the prime right now.

  100. It seems like a few different websites are all reporting the same thing. I’m not gonna stress over it though. After all, a few different websites also said we were gonna see the iPhone 5 earlier this year, and look how well that turned out.

    It’ll come in its own due time…and i’ll try not to be too impatient. After all, what’s the alternative? Ipad 2??? Hell NO !!!

  101. Very true Collo, stressing won’t change the situation. I think it’s also the time of year – with Xmas around the corner people are looking to that date as a benchmark for deliveries. The later it is, perhaps the more chance it may be upgraded to Android 4.0 before being shipped??

  104. Hello Ritchie, will it be possible to use an USB 3g Dongle at the Transformer Prime for internet connectivity, when ther is no Wifi-accespoint available?

    • Hi Rico,
      It’s a common question. At the moment we know it can be connected to a hotspot on a smartphone as all Android tablets can, but no word on where there are drivers to recognise dongles. We are looking to find that out.

  105. Hi Richie,
    Do you know the implications of buying from US and getting shipped to australia? Like warranty etc

  106. Hi John, here is an excerpt from a previous post by Gerhard:

    “Just letting you know when I called ASUS today, the warranty is a Global Warranty and they said it will be coming to Australia …”

    I hope this helps.

    • Thanks Collo, and yes I have the same information – warranty will be honoured here in Australia if you do purchase overseas.

  107. Hi Richie

    A question I have not seen addressed anywhere… Can the tablet use any of the USB Ethernet dongles.
    The ability to plug the device into the wired network could strongly affect how well this device is adopted in the business wold.
    Personally the ability (or not) to be able to plug this into the wired network changes this from “an interesting and expensive toy” to “this is a very powerful tool to do ‘real work'”

    Let me know what you find out…
    Darren

    • Hey Darren,
      I’ve been asked this a few times actually, so I rang a contact at one of the big telcos, who told me that at this stage there are no drivers to install 3G (or 4G) USB Dongles on Android tablets. This may be fixed in the future but in the meantime smartphone hotspotting looks to be the best option.
      Great question and thanks for asking.

      • Richie
        I think we have crossed wires on this one.
        I was asking about connecting physical Ethernet cable via a USB dongle.
        Most of my “use cases” requires physical cable access as my customers treat WiFi as a “DMZ” and do not let it into core systems (I agree actually).
        I was thinking the 3G/4G would be through a phone tether anyway.
        BTW, the next poster seems to have the answer for me 🙂
        Darren

      • Thank you, I can now consider this asked and answered.
        If I buy a supported dongle it will work with Honeycomb.
        I can learn to be patient awaiting the same for Icecream sandwich (I hope).
        Sadly, it’s still academic for me at this stage, the Prime is not available (or availability announced) in Australia yet 🙁
        Darren

  108. ok so it will be honoured, but will there be any catch to this?
    is it true about the postage and handling thing? like if u wanna send it back and stuff you have to pay?

    • It would be serviced at the closest service centre to your residence, but as far as who pays for the transport to and from I couldn’t tell you. You should probably make contact with the local office before you purchase from overseas just so you know where you stand if there is any issue.

  111. Hi Ritchie… a stupid question.
    What happens if you connect 2 external mouse? Think that appear only 1 pointer but it will be really interesting that 2 pointers appears and runs like 2 fingers at screen. What do you think about that?
    Thx!!!

    • Not really a stupid question, it actually would indicate how well Android mimics the PC environment and resolves interface conflicts like that. On Windows, 2 mice just means the cursor moves with which ever mouse is being used at that exact moment, and will follow both at the same time by averaging the vectors.
      I imagine the same would occur with Android, but we hadn’t tested it. Something to consider, thanks for your left-field question 🙂

      • Thx for your early answer. I’ll be tuned to see if you try it.
        Linux/Google/Microsoft/etc… can consider that possibility for their OS (including PC)

  112. Ritchie, something that is really bugging me. Not sure if it is device dependant or Andriod related. On my Toshiba Thrive running 3.2, there does not appear to be a way to send mail to a distribution list, which is really a pain!!!! I can do it on my EVO. Is this a Honeycomb thing? If so any relief in ICS? Anyone know how to get around this?

    Also, how does one commicate with GOOGLE on stuff like this? That is one thing I hate about Android. It appears to be impossible to interact with them on issues or problems.

    • Hey Jeffrey,
      Haven’t tried distribution list emails yet. Probably works if you have say a webmail exchange server, but sounds like you’re talking about the app-based functionality.
      I don’t know anyone from Google to be honest, all my contacts are manufacturer-based. Forums like XDA etc are good for searching for solutions to answers but I’ve never seen interaction with the folk that develop the platform.

  114. Thanks for the heads up, does it mean pre-Xmas delivery? Doesn’t commit to a date. At least it’s up!

  118. Hi guys, thanks for the updates. I also spoke to Asus Australia yesterday, who confirmed a delay until the end of January also. They couldn’t confirm if an upgrade to ICS was on the cards, but if Italy is getting it, then it bodes well for other regions who will see the stock in similar timeframes.

  120. Hey Ritchie, pardon me if this question has been asked before but i was wondering tho…is the keyboard of the TF Prime backlit?

  121. So from mid december to end of January… great … :@

    Okay so im pretty darn fed up of the australian release dates now.

    Has anyone from australia preordered from the US?
    And I will contact asus to find out any implications of getting it from the US and stuff..

    my question to you ritchie is, what type of charger does the prime have? is it some ordinary cable you can find? because getting from the US would mean a US cable, and so a US powerpoint!

    • Hi John,
      Asus have an international warranty but my advice would be to do just that – contact the local head office.
      As for power supplies, the power supply is a switch mode 100-240V type so it will work here with just an adapter for the connections. The cable detaches from a USB socket, and the cable has a USB connection on one end and the proprietary connection on the other. As with all tablets, the Prime can’t be charged via another USB port so you’ll have to make sure you can use the external power supply.
      Cheers, Ritchie

  122. TOMORROW !!!! I can’t wait. Now I wonder, will it be at my doorstep tomorrow, or will it be delivered a few days after the 19th.
    (its funny how our focus changes over the course of time. No one cares about specs anymore…we know it all. Now its a matter of WHEN CAN WE GET IT? )

    • I’m holding my breath for you too! Let us all know when you get it so we can all let out a big jealous sigh. but seriously, I hope it does actually come for you.

  124. Ritchie,

    Please tell me this is something unique to my system. I am now getting this nasty SHARE popup of some kind that lays ovet the top of your page, actually hiding a good part of the text as I am typing this. I can’t find anyway to close it. TOTALLY annoying. If this is part of your site I am never coming back, that is for sure. I can barely tell what I am typing right now because of this POS popup. If you need to see it, I could grab a screen shot and send to an email if you like.

    • Hi Jeff,

      First I’d like to appologise for the share bar experience you’ve just had. A quick fix is to collapse the share bar, just click on the button at the top that says “SHARE”. To confirm, the issue with the share bar has been more to do with mobile devices than full screen devices like a notebook or desktop. At this stage we are looking at updating our platform for mobile devices early in the new year and this should fix the share bar issue too. So please bear with us everyone!

  126. Now Amazon has both the 32 and 64 GB models. Still out of stock though. I ordered hoping they get some this week. They even have one day shipping free for some reason. I am a huge Amazon custom and I have never seen them do this before.I am hoping they are doing this because they plan to get them too us before XMAS. I also called the local Game Stop that Carries tabs last night. They originally thought they would see them on the 19th but still had no word. They said to call back today for an update.

    • I also preordered on amazon this morning once it became available. When I checked the status of my order. It read “The following item will arrive after December 25, 2011.” I believe it is safe to rule out christmas x_x

  127. All I can say is if any of you manage to get yours in your hands before Xmas, you will be the luckiest buggers in town. Let us know when your Prime hits your doorstep.

  128. For those of you who ordered from B&H, they never had them in stock to begin with. I doubt we will get it in time for Christmas. See the conversation below: (12-19-11, 9:50am EST)

    Colin : Do you have any idea if this will be delivered before Christmas?
    Simon R: Hello Colin. My name is Simon, and I will be glad to assist you. Please give me a few moments to begin working on your inquiry.
    Simon R: We are expecting a shipment by the end of December, Orders will be filled in the order they are received
    Colin: are they currently being shipped right now for customers who ordered them early from your company?
    Simon R: We still haven’t received a shipment yet
    Colin: Oh ok, Thank You Simon.
    Simon R: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
    Colin: No, that was all I needed. Thank You for your assistance.

