Database Info

Is the boatloader's unlockability covered under warranty?

Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock. I've contacted asus and told them that I can't receive OTAs, and I got the canned "flash the updates manually".:silly: This is an unacceptable solution because for one it's a PITA to update it that way, and I still won't be able to unlock the bootloader.
I have avoided mentioning the un-unlockable boatloader problem to the asus rep because I'm not sure it is covered under warranty. But the has me thinking: Could I argue that the device is being sold as unlockable and my device does not meet that spec and is therefore defective? If not, could I argue the same for the fact that it won't receive OTAs?
I am also wondering if the reason it won't function properly is because I got it as an exchange from Best Buy instead of buying it fresh. Has anyone gotten it the same way and not had the same issue?
I'm still within my 30 days, but I'm afraid if I exchange it I'll get another un-unlockable tablet.

I'd advise you to:
1) not argue that unlockability is a device 'feature', since pretty much all Android devices are sold locked, and since you purchased it in that state -- not even knowing if the unlocker will become become available or not -- signifies your accepance of the device even in a locked state;
2) press the fact that you canot receive OTAs and that workability suffers as a result. At least under European consumer law, ASUS would be responsible for selling a finished and workable product. The state in which the TF700 has shipped so far is suboptimal to say the least, and the fixes since have brought tangible improvements. Saying "oh, flash the updates manually yourself" in my mind is the same as a automobile manufacturer opting to NOT do a calllback of sold vehicles due to some ailment (faulty brake discs, or safety belts or something) but instead shipping the parts to their customers and saying "well, you can handle a pair of scissors and a screwdriver, right? Do it yourself then." -- I say, screw them. If this argument fails as wel, you have a support rep with only a few glands where the brain should be located (probably only a visual cortex to be able to type on a keyboard and find it way to the toilet). If that is the case, first drop Gary Key a line, since he has offered to intervene on a customer's behalf before. That might be a second line of rescue.
3) If all else fails, exchange nonetheless, the risk of receiving another essentially-faulty unit notwithstanding. If OTAs and the bootloader issue are a sign of ASUS not having your serial number in their database, you might get into trouble if in need of warranty later on. I'd prefer a few returns to issues down the way (even though I know the feeling of having to wait yet again, and having to run the setup again and so on, and so on), but hey, that's just me.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.

rightonred said:
1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
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Click to collapse
Sounds like a plan to me.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
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Yup, you're caught in a protocol. Not bad in itself, but when you;re experiencing soething that isn't covered by the protocol, you're pretty much screwed unless you can get through to their second line of defense.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.
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I think that you should have gotten the update by now as well. It seems to have been delivered worldwide, so there's no reason for you to be exempt from the bliss the rest of the owners are already experiencing. The bootloader not unlocking due to a network error is an argument believable for two or maybe three tries, but when it stubbornly keeps refusing to be unlocked, well, that is symptomatic of something else.
I did hear several reports of Prime users getting their units succesfully RMA'd, but also at least one user reporting that he received his unit in an locked state, from which he was no longer able to unlock. That might be a problem in your case...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

Its a shame though, the tablet works perfectly other wise. The wifi and gps reception is excellent. no dead pixels, hot pixels, dark or light spots, dust under display, scratches, etc. The screen is bonded frimly to the back and is not loose. In fact I think it's one of the nicer tabs out there. It's just that the thing won't update (or unlock).

rightonred said:
Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock.
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There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium

Eddie Hicks said:
There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
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We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.

MartyHulskemper said:
We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.
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You didn't loose that beer.
The I-can't-unlock-or-update club is picking up quite a few members. I'll have to remember to bring donuts and coffee to the next meeting.
Anyway, I've given up on tech support. If it's affecting a significant number of people, asus will find out about it and fix it. At the moment it's a pain, but I'm not too worried.

[Q] returning an unlocked tablet?

hi,
i bought my tf700 at a bestbuy in portland. i still have this whole month for returning the tablet and i am looking for potentially deal breaking defects... one thing i am worried about is that if i unlock it, i cannot "technically" return the tablet anymore because it cant be relocked... so how likely do you think it is that best buy will notice that i am returning an unlocked tablet?

How about checking it for these deal breaking defects before you unlock it?
Edit:
Also, it's not about whether or not they'll notice it, it's whether or not you should return an unlocked tablet. Which you shouldn't.

Einride said:
How about checking it for these deal breaking defects before you unlock it?
Edit:
Also, it's not about whether or not they'll notice it, it's whether or not you should return an unlocked tablet. Which you shouldn't.
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i understand this. but i am not going to argue about ethics when a $500 product has been conveniently pushed into the market with rampant cases of defects/software issues/ota failures. besides afaik best buy will not lose anything on the replacement. a defective tablet is the vendor's fault. further, unlocking the bootloader hardly does any damage to the tablet itself. asus can easily relock it if it wants - such cases are well known for primes gone in for repair.
i am just asking for experiences of people. it does not make me happy to do this either. but its $500 afterall

You're talking about returning it within a month, which seems to be the store's return policy. If you then return it, Asus plays no part in that since it's the store taking it back. Not Asus. I doubt that the store will contact Asus to check whether it's been unlocked or not.
That would be a problem since they'll sell the tablet to someone else, maybe with a $20 discount since it's been returned. That customer will then end up with a device that doesn't have a warranty from Asus since it's been unlocked.
If you're RMA-ing it, that's different. Asus handles it then.

The way that I understand it, when you return something to Best Buy (or any retailer for that matter) and tell them that it was defective, they simply return it to Asus and they get their money back as well. Now, if you tell them that it works fine and you just didn't like it, they *may* re-sell it as an OpenBox item.
I'd suggest that you claim it is defective so that nobody else ends up with an unlocked bootloader when they didn't want one.
In my eyes, if it can't be unlocked, it's defective. While the unlock app does void the warranty and Asus won't support the app, it should still work! By releasing the unlock app, they are essentially saying that it's possible to unlock the bootloader on the device. If you can't do so, then it's defective.
At least thats my opinion on the matter!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

silenced3 said:
hi,
i bought my tf700 at a bestbuy in portland. i still have this whole month for returning the tablet and i am looking for potentially deal breaking defects... one thing i am worried about is that if i unlock it, i cannot "technically" return the tablet anymore because it cant be relocked... so how likely do you think it is that best buy will notice that i am returning an unlocked tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you receive the ota
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

gmfeny said:
Did you receive the ota
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
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nope no ota for me. im stuck with the .21 firmware. plus i am getting an impression of the speaker burning smell too
the reason i posted the OP was because i was expecting something like the speaker burning issue to crop up. now that it has, i am not going to unlock it. its going back X(

silenced3 said:
nope no ota for me. im stuck with the .21 firmware. (
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It is probably a moot point since apparently if you can not get OTA updates you probably can't unlock.

silenced3 said:
hi,
i bought my tf700 at a bestbuy in portland. i still have this whole month for returning the tablet and i am looking for potentially deal breaking defects... one thing i am worried about is that if i unlock it, i cannot "technically" return the tablet anymore because it cant be relocked... so how likely do you think it is that best buy will notice that i am returning an unlocked tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First I would check to see if you can receive the OTA update. If you can't, then you can't unlock. I would make a case that the unit is defective because you can't get updates, but normally BB doesn't ask any questions (I'm in Portland too and have done plenty of returns/exchanges).
FWIW, I exchanged my unlocked TF300 for the TF700 and they didn't notice. Normally if it is something that is defective, they'll send it back to Asus anyways and they would re-lock it.

I unlocked my TF700 mainly to see if it would since so many people could not and will be returning it to B&H this week as i'm not happy with the performance of the tablet. I'm within the return window and don't anticipate any problems doing so.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Premium HD app

I see no moral issues with returning a device that is defective or not as expected due to bugs and performance issues. Now I would not mod the heck out of it for 29 days then take it back, but a detached screen, terrible lag, failure to update, and other issues have no bearing on whether its unlocked or not unless you have done something to cause these issues. I have returned several devices over the years to retailers and none have ever been checked for root/roms except at a T-Mobile store where the guy asked how I liked the ROM as he was trouble shooting before boxing it up and giving me a new one. He didnt care one bit. Most Best Buy employees don't know a thing about how to check for this and wouldnt even know a custom ROM by looking at it, there are exceptions however so no offense to anyone here that may have this type of job. Most of these folks just want to get you taken care of so they can move to the next person so they will check receipt, check that the serial number matches and so on then do the refund/exchange.

Returned an unlocked TF300 to Bestbuy and picked up a 700 in return. No issues at all.

Are returns to BB fairly easy? I kinda want to give the tab a test run, but don't want to commit right away.
689 dollars is a small fortune.

upstandingcitizen said:
Are returns to BB fairly easy? I kinda want to give the tab a test run, but don't want to commit right away.
689 dollars is a small fortune.
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Get the 32gig version for $500 + tax. As far as return policy they are about on par with anyone else out there. Expect a line and other inconviences, but they did away with their re-stocking fees on everything except special order items, and thats a hefty 25%. Regardless, I wouldnt recommend modding anything untill you know your going to keep it. Here's the link to the return policy.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Returns...es/pcmcat204400050025.c?id=pcmcat204400050025

upstandingcitizen said:
Are returns to BB fairly easy? I kinda want to give the tab a test run, but don't want to commit right away.
689 dollars is a small fortune.
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Just erase/format the tablet before you return it. The BB employee will turn it on, see that you already erased everything and then give you your money back. Super easy.

richB7 said:
I unlocked my TF700 mainly to see if it would since so many people could not and will be returning it to B&H this week as i'm not happy with the performance of the tablet.
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I'm curious: What, specifically, are you unhappy with? I assume that it's not a physical defect?

I had the original 101 and liked it. Then got the 201 and even though it performed nicely I couldn't get past the WiFi and GPS defects. Returned two. Then went with the Samsung 7.7 and liked it well the responsiveness really took of after installing jelly bean. When the A700 came out tried that but it was way too slow. Waited for the tf700 got it and even though it was less choppy than the acer still pretty lame in moving between screens,browsing or just about anything. Heck Netflix on my $75 mk-201+ device works far better than it does on the 700 for $700.
This weekend I upgraded my phone to a Sammy sgs3 and I was blown away by how responsive it was. Yes they are different devices but it just made it very clear to me just how sluggish the 700 was in comparison. I won't criticize you who love the device, to each his own, but I expect better for this kind of money. Hope you get jb soon....
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Premium HD app

Great Performance! This thing flies!

:good:Yes, this is yet another thread about the TF700 Infinity but this one is to counter all of the negative threads created by folks who come to xda--a developers' site, crying about their laggy Infinity, when all they have to do is unlock, root and mod -- choose from CleanROM 2.3, Clemsyn's OC kernel, Cyanogenmod (official and un), Baked Black Bean, Paranoid Android and others...take your pick!--to make it the fastest jellybean tablet with the highest resolution screen in existance. Come on guys! No more whining.

Regardless of that, I'm still buying Nexus 10 and throwing tf700 away.

I lined up my square trade and unlocked. agree 100% with OP.. this thing is a whole new beast. Not worried if something happens down the road because I lined up my warranty first. Plus needed the warranty in case something tragic like a drop or shatter happens in next couple years. Losing the manufacturer warranty really is minor to me. Not like they would cover if I accidentally shattered the screen.. of course as all post IMO.
EDIT. I just got an email from Squaretrade. I can't guarantee this for all, but the email says if you go to their Facebook today 11/1 and like it then enter your email you can get a 40% off coupon. Think about it. 2 yr protection including accident and water cost around $100 to cover a $500 product. Take 40% off that. Unlock your device and have fun. . I haven't tried since I already have. Just figured I would share for those that might be able to use it.
One more thing. sorry for the updates.. the small print in the email states that the promotion is from 11/1-11/15. If you do it you will get your code in an email on 11/16. So not instant, but still. Hope this helps someone. Hate to sound like I am selling them..

jodvova said:
Regardless of that, I'm still buying Nexus 10 and throwing tf700 away.
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Click to collapse
Please, throw it my way if you are going to "throw it away"! Or, better yet, throw it to a developer who can make this device even better!
I'm sure the Nexus 10 will be a great device, but it's certainly not going to be *that* much better than the Infinity. It amazing how many people are making decisions purely based on specs...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

jtrosky said:
Please, throw it my way if you are going to "throw it away"! Or, better yet, throw it to a developer who can make this device even better!
I'm sure the Nexus 10 will be a great device, but it's certainly not going to be *that* much better than the Infinity. It amazing how many people are making decisions purely based on specs...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
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Well, my decision is purely based on screen res. I do photography I like to enjoy my photos on a tablet with a high-res screen.
I do really enjoy iPad 3 screen, Nexus 10 one is going to be even better.
On a side note, I really hope that Samsung will provide a decent flash memory controller, so the thing flies with a stock rom.
Once CleanROM is available for Nexus 10, I will be one of the first ones to install it !

jodvova said:
Well, my decision is purely based on screen res. I do photography I like to enjoy my photos on a tablet with a high-res screen.
I do really enjoy iPad 3 screen, Nexus 10 one is going to be even better.
On a side note, I really hope that Samsung will provide a decent flash memory controller, so the thing flies with a stock rom.
Once CleanROM is available for Nexus 10, I will be one of the first ones to install it !
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Click to collapse
Lol seriously? lol some of you guys are hilarious. The tf700 screen is one of the best on a tablet for its size. Looking at the side by side views of the tf700 and the N10..then look EXACTLY THE SAME. Lol at this screen size condensing any more pixels is just novel. You are basically doing what apple fanboys do, see specs and swear that it will revamp your entire experience, when in actuality your just wasting your money... And like J said above, throw you tablet to someone who will make this beast even better!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

Man, I would take you comment seriously if not a stuck power button in my TF700.
I had this tablet for only 1 months now and already got a physical damage.

I just got my Prime swapped out for a Infinity last week. This thing is like night and day compaired to the Prime. I haven't crashed yet (knock on wood). I'm also amazed that everything works like wifi and gps. Also a little added bonus is the Sd card doesn't stick out, so I don't have to worry about it.
Now if Gameloft and EA Games would just get off their asses and make some games compatible.

okantomi said:
:good:Yes, this is yet another thread about the TF700 Infinity but this one is to counter all of the negative threads created by folks who come to xda--a developers' site, crying about their laggy Infinity, when all they have to do is unlock, root and mod -- choose from CleanROM 2.3, Clemsyn's OC kernel, Cyanogenmod (official and un), Baked Black Bean, Paranoid Android and others...take your pick!--to make it the fastest jellybean tablet with the highest resolution screen in existance. Come on guys! No more whining.
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Click to collapse
LOL...
Ya can't win either way in these threads.
We understand that manufacturing defects are very frustrating.
I'm completely happy with the TF700T and this is after just about tossing in because of really shi**y performance.
The latest developments for this tablet are just some stunning work!
Remember those guys working out of their garage back in the late sixties building a PC prototype housed in wood.
Goes to show me the little guy still matters.
Man I'm amazed everyday at the XDA development community and the many who are eager to help the less knowledgeable.

