Transformer Prime GPS issues: complaints, updates, and a hardware solution
Complaints started mounting against the Transformer Prime's GPS capabilities soon after its launch. Users said — and our own tests confirmed — that the tablet was slow to obtain a positioning lock from its GPS unit. Asus recognized the problem and removed all mention of GPS capabilities from its marketing materials, and it offered several firmware updates to help solve the problem. They didn't work, however, and a teardown of the tablet revealed that poor placement of the GPS chip was affecting performance. Asus has since opened up registrations to owners that will see the company ship free GPS dongles to customers in a program that will end come July 31st, 2012.
Asus begins shipping free Transformer Prime GPS dongles
In what may be the final chapter of a lengthy chronicle, Asus has started sending out free GPS dongles to Transformer Prime owners affected by the tablet's location-fixing woes. A Droid Life reader has already received a GPS Extension Kit, as the manufacturer is calling it, so those of you who registered ten days ago should be getting yours soon. The kit should fix what successive firmware updates weren't able to, but remember — it's a pretty bulky add-on, and you won't be able to use the...
Android
Asus opens up registrations for Transformer Prime GPS dongle
It looks like the Asus Transformer Prime GPS saga is coming to a close. After complaints about poor positioning performance, Asus has announced that it is going to give owners a free GPS dongle that should drastically improve the accuracy and speed of lock-ons. Now the company has officially opened up the program, and if you own the Tegra 3-powered tablet you can register to have the dongle shipped to you. Unfortunately, the dongle — which plugs into the proprietary docking connector at the...
Android
Asus confirms Transformer Prime GPS dongle, signups begin April 16th
We heard on Thursday that Asus was working on releasing a free GPS dongle to Transformer Prime owners to help fix some of the tablet's positioning woes, and now the company has confirmed to AllThingsD that the rumors are true. Details are still slim, but Asus says that it will reveal the full program come April 16th, when it will allow customers to register for the dongle on their website. Unfortunately, the company has not said whether or not the accessory will be offered free of charge....
Android
Asus prepping free dongle to address Transformer Prime GPS woes?
Owners of the original Asus Transformer Prime have been complaining about problems with the device's GPS since it first landed in customer's hands, and a subsequent teardown revealed a hardware design issue as the possible culprit. According to a post in the xda-developers forums, Asus is readying a solution to the problem: a GPS dongle. The post details an email exchange with an alleged Asus product manager, who claims that the add-on will be provided for free to existing TF201 owners, and...
Apps & Software
Asus Transformer Prime update improves GPS performance?
The latest twist in the Asus Transformer Prime saga is here, with an over-the-air firmware update that supposedly goes some way to improving the tablet's much-maligned GPS performance by updating the driver — if posters on xda-developers are to be believed. We'll have to get our own confirmation of this, as a teardown of the Prime and subsequent announcement of a redesigned model seemed to indicate that the GPS issues were inherent to the hardware design. One thing the update definitely...
Android
Asus Transformer Prime TF700T official with 1920 x 1200 res and new design to improve GPS
Asus is today introducing the TF700T, a new variant of its Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet, whose major upgrade is a move to a 1920 x 1200 resolution. That makes two Android tablets moving to a 1080p res at CES 2012, following Acer's unveiling of the Iconia Tab A700 yesterday.
The new Transformer Prime isn't sacrificing quality for quantity with its move to a much higher pixel density — its display is still made of the SuperIPS+ stuff that impressed us so much when reviewing the TF201....
Android
Asus Transformer Prime teardown reveals cause of GPS issue
Asus's GPS troubles with the Transformer Prime don't seem to have been easily resolved by the recent firmware update, and Anandtech claims to have the answer. A teardown of the Prime didn't reveal much untoward, but does show that the spotty GPS reception is down to the tablet's fundamental hardware design. Unlike the original, plastic Transformer, the Prime has a fully aluminum body which doesn't play too nicely with wireless signals, and unlike the iPad there's no RF window or speaker grill...
Android
Android 4.0 coming to Asus Transformer Prime on January 12th, bootloader unlock tool to follow
It's been a big week for the Eee Pad Transformer Prime — Asus released yet another firmware update for the tablet, and now we have official confirmation that Android 4.0 will be coming starting on January 12th. Asus made this announcement on its Facebook page alongside news that it will be providing owners with a bootloader unlocking tool. The presence of a locked bootloader had been a major point of contention for users since it was discovered a few days ago, so it's good to see Asus...
Android
Asus pushes out another Transformer Prime firmware update to fix GPS troubles
We've really enjoyed our time with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, but it seems some users haven't been so lucky. GPS lock-on has been confirmed as suspect, and while Asus released a firmware update last week to improve stability, there's another over-the-air patch making the rounds. This update to build 8.8.3.33 purports to "enhance GPS speed" by automatically downloading satellite locations tables over Wi-Fi; other changes include improved touch response and better camera focusing (an...
Asus Transformer Prime users complain about GPS, 8.8.3.29 update doesn't solve issues
If you were planning to use your Asus Transformer Prime as an offline GPS, we've got a spot of bad news. Early adopters at the XDA-developers forum are reporting — and we can personally confirm — that some units are having a difficult time locking onto satellite signals. In a 75-page thread, they describe a number of different experiences, but even some who originally claimed their GPS worked fine have since acknowledged that the tablet doesn't seem to be nearly as quick or accurate to...
