Opinion needed - Purchasing the K1 May 2016 - Shield Tablet Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi.
I hope this post does not make people mad. I just need a current perspective. Most searches on this are older.
I am thinking about buying this tablet but I am unsure. I hope this does not draw haters. I am just trying to reason it out and be a better informed buyer.
My reasons
1. Tablet seems to be out of stock. A lot.
-Does this mean truly it is being discontinued? Is there a new version on the horizon?​-Is it just so good they can't keep them on the shelves?​2. Should I go with the Zen 8 with 4GB of ram or other comparible? I mean for few dollars more...
3. Is the Shield K1 only good because of the Game pad mapper support for touch only games?
4. Would the Ipega controller(or similar) with touch game pad mapping be just as good?
I want a good gaming tablet and a good media tablet.
Thanks.

There's no definitive answer on the Shield X1 yet. I wouldn't bother playing that waiting game if you need a tablet now. I don't know how Nvidia handles their Shield line of products as this is my first Nvidia portable, but if it's anything like they do with their GeForce video cards, then you'd be seeing an announcement about a successor a month in advance of its release.
Supply isn't keeping up with demand right now. I was on vacation when I decided to pull the trigger on the Shield K1 because my Nook HD+ felt sluggish. I bought the Shield K1 a week before they started going out of stock everywhere last month, and even though I didn't need it immediately since I wasn't on vacation anymore, my phone died this week so I've been using the new tablet while I wait for a warranty replacement phone to be delivered. Fortuitous timing.
The biggest problem I see with the ZenPad S 8.0 Z580CA is that there doesn't seem to be a way to unlock the bootloader currently, so even though you can root it, there isn't any active development for it, and it's still stuck on Lollipop. Also, everyone seems to say it has pretty bad battery life.
As for performance, the Shield K1 will smoke the ZenPad in pretty much everything graphics-related because of the Kepler GPU. The Shield is still the best Android gaming tablet, and while its raw CPU and memory performance isn't at the top due to the SoC's age, it's still more than good enough to not be an overall system bottleneck.
I've only had two issues with the K1 so far. One is that I can't get the camera to save to external SD. This is the writing-to-exFAT issue that's apparently related to Marshmallow permissions, but I've had my LG G4 on Marshmallow since February and never had any such external SD write issues, so I don't know if it's an Nvidia-specific thing. The other issue is the hypersensitive touchscreen, which can be recalibrated in the software. I also still need to install a tempered glass screen protector, which might change the touch sensitivity as well.
I can't answer your game controller questions as I haven't started playing any games on mine yet.

For me, the SHIELD tablet is currently the best one in the market. Only problem I have had is that since the Marshmallow update, the sound over HDMI is broken (doesn't work) though the image is working perfectly fine.

1. Tablet seems to be out of stock. A lot.
-Does this mean truly it is being discontinued? Is there a new version on the horizon?
Probably no , nvidia reps are saying it is just a production rate not meeting higher demand.
-Is it just so good they can't keep them on the shelves?
Yes the price reduction gave this shield an epic boost compared to other tablets at the moment.
2. Should I go with the Zen 8 with 4GB of ram or other comparible? I mean for few dollars more...
Thats a good tab but i've seen a few hick ups in performance during a review video on youtube. besides tegra k1 is far more superior that intel soc. (you also have to consider the fact that intel soc are x86/64 architecture so there are few comparability issues in apps and games)
3. Is the Shield K1 only good because of the Game pad mapper support for touch only games?
No it is good because you are getting high end performance tablet for 200$ , it plays every game you throw at it with ease, you have all the things you need as gamer in built (console mode , twitch , 1080 screen , direct wifi controller)
4. Would the Ipega controller(or similar) with touch game pad mapping be just as good?
i dont have it so i cannot answer that.
Upcoming shield k1 successor will likely not be in same price range as the k1. It is expected to be somewhere between 300 to 400$. Shield k1 was relaunched around nov 2015 , so i highly doubt that it is at its end of cycle. In one of geforce forums a nvidia representative said they are viewing shiled k1 as a relaunch tablet and its EOL support in no way near . so you are covered to get android N for this device.
Its the best bang for buck at the moment and still keeps up with soc from this year.

Thank you all. I went ahead and ordered a K1. With 2 day shipping put it out to the middle of next week. So i did 1 day. Lol. Should be Tuesday now. Stock is still low but at least they have them. I hope it comes sooner.
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

You made a right choice. For gaming there truly isn't anything else comparable out there. Media wise I'm not so sure, just on the basis of the subpar screen.

New one
http://www.androidcentral.com/nvidia-shield-tablet-refresh-may-have-been-outed-fcc
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

Just my luck. Never fails. Just like my shield TV. Now you can get it with 2 game pads.
Anyone need something new to come out sooner. Let me know. I can just buy the old one and after i click order the announcement of the new device will soon follow. oh well. I am still looking forward to the k1.
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

Haha lol , im sorry but i think you can return the shield if its unopened besides i think the new tablet will probably be 100$ more. Performance might increase only 10-20% , battery size might be little less as it is said to be lil thinner.
so i think you are not losing much comparing price to performance ratio.

Nah.
I am sure it will be a keeper for a while. Thx
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

Just bought one . Hard to get it, always out of stock, 192.44€

Related

Keep tf700 or wait for tegra 4?

I bought the tf700 about 2 weeks ago from best buy using the 50$ coupon that best buy messed up on. I actually bought it for 419 w/ tax going up to 450 which also includes the dock. Is this a good price for this? Well I have 2 weeks left for a full refund and I'm still debating if I should get a refund and wait for tegra 4 tablets or just keep it. There is slight flex on the screen which makes a clicking noise when I press on it but it doesn't really bother me. At first I was looking into ultrabooks but I gave tablet a try. Besides it's hard to find i5 ultrabooks for under 500. Help me decide!!
odorfreedk said:
I bought the tf700 about 2 weeks ago from best buy using the 50$ coupon that best buy messed up on. I actually bought it for 419 w/ tax going up to 450 which also includes the dock. Is this a good price for this? Well I have 2 weeks left for a full refund and I'm still debating if I should get a refund and wait for tegra 4 tablets or just keep it. There is slight flex on the screen which makes a clicking noise when I press on it but it doesn't really bother me. At first I was looking into ultrabooks but I gave tablet a try. Besides it's hard to find i5 ultrabooks for under 500. Help me decide!!
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That is a good price IMO.
I'd say this is a factor of your budget and how much you use your tablet. I got the first Android tablet, a Motorola Xoom, on launch day. I had it for a few months and used it a lot then decided to sell it prematurely in order to wait for the next best thing which in my eyes was an HD screen. Well I ended up having to wait almost a year before I got my next tablet, a TF700. That entire year I was kicking myself for not holding on to the Xoom until I actually had another tablet in my possession.
So I guess you have to ask yourself how important to you is having a tablet? At that price I'm guessing you could probably sell it for a ~$100 loss a few months down the road. Who knows though the next generation of tablets might take longer to come out, like the delay we had on the 1080P tablets. With that in mind, if I were you, I'd keep it!
$450.00 for tab and dock?
I'd say that's a good deal.
If the click bugs you trade that in for one that doesn't click.
Just picked up a TF700 myself and I was literally asking myself the same question. I've got a little less than 60 days to return this to BBY if another tab is announced for release soon.
I guess, there are a few things to consider.
1) Is the better performance/battery life of the new device going to be significant? If they jack up the resolution like the N10, it will probably be closer to par with the TF700.
2) Will a new tablet have any hardware issues (e.g. TF-Prime GPS & Wifi problems)? The TF700 is a mature product and it's limitations are well outlined. If you buy a TF700 now, you know exactly what you are going to get.
3) What new features will be on this Tab, and are they worth waiting for? TF700 has SDXC, mini HDMI, a dock with full USB, Full HD, etc. It's a good feature set. TF700 is a bit low on ram with only 1GB, I'd rather have 2GB. It's missing an integrated LTE modem that is said to be in T4, but TBH, I would always buy the wifi version anyway. Better battery life, I wouldn't pay for the extra data plan, and my phone is now tethering fine (thanks TrevE). N10 like resolution looks impressive on paper, but not so in person. I have good eyesight, and the difference isn't noticeable. It's an advertising point over the ipad. Google needs to stop chasing Apple and build more hardware features into their tablets that Apple didn't already do a year ago, but I digress.
4) Are there any applications you cannot run on the TF700 that a new tab would fix? I picked u the TF700 because my Touchpad (running CM9) keeps crashing skype; which I use daily. I run a somewhat recent nightly, and since the Camera fix (thanks for that Dorregaray) being able to use skype at all is awesome. However, having to reboot the tablet 6 times in a night and constantly mucking up the conversation is real pain. Since using the TF700, I haven't had one hiccup in skype. That is worth a lot to me, but a newer tab won't make it better.
Anyway, those are the things I've been mulling over. I will need to see what the new Transformer will look like before I make any kind of decision.
Edit: FWIW, I paid $468 for the tab & a 32GB micro sdxc card. I think you got the better deal.
Have they given a release date for any Tegra4 device? I thought one was shown at the last electronics show but it was still a development model and didn't mention anything about release times or price. You could be waiting awhile and in meantime if you keep the TF700 start stashing away some money monthly for the next wave of tablets. That could help on any loss you take or cover the difference to a model with more storage.
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1 - I don't think anyone can tell what the performance and battery life will be like right now. New devices and cpu's are marketed as more performance while reducing energy needs but the tech community needs products to test before accepting what is said as fact. Are Tegra4 chps supposed to run at the same power that today's Tegra3 chips do but have the better performance? That is a performance improvement while reducing the power needed if they were to make a Tegra3 to equal that performance. Someone may have a better answer regarding power saving but remember a bumped up screen size will probably draw more power anyway.
2 - Again probably hard to answer. Until the product hits the market we really won't know how it performs and what problems it may or may not have. It is a risk you take by buying the next and greatest device. Prime was the next and greatest device and we know how that turned out. We can only hope they get the message after 3 devices that they need better I/O components.
4 - As far as applications I think many people have issue with games that are released or already out and "not supported" by our device. It will take some time once a new device comes out for companies to tweak the code or whatever they do to have the games run on the device. That is done on their whim. Why some haven't not done now on the TF700 (Gameloft and EA) is a question I don't think anyone truly knows. Some guess it's screen resolution and they don't want to change the code to render the graphics properly for our device.
But really you can wait and wait and still not be satisfied because something else is a few months away. This technology is moving fast.
fsured said:
But really you can wait and wait and still not be satisfied because something else is a few months away. This technology is moving fast.
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Well, I had really wanted a "Wayne" (Tegra 4) device, and was waiting for that to launch to replace/augment the touchpad. The marketing slides showing kepler tech integrated into the SoC is actually a little bit exicting to me. However, I took advantage of a time limited offer to get the TFI at a reduced price. I use google docs for invoicing clients, and the Touchpad wasn't handling that well enough for me to do it on site. I found myself just waiting to get home to do it & emailing an invoice back. The TFI with the keyboard dock provides an excellent solution, and I had considered getting an ultra book for this purpose, but at about half the price of the ultrabook I was looking at, while fulfilling essentially the same purpose, having the same size profile, and better battery life, well it seemed like the better bargain.
That said, if I could get my hands on a next gen transformer within the next 60 days, I'd likely trade this in, in a heart beat.
My opinion the TF700T is viable for a while longer.
Glad the FHD tabs didn't shoot of into a numbers game as quick as I thought they would.
All I can say is after the "lobotomy" lol...my tablet has been a satisfying adventure.
It's smooth no jitters, games well (light gaming), plays my Xfinity downloads without a hitch, wifi connects stays connected, gps is quick,
browser is hanging in there...etc.
Just for a bit of comparison:
I've side by sided the tablet with my 2 year old HP AMD A6 notebook, and for what it is the tab has about the same amount of annoyance that a Win7 notebook has.
Not comparing Windows to Android just noting all devices big and small can of course suffer glitchiness.
Once the system settles in and with a little restraint as far as collecting\installing poorly written apps the Infinity remains a buy at least for me.
Hopefully when the newer tabs start popping perhaps some of us hold-outs will benefit from a much better selection of HD tablet applications.
Toastysoul said:
Just picked up a TF700 myself and I was literally asking myself the same question. I've got a little less than 60 days to return this to BBY if another tab is announced for release soon.
I guess, there are a few things to consider.
1) Is the better performance/battery life of the new device going to be significant? If they jack up the resolution like the N10, it will probably be closer to par with the TF700.
2) Will a new tablet have any hardware issues (e.g. TF-Prime GPS & Wifi problems)? The TF700 is a mature product and it's limitations are well outlined. If you buy a TF700 now, you know exactly what you are going to get.
3) What new features will be on this Tab, and are they worth waiting for? TF700 has SDXC, mini HDMI, a dock with full USB, Full HD, etc. It's a good feature set. TF700 is a bit low on ram with only 1GB, I'd rather have 2GB. It's missing an integrated LTE modem that is said to be in T4, but TBH, I would always buy the wifi version anyway. Better battery life, I wouldn't pay for the extra data plan, and my phone is now tethering fine (thanks TrevE). N10 like resolution looks impressive on paper, but not so in person. I have good eyesight, and the difference isn't noticeable. It's an advertising point over the ipad. Google needs to stop chasing Apple and build more hardware features into their tablets that Apple didn't already do a year ago, but I digress.