OP and every other positive reply fully endorsed! :good::good:

jodvova said:
Man, I would take you comment seriously if not a stuck power button in my TF700.
I had this tablet for only 1 months now and already got a physical damage.
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That sucks, but ive had mine for months, use it everyday for school and for games/movies and have no physical defects. Honestly it comes down to how well you protect your tablet. If you are a person who tends to get physical damage easily, then it wont matter wether you have N10 or 700, you will eventually get damage due to your usage tendencies. Sorry man but honestly your reaching now to justify a purchase of the N10 so soon after the launch of the 700. Your never going to be satisfied if you buy products with that kind of mindset... Just my two cents
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

jodvova said:
Regardless of that, I'm still buying Nexus 10 and throwing tf700 away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then throw it my way...or better yet, Clemsyn could use one to cook us up more juicy kernels!

How is the BT audio streaming on CleanRom while streaming Hulu or Netflix? Is the out of sync lag still apparent or is it a lost cause due to hardware?
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

I'm using stock everything, but I'm perfectly happy with this tablet.
So, I have to wait 5 seconds when opening the stock browser. Which is exactly what Firefox and Chrome do on Windows, too. Used to it.
Copying files internally is a little slow. Yes. Wow. Ever tried copying 10gb of photos on Windows? ETA about 2 hours on XP, 5 hours with the ridiculous 'calculating' W7 does. Over USB it goes as fast as internally on my pc itself. Don't see the issue.
It crashes maybe once every other week. Again, I'm used to Windows.
WiFi works fine, JB actually improved it for me.
25GB MKV (Timescapes 4K) plays without any lag in MXplayer when on performance mode. 3GB MKV's work fine in balanced mode.
I haven't had any whitescreens, only the very occasional line (three times since JB update when it came out.) and not a single game lags.
Maybe it's because I'm used to WinXP, or I have more patience (haha..), or I'm just lucky, but it works fine for me. And I photoshop, Game (hardcore, not casual), watch videos, type and whatnot all day long. So it's not a lack of use, either.
I do not expect my tablet to do more than my gaming PC. It's a mobile device, not a bloody Quantum computer.

ShadowLea said:
It crashes maybe once every other week. Again, I'm used to Windows.
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If your Windows installation crashes "every other week" there's something wrong with your installation; hardware or software. Maybe you're running Windows 98?
Windows has gotten pretty damn stable over the last few years. It's far from perfect and sure, driver issues can cause reboots, but they're usually solved with a driver update. With the TF700, you're **** out of luck until Asus decides to fix the issue. If they ever do.
If a regular app crashes the tablet running stock rom, it's Asus fault, not the app. As long as Asus is supplying the entire software and driver stack for the ROM, they're the ones to blame for instability issues. A regular app running with regular, limited privileges should not cause reboots.
(This is of course when running stock and non-rooted. If you're testing new kernel modules and it suddenly reboots you're probably to blame for that.)
pierrekid said:
Honestly it comes down to how well you protect your tablet. If you are a person who tends to get physical damage easily, then it wont matter wether you have N10 or 700, you will eventually get damage due to your usage tendencies.
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Really? Manufacturing defects are, what, a conspiracy theory? These things happen, even if you're ever so careful with your gadgets. And don't tell me Asus is spotless when it comes to manufacturing quality and QA, you all know that's bull****.
Maybe the guy actually does throw his tablet around, runs his car over it and lets his dog chew on it. Fine, he's to blame. Or, just maybe, Asus did **** up? Way to go being condescending about it and blaming the person for being careless with everything he owns just because your tablet doesn't have this fault.

Einride said:
With the TF700, you're **** out of luck until Asus decides to fix the issue. If they ever do.
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Actually, not really. Most of the software issues are easily fixed with a custom ROM. So, you're not *really* out of luck until Asus decides to fix the issue. It can be fixed in other ways, without waiting for Asus.
In my opinion, if you are still on the Stock ROM, you are really cheating yourself out of a great experience with the TF700. Sure, it voids your warranty, but honestly, I don't think that I've *ever* used a manufacturer warranty (and I am an electronic junkie!). Usually, if there is a hardware defect, it either occurs within the retail return period or well after the manufacturer warranty expires - at least that has been my experience.
If you are really worried about the warranty, you can get a two-year, cover-everything warranty from SquareTrade for $87. Well worth it in order to make the TF700 all that it can be... The SquareTrade warranty even has you covered if you brick the TF700 due to a bad flash or whatever.
With the TF700, I actually did purchase the SquareTrade warranty since I was a little concerned about a few things (physical button quality, etc). $87 is a small price to pay for two years of coverage, including accidental-damage coverage!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

Einride said:
If your Windows installation crashes "every other week" there's something wrong with your installation; hardware or software. Maybe you're running Windows 98?
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Click to collapse
XP SP3. I game a lot. (Old games, too, hence no 7.) And ever so often, games cause reboots because of terrible scripting or lousy porting.. (Skyrim was ridiculous. It just rebooted every hour, if it even lasted that long. Took them till patch 6 to fix it... ) So does VLC when viewing blurays, because VLC hates blurays. (Common problem.)

