[Q] Would you buy again? - G Tablet Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I don't currently own a G Tablet. I'm in the market for a tablet though. Would you guys buy this device again?? How is development community? I was thinking about buying a Barnes and Noble nook, but for 50 dollars more you can get this device with much better hardware. What do you guys think as owners of this device?

Tynen said:
I don't currently own a G Tablet. I'm in the market for a tablet though. Would you guys buy this device again?? How is development community? I was thinking about buying a Barnes and Noble nook, but for 50 dollars more you can get this device with much better hardware. What do you guys think as owners of this device?
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Using search, I found the exact same topic I replied to the last time.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1068794
Oddly enough, the title was "would you buy again/still"

Tynen said:
Would you guys buy this device again??
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For sub $300 BNIB and sub $250 (used with accessories) hell yes
And BTW I do have a nook color as well as a gtab.
Just check all the threads here about the honey comb port, over clocking kernels, custom ROMs, ..

In a skinny minute.

No. The screen is just abysmal. I knew going in the poor viewing angles and reflectivity. But I cannot stress enough how poor on both counts. The screen is so poor that color shifts occur at the edges when viewing straight on. The angles so poor that rotations, very normal and expected with a pad, are visually tedious on the yes. Each orientation offers its own set of problems.
I love the hardware. I love the tweakability. I'm a hardcore Android phone user of almost two years now. I am committed to Android over iOS. But I just cannot tolerate the screen.

In a heartbeat! I have a number of Android devices and the Grab is my favorite! I bought for the price and stayed because I love it.
gwalborn
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b5.1.1 using Tapatalk

Yes, and I actually did buy again (2nd one, for my son).
Mine is still stock, and I use it daily, for web and news. My son has CM7 on his.
Jim

Yup. Love it.

Well it's been a week with the one I bought for my kid....
And I am trying to talk myself off the ledge of buying 1-2 more, it is that good...
I never booted the stock rom, went right to Vegantab7, smooth as silk....XDA should be PAID BIG TIME by viewsonic...Really viewsonic might consider letting XDA run their tablet division, and they would SMOKE all competition.
I am a hardcore laptop user, but this thing really could replace quite a lot, except for windows specific apps...
Plus I can tether wirelessly through my rooted OG droid, really elegant all around..
Money WELL spent.
Good luck.
Scott

Without a doubt! Running Honeycomb thanks to the development community!

I wouldn't pay the original $399 but for under $300 its the best bang for the buck. I'm hoping to get a second one soon. I like the nook but the 7 inch screen is just too small. I really don't get all the complaints about the screen.

I have two G-Tablets. After purchasing the first one, I really thought the whole screen issue was overblown, so when I saw an ad for a used tab with a case and micro sd for $200, I jumped on it. As it turns out, the viewing angels are noticeably worse. I have to believe there are quality control issues from the Chinese manufacturer, and explains the amount of people who complain of this. The original one did not have a great screen, but it was acceptable. The latter, however, is worse yet. My opinion only.

My biggest complain against purchasing again would have been the lack of vendor support. However this has been resolved based on the support of the developers here and elsewhere. I would not however, pay more than $250 for the device, as it is clearly reaching its end of hardware life; although the developers are extending its software life.
The device is also a good gateway into the world of android and should help people decide what type of device to purchase in the future. One with 'proven' vendor support vs one that is more risky. Which in reality translates into more expensive verus less.
I also think the only way to explain the wide range in screen experiences, has to be build based. I don't have problem with the screen; to me it looks and behaves as a typical netbook screen would.
So my answer would be, I would buy again if I could find one around $250 and could be assured of the screen quality.

Nope, I returned mine after 7 days. The screen is truly awful (or was on mine) and while the developer support is great and certainly makes the device worlds better than it is stock, my opinion is that it's still too flawed. I kept running into things that simply wouldn't work (multiple apps and widgets) and these issues were causing me to fuss with more than just use the device. But what it did show me was that I think I would enjoy regularly using a tablet so for now I'll wait for Asus to ramp up production of the Transformer and for $100 more than G-Tab I'll have something with a native OS that runs and a screen that is likely to be 10x better. Or for less $ I may pick up a Nook color and mess around with that.
That's my 2c anyway.

Absolutely. I don't know where else you'll match the value (price/performance combo).
The screen could bother some...depends on your expectations. For me, it's a non issue. The audio issue (occasional steady buzz that takes a reboot to fix) is worse for me.
If you expect a $600+ device, this isn't it. But it's close, and can be had for less than half that.

I did buy mine. I agree that it's an amazing tablet and the community is awesome! But the screen is horrendous.

Now that I've got Netflix installed, I am very happy. In the process, I've come to the conclusion that the CM7 nightlies are the way to go if only for the increased battery life. Also, TNT and Vegan both had the deep sleep problems that I have yet to encounter with CM7
So, yes. It took a while, but I've finally gotten this to run the way I want it to. I'd certainly buy again at the WOOT! pricepoint.

Probably not. Its a great tablet for the price, but the vendor support just isn't there. The best support/info is from this site.
Just too many bugs with it.
But I must admit that I mostly use it for surfing the net while I am at work, and that does it just fine.

Absolutely!
I made an educated decision to buy it in the first place. I came here and other forums to research and understood that I was getting a tablet that had a lackluster screen, really good internals, and a crappy default OS. However I also knew that the quality of the ROMs and community support here on XDA and was comfortable with that. I did not walk into this blind and I think that makes my answer easier.
The screen is not as bad as I thought it would be. So that has not been an issue for me. I do think it is inconsistent or some people are making it sound worse than it is. Maybe a personal issue or preference.
However for less than $300 I have a device and with Vegan Ginger on it, I have had both IPAD and Xoom users be shocked how good it is for half the price.
My intention was also to purchase one of these for a lower price and wait for this rush of new tablets to come out. You generally see much better products after the initial rush. This way in a year I will hand this to my kids and get a high end tablet that will most likely blow anything that is out there now, out of the water.

