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question about buying a tablet

Hi peeps been looking around at the android tablets on the market and wondering if i should take the plunge?.Thought i would ask here as you guys probably have more experiance than most.Can you recomend a couple?, i'm not looking to spend a fortune just want something that covers most bases and doesnt struggle to run the usual suspects.HDMI out would be a plus but any ideas you can offer or just give me ideas on what not to buy.Any helps good, thanx in advance.

I have a smoldering interest in a tablet as well but I will continue to hold off as my Lenovo X61t and Windows Phone compliment each other pretty well and I don't "need" one.
However, I have taken note of the Archos' that were just released. The general feeling is that they feel cheap in build quality but the price and performance is right there. This is engadgets take on the two tablets they have.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/24/archos-70-and-101-internet-tablet-review/
I have used the Samsung Galaxy S and it is a nice device. Gotta be honest though, nothing seems to be "more complete than the ipad", just in terms of docks, jailbreaking, best apps, etc.
There are so many 'knock offs' in this category, let us know what you find!

I agree in the upset front, it's a great piece of kit but I refuse to spend that kind if money. Have found plenty of cheap ones, and I don't mind the price tag but most are just a bit gutless lol. But yeah likewise bring the info if you find something good.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Back again, on the subject off cheapo knock off tablets have you seen the a-ok pad lol now don't laugh. I could be persuaded to gamble on something as (shall we say rough) if it ticked the right boxes. Anybody heard if them? Any horror stories?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Buying a new tablet
I'm in the market for a tablet, and have taken my sweet time for the last 3 months researching and looking for the best one to buy. I've done my fair share of research and now i'm asking you: Should I buy the ASUS Transformer Prime with the dock, od should i wait for samsung/htc/moto/lenovo/acer... next-gen tablet? My fear is you see, that I'll buy The Prime, and that it won't be supported by some software develeopers, and left out in the cold with some apps, or not on par with the next-gen 2012 tablets. I want the best hardware specs, possible future windows 8 compatibility, preferably tegra device, 3g isn't a must, nor GPS but preferred. I don't mind waiting for a few more months since this would be my first tablet, wich i don't really need. NO IOS/IPad talk please, android tablet only (but like i said, with a possibility of win8 in the future). Any reasonable advice is more than welcome, and thank you all very much in advance!

IIRC Asus Prime will begin getting ICS/4.0 Jan 12th.
With that said, I would definitely play around with one before buying. Numerous reported issues that can't really be fixed through OTA's or software. (GPS, WIFI, light bleed, glass/screen loose from rest of tab).
Typical Asus if you ask me, crapshoot on quality.
Also depends on what you want in a tab. If you don't really want to play around/mod/customize then I think the Ipad 2 or hold out a couple of months for an Ipad 3 would be your best bet.
If you have to have an Android you have one of two options. Wait for more quad core tabs to be released, or start looking at what's available now.
Samsung 7.0 Plus is probably the best out for 7"ers.
For the 10"ers it's a toss up right now. Galaxy Tab 10.1 has good support, decent performance, light, easy to hold, good screen, great speakers (for a tab). It's cons to me are the Tegra 2 isn't up to snuff with Honeycomb OS.
The HP Touchpad is a great buy for the OS and specs, and can also be ported to Android (Still need to play with one)
Asus Transformer TF101 is also a good buy but again a crapshoot on quality but can be had for a good price.
The new Moto Xyboards are getting good reviews but they are overpriced for what they are, are only sold through VZW and were "technically" outdated before they were even released. Also locked bootloaders are never fun if flashing kernels are your thing.
Right now I'm looking at getting another tab so I guess you could say I'm in the same boat as you. I have an OG Galaxy Tab 7 on the way b/c I got it cheaper than cheap and just wanna play with it.
Considering picking up an 8" Xyboard also.
ETA: I probably won't pick up a Xyboard however until they come down in price or a WiFi only version is offered.
The SGT 7.7 also sounds promising. Decisions decisions.

First of all, thank you for the fast and torough reply... And yes, sweet sweet decisions
I forgot to say that I'm in the market for a 10" minimum tablet, don't want smthng smaller 'cause i allready have an SGSII so I'm covered for mobility.
As for ASUS's build quality, like I said I never owned a tablet so I definately will try out/play with one for a couple of hours before purchasing, and watch out for the screen bleed on an ips display. But currently most of my pc's componens (2xmobo, 2xgraphic cards, and a lappy) are ASUS made and i must say i'm more than satisfied with them, and as I recall, when I was buying my SGSII there was talk about screen burn-in, overheating and wifi problems too, but I haven't had a single one with my device. Besides that, I don't really need GPS or 3g in a tablet so it's not a dealbreaker with me on The Prime.
The problem is: I wouldn't buy any other tablet now existing in the market, mostly because of the Tegra3 chipset The Prime has, so if I'm paying a hi-end device (around 700$) i want the latest and fastest performer in the ring. And yes, in my book that is android only, as i find apple's devices a bit limiting sometimes (without any fanboyism, I come from a long line of iphones before my android). The things I'm worried hardware-wise are: the amount and speed of Prime's RAM (1gb od ddr2), possible wifi signal problems, screen bleed, and that it's topheavy when docked (a minor thing really). I love that it has a full USB 2.0 port, so you don't need a jack/ adapter of some kind (e.g. like on a SGSII microUSB to full USB). Not really worried about the one speaker layout eather, altough i was a bit dissapointed since the TF101 had a stereo layout, but still, not a dealbreaker (hey, it's still a tablet)...
Now you may laugh at this seeing your sig, but in my mobile history (25+ phones) the worst were accually motorolas (v3 being the worst of the lot, but than again A925 was more than excellent) I'm not so fond of HP either, last month i sold my DV6 3020em, (that's the i7 touchscreen version for Europe since i'm european), and i can say it was utter rubbish, overheating, shoddy build quality, squeaky, noisy fans, you name it... That's why I sold it, but it had a touchscreen which was more than handy, and that's why i want a tablet, I just might look a bit more into the HP touchpad after all.
Acer is great quality for it's price, really great. But I only had Acer's laptops, and the Iconia tablet is as ugly as a bullfrog from chernobyl, so I wouldn't want one.
Tf101 is ugly too by my standards, too big as well, but the looks aren't so important if it was an excellent performer, which none of the now available androids are compared to The Prime (at least not on honeycomb).
I played with samsung 8.9 a few days ago and I can report is't a great little device, thin, capable, satisfying all in all, but i'd like a bigger screen, and a real keyboard and it's not a tegra device (I play a lot of games so i'd like the tegra zone, as chainfire's plugins don't support all tegra tweaked games)
Now I do like to install a new ROM every few weeks on my SGSII but i srsly don't think that will be the case on a tablet (except Win 8, when it comes out).
So i guess the question remains: should i wait for Samsung's next gen 10.1 answer or just go with the prime now
P.S. sorry for my poor english