    • My order from Bestbuy was just put on back order, I ordered it when it first showed up on preorder. Smh.

  130. I need advice about tablets, specifically the Transformer prime i want to use it for work, to check email, and do somer basic office stuff like word documents and spread sheets. How do i sync the tablet and my PC, mainly so i get email on both, i use outlook on my PC, and want a copy of everything i send from my tablet on my PC.

  131. I just spoke to my local gamestop and they gave a date of the 23rd to have them in the store….

  132. I should have mine with dock before Christmas, just got my shipping notification from Best Buy for both! Granted, I preordered back on November 22nd! So there is hope!

    Once I get it, i’ll try it out with a powered external hard drive, and see if I can knock out any of the other questions on here. I follow this thread pretty closely, and will report back once I get it. If you guys need me to test something, i’m down for it. Just FYI though, I don’t have any USB dongles for 3G or anything like that.

    • I haven’t heard when the upgrade will be officially deployed yet, but there are rumours flying everywhere. If we get something more concrete we will definitely be posting it here!
      Thanks Robert.

    • These meme just never seems to get old, does it? Very funny! (caution kids, some rude language in the subtitles!)

  137. Hey guys, I have only researched the prime. Getting over the wait and now the samsung 10.1 is in store. So what I am asking is the samsung a good tablet?
    Cheers and merry xmas…

  138. Been calling my local gamestop all week. Just called this morning and they came in. They have one extra and I am heading up there now to get it. If all goes well I will have one in hand latter today and can try to answer any questions on it.

  139. Studat, I think the 10.1 is a remarkable tablet. I fiddled with one a few weekends ago and was impressed with the fluidity of the movements. It didn’t stutter like most tablets do, and did a decent job at web browsing and viewing videos/listening to music, and video-Skyping. If you’re in a time crunch and can’t wait for the ATP, I’d recommend the 10.1 as a viable alternative.

    • both can upgrade to Ice cream sandwich but asus is better about providing updates faster

      Pros of 10.1 over the prime:
      Has a slightly better screen
      Has a 3mp front camera instead of the primes 1.2
      CON: bendy plastic back

      Prime over 10.1:
      incredibly faster processor
      rear camera is an incredible 8mp instead of just 3.0
      upgrade-able memory with micro sd
      micro HDMI
      nearly double battery life
      cool aluminum back

      has a key bored you can buy with: a key bored, usb slot, full sd card slot, second battery, and touch pad

      • Thanks for your detailed reply Bryson. One thing I also noticed about the 10.1 is the Touch Wiz overlay that makes the Honeycomb a little more customised, especially with the Mini Apps.
        And you’re right, the casing is very different between the two. I’m a fan of the metal casework of the Prime but I do like the GUI of the 10.1.
        Of course, the keyboard will be the deal breaker for many.

  140. Still no one with the prime yet? Damn! My amazon order was eventually shifted to jan 25th – feb 8th 🙁
    I have officially lost all hope.

    Merry Christmas everyone.

    • Hey Jolz,
      I’ve had mine since Dec 20th. Got it from Tiger Direct. The dock is still on backorder. I hope you get yours soon.

      • Was it a 32 or 64gb? I’m beginning to suspect that the 64gb models are yet to be produced. So far everybody who has received theirs are those who ordered the 32gb models….

          • I think i should start looking to order a 32gb cos honestly feb 2012 is such a joke to me. Thats what i see on my present 64gb gray jan25th – feb 9th.

            Let me look around and see what i can find

  141. Hi, have you tested the microphone quality on this thing? I really need a tablet to record work meetings and I want to make sure this one is good quality. Thanks again for all your help!!

    • Hey Mark,
      No, we haven’t tested the microphone properly for general recording or for voice/video chat. Definitely on the cards for another segment.

  142. R, I think the finger print question was about the glass on the primet and not on the exterior of the case. I have the TF101 and it get s lots of prints on the glass and it needs to be cleaned regularly. Not like my iPhone 3GS which does not ever show any finger prints. Have they made any improvements on the TF201 “Prime”?

    • Hey Robert,
      There were fingerprint markings on the screen, which were very visible in the strong light we used in the studio, but not more than other tablets I’ve used, although I’m usually a fan of screen protectors for tablets (not so much for smartphones).

      The higher brightness of the screen seemed to overcome and compensate for the fingerprints, which were not visible at all during use.
      I’m not sure if the screen itself is more resilient against fingerprints but certainly normal use doesn’t seem to be affected by it.

  143. Prime first Impressions. Well gang I have had this since the 23rd and played with it over the holidays. I am sorry to report that so far I am not very impressed with this tablet.

    First, While I guess thin is good in some ways, it presents problems in others, especialy when the back is smooth metal. This tablet it hard to hold onto. I just can’t beleive that none of the initial early reports our there mention this. Everyone that has held mine has the same comment about being hard to hold onto and afraid of droping it. Also the edge is rather abrupt and not rounded or smooth, which is not pleasant. I get hand craps trying to hold it while laying in bed reading at night. You will need a cover for this thing just to make it “Holdable”

    The next big let down is the the keyboard. There are two options and they both are very lacking in my optionion. Niether of them have push to hold keys with special characters so that is a real PIA always having to switch modes when you want a special character. No cursor movement keys which is nuts on a big keyboard like this. They have a light version of swype, but that is missing some of the better features that normal swype has. Of couse you can get another keyboard on the market. I am sort of liking HACKER keyboard at the moment.

    The biggest let down is performance. I can’t tell a bit a difference between this and my Toshiba Thrive. In fact, I suspect my Thrive is equal to or faster than the prime. I will have to run some timing test and get back to you on this. I base this comment on Web Browsing. which to me is one of the primary attractions to using tablets. Even general tablet navaigation speed is not impressive, again, not noticably different than my Thrive. I am really let down but the QUAD CORE hype because I see no noticable speed improvements. Even screen touch responsiveness seems to be slow. Thinking back, many of the early video reviews showed the user having slow response or tapping twice at times to get the tab to respond.

    I really hope either updates or ICS come out and fix some of this because I am not happy that I just paid $500 for this tablet.

    Sorry for the negative report, but I suspect you are going to start seeing a lot of them unless maybe I just got a lemon, which I doubt. I am not sure anyone should be upset about missing this for XMAS, or at all. I may even sell mine if anyone is interested. It is just not that much better than my thrive. It is smaller and lighter, but you can’t hold the darn thing so that ruins that, and general performance is not noticably better.

    • Hey Jeffrey,
      Thanks very much for the detailed impressions. Agree with you it is a shame that the performance has not impressed you and seems to be on par with a Tegra 2-based unit.
      I’ve had a scan of other reviews and it seems to be the common gripe at the moment – the thinness makes it hard to handle and users aren’t seeing the performance increase they were expecting with a quad core processor.
      I’n wondering whether Android 4.o may indeed be more than a fix but the native platform this product was built on. We’ll see soon enough at the CES in Vegas, where I’d expect Asus to have a heap of ICS products on show; hopefully there will be a Prime with ICS that we can spend a little hands-on time with.
      If anyone else has their first impressions please feel free to post them here.
      Once again Jeffrey, thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts on this site.
      Cheers, Ritchie

  144. RE: fingerprints on Prime tablet glass. Is there a clear film that will eliminate finger prints for these tablets? Also is there any spray-on that will simulate the same thing Apple puts on their phones and tablets to prevent finger prints which they call “oleophobic coating”?

    • Hi Robert,
      The protective covers I’ve used usually give a matte look to the screen and change the characteristic of the display. It would be nice to have just a clear overlay that repels fingerprint marks. I’ll look around.
      I haven’t seen the spray in this market, but it’s preferable to a screen overlay in my opinion.

  145. Ok, got the prime about 10 minutes before I had to go to work. Initial fingerprint impressions go with what’s been stated already. Yeah, they show… until you turn the screen on, then they’re completely unnoticable, and that’s just on the charging screen! They ship it dead, which is a good thing to me, so that’s all I saw before I could go to work.

    Once I get more time to play with it, i’ll dig through here and answer some questions!

    Ritchie, can you hit me on email or twitter?