4) Are there any applications you cannot run on the TF700 that a new tab would fix? I picked u the TF700 because my Touchpad (running CM9) keeps crashing skype; which I use daily. I run a somewhat recent nightly, and since the Camera fix (thanks for that Dorregaray) being able to use skype at all is awesome. However, having to reboot the tablet 6 times in a night and constantly mucking up the conversation is real pain. Since using the TF700, I haven't had one hiccup in skype. That is worth a lot to me, but a newer tab won't make it better.
Anyway, those are the things I've been mulling over. I will need to see what the new Transformer will look like before I make any kind of decision.
Edit: FWIW, I paid $468 for the tab & a 32GB micro sdxc card. I think you got the better deal.
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How did you get the 60 day refund period? On my best buy receipt it states 30 days hassle free returns. Also it's a little weird that my tf700 freezes and randomly reboots. It doesn't do it frequently but once in awhile it does that.....very weird. This is actually my second tablet because the first one had slight flex but the current one actually makes a small clicking noise too. Honestly it doens't really bother me but ASus def needs to work on their quality control
Personally, waiting for the next tablet from ASUS (I assume you want a Transformer tablet) will be a very painful experience. Our tf700 was announced at CES 2012 (in January 2012), but only became available for sale at least 4 months later (depend on your location). Given the fact that ASUS has not announced any successor to our Infinity yet, I am inclined to believe if there is a Tegra 4 tablet from ASUS, it will only be available to us on the second half of the year. I have been waiting for the Transformer Book for many months but it is still not available. To me, waiting for something that is not even announced yet is a waste of time and effort.
I would strongly reccomend this tab to anyone who needs something with similar functionality to a netbook or ultrabook but I am looking forward to see what will come next. I would love to see something with a little more power hit the same nitch and with about the same price point... I'm actually waiting on the razer edge tablet to see what it turns into. anyways, I plan on hanging on to my TF700 even if I do get an ultrabook or the edge.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk HD
odorfreedk said:
How did you get the 60 day refund period? On my best buy receipt it states 30 days hassle free returns. Also it's a little weird that my tf700 freezes and randomly reboots. It doesn't do it frequently but once in awhile it does that.....very weird. This is actually my second tablet because the first one had slight flex but the current one actually makes a small clicking noise too. Honestly it doens't really bother me but ASus def needs to work on their quality control
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Premier Silver. Drop enough cash at best buy and you get side benefits, like a doubled return period. Most of the the other benefits are less useful. I don't bother with the complimentary Geek Squad services, for example. Even if I wanted or needed their services (I don't), I still wouldn't use it. Mostly, that's just an opportunity for them to come into your home and look for things they can sell you.
Honestly. ...maybe a extra gig of ram would make this tablet perfect for me. The resolution is ideal for me and the speed is great (running CleanRom) and it does what I hope to get from it. And I use my note 2 for the extra stuff (multi window, nfc sharing etc). And to top that, the mobile giants still have not made 100% use of the quad core as it is and until then, asus infinity is a keeper.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Tegra-4-Wayne-Project-Shield-Nvidia-Grid-Fiscal-2013,21082.html
Tegra 4 isn't shipping until QTR 3 2013. Given that time frame, I'm reasonably happy with my purchase. If the SoC isn't even shipping until then, you won't see devices until QTR 4, and that's nearly a year away. No doubt there will be better performers from Qualcomm sooner than that, but even so, I'm happy with the device I have for now.
searched but haven't even found rumors on a successor - had the TFPrime before and since it got nicked I am waiting for sth new to play with.
Have started considering the Samsung Tab Plus (whenever announced) given the higher res. Still seems that the TF700 has enough muscles and the add keyboard (+battery) is clearly a plus...
Anyhow - have there been any news on the TF700 successor that I missed
Its becomming a bit rusty given the time its already in the market :laugh:
nellycruzz said:
Honestly. ...maybe a extra gig of ram would make this tablet perfect for me. The resolution is ideal for me and the speed is great (running CleanRom) and it does what I hope to get from it. And I use my note 2 for the extra stuff (multi window, nfc sharing etc). And to top that, the mobile giants still have not made 100% use of the quad core as it is and until then, asus infinity is a keeper.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
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I have to agree about the extra gig of ram. But in response to the OP's question, yes that is a very good price. You could always dualboot it with rabbits' linux so as to gain some of the functionality that you would get with an ultrabook. The infinity will not become redundant for a while yet in my opinion so I say go for it.
For tablet with awesome dock integration the tf700 cant be beat. You also got a great deal on both. As far at Tegra 4 devices in particular Asus ones, no one knows yet when they will actually release one so you will have to play the waiting game. Vizio is the only one I know of that is coming out with one but not sold in the U.S. and doesn't have a keyboard dock option.
As someone mentioned the tf700 is a good laptop or netbook replacement. So if you're not going to play high graphic games on it like gameloft games then its a good tablet. But I do recommend you unlock and install custom rom on it as it lags quite a bit in stock form.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
The price is good, considering you got the dock with it.
Toastysoul said:
Just picked up a TF700 myself and I was literally asking myself the same question. I've got a little less than 60 days to return this to BBY if another tab is announced for release soon.
I guess, there are a few things to consider.
1) Is the better performance/battery life of the new device going to be significant? If they jack up the resolution like the N10, it will probably be closer to par with the TF700.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless the device has a battery-powered dock, I'd suspect battery life is going to be on par at best -- expect it to be worse. This may not apply if the new device carries one of those funky new battery design which last for a week and are charged in 10 minutes, but those will only get on the market in about two years, they reckon.
2) Will a new tablet have any hardware issues (e.g. TF-Prime GPS & Wifi problems)? The TF700 is a mature product and it's limitations are well outlined. If you buy a TF700 now, you know exactly what you are going to get.
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Obviously true, and very significant remark. Any device will have its issues, and given the fact that the TF201 suffered from some of these as well, I'd not expect the next Transformer to be faultless either. :S
3) What new features will be on this Tab, and are they worth waiting for? TF700 has SDXC, mini HDMI, a dock with full USB, Full HD, etc. It's a good feature set. TF700 is a bit low on ram with only 1GB, I'd rather have 2GB. It's missing an integrated LTE modem that is said to be in T4, but TBH, I would always buy the wifi version anyway. Better battery life, I wouldn't pay for the extra data plan, and my phone is now tethering fine (thanks TrevE). N10 like resolution looks impressive on paper, but not so in person. I have good eyesight, and the difference isn't noticeable. It's an advertising point over the ipad. Google needs to stop chasing Apple and build more hardware features into their tablets that Apple didn't already do a year ago, but I digress.
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And the N10 has both QA and availability issues, for example.
Following your digression for a bit: Apple had already lost the innovation game in the tablet and smartphone worlds a few years ago. All they have done is increase screen size, and (sometimes) resolution.
4) Are there any applications you cannot run on the TF700 that a new tab would fix? I picked u the TF700 because my Touchpad (running CM9) keeps crashing skype; which I use daily. I run a somewhat recent nightly, and since the Camera fix (thanks for that Dorregaray) being able to use skype at all is awesome. However, having to reboot the tablet 6 times in a night and constantly mucking up the conversation is real pain. Since using the TF700, I haven't had one hiccup in skype. That is worth a lot to me, but a newer tab won't make it better.
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Click to collapse
If anything, the older device will probably support more apps altogether -- if you have experienced the transitions from Froyo to Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean, you have noticed that we lost a lot of apps along the way that were pretty good in themselves, but just weren't given the TLC to update them to function on the new version. Backward compatibility is less of an issue when the programmer takes it into account when developing his/her app, but too often an app is just hacked together and subsequently, essentially, abandoned.[/QUOTE]

What is your next upgrade?

With the new crop of top end tablets coming out are you guys/gals going to upgrade?
I love the Asus keyboard dock and relatively quick updates but the I/o lag kills me on the TF700. Installing an app and trying to browse the web brings it to a crawl. I'd rather not have to root and install a new ROM to use this thing.
I had the original Samsung Tab 10.1 and while it's stuck on 4.0 it performs better than the TF700.
I'm going for the Note 2014 edition over the TF701 this time around. The big bezels are looking really dated. One speaker is also a real downer. The fact that Samsung stuff can play Tapped Out is another plus for me. The Note 2014 also charges with a standard micro USB. The Asus charge cable not working with regular USB high amp chargers was really annoying as well.
yohojones said:
With the new crop of top end tablets coming out are you guys/gals going to upgrade?
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No. The TF700 does everything I need from a tablet.
yohojones said:
I love the Asus keyboard dock and relatively quick updates but the I/o lag kills me on the TF700. Installing an app and trying to browse the web brings it to a crawl. I'd rather not have to root and install a new ROM to use this thing.
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I did, and it was the main reason why I'm keeping the TF700.
I'm not going to upgrade my tab. After the warranty was off, i unlocked it and installed CROMI-X and this was like upgrading from a old 2012 tab to a new 2014 tab. And you know what ? It's free (no money to spend to upgrade) apart of your willing to give donation to the community of developpers.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
I am just not impressed with the state of 10.1" tablets. Asus supported the TF700 very well for a relatively long time, but it looks like their Memopads and Intel tablets are being treated like shovelware. I can't bring myself to trust them until that changes. Ditto for Samsung. I would probably take the plunge for a new Nexus 10 revision, but the rumor mill is indicating that it might not happen.
I really don't want to support Asus, but given the current state of affairs I might end up picking up a T100. It kills me to buy what is essentially a netbook, but the prospect of direct OS updates combined with x86 app support is starting to sound attractive.
Show me a GPE transformer with a next-gen SoC (K1 or Snapdragon 8xx) and I'll be back on board with Android in a heartbeat. I wouldn't trade my Nexus 4 for anything but a Nexus 5. I would have told you the same thing about my TF700 for a very long time, but the market has changed.
Oh, and iPads. I don't do the walled garden thing.
Ghorin said:
I'm not going to upgrade my tab. After the warranty was off, i unlocked it and installed CROMI-X and this was like upgrading from a old 2012 tab to a new 2014 tab. And you know what ? It's free (no money to spend to upgrade) apart of your willing to give donation to the community of developpers.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
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Did the same and now I use it all the time. Performance and stability are great and a 10" tablet with a keyboard dock is exactly what I want.
With the price of the t100 now, i think it will be my next device even though its constructions looks cheap like a low end acer laptop, the x86 bay trail soc is very interesting and has full dx11 / opengl support as opposed to the limited open gles support of arm/ tegra socs , im done with tegra untiil we get the tegra k1 with Linux drivers
I'm in the same boat. I have rooted and installed CROMI-X but my transformer is still slow as all get out (if I'm in an app and hit the home button I can usually count to 3 or 4 slowly before i actually get to the home screen; I had to turn off auto app updates because once it started updating apps my tablet was completely unusable until it finished... like 10 minutes later...)
My biggest requirement is HD resolution. The dock I can take or leave. I looked at the MeMo Pad FHD, the price is right, but I'm worried another ASUS tab I'll be in the same boat. I'm also afraid to drop $500+ on one of the new samsung tabs because for that $$$ I better be ecstatic with the results and I'm worried I won't be.
If anyone has upgraded from an infinity and can offer their experiences with the replacement unit let me know!
mattbooty said:
I'm in the same boat. I have rooted and installed CROMI-X but my transformer is still slow as all get out (if I'm in an app and hit the home button I can usually count to 3 or 4 slowly before i actually get to the home screen; I had to turn off auto app updates because once it started updating apps my tablet was completely unusable until it finished... like 10 minutes later...)
My biggest requirement is HD resolution. The dock I can take or leave. I looked at the MeMo Pad FHD, the price is right, but I'm worried another ASUS tab I'll be in the same boat. I'm also afraid to drop $500+ on one of the new samsung tabs because for that $$$ I better be ecstatic with the results and I'm worried I won't be.
If anyone has upgraded from an infinity and can offer their experiences with the replacement unit let me know!
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Something is wrong with your setup - hitting the home button should be pretty much instantaneous. What you are experiencing is not normal.
sbdags said:
Something is wrong with your setup - hitting the home button should be pretty much instantaneous. What you are experiencing is not normal.
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I agree hehe. It's a clean install of latest cromi at this point. I was using data2sd which seemed somewhat better, but still not great, but then it started locking up all the time and the sd card became corrupted so I went back to a standard install, full wipe. Maybe it's faulty hardware but I'm sort of tired of messing with it and ready to get something that just works.
mattbooty said:
I'm in the same boat. I have rooted and installed CROMI-X but my transformer is still slow as all get out (if I'm in an app and hit the home button I can usually count to 3 or 4 slowly before i actually get to the home screen; I had to turn off auto app updates because once it started updating apps my tablet was completely unusable until it finished... like 10 minutes later...)
My biggest requirement is HD resolution. The dock I can take or leave. I looked at the MeMo Pad FHD, the price is right, but I'm worried another ASUS tab I'll be in the same boat. I'm also afraid to drop $500+ on one of the new samsung tabs because for that $$$ I better be ecstatic with the results and I'm worried I won't be.
If anyone has upgraded from an infinity and can offer their experiences with the replacement unit let me know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought an acer w700 with a 3rd gen i5 processor, 4 gig of RAM, and costs about $500++. comes with a free keyboard case from acer, and so far, it runs great.
On paper, I am looking at the Xperia Z2 tablet: Snapdragon 801, 3GB RAM, microSD card, Android 4.4, waterproof, dustproof, full HD screen with excellent color gamut, thinnest and lightest 10-inch tablet and finally, front-facing stereo speakers. Sony's skin is quite minimal as well, so performance out of the box should be really good. I must say this tablet ticks every single requirement that I have (minus the keyboard dock). Who knows, this year might be the year of Sony.
Surface ...
I had the TF100 for nearly 3 years and was very happy with running custom android releases. With Kit Kat it ran really well.
Upgraded to a used TF700 and immediately loaded a 4.4.2 nightly. The TF700 has a better screeen, but the TF100 feels equally "fast." The dock of the TF700 is inferior to the TF100 dock (lighter, keys have less travel, or positive action. The whole thing just feels like a cheaped out version of the TF100. The GPS does work better than the TF100.
Anyway, the company I work for is moving to several RT apps, and providing Surface tablets. Further, I may pick up a refurb'd pro. Speed wise it is just a whole nother animal, yet at $399 refurb, it is at the same price point as a TF700.
With an android phone, and having android tablets for the last few years, I am pretty sure I want to stick with android. I have a windows 8 laptop and for a lot of the things I do I haven't been happy with the app selection. Which is a shame because most of the windows 8 laptops i've looked at are powerhouses and very smooth experiences.
Never going to support that company again. It is the worst piece of hardware I ever owned.
The design is neat but that is all. Build quality sucks, light sensor does not work, gorilla glass has scratches, back has scratches, the power plug bend the jack.
And the interior is even worse. I mean I could even live with all the outside flaws but as said that I/O lag is killing.
The tab feels like an old 133MHZ computer. I bought a tablet to just switch it on and use it.
But switching on the ASUS results in a dead tablet for 30 minutes because of updates and what not. Browsing is near to impossible.
I only kept it because of the nice screen (brightness) and as I need it for my exam to read on it.
Although for just a reading device it was much overpriced.
Why am I ranting about all this? I won't buy any other tablet if those things aren't fixed with that.
So any device that comes close to the design of the TF700 especially regarding to weight and screen brightness/readability (in sunlight)
and does not have those bugs is my next one.
I really hope for another Nexus 10" tablet not build by ASUS. My NexusOne was great and I'm in love with my Nexus4.

[Q] Common issues fixed?

Hi! I'm looking into buying the Shield Tablet or the Nexus 9. Right now, I'm leaning more towards the Shield Tablet.
Here's a quick versus of the two for me:
Shield Tablet
- $100 cheaper
- Expandable storage
- Lower res meaning probably better in gameplay
- Stylus
- Shield Hub/ Supported Games (I'm not sure about this if there will be games available on the Shield that won't be on the Nexus 9 via the hub)
Nexus 9
- Pure Google device (Came from a Nexus 5 and 7 2013 and yeah love stock)
- Larger screen
- Better Battery; larger and has turbo charge
- 64 bit
So anyway, I've been reading around and a lot of people have been having issues and problems with their Shield Tablet (Wifi and cracks) but I checked the Nvidia forums and apparently that should only be for the first batch of units and they're replacing everyone who has issues. They said they were able to isolate the problem in production and the new batches should be fine. My question is, are people still experiencing issues with the new batches? Is it safe to get one now? Or should I just save up the extra $100 and go for the Nexus 9?
Btw I'm just a student so the extra $100 is a big deal for me just so you guys understand the situation. Also, I'm from the Philippines so when I get it shipped from my relatives in the states, I'm hoping I wouldn't have to send it back because of issues and stuff.
Thanks!
Even if you do, the RMA process means they ship one out to you first before you send your defective unit back. And they include courier labels so no cost to you.
Speaking from experience here. ?
You should be fine in regards to games on Play store; They should be Tegra K1 optimized, so I don't think Nvidia is locking them as 'Shield Tablet optimized'- most of those titles function on the Shield Portable too. Gamestream should also be accessible to you via limelight.
While Nvidia claims that hardware issues were isolated to the first batch, there have been reports and users claiming that it happens on later batches and the LTE model. If RMA is something you're comfortable with doing (sending it to your relatives to RMA), then best luck with the Shield. However, if you want to absolutely avoid having to RMA due to cracking or other issues, try the Nexus 9. One caveat though; The Nexus 9 has thermal throttling, from what I've read.
Not too sure about that Nexus 9 comment. There's definitely a build quality issue with these early batches.
See my post here for my experience. -- There's plenty more of it.
The reason I'm here is because I was considering a shield tablet, after RMAing my Nexus 9. Now it seems both devices have ridiculous build quality issues.
xnaquada said:
Not too sure about that Nexus 9 comment. There's definitely a build quality issue with these early batches.
See my post here for my experience. -- There's plenty more of it.
The reason I'm here is because I was considering a shield tablet, after RMAing my Nexus 9. Now it seems both devices have ridiculous build quality issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not had any build quality issues with my v shield. Wi-Fi is still a pain in the ass sometimes but that will be fixed with updates.
Otherwise I'm completely satisfied with my tablet. It's powerful runs fast. Kills it on game stream. It's great.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
ShrekOpher said:
I have not had any build quality issues with my v shield. Wi-Fi is still a pain in the ass sometimes but that will be fixed with updates.
Otherwise I'm completely satisfied with my tablet. It's powerful runs fast. Kills it on game stream. It's great.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read, WiFi performance can be severely impacted based on how one holds the device. If that's true ( and from reading a bit here and on the NV official forums, there is no reason to believe it is 100% false) I would call that a build quality/manufacturing issue. Is that what you are referring to as a "pain in the ass" ?
For me the two biggest concerns are screen cracking (confirmed by NV here) and WiFi signal. The screen cracking issue, while promised to be fixed in a manufacturing refresh still has users with the same issue.
The rest of the tablet specs/reviews I'm pretty happy with, but those two issues are significant enough to stop my purchase.
To clarify, I don't think anyone's screen has cracked. Its corners of the plastic casing. By my estimation the cracking issue is being resolved quietly behind the scenes with silence about it in public.
I have a little trouble with my Shield with wifi dropping but no weak wifi. I do have to restart every day or so which I don't mind. Mine will drop out then if I restart it it works perfect for the rest of the day.
kylethelife said:
Hi! I'm looking into buying the Shield Tablet or the Nexus 9. Right now, I'm leaning more towards the Shield Tablet.
Here's a quick versus of the two for me:
Shield Tablet
- $100 cheaper
- Expandable storage
- Lower res meaning probably better in gameplay (lower res isn't visible!!)
- Stylus
- Shield Hub/ Supported Games (I'm not sure about this if there will be games available on the Shield that won't be on the Nexus 9 via the hub)
Nexus 9
- Pure Google device (Came from a Nexus 5 and 7 2013 and yeah love stock) (Shield is very close to stock and will come very soon with Android L)
- Larger screen (with movies 16:9 playing only little size difference)
- Better Battery; larger and has turbo charge (charges very slow, read postings of users)
- 64 bit (doesn't mean faster!! Read more about it on the web! Antutu scores are about the same!)
So anyway, I've been reading around and a lot of people have been having issues and problems with their Shield Tablet (Wifi and cracks) but I checked the Nvidia forums and apparently that should only be for the first batch of units and they're replacing everyone who has issues. They said they were able to isolate the problem in production and the new batches should be fine. My question is, are people still experiencing issues with the new batches? Is it safe to get one now? Or should I just save up the extra $100 and go for the Nexus 9?
Btw I'm just a student so the extra $100 is a big deal for me just so you guys understand the situation. Also, I'm from the Philippines so when I get it shipped from my relatives in the states, I'm hoping I wouldn't have to send it back because of issues and stuff.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my comments in red.
Iron force problem
The only game I play is Iron Force, and when running, the majority of the screen is white with only a few objects that show up. This needs to be addressed and fixed.
Michigan Jason said:
The only game I play is Iron Force, and when running, the majority of the screen is white with only a few objects that show up. This needs to be addressed and fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well considering that you had to sideload that game because it is incompatible in the app store I would say that it is the game not the tablet, you need to talk to Chillingo about that. On that note it is incompatible with a few of my various devices which is not a good sign for the game in general.
whoamanwtf said:
Well considering that you had to sideload that game because it is incompatible in the app store I would say that it is the game not the tablet, you need to talk to Chillingo about that. On that note it is incompatible with a few of my various devices which is not a good sign for the game in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually you are wrong. I downloaded it directly from the play store.
Ohh here is proof from NVidia also.
http://shield.nvidia.com/android-game-list/
Notice it is a compatible game.
Nvidia customer support had the white screen on one tablet, then tried it on another and it worked.
Michigan Jason said:
Actually you are wrong. I downloaded it directly from the play store.
Ohh here is proof from NVidia also.
http://shield.nvidia.com/android-game-list/
Notice it is a compatible game.
Nvidia customer support had the white screen on one tablet, then tried it on another and it worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is weird, what link did you get the game from? When I googled it the play store said it was incompatible with all of my devices.. I currently have a G2, S5, Shield Tab, and N7 (2013) on my account.