cavkic said:
First of all, thank you for the fast and torough reply... And yes, sweet sweet decisions
I forgot to say that I'm in the market for a 10" minimum tablet, don't want smthng smaller 'cause i allready have an SGSII so I'm covered for mobility.
As for ASUS's build quality, like i said i never owned a tablet so I definately will try out/play with one for a couple of hours before purchasing, and watch out for the screen bleed on an ips display. But currently most of my pc's componens (2xmobo, 2xgraphic cards, and a lappy) are ASUS made and i must say i'm more than satisfied with them, and as I recall, when I was buying my SGSII there was talk about screen burn-in, overheating and wifi problems too, but I haven't had a single one with my device. Besides that, I don't really need GPS or 3g in a tablet so it's not a dealbreaker with me on The Prime.
The problem is: I wouldn't buy any other tablet now existing in the market, mostly because of the Tegra3 chipset The Prime has, so if I'm paying a hi-end device (around 700$) i want the latest and fastest performer in the ring. And yes, in my book that is android only, as i find apple's devices a bit limiting sometimes (without any fanboyism, I come from a long line of iphones before my android). The only thing I'm worried hardware-wise is the amount and speed of Prime's RAM (1gb od ddr2), possible wifi signal problems, screen bleed, and that it's topheavy when docked (a minor thing really). I love that it has a full USB 2.0 port, so you don't need a jack/ adapter of some kind (e.g. like on a SGSII microUSB to full USB). Not really worried about the one speaker layout eather, altough i was a bit dissapointed since the TF101 had a stereo layout, but still, not a dealbreaker (hey, it's still a tablet)...
So i guess the question remains: should i wait for Samsung's next gen 10.1 answer or just go with the prime now
P.S. sorry for my poor english
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Click to collapse
Don't jump the gun on the Prime until stock has settled in, right now retailers are price gouging due to low availability. The Prime should be $500 for the 32GB, $600 for the 64GB, not $650-700 for the 32GB.
I have a Transformer and an Iconia Tab A100, and I can tell you from first hand experience that the build quality isn't nearly as bad as the above poster is making it out to be. I actually like the finish on both the original Transformer and the Iconia series a lot, and the Prime seems to be a winner also. Another thing to consider for both ASUS and Acer is that they keep their Android releases relatively 'vanilla' except for a few bloatware-type apps of their own, unlike Samsung and HTC, who just can't help themselves but smear TouchWiz and Sense over everything they produce.
The only real reported issue with the Prime appears to be the GPS accuracy, but at least to me, it's a non-issue, since I disable GPS and bluetooth on everything.
The Windows 8 bit is yet to be seen, porting a device to another OS is something you can hope, but never hold your breath for. We've yet to see how Windows 8 distribution is going to work and remember that even if you do install Windows 8 down the road, it doesn't mean that you'll be able to run all windows-based programs, since mobile devices use ARM CPUs, and everything written for windows right now is made for x86 CPUs, so it will be up to each third party to rewrite their programs for compatibility.
Although I would never write out a company with pockets as deep as microsoft, they have proven time and time again that they are unable to compete in the mobile segment, so I don't see Windows 8 with as much hope and awe as many others do. (Especially since Ice Cream Sandwich is the first Android iteration we can really call "excellent")
TL;DR - If you can find a Prime for a decent price, then it's an amazing device to be had for a very reasonable price. If you plan on waiting, then checking out the upcoming Iconia A700 isn't a bad idea either if the dock isn't that important to you.

littleemp said:
Don't jump the gun on the Prime until stock has settled in, right now retailers are price gouging due to low availability. The Prime should be $500 for the 32GB, $600 for the 64GB, not $650-700 for the 32GB.
I have a Transformer and an Iconia Tab A100, and I can tell you from first hand experience that the build quality isn't nearly as bad as the above poster is making it out to be. I actually like the finish on both the original Transformer and the Iconia series a lot, and the Prime seems to be a winner also. Another thing to consider for both ASUS and Acer is that they keep their Android releases relatively 'vanilla' except for a few bloatware-type apps of their own, unlike Samsung and HTC, who just can't help themselves but smear TouchWiz and Sense over everything they produce.
The only real reported issue with the Prime appears to be the GPS accuracy, but at least to me, it's a non-issue, since I disable GPS and bluetooth on everything.
The Windows 8 bit is yet to be seen, porting a device to another OS is something you can hope, but never hold your breath for. We've yet to see how Windows 8 distribution is going to work and remember that even if you do install Windows 8 down the road, it doesn't mean that you'll be able to run all windows-based programs, since mobile devices use ARM CPUs, and everything written for windows right now is made for x86 CPUs, so it will be up to each third party to rewrite their programs for compatibility.
Although I would never write out a company with pockets as deep as microsoft, they have proven time and time again that they are unable to compete in the mobile segment, so I don't see Windows 8 with as much hope and awe as many others do. (Especially since Ice Cream Sandwich is the first Android iteration we can really call "excellent")
TL;DR - If you can find a Prime for a decent price, then it's an amazing device to be had for a very reasonable price. If you plan on waiting, then checking out the upcoming Iconia A700 isn't a bad idea either if the dock isn't that important to you.
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Tnx for the reply, and I have to say I think you misunderstood me. I don't think I said anything bad about acer's or asus's build quality just HP's (and only the perticular model of the DV6 I had), just that they're a bit on the ugly side, but that's totally a subjective stand, and irrelevant to anybody else.
As far as Prime's price goes, it should be available in Croatia, about 2hrs drive from my home in 10days for less than 700$ with the dock for the 32gig version, which is not a bad pricetag considering where I live, and I'm ready to give that kind of money for it. The dock is accually something i like about the Transformer, and it would probbably be a dead heat between TF101 just because of the dock) and the Sammy 10.1 if it weren't for the prime.
GPS, like I said, I don't mind. The SGSII has a great GPS reciever which i hardly ever use, maybe 6 times since i got it in july.
As far as ARM windows goes, I know what to expect from it , nothing special, but it would be nice to have that option when it's available
So you are happy with the TF101 and the Iconia? But would you recommend buying now the Prime if I'm happy with the price? I should mention I probbably won't buy it before ICS, and I'll try to get a hold of a stock ICS one when it's out after Jan. 12. because I want to make sure i missed the first version shipment

