Garmin-Asus A10 - user opinions and reviews
- emptor
- Kx}
Let the buyer beware!
As an owner of a Garmin-Asus A10 smartphone, it has come to my attention that every single LCD panel Asus uses in that phone has a significant amount of lazy pixels. After sending it back to Asus for repairs several times, every LCD panel they have replaced have come back equally flawed. Refunds are not available.
To see the lazy/dead pixels i am talking about, download the app "Dead Pixel Test" from the market. The dead pixels will become very apparent on the black screen of the app especially in a dark room. Be warned, once you see it, it will bug you forever, if you never found it, you may not even notice it.
Suffice to say, i am extremely skeptical of their products now. Protect yourselves and do not purchase from this company unless you can be guaranteed a refund.
I pray you have a better experience with them than i did.
PS: For a more balanced review, let me just say that the GPS receiver is excellent in this unit. I have been able to get a lock indoors faster than i would using a standalone Garmin GPS. Navigation falls short of my expectations for Garmin however, as the 600MHz processor is unable to keep up. The fact that it runs Eclair makes it a passable PDA, however, the phone's antenna does not match up to the quality of its GPS antenna, and i get no signal where i am able to obtain a weak/medium signal with a Nokia 5800. Sunlight legibility is okay, but not enough for the pedestrian navigation the phone is supposedly built for. In terms of battery life, it drains about 10% overnight with 3G on. The GPS receiver is turned on by default, which is a real drain on battery. With it off, doing some light web browsing (about 30 minutes 3G), IM (Meebo) constantly on (WiFi 7-8 hours, 3G the rest) and about an hour of Angry Birds would drain the battery in roughly 12 hours. Without a phone to compare it to, i cannot say how good/bad the battery life is, but i would assume it is pretty good.
All in all, if it wasn't for the flawed LCD panels, the phone is still a pretty good buy if you are constantly in need of a GPS unit and can live with Eclair. Otherwise, the LG Optimus One would provide more bang for your buck. Not upgrading the phone OS when it was "promised"(apparently read implied) at purchase and failed attempts at repair just shows the attitude the company has toward its customers. As i said, caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.
- AnonD-4151
- mFR
Zachary, 15 Mar 2011Do NOT buy this phone. It is very unreliable and has many problems with its functioning. I rep... moreI totally agree with you Do NOT buy this phone. Mine after a set of problems ,going back only 1 month after buying it and the another 2 times got swapped for a Samsung Galaxy S an I am very happy with this.
- Anonymous
- RN}
Zachary, 15 Mar 2011Do NOT buy this phone. It is very unreliable and has many problems with its functioning. I rep... moreI do not agree I bought my phone when they first came out and apart from the early software glitches I have not had any issues with this phone .
- Zachary
- CpK
Do NOT buy this phone. It is very unreliable and has many problems with its functioning. I repeat, DO NOT buy this phone.
- AnonD-3715
- veT
Anonymous, 09 Mar 2011Hi. As there won't be an official upgrade to Android 2.2 or 2.3 (Garmin said), does someone k... moreyeah..
there is a formal notice from GA that, no froyo upgrade.
- Rosh
- vGX
Anonymous, 09 Mar 2011Hi. As there won't be an official upgrade to Android 2.2 or 2.3 (Garmin said), does someone k... moreHi, Garmin is the partner for upgrading the GPS side, as i understand Asus are the ones to release an upgrade to Android OS. I checked with the support guys here and they told it is not available yet. but it doesnt mean that upgrade wont be available at all.
I am also waiting for 2.2. Lets hope for the best. :)
- Rosh
- vGX
Ashwani, 09 Mar 2011I am facing the same issue as Muni has reported. screams . The touch is too faulty n sometime... moreHi,
U have to upgrade the firmware. I assume that u bought the phone from india. hence upgrade to Indian version. These will be fixed.
~Rosh
- Anonymous
- mFR
My phone went back to its maker 3 times,once after 1 month and 1 day of buying it,then 5 months later and then the 3rd time they-the phone shop where I bought it-did not bother to send it back,they wrote a complaint letter for me. After about 1 week I got a phone call from KPN in the Netherlands and they asked me to explain the problem,I did and they asked if I would like another phone...Of course I said yes so long as it was NOT the Garmin and that the phone actually worked.
They sent me on my existing contract a brand new Samsung Galaxy S..ME VERY happy !!!
It works like a dream. Navigation geo tags everything the Garmin was ment to do but for wat ever reason never did,not properly at any rate.
- Anonymous
- pSX
Hi. As there won't be an official upgrade to Android 2.2 or 2.3 (Garmin said), does someone know if an un-official build has been (or will be) created and where i could download it ? Thanx.