[Q] Get a shield or wait?

I'm really interested in getting an 8" Tablet. I'd be using it for movies, reading, surfing, gaming, etc. while at work and traveling. I was looking at this Shield and the Asus Memo Pad 8. I see that the Memo pad 8 is on clearance, so I assume they are releasing an updated version soon.
Both the Memo 8 and the Shield released at the same time. So does anyone know if Nvidia is working on an updated model of the Shield around the corner at all? Would hate to get one for a new one to be released a couple of months later.
hi
i this oder the tablet i was say get the Shield i think they this came out with this 8" Shield so i dont think they be makeing a new one any time soon all so the Shield tablet is the best when it comes too android upgrades so if you are going too get a tablet get the Shield you be vary happy with it
DFA1 said:
I'm really interested in getting an 8" Tablet. I'd be using it for movies, reading, surfing, gaming, etc. while at work and traveling. I was looking at this Shield and the Asus Memo Pad 8. I see that the Memo pad 8 is on clearance, so I assume they are releasing an updated version soon.
Both the Memo 8 and the Shield released at the same time. So does anyone know if Nvidia is working on an updated model of the Shield around the corner at all? Would hate to get one for a new one to be released a couple of months later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait and get the shield, trust me i had a galaxy tab S and i returned it for my shield, which was $120 less than the galaxy tab S, and its much more powerful runs everything super smooth, i also have a shield portable tho, thats what made me want to go with the shield tablet also, the asus memo pad sucks IMO
I am not sure because mine is super laggy a lot of time even though I have the latest update. My old Nexus 7 2013 runs smoother than the Shield. I hope mine is a lemon (getting a replacement due to dead pixels) . I will see if the new one is any better.
My shield smokes my 2013 Nexus 7.
I just geek benched, it rivals an older lenovo laptop i5 520m I use in garage on cars.
My Nexus, not so much.
If you didn't hard reset after updating, well you need to. If you did, then you've a roque app maybe.
WR
I say yes, because I just got myself one.
The options for me:
1. Google Nexus 9 32GB WiFi Only - $399
2, NVIDIA Shield Tablet + Controller 32GB/LTE/WiFi - $399
I picked the freakin' shield tablet over google's newest nexus. It's that awesome of a device.
I don't see a huge upgrade in specs in 2015 (Nexus N1 has good specs for the price but....the same) -- really, the K1 and Keplar are freakin' amazing.
If you do go and get one, stick around for my kernel soon to be released...
Yea I don't think that Nvidia is looking to create a new SHIELD Tablet anytime soon. They're still polishing this model and considering it's their first tablet, it seems they're going to play with it for awhile.
I believe my problem is Google Now Launcher. I just uninstalled it and things look to be a lot better. I will monitor for the next couple of days.
myrcgarage said:
I believe my problem is Google Now Launcher. I just uninstalled it and things look to be a lot better. I will monitor for the next couple of days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just freaking remembered if you use GEL, to turn off " Ok Google" in the options.
If you limit to only recognizing voice on search screen bug goes away.
I'm sorry I forgot an just dawned that might be it.
WR
WarRaven said:
My shield smokes my 2013 Nexus 7.
I just geek benched, it rivals an older lenovo laptop i5 520m I use in garage on cars.
My Nexus, not so much.
If you didn't hard reset after updating, well you need to. If you did, then you've a roque app maybe.
WR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A benchmark app says nothing about how fast the device is for normal everyday use. Sure, it runs every game I have tried extremely well, but it still have irritating slowdowns now and then in UI and apps like browsing, which makes it feel slower then my other much less powerful tablets for normal use.
I didn't mean should I get the memo 8 over the shield, I meant should I wait to see if a new 2015 shield is around the corner and wait for that newer model.
Finally found a store in Atlanta that had both the memo 8 and the shield on display. (after I asked the employee if they had them and he said no for both... Dumb ass).
Both felt great, I actually preferred the memo 8's feel over the shield. But know the shield had more power. So basically I will be getting the shield and my gf can get the memo 8 (their on clearance so I assume a newer memo 8 is around the corner).
Do any of you use the shield's flap case thing? Is it worth it?
DFA1 said:
I didn't mean should I get the memo 8 over the shield, I meant should I wait to see if a new 2015 shield is around the corner and wait for that newer model.
Finally found a store in Atlanta that had both the memo 8 and the shield on display. (after I asked the employee if they had them and he said no for both... Dumb ass).
Both felt great, I actually preferred the memo 8's feel over the shield. But know the shield had more power. So basically I will be getting the shield and my gf can get the memo 8 (their on clearance so I assume a newer memo 8 is around the corner).
Do any of you use the shield's flap case thing? Is it worth it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a better-than-decent piece and does what it's supposed to do with any issues. Saying it's worth the $40 price tag is a bit of the stretch, though. Many people like having the flap because it makes it much easier to wake the device, since the wake/power key could have been designed much better.
While I was using it, I ended up unconsciously babying it, so I bought another case for like $12 off Amazon and now I don't care what happens to that case, lol
Thanks for all the responses. I'm about to pull the trigger, but have one last question. 16gb $300 model or 32gb $400 model? I'm with Verizon so the AT&T LTE wont benefit me, are there any other features other than LTE and 32gb storage on $400 model?
I'm going to get a 64gb sdcard anyway so would I be able to store all my apps and games on that, and run them well? I'm guessing I'd have to get one of the high end (high speed) microsd cards to run games/apps properly.
I think the only difference from the 16 to the 32 is the bigger storage option and the LTE. Since I am on sprint and only plan on tethering with my note 4. I went with the 16gb model and bought a 64gb card as well.
Other than when they talk about the bands. The only difference I see is;
Storage 32 GB (WiFi+4G LTE) / 16 GB (WiFi-only)
http://shield.nvidia.com/gaming-tablet/
Scroll down for the specs. Hope this helps!
But is 16gb enough? Will apps/games run off the 64gb microsd?
My 2 cents coming from an iPad -
The Shield is lightning fast compared to my iPAD 2. When I compare it to my wifes Ipad Mini Retinia its about the same.
The screen is very very good on the Shield - I have no clue what others are saying its average. I have compared it to the Retina and its very very close and some instances better.
The form factor is great though the iPad Mini form factor is better for reading and browsing.. the shield is better for moving watching, gaming etc.
The speakers are amazing.
Did I say its lighting fast?