I believe you about Motorola. Until my Droid X I have ALWAYS hated Motorola. I never had a phone that worked right after some wear and tear and always had problems. From before smartphones thru the Droid 1, 2, and 3. (Went through multiples of those). I'm also a Samsung and HTC fan.
I've never had a problem with Asus computer components myself, w/ that said, there are quite a few complaints when it comes to the TF201 on quality. With that said, you, as I'm sure you do, have to take into account the dissatisfied ones are always going to moan and groan much more and louder than the happy customer.
I guess I just wish it was like cars when it comes to Tablets and would love for them to let me take the exact tab I'm looking to buy for a test drive. (Not leave the store but just open the box and get a good look at it and test everything to make sure I'm getting what my hard earned money is paying for).
I really want a TF201, but I'm going to wait til a few more Tegra 3 tabs come out. I really think Motorola would have hit a homerun if they would have put a quad core in their Xyboards and kept the price what they're charging now.
The three tabs I'm really torn between right now are the Xyboard 8.2, TF201, and Samsung 7.0 Plus. But man we are so close to seeing quad core as the new standard for tabs so the other part of me just wants to sit it out and wait.

So true what you said about the sitting and waiting for the quad core as the new standard, but on the other hand, HOW BAD DO WE WANT ONE!?!
Personally for me it's no competition between the Prime and other tablets, the Prime is just on another planet.
This morning the store answered my email saying that the Prime will be available mid january (in about 10 days) and said that maybe they could reserve one for me because of the small supply, but said the price may be different depending on the usd/euro stocks, but under 700$ for the 32gig version with dock...
Still I'm not planning on buying one before a test drive like you said (mostly to check for screen bleed). And yes, I took into account the moaners which is true like you said again...
I think I wathched every single review/comparison of the tablet on youtube, and read at least 10 reviews online, and it's all mostly positive.
I'll update as soon as i get my hands on a test one, hopefully in about 10 days.

[Q] G Tab or just wait?

I looking to buy a tablet and from everything I have read and tested at Office Depot (viewing angles) the G tab seems fine to me. I am sure it will be faster after I root and load new ROM.
But with all of the new tabs coming (xoom and so on) at this point should I just wait. I know the xoom seems very high to me (800.00) not sure I want to pay that much. I know I don't want to buy another tab for 2 years or so. So maybe the xoom would solve that issue.
Thoughts?
David

If you are willing to root the 'g' tablet and install one of the community developed ROMs, I say go for it. The 'g' tablet was bleeding edge when it came out, is still at the head of the pack and will remain a strong platform for another year and a half to two years.
The price is right and unless you always have to be right at the bleeding edge, you will not be disappointed with a 'g' over the time frame you are looking at (and perhaps a little beyond).

Wait for Xoom to Come Out and Then Buy GTablet
Given how active the developers are, I'm betting that within a couple of weeks of the release of Xoom there will be a XoomLite Rom here for the Gtablet. So I'd wait a couple of weeks until the Xoom comes out. Take a look at it in a store and if it is really $800, unless there is something in the Xoom hardware that you can't live without, buy the Gtablet. Then put the ROM of your choice on your Gtablet (I use TNTLite) and keep checking back for what I expect will be a version of Xoom for our Gtablets.

If you are a tinkerer- get the Gtablet now. Seems all of the devices have quirks coming out, but one common thing is some form of dual core chipset. Quirks are there in one combo or other:
1. Overpriced
2. Proprietary connectors
3. No USB Host
4. No USB
5. Did I say overpriced yet?
Example is the Xoom. Costs $800. My Gtablet and 64gb iPod 4 cost $86 less than that.
My next tab will be the iPad "2". I love the app ecosystem and the game & app quality is AMAZING. I have my Gtablet and Incredible for Android fun and for Flash & internet function. Game emulators too.
BTW, my next phone will be either the Thunderbolt, Bionic or something similar on Verizon. No iPhone and the Xperia Play will likely have proprietary connectors, no microsd (Sony proprietary) and be locked down, so no dice for me.
iTunes may suck butt since a forced interface, but a lot of apps rock hard! Real hard.
Please forgive the slight tangent of my post.

If you're still unsure, then your best bet is to wait. You may even want to wait for the new 10.1 inch samsung tablet. I believe it will cost more than the Xoom but its another option. Here are some specs for that device:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=953341

I just bought one yesterday from office depot after looking at the tabs in general for awhile and
Buying a archos 7 first. I got rid of that because it wasn't what I thought. I think the g tab is the coolest
toy I have ever had. If you want just a giant cell phone without the phone then wait for the Xoom.

The new Elocity A10 is coming out, but the 4gb is more money than the 16gb Gtablet. For the extra money you get a (supposedly) better screen and backlit buttons. But, since it hasn't been shipped out yet you have no idea about the quirks involved.
The Notion Adam looks cool, people that have it seem to like it but who knows how long it will take to get your hands on one. I would wait and watch since it is a new company.
The Archos 101 has it's pluses like a ton of codecs, but it has bugs and also supposedly has a bad screen. The price is nice though.
The Xoom is $800 and requires a month of Verizon service. It is a great looking tablet, but if I were going to spend that much I could get a good computer with money left over.
You can wait forever for more tablets tablets to come out. When the iPad was announced I kept hearing over and over that a better, cheaper Android tablet was on the way. Here we are, nearly a year out and there is nothing that competes.
Were I think the G tab excels is price point. Especially if you can get the $279 price. It has a great following on this site, a good set of hardware and once it is rooted it flies.

Buy the gtablet...better yet buy two for the cost of one xoom! We'll get honeycomb too.

If you're willing to wait, also consider toshiba's tablet. http://www.thetoshibatablet.com/
I like that it uses a full SD Card slot for cheaper/larger storage options (>32gb) and has a user replaceable battery.

vpad10s ?
I've seen a lot of comparisons between the Gtablet and other tabs, but what does everyone about the vpad10s?
From the specs and all, it looks like a dual boot Gtab, which has its own appeals.

yelrx8 said:
I've seen a lot of comparisons between the Gtablet and other tabs, but what does everyone about the vpad10s?
From the specs and all, it looks like a dual boot Gtab, which has its own appeals.
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Click to collapse
Dual boot would be great if the device would at least come with Android 2.2 but instead only having 1.6 makes it deal breaker for me.

