Asus TF300 becomes first non-Nexus to receive 4.2 update

[Bateluer]

http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/4/4061824/android-4-2-for-asus-transformer-pad-available-today

Asus has announced that its Transformer Pad TF300 will be updated to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean in the US today, making it the first device outside of Google's Nexus program to receive the software. Other regions get the upgrade, which will roll out over the air and also includes updated versions of some bundled Asus apps, later this month. There's no word on exactly which build users will receive, though it may be too soon to expect the recent bug fixes from Android 4.2.2.

Asus has a history of providing its devices with relatively speedy updates; the Transformer Pad got Android 4.1 soon after the software's announcement, for example, and the company says its "very close" relationship with Google helps it in this regard. Not all its products are quite so lucky, however — Asus also announced that the Transformer Pad Infinity, MeMO Pad Smart, and MeMO Pad will have to wait until Q2 for their updates.

From XDA, it looks like its 4.2.1 thats rolling, not 4.2.2.

Good for Asus, but boo that I have to wait until Q2 for my TF700.

Edit - Fixed the missing tag on the quote.

 

[s44]

If it has the extra bar, why would you want it?

 

[Red Storm]

If it has the extra bar, why would you want it?

Huh?

 

[s44]

4.2 adds a notification bar to the top for tablets *in addition* to the button bar on the bottom. Shrinking useful space for no reason -- Google's consumer-ignoring absolutism in action.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I hate Android 4.2 on tablets. If I had a TF700, I'd be in no hurry to get this.

 

[Bateluer]

4.2 adds a notification bar to the top for tablets *in addition* to the button bar on the bottom. Shrinking useful space for no reason -- Google's consumer-ignoring absolutism in action.

Once you get used to the dual pull down notification windows on top, its pretty nice actually. Thats one thing I'd like to see on my TF700.

 

[gmaster456]

Good for Asus. Now if only every other tablet maker would do the same thing.

 

[Red Storm]

4.2 adds a notification bar to the top for tablets *in addition* to the button bar on the bottom. Shrinking useful space for no reason -- Google's consumer-ignoring absolutism in action.

Couldn't you just use a different launcher?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Couldn't you just use a different launcher?

No? The dual notification bar was introduced in 4.2. How do you get a single bar. It's a ROM thing I thought.

I can see it makes more sense with the pulldown quick settings and stuff, but soft buttons + status bar = waste of screen real estate.

 

[s44]

Couldn't you just use a different launcher?

I'm pretty sure it actually changes the system framework.

However, the screenshots I've seen seem to show the good ol' 4.0+ button/notification bar at the bottom, so Asus may have taken matters into their own hands.

 

[Bateluer]

I'm pretty sure it actually changes the system framework.

However, the screenshots I've seen seem to show the good ol' 4.0+ button/notification bar at the bottom, so Asus may have taken matters into their own hands.

I'm not sure what you're referring too, exactly, though I've only seen 4.2.x on my N7. You have a screen shot?

 

[s44]

I'm not sure what you're referring too, exactly, though I've only seen 4.2.x on my N7. You have a screen shot?

Ridiculous two-bar setup on the Nexus 10:

Post-update Asus screenshot at Android Police showing one bar:

 

[Ravynmagi]

I'm not sure what you're referring too, exactly, though I've only seen 4.2.x on my N7. You have a screen shot?

Looks like he's right from the pictures I see in this thread. So that's good of ASUS to be able to work around Google's screwed up phone UI on a tablet.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2175550

 

[Bateluer]

Now I follow s44. That doesn't bother me on the N7. Moving the Back/Home/Switcher buttons to the middle on a 10in tablet might be annoying though, if you grip from the corner the buttons on right at your finger tips.

Still, seems like UI devs should remember that devices are different and shouldn't have unified UIs. A notebook, a tablet, and a phone shouldn't all look the same because they're used for widely different tasks. This is mostly directed at Microsoft for their retarded Metro UI.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Wow that's pretty stupid to have another status bar on top. All the wasted space on the bottom bar too. It's ludicrously silly-looking with all that black space and three small buttons in the middle wow.

 

[Bateluer]

Wow that's pretty stupid to have another status bar on top. All the wasted space on the bottom bar too. It's ludicrously silly-looking with all that black space and three small buttons in the middle wow.

You guys do know the top is only a few pixels, which hosts useful information. And most apps, video players, etc, will hide both. You're getting up in arms over almost nothing.

 

[ChronoReverse]

It's a 16:9 screen so vertical space is at a premium in the first place.

Plus there's the ugly wasted space on the bottom. The old bottom bar was elegant already, why the change that doesn't improve useability? A tablet isn't a phone so making it "look consistent" really isn't.

 

[Red Storm]

You guys do know the top is only a few pixels, which hosts useful information. And most apps, video players, etc, will hide both. You're getting up in arms over almost nothing.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Ravynmagi]

You guys do know the top is only a few pixels, which hosts useful information. And most apps, video players, etc, will hide both. You're getting up in arms over almost nothing.

That isn't the only problem. Small or not, it's a needless waste of space on a tablet screen to create a separate system bar from the button bar. It's not big, but it's more than a few pixels too.

The other problem is now you have the 3 big buttons in the middle of the screen, not as easy to reach, pressing the spacebar on the onscreen board results in frequent accidental hits of those now centered buttons.

It's like someone at Google checked their brain at the door when they decided to put this on a tablet. They preach to app developers to make their apps more tablet optimized then do the exact opposite with Jelly Bean. Haha.

And a lot of apps don't hide the buttons or notification bar like I'd like. Chrome browser is a big one.

 

[s44]

Not to mention that the centered buttons would be damn near impossible to hit when the *entire tablet is attached to a keyboard*.

 

[Red Storm]

That isn't the only problem. Small or not, it's a needless waste of space on a tablet screen to create a separate system bar from the button bar. It's not big, but it's more than a few pixels too.

The other problem is now you have the 3 big buttons in the middle of the screen, not as easy to reach, pressing the spacebar on the onscreen board results in frequent accidental hits of those now centered buttons.

It's like someone at Google checked their brain at the door when they decided to put this on a tablet. They preach to app developers to make their apps more tablet optimized then do the exact opposite with Jelly Bean. Haha.

And a lot of apps don't hide the buttons or notification bar like I'd like. Chrome browser is a big one.

For the accidentally pressing home instead of space thing... this has never, ever happened to me, be it a phone or tablet. They actually put in a dead zone, you can't activate home by slightly touching it, you have to clearly press home, which can only happen if you clearly miss the space bar.

 

[Ravynmagi]

For the accidentally pressing home instead of space thing... this has never, ever happened to me, be it a phone or tablet. They actually put in a dead zone, you can't activate home by slightly touching it, you have to clearly press home, which can only happen if you clearly miss the space bar.

Happens to me enough on my Nexus 7 that it definitely bothers me.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Yeah, there's theory and there's practice. In theory the dead zone is supposed to prevent it but in practice my fat fingers miss badly and I occasionally, just enough to be annoying, hit the Android buttons instead.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Good for Asus, but boo that I have to wait until Q2 for my TF700.

At least you will get it. I don't think my TF201 will. I will never buy another Asus device if I don't get 4.2.

 

[Ravynmagi]

At least you will get it. I don't think my TF201 will. I will never buy another Asus device if I don't get 4.2.

If you are disappointed with ASUS updates, be warned it only gets worse with just about anyone else.