Using Prime as a notebook replacement (email?)

---

Hi, folks!
I am seriously thinking about buying a TF201 to repace my Vaio. The main obstacle for me seems to be the way to handle my mail. I am used to keep my mail locally (with pop3) and backing it up later. Can anyone, please, clarify a few moments:

1. Is there any decent email application that would be able to handle about 25-30 Gb of email, show it with threads, use Android addressbook, etc? I hear about K9 but this one seems to be rather rudimentary in comparison to a full blown desktop client. Don't suggest a GMail app beuase it's a cloud based app.

2. Did anyone try to use a wired network on a Prime, say with USB-to-Ethernet?

3. Did anyone try to use a 128 Gb flash drives on a Prime?

Thanks a lot in advance,

I'm right in the same boat! I have an HP Touchsmart TM2-2057sb and I'm deciding right now to sell it and just run with the Prime. All of my tests seem to line up that way!

1. Touchdown is a good email client. On my A500, I used that to get my work email and it's probably your best bet.
2. Yes, the latest .21 update has given the ability to do this. Check the herehttp://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1581824 for the Prime for several threads describing which ones work the best.
3. Not sure. But hard drives yes. Considering the SD can handle 64 and the microSD 32, plus the ability to connect a portable hard drive. I think you're safe.

I'm still going to keep my laptop for another few weeks just to make sure I can do everything I need to but the real test will come on our next vacation somewhere.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201

Originally Posted by rorytmeadows

I'm right in the same boat! I have an HP Touchsmart TM2-2057sb and I'm deciding right now to sell it and just run with the Prime. All of my tests seem to line up that way!

1. Touchdown is a good email client. On my A500, I used that to get my work email and it's probably your best bet.

Can it import emails from another client? Say, from an mh folder structure?

Originally Posted by vomus

Can it import emails from another client? Say, from an mh folder structure?

Not sure as I wouldn't store my emails that way.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201

Originally Posted by rorytmeadows

Not sure as I wouldn't store my emails that way.

I looked at the program but it seems to be an Exchange client only. No "normal" pop3/imap mode of operation. Would not work for me this way.

Originally Posted by vomus

I looked at the program but it seems to be an Exchange client only. No "normal" pop3/imap mode of operation. Would not work for me this way.

I thought it could handle that. The default Android email app handles POP3/IMAP. What do you have in your email folders that's so precious? Upload it to a cloud based email service and call it a day. Then you'll never have to worry about questions like these ever again.


Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201

I have been using GMAIL routing all my accounts to it and have not had any issues. Also have been using OWA on chrome beta with no issues to get my work email. I think it is a great replacement for a laptop

Droidmail and advanced email both have the option to store your emaail locally.

The TFP is a terrible laptop replacement as far as productivity is concerned. I tried really hard to use it in that capacity, but despite my best efforts, Android in general just isn't up to that task yet.

Granted, if your idea of a laptop replacement is nothing more than something to check/store email on, you should be able to get by. It's when you roll into making presentations and spreadsheets that you begin to feel the pain. Anything beyond the most basic of tasks is either impossible or at best, a chore.

Web browsing utterly blows as well. Soooooo slow, and crashes/freezes frequently. My phone slaughters the TFP as a browser, and I only consider it tolerable. (Galaxy Nexus)

Even Google's own services offer sub-par experiences on Android compared to what you can get on Mac/Win PCs. Try editing a spreadsheet in Google Docs' Android app. Activate an entire row of cells for editing, enter values, save row? No thank you! Google Hangouts? Good luck finding how to start one, much less getting it to actually work. My wife's TFP always fails to connect to the other party--unless she opens the Hangout session on her laptop, leaves, and then joins on the TFP.

The gmail app crashes constantly for some as well, so even something as basic as email is finicky. (but you can get around that by using other apps at least)

imho, the only way this would be a decent laptop replacement is if all you do is check email, keep a calendar, and read pdfs. (It's like, the best PDF reader ever). Maybe if you type up Word docs occasionally that contain nothing but text.

My prime is my 'tabbook'. A netbook in concept is not really intended for the 'locally' bit so much as the cloud bit, hence the 'net' part in the name.

Although in reality a netbook is just a compact laptop with low end hardware, so people use it like a regular laptop instead. Android tablets are closer to how Netbooks were originally intended, and lack powerful software by comparason. Things like MS Office, full Photoshop, etc. That's the big difference. Access to the most powerful tools on this device requires going closer to bare Linux, and that is most easy at terminal level.


1.) I'm only familar with stock email applications (Froyo - ICS) and gmail. Storage space matters aside the principal problem is attachments. The clients can be pissy about opening certain types of files. I think K9 lacks tablet friendly UI but it does say, it's intended for large mail chewing. When I need to go outside the stock email/gmail, I've always just reached for mutt. Simply put, the device is cloud oriented. I rely on "Caching" such as having a months worth of e-mail stored and sync when Internet access becomes available again.

2.) Some threads have existed, between TF101/TF201, and I've considered getting one of these. When I get my tablet back from RMA, I want to try the adapter that came with the Zenbook.

3.) I've only tried 4GB flash drives formatted in FAT32. You should have no problems AFAIK as long as the file system is supported. That can vary by kernel/rom setup on any such device.

Originally Posted by punitenshu

The TFP is a terrible laptop replacement as far as productivity is concerned.

All of the issues you point out are software issues. And why e.g. you can use a Windows/Linux/Mac netbook as a laptop, but you cannot (so easily) use an Android anything as a laptop. E.g. you won't get MS Office unless you remote to a PC.


Browser wise, speed seems to leave a lot to be desired on the 10" transformers. I think either the software isn't tuned for Tegra 3 properly, or there is just not enough power being devoted. I'm curious about how the Kait powered models are gonna do later in the year. I really would like to know what the hell is with the GMail app too.

Sadly, stuff like Google Docs while decent on a PC, is not so good on mobile. Microsoft's solution was crippled off Windows Phone last I looked at reviews, and Android apps offer much more features than Google Doc's mobile clients.


These are issues people should look at when deciding if a device like this is right for them. For me, all the heavy duty software I need can be run from a Debian chroot and a terminal emulator, so I'm good lol.