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E2M2 posted:How does it compare to Perfect Viewer?
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Jan 24, 2012 04:10
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With the Primes in stock all of a sudden lately, I might make the jump but I'm really nervous between it and an iPad. Is there any way I can browse the (web) Market or something to see what kind of apps are designed for the tablet? My mother owns an iPad and given how long it took some apps like friggin' Facebook to build a native/optimized app for that machine, I'm afraid the tiny minority of Android tablets are probably ignored by developers.
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Jan 24, 2012 07:15
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Craptacular! posted:Is there any way I can browse the (web) Market or something to see what kind of apps are designed for the tablet? https://market.android.com/ The way android handles phone apps on a tablet is MUCH better than the iPad. It doesn't just scale the entire "phone" window to fill the tablet screen. It actually resizes individual elements, feeling much more like maximizing an app in windows than scaling the entire thing to be huge.
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Jan 24, 2012 07:23
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Gyshall posted:How is the Nook Color as a rooted tablet? I'm most interested in reading comics/Kindle books, as well as playing some games and so on. I looked at the Kindle Fire but I wasn't happy with the size of the screen. If you just want a cheap 10" reader, I picked up a Le Pan TC 970 for $170 on sale at amazon.ca. Its specs are similar to the Nook Color and it's a 2.2 tablet as well. However its screen is an IPS panel with the same part number as the iPad 1 screen. CM7/9 is being actively ported to it and some people have figured out how to sign ROMs for the device so hopefully it's just a matter of time now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1399693 Here's some more detailed information about the tablet. http://forums.redflagdeals.com/amazon-ca-le-pan-tc-970-9-7-inch-android-tablet-200-a-1087251/
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Jan 24, 2012 07:29
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Here's an example of how phone apps not optimized for a tablet run. There are 2 options, "Stretch to fill screen" and "Zoom to fill screen" Stretch to fill screen is the default. Here's Bacon Reader on that mode:  Then there's the zoom to fill screen, which is what the iPad does:  While the screen space in "stretch" mode could be spent better on a tablet, it doesn't feel out of place like the zoom mode does.
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Jan 24, 2012 07:43
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Craptacular! posted:With the Primes in stock all of a sudden lately, I might make the jump but I'm really nervous between it and an iPad. There aren't a remarkable number of dedicated Android tablet apps. Most normal android apps automatically scale up and still look pretty good, with the exception of apps that use a lot of graphics in their UI (as those graphics can't be scaled up.. only zoomed in etc. Apps ported over from iphone are notorious for this). This is a list of featured tablet apps, but other than that, I am not sure if there is a way to filter to only tablet-specific apps. To Prime owners: So now that winter break has ended for a lot of colleges, has anyone with a Prime gotten any in-class or school related work done on it? Any preferred office apps? My professors often put their presentations on a networked drive that is accessible to all computers connected to the network, however, ES file explorer doesn't seem to be able to connect to them (and actually, on that note, what's the best app for viewing pptx files?) I personally haven't found much school use for it aside from reading between classes. I imagine it would be more useful if I had a dock for it, but ASUS seems to be allergic to money or something. But anyway, that's why I'm asking. I want to know if the keyboard dock is a significant improvement (especially for productivity), because as it stands now, I'm thinking of just selling it and putting that money toward an Ultrabook or Macbook Air. It's also worth noting that now that I am using it on campus, I am starting to run into trouble with its wifi reception. It worked fine in my house, but it often has poor reception or total signal loss on the campus WLAN, in areas where my Nexus or Powerbook G4 (don't laugh, its been good to me aside from all the nut burning) will have a good signal.
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Jan 24, 2012 07:44
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I would say the keyboard dock really changes things. It goes from a media consumption-only device, to one that you could easily type out notes or write a paper. Think about using supernote for class with a keyboard. You can type notes and then draw an equation right there in your notes. The dock is real slick, but the wifi reception might be more of a deal breaker for you.
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Jan 24, 2012 12:16
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Ericadia posted:To Prime owners: All of my classes have zero wifi, in fact I'm the only who brings a laptop to class. I find I can type my notes faster and organize them neatly better than I can writing. Right now I'm in the cafeteria eating breakfast and have excellent reception and speed. SlayVus fucked around with this message at 14:51 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 14:48
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Mantle posted:If you just want a cheap 10" reader, I picked up a Le Pan TC 970 for $170 on sale at amazon.ca. Its specs are similar to the Nook Color and it's a 2.2 tablet as well. However its screen is an IPS panel with the same part number as the iPad 1 screen. I like this idea - one of the biggest things for me though is that I want Cyanogenmod support for the tablet. It seems that Android tablets are a case of having your cake or eating it - not both. Or dropping a ton of money on one.
