Posts tagged gps

Following Apple’s Google’s leap into 3D mapping technologies, Amazon has acquired a 3D mapping startup of its own. The online retail giant today sealed a deal to purchase UpNext in a move that could signal the company’s intentions to bring 3D maps to its Kindle Fire slate without any assistance from Google.

[Update: No need to wait for an email, you can go get your dongle now. Simply follow the instructions laid out here: ASUS]

When we told you ASUS would be providing its Transformer Prime customers with an add-on dongle to improve GPS, we had no idea they’d be turning it into the Hunchback of Transformer Prime. ASUS must be fans of Crocodile Dundee: “That’s not a dongle, that’s a dongle!” Okay, that’s enough analogies for now, you can see for yourself that this thing is quite the add-on. The good news is it improves GPS significantly, but then again, so would a GPS IIF satellite (okay, this time I’m done — for real).


By now you may have heard about the GPS issues plaguing the Transformer Prime. ASUS has been working diligently to improve signal strength and have gone as far as to offer UK owners full refunds if they remain unsatisfied. It seems ASUS is at it again, releasing yet another OTA (over the air) update which focuses on GPS. Update 9.4.2.11 started rolling out today and although we haven’t seen an official changelog yet, it does update the GPS software.


ASUS sent the Android community into a frenzy when they announced they would be releasing the world’s first quad-core Tegra 3 Android tablet. Pre-orders lasted minutes, stock sold out in hours, and they even managed to update it to Ice Cream Sandwich already. Everything about the Transformer Prime seemed perfect, that was until people began using it for GPS. Apparently the metal unibody casing of the Transformer Prime was affecting the GPS signal and hindering performance. This lead to ASUS formally apologizing and removing GPS from the list of features on the Prime’s specification sheet, as well as all marketing material.


There’s been a lot of commotion lately over the much hyped ASUS Tranformer Prime. Over the past week there have been complaints about GPS issues, Android 4.0 delays, and the biggest noise maker — the locked bootloader. Today, ASUS has decided to address all these issues in an attempt to put everyone worries at bay. Although I would have preferred an official press release, their Facebook statement will have to do. Here’s what they had to say: