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ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Android Tablet with Keyboard Dock

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Updated, but Not With 3.2

Kevin Purcell —  07/20/2011

My ASUS Eee Pad Transformer just received an Over the Air update. Seeing the download in progress left me giddy with hopes that Honeycomb 3.2 was on the way to my Transformer, but upon a reboot ASUS disappointed me.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Android Tablet with Keyboard Dock

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Android Tablet with Keyboard Dock

When the update was complete I did find some changes including a new V5.1.50 Wi-Fi version with a new Wi-Fi status bar icon. The kernel and a build number are different (see below). This new firmware build tantalizes the user with only a few minor changes. One is a boot splash screen that has the label “Powered by Nvidia” at the bottom. The Tegra games icon looks different.

Transformer Settings About Page

Google’s video rental service shows up on the device but has a problem, at least on my Transformer. The top of the app’s screen shows an error instead of videos. This looks like prep for the Honeycomb 3.2 update that ASUS promises will show up soon.

ASUS Update has new icons

As I play with the tablet for my review, I will share any other improvements that I find. Until then here is what users in the Android Central Forums found. These may just be personal impressions rather than real improvements.

  • Speed of the interface improved
  • New Android Market includes video
  • Improved speaker balance fixing issue some users had with the left speaker volume weakness
  • Netflix shows up in Market but still cannot display videos
New ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Splash Screen with Power by Nvidia
Users have reported that the keyboard dock drains the battery as much as 2% an hour when the tablet is docked. Sadly, the update left this problem unfixed. My Transformer sat unused in the dock all afternoon and evening today and the battery drained 50% when it should only have lost a few percentage points in standby mode. Maybe the 3.2 update will fix this issue when it is finally released. This build looks very much like a prep build for the 3.2 update, so it looks like it will drop soon.

Kevin Purcell

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Kevin loves notebooks, tablets, gadgets and photography. He grew up with computers starting out on a Vic 20 and Commodore 64. The first computer he owned himself was an 8086 Compaq Deskpro. His foray into tablet computing began when he bought a Samsung Q1 Ultra. The smartphone market opened up for him with his Palm Treo 600.

7 responses to ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Updated, but Not With 3.2

  1. ChrisRS 07/20/2011 at 4:52 pm

    This is spam and has shown up on other comments as well. I don’t know how to notify a moderator t remove it.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous 07/20/2011 at 7:36 pm

    Really… You were disappointed by Asus because you have not received 3.2 yet? Its been what less than a week since it was released to Dev’s?

    I think they have been pretty good with the updates, the updates fixed the keyboard lag, and added a movie option for us until Netflix is supported…

    Reply
  3. Anonymous 07/21/2011 at 10:28 pm

    The ASUS transformer is by far the best tablet so pleased with mine and has come down in price as well - http://amzn.to/jLbPxq

    Reply
  4. Jack Levy 07/22/2011 at 5:51 pm

    also there has been an annoying aspect that has been fixed. If you choose to use a different on screen keyboard, say thumb keyboard, every time you put the table back in the keyboard dock it would say that the asus keyboard has not been selected and to choose the asus one to keep consistency. until now, you could on say okay to it, but now you have a check box that allows you to say do not show this message again. I am very happy with my asus transformer, I do not have a problem with battery drain or anything like that, in fact the battery is fantastic! Couldn’t ask for anything more!

    Reply
  5. Jack Levy 07/22/2011 at 5:51 pm

    also there has been an annoying aspect that has been fixed. If you choose to use a different on screen keyboard, say thumb keyboard, every time you put the table back in the keyboard dock it would say that the asus keyboard has not been selected and to choose the asus one to keep consistency. until now, you could on say okay to it, but now you have a check box that allows you to say do not show this message again. I am very happy with my asus transformer, I do not have a problem with battery drain or anything like that, in fact the battery is fantastic! Couldn’t ask for anything more!

    Reply
  6. Llewyn 07/20/2011 at 3:48 pm

    That is a goddam lie! Don’t be fooled!. Grabpenny is a scam just like other “auction” sites that use its methods. If you want to throw your money away go ahead and try it.

    Reply