jawanner wrote:Best Buy Black Friday has this tablet for $279, and the keyboard dock for $99. So for about $80 you can get new vs. refurbished. I've never bought anything refurbished before. I was planning on buying this at BB for a Christmas gift, but maybe this is a better deal? Can anyone tell me if it's worth it to fight the crowds on Black Friday to get a new one?

Refurbs from a manufacturer are usually factory reconditioned. This means that any problems or defects found when the product was released new have been replaced. Most of the time a refurb product is actually more reliable than a new device, but everyone has a different take on the matter and of course this is just my two cents.

Straight from the Asus website:
“ASUS Certified Refurbished products are tested to meet factory specifications...”

By posting this information I’m not saying that you should jump on this offer, I’m merely referencing that I did.

leronis wrote:OK, I'm in! Thanks for all the helpful comments here. This will be my first tablet, and I want to make sure it's a good one!

Congrats!

SBeagles wrote:Very much appreciate the knowledge shared and opinions given! Been hesitant to pull the trigger on a tablet for a long time, but you've all helped me take the plunge!

Kudos!

AVNGME wrote:I pulled the trigger as well. All the comments helped in making my decision. My wife and I have been wanting a tablet for a while. Was just not sure what to get. Thanks for all the help!

Awesome!

w00teregrine wrote:I just bought one. This is too good to pass up. I've been watching this exact tablet for weeks. My boss has it and I am very familiar with it. I didn't even want the dock. Wal-Mart had a one day sale yesterday for just the tablet @@ $319. Almost bought it. Today, $349. I am always a little leery of refurbs but as I trust Asus a lot (I have an Asus gaming laptop and an Asus wifi router) I decided it was go time for my credit card. :D

This is a really good deal and Asus is a solid company, none of you will be disappointed!!!

Happy Turkey Day to all!

Now go stuff yourselves full and pass out on the coach like normal people do!

Does anyone know if I can purchase the Squaretrade warranty two days from now when a coupon code I have for them comes online?

tewkewl wrote:
i think the ecosphere will change...
Ipad will be OUT of this segment in a few short years. They will lose more and more market share.

This sounds nice, but I’m just not seeing it. Maybe if all the new windows devices started coming with a free Oompa Loompa!

agardk wrote:This is only partly true. You can chanrge both off of a USB 3 port on a computer but not a USB 2 port. Either way though, it will be an agonizingly slow process. The thing just dont provice enough amps. As SvenJ says, you are far better off using teh supplied charger.

ANd if you want extra length, you will need a USB 3 extention, a USB 2 cable will not work.

Have you actually done this? USB 3.0 is higher data rates, and it allows for 1.5A charging as opposed to 0.5A (500mA) for USB 1/2. It does not change the supply voltage from 5v. I attempted to charge the dock from numerous higher current output chargers, such as the iPad 2A one. No luck. I read the fine (very fine) print on the included charger and found it outputs 5 AND 15 volts, the latter presumably is for the dock, as the tablet charges from USB just fine.

bilski wrote:Does anyone know if I can purchase the Squaretrade warranty two days from now when a coupon code I have for them comes online?

Consensus is SquareTrade will not warranty a refurb.

Alias777 wrote:Consensus is SquareTrade will not warranty a refurb.

How does one reconcile these two FAQs:

http://squaretrade.force.com/support/faqArticles/can-i-get-coverage-for-my-refurbished-or-used-item

http://squaretrade.force.com/support/faqArticles/why-is-a-1-year-care-plan-on-a-refurbished-item-the-same-price-as-a-3-year-plan-on-a-new-item

vittyken wrote:ok. what is a tf101? does it come with the mxplayer?

The TF101 was the original Asus Transformer tablet. It has a Tegra 2 not 3 processor.
MS Player is a free download from Google Play(formerly known at Market).

Purchased the 32gb version from 1saleaday 2 days ago. The keyboard on Amazon is 100 bucks.
So this is a sweet deal for a tegra 3.
Most people will be happy with a 16gb tablet, I have mostly been so with my Toshiba thrive 16gb tablet.
But Asus support and service far outstrip Toshiba support and services. It's good to see these sales for tablets that easily support ics and jb.

bilski wrote:Does anyone know if I can purchase the Squaretrade warranty two days from now when a coupon code I have for them comes online?

Not sure, with a refurb. For new items, you have 30 days after purchase to buy the warranty. Suggest you call their customer service, if you can't find it in their FAQ.

Alias777 wrote:Consensus is SquareTrade will not warranty a refurb.

Actually, if you click on the "I want one" button, Woot takes you to a page that, toward the bottom, offers a Square Trade 1 year warranty for $54.99. So they WILL warranty a refurb, for manufacturer's defects.

What SquareTrade will NOT warranty a refurb for, is accidental damage (i.e.-dropping it, spilling fluids on it, etc).