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Jan 24, 2012 15:00
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Frozen-Solid posted:https://market.android.com/ Not sure I'm getting this. You say that Android automatically resizes individual UI elements, but in the first example you posted the UI elements (buttons, icons and so on) look phone-sized. There's so much blank space in there, it looks terrible. I'll agree that the way iPad resizes phone apps isn't much better, but then again you have like 180 000 universal or iPad-only apps to choose from, there's very rarely any reason to use a phone app in 2X mode.
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Jan 24, 2012 15:07
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I'm not sure how well Google Docs works on the Prime but you should try that out, with a few of your classmates. Last semester in grad school, specifically in my business law class, we all shared one google doc and typed notes in it at the same time. It was a little hectic at first with 5 of us, but we soon found our groove and found it much more efficient than taking notes individually. And a side note, use the same google doc the whole semester, it gets annoying to share and reference multiple docs per class all semester long.
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Jan 24, 2012 15:08
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Vaporware posted:This swype bug drives me crazy, I thought I was fat fingering things for a whole day. The only good news is that Opera and Firefox work just fine. The bad news is that Swype is pointing fingers at Samsung and god knows when they will fix it.
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Jan 24, 2012 16:13
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draize_train posted:Not sure I'm getting this. You say that Android automatically resizes individual UI elements, but in the first example you posted the UI elements (buttons, icons and so on) look phone-sized. There's so much blank space in there, it looks terrible. UI elements are actually pretty good sized. They're the same size as a tablet-optimized app's icons would be. BaconReader is pretty much the worst app I have as far as going from phone to tablet, which is why I chose it for an example. Normal tablet icons are like the 4 icons on the bottom left of the pictures. As you can see the new post and messages icons in the top right of the first picture are the exact same size by comparison. They're scaled properly with the tablet, the fonts are proper sized for reading on a tablet, and you can see a LOT more items than you can on a phone. In the second picture, the two icons in the top right 3x the size of a normal tablet icon button, fonts are blurry, and you can only see 3 items. The entire app window is scaled up to be HUGE rather than having elements scale and stretch intelligently to fill the space better. MOST of my apps are properly designed for use on a tablet. Even my crappy IRC app is designed for use on a tablet. Look at the Awful app on the market for examples of how an app can look when designed for a tablet on Android. It's one apk that looks amazing on a phone as well as on a tablet. The only ones that don't are social networking apps, like Facebook, Baconreader, and Tweetdeck, but I'll take how those run on the Android to how non-iPad apps run on the iPad any day.
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Jan 24, 2012 17:03
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Frozen-Solid posted:Here's an example of how phone apps not optimized for a tablet run. There are 2 options, "Stretch to fill screen" and "Zoom to fill screen" In every single app I've used on my tablet which gave me this option, stretch looked so much better than zoom. Granted I'm using a TouchPad so the resolution is only 1024x768 instead of the standard 1280x800, but I can't imagine ever zooming apps instead of stretching.
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Jan 24, 2012 17:51
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letsgoflyers81 posted:In every single app I've used on my tablet which gave me this option, stretch looked so much better than zoom. Granted I'm using a TouchPad so the resolution is only 1024x768 instead of the standard 1280x800, but I can't imagine ever zooming apps instead of stretching. Definitely Zoom is terrible. I love the stretch option, and unless it's a really light single column app like baconreader or tweetdeck it makes most apps feel right at home on the tablet.
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Jan 24, 2012 17:53
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Ericadia posted:There aren't a remarkable number of dedicated Android tablet apps. Most normal android apps automatically scale up and still look pretty good, with the exception of apps that use a lot of graphics in their UI (as those graphics can't be scaled up.. only zoomed in etc. Apps ported over from iphone are notorious for this). This is a list of featured tablet apps, but other than that, I am not sure if there is a way to filter to only tablet-specific apps. draize_train posted:I'll agree that the way iPad resizes phone apps isn't much better, but then again you have like 180 000 universal or iPad-only apps to choose from Oh it's this discussion again. Directories / sources of tablet-optimized apps on Android: Android Market featured apps for tablets tablified.com Android Police weekly best new apps roundup (they often do an edition focused on tablet apps) And several user-edited lists/indexes from the various Android forums: transformerforums.com androidtablets.net androidcentral.com androidforums.com I hereby grant permission to add this info to the OP.