So what you're telling me js that in order to have a lag-free, quick Infinity, I need to forfeit my warranty? Sounds like a great deal.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using XDA Premium HD app

jtrosky said:
Actually, not really. Most of the software issues are easily fixed with a custom ROM. So, you're not *really* out of luck until Asus decides to fix the issue. It can be fixed in other ways, without waiting for Asus.
In my opinion, if you are still on the Stock ROM, you are really cheating yourself out of a great experience with the TF700. Sure, it voids your warranty, but honestly, I don't think that I've *ever* used a manufacturer warranty (and I am an electronic junkie!). Usually, if there is a hardware defect, it either occurs within the retail return period or well after the manufacturer warranty expires - at least that has been my experience.
If you are really worried about the warranty, you can get a two-year, cover-everything warranty from SquareTrade for $87. Well worth it in order to make the TF700 all that it can be... The SquareTrade warranty even has you covered if you brick the TF700 due to a bad flash or whatever.
With the TF700, I actually did purchase the SquareTrade warranty since I was a little concerned about a few things (physical button quality, etc). $87 is a small price to pay for two years of coverage, including accidental-damage coverage!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
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SquareTrade is US and UK only. Also, I'll say it again: having to give up your warranty COMPLETELY (even for issues that are clearly Asus' fault) is unreasonable in my book, especially since you're not given access to nvflash.
I have yet to unlock my device. If I'm to unlock it and void my warranty, I want a (near-)perfect device hardware-wise, which means I'll have to return this one (crap volume buttons, "clicky" display, backlight bleeding, etc). Hopefully I'll also get one with the .26 bootloader which means I can get access to nvflash.
I wouldn't have needed to deal with this if Asus would still honor RMAs for hardware/manufacturing faults even when unlocked.
I'd very much like to unlock, but I'm not doing unless I have access to nvflash at least.
ShadowLea said:
XP SP3. I game a lot. (Old games, too, hence no 7.) And ever so often, games cause reboots because of terrible scripting or lousy porting.. (Skyrim was ridiculous. It just rebooted every hour, if it even lasted that long. Took them till patch 6 to fix it... ) So does VLC when viewing blurays, because VLC hates blurays. (Common problem.)
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If Skyrim crashes your computer, it's the OS and/or drivers that are to blame. A regular application running in user mode/ring 3 should not be able to crash the entire system. That's why there are kernel and user modes: to avoid this (and security issues). Of course, buggy drivers (very common nowadays, sadly) ruins this where a game can crash the driver and cause a reboot/BSOD. Now, I'm not saying Skyrim was perfect, but in an ideal world, their bugs should not cause reboots
My previous post was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek response though, sorry about that. My point is though, that while you expect your PC setup to crash every now and then, it should not be expected of a device like the TF700. Fixed hardware, fixed software. (Again, not valid if you're running custom ROMs or kernels).

SndChsr said:
So what you're telling me js that in order to have a lag-free, quick Infinity, I need to forfeit my warranty? Sounds like a great deal.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using XDA Premium HD app
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No, you don't *have* to - the TF700 actually runs OK on stock if you ask me. But, yes, if you want the TF700 to perform as well as it possibly can, then you'll need to unlock and install a custom ROM (which will void the warranty). Best bet is to get a third-part warranty. Well worth the $87, in my opinion (even less if you go for a one year warranty, I'm assuming - $87 is for a two year warranty that includes accidental damage coverage, as long as you use a coupon).
In the end, what good is a warranty on a device that you are not happy with anyway?
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

Asus will not bring us KitKat

Hi guys, I am afraid I bear bad news . In a recent email exchange I had with Asus support I asked about updates to the TF700. They said the following:
ASUS has not planned a release of a firmware update for the TF700 which will revert the OS to KitKat 4 Android.
Unfortunately we have also not been advised of a release date for new firmware releases for your model. Currently we are also awaiting extra information of our R&D department on the matter.
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This seems to suggest we will not get KitKat 4.4 but we may get another firmware update. This would possibly still be based on 4.2.1 with just some bug fixes specific to the TF700 or it could possibly be based on 4.3. However they don't have a release date for this yet.
I know this won't be entirely unexpected news for some people but rather a confirmation of what many of us already feared would be the case. It is indeed a shame given the TF700 is really not that old.

