Thoughts of let down with a hint of mutiny...

---

Odd title eh'?

So here is the boat I am swimming in. I jumped on the Xoom bandwagon when it was released. I immediately was fascinated with the tablet experience and enjoyed it. The Xoom certainly had its issues but was a very neat device. When I got word that the TF was coming out I jumped ship and bought a TF. Used it for a week and also liked it for the most part. However I was finding that productivity really lacked on all tablets on screen keyboard. Then I got my hands on a dock and the experience changed. Using the keyboard was infinately more productive and I found that from the day I first docked it I have yet to undock it (around a couple months now).
My problem is I basically just spent a ton of money on a netbook that isnt exactly a speed demon. Web browsing is often slow, updates have caused many issues, etc etc... The device still works but it feels like im playing with a toy instead of actually using the device as a tool. I enjoy Android but think it is very early in the game and it leaves allot to be desired. As I said at first i loved both devices but once the newness wears off you basically have a dumbed down netbook (in my opinion of course).
So now Im thinking about selling the TF as well and picking up one of the new Sandy Bridge Alienware M11x's. To be able to have an i7 processor, damn good video card, and best of all use all my programs in windows sounds like a breath of fresh air at this point.
I know tablets are meant to be stand alone but I never found a use for it for work purposes and the few times I did it was quite the let down. Again, dont read my words wrong. I like the device I just dont think it is good at being anything much more then a toy at this point.
After more thought the only real downside I see in switching is losing the touch screen. It is super nice to be able to just tap where you want to go but often on smaller links it would just pick the wrong one anyways.
So here I sit trying to figure if I should make the switch or not. I know im not comparing apples to apples hardware wise, but I am comparing portable device usefulness. Just curious if anyone has the same feelings or any further input before I make my decision.

Godspeed...

Originally Posted by 03stage2

Odd title eh'?

So here is the boat I am swimming in. I jumped on the Xoom bandwagon when it was released. I immediately was fascinated with the tablet experience and enjoyed it. The Xoom certainly had its issues but was a very neat device. When I got word that the TF was coming out I jumped ship and bought a TF. Used it for a week and also liked it for the most part. However I was finding that productivity really lacked on all tablets on screen keyboard. Then I got my hands on a dock and the experience changed. Using the keyboard was infinately more productive and I found that from the day I first docked it I have yet to undock it (around a couple months now).
My problem is I basically just spent a ton of money on a netbook that isnt exactly a speed demon. Web browsing is often slow, updates have caused many issues, etc etc... The device still works but it feels like im playing with a toy instead of actually using the device as a tool. I enjoy Android but think it is very early in the game and it leaves allot to be desired. As I said at first i loved both devices but once the newness wears off you basically have a dumbed down netbook (in my opinion of course).
So now Im thinking about selling the TF as well and picking up one of the new Sandy Bridge Alienware M11x's. To be able to have an i7 processor, damn good video card, and best of all use all my programs in windows sounds like a breath of fresh air at this point.
I know tablets are meant to be stand alone but I never found a use for it for work purposes and the few times I did it was quite the let down. Again, dont read my words wrong. I like the device I just dont think it is good at being anything much more then a toy at this point.
After more thought the only real downside I see in switching is losing the touch screen. It is super nice to be able to just tap where you want to go but often on smaller links it would just pick the wrong one anyways.
So here I sit trying to figure if I should make the switch or not. I know im not comparing apples to apples hardware wise, but I am comparing portable device usefulness. Just curious if anyone has the same feelings or any further input before I make my decision.

Godspeed...

Yep. I think people will be switching, and you should too.

The dock is addictive for productivity. Unless I tried it I would have not realized how much better is the experience. Yet, when reading a book I prefer only the tablet. This combination is awesome on the Transformer.

Originally Posted by Bob Smith42

Yep. I think people will be switching, and you should too.

The dock is addictive for productivity. Unless I tried it I would have not realized how much better is the experience. Yet, when reading a book I prefer only the tablet. This combination is awesome on the Transformer.

+1, and if anyone is that worried about selecting the wrong link by accident they can always use the mouse pointer via the trackpad. I've had no problem doing it this way and it's a big plus for the TF.

Sounds to me like you have no business owning a tablet and windows fits your needs. I'm glad you got that figured out.

Originally Posted by GeLopez

Sounds to me like you have no business owning a tablet and windows fits your needs. I'm glad you got that figured out.

I think the TF is perfect for his needs. The problem is, that this tablet HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS. This tablet is much slower than any tegra 2 tablet as there is no hardware acceleration! And the fact that there is light bleed, dock issues, battery issues, charging issues, sound issues, etc. Asus really screwed up..

Lets put things into perspective here...

The tablet is not a laptop, it can perform many functions of a laptop, but it is truly not one.

It does have a place in the field. I have found that for business, being able to show information instantly to partners without having to 'boot up' or 'plug in' is essential when I want to get a point across.

It is great for email, messaging, movies, light surfing, reading, and even playing some good casual games on.

The dock makes it appear to be more like a laptop, but again.. go back to my 2nd sentence, and do not put it in a category it does not belong in.

If I need to develop, I use my Alienware mx17-r2, if I need to demo products I have my Inspiron. If I need to take notes, read a quick email, show a slide deck / video, or just look something up real quick, I have my TF101.

So this is more about how you set your expectations above what a product is intended to do, and now have buyer's remorse because of it.

Sounds like you put expectations on the device geared towards what it is not. Go get a netbook or start hackin up the ROM and tailor it to your needs.

Instant On
16 hours of battery life.

Love it.

True though...I barely ever undock it now ahahahah...so we've kind of went full circle...

It's nice to know that I can undock it though.

Even as a netbook it is sleek...IPS screen...touchscreen. The interface is just nice for what it's meant to be...a light portable machine.

I can listen to music/pandora...type up some docs...play some games...browse some web...watch some movies....read some magazines...

Edit: oh yeah...I can mount it in my car and use it as a GPS....use yelp to find nearby food places then map a route to it...(yes this can be done on phone too)...but it's kind of cool.

It's kind of nice.

Originally Posted by xTRICKYxx

I think the TF is perfect for his needs. The problem is, that this tablet HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS. This tablet is much slower than any tegra 2 tablet as there is no hardware acceleration! And the fact that there is light bleed, dock issues, battery issues, charging issues, sound issues, etc. Asus really screwed up..

I dont know of any problems you speak of ,mine is perfect

Originally Posted by GeLopez

I dont know of any problems you speak of ,mine is perfect

I don't have those problems either, but thousands do.