And then there's the Touchpad, the HP/Palm WebOS tablet that's due out this summer:
palm.com/us/products/pads/touchpad/index.html

Was in the same boat...
I was torn between waiting and getting the G...ended up with the G-tablet and no regrets once I figured out how to encode high def video so it would play.
Wth TNTLite installed, this thing really hums, and frankly, I was expecting a seriously bad screen, and while it's not a 90 degree viewing angle, it looks fantastic when you're looking right at it (and frankly, if I'm using it, I'm looking at it).
Not to mention that at the price they're going for (and I had shipping and taxes to get to Canada), it is still soooo much cheaper than any of the alternatives with same specs (The Elocity A10 for around the same price only has 4GB onboard).
Hope that helps...

You can always wait for something better, but for us it was a matter that it seemed like a great deal for the price. I had the FCs with the stock TnT apps but after installing the vegan rom everything is great.
Would of loved to have gotten a Xoom, but considering we got 2 Tegra2 based 10' tabs for the same price, and they do everything that we need I am satisfied.

Thanks everyone for your posts.
I have ordered a GTab from Amazon (should be here tomorrow.. you have to love prime). I have not ordered a keyboard yet nor a sd card. But have a 6gb card that should work for now.
If all goes well then I will keep it. I will try the xoom when it comes out, but for the money and features of the Gtab and for the use I need (really just notes in meetings and browsing the web) I think I am good.
Another question: I want to use either a USB keyboard or a RF keyboard/Track ball) what ROM do you suggest?
And if I wanted to make a backup of the current ROM before I upgrade what do you suggest? Or should I just use one of the manufacturer ROMs listed in the dev forum?
Again thank you for your help.

Up until last week, I too, was torn between waiting for the Xoom, or 'settling' with a lesser tab like the Galaxy Tab.
I picked up a Viewsonic G Tablet at Sears for $399, rooting it 30 minutes after unwrapping it, I've no regrets. My reasoning was as follows:
1 - Wanted it to be Android-based, so no Ipad.
2 - Galaxy Tab at 7", a little too small.
3 - Tegra2 based, should be Honeycomb-ready, no need for a rear camera.
4 - Xoom, even if Wifi-only version is released, I doubt it would beat the GTab at price.
This should last me until maybe the next gen of Android tablets arrive next year.
Currently running Vegan 5.1.1 ROM, with full market, all the apps I could want. This is so much fun!

Really was an easy choice for me. Price plus fun of rooting and flashing roms while I wait for honeycomb. The gtab rules and my friends that get to play with mine can't put it down. I can't put it down ;-)

[Q] Xoom Migration

Is anyone migrating to the Xoom?
From what I can see, the Xoom has a better screen and Honeycomb. If the G tablet really gets HC is the Xoom really worth USD 200 more?
Thanks

Ivanthompson said:
Is anyone migrating to the Xoom?
From what I can see, the Xoom has a better screen and Honeycomb. If the G tablet really gets HC is the Xoom really worth USD 200 more?
Thanks
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Click to collapse
Ivanthompson,
Only you can make that decision; if the G Tablet fulfills the requirements you had for an Android Tablet then there really is NO reason to jump to anything else. This tablet is an open platform that does everything the Xoom does (except for 3/4G). Having said that this always boils down to personal preference.
The G Tablet still does everything I need it to do; the devs will LEAP on HC once the real source is released have no fear there. Also with guys like it2steve doing his best to bring us accessories that are available and at a good price we really have all the things we need going forward.
If you are the type of person that hops to the next new shiny thing that comes out then between now and June you will be jumping like a jack rabbit!
Personally I am satisfied with what I have... I am staying....
Rick

As a developer, I really want a Xoom just so I can start developing with the Honeycomb API w/o relying upon the emulator, which is slow and painful to use.
The G-tablet does everything I need for my own personal use and I'm still blown away by the speed of the hardware 5 months after purchasing.
If I had Honeycomb on my G-Tablet I wouldn't even think twice about the Xoom (other than maybe the screen, but it's pretty rare the G-Tablet's screen bothers me).
Plus, I have a feeling they'll be giving away a Xoom to everyone at the Google I/O conference this year and I'm waiting to see if I was 1/10 people to win a free ticket via their Last Call for I/O Android contest which I completed last week. So if I do end up winning, I'll at least wait until after Google I/O to see if I get a free Xoom. But I'm hoping Honeycomb source will be released by then....

GTablet said:
Ivanthompson,
Only you can make that decision; if the G Tablet fulfills the requirements you had for an Android Tablet then there really is NO reason to jump to anything else. This tablet is an open platform that does everything the Xoom does (except for 3/4G). Having said that this always boils down to personal preference.
The G Tablet still does everything I need it to do; the devs will LEAP on HC once the real source is released have no fear there. Also with guys like it2steve doing his best to bring us accessories that are available and at a good price we really have all the things we need going forward.
If you are the type of person that hops to the next new shiny thing that comes out then between now and June you will be jumping like a jack rabbit!
Personally I am satisfied with what I have... I am staying....
Rick
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Click to collapse
+1 here.
Very happy with Gtab. 1 tablet + 4 different roms to play with !

The GTAB is actually faster than the Xoom right now (I have both). HC actually needs a little bit of work, imo.
Eventually the GTAB will be the old horse to put out to pasture, but we're not quite at that point, yet. Xoom does have the better screen and camera, so points for that.

Thanks for your insights.
I'll probably wait for HC on the GT before trying something else.

teleknEsis said:
As a developer, I really want a Xoom just so I can start developing with the Honeycomb API w/o relying upon the emulator, which is slow and painful to use.
The G-tablet does everything I need for my own personal use and I'm still blown away by the speed of the hardware 5 months after purchasing.
If I had Honeycomb on my G-Tablet I wouldn't even think twice about the Xoom (other than maybe the screen, but it's pretty rare the G-Tablet's screen bothers me).
Plus, I have a feeling they'll be giving away a Xoom to everyone at the Google I/O conference this year and I'm waiting to see if I was 1/10 people to win a free ticket via their Last Call for I/O Android contest which I completed last week. So if I do end up winning, I'll at least wait until after Google I/O to see if I get a free Xoom. But I'm hoping Honeycomb source will be released by then....
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Checked it out today. The xoom screen has some poor quality viewing angles too. It is ok on a $379 tab but on a $799 ridiculous. Your choice, just thought I would mention, that the grass isn't greener--pun intended--from all viewing angles.
I personally plan to own several tabs in all sizes and flavors. Hey, why not? For me it makes good business sense to cross pollenate. Holding the xoom didn't feel as good as holding GTab. Verizon's logo permanently etched on the top right-hand side was distracting as well as tacky. They should have put on one of those peel off stickers like they do on laptops telling you intel or whatever is inside. Go for it, if it works for you. I went in for a 2nd tab today and came out empty handed. Oh well, the playbook will be released on April 19, they are taking prelim orders now at Best Buy.
I won't be buying it until I put my hands on it and drive it first. Oh yeah, the xoom had quite a few force closes while I was playing with it to my surprise.
Has anybody seen the Creative Ziio up-close? Some of the specs are mediocre and some good like the audio capability its boosting if it works. Also, it's a 7 inch coming in around $279.

roebeet said:
The GTAB is actually faster than the Xoom right now (I have both). HC actually needs a little bit of work, imo.
Eventually the GTAB will be the old horse to put out to pasture, but we're not quite at that point, yet. Xoom does have the better screen and camera, so points for that.
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Click to collapse
You mean better camera. The screen has some viewing angle issues too. I went in to buy today and left out empty handed. $799 for a camera and operating system doesn't make good business sense to me. Glad you like it. Are you having the FC issues? Happened to me a few times while I was playing with it.