Good to know, Asus won't be getting my money again any time soon, looking at the Samsung note 10.1 to replace this apparently old machine
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4

Thanks for sharing the information, and I would appreciate your help in clarifying a few points regarding your email exchange with ASUS. I am not trying to be nitpicking here, but your quoted email does leave me with one question and a comment:
1. Question: was this person a customer representative of ASUS UK (I got it from your profile location)? As far as I know, the R&D Department of ASUS is in Taiwan, and I highly doubt that ASUS UK has close communication with its Taiwan counterpart. Moreover, given my past experience, customer support usually doesn't have much technical knowledge to answer questions about stuff like OTA updates, bootloader unlocking, etc...
2. Comment: The way the quoted email was written is really weird. What is meant by "revert the OS to KitKat 4 Android"? "Revert to" means returning to a former state, which doesn't make sense when you talk about a future update. And what is "KitKat 4 Android"? I am sure that is not the way most people refer to Android 4.4 KitKat. And lastly, "awaiting extra information OF our R&D department" sounds odd, shouldn't it be "awaiting extra information FROM our R&D department"?
Personally, whenever I receive emails with such mistakes, I instantly question the sender's professionalism and credibility.

huy_lonewolf said:
Thanks for sharing the information, and I would appreciate your help in clarifying a few points regarding your email exchange with ASUS. I am not trying to be nitpicking here, but your quoted email does leave me with one question and a comment:
1. Question: was this person a customer representative of ASUS UK (I got it from your profile location)? As far as I know, the R&D Department of ASUS is in Taiwan, and I highly doubt that ASUS UK has close communication with its Taiwan counterpart. Moreover, given my past experience, customer support usually doesn't have much technical knowledge to answer questions about stuff like OTA updates, bootloader unlocking, etc...
2. Comment: The way the quoted email was written is really weird. What is meant by "revert the OS to KitKat 4 Android"? "Revert to" means returning to a former state, which doesn't make sense when you talk about a future update. And what is "KitKat 4 Android"? I am sure that is not the way most people refer to Android 4.4 KitKat. And lastly, "awaiting extra information OF our R&D department" sounds odd, shouldn't it be "awaiting extra information FROM our R&D department"?
Personally, whenever I receive emails with such mistakes, I instantly question the sender's professionalism and credibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The initial email was sent using the form on the Asus UK support page, although I do not think the representative who responded was necessarily based in the UK. They had an Asian name and judging from the way the email was written, I think that English is probably not their first language. The reply email was not UK specific either ([email protected]). The guy could actually have been based in Taiwan for all I know.
I think this guy is probably quite reliable as he seemed fairly knowledgeable when dealing with my other queries / complaints but yes he is just a customer support rep so there is a possibility of what he said not being 100% accurate. Still, I think it is the closest to an official word on the matter that we have had so far and seems pretty plausible.

Best way to get any respect on tablet updates is to Go Nexus.
I'm just waiting for the Nexus 10 2. Which will probably release in days if not a couple months at longest.
There are plenty of 3rd party keyboards and cases for 10” tablets, such as the Nexus 10. Which make them function and even look just like our TF700T.
I used to think of the Transformer line as unique. But if you look around. You'll find there's really nothing so special to the Transformer line. Now that 3rd parties have given other tablets, especially Nexus tablets. Every feature that seemed special about the Transformer line.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

This is what asus replied me when I asked them about the KitKat update.
Thank you for contacting ASUS Customer Service.
My name is Myra and it's my pleasure to help you with your problem.
We apologize for the delayed response due to the weekend.
Hi, we're very glad to help you. For this issue, now we are try our best to, and at this time we are unable to set a date for its release. Please stay tuned for more news on our support website. Thanks for your understanding.
If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to let us know. We will be more than happy to assist you.
Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your understanding!
Have a nice day!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Darnell_Chat_TN said:
There are plenty of 3rd party keyboards and cases for 10” tablets, such as the Nexus 10. Which make them function and even look just like our TF700T.
I used to think of the Transformer line as unique. But if you look around. You'll find there's really nothing so special to the Transformer line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MicroSD slot? Battery in keyboard dock? USB port?

I gave up on waiting on updates to 4.3 or KK - this last week I finally bit the bullet and flashed CROMI-x. Painful process in that it took days to be successful in unlocking the bootloader - literally took dozens of tries before the tool finally worked. After that, all else was straightforward. I wasn't having any particular performance issues; rather, I got fed up with the random reboots that seem to occur at least once/day. Hopefully, that will improve with CROMI-x.

_that said:
MicroSD slot? Battery in keyboard dock? USB port?
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Click to collapse
USB On the Go allows for storage expansion and addresses USB. And the fact the MicroSD storage is not utilized like in the pre-Android 4.0 days, means the MicroSD storage is not well leveraged when running stock. Far as charging, if this works with the Nexus 10 2, that would put Asus behind on that one.
I'm talking keyboards, but if such things interest you like MicroSD and a battery in the dock. You may continue with it and all the issues built into the TF700T. For me, I'm going to take the Nexus 10 2 off ramp.
Edit: I want to add, _that you have helped make the TF700T a better device and I do thank you for your efforts. Even running your kernel now .
sparksd said:
I gave up on waiting on updates to 4.3 or KK - this last week I finally bit the bullet and flashed CROMI-x. Painful process in that it took days to be successful in unlocking the bootloader - literally took dozens of tries before the tool finally worked. After that, all else was straightforward. I wasn't having any particular performance issues; rather, I got fed up with the random reboots that seem to occur at least once/day. Hopefully, that will improve with CROMI-x.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was not having performance issues early on. But the more I used it and the more I added, I found it slowing up big time. While my loaded up phone was having no issues at all. This is when I realized the talk about the slow storage on the TF700T is a big problem. That's when I moved to CROMI-x. It is better than stock, but the storage issue can only best be overcome by using ROM2SD with CROMI-x. (You need a very fast MicroSD.) That does help the most, but still, it's all patches around a big issue. And a tablet that has things right to begin with would run better.