Zavelin wrote:I'd recommend getting a full body case for your tablet. The GumDrop ones are the best I've found; had one for my TF101 and dropped, threw, and whapped that thing all over the place. I sold it yesterday in mint condition.

http://www.amazon.com/Gumdrop-Cases-TF300T-Transformer-DT-ASIS300-BLK-BLK/dp/B0088TKU14/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1353505762&sr=1-9&keywords=tf300+case

However, the GumDrop case is $50. WELL worth it, but I also found this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Transformer-TF201T-Pad300-TF300T/dp/B008B0WUPO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

This one seems to do a great job of protecting your Transformer as well. However, I personally don't like how the tablet is a bit more exposed on the back, which presents more opportunities for the entrance of dirt, moisture, and debris. I intend to take my tablet along when doing fieldwork, so the ruggedness of the GumDrop is probably where I'll end up going.

The better you take care of your tablet, the more you can resell it for when it comes time to upgrade again.

I have had a bobj cover for the past year and can recommend it highly for its protection power for your tablet.
Neither case will protect you from full liquid immersion. But from drops I would feel safe and confident.
Worth picking up.

ivanivanovich wrote:Chromebooks are based on a different idea than other notebooks and laptops, so it's hard to compare them without having a specific purpose in mind (what you want to do with the device).

Physically, Chromebooks have bigger screens, and they can't turn into tablets because their keyboards don't detach.

The two most recent Chromebooks are cheaper than this device and are new-in-the-box with new-device warranties.

If you presently spend nearly all your computer time in a browser, then a Chromebook may be a good device for you. If you don't, you'll probably be more satisfied with a notebook/tablet/Transformer.

You answered my question.

thanks
ron

Just bought one to replace my touchpad and my asus eee netbook. Hope the buyer's remorse fairy doesn't come visit me tonight!

So, is it worth it to purchase a warranty for 1 year since it's certified refurbed?

So I'm looking at this and I can't help but wonder "Can games be loaded on this?" I would love to know if like "League of Legends" could be run on this!

This is my 1st Woot! purchase. I got it as a gift for my son in law. How long does it normally take to ship? Is squaretrade included or something you do seperately? Thanks wooters for the help.

This is my 1st Woot! purchase. Is squaretrade included? How long is shipping usually? I bought this as a gift and wonder how long it will take to arrive. Thanks for all of the help wooters.

How many of these refurbished units are available?! And why would so many of these things need refurbishing?!

So -- extended warranty. Is the consensus here that I need to jump on the $54.99 Squaretrade warranty offered through Woot, or not be able to get an extended warranty at all?

I've got an email in to ST but assume it will take a while for them to get back to me, and I don't want to miss this warranty if it's the only chance I'll get.

I do see that if you search on 'refurb' on ST they say that they only warrant used items from eBay, but if you go through the 'get me my warranty' process on their website it doesn't say anywhere that you can't buy for a used item. Seems a bit disingenuous of them to potentially let you buy a warranty only to tell you later that it isn't any good.

Also, I'm wondering when this change happened. It seems that I used to be able to get quotes on refurbed items. The quotes were higher, of course, but you could get them.

Re: Refurbs

I used to work for a PC manufacturer. Ever since, I never balk at a refurb from a "trusted" company. There are a couple of reasons.

The refurbished label can be triggered by a number of things. Obviously a "defective" product that was returned is what comes to most people's minds first. But that is not the most common reason for a refurb label in most products.

Technically any product that is purchased can never again be sold as "new". So many cancelled orders wind up being labeled refurbished. And in doing so, the manufacturer must test and prove that there is nothing wrong with it. So most "refurbs" get an extra round of QA.

With electronic products, there are two times that they are most likely to fail: when they are first turned on, and after a long fruitful life. That additional QA that must be done prior to being sold as a refurb gives the manufacturer another chance to catch failures at the burn-in end.

I may not trust some shady, off-brand. But a "refurbished" tag on an Asus or Dell product will never scare me away. It actually entices me to purchase as the price will be lower.

Welcome!

SquareTrade warranties are always extra.

Shipping is typically pretty slow from Woot. Expect a couple weeks on average. Cheap shipping is not speedy.

fredal wrote:This is my 1st Woot! purchase. Is squaretrade included? How long is shipping usually? I bought this as a gift and wonder how long it will take to arrive. Thanks for all of the help wooters.

deathbyblue wrote:So I'm looking at this and I can't help but wonder "Can games be loaded on this?" I would love to know if like "League of Legends" could be run on this!

You can run Android games on this - but it looks like League of Legends is a PC game, so no.

If you're looking for a bunch of cheap Android games, btw, you could do worse than check out the Humble Bundle: http://www.humblebundle.com/

Nope, deal breaker for me. Thanks.

mpenny wrote:You can run Android games on this - but it looks like League of Legends is a PC game, so no.

If you're looking for a bunch of cheap Android games, btw, you could do worse than check out the Humble Bundle: http://www.humblebundle.com/

deathbyblue wrote:So I'm looking at this and I can't help but wonder "Can games be loaded on this?" I would love to know if like "League of Legends" could be run on this!

You can use Splashtop to stream video from your PC to the tablet for gaming, or you can use Onlive, which is decent.

The only negative thing I will say about the TF300 is that none of the firmware updates have really been able to fix the random stuttering, which for me was a huge deal breaker, and I ended up selling mine. Hanging while trying to browse the internet ended up being far too annoying for me. However, my friend says that some of the roms do increase fluidity and eases the stuttering.

Impsterette wrote:You can use Splashtop to stream video from your PC to the tablet for gaming, or you can use Onlive, which is decent.

The only negative thing I will say about the TF300 is that none of the firmware updates have really been able to fix the random stuttering, which for me was a huge deal breaker, and I ended up selling mine. Hanging while trying to browse the internet ended up being far too annoying for me. However, my friend says that some of the roms do increase fluidity and eases the stuttering.

When you noticed the stuttering - do you know whether you were running Ice Cream Sandwich or Jellybean?

From what I understand Jellybean really smoothed things up. It'd be disappointing if that was not the case for this tablet...

I had already planned to buy Surface Pro when it comes out (January? February? - who knows)and tried to resist this, but it is too good to pass up despite having several tablets and multiple laptops. I like the keyboard/battery addition which - while I have bluetooth keyboards for my tablets - makes this an excellent option. Anyway, I finally pulled the trigger for 1. It will probably go to my son when I get Surface Pro, but again, who knows.

jawanner wrote:Best Buy Black Friday has this tablet for $279, and the keyboard dock for $99. So for about $80 you can get new vs. refurbished. I've never bought anything refurbished before. I was planning on buying this at BB for a Christmas gift, but maybe this is a better deal? Can anyone tell me if it's worth it to fight the crowds on Black Friday to get a new one?

This is just me and I am not the expert that many are or would say to be but, I would really have to think hard about the extra and how small it is. I would probably go with the new and the extra bucks. One thing to think about. If it is still offered here you can get it. If you show up on Black Friday right after the last one is sold, you are out either way. Not to give you yet one more worry but there it is. You know what they say, "A bird in the hand....". So, if you want to make sure you have one, this may be the way to go. Bad time of year for these things is it not? Best of luck on whatever you decide and I hope you get one if that is what you want.

I tried so hard to talk myself out of this... but failed. I'm in; my current android device is becoming a bit weak and is running gingerbread.

When you detach the keyboard, can you flip the tablet over and attach the dock to the back? So that you can use the tablet as a tablet but still get some protection from the dock. Or does it sort of float around when you're not using it.

nivram wrote:Actually, if you click on the "I want one" button, Woot takes you to a page that, toward the bottom, offers a Square Trade 1 year warranty for $54.99. So they WILL warranty a refurb, for manufacturer's defects.

What SquareTrade will NOT warranty a refurb for, is accidental damage (i.e.-dropping it, spilling fluids on it, etc).

I clicked I want one before I thought about the warranty. I emailed woot customer service and got a fairly canned vegetables answer that didn't answer the question. Does anyone know if I can purchase the ST warranty through woot?

I tried so hard not to buy one, but I want it!!!! Sent the link to my hubby at work, thinking he'll say no, being the practical one of us, but NO, he says sure, been thinking about a tablet too! Ugh, in for 1 ......Can't wait!

hello guys, thanks for these great info! so one more question I have is...I just found out that my credit card offers warranty extension for one extra year; Essentially, does that mean I get 1 year + 90 days of warranty from Asus? Thanks!

Got my wife one of these and it was the best decision ever! She loves it and this is a great deal on an awesome tablet.

Whers the Basket of Cranberriess anymore?

I mean to say Bawg of Krap!

confused15 wrote:Now go stuff yourselves full and pass out on the coach like normal people do!

Hopefully on the coach of whatever team the Giants are playing!

So... just bought one, but I absolutely require a matte finish on my screen. What are my options? A quick search of Amazon was pretty disappointing.

Also, nice cases?

AutobahnSHO wrote:I have a similar netbook (ASUS) and the older TF101 tablet with dock- the tablet is way easier/faster to use.

You might want to look at the ASUS TF700. Better display and processor.

ditto. I have the TF700 and it is all that and more!

If this thing is such a great product, why are so many ending up here for sale as refurbished items?

How about a matte screen protector?

if u cant find one, you can always cut one out yourself

vkim wrote:So... just bought one, but I absolutely require a matte finish on my screen. What are my options? A quick search of Amazon was pretty disappointing.

Also, nice cases?

CaptainFlow wrote:When you detach the keyboard, can you flip the tablet over and attach the dock to the back? So that you can use the tablet as a tablet but still get some protection from the dock. Or does it sort of float around when you're not using it.

No. It fits in one way only.