The ONLY slow down I have on 5.01 is when it first wakes up out of a deep sleep. Other than that I have 0 slow downs. I HAD slow downs when 1 I didnt do a full reset after an upgrade AND 2 Facebook and Facebook Messenger absolutely destroy the tablets performance. I dont know what facebook does with Messenger but that is a POS like I have not ever seen. It literally occupies a 1/2 of a core all the the time doing nothing. So... I have 0 slow downs except for right out of deep sleep. Prior to 501 I saw MANY slow downs.... I was not impressed. Now... I am impressed!
Browsing is amazing (recently with 501 and the new version of chrome)...
Battery life is HORRRRIBLE! Now.... I will preface that with I am comparing it to my iPad 2 and the iPad Mini which I could literally go days without seeing a charger with normal use. The shield however has a very powerful GPU in a very small form factor. So, its probably sufficient for the size, etc. I can only get even after removing bloat 5 hours of on screen time - thats it. I would get 50 % more than that on the apple products. This is my only complaint... but its one I live with and I can not fault the device due to its size and power.
SD Cards - I havent found a single person who has been 100% happy how it works. Everyone seems to have issues with either games not installing on them (inconsistent), accessing them in general (many successful after rooting), even issues with recovery images not being able to format large SD Cards. I would suggest if you can afford the extra $$ get the 32 GB if you think your going to need the storage. Reserve the SD card for movings, music and pictures (for now until they fix it).
WifI - horrible performance compared to every other device I have compared it to. If you have strong WiFi signal in your house you will be fine. If your already on the fringe (2 bars out of 4) forget it... this tablet may not even connect to the AP at any distance. Its also very sensitive to APs that are on the same channel. If your AP is on channel 11 and your neighbors channel is on channel 11 and your within 10 dB of each other, the tablet drops connections like crazy. The simple fix is to either get a booster, better antenna, better AP and change the channel... The device however is flawed and no software can fix these issues.
Developer Friendly - yes the platform is very developer friendly so if your into making custom roms, kernels, etc. This is a great tablet.
Quality - My tablet, excellent. but others have complained. So its a roll of the dice. Generally when everything works as it should its perfect. Unfortunately there have been lemons.
Nvidia Support - AMAZING! even with the lemons Nvidia is fast to respond. I have had many conversations with techs in their forums and they are almost as fast as Google when it comes to updates. I love that!
Software Quality - ****E!!! In my career I have never seen so many bugs (I run a division of software engineers - in software engineering for 20 years). I am shocked with how poor the quality assurance is. There are core user functions that broke in 501 - In my world these would have been show stoppers! But Nvidia let it go out the door. I am shocked honestly. 501 has to be the worst Quality OS revision I have seen from any product. They introduced regressions like screen corruption (its apparent in many many many games, apps, etc.), battery stats are all messed up, battery life inconsistent, some games no longer work at all. Nvidia and Google need to step it up on the quality side. The tablet is usable but for some it may not be - especially if one of the apps you use on a daily basis is now broken.
Wait or not? I dont think it matters. The hardware is not going to change and I dont think Nvidia or Google's code quality is going to change. They will fix these issues in the next release and break other things.
Its a question of whether or not do you go with Android or not. If you like to fiddle with your tablet its a yes... if not go with apple.
If you want a small form factor android then you go with the shield.
I recommend the tablet for its price, performance and support. I own it and for now will be keeping it. I personally dont like Apple - I dont seem them an innovative anymore.
But, If you want rock solid performance, quality and battery life - go with Apple.
Don't wait unless you are anal and are going to obsess over ever minor issue. If you are looking for gaming nothing out there can compare. The grid being free is amazing especially if you are like me and have not played any of the games on it. There is occasional stutter using 2.4ghz but I have loved multiple hours and game play is awesome. Battery is not great but I get between 4-5 hours and it typically take around 2 1/2 hours to charge to full.
I read all the negatives prior but quickly came to realize that most complaints appear to come from the same people. Be aware of the potential issues and decide if the risk is worth the reward.
Sd card if rooted works great, I have a 64gb samsung class 10 using folder mount almost all game data on external and everything runs fine. I could not recommend an ipad over this Tablet unless you are tech illiterate and want to over spend on limited storage so that you can pay tons for apps and check Facebook
I own an Apple iPad Air2 64gb and a nVidia Shield Tablet 32gb. I used to own the Nexus9 32gb tablet but returned it for the nVidia Shield Tablet. I wanted both an Apple and an Android tablet for gaming. I also have the nVidia controller and the Steelseries XL ipad controller. I prefer gaming on the Nvidia Shield tablet and spend more time gaming on this tablet. I went with the 32gb model Shield due to more internal memory. There are some games that I cant move to the SD card. That is why I went with the 32gb model with a 64gb microsd.
Do not wait, and pick up the nVidia 32gb tablet. I have 22gb left on the internal memory on my nVidia 32gb after moving everything I could to the sdcard. So if I had the 16gb model I figured it would only be about 6gb left of internal memory.
kuztov67 said:
I own an Apple iPad Air2 64gb and a nVidia Shield Tablet 32gb. I used to own the Nexus9 32gb tablet but returned it for the nVidia Shield Tablet. I wanted both an Apple and an Android tablet for gaming. I also have the nVidia controller and the Steelseries XL ipad controller. I prefer gaming on the Nvidia Shield tablet and spend more time gaming on this tablet. I went with the 32gb model Shield due to more internal memory. There are some games that I cant move to the SD card. That is why I went with the 32gb model with a 64gb microsd.
Do not wait, and pick up the nVidia 32gb tablet. I have 22gb left on the internal memory on my nVidia 32gb after moving everything I could to the sdcard. So if I had the 16gb model I figured it would only be about 6gb left of internal memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If rooted use folder mount and you can move all
Trigger pulled, I'm now a Shield owner. Got the Nvidia cover, Fintie Cover, and 64gb Samsung Microsd. Been using my girlfriend's Memo 8 for the past week and think I'm now a tablet user (at least at work). Not sure if I'll use it for a lot of controller gaming (unsure if I will find a controller I like). I'm more of an Xbox controller lover than a PS4... but if it works I might give it a try. Haven't even turned it on yet.
Will attempt to root it here shortly while at work. Fingers crossed....