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Jan 24, 2012 18:05
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About the only app that I've seen zoomed personally is the speedtest app. In zoom mode I can't even see the whole interface for the app. On an unrelated note, I had a small problem with my prime earlier. I use Thumb Keyboard 4 and at the left shift key and ?123 key the screen went completely unresponsive. I had to reboot the device to get it to work. Something I don't like so far is that the status bar doesn't go away when I am typing. I keep accidentally pressing the keyboard icon when reaching for the right space bar. This happens with any touch keyboard I use.
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Jan 24, 2012 18:10
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I want to try out another tablet (currently have a Xoom, not satisfied with size/weight). I'm torn between the Samsung 7" and the Samsung 8.9". What would you guys recommend? I use it for a little bit of everything.
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Jan 24, 2012 19:13
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SlayVus posted:Out of stock.... Reportedly tiger direct filled their preorders and are now showing in stock...
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Jan 24, 2012 21:01
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wandler20 posted:I want to try out another tablet (currently have a Xoom, not satisfied with size/weight). Go to Best Buy or another store that has floor models you can play with. I've spent time with my brother's 7 inch Nook Color, my 10 inch iPad 2 and TouchPad, and I've played with a Galaxy Tab 8.9. Of all of the sizes, the 8.9 felt the best to me. Big enough for watching video but smaller and lighter and less unwieldy. But with anything else, it's subjective so check them out and go with what feels best to you.
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Jan 24, 2012 21:19
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letsgoflyers81 posted:Go to Best Buy or another store that has floor models you can play with. I've spent time with my brother's 7 inch Nook Color, my 10 inch iPad 2 and TouchPad, and I've played with a Galaxy Tab 8.9. Of all of the sizes, the 8.9 felt the best to me. Big enough for watching video but smaller and lighter and less unwieldy. But with anything else, it's subjective so check them out and go with what feels best to you. The problem for me is I'm 100 miles from a Best Buy/place that carries either. I'll probably just order the 8.9" and if I don't like it I can send it back.
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Jan 24, 2012 21:24
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wandler20 posted:The problem for me is I'm 100 miles from a Best Buy/place that carries either. I'll probably just order the 8.9" and if I don't like it I can send it back. Gotcha. What I can say is that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thinner and lighter than what you're used to with the Xoom. So just scale that down a little more to 9 inches and there's the 8.9. The one thing to keep in mind is that it's a dual core Tegra 2 and the quad core Tegra 3 tablets are starting to come out. But if size is the main determining factor, I'd go with the Tab 8.9.
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Jan 24, 2012 21:53
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ASUS just posted the Transformer Prime bootloader unlock tool is coming in February.
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Jan 24, 2012 21:56
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letsgoflyers81 posted:Gotcha. What I can say is that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thinner and lighter than what you're used to with the Xoom. So just scale that down a little more to 9 inches and there's the 8.9. The one thing to keep in mind is that it's a dual core Tegra 2 and the quad core Tegra 3 tablets are starting to come out. But if size is the main determining factor, I'd go with the Tab 8.9. What Tegra 3 tablets are available now or just around the corner? No real hurry for me to change but I don't want to wait months. I really like the sounds of that 7" Asus but I seriously doubt we see that any time soon.
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Jan 24, 2012 22:05
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So yeah. Used to have an iPad, but didn't use it too terribly much. I think that's just because I've been using an Android phone and am used to Android UI these days. So, given that, I've been thinking about jumping back on the tablet bandwagon. I'm looking at the Transformer Prime in particular. My question, though -- I have a laptop for portable computing, so I don't need the keyboard dock for the transformer prime. I'm just interested for the aspects of a tablet -- basically, media consumption, video watching, the growing gaming market, etc. Primarily for travel on a plane (I don't like getting a laptop out on a plane). I'm also considering jumping into programming for Android OS and such, and would like to have a tablet to work with alongside a phone (Galaxy Nexus, currently). I have been waiting for Tegra 3 to hit before I considered jumping back on -- and the Prime seems like the right price and right tablet for me. I considered waiting on the 7 inch memo, but am pretty sure some major corners will be cut for it. So, given that, is the Prime worth getting if I don't plan to get the keyboard dock? Or is it only really worthwhile if you really want the dock and tablet experience? MrMoose fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 22:15
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wandler20 posted:What Tegra 3 tablets are available now or just around the corner? No real hurry for me to change but I don't want to wait months. I really like the sounds of that 7" Asus but I seriously doubt we see that any time soon. Rough guess, maybe 4-6 months for the 7" and add 1-2 more months for the Transformer 700 series (ultra-res screen). But those are just my poorly educated guesses. MrMoose posted:is the Prime worth getting if I don't plan to get the keyboard dock?
