[Q] Is my new Viewsonic G tablet a Refurb? - G Tablet Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I ordered a Gtablet from Tigerdirect.ca for 399$ CAD, however, i just viewed an un-boxing of one on Youtube and now i've noticed i never had a screen protector to peel off and the original rom was set to somewhere in MA (Massachusetts). There was not a scratch on it though. I have since rooted it to Tnt Lite and it's awesome thanks guys! I hope i haven't got a Sears or Staples returned Gtablet...
Also wondering if it's normal when i hold the tablet with one hand on bottom with thumb pressed above docking area that the screen shows 2 small pressure points which at times remain white-ish (near bottom left of center). Almost as if the hardware from the inside is pressing up into the screen.

Screen protectors haven't come on the Gtablet since the very first shipment way back in November, 2010 as far as I have read....

Retrodrift said:
I ordered a Gtablet from Tigerdirect.ca for 399$ CAD, however, i just viewed an un-boxing of one on Youtube and now i've noticed i never had a screen protector to peel off and the original rom was set to somewhere in MA (Massachusetts). There was not a scratch on it though. I have since rooted it to Tnt Lite and it's awesome thanks guys! I hope i haven't got a Sears or Staples returned Gtablet...
Also wondering if it's normal when i hold the tablet with one hand on bottom with thumb pressed above docking area that the screen shows 2 small pressure points which at times remain white-ish (near bottom left of center). Almost as if the hardware from the inside is pressing up into the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is normal. Only the first batch sold at Sears in early to mid-November included the screen protector. I got my G Tab from the first batch sold at Staples on November 21st, and by then, screen protectors were no longer included.
When you first boot up the G Tab, the Weather widget will default to Cambridge Massachusetts. This is normal and it tells you you're running Viewsonic TnT stock rom. You can go to settings and press About Tablet to find out what version of the TnT build is installed.
As far as the two (2) pressure points, I haven't seen this happen on my G Tab, but I read on the forum where have been a couple of reports about this. I encourage others to chime in. I don't remember if upgrading the rom addressed the issue, or if folks saw this as a hardware issue.
Good Luck!!!!

Thanks for confirming that some have received Gtabs without 'peel off' screen protectors like in the beginning, and stock Rom is set to Cambridge, MA.
As for the 2 pressure points in the screen bottom left of center, i have noticed they are present on Stock and TnT 4.2 roms, it isn't that big a deal for me but am concerned about the longevity of the device...

Mine was worse.
I got one from office depot few days back, (it said it was new of course). And there was not a plastic wrap (ESD cover) cover on the screen, no plastic bag for the device either. (I checked the unboxing video, it should have both when it is new) ..and even worse..I don't even have a chance to set up the device (we should see some tutorial thing during the first power on, I believe)
Anyway, I have already returned it.

TapnTap Inc is in Cambridge, so they setup their ROM with their home town in mind.

@kvgico: You should have at least got the plastic bag wrapped around the Gtab.
As for the tutorial you are right, you should go through that first time you turn on the device which reminds me, mine did not take me through the tutorial either first time on outta the box it went straight to the Cambridge screen, it's only when i flashed back to the original rom after trying Vegan that i saw the tutorial. I imagine with all non-user friendly experiences before Christmas which lead to many returns (Sears, Staples etc) there must be some out there that can be considered partial refurbs, what else were they going to do with them, i mean China wasn't going to take them back.

I think the setup "tutorial" is dependent on the version of the ROM installed as sealed in the box. Mine didn't do any setup process until after a few updates had occurred and then only after I did a factory reset.
If your device was made and packaged before whichever ROM had the setup process.....it would just boot to the weather screen on first boot.

