Got a new toy!

NJFZ1

NJFZ1

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No, not another bike :D

Finally gave in and bought a tablet! I had looked at quite a few of them over the past year and was tempted by the Nook and Kindle Fire with their low prices, but ultimately decided that I wanted a bigger screen.

The iPad is nice and undoubtedly a nice product, but I'm not a big fan of Apple and their strict control over their software and apps.

I really wanted something with an expansion slot for SD or Micro SD cards as well as Flash support so I gravitated toward an Android powered tablet. Came down to the Samsung Galaxy or the Asus Transformer and I went with the Asus because of the quad processor. Memory, storage and screen resolution they were pretty much a tie.

I only got it yesterday evening so haven't had much time to "play" with it yet, but so far I'm impressed. It was easy to set up and configure and the Android market is loaded with all kinds of cool apps that I've yet to discover. It's running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS...

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Eee- ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201
 
Awwwwww!!!! That's the one I want too! Congrats Tony! You're going to LOVE all the things this will do. Did you get the docking KB with it? A couple of co-workers replaced their laptops with this device and never looked back.

And what better device to take with you on bike trips! Compact and extremely versatile! Make sure you sign up for the Android App of the Day... you never know what cool app becomes free.

I have the Kindle Fire and it does most of what I want but I'd love to have the bigger screen and as you've discovered, the memory slot availability. The Fire is not a tablet IMHO, but a purpose-built device that happens to have limited tablet style functions.

:yes: :tup:
 
FZ1inNH said:
Awwwwww!!!! That's the one I want too! Congrats Tony! You're going to LOVE all the things this will do. Did you get the docking KB with it? A couple of co-workers replaced their laptops with this device and never looked back.

And what better device to take with you on bike trips! Compact and extremely versatile! Make sure you sign up for the Android App of the Day... you never know what cool app becomes free.

I have the Kindle Fire and it does most of what I want but I'd love to have the bigger screen and as you've discovered, the memory slot availability. The Fire is not a tablet IMHO, but a purpose-built device that happens to have limited tablet style functions.

:yes: :tup:
Click to expand...

You know, I believe the Fire can be rooted now to run Gingerbread or other Android O.S.'s You could have a great tablet and still use it as a reader.
 
FZ1inNH said:
Awwwwww!!!! That's the one I want too! Congrats Tony! You're going to LOVE all the things this will do. Did you get the docking KB with it? A couple of co-workers replaced their laptops with this device and never looked back.

And what better device to take with you on bike trips! Compact and extremely versatile! Make sure you sign up for the Android App of the Day... you never know what cool app becomes free.

I have the Kindle Fire and it does most of what I want but I'd love to have the bigger screen and as you've discovered, the memory slot availability. The Fire is not a tablet IMHO, but a purpose-built device that happens to have limited tablet style functions.

:yes: :tup:
Click to expand...

No, I didn't get the docking station, but I do like the concept. However, it's another $200 so for now I'm going to wait.

I don't particularly like to read for a long time on laptops or tablets so I found that the dedicated eReaders were just not for me. And while the Nook and Kindle can be hacked to enhance their functionality, their smaller screen and slower processors just didn't seem worth it.

So far I'm very happy with it and will be signing up for the "App of the Day" later ;)
 
Good thing you went with a name brand. The chinese are dumping all kinds of cheap crap on the market primarily through ebay. Those units use a version of Andriod, but not fully expandable like what a decent brand will offer. They also use cheap sh*t components.

Bottom line, stay away from non-branded tablets.
 
that should be a great tablet..have fun...i've been looking at the windows tablets, it's an actual pc thats a tablet, with usb ports and all!
 
Me, I'm still loving my Nook Color that I hacked with CM7. It runs rock solid and it's fast as heck. I got the bluetooth feature to work as well and you can use your droid phone as a "hotspot" to operate the Nook while on the go.

My home page.....
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My Apps page...
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And can't forget my favorite place to hang out!
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My co-worker has his new Fire rooted and figured out how to keep all of the Amazon stuff running so I may just have him do this to mine as well. I'm too lazy to go and figure out all that he did. It took him three days to get it right but now he says it will take less than 30 minutes. So I will bring it to work and say "Here ya go!" and then go get his Starbucks mocha java triple shot 6 sugars steamed light cream fru-fru whatever the heel it is "coffee" he likes to much. :D
 
Bogie said:
Review is needed!! :nerd:
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Well I'll give my impressions after I've played with it some more. I can tell you this much...my kids love it ;)

DirtyD said:
that should be a great tablet..have fun...i've been looking at the windows tablets, it's an actual pc thats a tablet, with usb ports and all!
Click to expand...