With the announcement of the new Galaxy Tab and it's lower price, the Xoom doesn't look all that appealing anymore. I love my G, but will seriously consider a switch in June to the Samsung due mostly to thickness, available accessories and HC.

Ivanthompson said:
Thanks for your insights.
I'll probably wait for HC on the GT before trying something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 wait for HC on the GT

Love my gtab got it for 279 a month or so ago from Sears outlet.com and picked it up an hour away from home. Xoom is overpriced for a little bit more screen Res and honeycomb. Screen is not as bad as many say on gtab if tablet is used as tablet. If wanna CPU use a CPU. Not to mention don't need data plan. not to mention someone will get honeycomb on it soon enough.Use home wifi and 3g hotspot hack with data throttle hack on my DX. Ha Verizon up your big red [email protected] Best bang for your Buck as far as tabs go as of today.

If you use wifi and dont need 3g I don´t see why to switch and pay a lot more for the xoom. Same processor, in benchmarks practically the same, just for a better screen and camera plus honeycomb that will be around us very soon I don´t think its worth it imo

Other than to be a "hey look what i have" kinda person i really don't see much point in going to a different tab. I'm happy with my tab. Lets face it...other than surfing the web and playing with some apps these tabs are limited. So why would i want to go spend $600 on one...i can get a smokin laptop for that kinda money.

Reports have shown that the xoom sales have been underwhelming.

I could buy a Xoom if I wanted to, not the issue.
But the Gtab does so much more than the other Tablets, and price is not the issue.
I use my Gtab everyday and it's rock steady.
Yes, I wish I could connect to a Cisco VPN (anytime connect), but not sure if the Xoom would even support that.
I played around with the Xoom for awhile and it was heavy and didn't blow my socks off.
Screen definately better...
Until there is a stable Andriod Tab that clearly blows the Gatb away. I'm staying with it...
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b5.1.1 using Tapatalk

I got mine about a month ago rooted it instantly settled on vegan. Checked the xoom out yesterday i was not impressed glad it got the gt. Great battery life. Now if it was thin like ipad2, oops can i say that word here? Im sticking with my gt.

Ivanthompson said:
Is anyone migrating to the Xoom?
From what I can see, the Xoom has a better screen and Honeycomb. If the G tablet really gets HC is the Xoom really worth USD 200 more?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not, but the gtab does for me. Even at close to $500, I'd still have to say Notion Ink Adam with PixelQi is a better value, but at this point I'll be holding out for Tegra3 kal-el and/or whatever the other SoC makers can do with cortex-a9.
I'll still want a PixelQi screen or mirasol as I'd REALLY like to be able to use them outside on sunny days and still have good battery runtime.

I'm guessing the xoom people are laughing at us now for getting something that's less than 800 they paid for theirs. Have you guys been to the xoom forum? They seem like a proud bunch over there. Yeah, proud to pay $800 for something that will be out of date 5 months from now.

I do not see a reason to upgrade to a new tablet anytime soon from the G-tab. Need to wait until a tegra 3 or 4 is out to make a decent enough reason for me to switch.

I've had the GTab since December and think it's an awesome tablet for the money given all of the great dev work going on.
However, after playing with the Xoom at Best Buy the other day, there's simply no comparison to the Xoom's screen and viewing angles. It's not that I care about others being able to see the GTab's screen, but I find it annoying that to watch a video I need to keep the GTab's screen just right, even in landscape, to keep the colors from washing out. And that's just for one person watching! And forget about portrait mode or watching with the tablet lying flat on a table.
The Xoom can do all of these things no problem. No washout, totally viewable from all angles and horizontally on the table. Seemed almost on par with the iPad. Also, while I didn't play with it long enough to make an informed opinion on Honeycomb, I thought the Xoom was plenty responsive, regardless of Quadrant scores. Maybe only slightly less so than the GTab with Vegan.
Whether the Xoom worth the extra money (to me, at least), I'm not so sure. But the WiFi version is in the right ballpark and is awfully tempting...

GTablet Out for Delivery - Thinking of returning right away....

So my GTab is on the truck out for delivery. I'm seriously considering returning upon arrival without even opening it. I know we are not suppose to talk about Honeycomb but I really doubt that this tab will ever get it. I am a ROM addict with my incredible and feel real comfortable with all that. But is the screen glare and lack of honeycomb enough to spend an extra 100-200 on another tablet. Think Asus or even Xoom.
What are your thoughts... Any insight will be greatly appreciated. I commute 75 minutes on a commuter rail every day to work. I use my device for movies, shows, reading and games.
Thanks all...

rmd0311 said:
So my GTab is on the truck out for delivery. I'm seriously considering returning upon arrival without even opening it. I know we are not suppose to talk about Honeycomb but I really doubt that this tab will ever get it. I am a ROM addict with my incredible and feel real comfortable with all that. But is the screen glare and lack of honeycomb enough to spend an extra 100-200 on another tablet. Think Asus or even Xoom.
What are your thoughts... Any insight will be greatly appreciated. I commute 75 minutes on a commuter rail every day to work. I use my device for movies, shows, reading and games.
Thanks all...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This tablet will do all of those admirably without Honeycomb. Battery life is amazing, Video support under Froyo based roms is good. Gingbread still needs drivers, but Software Decoding works in many cases, depending on the quality of your source etc.
Reading might be the only disappointing area. If you hold the Tab in portrait mode, that's where the viewing angles get to be a problem. Might bother you, might not.
Having said all of that, If I didn't have a G-Tab, I'd probably be buying an Asus Transformer (not a Xoom). But, since I have my G-tab, it's quite capable and I'll be keeping it.

I would keep it...
Most of the other tabs will not be out until June or later. I would wait and keep the gtab until the market and prices stabilize. The gtab is more than capable of doing what u want.

As far as I know, there has not been an Android tablet released yet that has not had its share of problems and disappointments. How long will it take until the Asus has all the fixes in place....or until there are custom ROMs for it (if ever)?
I wouldn't spend a premium on a device that has not been on the market long enough to know if it meets my needs.
The Gtab at under $300 is a steal as far as I am concerned. I've had mine for a month, running Vegan-Tab 5.1.1, happy as can be with it. Many people have posted about the poor viewing angle. I disagree....I actually like the viewing angle as I don't want everyone in the neighborhood to be able to see my screen anyway. I just haven't seen the issue....of course, each of us is different in that regard.
I'd buy the GTab all over again. I think it will meet/exceed my NEEDS for a loooong time to come. And when I am done with it, my grandkids will have a new toy!
Joe

If you think the screen will be an issue then send it back and wait for an IPS from ASUS. $400 and Honeycomb

Joeb2751 said:
As far as I know, there has not been an Android tablet released yet that has not had its share of problems and disappointments. How long will it take until the Asus has all the fixes in place....or until there are custom ROMs for it (if ever)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the Engadget review wasn't very good of the Asus tab. Not that I have a lot of faith for them to review it without some sort of bias but the videos did not show it off well. The OS seems really sluggish and the screen, while IPS has some serious glare on it. Seems to defeat a lot of value of IPS when you still have to hold the tablet at an angle to see the screen properly.
I probably won't buy a high-end tablet until late in the year to see the direction the manufacturers go.

rmd0311 said:
So my GTab is on the truck out for delivery. I'm seriously considering returning upon arrival without even opening it. I know we are not suppose to talk about Honeycomb but I really doubt that this tab will ever get it. I am a ROM addict with my incredible and feel real comfortable with all that. But is the screen glare and lack of honeycomb enough to spend an extra 100-200 on another tablet. Think Asus or even Xoom.
What are your thoughts... Any insight will be greatly appreciated. I commute 75 minutes on a commuter rail every day to work. I use my device for movies, shows, reading and games.
Thanks all...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought my g-tab from TigerDirect yesterday and was totally disappointed during my first 45mins with the machine when it was stock. The custom UI was probably put together by a gang of retarded midgets.
Then I installed Vegan 5.1.1 and my g-tab became the greatest steal of a buy in 2011.

For $280, you can't go wrong. With Calkulins Rom, Pershoots overclock kernal and Go Launcher this thing just fly's. It does everything you need it to do. Will I upgrade in a year or so, probably. By then the bugs should be worked out. This tab with Froyo runs great. Don't get caught up on Honeycomb, they all have their limitations.

If I was you I would hold out and keep my gtab because there are alot of tabs coming to the market you might favor one of those just keep your gtab in good condition because viewsonic has some strick return policy rules
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using XDA Premium App

I have the urge to get the transformer or xoom as well, but I'm not giving up the gtab just yet. With the gtab, I can install different roms and play with stuff.
With transformer or xoom, I'm entirely at their mercy. There is no evidence that honeycomb on those devices are any more stable or smooth.
I do know gtab does everything I need....just not everything I want...(want gps!!)

Gtab doesn't do GPS?

californicatorz said:
I bought my g-tab from TigerDirect yesterday and was totally disappointed during my first 45mins with the machine when it was stock. The custom UI was probably put together by a gang of retarded midgets.
Then I installed Vegan 5.1.1 and my g-tab became the greatest steal of a buy in 2011.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh? Did I miss the memo on short people being less intelligent?

Chiming in...
Here at work, Verizon dropped off a Xoom for me last week to demo. It's interesting, has a better screen, built in cell radio comes in handy, and a bit sexier - but definitely had it's shortcomings and definitely not worth the $300 premium in price.
Truth be told, it made me proud of my GTab (Vegan 5.1.1, pershoot's 1.4 kernal, and VTL launcher). I see nothing on the market that is worth upgrading to currently.

Love my tablet. Thinking of getting a second one for the Girlfriend. Running Vegan-tab ge rc1 and have it set up better than my computer in most instances. You can't expect this thing to replace all of your computer needs but it can come close. Sure it don't have gps built in but that is what we have phones for and if you need how just buy a Bluetooth one for about 40 or less bucks. It's a wonderful machine for the price you can't beat it.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

IMHO You'd be a fool not to wait for the EEE Asus Transformer. 400 bucks for a legit honeycomb tablet. another 150 for a legit laptop/notebook. Thats the way to go...

They took Honeycomb out of the oven too soon, they need to cook it for another few months before it becomes tasty. You'll see the shortcomings now that the affordable (or reasonably priced) tablets are arriving. It will take developers a few months of usage to make it better... I was going to get the Asus also but decided to wait until summer instead. Until then the G Tab with Froyo is all that is needed.

I have VegaN 5.1.1 and ADW Launcher on mine.
For reading, I like Aldiko because I like the two page, side-by-side presentation. I have also set up Aldiko as an Adobe DRM device, which means I can purchase books from Google/books then download and read them directly on the G-Tablet with no other steps in between.
Movies / Shows I prefer Rock Player. I haven't found any in my collections that don't play well with this setup.
Games; I have X-Plane 9, Leos RC Simulator, Angry Birds, Curling, Sudoku, ... No problems with any of them or many others.
I am so accustomed to the screen by now that I hardly notice the viewing angle difficulties any more. Sitting upright, like on a train, and holding the tablet is one of the best angles, so there is no problem there. The worst is probably laying the tablet flat on a desk in landscape mode. But if I turn mine upside-down, even that works very well.
I do have to keep my phone handy while not at home or in the office. Through the phone ( Samsung Galaxy S ), I can tether to 3G via Wifi and tether to GPS via BlueTooth.
I have no reason to need a more costly tablet right now. The G-Tablet does everything I want it to do.

Not sure what the return policy is but if it's 30 days, I would keep the gtab to at least try it. It's super easy to put it back to stock so that shouldn't be an issue.
I bought my gtablet back in November for $379. I recommended it at that price (at that time) so with the price dropping under $300, I think it's a great buy. IMO, it's the best 10 inch tablet for $300 and below. It's also a good "starter" tablet. It's a good tablet to see if you really want or need a tablet. The gtablet is not frustratingly slow so it's a good representation of an Android tablet's capabilities.

When holding the GTab in lanscape mode, the horizontal viewing angle is not too bad, the vertical viewing angle is terrible especially when watching dark video. For reading e-books, most likely you will be holding it in portrait mode, the viewing angle should not be an issue.
For $300, I don't regret buying the GTab and keeping it because I know there is a large and active community to support it.

