yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] nxp3:
That is pretty good results...mine using same software is dismal, 0 fix 4 satellite at most. You only need minimum of 3 fixed to get a good reading.

I'm not sure it's the software though. Let's assume that google map doesn't work properly with the asus GPS, but the camera app is made by asus so it should lock on to gps accurately. I've taken some pictures with location turned on but wifi off. And it wasn't able to record latitude and longitude.

Try it yourself, you may have better luck since you got 8 locked. go to camera, turn on location, drive around taking pictures at different location. Come back and look at the camera EXIF data to see if it accurately records longitude and latitude. If so then we can attribute bad signal to google map. But still doesn't explain why I got ****ty signal.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] arcticreaver:
Guys I just want to check what version your GPS is. mine is V5.8.12
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] nxp3:
Same...I doubt anyone's is different.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] deadwolfbones:
No results for me with GPS. :/
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] MrGiggles:
Error 15 is the Error rate.. as in its +/- 15m
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] RiPPn:
Grey version, no lock, even appears to be struggling with wifi assistance, can't even get the weather app to get my location, even when turning off the gps radio.

Glad I got this at best buy, with their no hassle return going til January 24th, it gives them a chance to fix the issue and if not it goes back.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] oasis9389:
FWIW;

i'd like to know how many of you are first time tablet owners. i have a wifi xoom and i found out day 1, when it was not connected to wifi the gps did not work.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Col.Kernel:
Mind if I ask what you used to test this?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Morbo66:
I think a lot of people don't realize this. The GPS in your phone is getting data from he cell phone connection in conjunction with the gps chip itself. It won't function without data connection.

GPS in phones and tablets need a data connection to work. The GPS in your transformer (prime or original) won't work if you don't have a data connection (like wifi or tethered to your phone). With the phone, you just don't realize it because it's always connected to data via the cell tower. With tablet, if you're not connected to a wifi or tethered to phone, it's not going to work.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] arcticreaver:
however some members are reporting that gps can be locked without wifi connection?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Diamondback:
Completely wrong, don't listen to this guy :P

Having a mobile data connection or a location enabled wifi just makes the whole thing

faster

.

Data connection or Wifi is

not

needed to have a working GPS!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] agtitan:
That statement is 100% false. Just sayin...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] RiPPn:
I've owned several tablets, though I'm newer to android, coming from iOS ipad and iphone, but I have a Flyer, just sold a hp touchpad that I put android on, and now the tranformer prime. I can tell you the tom tom app on iOS did not need wifi or a data connection to work, I'm pretty sure that is the same case with android tabs. I put gps status on the flyer and it detects 8 satellites, I sit the transformer prime right next to it on the same wifi connection and it finds zero.

People need to take the rose colored glasses off and admit there is a severe problem with this tablet. Also I'm amazed at the people not bothered by this defect because they say they don't use it, what other product do people do that with? I don't care if I pay 10$ or $500 I want the product to work as advertised, not make excuses for the glaring defects. My.02!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JoeyLe:
You're completly right, but with every tablet/phone there is a problem. Personally for me the WiFi would be a deal breaker but that seems fixed. I will never use the GPS because there is one in my phone which is good enough.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] arcticreaver:
unfortunately people who paid 500 would like to have everything working even if they don't use all the features and functions on their new tablet.

btw the screen responsiveness is not that great. need to really press down to type.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JoeyLe:
"Personally".
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] RiPPn:
Another annoying issue is the gyroscope, try pulling the Alice in wonderland book up in vertical view then rotating to horizontal and back again, it takes literally 10 seconds to register, then another 10 to redraw the page. Do it a couple times and the tablet will reboot! I tried it in both google books and my library, same issue.

I'm hoping what someone mentioned earlier that they rushed the honeycomb build to get these pushed out, and the polish will come with ice cream sandwich. We can only hope.

Also does anyone else have glass that gives on the side where the headphone jack is, what I mean is the glass pushes in like it's hollow under it, it's solid on all the other 3 sides?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] nxp3:
Yeah man...what the hell is that guy talking about. It's called GLOBAL Positioning System for a reason. It uses satellites for tracking. Wifi only helps to lock on sooner, but without it it should lock on in less than 5 minutes on first use. After that it should lock on in minutes at most because you are in the general area as last time you use it. Unless you turn off before getting on a plane and flying somewhere and turning it on, it'll find it fast.

Some people just don't know what the hell they're talking about.

It doesn't really matter here, we got a problem with GPS, even with wifi on you can tell that it's still looking for GPS which means the wifi got it started, it found your general location, but the satellite is still not locked on, that is why you see the icon on bottom right saying searching for satellites.

I tested mine out, I'm getting 0-2 satellites, in some instances I can get 11 locked, but it loses connection out of nowhere. Most of the time I get nothing in plain outdoor.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] tdrussell:
Going to do some more testing under clearly skies
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Diamondback:
Okay so now someone who actually knows what he is talking about stated the GPS issue too. That's bad :(

I still hope all these issues are down to crappy HC and NOT due to a bad hardware design... :/
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Magnesus:
I use GPS on my phone for recording my position during trips. Why? Because then I can use this recording to add GPS data to the photos I made and then show them on a map (for trips abroad it's very useful and helps at remembering where exactly you were, haha). Only problem - my phone eats battery too fast, so having GPS on tablet is important because I can use it instead for this task.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Akareem81:
Mine doesnt work either, it gets a location lock but it doesnt get a lock for navigation, not that i would use my tablet rather a phone, but who wouldnt want that choice? any chance its a software problem? because i get 5-10m accuracy with just location
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] fuzzer:
I can verify/confirm this statement by the fact that i use my old omnia, no long activated, as a GPS antenna for my Archos 70 tablet...

If the Prime has GPS it is supposed to work, wether you use it or not. I bet Asus is happy there are customers out there that are happy without it...it will keep their "customer satisfaction" ratings high....
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] skeptikal:
I'm curious how many of those eleven yes votes actually locked GPS. When I first opened google maps I had wifi on and it immediately showed my location which made me hopeful but i never locked Sats. I was indoors.

I went outside and stood on my head with crystal clear skys while holding the tablet in a perfectly upright position horizontally and kept it completely still for 15 minutes running GPS Essentials and still had not locked any sats.

I'm not saying that everyone will have the same issue but if I had seen this thread the shortly after first time I opened google maps I might have voted yes. So, if you voted yes and later found that it was just wifi locating you please post so we know we have an accurate count...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] oasis9389:
you stood outside holding your tablet to the sky for 15 mins?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] tdrussell:
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE HIGHLANDER!

So I've managed to lock without network assistance, but its not reliable and nothing compared to my dx.

One of the main things I've noticed is that the GPS symbol in the notification bar does not start flashing as it should when its attempting to get a lock. The app has called the GPS, but the GPS does not seem to be looking for satellites.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] thetruth1983:
My wifi signal is poor and I haven't gotten a GPS lock at all. This is a gamestop grey model btw.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] thomslik:
This may seem overly simple to many, but some may have overlooked the following.

I'm not sure if it makes a difference. But, have the people with the GPS problems done the initial firmware update? I did that immediately after turning mine on. Also, I'm sure most do, but everyone should realize you probably will have to be outdoors with a good view of the sky to get a lock. The signals from the sats do not penetrate wood, metal, vegetation, etc. very well.

Indoors, you may occasionally have marginal success, but not usually. Also, as has been mentioned, the initial search for satellites and their info can sometimes take several minutes from a cold start, such as when it hasn't found its location before or recently.

I didn't test my GPS before the update and never expected it to work indoors, but mine is doing great. Maybe I just got lucky or it's possible that a few bad units may exist.

For those who think that the color may make a difference, I have the gray!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] nxp3:
Did the test before update and after same issue. What YOU don't realize is that maybe becasue you are connected to wifi that your location has been reported properly. If you look at the bottom right corner where the satellite symbol is at and touch it, if it is saying "searching for satellite" then you do not have a lock on, what you are seeing is that your map has determine your location from wifi. Get yourself a proper satellite apps called GPS status to test it out, it's free on te market. I've gotten connection before, but the signal is poor and lose connection left and right.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Bimboy:
Please see my posts above in this thread, including a screenshot of being locked with wifi turned off. I did lock with no wifi on, no problem. Once you loaod agps data, you are good to go untethered. I also loaded iGo and US maps from my phone, and locked. IGo is only displaying 800x480 tho, but it is fully functional.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] thomslik:
What YOU don't realize, as you must not have seen my earlier post (yesterday 12:29 pm,) is that I did the test with the GSP Status app, and no wifi connection.

Get yourself whatever you want, but don't tell me what to do!

I'm not saying that YOU don't have a problem, just that I don't. My post was intended to maybe help some other users sort things out. Apparently this wasn't for you.

Happy Holidays!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] arcticreaver:
ASUS has yet to contact me about the GPS issue. i'll give them a break since it's the holiday season. they better answer my concerns next week.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Dnorwood:
The green dot just means that your gps is turned on not that you have a lock (I have a sgs so I an familiar with faulty gps)....your accuracy is ninety feet, not too great.

Edit: also the snr are really low (a bad thing) nothing over 40 that is why the accuracy isn't great.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] arcticreaver:
for those of you that just recently received your prime, please use the poll.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] gruntguy:
Did the poll... My GPS doesn't work too good either. Most of the time it can't even get a WiFi based location, let alone satellite. Turned wifi assist off and went for a drive with GPS Status. It could weakly detect some satelites, 8 at most, but usually about 4 or 5 on average. Hardly ever got a fix, and when i did it was a split second fix to two satellites, not long enough to sustain any decent tracking (longest fix was about 6 seconds long). Clear skies, away from any tall buildings. My dell streak 5 got a fix instantly on the same journey and never lost connection.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] xmtsystems:
I setup a walking route with Google Nav to the corner store while I was connected to wifi, cached the map, then went outside to get a gps fix. I got a fix fairly quickly, so with google nav telling me where to go, I started walking. My Prime had my position locked about 200 feet west of the road I was on for most of the walk, and the gps strength was constantly fluctuating.

I couldn't help but think that Asus stole this guy's gps receiver and stashed it in my Prime... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZXM_g3mqew
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] monkeydog:
My GPS works fine. In fact I was impressed by how quickly it locked onto my location, only took a few seconds. MUCH faster than my Droid 2.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] arcticreaver:
Good write up. Really appreciate getting some backing.

So I think those that actually have the problem contact sites like engadget, android central, etc and ask them to look into it.

I've contacted engadget already. Dante replied to me and said that their device is functionally normally but I have no idea how they tested their unit. I've contacted them again about this.

Also I am suggesting that we contact ASUS about this, for those of us that is experiencing GPS issues.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Diamondback:
This statement is

wrong

. If you use normal GPS (without the help of a data connection or a location aware wifi) it can take

up to

12,5 minutes for the first fix.

This has

nothing

to do with any software or hardware. This ist just the nature of GPS.

If you still don't have a GPS lock after this time

then

something is wrong.

Everyone here who wants to test the GPs needs to go outside and stand there for 12,5 minutes to really know if his GPS is totally broken.

This time is needed to download the so called "Almanach". How long the fix time is mainly a matter of

how long

the receiver was turned off.

If it was off for several days or was moved more than 300km without switching it on it takes up to said 12,5 minutes to redownload the needed data from the GPS satellites.

There is no doubt in bad GPS reception levels of the Prime, I am just stating that an initial fix time of 12 minutes

is not slow at all

.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] markimar:
Yes it has GPS. It took about 5 min for mine to lock on. I'm wondering where the GPS antenna is located.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] stelek:
Hi,

I've registered just to post on this thread. I'm gonna pick up my Prime in a few days and this topic got me worried a lot. The lack of fully functioning and accurate GPS is a deal breaker for me so I really care to know what the situation here is.

I have a proposal - could people who voted in the poll post their serial numbers? Maybe this way we could identify some "broken batch" of Primes or maybe find some other pattern? Does the Prime have any information about where and when it was manufactured? Maybe we could compare this data?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JWortner:
GPS Fine for Me

New to this forum and love it! I got my Prime yesterday. Trying to sneeak in time to mess with it. I did test the GPS and it aquired very quickly and held a lock. No issues here. I do have a problem with Google maps though. When you search for things, the resulting text box has some text readable and the rest looks like small chinnese or something.................. Anyone have this issue?

---------- Post added at 09:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 AM ----------

I just join so do not know what the poll is about. But my serial number is BCOKASO044491. My GPS aquires quickly and appears to be fine. I will take a ride in the car with it today and see how it does and get abk to you all.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JoeyLe:
Guy's, I don't think it is a good idea to post your serial number online..
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] dakine:
This is obviously a production flaw in the early batch. I would RMA immediately as its most likely to be a hardware issue. Seems like Asus rushed these things to meet the holiday shopping season.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] thorissr:
I received my Prime yesterday and couldn't get a GPS lock to save my life. This morning I decided to allow the Prime to sit near a window that has a clear view to the sky and it took about 3 1/2 hours before it finally locked on to 8 satellites. Now when I access Maps or Navigation it locks on within 5 -7 seconds consistently. I have restarted it and started up Maps, Navigation and Poynt and each time it locks on in 5 - 7 seconds. I tried this with wifi on and off and it works without a hitch now.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Spaded21:
I wasn't getting a GPS lock with Google Maps. I downloaded GPS Status and when to menu > tools > force A-GPS data (or something similar) only took about a minute after that. Once you get the lock a lot more data will show up on screen
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Arun01:
I got my Prime from gamestop & as i soon as i went to maps it locked on me fast & never lost me even when i went outside !
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JWortner:
GPS in Car

Just took mine for a ride in the car. It does not get any single when on my lap. Works when I hold out over the dash board. It is a shame because cell phone work inside the car. I also fired up my HTC Rezound (got that yesterday too) hotspot on 4g and hooked into that. Got 100% signal (as it should) and got 7.5 mb down and 4.9 mb up and was able to talk on the phone while surfing the web.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] pdanders:
Note that as others have mentioned it may take quite a while on your first attempt to lock onto GPS. This is quite normal and it will happen anytime you move a large distance (~100+ miles) with the device turned off.