Well when Windows 8 comes out those may be even more attractive. I already have a Windows 7 laptop (Dell Latitude E6500) so a tablet is really what I wanted. Specifically an Android powered one since there are tons of cool apps out there.

T84A said:
Pretty cool although I'm surprised that it cost as much as an iPad2. Post your review after you play with it a while.
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This isn't some cheap Chinese knockoff. The Asus and the Samsung are very comparable to the iPad. And let's not forget that they are not looking to significantly under price the iPad so they can maximize their profits. Only reason Kindle Fire and Nook are so much cheaper (in addition to their smaller screens, slower processors, etc.) is that Amazon and B&N are eating some of the costs that they hope to make back through their subscription services.
 
NJFZ1 said:
This isn't some cheap Chinese knockoff. The Asus and the Samsung are very comparable to the iPad. And let's not forget that they are not looking to significantly under price the iPad so they can maximize their profits. Only reason Kindle Fire and Nook are so much cheaper (in addition to their smaller screens, slower processors, etc.) is that Amazon and B&N are eating some of the costs that they hope to make back through their subscription services.
Click to expand...

I have to chime in here.... comparing the Fire and the Nook to any tablet isn't a fair comparison at all. The Fire and Nook are not tablets and are not marketed as such. They are both purpose-built e-readers that happen to do tablet-esque things. Without a mic and camera, they cannot be a tablet. ;) Sorry, this is one of my pet peeves Tony. :noworries: :D

Also, in all the tests and comparisons, the Xoom is still the top rated tablet even after the introduction of the IPad 2. Every review I've read that wasn't biased all give a nod to the Xoom. I, however, agree with Tony and the Transformer is the one I really want. Having the memory card slot is invaluable!

I'm waiting for the next iteration of all these tablets to come out. Rumors are abound about new quad Tegra 3 machines with dreamy-high resolutions. CES showed us some incredible hardware and potential. Then if the new one is worth the cash, I'll grab a full tablet. Otherwise, take one of these Transformers like Tony's when the price falls to clear them out. ;)
 
Looks like a fun toy.

I got a Fire for Christmas and actually used it this week while traveling. I was nice to have several books and a couple of movies for the road.

I agree that the Fire is not as versatile.

I'd like a small "computer" for data logging, and easy Power Commander updates that the track.
 
My wife wants an IPAD badly....she spent the past weekend playing with a friends IPAD 2 and came home all excited. I had convinced her to wait for the new IPAD 3, but since we're Android with our phones this just makes so much more sense and after seeing the product info on the Transformer Prime, she's excited about this one now!


Going to Best Buy tomorrow.....will be a (late) birthday gift!

Thanks for posting up on this one, it looks awesome.
 
I got an original Kindle a couple of years back and you can't beat it for reading out in the sun. Tablets and Kindle Fires are worthless out in the sun. At Christmas I got a Kindle Fire and it is great for using around the house in front of the tv or at the bedside. I can read the paper, catch up on email or check various web sites. In the morning I'll read the morning paper and check some of the news websites. It's fine for what I need it for.

My six year old Dell laptop died a couple of weeks ago and after searching around I bought a Toshiba Z835 Ultrabook. Only 0.6" thick and only 2.4 lbs (lighter than a MacBook Air by almost a half pound). The problem with any tablet is it is very difficult and slow to do real work on them without a real tactile keyboard. That's why the new Ultrabook's really rock; backlit keyboard, fast processors, solid state drive so you can do everything a full fledged laptop can do. Fully spec'd out it was $900 including the full MS Office tools (Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Access) and Norton Symantec Protection. So with my Kindle Fire I have the full gamut of portablility and functionality for about $1100. To me this makes more sense than $500 iPad's. My wife has an iPad and she loves it, but I'll take a Kindle Fire and an Ultrabook everytime for the best coverage.

I installed a Belkin wireless router a month or so ago and it is fantastic. Everybody says it is almost 'plug n' play' and in fact it was. I was up and running with coverage throughout the house in about 10 minutes after opening the box. Rock solid and good signal.
 
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I just got an ePad Transformer on Amazon for $350 less cash value points I had on my AmEx. I did not get the docking station. Will see how it goes without. Although the extra 6 hours of battery life is tempting I cannot think of a time where I already need 9 hours of battery life. I figure a tablet will be much better to take on my trip in April than my 11" Alienware laptop.
 
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