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Jan 24, 2012 22:21
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Rastor posted:It's an iPad 2 that's thinner, lighter, faster, and runs Android apps instead of iOS apps. It's also 1280x800 which is 16:10 instead of 1024x768 which is 4:3 and not as good for watching widescreen video.
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Jan 24, 2012 22:34
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Took the plunge on the Samsung 8.9. Should tide me over for a while. I should be able to recoup some money when I get my Xoom back from Verizon.
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Jan 24, 2012 22:37
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Frozen-Solid posted:Here's an example of how phone apps not optimized for a tablet run. There are 2 options, "Stretch to fill screen" and "Zoom to fill screen" For every baconreader there's about 10 Skypes: 
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Jan 24, 2012 22:50
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MrMoose posted:So, given that, is the Prime worth getting if I don't plan to get the keyboard dock? Or is it only really worthwhile if you really want the dock and tablet experience? I don't have a keyboard dock, and probably won't get one. The prime is an amazing tablet for tablet gaming, HD movie watching (I literally copied a raw 720p mkv file without making any changes to it to the sdcard and it plays perfectly), ebook reading, etc. It's a great tablet, unless you want a tablet that does GPS. Nut Bunnies posted:For every baconreader there's about 10 Skypes: Still looks better than an app not optimized for a tablet on the iOS would look.
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Jan 24, 2012 23:18
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Frozen-Solid posted:Still looks better than an app not optimized for a tablet on the iOS would look. True but there probably is a tablet-optimised version for iOS.
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Jan 24, 2012 23:21
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So, I got in and saw someone buying a transformer prime, and couldn't find them on the shelves. Figured they were out, but I asked anyways. There was one left, so the "MUST GET" in me jumped on that. I now own a transformer prime... with no case. So time to check the thread for the cases others have bought. Hopefully I can find one that works.
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Jan 25, 2012 01:18
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MrMoose posted:So, I got in and saw someone buying a transformer prime, and couldn't find them on the shelves. Figured they were out, but I asked anyways. There was one left, so the "MUST GET" in me jumped on that. I now own a transformer prime... I don't travel enough with a Tablet to need a case with my transformer. And when I do i keep it in my laptop bag. Just two cents on the other side of cases, why get a case for something if you mostly use it at home?
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Jan 25, 2012 01:48
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Duckman2008 posted:I don't travel enough with a Tablet to need a case with my transformer. And when I do i keep it in my laptop bag. Just two cents on the other side of cases, why get a case for something if you mostly use it at home? I bought a case because I was afraid of scratching the screen if I lay it face down, and afraid of dropping something on it if I lay it face up. Also the case acts as a stand which I use frequently.
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Jan 25, 2012 02:12
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Duckman2008 posted:I don't travel enough with a Tablet to need a case with my transformer. And when I do i keep it in my laptop bag. Just two cents on the other side of cases, why get a case for something if you mostly use it at home? Because there will be points where I am travelling for work and want to bring it with me. Additionally, I carry my laptop in a SwissGear backpack, and there's nothing there that would keep it from getting scratched. I'm horribly paranoid of scratches 
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Jan 25, 2012 03:45
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MrMoose posted:Because there will be points where I am travelling for work and want to bring it with me. Additionally, I carry my laptop in a SwissGear backpack, and there's nothing there that would keep it from getting scratched. I'm horribly paranoid of scratches Personally, I hardly ever carry the dock with my OG Transformer. I just throw it in my bag with it's screen against a book and back toward the outside in case I bump into anything. I'm not particularly careful with it and haven't gotten a scratch in the eight months that I've owned. Uthor fucked around with this message at 07:34 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 05:36
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How about a netbook sleeve?
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Jan 25, 2012 06:52
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Any Canadian prime owners find a good source for cases? All the cool ones on Amazon (Like the good looking Moko) won't ship to the great white north.
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Jan 25, 2012 19:10
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Is there any word about the Prime getting an updated back panel, or is that going to be exclusive to the TF700?
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Jan 25, 2012 19:50
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Wireless Trip Report: I took my Prime with me to the local hospital today while I waiting on my husband. I hooked both my phone and prime to the free WiFi. I had 3 bars on both. I had no with problems the signal anywhere. Looks like it might not be as bad as feared. Fake Edit: I got the Blurex from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/BLUREX-Leather-folio-Multi-Angle-Transformer/dp/B006VX96GO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327518671&sr=8-1 I do not recall paying that much for it. I also picked up a Just AIR case to use for the Prime + keyboard dock http://www.amazon.com/Just-Air-Case-Ipad-Pink/dp/B005GOINLS/ref=pd_vtp_e_1 I got it at Staples for 1/2 price. I picked an extra black one if anyone is interested. Nannypea fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 20:10
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