I'm actually returning mine for the Acer. Taking a bit of a gamble that there will be good development on it, but for $150 difference, I thought that the better screen, newer software and hardware was a good move. I figured the support (both manufacturer and dev) of a new tablet would outlive the year-old gtab.
-J

[Q] Would you recomend the TF101 after nearly 2 years?

Hello all
I have been given an opportunity to buy this tablet with the dock for not much money. It's second hand but used lightly and in great shape. The price is about 25% lower than the price of a NEW Asus Nexus 7 16GB in my country (no google play store here ).
My main concern is that it could be outdated. I had an Tegra 2 device (optimus 2x) and it was a pain to load any custom roms on it. I could only load Gingerbread roms on it. Sold it very quickly.
Is the TF101 showing its age? Does it run smoothly and are your batteries in good condition after this period? Any problems with apps? Games?
This would be my first tablet, so i'm not very much informed about them. I have been in the market for one a long time (1 year) and this is the first good opportunity I have seen. I would use it mainly for writing at college, some web browsing (flash running ok?) and casual gaming.
So would you recommend it now?
Any problems I should know about?

Only if you get it VERY cheap. And I say that as a TF101 owner.
The Tegra2 SoC is ****. It cannot play back standard 720p scene MKV-files without recording. Much less 1080p. XBMC and similar products don't want to support it because it lacks NEON-support which makes it easy to offload video-decoding to the GPU. Only thing I've gotten to play in a watchable state (but with occasional stutter) is Futurama.
It has also been plagued by unstable firmware updates, random reboots and sleeps of death. Asus has completely abondoned it and no further firmware updates are expected.
Your only chance of getting this tablet past ICS and onto JB (and whatever comes next, whenever that comes) is through third-party ROMs. If you get a model you can root. You may or may not be that lucky. Asus never unlocked the bootloader for the TF101.
So yeah. Unless you get it very cheap ($100 and less, keyboard dock included), I say no. Not worth it. There's much better things you can buy these days.

Its about 270 USD, but keep in mind that the nexus 7 is over 380 USD :crying:

Basically you will be paying 75% of the price for 25% of the goods.
You will be paying almost full price for a discontinued product instead of one still receiving updates, and one being ensured good support, both from AOSP/Google and from the Android community.
At this price, you will regret buying it.
Again: I say this as a current TF101-owner.

Get the serial number, and make sure it is Not a 3G variant, haggle it down to 200-225 and it would be worth it IMO.
ONLY if you rooted and made it custom though.
I have a N7, and I had a TF (until it died)
Personally they work nearly the same except for video playback. Videos with the proper kernel did work, just not HD without stutter. Games and other things are wonderful. (Of course assuming you rooted and rommed it, both of mine are/were)

Thing O Doom said:
Get the serial number, and make sure it is Not a 3G variant, haggle it down to 200-225 and it would be worth it IMO.
ONLY if you rooted and made it custom though.
I have a N7, and I had a TF (until it died)
Personally they work nearly the same except for video playback. Videos with the proper kernel did work, just not HD without stutter. Games and other things are wonderful. (Of course assuming you rooted and rommed it, both of mine are/were)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lujo_zgb said:
Its about 270 USD, but keep in mind that the nexus 7 is over 380 USD :crying:
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Click to collapse
I'm going to disagree with all of you guys about the 200 USD Price... That's completely ridiculous for an used TF101. I got my TF101 2011, last black friday, at bestbuy for $249.99 and with all the cases and other stuff I got for that device it came around $270. (This is without the dock and it was brand NEW).
Now this device is outdated and I see listing on ebay for the device used for around $75 with dock. NOT Worth it; you can buy better stuff.

Clocked at 1.5GHz mine plays practically any 720p scene release I throw at it.
DTS support can be a pain but other than that, no issues.
I'm not exactly sure what and how much of it you need to smoke to find them on Ebay for $75 with dock though, docks alone go for that price or above.

I bought my TF101 from a friend and we both looked at current eBay prices. I agreed to $200 for tablet and dock and I agree that someone must be high if they think they can get that for $75 on eBay. Just doing a quick search, I see one without a dock that's at $177 with 6 hours left and a refurb with dock at $275 - these prices are pretty typical of what I've been seeing, too. Refurb's a bit high in price, but not ridiculous compared to the $250-ish average we'd been seeing.
Additionally, using the awesome eValuator app, $220-260 is average and that goes to $280-299 when I search "TF101 and dock".
Even the ones that are broken and won't power on are still going for over $100.
To the OP, I would recommend making a choice depending on if you want a 10" or 7" tablet. I don't think 25% less is a great deal if you really only want a 7" tablet. I was actually looking at the N7, too - when I was shopping, I went with the TF101 because I liked the keyboard dock, I trust my friend that nothing is messed up with it, and I wanted the 10" size. I'd tried some 7" tablets and since my phone is 5" the 7" tablet wasn't a big enough difference to appeal to me.
I also appreciated how easy the TF101 is easy to take apart if I want to replace the battery. I think it's a great design and I wish newer tablets still had these features.
I've had this for maybe a month and I have no complaints. I have watched Netflix in HD on it for a few hours at a time and had no issues - I don't know how this differs from other video playback, but perhaps I'm not picky, I thought it looked fine (and there wasn't any stuttering). I don't really play any intensive games on it, so I can't comment on that. I'm on stock ICS rooted right now, but going to mess around with ROMs.

Best Android tablet from it's time, hands down!

If you can get a refurbished one (they seemed to be everywhere at one point) then it's worth it. I found the tablet and the dock at different stores for under 250$ two different times and haven't had any issues with them whatsoever (I have 2). B&H had the refurb dock for 99$USD I think newegg was 120$CDN... but that was a while ago.
I'm running JB 4.2.1 and overclocked to 1.6GHz, watching 720p mkv natively in mplayer without any lag or issues. The dock makes it a must once you get used to it and learn the hotkeys and the extra battery time kicks ass! The USB ports means I can connect a usb to serial adapter to connect to devices at work, no need to carry around the laptop... or just connect external ntfs storage or whatever.
Overall I'm very satisfied, the only "problem" I have is the lack of updates from Asus but oh well, there are some awesome devs working here to bring us the best. I'd go watch the other forums on xda to see how active other tablets/devs are, compare your choices to make an informed decision.