Also GPS signals are extremely weak so you may need to put the device by a window.

Not saying no one is having real issues... just a few things to keep in mind.

---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 AM ----------

There is no "GPS radio". GPS is a passive system... the only broadcast comes from the satellites in orbit... GPS devices are just passive receivers.

---------- Post added at 10:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 AM ----------

GPS receivers are passive... there's no such thing as a more powerful receiver. Of course you can have a more sensitive receiver with better antennas, filters, etc
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Magnesus:
For those saying it's a hardware matter: it might not be. I had the same problems with my TF101. It fixed itself somehow and I didn't have it ever since (probably some firmware update fixed it). On the first firmwares the tablet was loosing GPS sometimes (not funny when it happens on some complicated road) and couldn't make a lot for more than 15 minutes sometimes.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] gruntguy:
Thanks for this, I'm going to try it when I get the chance.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] BarryH_GEG:
You're contradicting yourself. If the satellites are projecting a signal, something has to be actively searching for that signal. Therefore, what I'm calling a radio and you're calling a receiver are the same thing and neither can be passive. If you look at the LightSquared case before the FCC the spectrum they're using is interfering with GPS radio/receivers. If you travel by air, GPS is on the list of electronic devices that must be turned off and that's because it sends/receives signals.

Again, not true. There's not one universal GPS radio/receiver that every manufacturer uses. Each designs and integrates their own or buys the radio/receiver from one of many different manufacturers and adds it to their device. To say they all perform the same would be the same as saying all cellular radio or Wi-Fi chips perform the same. I totally agree about antennas, filters, and s/w also having an impact. The HP TouchPad is the example I was thinking about. It uses the Qualcomm APQ8060 SoC. That chip doesn't have a standalone GPS radio/receiver and can only geo-locate over Wi-Fi. No Wi-Fi, no GPS. The more commonly used MSM8060 includes a dedicated standalone GPS radio/receiver and can function without a Wi-Fi signal.

There are standalone GPS radio/receivers that, along with s/w, use aGPS to boost performance. A device can be aGPS only and use network resources (via Wi-Fi) and s/w to triangulate data and have no onboard radio/receiver or antenna. The latter is cheaper which is why Qualcomm made an SoC that way and HP put it in the TP. The fact that people have reported the Prime stays locked after the Wi-Fi signal is disconnected answered my question - it does have a dedicated radio/receiver and isn’t a s/w only solution.

The issue with the Prime is still weird. Either something’s causing some units to behave differently which doesn’t make sense because they all use the same h/w and s/w or people are reporting different results when in fact they’re all experiencing the same thing.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] markimar:
I sure as hell won't do an RMA it will be June before I get a new one!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Mithent:
Wow, I know that GPS units obtain ephemeris/almanac data from satellites that assist subsequent lookups, but that's quite a while to get the first lock. Maybe some kind of data injection program would help (as is available for the SGS)?

I think I'm cursed with mobile devices with bad or slow GPS - I've had the N95 (slow, no AGPS), Touch Pro (likewise), Galaxy S (GPS constantly drops out) and I'll be getting the Prime. Sorry if I'm bringing my bad luck with me...!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Star Shadow:
Is there a way to take the back metal cover off and do a GPS test? If it works better then you know it's the metal backing. :)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Mithent:
It's a radio in the sense that a traditional "radio" that you use to tune into radio stations is, yes. Not in the sense of a cellular radio - it doesn't send anything to the satellites (that would require rather a lot of power!). Of course, a device with other, bidirectional radios might use them to augment its GPS functionality.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] BarryH_GEG:
For the satellite and the device to speak, one's querying the other. Since we know the satellite isn't polling for GPS devices then the GPS device has to be querying the satellite which means it's transmitting a signal. Am I missing something?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Diamondback:
There is no querying happening at all. GPS satellites send their data just a timed schedule.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Mithent:
GPS satellites are continually broadcasting the data that GPS devices need to triangulate their position - the GPS receiver doesn't have to request it from the satellites.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS#Message_format

The GPS receiver needs to receive time and position data from at least three satellites (dependent on the device's algorithms, and the more satellites the better) in order to calculate its position, based on the the time offset between the different satellites and their positions in orbit.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] skinien:
A machine can broadcast information without the need to accept incoming messages. The other side of that is the receiver is just looking for and accepting the data. You don't need two way communication.