- Ashwani
- vGf
Anonymous, 10 Dec 2010Hello Muni, I have a similar issue on my A10 phone. Did you manage to get a fix for this... moreI am facing the same issue as Muni has reported. screams . The touch is too faulty n sometimes the mute button gets pressed while talking by your ear and u cannot be heard, navigation is great ans so is the processor. But the issue raised must be addressed by Asus.
- Anonymous
- RN}
ckupcu, 01 Mar 2011Hallo,
Where can I get the latest SW? I found Version 5.0.82, 118 MB in Australian Garminas... moreI have done the upgrade with no problems .
If you are still having problems I'd phone the garmin asus support line the number here in Australia is : 1-800-552-608 it operates between 8:00 – 17:00 EST .
I am sure they will be able to guide you through the update process .
- ckupcu
- xqk
Rosh, 11 Feb 2011Hi, I am back. Great News. They have done some considerable improvements here. And a lot stabl... moreHallo,
Where can I get the latest SW? I found Version 5.0.82, 118 MB in Australian Garminasus Web site. I tried to update as mentioned in the guidelines, but it did not work for me. In one try it says "file is inconstent". In a second try it say "insufficient memory". I still have Version 5.0.71...
Did someone succeed with SW update?
Cengiz
- Anonymous
- U2U
haad, 21 Feb 2011how mutch is procesor? 1ghz or?CPU: Qualcomm 7227 600MHz
- haad
- pp}
how mutch is procesor? 1ghz or?
- Rosh
- iws
Rosh, 11 Feb 2011I forgot to mention 2 things here:
1. The mob recognises that the battery cover is removed.... moreHi, I am back. Great News. They have done some considerable improvements here. And a lot stable as well. Earlier it was a GPS device, Now it is a phone as well.
Few that I have noted:
1. Contact have come back. Properties->Display groups->Expand one group -> Select All Other Contacts (last one). i am not sure whether this was available earlier. But now all contacts ara visible.
2. As soon as you dial a number, if it is there in contact, it gets displayed.
3. Battery appears to be more efficient.
4. No more removing of batteries. I tried few calls and appears pretty stable. Wew... BIGGG RELIEF.
Android OS v2.1.1 - Has Live Wallpaper.
- Rosh
- iws
Rosh, 11 Feb 2011Ok i have successfully installed ver 5071. UI looks more 3d especially the player but i am won... moreI forgot to mention 2 things here:
1. The mob recognises that the battery cover is removed. hence after sitcking in the SD card, before doing anything, put back the battery cover. If not, it will not proceed with update. Instead, it will go to desktop and you will have to repeat the process.
2. The update file (approx 300MB) will remain in the folder itself. Hence you will have to remove it manually. Otherwise you will wonder where did all the space go.
Contact me - roshkm82 at hotmail dot com
Cheers everyone,
~Rosh.
- Rosh
- iws
Rosh, 11 Feb 2011Ok, I got Invalid system update file. I guess i have to live with 5071. Ok, trying again.
~RoshOk i have successfully installed ver 5071. UI looks more 3d especially the player but i am wondering how it found that this phone is IND? I just changed the time zone to Kaula lumpur and tried. No Luck.
I just bought this mob yesterday and i am experimenting already. Garmin Asus guys, 'are you listening?' :)
Will update in a day or 2 about the usage. but i feel the phone is quite heavy. no need of a dumbel. Never saw that in a review either. Wonder all the guys stopped going to gym. ;)
~Rosh.
- Rosh
- iws
Rosh, 11 Feb 2011After much search i found how to install firmware. I am facing the problem of proximity. i.e. ... moreOk, I got Invalid system update file. I guess i have to live with 5071. Ok, trying again.
~Rosh
- Rosh
- iws
After much search i found how to install firmware. I am facing the problem of proximity. i.e. fone turns blak\ck, or hangs after a long call. When you press the power button to unlock it, it dont respond. You have to remove the battery to cut the phone. This happens generally when you make a call to a LAN phone. So even if they cut the call from their side, the line will be open unless you cut it.
If you are calling anothoer mobile, this wont happen.
So hold on tight guys, i am going to upgrade to 5077 ver. In this ver, they have mentioned that proximity issue is fixed, lets see.
All information is available on garminasus.com/en_MY/support/a10-software-updates.html
I will post in a while about the status.
btw i am from India. and Indian site of garmin asus is having only 5071. Wonder why.
~Rosh
- stella
- 2Gj
Can I purchase UK maps for phone purchased in OZ and loaded with Oz maps ?
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