My wife owns a Nexus 7, I own a TF101 w/ keyboard dock.
I'd take the TF101 hands down.
That isn't to say the Nexus 7 isn't a wonderful tablet. But I use my TF101 almost as much as a work computer; the larger screen and durable build, the nice speed even if it is a dual-core instead of N7's quad, the 1.5ghz (overclocked via EOS 4 Rom) speed.... I love this thing.
I love my wife's Nexus 7 mainly because it is small enough to fit in some pockets and very light.
You have to figure out what you want from your tablet and proceed accordingly. I'm a firm believer that trailing edge technology often is a much better deal than chasing after the newest (the minute you leave the store it too is trailing edge!).
The price range on these is almost NEVER below $200, and that is without a keyboard. The poster w the neg comments early on is either badly misinformed about everything he mentioned or just trolling. Easiest way to test that thesis? Go to either Amazon or Ebay (w/ sales where time is almost out) and note the price ranges there. Even Craigslist, where I got mine for a steal ($225 w/ keyboard). Read the other comments, make a list of what you expect from your tablet, and go for it. Both tablets are great in different ways.
And did I mention my wife says she sorta covets my TF101?
One add'tl edit.... The TF101 has TWO SD-Card slots, a mini-HDMI output, TWO USB ports (on keyboard), and a few other jingles. Nexus 7, like its competitors (iPad, Nook, and KindleHD) have few to none of them. Just another thought...

Price range without keyboard for NEW is $150ish (Not misinformed at all). Newegg was one of the sites that had this deal. Also, I got mine for $250 new in 2011 (That was when this tablet was good/ at the top of the market)- it was a black friday doorbuster. The BB Mobile store near my house had stock when I went in.
There are better tablets out there that will go on sale and I personally wouldn't buy a USED TF101 unless if it was $100 or less.

lujo_zgb said:
Hello all
I have been given an opportunity to buy this tablet with the dock for not much money. It's second hand but used lightly and in great shape. The price is about 25% lower than the price of a NEW Asus Nexus 7 16GB in my country (no google play store here ).
My main concern is that it could be outdated. I had an Tegra 2 device (optimus 2x) and it was a pain to load any custom roms on it. I could only load Gingerbread roms on it. Sold it very quickly.
Is the TF101 showing its age? Does it run smoothly and are your batteries in good condition after this period? Any problems with apps? Games?
This would be my first tablet, so i'm not very much informed about them. I have been in the market for one a long time (1 year) and this is the first good opportunity I have seen. I would use it mainly for writing at college, some web browsing (flash running ok?) and casual gaming.
So would you recommend it now?
Any problems I should know about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.

Newegg has the TF101 for $250 refurbished right now, and the dock for $99.
Big sales really can't be used to determine going price and market value. eBay averages are really the most accurate measure of what people are currently asking and what people are willing to pay.
I just cashed in a a Newegg super deal a few days ago, myself - and that's what it was, an awesome super deal that was way below the market price.
If a person wants to hold out for a super sale that may or may not happen that's their choice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Remember, I am not from the States. Prices here (Croatia) are much higher.
For example, I can buy a 9.7 inch Prestigio multipad with 1 GHz and 1 GB RAM for 350 USD - USED.
I'll probably buy the TF101 I found and live with it. If not, I will sell it for profit, because I can probably make some 50-100 bucks of it.

shonkin said:
The poster w the neg comments early on is either badly misinformed about everything he mentioned or just trolling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, misinformed troll creating and hosting CM-builds for the TF101 community, that's me. </sarcasm>
I'll keep my tf101 until I stop setting value in it, but Asus/nvidia seriously oversold the thing and I'd be lying of I said I was 100% happy about it when I got it delivered.
It gets better with Roming though.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

HA!
AsusT said:
Price range without keyboard for NEW is $150ish (Not misinformed at all). Newegg was one of the sites that had this deal. Also, I got mine for $250 new in 2011 (That was when this tablet was good/ at the top of the market)- it was a black friday doorbuster. The BB Mobile store near my house had stock when I went in.
There are better tablets out there that will go on sale and I personally wouldn't buy a USED TF101 unless if it was $100 or less.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you, my friend, are a liar and/or a fool. you will NEVER find a tf101 "under $100" unless it was broken. you will also NEVER see a new one for $150. period. look at ebay....cheapest place to find anything most of the time. good luck finding one with the keyboard for under $275. and good luck finding one without the keyboard under $200. USED. most of them listed that are $100-$150 are BROKEN. learn to read. cracked screen...chipped case....sound doesn't work....the $100 to $150 ones are severely abused transformers. if you can get one for $250-$300 with the keyboard dock, you have a good tablet that's worth the money. period. if you're not completely retarded and can follow basic instructions from this very website, you can then put the newest CM10 nightly build on the tablet, overclock it to 1.5Ghz or more, use "swapper" to make a 1GB swap partition, and you have - in theory - a 1.5Ghz, 2GB ram tablet with 2 usb ports, a keyboard, an sd slot, micro sd slot, hdmi out, the newest android OS....and in the 10.1" form factor. you can't find that ANYWHERE else on the market. people on here that say otherwise simply don't know what they're talking about. stock, it's a good tablet. modded, it's by far the best buy for your money and will smoke most others on the market that are three times the price (you know, the big goofy white ones) in performance, features, and all-around look and feel.

Just to update you guys... I have bought the tablet today. I like it pretty much. Finding the screen a bit awkward when using in portrait mode though.
It's kinda heavy, but I'll get used to it, after all, it took me some time to get used to a 4.65" mobile phone screen. I rooted it and I am still using the custom rom, as I usually do with all the stuff I buy. Eventually I will put a custom ROM on it because I had some serius hickups and a reset.
As far as the price point goes, I think that I couldn't have bought a better tablet for this price. I paid about 270 USD for it and it even has some of the plastic foil on it. Not even a scratch.
Now im off to find a custom ROM that has the ability to use all the buttons on the keyboard and thats overclockable.
Google Now and pinch to zoom in emails would be great too.
Thanks to all of you who replied, you helped a lot! Including the poster with negative comments.

I know you've already bought it, but I wanted to chime in that comparing my TF101 to my son's Nexus 7, I'd take the N7.
I liked the TF101 a lot, but as others mentioned, the stock firmware had become unstable. I had apps crash and freeze, even when I wiped and reflashed it. Unfortunately, the 4.2 ROMs are okay but lack some features. For example, I've seen some complained that the dock keyboard isn't fully functional. One of my complaints with the custom ROMs that I've tried is that Google Talk crashes anytime I try voice/video chat.
I'll still use, but I admit that I covet a newer tablet with the quad core.

Keyboard dock and Google Talk fully working here on 4.2, although I'd rather use Google+ Hangout for video chat.