I just got mine from woot, and wondering if its a return / refurb.
It booted straight to classic home, it has "Adobe Flash Player", "Angry Birds", "ColorNote", "Kindle", "Pandora", "The Weather Channel" and "Twitter" applications installed.
It has two trailers in "Videos" (cars.wmv and King.Kong.1080P.wmv). When I open up the web browser (without ever having connected it to the internet), it has the google home page with "Harry Houdini" picture, which was on the google home page on March 24.
Kinda strange. What do you guys think?

scratch that, content deleted

sriram_s said:
I just got mine from woot, and wondering if its a return / refurb.
It booted straight to classic home, it has "Adobe Flash Player", "Angry Birds", "ColorNote", "Kindle", "Pandora", "The Weather Channel" and "Twitter" applications installed.
It has two trailers in "Videos" (cars.wmv and King.Kong.1080P.wmv). When I open up the web browser (without ever having connected it to the internet), it has the google home page with "Harry Houdini" picture, which was on the google home page on March 24.
Kinda strange. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get an OTA update when you first turned it on? What build number does it say? What about kernel information?

no OTA update, but I haven't even connected it to the internet yet. TapNTap UI Version: 1.1-3389. Kernel: [email protected]#15. Build number: FRF91.

sriram_s said:
no OTA update, but I haven't even connected it to the internet yet. TapNTap UI Version: 1.1-3389. Kernel: [email protected]#15. Build number: FRF91.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the same information on my gtablet, which just arrived.

Did yours ask you for any setup when you first started? And do you have the "Harry Houdini" google page? thx

sriram_s said:
Did yours ask you for any setup when you first started? And do you have the "Harry Houdini" google page? thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It booted into "classic home," I guess. I was not prompted to do any setup, nor has there been an update, owing mainly due to the fact that I can't convince the tablet to see the wifi tether from my phone!
(edit) ..... and now I see why. The stock rom doesn't see ad hoc networks, which is what WMwifirouter is. So..........
(edit2) ... posting this from my gtablet. OTA update in progress. Soon on my way to bet an SD card....

I wouldn't put it past tigerdirect to send a refurb/return as new. They are crooks and dirty ones at that. From reading here sounds like yours might be new but I couldn't pass on a chance to express my deepest hatred for those lieing, cheating low lives.
Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using XDA App

I heard the Woot devices are coming with extra apps (they even advertised it as such). The question really is - if these were re-imaged at the distributor and these apps added, and never were touched by an end user, are these "refurbs"? I honestly don't know.
Assuming all the packaging was there, it's in pristine condition and Viewsonic warranties them as "new", I personally wouldn't be too concerned. The full warranty and the pristine condition is really the main reason to buy something new.
The only screen protectors were on the first run of 1,000 or so. but the device should have been in a protective slip cover and everything should have been packaged as new (like the USB cable and adapter - even the screen cloth should have been in a plastic package).

Issue with Refurb
Retrodrift said:
I ordered a Gtablet from Tigerdirect.ca for 399$ CAD, however, i just viewed an un-boxing of one on Youtube and now i've noticed i never had a screen protector to peel off and the original rom was set to somewhere in MA (Massachusetts). There was not a scratch on it though. I have since rooted it to Tnt Lite and it's awesome thanks guys! I hope i haven't got a Sears or Staples returned Gtablet...
Also wondering if it's normal when i hold the tablet with one hand on bottom with thumb pressed above docking area that the screen shows 2 small pressure points which at times remain white-ish (near bottom left of center). Almost as if the hardware from the inside is pressing up into the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I picked mine up at Tiger Direct in London, Ontario.
It was not a new unit, AC adapter had been opened and there were some wireless access points setup.
The manager of the store provided a 15% additional discount (that is their restocking fee) for an open unit.
I am guessing the retailers are getting returns when user find out not all their apps will work. Instead of sending them back to disty, they repack them and try to sell as new.
I do believe Tiger Direct tries to pass off returns as new and have trained their local managers to deal with this issue. Not sure if illegal, sure unethical, if other retailers sold this device, I would have purchased elsewhere.

kgvico said:
I got one from office depot few days back, (it said it was new of course). And there was not a plastic wrap (ESD cover) cover on the screen, no plastic bag for the device either. (I checked the unboxing video, it should have both when it is new) ..and even worse..I don't even have a chance to set up the device (we should see some tutorial thing during the first power on, I believe)
Anyway, I have already returned it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine from Office Depot too. It did have screen protection film took some getting off. Also inside a plastic bag.

