Transformer Prime and GPS

[androidfonefan]

I was reading a article today about how Asus was releasing a update in the future to make rooting possible because of the overwhelming complaints about it having a locked boot loader or something like that.

Then they went on to talk about the GPS problem and how there is nothing that can be done about it. Metal back of the unit blocking signal to the GPS antenna and all.

When I first heard about this I wondered why it would not be possible to make a stylish TPU skin for the tablet that had a external GPS antenna built in to it. The Tablet has a port built in to the bottom of it that is used for plugging in to the keyboard base.

Isn't there some way to make an antenna molded in to a TPU skin that can be plugged in to that port that will correct the blocked antenna issue? This would be a work around as opposed to a proper fix but apple did it and people were satisfied, not happy but at least their antenna problem was fixed/kinda. This would be the same thing except rather than putting a skin on the device to prevent the antenna from buggering when someone touched it it would be putting an external antenna on the device in a skin so it looked good while attached and resolved the GPS issue.
I use TPU skins on all my phones and hardly know they are there. This should be possible for the ASUS/TP if the antenna can be accessed from that port.

I understand that this might also require a software patch from ASUS to make the connection from the external antenna to the rest of the system but this is something that they should look at to resolve. People are paying big bucks for these tablets and getting faulty equipment.
Does anyone know how to make this suggestion to them?

I just sent this slightly edited copy of this post to ASUS as a suggestion on what might be done to fix the GPS issue.

I was reading a article today about how Asus was releasing a update in the future to make rooting possible because of the overwhelming complaints about it having a locked boot loader or something like that.

Then they went on to talk about the GPS problem and how there is nothing that can be done about it. Metal back of the unit blocking signal to the GPS antenna and all.

When I first heard about this I wondered why it would not be possible to make a stylish TPU skin for the tablet that had a external GPS antenna built in to it. The Tablet has a port built in to the bottom of it that is used for plugging in to the keyboard base.

Isn't there some way to make an antenna molded in to a TPU skin that can be plugged in to that port that will correct the blocked antenna issue? This would be a work around as opposed to a proper fix but apple did it and people were satisfied, not happy but at least their antenna problem was fixed/kinda. This would be the same thing except rather than putting a skin on the device to prevent the antenna from buggering when someone touched it, it would be putting an external antenna on the device in a skin so it looked good while attached and resolved the GPS issue.
I use TPU skins on all my phones and hardly know they are there. This should be possible for the ASUS/TP if the antenna can be accessed from that port.
The TPU skin could be molded to look exactly like the back and sides of the Transformer Prime so that it was hardly noticeable that it was there, corrective antenna in place and since this was a unforeseen oversight due to the back of the tablet being made of aluminum these workarounds could be sold at a low cost, after all, the customers are paying a premium for the tablets with design flaws in them.
It would do no good to further aggravate them by asking them to pay high prices for the fix to the problem when the problem was never their fault.

I understand that this might also require a software patch from ASUS to make the connection from the external antenna to the rest of the system but this is something that they should look at to resolve. People are paying big bucks for these tablets and getting faulty equipment.

Most of this is from a post I made at a forum but it pretty much gets the idea of what I thought could be done to resolve the GPS problem at the lowest price point.
Done right, people would get their GPS working and might even think it a good thing because the TPU skin would look just like the back of the device and protect it from scratches, dust, moisture etc.

It might help if everyone did the same. here is the page at their sight to make a suggestion.
http://vip.asus.com/eservice/cus_suggest.aspx
You can copy and paste or just make the suggestion your own way, but what we should not do is let ASUS just forget about this. They are selling these hi dollar tablets as GPS capable and they by design are not. Or many of them are not.
The article I read stated that ASUS had pretty much decided to just let people pay for the tablet and GPS function and screw them where the GPS not working for most was concerned.
Use this link, tell them you want the GPS fixed even if it is a work around like this TPU skin with the antenna in it.
If they do this this time, what will be wrong with the next one, and will they just let it go unfixed as well?

Also it might do well for your suggestion to say instead of this

corrective antenna in place and since this was a unforeseen oversight due to the back of the tablet being made of aluminum these workarounds could be sold at a low cost, after all, the customers are paying a premium for the tablets with design flaws in them.

Something like this.
"corrective antenna in place and since this was a unforeseen oversight due to the back of the tablet being made of aluminum these workarounds could be sold at a low cost and or given at no cost to customers that register their tablets with ASUS, after all, the customers are paying a premium for the tablets with design flaws in them."
Or something to that effect. Something that gets the point across that the customers really shouldn't be paying for the work around at all.
However that may be a tuff pill to swallow.
If they were to do this. They could include this TPU skin/Antenna with future purchases and just make it part of the tablet sale.

 

[wynand32]

I think it's much easier for ASUS to simply state that the Prime isn't suitable as a navigation device, and leave it at that. Much like Apple has made it so the wifi-only iPad 2 can't be used as a navigation device (no GPS chip at all).

They need to provide a solution for people who bought while GPS was still being marketed (e.g., an extended return policy), but otherwise I think they'll not be interested in any other solutions.

 

[androidfonefan]

BUT! They have already sold a great many TPs as GPS capable and as such they need to fix or provide a work around for them.
Should they decide to change the marketing they can and avoid the problem all together, but should they do that they need to lower the price of the unit to reflect the lack of the selling point.
And DAYUM I didn't know the IPad 2 was not GPS capable. Mine is at my sisters house and I have never even had a chance to muss with it. Had I known it was not GPS capable I probably would not have spent the money on it. The I Pad 1s are GPS capable so I assumed the 2s would be as well. I guess thats what I get for assuming.