  146. Bullet points from the paperwork that comes with the Transformer Prime:
    -International Warranty and Support
    –Your Asus Eee Pad will be covered by GLOBAL Asus service for the period defined on the label sticker on the 1st page of the Eee Pad warranty card from your original purchase date. The Eee Pad battery is regarded as a consumable part.
    –To enjoy the comprehensive global warranty service, visit Asus Global Service Center website at http://support.asus.com/contact for detailed locations.
    –The Global Warranty only covers failures or malfunctions that occur during the warranty period and under normal use condition, as well as any material or workmanship defects. The warranty will not apply to items listed in the “Exclusion from this Limited Warranty Service.”
    —Standard stuff, if you tamper with it, root it, flash roms, blah blah, your warranty is void. Using the wrong power adapter and frying your TFP=void
    –If you need one of the International Support numbers, reply to this post and I’ll grab it out of the warranty documentation for you.

    -USB Charging (Quoted from the manual)
    –TF201 can be charged via the USB port on the computer only when it is in sleep mode (screen off) or powered off.
    –Charging through the USB port may take longer time to complete
    –Cannot USB Charge through the dock

    -Power Adapter
    –AC 100V-240V, output voltage is DC 15V at 1.2A. This means that if you buy a US TFP and live in OZ, you just need a plug adapter.

    All for now, i’ll make a list of what needs checked out and report back!

  147. Hello! i was in visions yesterday and from what i heard, the realease date in saskatchewan canada is supposedly sometime in january! thanks

    • Hi Brennon,
      Sound very similar to the launch date for Australia. The big question will be if it manages to launch with ICS pre-installed? One can only hope!

  148. Hello Richie,
    thanks for the information of the Asus Transformer Prime. I looked at your videos on the (german) website and enjoyed them. Thanks.
    What I would like to know is how does it compare with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N (the latest version that is allowed here in Germany) against the Asus Prime. And (maybe) how do the specs compare to the Acer Iconia Tab A700?

    • Hey Steven,
      Thanks for your kind words! The 10.1 only just got released in Australia and because of the seasonal break we haven’t got ourselves one yet however it can’t be directly compared because the Tegra 3 chip ushers in the second generation of Android tablets.
      I did have a look at the Acer A700, under embargo right now to talk about it but the leaked specs and pics pretty much sum up what I know right now. The big change is the higher resolution screen, 1920 x 1200, which will be pretty fantastic when apps are written in that native resolution.
      All will be revealed when we attend CES and will be able to report back on all these new products and make some comparisons.
      Thanks for your comment!
      Ritchie

  149. Is it hard to hold or heavy to hold when you hold it with only one hand? I want to scan bar codes/qr codes with it… Would it be difficult to do so with this device?

    • CarzilyCurious,
      I got mine on the 23rd. One thing that I was not happy with is how smooth that back is which makes it hard to hold. I was at a friends the other day and held their IPAD2 and they feel very much the same, so if you can hold one of those from a friend or at a store you will know what the Prime feels like. This really should not be a deal breaker because I would expect that you would want some kind of cover for it anyway, and that solves this. Still a little too soon to have a good choice of covers. The reports on the ASUS cover is it is expensive and not the best quality for the money. It also does not take into account adding the keyboard. I know the MOBO is close to having theirs out and it should accomodate both the tab alone and with keyboard. I have written to them and suggested they add a way to carry an SD Card adpater too. At first I thought that if I have the keyboard I wouldn’t need a cover. Now after having this I realize that is not correct. This thing is to slick. It already slide off the dash of my wife’s (Mario wanabe) car. Luckily I was in passenger seat and caught it.

      I gueds this metal back is nice in that it looks good and makes it feel like high quality, but it comes at the cost of not being easily held. Personally I wish they used somthing with more grip. However, even if they did I would still probably want a cover anyway for various reasons, so it is really not a big deal to me anymore.

      • Hey Jeff,
        Thanks for sharing your detailed thoughts here, really appreciate it.
        We’re feeling some big withdrawal symptoms from not having any unit in Australia to work on, but your contribution is a great substitute!
        Ritchie

        • Super IPS Report. An update on the screen. One of the reasons I was interested in this unit is because I have mived to using a tab for reading now, and I wanted to be able to see it outside. Well I was finally able to get around to having it out in the sun light yesterday and am happy to report that you can see this tab preety well in direct sunlight. There is some glare from the glass which is managable, but over all it was pretty good. And when opening a book with whate background and balck text, it was very readable. Heck, I am very impressed with my first tab (Toshiba Thrive) but you can not see it at all in the sun.

          So the Prime does deliver well on it’s daylight visiability claims.

          • Great news and confirms what we had experienced when we had the unit. Certainly sets benchmarks for outdoor tablet use.

  150. Woohooo…Just picked up mine. Charging now as we speak.

    I basically walked into a curry’s store here in london and picked one up 🙂

  151. Looks like Jan 6 is the release date for best buy Canada, and from what I hear, it comes with the honeycomb os.but will soon be upgradable to ics

    • Counting down the days then! We are super keen to see ICS deployed on this. Maybe we’ll get to see it in action at the CES next week in Las Vegas – we’ll report back if that is the case!

    • About the GPS, I say, would you really be using this for Nav, i mean really? They put out a fix for it (which turns on WiFi to assist in GPS satellite finding).

      As for the bootloader, hopefully it’s only a matter of time before Asus sees the error in their ways. To help them, there is a petition you can sign that will be sent to Asus.

      I have a writeup for the bootloader issue, just waiting for Ritchie and the staff here to approve it.

      Also, give the dev community some time, this is a new device, and they’ve been pretty good about finding back doors on devices in the past.

      http://www.change.org/petitions/david-unlock-our-bootloader-transformer-prime

  153. So having gone through my prime with extreme scrutiny and performed several checks based on complains i’d read from other xda forums, I’m happy to say that my prime seems perfectly fine. No stuck pixels, no haptic feedback problems, no screen orientation issues when undocked, tested wifi using the wifi analyzer app and compared to my SGSII and I can confidently say wifi range is just a very tiny little bit behind my SGSII, all keyboard keys work fine as well as the trackpad, no major lags at this point except while using the stock browser, auto brightness works fine and gps seems relatively normal when compared to SGSII(though gps is no deal breaker for me).

    Installed quite a couple of apps and games (from tegrazone) and i must say the games run very smoothly. Bluetooth transfer speed however is not on par with most other android devices.

    In all, the device is a beauty. Sleek and adorable. I will patiently wait to see what ICS brings to the table.

    Goodluck guys.

    • Went to bed last night and fired up tab to read. There was a system update sitting there waiting to be applied. It didn’t say what it was specifically. Anyone else see this yet? I am not sure what got updated and what it fixes.

    • Thanks Jolz! Can’t wait to see what ICS does in terms of functionality and performance. If we’re lucky enough, we’ll see a functioning unit at the CES in Vegas this time next week. We’ll report back on our impressions if we do spot it.

  154. Ritchie, was hoping you or someone else could answer my post above about what update just went out? I have been searching an can’t find anything on it. All I know is one applied last night for about 15 minutes and would like to know what it is for?

    • Hi Jeff, I’ve heard it was to address the GPS issue – stability, time taken to lock onto satellites, etc. Can you test your GPS performance and come back?

      • Ritchy,

        My GPS always worked so not sure if update made a difference. I just wlaked outside and started it. I had 4 satalites locked in about 15 seconds. I know if did not work before while in car unless I held out on the dash. I will have to try that later when I am out and see if there is any improvement. While I have seen many say GPS is not really a big issue for tabs, I suspect it will become key soon. For example, I am looking at a car mount to bring tab with me being my phone has hotspot and all. I Would much rather navigate from this 10 inch screen then my 4.3 inch phone. I also bet in the next couple of years cars with have integrated removable tabs in them.

  155. I have a another question about the TF201.

    I want to know about the apps capabilities. Is the device able to use the android market and download all the apps on there are is it limited to only very few apps? Also, can you use the Amazon App-store on the device? And finally my last question… I have read that the Prime has a locked boot-loader, what does this mean in terms of what capabilities are not allowed when the device has a locked boot-loader? Please answer in plain English because I do not understand all this custom ROM, kernel, & overclocking stuff that other people are saying you can’t do with a locked boot-loader. Can someone please explain?