Mantara said:
Originally Posted by sriram_s
I just got mine from woot, and wondering if its a return / refurb.
It booted straight to classic home, it has "Adobe Flash Player", "Angry Birds", "ColorNote", "Kindle", "Pandora", "The Weather Channel" and "Twitter" applications installed.
It has two trailers in "Videos" (cars.wmv and King.Kong.1080P.wmv). When I open up the web browser (without ever having connected it to the internet), it has the google home page with "Harry Houdini" picture, which was on the google home page on March 24.
Kinda strange. What do you guys think?
Did you get an OTA update when you first turned it on? What build number does it say? What about kernel information?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine woot came the same way and booted to classic desktop with shimmering google image...after ota update it behaved fine but after another reboot it took me through setup, loaded tnt, no longer had any of the extra apps or flash...and when switched to classic desktop did not have the shimmering google image....

Related

[Q] G Tablet Screen has a puddle or burn in

This is my second G Tablet from Woot.
The first came with a bad pixel that I was intending to live with and try to correct. It went from one bad pixel to a whole line of green pixels across the screen and without rooting and flashing a different rom to get a program that actually would load on the G Tablet I gave up and RMA'd it. Pretty amazing service, shipped mine before the return arrived and no shipping either way.
Now my second G Tablet. Plugged it in and charged until the green light came on and booted it, anxious to get all of my apps reloaded. Immediately noticed that there is an outline about half an inch in from the screen edges all the way around the screen, it looks like a puddle on the screen and a lot like burn in on my Plasma TV. I honestly don't want to roll the dice again and get a new one, but I don't know if I should be concerned about the longevity of the product being less with this issue. Most apps you can't see it and it doesn't bother me, I just don't want to have it die on me a few months down the road and not have the option to return it.
I hope there isn't another thread about this specific screen issue, I couldn't find it and any advice would be great.
Try 'Pixel Fixer' from Market.
Also: LCD burn-in, image persistence fixed!
Are you sure thats not the dual layer screen protector that was shipped on earlier units ? perhaps woot got a punch of old stock.
Also might be some trapped humidity from transit (moving between indoor/outdoors) I would run it on highest brightness for a couple of days if that doesn't fix it I would exchange.
Not sure if it is the dual layer screen protector or not.
Being that it is a G-Tablet we don't have access to the true android market without rooting and running a different ROM, which I haven't decided against, but if I am going to be RMAing it i don't want to hack it and take a chance they refuse to replace it. It isn't bothersome, just more concerned about it effecting the longevity of the tab.
Thanks for the replies.
just download the apk of google.
if the tab is still covered by the manufacture warranty then make them fix it. if they cant fix it they will replace it for you then.

[Q] The oil slick problem.

I'm having that gross blot on my 10.1. I called Samsung, they told me to go to Best Buy, and Best Buy told me to get ****ed. So I guess I'm on my own. Is there any way to permanently fix it without sending it in?
Sending in is the only way and some have gotten units back and have it happen again.
Two weeks into ownership of my Verizon LTE version the rings appeared. After reading up on the issue I decided to wait it out. I used pressure points along the edges of the screen to coax the rings away and changed the way I carry the tab and the way I place it in the case (eventually changed cases altogether). I'm now 3.5 months in and the rings aren't an issue for me anymore. I'm careful not to put unnecessary pressure on the screen when I carry and store it and I think this goes a long way towards avoiding the issue entirely.
IMO things like never stacking things on the device, always placing it on flat surfaces face up when not in use and using cases that don't put pressure on the chassis to cause deformation are all good best practices to employ with these devices. When I must carry my tab in a bag I make sure its screen faces a larger flat item like a folder or book but that the tab itself isn't swished between books.
I don't know about US Samsung policy
but in Indonesia .. in earlier period, I manage to have my tab replaced new and since then the watermark/NR problem have never appeared anymore ..However, recently I heard that the replacement policy has gone into a service screen replace .. either way should fix the problem
I think the screen problem only appear in the early batch or old stock .. because I never heard such problem anymore in my place especially newer batch
JonSolo said:
Sending in is the only way and some have gotten units back and have it happen again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, even now?
What's the turnover on getting it back? A week or two?
Not to disappoint you, but this is my case... (CompUSA) Got 2 Galaxy Tabs 32GB version last week. One for my wife, one for me.
My wife's tablet came perfect. (no exchanges)
But my tablet... History...
1st tablet: Came with 2 dead pixels right in the middle of he screen.
2nd tablet: Huge Oil Slick / Newtons Ring on 2nd day of use. (was only solved for a few minutes by putting it on the freezer)
3rd tablet: not 2, not 3, but 4 dead pixels...
4th tablet: no dead pixel, no oil slick YET... UPDATE!!! > > > AGAIN!!! SAME ****... OIL SLICK AGAIN!!! 12/26/11... Going to return it again tomorrow. > > > Returned it, got money back... (CompUSA manager even told me that all 10.1 have been returned because of dead pixels or oil slick issue, and he agree to give me a full refund.) I would say that at least 90% of Galaxy Tab 10.1 are defective. If you got one without this issue, consider it an exception and consider yourself lucky. This is the end for me with the 10.1 Tab, will never recommend it. Yet another update... My wife's tablet also got oil slick on day 15... Returned it too... Money back too... The end...
All tablets were: P7510 UEKF3
Install Dead Pixel Test from the market to check for dead pixels.
That's why I hate BestBuy... I buy all my electronics at Costco or CompUSA.
> > > Last edit (12/31/2011) ... Went to AT&T and got the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE... Finally Happy...
quick fix
Yue Fairchild said:
I'm having that gross blot on my 10.1. I called Samsung, they told me to go to Best Buy, and Best Buy told me to get ****ed. So I guess I'm on my own. Is there any way to permanently fix it without sending it in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if people are still dealing with this, but I have found that 5 minutes in a refrigerator fixes the issue. And then being careful not to set stuff on it and not applying too much pressure to the middle helps keep it away. i got my slick 3 months ago and it came back once since, but another trip to the fridge and all is well.

Where can I find the LED screen for Prime

I recently destroyed 2 tablets at the same time...My wife's Nook tablet and my Asus Prime. We left Publix shopping and as my daughter (not even 2yrs old yet) started crawling into the car i quickly moved both tabs from the back seat and put them on top of the car ..I finished putting the groceries in the car, strapped my daughter into the car seat and TOOK OFF..now i partly blame my wife but thats part of bieng married so anywaysss. We left the shopping center and hit the road..thats when I heard "somthing" while I was driving but I had no idea what it was so I kept on rollin..yeah then it FINALLY HIT ME! WTF why isnt my tablet by my side!!?? ...then it hit me again...OH S*&T thats what the noise was!!! ...so I made the quickest u-turn ever imaginable and saw my tab laying in the road with its cover still on it...i had my hopes..so while driving back to it on the other side of the road 2 cars ran right over it ...it was horrible to watch. I grabbed it and tucked it away hoping for gods blessing that he the almighty would protect it....but no. I opened the case and it looked....just fine. Then I turned it on and the LED is cracked inside...the outer screen is perfect still. Its completely black with colored cracks in it...so i was mighty upset about it yesterday..today I took it apart, removed the broken LED and I just need a replacement LED...i went to the website but I dont see anywhere to order it just contact info.
Its a HannStar hsd101pww2 LED ...if anyone knows where I can find one to buy that would be awesome and thats my goal for writing this up. Once I find and order one I will replace it and post pics of what I did, thanks XDA community for your constant support. =)
This is the official site of the Primes LED screens so if anyone can find the purchase button if there is one or if anyone knows where please let me know, thanks.
http://www.hannstar.com/Common.aspx?mid=199&tmid=3&modid=4
Sorry to hear about your accident. I know how you feel, happened to me with my new RayBan years ago.
Why don't you just fill out the contact sheet and let them know about your problem to purchase from their website. They probably have a 2nd site which did not get linked
Let us know how the story ends.
Good luck.

[Q] My Prime finally croaked. [Return help!]

