ASUS to Provide Free GPS Dongle to Fix Transformer Prime GPS

Update: ASUS giving customers GPS Dongle is confirmed. I've ordered mine, see official ASUS transcript below.  However, the process hasn't been officially announced yet.  Try to sign up at ASUS' members area if your new there and maybe you can order it. Please don't ask ASUS for support yet but do consider it confirmed that ASUS will make your transformer prime tf201GPS work in the very near future.
 
Over at XDA there is credible evidence to suggest that ASUS will be releasing a GPS Dongle to Transformer Prime owners, thus taking the tablet to promised original specification.  If the rumors are right expect news to be announced around mid-april about a process for owners to receive their GPS dongles.  Interface is unknown but I'd expect Bluetooth with an NMEA-183 (iirc) stream.  UPDATE: See below for source, but apparently the ASUS GPS dongle plugs into the charging connector and is flush fit and matching color, think keyboard hinge but smaller in width and without the rest of the dock.

Gary Key had mentioned that he had a big announcement regarding the Transformer Prime.  Perhaps this is what he is referring to.  .21 has made my Transformer Prime tf201 more stable.  As an aside I have been really enjoying the dock.  The updates ASUS has rolled out and continues to with addressing some browser lag are commendable.  Although perhaps a nuisance to keep root, which is nice since the Tegra 3 in the TF201 can hit 1.6GHz on all cores.

This is really solid news by a company who's products I've used for years.  I loved their X58 solution mobos.  I think this reflects really well on ASUS' commitment to customer service and is revealing of their corporate qualities. In fact I've been more impressed with ASUS then Google recently, but that's another post.

Although my prime isn't perfect its definitely a premium device.  Once these tegra driver issues are worked out I believe this thing will fly.  The docking station makes this device a game changer, and the dock is absolutely beautiful with a fantastic keyboard.  Very highend kit.  Build quality exceeding my phones.  I'm looking forward to reviewing their PadPhone. 

Thanks (in advanced) for fixing GPS ASUS!

Update xda link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1584213 see page 3 for a description. Not bt as I originally speculated, its been described by a testing group member (on page 3)  as  keyboard hinged styl3. 

Here's a transcript of the official ASUS message from their VIP Members Area-- once again THANKS ASUS

"Thank you for purchasing the ASUS Eee Transformer Prime TF201, and helping to make it the most popular Android based tablet since its launch in December 2011. We greatly appreciate feedback from our valued customers about our products, and take it very seriously. The response to the TF201 generally has been overwhelmingly positive, but we understand that, in certain regions, the GPS functionality has not met some user’s expectations. Free Dongle! At ASUS, we are committed to delivering innovative, high-quality products and services, and our customers’ experience is important to us. Although the TF201 is not a professional GPS device, as part of our unwavering commitment to our customers we are offering all customers who purchased a TF201 system a free external GPS extension kit, called a dongle, which may help improve signal reception and optimize the user experience. We are pleased to announce this offer as part of our commitment to customer service, but it does not replace, alter or amend any existing warranties you may have.We also encourage you to contact ASUS customer support in your local region directly if you are experiencing GPS related problems. ASUS prides itself on delivering an unrivalled user experience, and we offer our sincere apologies for any inconvenience that our customers may have encountered."

Fix Transformer Prime GPS by Tethering Phone GPS to Tablet

Lets be clear, the TF201, or asus eeepad transformer prime release was not executed at a high level.  Many early models had wifi issues due to manufacturing issues with the diversity antennas, that seems to be fixed now.  All Primes have a GPS that is inherently ineffective due to poor antenna design.  If yours gets some satellites while standing still that's a win.  It is not effective enough to navigate even on a boat in the ocean with just a canvas top blocking the sky. 

I gave up trying to fix the GPS and was happy that my WIFI worked so well.  When I bought my prime GPS was still listed as a feature, I've been really lucky to have this tablet since the beginning of 2012, and have enjoyed it immensely.  I realized a BT GPS solution was possible after working with some iPad's set up for ocean navigation.  I decided one day to stream the GPS from a phone over BT to the transformer prime, and I couldn't be happier with the results. 

Here's the step by step to setup GPS BT Streaming to a TF201 (although it is applicable to many tablets including an iPad with suitable changes to the instructions). 

1) root the PHONE (not the Tablet)

2) download "Bluetooth GPS" on the prime (or tablet) by googoo android. This will receive the GPS signal over bluetooth. 

 

3) enable mock locations under developer settings on the prime settings

 4) download a GPS to Bluetooth app on the PHONE.  There are several

4.1) I use "Bluetooth gps" by meowsbox free trial 1.49 full version

 4.2) you will need to grant su privileges to the GPS to Bluetooth app you use

 4.3) some apps work better with certain phones

 5) start GPS and gps streaming utilizing utility from #4 on the phone

 6) pair phone and prime under bluetooth settings, in the settings menu of both tech.

 7) open up Bluetooth GPS on the prime choose the PHONE from the dropdown source menu and click connect

8) you should now be able to utilize GPS as if it were native on the prime

 8.1) you can see feed from bluetooth gps, see sats with GPS test, utilize maps or special nav charts e.g. boats planes etc.

Let me know if I skipped a step or can make this clearer.