ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Review Part II: Battery Life & More
by Anand Lal Shimpi on December 15, 2011 3:45 AM ESTSuper IPS+
I rode around town as a passenger equipped with the Transformer Prime and dock to test out how usable the setup was as a truly mobile platform. Glare is still a big issue if you're in a sunny environment; however, I was surprised to see that even without engaging the Prime's Super IPS+ mode that the display was usable in many cases outdoors. I definitely preferred the experience with Super IPS+ mode enabled though. While the glossy screen picks up fingerprints and is extremely reflective, the 600+ nits the panel is able to put out in its brightest mode definitely overcome both of these concerns.
Color Gamut
Some of you have asked for color gamut charts for the Transformer Prime, which I have provided below vs. the original Transformer:
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime
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Alienate - Friday, December 16, 2011 - link
So, if I buy one of these now, will I be able to upgrade to Icecream ?If so, how?
niteflyguy - Friday, December 16, 2011 - link
My one concern is the single speaker. How doesit sound?stelek - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link
Hi Anand,Have you tested the GPS performance? Does it work? What's the accuracy?
The first users report some serious problems and for me this is definitely a deal breaker. Could you please verify that? Please see here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1...
I'm supposed to pick up my pre-order in a few days. But I'm not gonna do that unless I know that GPS is not broken in Prime.
Krewe - Monday, January 2, 2012 - link
A brain injury rewired my hearing so that fan noise from computers/TVs/etc can literally cause me to leave the room.To Anand or anyone who is absolutely sure on this issue, are there fan(s) in the original Transformer or Prime or their Docks?
Many thanks in advance.
Krewe
Krewe - Saturday, January 7, 2012 - link
Anand,Thank you for the Transformer Prime teardown. Your attention to the Prime's fanless heat dissipation was not lost on me.
Krewe
shopscounty - Monday, January 9, 2012 - link
Surely you will find on ShopsCounty. You can buy a <a href="http://www.shopscounty.com">ASUS Transformer</a> at ShopsCounty.kulpret - Saturday, March 3, 2012 - link
Anand,Would love to see an update to your review now that ICS has been on this tablet for awhile. I personally haven't touched my iPad2 since I received my TP. I use it in place of my laptop and netbook as well. I rarely have to pick up anything else. I am a road warrior with a Verizon MiFi and Sprint Hotspot on my phone and always have internet connectivity and this thing is always with me.
Games:
Between onlive, emulators and all the gaming options from Android (including the great Tegrazone games) this makes the case for a mobile gaming platform with console quality graphics but also the dead simple casual gaming making this a great fit for both types of gamers. Onlive is excellent on this platform btw.
Productivity/Web:
I just recently added Onlive Desktop to my subscription and I have full blown Office at my finger tips along with Internet Explorer. It is limited to the MS stack on the desktop, but I find that good enough. Native to the tablet I use Polaris Office, Adobe, Firefox, Chrome, Android Browser and Dolphin. I literally have not found office content that I can't access. The same is true for web content including Flash support.
Media:
All the usual app suspects are here. Netflix, Pandora, Hulu + (installs but doesn't officially support the device takes a little bit of know-how to get it working. ie developer mode and config files.) One must have app for Android here MX Video Player It plays all my years of movie collecting, works as good as VLC on Windows/Linux.
I also have this working with my ActiveSync Mail server for my corporation and actively use this device for presentations and note taking in customer meetings.
I only hope they continue to develop and support the Transformer platform and I only see a bright future for this tablet.
-Jon
gmulak - Saturday, March 31, 2012 - link
What a great review. Very detailed and complete. I do agree a signoff would be nice. I have had a little trouble finding out about battery "memory", I didn't catch that in the review, which would have been nice. Finally found what I think is correct on Asus web site. It is best to let the tablet discharge completely and then recharge it. I will definitely follow you. Great job.