This was the tablet my family got me for my birthday. For January. I preordered and received it sometime after.
It worked fine, then few trouble everyone had showed up; I thought I'd be fine.
I forgave it when it had Bluetooth problem and GPS signal problem.
Then Wi-Fi gets lost, I have screen bleeding on top; I'm fine with that.
Green camera I got it too, then my tablet reads and writes so slow I sat 30 minutes one time waiting for my Winamp (or any music player for that matter) to boot... It was still usable.
Now USB connector won't read (I tried plugging to 3 different PC; no success. They used to work before) and now it refuses to update to JellyBean. It refuses to read my MicroSD card also now.
Sure I rooted, and certainly I dropped it once. If dropping it once from waist height causes all this problem (I had green camera problem little after), I'm gonna have to say I can't swallow my pride anymore.
I'm thinking about returning this thing to Amazon and ask for full refund at this point. I don't want to be stuck with RMA hell most people faced and I want something that just works.
Now, I also have ACH on this... I also read some people were able to get full ACH refund for this; is this true?
I also have a cover and Skinomi on this; have anyone tried returning accessories also? How did that go?
...overall, only question I have is this.
Did I wait too long on return?
On phone with Amazon right now...
First they told me they had option to replace my tablet with new one.
I was okay with that, but then they told me they can't do that anymore.
I'm okay with that so I asked for refund. They sent me labels and now I'm working on returning accessories.
They are currently transferring me to 3rd Party Specialist so I can return the accessories also.
(Attempting to return the case, AHD Insurance, and the Skinomi)
Only thing I would feel bad for I guess is the screen protectors. Skinomi is best protector I bought indeed...
It still looks good through all the possible wear and tear I put through;
Regular GNexus screen protector I bought with Verizon fell apart once and I had to replace it;
Phone is younger then the tablet to make matters worse lol
I'll keep you guys posted but this made me realize few things:
1. I need to buy more from Amazon (lol)
2. Skinomi is definitely worth the money
3. I don't know if I can trust Asus anymore after Prime failed on me this hard.

Replaced cracked Digitizer

I dropped my GT-P7510 and the screen shattered but didn't call out. I was able to use the tablet but was worried about cutting my fingers as I swipped. I bought replacement digitizer on Amazon for $15 and with the help of a YouTube video was able to remove the old screen and install the new one. It took me no more than 20 minutes, all I needed was a hair dryer and a few butter knives.
"This seemed too easy" was my thoughts as I was powering the tablet. Everything started up fine, was working perfectly UNTIL I noticed a few "dead spots" on the new touchscreen. One of which is right over the install button in the Play Store.
It's not the end of the world as this tablet is quite old and I really only use this to play Appeak Poker and the only new apps I install are the sponsored apps in Appeak that give me free chis just for running them.
Has anyone else experienced this problem after replacing their digitizer and if so, is there a fix?
Thanks
demetrios3 said:
I dropped my GT-P7510 and the screen shattered but didn't call out. I was able to use the tablet but was worried about cutting my fingers as I swipped. I bought replacement digitizer on Amazon for $15 and with the help of a YouTube video was able to remove the old screen and install the new one. It took me no more than 20 minutes, all I needed was a hair dryer and a few butter knives.
"This seemed too easy" was my thoughts as I was powering the tablet. Everything started up fine, was working perfectly UNTIL I noticed a few "dead spots" on the new touchscreen. One of which is right over the install button in the Play Store.
It's not the end of the world as this tablet is quite old and I really only use this to play Appeak Poker and the only new apps I install are the sponsored apps in Appeak that give me free chis just for running them.
Has anyone else experienced this problem after replacing their digitizer and if so, is there a fix?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try checking the connection between the digitizer ribbon cable and mainboard socket thingy. Push it as far as possible without damaging and press the clip to secure connector.
hi all,
first forgive me, english is not my first language
instead of creating a new thread, i used the search option and found that thread so ill post my problem here.
I own a p7500, and last week i dropped it on the floor and broke the glass. Since i use my tab for work i couldnt wait for ordering a replacement glass and do it myself so i brought the tab to a store close to my place named youbreakifix and they changed the glass for 100$. The lcd is 100% fonctionnal as well as all buttons.
now at first the lower right corner wasnt responsive at all as well as the bottom section of the tab. Also, sometime the whole screen wouldnt be responsive until i screen off then screen on again.
The guy told me he would open it and check all connections and if the problem isnt fix, he would order a new glass and replace it again.
Now the next day, they called me saying everything looked fine, i went to the shop and tried to swipe home screens from one to another with success.
Once at home, i started to play a little more with the tab and found that the digitilizer is still totally unresponsive in a intermittently way until i screen off and back on.
Also, when i press on some area (really small and alway at the same place) the tab look like it has a dead spot.
According to you, is it the glass that i should get replace again (on warranty 90days) or it might be another internal problem of the tab ?

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