Det har stormat lite runt Asus Transformer Prime den senaste veckan då folk noterat att Asus tagit bort all omnämnande angående GPS på sina produktsidor samt nyheten att Transformer Prime har låst bootloader. Idag har Asus släppt ett uttalande där man bland annat lovar mjukvara för att låsa upp bootloadern men även ger oss den glada nyheten att Ice Cream Sandwich kommer släppas till Transformer prime den 12 januari.

När det gäller GPS-problemen så låter det tyvärr inte som man kan vänta sig fler förbättringar än de som redan släpps i den senaste uppdateringen där wifi slås på för att hjälpa GPS:en att hitta satelliter snabbare. Enligt Asus så påverkar metallskalet prestandan negativt för GPS:en och man ska inte förvänta sig samma prestanda som hos en vanligt GPS-enhet. På grund av detta har man tagit bort alla omnämnande om GPS på sin produktsida. Det verkar dock inte som om GPS:en i sig tas bort från enheten, bara att man inte pratar om den.

Vad gäller bootloadern anger ASUS först och främst DRM som anledning samt att man är rädd för att användare skall flasha sönder sina enheter. Trots detta har man tagit till sig av kritiken och utvecklar nu en mjukvara för att låsa upp enheten.

Dear Eee Pad Transformer Prime community,

Thank you very much for all of the support you have given to ASUS. Eee Pad Transformer Prime received excellent reviews and great demand when it launched in December 2011. Now, we are continuing to make the Transformer Prime available in the worldwide market, and doing our best to fulfill the incredible demand. ASUS strives to create the best products and provide the best service for our customers, and will be releasing an FOTA update for the Transformer Prime shortly. This update, version 8.8.3.33, will improve the focus of the camera, the fluidity of the touch experience, and the APK capabilities in Android Market.

ASUS has been working hard to make the highly anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich available on the Transformer Prime, and today, we have good news for you. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich FOTA worldwide update for the Transformer Prime will start from Jan 12th, 2012. Thank you for your patience and support through this process. 

In addition, we would like to address your concerns related to GPS and bootloader on the Transformer Prime.

The ASUS Transformer Prime is made from a metallic unibody design, so the material may affect the performance of the GPS when receiving signals from satellites. Please note that this product is not a professional GPS device, and signal performance can be easily influenced by factors including, but not limited to: weather, buildings, and surrounding environments. Please understand there are limitations when using the GPS function. To avoid inconveniencing users who demand a powerful GPS device, we made the decision to remove it from our specification sheet and marketing communications. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers’ requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience. Also, based on our experience, users who choose to root their devices risk breaking the system completely. However, we know there is demand in the modding community to have an unlocked bootloader. Therefore, ASUS is developing an unlock tool for that community. Please do note that if you choose to unlock your device, the ASUS warranty will be void, and Google video rental will also be unavailable because the device will be no long protected by security mechanism.

Thank you for all the understanding and support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Happy New Year!

ASUS

Vi har även fått flera tips om att både Dustin och Cdon räknar att få in Transformer Prime i slutet av Januari.

Tipstack till alla som skickade in detta.