Asus is learning this the hard way. Asus started teasing the Transformer Prime back in October through a Facebook campaign. There was never any talk of the launch schedule or price point. Eventually, over the following month, several leaked screenshot from retailers indicated that the Prime would hit stores prior to Christmas.
Then finally, Asus put rumors to rest and announced the tablet would be in stores and online on December 19th. Retailers pushed back pre-orders as Asus failed to deliver the product on time. Eventually, just before the end of , several shops started shipping out their first batches. Even if it was available, would-be buyers would be smart to hold off for a bit.
Early adopters are singing a song of woe right now. Apparently bit encryption is employed to keep owners from accessing key components and flashing new roms and kernels onto the tablet. The Prime is effectively grounded. This move prevents owners from unlocking the full potential of the tablet. This practice of locking down the system files is not new. However, every time a vendor ships a halo product with a locked bootloader, the Android community explodes with frustration.
Transformer Prime buyers are looking for a digital sandbox to explore Android. Geeks buy Asus products. If Prime buyers wanted a completely curated experience, they would have bought an iPad. The troubles keep piling on. It takes forever to lock onto GPS satellites. So, in a classic anti-consumer move, Asus simply removed most references to GPS from their websites. Asus could recover some lost love by unlocking the bootloader, but conflicting statements from Asus continue to enrage and frustrate owners.
The Asus US Facebook team posted a message several hours ago promising an official statement was in the works. The product is guaranteed as it is.
But it's going to be fun to watch non-Apple tablets and operating systems as they come to grips with this powerhouse tablet. Not only does it look great it has a long list of impressive specifications and features. Its hybrid nature sets it apart from the competition and it all comes for a fairly reasonable price.
Business users may still be tempted by the Apple ecosystem, which is embraced by IT admins. Android is still viewed with caution when it comes to security, but the Prime is a jack-of-all trades in terms of usability. The ability to use the device as a tablet or netbook is something that proves hugely valuable and its multimedia capabilities are unmatched by Apple at this time. Although we would consider it primarily as a content consumption unit, the Prime will be a valuable companion on long business trips and for taking notes during meetings or events.
This tablet has been out for some weeks now, but has just been updated officially to Android 4. Also before you begin be sure to check out our full Transformer Prime review to see the rest of the capabilities of this machine. The blazing fast hardware, superb screen, lightness, thinness and bang-up-to-date version of Android and decent price combine to make this the best Android tablet yet.
Yes, this is a very good tablet - and the best Android tablet for the money. However, the iPad 2 still appears to be the better choice. The OS is better, battery life is better, app selection is better, and performance is generally on par. The Prime is the closest any Android tablet has come to leaping the high bar set by the iPad 2, but it still can't top it - and it won't really have a chance of doing so unless battery life is improved and Android 4.
We had been hoping for iPad-beating levels of responsiveness, smoothness and battery life. Despite being easily as thin and light as most rivals, this aluminium-clad tablet is far more powerful thanks to its quad-core Tegra 3 internals. Quite simply, the Prime is the best Android tablet available and arguably the best tablet per se.
Unfortunately, the keys remain cramped. We were wowed by its brilliant IPS display, razor-thin design, and remarkably comfortable keyboard dock. However, if you're looking for the most powerful, portable inch Android tablet on the market, look no further. The docking station option makes it a superb choice for power users who want a tablet that converts into a productivity workhorse. Our full rating is pending until our testing is complete, but this tablet is shaping up as one of the top contenders you can buy today.
We'll update this review with full testing results when available. The Transformer Prime ships through online retailers December 12, and will be in stores December No word yet as to the availability of an expected 3G version.
I can't recommend it the same way I would the iPad 2, assuming that there's an app available for whatever. If you're a Droid through and through, you'll revel in the power here.
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