    • The Prime will be able to run a large percentage of apps from the Android Marketplace. The ones you should be looking for are apps written specifically for tablets, as the resolution and performance will be optimised.
      Amazon’s app market will also be open to you (there may be some regional restrictions) and same thing would apply there.
      As far as Boot-loader goes, Asus have announced it will be unlocked. Our guest writer Andy has set up a page where he’s ready to answer questions on that issue: https://ritchiesroom.com/2012/01/03/asus-transformer-prime-bootloader-locked/

  157. I noticed that Jolz commented about browser lag with the stock browser. Is there a better performing browser you would recommend?

  158. We only used the stock browser while testing it. Jolz, Andy and Jeffrey all have one in their hands, I wonder if they might advise an alternative?

    • Ritchie,
      I just loaded Opra Mobile. I have not done any extensive testing, but just bringing up pages from this site seems to be about the same as the stock browser. Once entire page is loaded, they both are lightning fast.

      In my opinion, the browser performance, while not as fast as I would like to see given the hardware (and given my friend with the IPAD2 which is faster for web (but no FLASH he he he he)), it is not that bad and I don’t think people should worry about it. Could it be faster? Yes. Is it slow, NO!

      Also, I really like the stock browser (I think chrome based?). It has some really nice functionality like tabbed browsing and a BIG scroll bar on the side to quickly page through LONG threads.

      • Thanks for the thoughtful reply Jeff! The stock browser is based on Chrome but is missing things like extensions which means you can’t really transfer your full PC Chrome experience to the tablet.

    • In the short time I had my Prime (due to issues with a firmware update, it had to go back to Best Buy), I tested out Dolphin Browser HD, and it was slick. Seemed much faster than the stock browser, but I didn’t do a whole lot of testing before it broke.

      • ASUS made this announcement on their facebook page with regard to the recent update and ICS update as well as the GPS.

        “Thank you very much for all of the support you have given to ASUS. Eee Pad Transformer Prime received excellent reviews and great demand when it launched in December 2011. Now, we are continuing to make the Transformer Prime available in the worldwide market, and doing our best to fulfill the incredible demand. ASUS strives to create the best products and provide the best service for our customers, and will be releasing an FOTA update for the Transformer Prime shortly. This update, version 8.8.3.33, will improve the focus of the camera, the fluidity of the touch experience, and the APK capabilities in Android Market.

        ASUS has been working hard to make the highly anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich available on the Transformer Prime, and today, we have good news for you. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich FOTA worldwide update for the Transformer Prime will start from Jan 12th, 2012. Thank you for your patience and support through this process.

        In addition, we would like to address your concerns related to GPS and bootloader on the Transformer Prime.

        The ASUS Transformer Prime is made from a metallic unibody design, so the material may affect the performance of the GPS when receiving signals from satellites. Please note that this product is not a professional GPS device, and signal performance can be easily influenced by factors including, but not limited to: weather, buildings, and surrounding environments. Please understand there are limitations when using the GPS function. To avoid inconveniencing users who demand a powerful GPS device, we made the decision to remove it from our specification sheet and marketing communications. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

        Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers’ requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience. Also, based on our experience, users who choose to root their devices risk breaking the system completely. However, we know there is demand in the modding community to have an unlocked bootloader. Therefore, ASUS is developing an unlock tool for that community. Please do note that if you choose to unlock your device, the ASUS warranty will be void, and Google video rental will also be unavailable because the device will be no longer protected by security mechanism.

        Thank you for all the understanding and support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Happy New Year!”

  160. Ok guys so I have gone through most of the renowned browsers offered in the android market and I’ve got to say that “Dolphin Browser HD” is about the best. You can get the full pc experience on this device with the browser and it has so many gestures that are optimized for touch devices. You can set the browser to render webpages like a computer pc by default. This is a key option lacking in all the other browsers i tested. Some of them still tend to serve most websites in their mobile formats. What is also really nice about this browser is that the its rendering is really HD as opposed to the likes of opera which i also tested. I would recommend this over the stock browser any day, any time.

    I hope this helps someone make a decision.

    • Jolz,
      I just tried Dolphin Browesr and am very impressed. They have some really cool features that you would hope from an advanced tablet app. Seems very quick to load and even when page not filly loaded, you can move around so the delay is not very noticable. One thing I miss from the stock browser is the scroll tab that popped up to help you scroll down long pages like this one. Have you found a feature like that? I did find the gesture to move to top or bottom, but I am really missing that controlled scroll.

      Regardless, this browser may end up being set as my default. Thanks for the tip.

      • Can someone comment on the gps situation is it completely unusable, how bad is the quality, etc. Why would they remove it from the specs? Any comments would be greatly appreciated thanks so much in advance.

        • Winston,
          On my unit the GPS works fine as long as you have clear view of the sky. It lost reception when I brought it in to the car, and would regain reception if I moved out onto the dash. So I would not say it is unusable per say, but my phone has much better reception.

  161. Hello There,
    I hope someone can answer my question here.
    I got my Asus Transformer Prime on December 23rd and love it so far. I had noticed a slight curve on the device when looking at it from the side. It looks like the screen is a bit curved upward and it’s only noticeable when looking at it sideways. I do not know if this is normal or I just have a defective device. I have no operational issues with the tablet at all as it works great.
    Just wondering if someone that owns one of these can take a closer look at theirs and post reply. It kind of bugs me a bit. 🙂
    Thanks,

    • Izzi,
      If you mean the face of the device, I put a straight edge on the face of mine and it is perfectly flat in all directions, and I don’t find it vsiually to look curved in any way (other than the shape of the back).

      • Hello Jeff,

        Thank you for your reply. Yes I do mean the face of the device. Mine has slight curve and now that you say yours is flat I want to exchange mine. 🙁
        I wish I can post pics to show what I am talking about.

        Thanks again Jeff.

        • Izzi,

          WOW! That is amazing! So your glass is actully curved? If you put a straight Edge on it you actually have spots where the edge does not touch the glass? If so, I think I would agree and contact ASUS and get in the que for a replacement.

          • Correct Jeff, it does not lay flat on the edges. The curve annoys me a lot. I am sure it will not cause issues connecting tablet to the dock as it’s not that badly curved. 🙂
            Again thank you for your kind replies. Now I know the curve is not supposed to be there and I will have to contact ASUS.

            Regards,
            Izzi

        • It looks that way Ritchie. 🙂
          Well I will contact Asus and see if we can get it replaced. I sure don’t know how I am going to live without it for a while until I get the replacement. 🙁

  162. And what about the Androi Market? can you do give a tutorial about it?( about the not tablet-optimized apps (please a video 😆 ) o and sorry for my bad English(I live in belgium)

    • That is a good idea, particularly about how to find Tablet-specific apps and how to optimise the non-tablet ones. Thanks for the feedback and we’ll put it on our list for videos to get done!

    • Correct Jeff, it does not lay flat on the edges. The curve annoys me a lot. I am sure it will not cause issues connecting tablet to the dock as it’s not that badly curved :).
      Again thank you for your kind replies. Now I know the curve is not supposed to be there and I will have to contact ASUS.

      Regards,
      Izzi

  163. Has anyone received a 64GB unit yet? B&H says mid January is the expected ship time…How do other sellers compare?

    • Why would you get a 64 GB when it is $100 more when you can get 32GB and upgrade it to 32 with a 32GB sd card for 1/4 of the price?

      • Hey Bryson,
        That’s definitely the benefit of the SD card slot, but you could also potentially have the 64GB model with 32GB Micro SD in the tablet and 32GB full size SD in the dock, and have a 128GB Android Ultra-portable 🙂

  164. I think its a great day when we have the option to buy what best fits our needs 🙂
    Sometimes we have to pay a premium, but alas, such is Capitalism.

  165. Just an FYI to everyone, Best Buy has them back in stock on their website. Just ordered my replacement on earlier today. For those that didn’t know, the one I got died after doing a few updates. Wouldn’t power back on. Cutting edge, it’s like that sometimes!

  166. That’s a bummer Andy. So now do you have to wait for it as if you were placing a new order? I can’t deny, this is getting frustrating.
    On another note, if this takes a few more weeks, I may be able to be persuaded by some other manufacturer at CES.
    It seems that when I get into this train of thought, I end up waiting for the next best thing and end up with nothing.