Darnell_Chat_TN said:
USB On the Go allows for storage expansion and addresses USB. And the fact the MicroSD storage is not utilized like in the pre-Android 4.0 days, means the MicroSD storage is not well leveraged when running stock. Far as charging, if this works with the Nexus 10 2, that would put Asus behind on that one.
I'm talking keyboards, but if such things interest you like MicroSD and a battery in the dock. You may continue with it and all the issues built into the TF700T. For me, I'm going to take the Nexus 10 2 off ramp.
I was not having performance issues early on. But the more I used it and the more I added, I found it slowing up big time. While my loaded up phone was having no issues at all. This is when I realized the talk about the slow storage on the TF700T is a big problem. That's when I moved to CROMI-x. It is better than stock, but the storage issue can only best be overcome by using ROM2SD with CROMI-x. (You need a very fast MicroSD.) That does help the most, but still, it's all patches around a big issue. And a tablet that has things right to begin with would run better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had mine over a year and never ran into any real performance problems. While never as snappy as my 2012 & 2013 Nexus 7's or Galaxy S3, it was much better than my Xoom - I didn't see the severe issues that others have. But the random reboots (most occurred when just "idling", not during app use) were just maddening and made the tablet undependable in my mind. I haven't noticed any performance differences with CROMI-x yet but I'm really hoping that it is now more stable.

Tell me I'm wrong...isn't the Nexus made by Asus? Or am I thinking that just cause I'm old and senile?

flhthemi said:
Tell me I'm wrong...isn't the Nexus made by Asus? Or am I thinking that just cause I'm old and senile?
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Indeed, they are. Very different animals, though.

flhthemi said:
Tell me I'm wrong...isn't the Nexus made by Asus? Or am I thinking that just cause I'm old and senile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 7 inch Nexus are made by Asus and the 10 inch was made by Samsung.

I tried messaging Gary but I did not have high hopes as the account is dead for so long.
Does anyone know a new contact? Maybe they could say something more reliable about update policy regarding the TF700...

_that said:
MicroSD slot? Battery in keyboard dock? USB port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And a hinge. Mine stays docked almost all the time. I get clamshell protection and a handy portable package. Once you start trying to replicate the other features using accessories with other tabs, you get a bulky mess of stuff that you couldn't pay me to carry around.
Not that I'm exactly loving Asus these days, but the transformer certainly was special when I got it.

fortunz said:
And a hinge. Mine stays docked almost all the time. I get clamshell protection and a handy portable package. Once you start trying to replicate the other features using accessories with other tabs, you get a bulky mess of stuff that you couldn't pay me to carry around.
Not that I'm exactly loving Asus these days, but the transformer certainly was special when I got it.
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I totally agree with you. That is the main reason why I still hold on to the TF700 and not get the new Padfone Infinity ( the new Padfone has a Snapdragon 800, 1080p screen, fast internal storage, microSD support with performance that obliterates almost everything else). The only thing holding me back is the keyboard dock, without which the tablet experience is simply incomplete (in my opinion of course). If ASUS manages to bring the dock to the next Padfone and achieve decent size and weight, I will gladly make ASUS my go-to brand for all computing needs.

...that's a shame.
I have kitkat on my phone, it's pretty nice so far.
So... Anyone else shopping around for an upgrade this holiday season? I was looking at the tf701, but If it's going to have the same lack of development (I truly appreciate the hard work our few, but amazing, devs have put in), then I'd rather go for one of the new waterproof xperias or a galaxy tab. Haven't really looked into the various options yet.. I was excited when we got cm, and especially a pac-rom port, but every time I gave them a try, they just seemed a bit off. Like they were unfinished and obviously made for a phone. Maybe cromi just spoiled me. :shrug:
This tablet has been good to me, though. I got a micro-hdmi to hdmi cable, so maybe I'll use it as a media hub or something... If the native Linux on our device had more development behind it, and was just a tad more stable and compatible, I wouldn't really be looking into a replacement. Definitely not planning on getting rid of it. If I can find the time maybe I'll use it to delve deeper into learning how to develop myself.
---------- Post added at 05:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 AM ----------
sparksd said:
I gave up on waiting on updates to 4.3 or KK - this last week I finally bit the bullet and flashed CROMI-x. Painful process in that it took days to be successful in unlocking the bootloader - literally took dozens of tries before the tool finally worked. After that, all else was straightforward. I wasn't having any particular performance issues; rather, I got fed up with the random reboots that seem to occur at least once/day. Hopefully, that will improve with CROMI-x.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that will in fact improve. I forgot about that stock issue... Jeeze, that was the worst, so annoying.

