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The use of a keyboard is going to multiply your WPM and accuracy by many magnitudes over any keyboard on the touchscreen. Much of this review was actually written using the Prime’s keyboard dock, and throughout this time it was obvious that the software is left lacking compared to the hardware. I changed word processing software more than the number of times the tablet went in and out of the dock.
Typing on the keyboard does take some getting used to, about three or four days for me personally. You will also likely find your typing habits changing due to the tiny right Shift key, on top of the effects of the smaller keyboard. I soon found my fingers hovering above the keys rather than having them waiting for orders on the keys.
I found that my WPM using this test drops from about 85 using my Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard drops to 65 WPM on the keyboard dock. I am more than certain that the difference would be a lot more noticeable if the test involved capitals and punctuation.
When the tablet is attached to the keyboard dock, the device is rather top heavy and as a result it doesn't take a lot to knock the tablet onto its back. This is something that could be easily fixed by moving the centre of gravity towards the touchpad. The other solution being, which I would prefer, is for Asus to pack in some more cells to make the dock outweigh the tablet.
The dock weighs 537 grams while the tablet weighs 586 grams. In real life usage though, considering my wrists were more often than not leaning on the front of the dock it really did not bother me at all, but it is something to be aware of, especially if you plan on using the dock as a stand of sorts.
When the tablet is pushed as far back in the dock as possible so that the display is angled upwards more the docking mechanism actually lifts the tablet up a bit, slanting the keyboard. This is one thing that Asus have clearly thought about, however you cannot push the tablet back further than about 100 degrees in relation to the keyboard's surface.
At the end of the day with a Transformer Prime, don’t expect your tablet to become a very productive device just because it has a keyboard dock. While the hardware is now surpassing the experience of a netbook, the actual software experience is left lacking for a productive lifestyle. Guess what sold computers back in the 1980s and early 90s? All I can say is that is wasn’t strictly hardware.
Android still has a fair way to go before catching up to Windows but improvements made in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a recent update that has made Google Docs more tablet friendly has improved Google's own services. Hopefully Google Drive will further improve the productivity experience on Android tablets.
Wow thats a hell of a review. so much information my brain hurts 🙂
Its impressive, but the Ipad 3 has put a real dampner on these due to the low resolution and the catch up they all need to play now against Apple.
I think its a little expensive for what you get if I was being blunt about it, but its a nicely designed product and it seems powerful for even casual gaming. Retina display has pushed everything forward really which has made this look already a little out of date.
Two weeks with this tablet were more than enough for me to experience all the issues already pointed out by other reviewers plus a brand new one: the shockingly poor build quality.
Yes, the WiFi is faulty. I use both the TF201 and a Galaxy Nexus in bed and, although the signal is quite weak on the smartphone, it never disconnects and the browsing/downloading speed is very good. The same can’t be said about the tablet, which often disconnects and sometimes requires a reboot so I can use the internet again (and what’s a tablet with dodgy WiFi? A paper weight?).
Yes, the GPS is useless. Asus dropped the ball twice here, first by not testing the unit properly and then by removing the function from the specs list. Shameful, to say the least.
Now to the build quality: although the TF201 is a stunning device and both its screen and its metallic body look fantastic, my unit proved to be cheaply manufactured when the glass started detaching from the main body a few days ago. It’s a month old tablet and I’m extremely careful with my electronics.
Right now all I can do is regret as I purchased this tablet in the US and brought it back to Ireland, so sending it back will be a costly pain in the neck both for me and for my wife’s friend who would have to drop it at UPS.
I’m really disappointed with Asus and the current selection of Android tablets in the market. No wonder the iPad is flying off the shelves, all that Apple has to do is release products that don’t suck.
Cheers Davy!
I have to agree Davis, perhaps the reason it is taking so long for other Tegra 3 tablets to come out is because everyone is running around trying to find a decent supply of FHD display to create a tablet that can go head to head with the new iPad’s
It’s decent value to me Rt23ds, 20 quid more than the new 32GB iPad. It really depends if you’d prefer a higher resolution screen or the ability to type anything of length
Guil, I encountered no Wi-Fi problems that I could attribute to my review unit (the dodgy router is to blame). Completly agree on the GPS points. The review unit I had could have been cherry picked but it has definitely been around the place and all it had to show for it was a few collections of scratches on the back. Have you tried getting in contact directly with Asus? Either way it’s really bad to hear you’re having issues with your Prime
Its impressive, but the Ipad 3 has put a real dampner on these due to the low resolution
I’d have to agree Ieeko, it’s not majorly noticeable by itself by switching between a decent phone and the Prime the extra pixel density is noticeable. Shouldn’t be too long until we start seeing Full HD tablets though