    • its like waiting on a new order, but that’s because it is a new order. I returned the other one because when the market was auto installing, it installed all of my root tools and i didn’t want warranty support to see them and void out my warranty, even though i hadn’t rooted it (yet). Something i’m willing to deal with, as for the time I had the tablet, it was awesome. I picked up an OG Tranformer to use in the meantime, to get used to the formfactor and living on a tablet, and i must say, i’m really gonna love the Prime, because the OG is pretty awesome. Dock fo oth of course, I don’t see the point in a tablet without it. will i use it all the time? no. but the dock is super convenient, especially right now, typing this.

    • Hey Bryson,
      We’re here in Las Vegas for the CES, so we will definitely be visiting them to see what new models are indeed on offer. Remember, announcing is one thing – getting them to market is another, and we have seen the delays on the Prime. From all accounts it was worth it though.
      Cheers, Ritchie

  168. Ive heard a lot of negative feedback about backlight bleed with the prime. That’s probably my biggest concern about getting one. Have you had any issues with that with the one that you have? I’m hoping that if I wait a little while (not that I have a choice seeing as I want the 64GB model and it’s out of stock everywhere) that they will resolve this issue and I won’t have to worry about getting one that has a screen like that.

  169. Just a simple question, I hope. I am in need of a portable option to take to school and write papers and search the web and so forth. Rit now I am using an iPad and an attachable keyboard, but it only has part functionality. For example, it will not auto capitalize the first word as in a sentence, or on a double spae bar hit will not put a period. I know these are small requests but if you writing a 10 page paper it really gets annoying. Will I have any of these issues with the prime, will it do fine as a way to write papers, or should I just get an ultraportable laptop? Thanks for any help. Ps. Love your RR TV.

    • Hi Isaac,
      When we had the Prime we didn’t test word processing to that depth. I’m wondering whether one of our Prime owner/readers can help with this question?

  170. Hi, I’m a new owner of a TF Prime & Dock (and a newbie to Android and tablets, so bear with me) and was hoping you could help me answer a few questions. Using either the default or Dolphin browser, I am not able to play a video or stream music from one website and keep it running while I open another browser tab. Is there a work around this? Also, neither browser supports streaming from Hulu or HBO Go (and the Android HBO Go app is only for phones). I tried uninstalling the Flash that came with the machine, but wasn’t allowed to.

    @Isaac coon–Polaris office to my knowledge doesn’t support the functions you mentioned. I tried and neither worked. However, and even more importantly, as far as I can tell, it lacks a spell check. Yikes.

  171. Hello Isaac,
    I have tested it on my Asus Transformer Prime and it does capitalize first letter in a sentence but it does not put period when you hit double space.
    I hope this helps.

    Regards,
    Izzi

  173. OUCH the TF700T was just announced at CES! That pretty much makes the ‘Prime’ obsolete. Guess I will cancel my back orded unit and wait for the new model.

    • Hey Robert, that’s right, the TF700 has been announced although it will be a few months away, and doesn’t replace the current Prime that is still getting out there, it will be a step up premium model.
      We’re seeing Asus today for a sneak peek so we can’t wait to show you some more details.

      • Ritchie, If you are seeing ASUS today please express my unhappiness with them for making a new model that in essense is mostly just a fix for the current BRAND NEW model that is not even really rolled out yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        From what I read the biggest change in the new model is to the back of the case to improve reception for wireless, GPS and Bluetooth. You can see they added a black strip across the top (probably plastic or composite) that must have better reception.

        So I just spent $500 on literally the newest tablet out there that has admittidly bad reception problems because of the back metal case. And ASUS is going to do nothing for us that bought these. Their fix is to make a new model……………

        I have to say, this is really rotten business from my perspective on ASUS’s part.

        I know the GPS has really become an issue for me ( haven’t tested blue tooth yet) as I have a car mount for this and would like to use it for navigation, as opposed to looking at my 4.3 phone screen. ASUS should at least come out with some option to make this work better.

        • Yes Ritchie please express my disdain as well. As a long follower of the Prime its very disheartening to hear that right after you buy the new Prime, you learn about its multiple design flaws and then learn that the company instead of trying to fix the problem just chooses to ignore it and then release another one instead. Its tantamount to a screw you all you people who bought the TF201 we know we sold you a sub par piece of machinery but you deal with it.

        • I understand your disdain for Asus not outwardly coming out with a fix for early adopters. But the fact that you plan on using a 10 inch tablet for in car navigation is borderline ridiculous. Unless it is mounted below the dashboard, it’s a huge safety hazard, as you’re creating a 12″ diagonal blind spot in your windshield because of your “navigation system”. I understand the novelty of it. Other problem with that idea is that you can only download google maps in spurts of 10 mile radii. So on long car trips, are you going to tap on every 10 miles to download the map area? And if not, will you be tethering your phone for mobile data? If that is the case, then AGPS will be used by the tablet for your location.

          If you want a giant navigation for your car, try this one out.
          http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Magellan+-+RoadMate+9055-LM+GPS+-+Black/Silver/2265414.p?id=1218316933231&skuId=2265414&st=navigation&cp=1&lp=4

          • Cons of new prime:
            Cost $100 more
            Need to wait another 3 months.

            Pros of new prime:
            Crazy HD display
            better front camera
            better GPS
            better Bluetooth
            BETTER WIFI 🙂

            most people are probably more likely to wait because they want the best wifi or they are OCD about having the newest technology. I am both.

  176. Great video, thanks a lot for sharing.
    This is just another reason to exchange my current Transformer Prime! 🙂
    BTW I just got ICS upgrade and the improvement is amazing.
    Clarity on the screen is and even more fluid operation is noticeable immediately. I have not tested much more but will do and will post results.
    If anyone else upgraded I would like to hear about your experience.
    I am still seriously thinking about returning the original prime and waiting for this new one.

    • I will say I’m stoked about getting my new Prime I on Friday. Not really worried about the GPS not working on it, and if I were to hold out for the next big thing every time something was announced, I would still have a flip phone and a Pentium III. Ok, I won’t go that far, but right now I have a need for a tablet, and the Prime I has everything I need, and it’s beautiful with that spun aluminum back. I hated having to return the first one I had due to firmware update woes, because it worked so well before it died.

  177. OK, here are my first impressions on Asus Transformer Prime running ICS.
    1. Clearer, crispier, more vibrant and more fluid screen (at least I noticed)
    2. Better multitasking
    3. Cleaner UI (just beautiful)
    4. Improved email app
    5.Improved camera
    6.Native ICS support for some video files that Honeycomb would not play. I had to use different video players .
    …and still testing! 🙂

    I have not noticed WiFi or GPS improvement. My tests show the same results when I was running Honeycomb. While the WiFi is not perfect at the same token it’s not that bad. I would say it’s acceptable and it works well for me. On the other side GPS is little flaky but again I could care less for GPS on a tablet at least for me, don’t get me wrong I think it could be better.

    I must say I love my Prime but the “flaw” with curved screen on it is just not acceptable. Now I am stuck between decision on waiting for the new one or just sticking with the original one but getting replacement.

    Cheers everyone!

    • Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation Izzi. I guess I can’t get my hands on some ice cream goodies til’ after the 12th since technically the device hasn’t bin launched here(UK) though I was able to buy one last week.
      I would like to know if all your previously installed apps still work fine after the ICS update. Have you noticed any incompatibility issues worthy of mention with any apps so far?

      As for your ATP unit, If you really are uncomfortable with the curved glass, I believe you deserve a replacement and would suggest you go for one once you can.

      Cheers Mate.

  178. Hello Jolz,

    I only found one app that did not work. Well, actually it did work but it would not launch from the home screen when I touch the icon. I simply removed the old shortcut and created another one and it launched fine.
    I do have quite few apps (Adobe Photoshop Touch, Netflix, WiFi tools, Citrix app, HD Widgets, Amazon Kindle, and many more) installed and they all worked perfectly. I believe UI on most of them even improved if I am not mistaken. 🙂
    All games work well also.
    So far I have not found any compatibility issues.

    Regards,
    Izzi

  179. Well, I am a little upset. I charged TP all night after ICS update, now I have 10% battery. I have tried changing plugs, hooking up to usb, playing with the plug itselaf.t’ just wont acknowledge. I am also having keyboard issues. My cursor is all over the place as I’m typing, very hard to keep on task.

    • Anyone having problems with ICS. My tablet at times the screen will get lines on the side but then when i switch out to another program its not their anymore but when I switch back it will come back. If i close the prgram and restart it again it will go away. Anyone having similar problem. Sorry if my sentences sound like ramblings. Thanks.

