Thanks to my nephew, I can confirm that these do not bounce! Ok...so maybe they bounce a little, but don't plan on using it again!
This is definately worth the price!

AutobahnSHO wrote:Yes you must have/create a gmail account for MANY functions. If you don't it would still work, you just couldn't open calendar or buy apps from the Google store, etc...

IPads MUST use iTunes. This is a stand alone computer. You can plug phones, USB, SD, microSD, HDMI into this one. This one has almost double battery life when the keyboard is attached. Etc...

Gmail is just one of the applications that google offers and they have integrated all of their apps into one google account.

If you really don't want to use any Google services such as the play store, you could always download and install the amazon app store instead. You would then need to have an amazon account to download applications.

Regardless if you decide to use a Google account or not, I would still recommend installing the amazon appstore. Amazon offers a free app of the day every day (faotd). These are applications that usually require you to pay but are being offered for free for one day only. Some are pretty crappy but there are a couple that are awesome too. Be sure to check every day to determine if you want that free app or not.

You can "purchase" the faotd (at no cost) without having to download it so you can always decide later if you want to use it or not. If in doubt, go ahead and get it. You never know what you'll need/want in the future.

So anyway, Google has several synchronization options that are useful so I would recommend getting a Google account -- it's free. The only issue I can see is the privacy ones with Google knowing everything that you do. Suppose that's the same with anything nowdays like facebook so it's no big deal.

SvenJ wrote:I have this exact unit and wanted to make one comment. It is an Android Tablet so everything you know about that applies. Here's my contribution. The dock does not charge off of 5v, i.e. not USB. The tablet part does. The supplied charger, though the connection is a USB plug, as shown, does deliver 5 AND 15v. Point is you cannot charge the dock with anything but the supplied charger. I bought a spare, just in case.

I've found that USB 3.0 chargers will do the job just fine. I think USB 2.0 ports just don't offer enough "juice output" to charge Transformers.

Also keep in mind that if you buy USB extension cables to use with the charger, those will also need to be USB 3.0. I wanted a good four feet of cable to be able to charge while I do whatever may with the tablet.

JackBarlow wrote:Thanks to my nephew, I can confirm that these do not bounce! Ok...so maybe they bounce a little, but don't plan on using it again!
This is definately worth the price!

That's funny and I can confirm they don't bounce either. I've dropped my TF700 twice already and the chassis is dented near the headphone jack one one side and the glass is detached by about 1/2 mm on the other. The unit still works perfectly though. I tried to get a squaretrade warranty but I bought it too long ago so they wouldn't sell me one. I'd like to cover it from dropping a third time because I have a feeling that will be the final time I get to use the tablet before purchasing a new one.

cedaroo wrote:Thank you! Being able to backup photos while traveling (SD card to micro-SD) was my only 'card reader' concern. Does the usb port on the dock not provide the same functionality?

Thank you for your help! If you have time please do let me know about partitioning and/or if the *internal* drive (ideally with and without the dock) shows up as /mnt/sdcard (and not /mnt/sdcard2) - both of which are issues with the stock Toshiba Thrive rom.

Thank you!

No partitioning, the SD cards on my TF101 (running ICS 4.0) show as /Removeable/MicroSD and /Removeable/SD (not "/mnt/" at all).

My dock has a built in SD card reader - not sure if they've removed that in the TF300 dock or not. I keep a 64GB card in there, but can transfer photos with it if need be. The dock USB ports also function the same as the USB adapter - so you can add flash drives, hard drives, etc.

I bit the Asus after staring hungrily at it, comparing it to the 700, and reading these comments for hours. I am feeling full and satisfied right now, but I'm looking forward to the full meal upon it's arrival.

Why would I want this over a Nexus 10?

