Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 5/7 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

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You Spoke, ASUS Listened - An Unlock Tool For The Transformer Prime's Bootloader Is In The Works (And ICS Is Coming On 1/12)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News

Well, that didn't take long, did it? Just one short day after news hit the web that the Transformer Prime's bootloader is encrypted and locked, ASUS has issued a statement on its Facebook page regarding the matter, and it's definitely a step in the direction that the modding community was hoping for. Here's the meat and potatoes of it:

Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers' requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience.

Jan

ASUS Transformer Prime's Bootloader Is Locked And Encrypted, User Rage Ensues

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News

Forget about GPS issues, it looks like ASUS has a bigger problem on its hand with the Transformer Prime: a locked/encrypted bootloader. Like with other devices, as soon as the development community found out about this, there were some rather irritated people. The typical backlash against the company has now started on popular social networking sites, along with a petition that has managed to get over 200 signatures in just a few hours.

This is definitely not the type of publicity that ASUS wants surrounding the world's first quad-core tablet, and users are hoping that the Taiwanese manufacturer will eventually reverse its decision and open the device.

Dec

[Update: Working As Intended] ASUS Transformer Prime GPS Performs Very Poorly Without Wi-Fi, Massive XDA Thread Ensues

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News, Tablets

Last Updated: January 3rd, 2012

Update 2: ASUS has issued an official statement on the matter and determined that the Prime's GPS is functioning as intended, which for many folks means essentially non-functional.

Please note that this product is not a professional GPS device ... To avoid inconveniencing users who demand a powerful GPS device, we made the decision to remove it from our specification sheet and marketing communications. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

ASUS

That means if you're actually unable to live with your Prime without true GPS, there's not a lot to do but sell it - because ASUS isn't going to (and apparently can't) do anything about it.

Dec

[Update: Possible Problem] ASUS Transformer Prime In Stock, Shipping Monday From Best Buy (32GB, Amethyst Gray Version)

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News

It appears this may have been a special offer limited to select customers who preordered a different color that was delayed, and that the web page was set up to never run out of stock. The shipping date may be completely wrong, as well. We're waiting on a response from Best Buy to confirm, but given that it's a holiday, we're not expecting it until Monday. We advise you not to order.

If you head over to the Best Buy website right now, for $499.99, you can get your very own ASUS Transformer Prime 32GB Amethyst Gray edition on its way to your doorstep from Best Buy's warehouse on Monday, December 27th.

Dec

Hasbro Sues ASUS For Use Of Transformer Prime Name (Now Is Anyone Surprised Google Passed On It?)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Legal, News

In a not too surprising move, toy maker Hasbro has sued ASUS, claiming that the Transformer Prime tablet's name infringes trademarks related to Optimus Prime and Transformers children's toys.

Hasbro filed the lawsuit late last week in Los Angeles federal court, seeking damages and a temporary injunction. Hasbro wrote to paidContent:

Hasbro continues to aggressively protect its brands and products and the specific actions we are taking today against Asus underscores yet again Hasbro’s willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain.

In reality, Hasbro's case is not likely to succeed. MocoNews rightly points out that trademarks generally only cover limited categories of goods, and that it is not realistic to think that consumers might confuse ASUS' latest tablet with a popular children's toy line.

Dec

[Updated: Here Is The Winner!] Mega-Holiday Giveaway #7: Win An ASUS Transformer Prime 32GB And A Pair Of Klipsch S4A Headphones

Posted by David Ruddock in Contests / Giveaways, Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Last Updated: December 30th, 2011

Well, we started today off right by offering our US readers a Galaxy Nexus, but we figured it's only fair to bring our international readers into the mix for another awesome giveaway. Today, we're giving away one ASUS Transformer Prime 32GB Wi-Fi tablet to one lucky person, courtesy of Beansoft, the developers of the extremely popular third-party keyboard app Thumb Keyboard, along with a pair of Klipsch S4A headphones provided by Klipsch (read our review here).

This contest is now over. Here is our winner, selected at random:

Soukthachone Vilaysack

Congratulations, you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

Dec

[Updated x3] All Four Variants Of ASUS Transformer Prime Return To Amazon With Free One-Day Shipping In Tow

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News

One of the hottest gadgets of this holiday season, the Transformer Prime (see our preview and review), is scheduled to be released the week of December 19th - that would be any day now starting today. In anticipation of the launch, Amazon re-launched pre-orders for all four color/size combinations after they went dark, disappeared completely, and even got cancelled in some cases shortly after the first wave was sold out.

Update #1: ASUS issued the following statement today:

ASUS started filling the inventory pipelines this past week for our new Eee Pad Transformer Prime and will continue to do so on an expedited basis for the foreseeable future.

Dec

[Head To Head] Asus Transformer (TF101) Versus Asus Transformer Prime (TF201): No Surprises Here - Prime By A Landslide

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Tablet Reviews

Although we heard rumblings that the Prime would be delayed, some lucky customers have already received their Asus Transformer Primes, and it was briefly available (again) on Amazon before quickly selling out (again). Based on the universally glowing reviews (including my own), you're probably well aware by now that the Prime is a truly excellent piece of tech. But how does it compare to its older brother, the Transformer (TF101)? Is it worthwhile for TF owners to upgrade to the TP?

The Specs

Before diving in, let's run over the Prime's specs:

10.1-inch 1280x800 Super IPS + display with Gorilla Glass
1.3GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 Processor with 12-core GPU (up to 1.4GHz in single-core mode)
1GB RAM
microSD slot and microHDMI port (with support for 1080p video output) on tablet
SD card slot and USB port on dock
8MP F2.4 rear shooter with 1080p video recording and continuous flash, 1.2MP front camera
Tablet: 8.3mm thin, 263mm wide, 180.8mm tall, 586g (1.29 lbs)
Dock: 8 - 10.4mm thin, 263mm wide, 180.8mm tall, 537g (1.18 lbs)
12 hour battery life playing 720p video, 18 hours with keyboard dock
Metallic spun finish
Two available colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold
Android 3.2.1 - will be updated to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as soon as possible after release

Size and Build

Dimensions and build quality are probably the two most significant factors in tablet purchases for casual consumers, so it should be no surprise that Asus placed an emphasis on how thin and light the Prime is.

Dec

[Update: It's Back!] Champagne Transformer Prime 64GB Available For Pre-Order From Amazon For $599, All Other Versions Still MIA

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News

Update 12/18/11: It's back again - all other variants are still showing the "sign up for availability alerts" message.

Looks like Amazon may be gearing up to start (re)taking pre-orders for the Transformer Prime, with the 64GB version in champagne being the first one to make its way back to the site. As you may already know, Amazon started taking pre-orders several weeks ago, but abruptly stopped (no reason has really been made clear as to why) and ultimately ended up cancelling many users' orders.

Much like the original Transformer, the amount of demand for the Prime has been overwhelming, and ASUS has been struggling to keep up with production.

Dec

[Review] Asus Transformer Prime: Smarter, Better, Faster, Stronger

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Features, News, Reviews, Tablet Reviews, Tablets

Last Updated: December 8th, 2011

The Asus Transformer Prime: the first Android device to ship with a quad-core chip, courtesy of NVIDIA's brand new Tegra 3 (Kal-El) CPU. But there's more of a hook here than power alone - Asus has gone back to the drawing board for the Prime (model number TF201) and revamped the device from nearly head to toe compared to its predecessor, the TF101. It's substantially thinner, lighter, and more attractive than the rather portly 101, while packing a much more powerful CPU, better display, and reportedly better battery life. But can they really improve upon all those aspects without cutting any corners?