      • Hello, yes.
        I will say after ICS update, my TP boots up within 1 minute, and I probably had 30-40 of my own programs on there. Also my wi-fi signal was much stronger. No wi-fi issues on my system.

        I also had the buggy lines on the screen, as if it were frozen for a minute. My screen would also split in half diagonally and flash at the bottom half.Then it would clear up, or I would reboot when it started happening. I attributed it to maybe the TP was running faster than Honeycomb and it couldn’t keep up. This was present on my TP before the ICS update. I saw another youtube video about it, it had some title like Bug in Transformer Prime or something similar, so I knew i was not the only one.
        I had to call Asus customer support yesterday and now have to ship it to Texas under the 1 year product warranty. My Prime will just not charge. I think it is the charging system and not the prime itself. I tried both charging docks with the same charger. If it were a charging dock issue, one of them would have worked, so it must be the charger. I also changed the charging location, maneuvered the cord, unplugged etc.

        But with my other issues, the buggy screen, charging issues ( I have 3%battery now and using my old laptop) and most importantly the keyboard issue that wont let me type anything without jumping all over the field, It is rather frustrating.Also when I would push the shift key to capitalize, it would take me to the previous screen in my browser!

        I really hope they can work these issues out on my system.

  180. A note on Skype and Yahoo video chat:

    While using both, I was only able to use video and voice only, and not the keyboard. Keyboard was not visible. I even tried to type hoping the receiver would see something, but nothing. Both programs probably need an updated version.

    One other annoying thing, while launching the video chat or someone requesting one, the volume on the ringer was full blast on both programs. It could have woke the dead, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Turning down the volume will not adjust it. I looked all through the settings and saw nothing for volume. The only thing that worked was to mute it with the side volume button.

    Google chat, however did work with both video and typing. My video screen was rather small, but the receiver said it was about 1/3 of his pc screen.

  181. Hi everyone,
    Thanks for the continuing discussion here. We are still here at Vegas at the CES, but when we return we can’t wait to get our hands on a Prime with Android 4.0 and use your comments to make a few new videos.

  182. Wow, I also started to notice strange flickering on the screen just last night on my TFP running ICS. I think we better join petition to Asus that’s on Change.org website. 🙂
    Now with all these issue this thing is going back for sure. I will be sad to see it go but I cannot deal with this.

    • Izzi, can you elaborate on this Petition please? I know I am mad as a hatter about this. I expect little issues with new models, but these are serious. Also and more importantly, ASUS clearly knew about them well before any even shipped (bad radio reception). They had to have known for a long time to make that design change in the new model.

      I really hope many people learn of this and boycott bying the TF201. Lets see how ASUS like being stuck with all that inventory. But they fix them then somehow so they can sell them.

      I just got a nice tablet mount for car and this thing sits perfectly (wish we could post pics here) in my F250. Does not block view, nice and bright, have hotspot in my phone so always online…….oh but yes, the GPS does not work………….. Many people have said who cares but I don’t think they are realizing how well a tablet complements your vehicle. I bet they will be in all cars in the next few years. It makes sense. Why do I want to try and seemy 4.3 inch phone screen why I can have a 10 inch tablet in clear view. Everyone and their mother are driving around trying to look at their phones crashing. Probably much safer to have something you can easily see in line of sight.

  183. Just when I thought i had crossed all the hurdles. I had been wondering why i wasn’t getting notifications for the firmware updates. Today, I stumbled upon a thread at the xda-dev forums and realized that there are some units whose serial numbers read as “unknown”. When I checked the “about tablet” section under settings, I realized that mine was one of such. The immediate implication here is that OTA updates will not be offered to units such as this. No one can say if there will be other issues in the near future. I think i just might return this and get a replacement. Whats so annoying is that this unit was perfect. None of the reported issues were experienced except for the weak GPS which isn’t really a bother for me…. 🙁

    • These little glitches are very frustrating. My screen still get those lines at time, I was told to reboot the firmware havent tried that yet. I was really excite ffor the Prime and was even forgiving of their constant delays because I thought the delay meant a more complete and glitch free tablet. I hope ASUS tries to rectify these problems soon. I understand that some people dont care about GPS but still am disappointed that it doesnt work for the amount I paid and the time I waited for this it makes it feel incomplete. Ritchie if you get a chance could you please inquire about how ASUS plans to address these issues. When Apple had antenna issues they issued bumpers to their customers, simply removing it from their spec sheet is hardly a resolution. At least offer some gps dongle and try to enhance the wifi some how.

  184. Transformer Prime Help
    transformerforums.com

    This saved me. I had a full charge last night. The site is full of bug fixes, moderators, team leads, engineers, they know what they are doing

    I had to take apart my charger and follow instructions. they have a fix for most issues. Did you know the charger has a trip switch in it if it overheats? neither did I, and apparently the freezer can fix that.

    I have class starting next week and really need to not ship my device back to Asus.

    Good Luck to all-

  185. Hello all,

    Jeff, besides physical issues with my tablet (curved front glass) I am lucky to report that everything works well, besides strange flickering I noticed last night, and reported here. This has been happening only running ICS as I have not noticed it before with Honeycomb.

    WiFi on mine is acceptable but the GPS is not working at all. I did say it did not matter but I changed my mind after reading about your nice setup in the vehicle. 🙂 I may want to do it someday as well. After all it’s listed in specs and it should work.

    As far as petition, I saw some links to change.org site where they have several petitions going on. Mostly people want Asus to fix the original TFP.

    I think that ASUS should take full responsibility for the issues with original TFP. They knew about issues with WiFi and GPS but still released the device with the aluminum back panel, which hinders both signals. Just shortly after release of this tablet they talk about releasing a new and improved TF700T model. What bothers me about this new device is the fact that yet again they admit and acknowledge design flaw with the original TF201, by replacing back panel to allow for better signal . Here is a video Asus guy talks about it which says it all. 🙂
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5QG6U-8g1E&feature=relmfu

    Reading about all these issues makes me wonder why would ASUS rush with release of this tablet if it was not ready. Will they still continue to offer this model? In my opinion they would be complete fools is they did offer it before making modifications to the back panel design.

  186. I just got my cover for the Prime. I selected a MOKO case. There are several to choose from now but I decided on this one
    http://www.amazon.com/MoKo-Slim-Fit-Multi-Angle-Transformer-10-1-Inch/dp/B0063Q3G3I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326421136&sr=8-2

    He is starting to add a little sleeve to his cases to hold an SDCARD adapter which is a real nice touch. This one does not have it yet (I couldn’t wait) but he said newer models will. This case may also be able to be used with a keyboard also.

  187. OK I took a step back and thought about this. I bought a TF201 and one of the advertised features was GPS. My GPS does not work. This is a simple warrantee issue. I called ASUS this morning and got an RMA and am sending my unit back for repair. If they can’t get it fixed I guess they can give me a refund or something. I am hoping it just comes back with a new backplate. We will see what happens. Lets hope ASUS stands behind their products and customers here. Will keep you all posted.

  188. This is a true shame Ritchie, I’ve wanted to buy and have been anticipating the TF201 for at least 3-4 months. I held off buying the Transformer TF101 because the new version was coming out, but there has been too many problems with this thing for me. First it was the delay that it was supposed to appear in the beginning of October, which actually turned out to be the end of December (which I was ok with, if it really proved itself), then was the Wifi problems showing up. then finding out that the backplate was an issue was an extreme fail on ASUS’s part (How could they not notice this on the prototypes?) then they decided not to change the plate out for the customers to fix the problem. They then decide to try getting people to pay more money for the same product again that apparently fixes the problems (TF700). I wont even get into about the apparent OTA updates that have bricked some of the customers tablets. Its just a shame though, I have heard amazing things about customer support, tablet, and their wonderful scheduled updates. They still are a wonderful company, but the TF201 has really disappointed me because it had so much opportunity to be amazing. If there really is a “new batch” of the TF201 that are better than what people are saying, then I will buy the tablet in a heartbeat, but it doesn’t seem likely to me :/ I may have to put some other tablets into perspective and leave this one behind…..