I have the original Transformer with Dock, bough it when it first came out- paid about $500 all together. I love this device, Asus keeps it updated, everything works great, battery last forever when docked and decent even when not docked). This tablet today is better,faster and cheaper. I know everyone is on the bandwagon to get Jellybean, but I have no issues with the responsiveness of ICS. I like flash support and jellybean won't have it (although there are workarounds http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1774336. It's pretty cool when my 7 year old comes home from school to tell me that the IPADs there can't even load the Suntex First in math, but his Acer A500 has no problem- he explained to his teacher its because an IPAD can't do flash.

cengland0 wrote:That's funny and I can confirm they don't bounce either. I've dropped my TF700 twice already and the chassis is dented near the headphone jack one one side and the glass is detached by about 1/2 mm on the other. The unit still works perfectly though. I tried to get a squaretrade warranty but I bought it too long ago so they wouldn't sell me one. I'd like to cover it from dropping a third time because I have a feeling that will be the final time I get to use the tablet before purchasing a new one.

I have the Transformer Prime with keyboard and couldn't be happier with it. At least this one and the 700 didn't have the GPS issue that requred you to have an adapter sent from ASUS.
Two suggestions here.1) Google Sky Maps is the coolest app ever for looking at stars and such. 2) get a cheap micro hdmi cable and when you travel you can netflix in a hotel room.

cengland0 wrote:That's funny and I can confirm they don't bounce either. I've dropped my TF700 twice already and the chassis is dented near the headphone jack one one side and the glass is detached by about 1/2 mm on the other. The unit still works perfectly though. I tried to get a squaretrade warranty but I bought it too long ago so they wouldn't sell me one. I'd like to cover it from dropping a third time because I have a feeling that will be the final time I get to use the tablet before purchasing a new one.

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.

Kinda sucks that they send out an email offering the 32G Transformer for 299.99, and then only have the 16G for sale for the same price when you log in.

Before you buy this, you should read this forum. There are a lot of wifi issues with the TF300. Hold out for the TF700 Infinity. It is considerably better with wifi and it has Gorilla Glass II. Hold out!!
Link to theforum below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1628120

unavaca wrote:Why would I want this over a Nexus 10?

That depends on why you would want a Nexus 10. Tell us (we're not clairvoyant).

But this is the non-droolworthy T300.

Crombie wrote:I can think of nothing negative to say about a ASUS tablet. You just can't go wrong. I bought a TF701 in September after waiting for two months (backorder). It is by far the nicest tech device I own and I just love it. I bought the dock but have never used it. Before I bought it I did a lot of research on tablets and decided it was worth waiting for. I don't think this is the same model but ASUS has a history of being the best tablet and I have friends with Ipads who drool over my ASUS. The HD makes Netflix look like you are in a theatre.

Asus makes both. The Nexus 10 does not have a SD slot. The Nexus 10 is new tech and the T300 is not Asus's latest tablet -- the T700. The Nexus has more lines of resolution than even the iPad.

woottoady wrote:That depends on why you would want a Nexus 10. Tell us (we're not clairvoyant).

undertow976 wrote:Before you buy this, you should read this forum. There are a lot of wifi issues with the TF300. Hold out for the TF700 Infinity. It is considerably better with wifi and it has Gorilla Glass II. Hold out!!
Link to theforum below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1628120

I sort of agree with this but didn't want to be the first to mention it.

Can't remember which had each problem but with the 200 and 300 series, one had regular glass and the other gorilla glass. The regular glass one kept breaking when closing the keyboard. Apparently it wasn't strong enough for the resistance in the hinges.

Then, they came out with another series that fixed the glass with gorilla glass but that one had an all-metal back case and that prevented the GPS and Wifi to work properly.

The 700 is the newest (called the infinity model) and does have the gorilla glass and a plastic strip on the back case to make both the GPS and Wifi work flawlessly. Of course the 700 is more expensive since it's the latest model. I bought mine for $499 plus another $150 for the keyboard so this 300 model is a good deal.

If you decide to get the 300 with the keyboard today and then want to upgrade to the 700 later, you can use the same keyboard. I tried it and it works. Just be aware there are a couple differences in keyboard layout and that it doesn't snap in properly so it might come apart unexpectedly.

Any reason to snag this if my TF101 is running JB and still running really well?

Such a good price! I want to buy one for everyone I know.

Put me down for 1 Wish i could do 2 or 3.

One more question: Can anyone confirm whether the TF300 dock has an SD card reader? That would be HUGELY helpful!

Is this dock compatible with the TF101 as well, or is it just for the TF300T?