nvan7891 said:
...that's a shame.
I have kitkat on my phone, it's pretty nice so far.
So... Anyone else shopping around for an upgrade this holiday season? I was looking at the tf701, but If it's going to have the same lack of development (I truly appreciate the hard work our few, but amazing, devs have put in), then I'd rather go for one of the new waterproof xperias or a galaxy tab. Haven't really looked into the various options yet.. I was excited when we got cm, and especially a pac-rom port, but every time I gave them a try, they just seemed a bit off. Like they were unfinished and obviously made for a phone. Maybe cromi just spoiled me. :shrug:
This tablet has been good to me, though. I got a micro-hdmi to hdmi cable, so maybe I'll use it as a media hub or something... If the native Linux on our device had more development behind it, and was just a tad more stable and compatible, I wouldn't really be looking into a replacement. Definitely not planning on getting rid of it. If I can find the time maybe I'll use it to delve deeper into learning how to develop myself.
---------- Post added at 05:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 AM ----------
Yes, that will in fact improve. I forgot about that stock issue... Jeeze, that was the worst, so annoying.
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I can't imagine a vendor ever matching the features and capabilities the ROM development community adds. I like that Asus offers a way to unlock the bootloader. Samsung would rather that you don't. In the year I've had this, there have been multiple firmware releases. For a minute, cromi was changing every other day. There is a new device they have to sell now. I'm happy. 5.2.2, btw is amazing! Cheers

other ways
if your worried about it unlock and put a custom rom on it like cmbroms thats going to have kk anyday know it will come

well I was hoping for Kit Kat too... seeing as its optimized for lower RAM devices I was thinking it would really help out stock. Its definitely time to flash now. My only question is if anyone knows if they're working on a Kit Kat version of CROMi???

[Q] Am I in for a bad time? Refurb TF700T and unlocking

I just purchased a refurbished TF700T and keyboard dock from BuyDig for 269.99. Pretty good price. I briefly owned a TF700T before, and did notice the sluggishness out of the box, but a 1200p tablet for practically $170 is hard to beat. When I had originally owned it, I was aware of CleanROM cleaning up Asus' slow eMMC mess, but at the time given the expense of the device I wasn't willing to give up the warranty. So now that the investment is a little lower, I'm more willing.
The refurb I believe is carried out by ASUS who then sells them back to BuyDig.
The reason I'm asking if I'm in for a bad time is because I've seen reports of other refurb owners who had terrible times getting their devices to unlock, specifically with messages like "unknown" or "invalid" serial numbers when attempting to input theirs. Or they were getting network access errors when trying to communicate with the servers that were responsible for unlocking the devices.
Does anyone have any input on this or experience being in this situation?

Would also like to hear any reports of unlockable success by recent buydig purchasers.
The unlock bootloader poll is only showing that 20% of the responders have issues...but 32% is unknown.
Buydig has a 45 day return/exchange policy, so I’m thinking that I’m going to roll the dice and hope that I don’t need to try and return it.

The only way to find out is to try it! If one thing is consistent in this unlock mess it's that it's totally inconsistent.
Works like a charm for some, others can't unlock at all. And it does not seem to have anything to do with new/refurb/repaired under warranty

berndblb said:
The only way to find out is to try it! If one thing is consistent in this unlock mess it's that it's totally inconsistent.
Works like a charm for some, others can't unlock at all. And it does not seem to have anything to do with new/refurb/repaired under warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks. I just received my refurb today. is it possible to try out the unlook tool to see if it is going to work for a specific device without actually voiding the warranty?
I'd like to wait at least a week or so to see if any major hardware issues pop up. so far, tablet looks to be in working order but some more time before going all in would be nice.

ginhead said:
thanks. I just received my refurb today. is it possible to try out the unlook tool to see if it is going to work for a specific device without actually voiding the warranty?
I'd like to wait at least a week or so to see if any major hardware issues pop up. so far, tablet looks to be in working order but some more time before going all in would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you click the button, it either works, and your warrent is voided, or it doesn't work.
Or another option is to contact Asus, and ship it to them, and have them unlock it for you.

bluewr said:
Or another option is to contact Asus, and ship it to them, and have them unlock it for you.
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LOL! Never heard of that option! If you have first hand experience I would love to hear about it!
I think it's rather the other way around: You ship it to them unlocked for an unrelated problem and it comes back permanently locked.... Asus does not support unlocking.

berndblb said:
LOL! Never heard of that option! If you have first hand experience I would love to hear about it!
I think it's rather the other way around: You ship it to them unlocked for an unrelated problem and it comes back permanently locked.... Asus does not support unlocking.
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Click to collapse
No, I had problem unlocking it, and gave it to the local Asus refurb place, and had them unlock it for me, took them a week to finally unlock it though.

bluewr said:
No, you click the button, it either works, and your warrent is voided, or it doesn't work.
Or another option is to contact Asus, and ship it to them, and have them unlock it for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for posting that. I'll probably wait a week or so then give it a try.
overall, I’m pretty happy with it so far. There is some lag – noticeable in Chrome – but definitely useable. Hopefully, I can get a custom/optimized rom running on this shortly.
Really liking the display so far. Native blu-ray files look great.