  189. So, got the new Prime yesterday, and it’s the complete opposite of the other one I had, meaning bug free. Yes, GPS is slow, but it eventually catches. Took all of the updates without issue, to include ICS and the Camera firmwares. Once all my apps installed and a quick reboot, i was rollin’. I’m not noticing any lag anywhere, browser is snappy (even though I updated to ICS Browser+, since it has more options) and games look awesome. Like Ritchie mentioned above, Browser doesn’t have any lag, to include scrolling through long pages (like this one). With the OG Transformer, when scrolling down the page, you have to wait for “blocks” of data to appear, whereas with the TFP, it’s all there, like you’re browsing on a PC or laptop.

    Screen is flat, no SD Card slot issues, or any of the issues mentioned above, WiFi works great as well, tested all over my house.

    My guess is, the ones with all the non-GPS only issues, like my first one, and the others that are severely bugged down, or curved screens, is due to EARLY production units. Like pre-production models that sneak out. The first pair (tablet and keyboard) I got from Best Buy weren’t even shrink wrapped, whereas the second pair were.

    Sidenote, rooted with Nachoroot when still on Honeycomb, used OTA Rootkeeper to backup root, updated to ICS and was able to restore root flawlessly. Then installed Busybox, thus able to freeze apps, change fonts, and so on. Not gonna get too crazy until the bootloader is unlocked and there is a custom recovery for it.

    • Andy,
      Glad you got a good one. Mine was totally fine except for the GPS which is key for me so I sent it back. I am wondering if your new one now has GPS like mine was. Works marginally well when out in the open but totally looses it as soon as you get in a car. Would appreciate it if you could test that and tell us how it does. I use an app call GPS STATUS to test. Once in a car I can get a week lock sometimes if car is not moving. Same test with phone or my Toshiba Thrive instantly locks on 7 satellites with full green bars and never wavers.

      My guess is yout new one will have the same base GPS problem which is accpetable if you don’t care about GPS. Everything else worked fine on mine. My RMA is writen specifically for GPS so it will be interesting to see what they do.

      • Tested in the car yesterday, these were my findings:

        -Tethered 4G LTE connection from my phone.
        -Tried navigating, said no connection.
        -Browse the web, verify connection
        -Tried navigating, downloads, can’t locate me.
        -Open GPS Status, pull 10/14 Satellites
        -Navigate again, successful.

        So yes it’s a pain, but yes it can be done. It’s just painful. Even with AGPS it takes a while to find the satellites. To me, not a big deal, but a problem for those who like to use the tab as a GPS.

    • Hi All
      I too am lucky to have got an almost bug free unit. The only issue I have is what looks like a scratch, but it only appears on a black background when booting up or in an app with a black background, like in setrtings. It does not affect the use of the tablet but knowing its there sometimes takes away the good from the tablet. I took a photo of the scratch but the camera i used made it look worse than it actually is.

      I got mine From Best Buy, so I will hold on to it for now, as it would be too much hassle to return to best buy from Ireland.
      I have a blog where i have documented most of the information about the Prime, including links to Ritchies videos (hope thats ok), my views and experience of the prime so far.these are my own views and experiences and not anybody elses
      http://repairitclinic.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-new-toy-asus-transformer-prime.html

      Overall I am happy with mine, The GPS issue does not bother me as I have it in my car, but of course it should work properly where you decide to use it or not. I had an issue this morning where i was getting no sound on my TV with the HDMI comnection, was able to find a solution and can now at last watch movies from netflix

  190. Thank you all for the great feedback. I have finally decided to return mine to Best Buy. I have silver Reward Zone membership which gives me 45 days to return electronics, so I am glad that worked out. I was waiting to see if they get more stock so I could exchange it but that did not happen and it looks like they won’t have it in for a while. I was sad to part with it though. 🙁
    I will just wait for either more to come in or until TF700 comes out. For now I am “tabletless”.

    Cheers everyone,

    • Hey Izzi,
      The TF700 will be interesting as there will be different variations of processor, graphics and other major specs. I’m keen to see what gets locked down. When I find that out I’ll let everyone know.

  191. Hey Richie! Thanks again for the great videos. Always enlightening 🙂
    The question I have is about writing over pdf files. I watched the video where you used the built-in app for note taking , but you used your finger and “scribbled” slowly (which is understandable given the purpose). While in classes we always write (w/ pen&paper) pretty fast. I was hoping you could show us the accuracy of Transformer Prime doing exactly that: writing over pdf files using a stylus and write it just as you would in class: kinda fast 😛
    Thanks again for all your videos and hope to see more soon!

    • Hi Shyra,
      Thank you and we love doing the vids for that exact reason.
      I’ve just been advised that a Prime should be in my hands very soon so we will be doing lots of different tests as we promised, including your request.
      Cheers!
      Ritchie

  192. Amazon has the 64GB Grey in stock and ready to ship. 5 left as of 12:40am EST on 1-21-12.
    Also, if you’re in the metro detroit area, the Novi Best Buy had 2 of the grey 32GB in stock. I actually saw them in the cage this evening.
    I’m still hoping that mine is shipped from B&H this coming week…fingers crossed.

    • Thanks for the heads up Collo.
      It seems that apart from the GPS issue, which is no longer a specified feature, most other people appear to be reasonably happy with their Prime. I personally think it is still the industry benchmark as far as 10.1 tablets go.
      We have a few hours with the ICS upgraded Prime and will be posting a couple of videos on it and sharing as we always do. We’ll look at all the comments above and see if any of them apply to the unit we will have and see if we can replicate anything that has been posted.
      Thanks again for spending time here to discuss this release!

  193. I have two questions. First how many different things can you plug in to the usb port and have them work is if they were connected to a normal computer? Second, is there a way when connected to a network you can access network folders?

    • Schubba,
      I can answer your 2nd question. There are various apps to connect to Windows networks, the most known being Samba. However, I messed with several and found one call FILE MANGER to be really nice. If quickly and easily attaches to your windows network and you can see all of your shared drives from the tablet (not sure about the other way though.)

  194. I preparing to purchase a tablet and I’m having a hard time deciding between the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Transformer Prime. Which did you like better?

    • Both! Just kidding, but actually they are so different in nature that it really depends on your main usage. If it’s just for reading, browsing and watching while you’re on the go, then the 7.7 is a great unit. If you’re more intense in your communications and spend more time typing stuff out than just scanning and replying in short bursts, then the Prime is a productivity powerhouse.
      Great thing about the innovation in the Android space is there is something for everyone, given particular lifestyles or needs.
      Thanks for the question!
      Cheers, Ritchie

  195. My 64GB prime just got delivered. I thought there would be a little juice in it, so i could fiddle with it while it charged, but no such luck. It won’t crank up at all, so I’m gonna wait the recommended 8 hrs for it to juice up. After waiting a month (it was s’posed to be a Christmas gift) what’s another 8 hours, right?

  196. Ritchie, My buddy just went over to the dark side (IPAD) and sold me his TF101 with Keyboard for $100!!!! So now I have a Toshiba Thrive, Tf101 and a TF201.

    I know you have some contact with ASUS and can you try to get a statement from them on if they plan to move ICS to the TF101? Also, do you have any contact in Toshiba? I have the same question for the Thrive.

    Both these models were at leading edge in the past year. I hope these companies are going to stand behind them with upgrades.

  197. This thing is SLICK !!! Im not sure why anyone would want to go to the dark side, LOL. It’s fast, lightweight, aesthetically pleasing, and the software is quite fluid. I like the DLNA connectivity to my Droid X. The camera works amazingly well. I messed with the GPS and it located me at home, but i think its accuracy must have been due to the WiFi connection. It took a moment for the Google Maps to come up on the screen while I was out this morning….maybe 3 minutes for the screen to populate with mapping data. I hope that’s just because it was the first time or something. (now that i’m writing this, i seem to remember something about downloading maps within a 10 mile radius or something) The speakers are surprisingly clean. At first i was taken aback that it was not very loud, but i had to remember that this was a tablet, not a sound system. With that in mind, the sound is quite rich for such a little guy.

    more later…

    • Great to hear you’re enjoying the Prime mate. We keep getting one for testing and reviews and hate giving it back each time. Thanks for the follow up comments and enjoy your new slab of tech!

  198. I have a question for you guys/girls. Do you feel a “buzzing” when you gently touch the back panel of the unit? (or underside of the dock) Sometime I feel with when i gently touch it with a finger, or run it over the circular patterns. Its a very gentle vibration…hard to explain. I felt it on the Best Buy display unit, and now on mine. Its not a bad thing. Its just a weird thing.