I currently own this exact set-up and have been very happy and impressed with the tablet and keyboard. It's like a small laptop with the keyboard and a good size tablet without. I have found that the battery life is as advertised with about 15 hours of on and off use through out the day but of course YMMV. The price is great!

beachbumdeac wrote:One more question: Can anyone confirm whether the TF300 dock has an SD card reader? That would be HUGELY helpful!

Both the tablet and the keyboard have SD slots.

ThunderThighs wrote:What you see is what you will get. Sorry, no color choices here.

Thanks! I just had not seen "Charcoal" as an option, so I wanted to check.

So far as the SquareTrade warranties go, I can highly recommend them!
Last year, bought a Kodak ZX3 camcorder, refurbished, with a 90 day warranty, and added a SquareTrade warranty onto it. Six months later, the camcorder started to malfunction (would turn on, then immediately turn off again).
I was pretty peeved, since it was just a week or so before a big family vacation, that I wanted to use the camcorder on, but remembered the ST warranty. I made certain I registered the receipt, and put in a claim, then called ST to ask how long it would take to get the warranty taken care of. The CSR I spoke with okayed it immediately, sent me an e-mail with instructions on how to send them the camcorder, and authorized a pay-out right then and there (wasn't worth it, to them, to try to repair it). They also offered, if I wanted the refund in the form of an Amazon gift certificate, to give me an extra 5% of the value!

Highly recommended company!

Also, if you sign up for their e-mails, they regularly send out 30% off coupon codes, good for one day, that then turn into 20% codes for another week or so. For Black Friday, they allowed users to register for 40% off coupon codes (they sent out two of them), and they mailed me a post card, that I received yesterday, that gave me a few more codes good for 35% off.

Did I mention they're highly recommended by me??

unavaca wrote:Why would I want this over a Nexus 10?

MicroSD card slot
Keyboard dock(and extra battery life)
$100 cheaper
USB slot(in dock)
SD card slot(in dock)
Better camera (8mp vs 5mp)

It's really $200 cheaper if you consider you can add another 32Gb for ~$20 and you'd have to spend $500 for a Nexus with 32Gb. And you'd still have the 16Gb that comes on it. And you'd be able to add a full sized SD card in the dock on top of that. And you could run an external hard drive through the USB slot on the dock too.

Wish I could have bought 2.

chinoninja wrote:Seriously...I just put down an order on walmart for the 32gb model...canceled that rightaway and got this....Does anyone know if the square trade warranty is good? thx in advance!

We got a SquareTrade warranty on a laptop and got the drop/spill protection - not sure if that's available for Woot/refurb stuff - and when we spilled a slushee that went in the USB drive and came out the DVD drive on the other side they cut us a check for the full amount after they could not fix it.

So SquareTrade is legit and saved us a bunch in that case. I'm not sure if I would personally get it if I couldn't get the drop/spill but I'm clumsy!

chinoninja wrote:Seriously...I just put down an order on walmart for the 32gb model...canceled that rightaway and got this....Does anyone know if the square trade warranty is good? thx in advance!

I've had Squaretrade warranties and I've been happy with the return process. Shipping is covered and the monitor I got back was the next generation of the model of what I had that broke, and has worked 2 years since!

A couple more notes. I have this tablet and absolutely love it. I was tired of waiting for the TF700T, and given that this still has a quad-core processor and is made by Asus, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

That having been said, I was a little at first. It wasn't quite as snappy as I'd have liked right off the bat. I did some research and just a couple weeks ago decided to root it. I do like the stock look and feel for this device, so I was very happy to stumble upon the Scott's Clean ROM for this tablet, and I've been absolutely thrilled ever since. It's snappy, looks great, and I've no reason to upgrade (I'd been tossing around the idea of the Nexus 10).

For this price, and with the dock (I just bought a bluetooth keyboard), it's a no-brainer. If I didn't have mine I'd be on this in a second!

confused15 wrote:Is this dock compatible with the TF101 as well, or is it just for the TF300T?

nm, google is my friend.

Each Transformer's docking station is model-specific, so there's no mixing and matching between the TF201, the new TF300T, or the original TF101. Fortunately, Asus is sticking with $149 as the price for TF300T's complementary accessory.

