Comments on: ASUS Transformer Prime ICS due Jan 12 plus warranty-killing Bootloader unlock

By: Traverse2000

Traverse2000 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:46:00 +0000

The update of ICS on the prime was done yesterday on mine ! I’m a lucky, i having the prime on 10 december 2011 and after one month, yesterday, ics is on my prime !! :) very usefull with some attractive option !

By: top_swatta_shane

top_swatta_shane — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:25:00 +0000

I’ve been saying the same thing for ages now. Unfortunately is seems that a change in the foreseeable future is unlikely. Just try to ignore the crappy language construction and focus on the content, it’s the only way to bear it!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:51:00 +0000

Of course. The iPad is how old? Im waiting for the iPad 3 to come out.

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:57:00 +0000

you are terrible at writing, why do you have a job?

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:56:00 +0000

may I suggest gluing the back of it to you bathroom mirror? face time mirror would be pretty neat

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:55:00 +0000

same as always, jailbreak apple devices voids warranty as well. Its amazing how hard it is to please everyone.

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:53:00 +0000

not as many as there are in the article

By: Rizzeerascasl

Rizzeerascasl — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:05:00 +0000

omg omg omg cant wait this tablet rocks

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:42:00 +0000

What are you going to be using GPS for on a device that is WiFi only? GPS is great on my Droid X but I don’t think I’m going to be using a WiFi tablet to navigate anywhere.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:37:00 +0000

ugh, I guess there are hordes of users that want that…. but I’d rather have WiFi only for $100 less and then pay a carrier to unlock (or do it yourself) the WiFi tethering of your phone instead of having to pay a data plan on a tablet.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:08:00 +0000

Most users don’t care about it being “locked down”, only the techy tinkerers.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:08:00 +0000

Most users don’t care about it being “locked down”, only the techy tinkerers.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:07:00 +0000

Hard to believe so many grammatical mistakes could exist in such a short comment.

By: Graham Klerks

Graham Klerks — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:52:00 +0000

Prime here in AU is $799 and $899. If it’s substaintially less then that, your not getting a Prime.

By: jaggy

jaggy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:37:00 +0000

anybody complaining actually have one on order? if so please cancel it so I might be able to get mine sooner.
kthnxbye.

By: Clever81

Clever81 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:08:00 +0000

Be nice if Asus would also listen to the hoardes of people that also want a 3G version of the Prime!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:37:00 +0000

Yes, the GPS flaw is a design flaw but that means it’s not fixable without changing the design of the system and it’s too late to do that now. It’s not a feature that everyone will be demanding to justify a full recall. Thus any design fix will have to wait till the next version is released.

However, keep in mind we’re only about a year or less away from the next version anyway. Even if they stick with Nvidia, the Tegra 4 should be out by either the end of the year or early next year. While they should also make a change when Windows 8 for ARM comes out.

Besides, most people still use their phones for GPS even if they have tablets and it’s not like you couldn’t link a external GPS to the Prime if you really wanted GPS to work with it.

By: Bunta

Bunta — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:47:00 +0000

be nice if i could order one from Best Buy (since i got $100 gift card from there). All i hear from them is ’coming soon’ . thanks for nothing.

By: Duncan Bayne

Duncan Bayne — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Yay! Let’s congratulate Asus for: locking down a device that you ‘own’, and voiding your warranty should you have the temerity to run your choice of software on it.

I think it was Tiberius who described his colleagues as ‘men fit to be slaves.’ Not much has changed since then.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:47:00 +0000

i would like a version with no GPS and no back camera, and $50 cheaper

By: Aslanreturn

Aslanreturn — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:34:00 +0000

I do wish the Prime would have a reliable GPS, but you said it right when you said that every phone has a functional GPS. My DroidX has a GREAT GPS, and that is what I will be using when I need the GPS. I assume that when I travel with my PRIME, it will remain in the bag during the drive.

Maybe in the next Transformer version, Asus will have corrected/improved the GPS feature. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Aslanreturn

By: Sleepnumber

Sleepnumber — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000

Oh, and the wife has a iPhone 4S so that will be 4 GPS devices in a 3 foot area. Life is tough! :-)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:08:00 +0000

Sounds like all those who whined about what a terrible company Asus was and how they were cancelling their orders because of the locked boot loader are enjoying a heaping helping of crow. Funny how Asus has responded with prompt fixes every time an issue has been discovered (first WIFI, then GPS, now the Boot loader), and has generally stayed close to its projections (ICS in December to mid January). Now if only they could get their backed up deliveries in order. My 64GB Prime is still scheduled to be delivered sometime at the end of January to early February. :o(

By: Sllepnumber

Sllepnumber — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:06:00 +0000

I own a Prime and an iPad. I will never pick up my iPad again as I don’t even have a reason to do so.

By: Sleepnumber

Sleepnumber — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:01:00 +0000

When I logged in using my Google account many of the apps that are on my phone magically appeared on the Prime. All the contacts were there too! This was not the case when I bought, then returned the Motorola Zoom. It appears the app market also got beefed up because I haven’t run into any apps on my phone that I can’t get on my Prime. The Sirius app is a widget but works and other than that it’s the same. The latest update fixed the wiggle that appeared on boot-up (the Asus logo kind of did a wiggle) and the camera got an update. Can’t wait for ICS in a couple of weeks. What’s not to like? Buy it (when you can) and you won’t be disappointed!

By: Sleepnumber

Sleepnumber — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:54:00 +0000

I own a Transformer Prime and my GPS is working flawless on WI-FI. Anytime I travel I will be getting a WI-FI signal from my Hot Spot feature on my Evo 3D. Since it’s a tablet that requires a connection to get email and most other apps I don’t understand why all the fuss. Did you expect to use the tablet without a WI-FI connection just for the GPS feature? I already own a Garmin, a HTC Evo 3D, and the Prime. This is a moot point as far as I’m concerned. The Prime would be my last option for GPS anyway.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:34:00 +0000

I’ve never found much need for rooting an Android device anyway… But this is cool news, so by the time I get my Prime, it will already have ICS!

By: Kees Rienks

Kees Rienks — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:20:00 +0000

complete statement:

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.

By: Sissy

Sissy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:17:00 +0000

Yawn, you can keep it.

By: Kees Rienks

Kees Rienks — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:16:00 +0000

You forget there statement to skip support for GPS! Why is that?
Sure not gonna buy the prime! Every phone and tablet has functional GPS but only Asus feels the need to state its not a professional GPS tool. Fail! This is just a major design flaw. Brought one prime back and cancelling pre order for next batch. Shame ASUS

You use GPS in more then navigation

By: Mack Knife

Mack Knife — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Good move Asus. Now where is the true all in one device using the phone as it’s core? Netbook, tablet and phone in a single connected package where the user can really pick their poison depending in how and when they need?

A device that works as a netbook or tablet is half the solution.

By: HTC Wildfire Apps

HTC Wildfire Apps — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:17:00 +0000

Mines on the way cant wait for it !!

By: Jrpbulk

Jrpbulk — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:10:00 +0000

Cool next on my razr then I can finally start making some money