Unfortunately, the app is still in review with Apple, so not at the moment. I also didn't realize this post would do so well with HN. I will work on a more in-depth follow-up with some working examples. Thanks so much for reading!
They make a /huge/ difference, especially if you stay within the tile size.
In fact, using translate3d and CSS animation is pretty much the only way to get smooth animation - if you do it with pure JS (setting left/top styles), things get very herky-jerky.