What's our next device?

So, I've got a US LTE 32GB that connects only at HSPA speeds in most places, and I'm about over the tablet.
What device is out there that:
-Is approximately 8" form factor
-Has LTE that works in the US
-Includes a microSD port and some way to do HDMI out so I can hook it up to a standard TV
-Isn't completely bootloader locked / must have root and XDA Dev support
Frankenscript said:
So, I've got a US LTE 32GB that connects only at HSPA speeds in most places, and I'm about over the tablet.
What device is out there that:
-Is approximately 8" form factor
-Has LTE that works in the US
-Includes a microSD port and some way to do HDMI out so I can hook it up to a standard TV
-Isn't completely bootloader locked / must have root and XDA Dev support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4"
Thanks. Looks like only international version / no warranty available on Amazon. Seems like a concern to me. Any other devices more available in the US , with warranty?
Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk
Lol, I just got into the market for a tablet myself.. I spent almost a day researching the perfect tablet.
Here's what I found.
Top Android tablets.
1) Pixel C, tegra X1 cpu. No sdcard slot. 10inch screen. $600 for 32gb. Performs slightly better than K1 tablets in most benchmarks, but 100% better in others.
2) Nvidia shield K1, tegra K1 cpu, sdcard slot, front facing speakers, hdmi out, 8inch screen. Great display. $200, discontinued and can't find anywhere other than ebay for well over $200...
3) Nexus 9, tegra K1 cpu, no sd card slot, front facing speakers. cheap build quality, screen has light bleed, scores 20%worse than shield tablet in benchmarks. 8.9 inch display. $290 for 32gb black WiFi, will be gone soon. Or $500 for 32gb lte
That's it.. all the rest of the Android tablets are subpar. The Galaxy tab S3 is the only other honorable mention. Doesn't perform as well as K1 cpus but looks like a solid tablet... But $500?? Get outta here...
I wasn't looking to spend over $300 on a tablet... I intend to use it for gaming and web browsing and watching movies. Clearly the shield tablet is the best bang for the buck by farrrr... So I kept checking eBay over the last 2 days and found a pristine one for $200 from a reputable seller ...
TL: DR - the Nvidia shield tablet is still the number one Android tablet on the market, at least for my needs. The pixel c is seemingly great, but​ too big and heavy, has no expandable storage, and far over priced.
Why don't you just drop data on the tablet and turn your phone into a hotspot?? I hotspot for my PC from my pixel XL all the time when my net goes out.. im able to competitively game in twitch games with only an extra 25ping...
All the other tablets lose something to gain something. THE PERFECT tablet would be the cancelled shield tablet 2 with the x1 cpu.. looks like their deal with Nintendo caused them to back out of the tablet game for a bit. I don't expect to see it for another year maybe two. If ever.
lucid888 said:
Lol, I just got into the market for a tablet myself.. I spent almost a day researching the perfect tablet.
Here's what I found.
Top Android tablets.
1) Pixel C, tegra X1 cpu. No sdcard slot. 10inch screen. $600 for 32gb. Performs slightly better than K1 tablets in most benchmarks, but 100% better in others.
2) Nvidia shield K1, tegra K1 cpu, sdcard slot, front facing speakers, hdmi out, 8inch screen. Great display. $200, discontinued and can't find anywhere other than ebay for well over $200...
3) Nexus 9, tegra K1 cpu, no sd card slot, front facing speakers. cheap build quality, screen has light bleed, scores 20%worse than shield tablet in benchmarks. 8.9 inch display. $290 for 32gb black WiFi, will be gone soon. Or $500 for 32gb lte
That's it.. all the rest of the Android tablets are subpar. The Galaxy tab S3 is the only other honorable mention. Doesn't perform as well as K1 cpus but looks like a solid tablet... But $500?? Get outta here...
I wasn't looking to spend over $300 on a tablet... I intend to use it for gaming and web browsing and watching movies. Clearly the shield tablet is the best bang for the buck by farrrr... So I kept checking eBay over the last 2 days and found a pristine one for $200 from a reputable seller ...
TL: DR - the Nvidia shield tablet is still the number one Android tablet on the market, at least for my needs. The pixel c is seemingly great, but​ too big and heavy, has no expandable storage, and far over priced.
Why don't you just drop data on the tablet and turn your phone into a hotspot?? I hotspot for my PC from my pixel XL all the time when my net goes out.. im able to competitively game in twitch games with only an extra 25ping...
All the other tablets lose something to gain something. THE PERFECT tablet would be the cancelled shield tablet 2 with the x1 cpu.. looks like their deal with Nintendo caused them to back out of the tablet game for a bit. I don't expect to see it for another year maybe two. If ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks @lucid888 for a great post.
Using my phone as a hotspot is doable if necessary, but it becomes a frying pan quickly, and the battery dies fast. I've considered dropping the idea of an LTE tablet and instead getting a mifi/jetpack whatever dedicated hotspot too, and turning it on whenever I want to run the tablet away from normal wifi zones, but that's complicated and it's another thing to lug around. Sigh.
I just loved my tablet with built in LTE that I could take anywhere and it just worked well. Now it works slowly. Another sigh.
I've no idea why LTE-enabled Android tablets are so few and far between. I know lots of "iOS" people that have iPad minis, and they all have the cellular version. Then again, they probably couldn't figure out HOW to tether it to a phone or mobile hotspot, so they need the built in connectivity.
I'm tempted to pop for one of those MediaPads on a lark... but it could be an expensive lark due to lack of US warranty.
For now I'll just sit tight. Sooner or later the right device will show up. If you (or anybody reading this) finds anything new, please post about it here!
I'm seeing the mediapads on Amazon with a US warranty for $300, WiFi only though. I did look at the mediapad m3, but it's gpu the Mali 8800 m4 is underwhelming and performs ~40-50% worse than the K1 gpu. It has bottom firing speakers, apparently they are great though. Also has the miu os to deal with, which for me is a huge turn off.
From what I can see, the only tablet that can beat the shield is a non existent 8" X1 powered tablet, priced around $300 from either Nvidia, Google or htc. Thanks to Nintendo I don't think we'll see one too soon. Maybe a Snapdragon 835 tablet would do the trick too... But the $500 Galaxy tab S3 is only using the 820..
Also take a look at the mediapad m3 development section on XDA, there is literally nothing.
lucid888 said:
Lol, I just got into the market for a tablet myself.. I spent almost a day researching the perfect tablet.
Here's what I found.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came to a lot of the same conclusions.
- Pixel C: way too expensive.
- Nexus 9: while I have loved a lot of HTC devices, this one is nothing special.
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: Also way too expensive. 9.7" form factor is also bigger than I want, as it seems Sammy has abandoned the 8"-ish form factor in their high end "S" series tablets. I might be able to overlook that. But I'm still sore about how Samsung handled the Tab Pro 8.4. Zero major updates (just a few patches) so it was stuck on the Kitkat it was released with (if not for the dev community which kept it kept for a bit). And many folks (myself included) suffered battery charging issues, which the company never acknowledged.
- Huawei MediaPad M3: Good price, cice hardware, but crap software. And zero developer support means you can't do anything about that.
All in all, I've decided my Shield K1 is sufficient for my needs; especially considering the lack of a worthy replacement. I'd like something a little snappier (especially since I upgraded my phone to the OnePlus 3T with Snapdragon 821). But I'm content to wait and see if anything better comes around.
I'd be perfectly happy to upgrade to the next version Shield, be it X1 or whatever it would be. But I am skeptical there will be a "next" version.
The only thing I feel lacking on the K1 shield is the memory capacity, and maybe it's battery life. The 2gb doesn't seem to be enough for Albion online which I was hoping I'd be able to play on it.. apparently it used to work but now crashes while loading or two seconds after loading. Hoping it gets fixed, but they do say in their minimum the game will eventually require 3gb min ;(...
I really love everything about the shield from it's size, it's front facing speakers, it's HDMI output, it's graphical capability, sd slot. I don't want to lose any of those features... I may be able to live without the front facing speakers but I really like how versitile the device is being able to plug it into the TV and play movies and emulators with zero input lag. There isn't another device I'm aware of that can do that. A next gen shield is my only hope for a succesor to this device. But again it's not happening any time soon thanks to Nintendo, and lmao my phone literally just auto suggested Nintendo without me even typing N.
Hopefully their non-compete with Nintendo doesn't last long, and by then they can hopefully produce at least an X1 tablet around the ~250 price range.
Lack of LTE for K1 is a deal breaker for me, and my original shield doesn't do more than HSPA+ due to modem issues not yet fixed...
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