Tom's Hardware

CitizenX wrote:Both the tablet and the keyboard have SD slots.

Actually, I think the tablet has a MicroSD slot.

Hi all,

I am looking for a laptop/computer/tablet for my 6 grader as a worktool for school work. I think it should be small and portable, powerfull enough to serve for a few years to come to do typing, powerpoint presentation and such learning related activities. I do not care, if it does any gaming or so (actually, better if not).
Would this be a good buy, can it store and print just like a regular computer? (now you can tell, I don't know anything about this stuff). I like the price, since I have to buy 2.
Thanks a lot to everybody.

Jimshan wrote:Awesome info!

Thank you

ThunderThighs wrote:What you see is what you will get. Sorry, no color choices here.

Yea, that's a given, but I think he's asking "what color is it?" I bought one regardless of the color. I used to have the TF201 and really regret selling it (... and I'm a diehard Mac).

chinoninja wrote:Seriously...I just put down an order on walmart for the 32gb model...canceled that rightaway and got this....Does anyone know if the square trade warranty is good? thx in advance!

While I have not used Square Trade I have not seen any negative comments about them here on Woot. In fact, quite the contrary. Also, the few times I have done price comparisons with other warranty offers ST has been less money for the same coverage or better.

question.. I am a trainer and I have been looking for a tablet that lets me "mark-up" right on the screen.. Does this model allow mark up where my students could see the circles and x's right on the projection wall?

bigbob91 wrote:question.. I am a trainer and I have been looking for a tablet that lets me "mark-up" right on the screen.. Does this model allow mark up where my students could see the circles and x's right on the projection wall?

That all depends on the software. You'd need some kind of program that does that. But in theory, yes, you could use this for that purpose. You'd have to have some Android software that lets you draw on top of video though, so you'd want to check the Google Play Store to see if there is such a thing.

bigbob91 wrote:question.. I am a trainer and I have been looking for a tablet that lets me "mark-up" right on the screen.. Does this model allow mark up where my students could see the circles and x's right on the projection wall?

Skitch might suit your needs...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote.skitch

harder wrote:This would be a good deal if it was running Windows 8 instead of being yet another crappy Android tablet.

Hmmm... I wonder if one could install Windows 8 on it.

Asus knows what it's doing with its hardware and Android. The experience is usually pretty good compared to other fly-by-night vendors just sticking Android onto something.

charliecarroll wrote:Refurbished vs. New - Pricing Thoughts

Refurbished + Warranty
As new in box product would include warranty I am adding Square Trade warranty to today's offer for a total price picture of product including warranty.
$299.99 + $5 + $54.99 = $359.98

New in Box
Checking for every day pricing of product I used two dealers known to be above board sellers with every day good pricing.

B&H PHOTO VIDEO = $349.95 + free shipping (TF300T) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=852329&Q=&is=REG&A=details and $99.95 + free shipping (dock) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/852331-REG/ASUS_TF300_DOCK_BL_Docking_Station_for_Transformer.html
Total for all new at B&H = $449.94

AMAZON = $376.99 + free shipping (TF300T) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007P4YAPK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A17MC6HOH9AVE6
and $108.86 + free shipping (dock) http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Transformer-Mobile-Dock-TF300T/dp/B007SHJIP6/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_img_y Total for all new at Amazon = $485.85.

I am sure if you go looking across the web you may find different new in box pricing from what I have above but both of the sellers I have used often prices below others so I felt they were two good pricing competitors to use. So, what does the math say? Amazon total was $39.91 more that B&H so I'll use the better B&H price to compare. New in Box at B&H is going to cost you $89.96 more if you compare to the Woot price including the ST warranty. Without warranty you save, $144.95. I think the fairest comparison is when you include warranty as the new product comes with one but, you do save a good chunk if you go without. But the bottom line is, Does a discount of $89.96 warrant buying a refurbished model over a new one? For me, no I would go with new. But saving $144.95, that I would have to really consider. In any event, it seems the woot offer today is not only competitive but a very good discounted price.

349.99 + 99 shipping at NewEgg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230394