  199. I’ve had my Prime for about a month now and aside from the GPS issues ,not locking on to a satellite it’s been great. I’m trying to find out about connecting it up to my HDTV via the HDMI cable. After inserting it into one of the imputs of the TV I get a picture but no sound. After calling Sharp I was told I would have to insert it into a HDMI imput on the reciever so I did and got no sound or picture. I was also wondering about getting 5.1 out of the HDMI as I read that this is possible. Could you please inform everyone out there as to properly hook up the prime for streaming and game playing with the appropriate setup. Also is there additional software needed to accomplish this. Thanks , Ray

    • Hi Ray!
      Thanks for the comments. I have a 55 inch Samsung Plasma so I’ll give it a go with a micro HDMI and let you know if it was a more simple process for me. Ill get back to you as soon as possible.
      Cheers!
      Ritchie

    • Hi Ray,
      I connected the Prime to the 55 inch Samsung Plasma via HDMI and immediately got sound and vision, so Flan’s advice below may be useful. Let us know how you go!
      Ritchie

  200. hi
    i had the same issue with no sound connected with the hdmi directly to my tv or through my reciever
    i found this and it sorted it for me:

    What worked was turning the volume on the tablet all the way down (mute it) and then connect the hdmi cable and turn the volume all the way up to full

    another one of the primes quirks

    • OK, so here’s where I’m at. I switched imputs on my TV because the manual says that digital audio can be switched using HDMI on imput 6 and not imput 4. I tried to get audio using those settings,no go. I did get video from the Prime along with the audio from the TV program that was playing through the AV receiver. I was under the impression that the source audio from the you tube video on the Prime would play through using HDMI and audio from the tv would be overrided . So I then hooked up the audio from the headphone out to the audio Aux. on the receiver ran the volume all the way down to mute and back up again on the Prime and am now getting analog audio sound through the receiver. But I want to get digital, so what’s wrong? Foxreal offers a blu ray ripper that supposedly offers a 5.1 audio add on. Will this solve the problem or is this a waste of $ 50.00? Thanks for your help. Ray

      • First off, what Brand and Model is your TV, and what Brand and Model is your receiver? If it’s a newish receiver, it may have an hdmi port on it that you can plug your Prime into, then there would be an hdmi cable going from the receiver to the TV for video.

        Reason I ask this, is because you said when you hooked the Prime to the TV, you had video, but no audio, except the TV audio going out of the receiver. How is your Cable feed hooked up (like how are you getting video to your tv and audio to your receiver)? Is it going from the cable box, with video cable to the tv and audio cable to the receiver?

        If your receiver doesn’t have HDMI ports on it, and only the TV, then you will have to put an output cable from your TV to your receiver to play sound through your surround sound. otherwise you will only have sound from your TV, and you may need to turn the TV speakers on for that, if they happened to have been turned off so that the receiver only can be used for audio.

        Hope that all makes sense, main thing you need to tell me is the Brand and Model numbers for both, and I’ll help you get it working to sound the best.

        • Hi, The TV is a Sharp Aquos model # LC52SE94U and the AV receiver is a Pioneer model #VSX-919AH. The signal comes in from outside antenna to a TIVO box and is hooked up to the receiver. It’s wired out from receiver via HDMI to Imput 5 on the TV. I have 2 more HDMI’s on the receiver that are assignable and 3 more on the TV. The receiver has a setting called HDMI that specifies the routing of the HDMI audio signal out of the receiver. When through is selected no sound is output from the receiver. I tried both settings and nothing happens. Hope this helps, Much appreciated. Ray

          • Ok, plug the HDMI cable from your Prime into one of the receiver’s HDMI inputs, make sure the receiver is set to that input, and to not throughput sound, basically set up the same way as the TIVO (which i’m assuming is hooked up by HDMI?). Then make sure the TV is on the correct input for the HDMI video from your receiver.

            • Hi guys, Flan Roberts has asked to post this message on his behalf, for some reason his comments haven’t appeared in our approve queue:
              “hi Ray / Andy
              i was trying to post a comment here for the last 2 days in regard to this, but for some reason my comments are not showing up.
              i was going to say the same as Andy about connecting your prime to one of your HDMI inputs on your reciever and selecting that input and connecting the TV to one of the HDMI inputs on your TV.

              I have a Sony 40” KDL-W4500 TV and a Sony Av Reciever DA-5400ES. i am having the same issue about my reciever not recognising 5.1 audio from the prime. After doing some research I found that there is no option on the prime itself or in Bsplayer Lite or Dice player to select bitstream audio which would make your reciever output 5.1, like there is on a standard DVD or Blu-Ray player.

              however i have found a solution, although not ideal, it works for me:

              i use dvd catalyst 4 for USD$9.99 atm @ http://www.tools4movies.com/

              i have used it a number of times with no problems. it rips “non protected” DVD’s and Blu-ray’s. it has a number of
              profiles for the transformer prime:

              i ripped “the departed” bluray which has DTS HD Master 5.1 audio. when playing back on my TV from the prime i had no black bars at the top or bottom and had 5.1 audio, because as i said above, with no option on the prime to use 5.1 audio, my reciever shows the audio as “Linear PCM”, but it is 5.1 audio, because when my Reciever is outputing 5.1 audio there is a blue led that lights up under the display and it shows the different channels as icons on the display

              if you need any more info or help let me know

              • Hi Flan, Glad you got thru. OK I havn’t got to try the Hdmi to reciever solution yet. Seem’s I have to juggle my imputs around. I am going to try to use my dedicated BD imput (Blu Ray Disk) with my upscaleable DVD player and see if it works. I need to rent a movie to test so this weekend i’ll do that. That will free up the only HDMI imput I have left to hook the Prime into. I was really hoping and I don’t for the life of me why they didn’t include 5.1 out on the Prime. As I mentioned Foxreal is offering a dvd ripper that supposedly converts to 5.1 but it costs 49.99. Flan, your deal is much better and sounds like the same results. Thanks everyone on your imput. This seems to be a major topic on some websites. Maybe Asus will update if possible and install a fix to make it output in 5.1. I’ll keep you posted when i test your suggestion out. Ray

            • Hi all, I’ve got an unrelated problem. Seems that my Prime won’t lock into any network. It is trying to seek the IP address locks into than out of my network. I have a strong signal on my Dell laptop but poor or no internet connection on the Prime. I called tech and I had to reset to default settings(which sucks) and it didn’t do anything. So now I got an RMA to send it to Texas for them to look over. Tech said it might be a hardware problem. I mentioned the GPS issues and am asking for a retrofit back-plate so well see. ( I doubt it). I’ll keep you posted. Ray

  201. Hi Richie,
    Please make a third Q&A video about web browsing experience and gaming.
    Your videos are awsome and entertaining/informing.

  202. Well it’s been a while. Last a posted I decided to get an RMA and send my TF201 back so they can fix my GPS. I bought my tab to use in my car and it is usless without GPS to know where I am.

    Anyway, I mailed it in on the 1/13 and just finally got it back today, 30 days later. I was appauled to find out that all they did was send me a new unit. To make matters worse, on this one the GPS gets ZERO signal (my orginal had poor reception but did pick up satelites if you stood still in an open area).

    I called ASUS and they transfered me to their “GPS” expert who proceeded to try and tell me that this until does not have a real GPS, but only has what they call “Assisted GPS” that needs WIFI to work. What a bunch of malarky! That really set me off having them tell me nonsense like that.

    To make a long story short, they are now giving me free 2 day shipping both ways to send this back AGAIN!

    It is so clear that they didn’t even look at what I sent it in for, they simply sent me a new unit with no awareness of why I even returned it. Very sad.

    We will see what happens this time. Probably be another 30 days and a new unit again with the same problem. Maybe on the third try they will send me a tf700 because it will probably be out by then.

    • Hi Jeff. Well that’s not to encouraging. If that happens to me I’ll be boiling. I am now at the stage where I want GPS to work as stated when I bought it. If it doesn’t I want a credit for a TF700 or my money back. Not sure if that’s possible but I’ll fight like you know what to get it. Ray

  203. Hi Ritchie/ Jeff
    How is it to use a stylus with the prime- Does it recognize handwriting – does it convert handwriting to text ?

    • Hi Arjun,
      A stylus works fine, but there is no pressure sensitivity. Handwriting recognition would be handled on an app basis. We’ll test a couple and get back to you.

  204. i want to ask,
    it is the asus transformer prime can be using USB MODEM like vodafone 3g modem

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