Related

Viewsonic G Tablet or Archos 101?

I can't decide which device.... I like Archos(have a few of their products now) but the G Tab seems more capable of running newer versions of Android. Do you all see the G Tablet becoming the tablet to beat when updated with an official release? I like all the mod/hacking I have seen on the forum, I just think I may be better suited for a device with better "official' support from the manufacturer. Talk me out of Archos... I WANT to love the G tablet...
WAD.
If you're already on this forum, i suggest you get the g tablet. Since when does support from manufacturers did any good?
Archos is notorious for getting product to market quick and dumping support for product real quick
/end decision
I can only go on my own subjective opinion. Back in October, I was on the Archos 101 pre-order list - feels like it was a year ago, now. I only tried the GTab because I was sick of the 101's delays.
But now, if I was given the choice between the two, I would choose the GTab without hesitation. It has a chipset which is vastly superior, an open firmware and a great community. The Archos does have some pluses, or course - better HDMI port and an excellent media player come to mind. But the hardware it's on is already out-of-date. Even the Galaxy Tab 2 is going to have a Tegra 2 in it.
Read up on forum.archosfans.com, too -- a lot of grumbling on the Froyo update. and you can't even back out.
Alpha06 said:
Archos is notorious for getting product to market quick and dumping support for product real quick
/end decision
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heh, i was notified this morn that the archos 70 is back in stock and had it in my cart before i remembered how archos has issed me off before.
plus, the gtab has better hardware for a bit more money. i'm getting another gtab after the holidays, when the staples/sears stuff is figured out. hopefully get a good deal.
WantADroid said:
I can't decide which device.... I like Archos(have a few of their products now) but the G Tab seems more capable of running newer versions of Android. Do you all see the G Tablet becoming the tablet to beat when updated with an official release? I like all the mod/hacking I have seen on the forum, I just think I may be better suited for a device with better "official' support from the manufacturer. Talk me out of Archos... I WANT to love the G tablet...
WAD.
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Click to collapse
From what I gather based on posts by other people who have owned both, the Archos is MUCH better at media playback, while it's 256MB leads to problems... oh, and the Archos has a bit better screen, although I've not been bothered by the viewing angle except when specifically checking it as when in use I'm always looking directly at the gTab... gTab also has better overall performance. Archos is lighter than gTab.
My own personal drawback is the 10" size and weight... so I'm mulling a Nook Color ATM or maybe elocity a7 or wait and see what the next few months bring in the way of 7" tablets. NC seems best immediate option as B&N will probably support it for a year or so I'd imagine...
With the new Gtablet update, even non-modded, the Gtablet seems a better buy now (if you side-load Flash, of course).
1. Archos 101 = capped at 800mhz (that is crazy- not even smaller form factor phones do this). Out of box and after update, the 101 can not even bust 1,000 with Quadrant and rooting to remove the cpu cap result in 1,200.
2. Despite fanboy spin, the 256mb ram is a problem for Flash and general operation with 2.2. Not so bad with 2.1, but app managment is more dynamic with 2.2 and more apps tend to float in memory, rather than sit in a wait-state using a register stack.
3. The wifi signal is weaker on the 101
4. No adhoc connections and wifi tether other than hotspots does not work
5. Only 300mb of app space (over six times less than the G)
6. Sound quality of the 3630 is weak due to low volume and even worse, poor gain management (Archos adheres to the Euro sound cap law). Still, the speaker output is louder than the Gtablet- ironic.
7. If you like games like the Quake series, PSX or other more demanding apps, the 101 is a lot slower and not smooth like the Gtablet.
8. Larger CBR and PDF files that play super smooth and lag free on the G, either do not work or are laggy messes on the 101.
9. As mentioned above, Flash is problematic on the 101, due to the 256mb ram. Try more demanding sites like Dailymotion and the higher res Flash content. Smooth on the G and not on the 101.
10. To get decenty performance, you need to root the device and mod. Why even bother with the 101 then? Europe has the Advent Vega, Asia has the zPad and NA has the Gtablet. ALL better options, IMO and now the Elocity 7 is out and kicks the snot out of the Archos 70.
Seems the 101 was outdated upon release and to add salt to the wound, they capped the cpu that was already designed to be dynamic and clock to usage- wild.
BTW, I do not agree that video is MUCH better, but is better, none the less. The 101 handles higher def video better, due to more mature support for the 3630, but 1080p does not work well on the 3630 either. Hidef seems pointless anyway on a portable device, due to space and battery drain. Not to mention the display is not 1080p. I think people latching on to the video mantra of the 101 are putting far too much stock in the actual difference it makes.
All of my vids play fine on the Gtablet, but I do not care for 1080p and 720p MP4 tends to be space and battery drainers too. Still wish those would work on the Gtablet.
I own neither right now but am sort of in the same boat as the poster.
Here's what sort of changed my mind...
I purchased and received my Archos 101 and it was dead on arrival brand new from Amazon. I know crap happens but it really got to me since I'd felt like a kid on Christmas day when it came. Imagine getting something you're EAGER for an anticipating and then not having it work? We can't really blame Archos for this entirely though since it happens with every product.
Anyway, what actually got to me was calling Archos....the CS guy wasn't much help and tried to convince me to send it in for repair vs. Amazon return. But who wants to send in their brand new device with the possibility of getting back someone else's used device? Right? He couldn't guarantee that I'd get back my brand new and repaired unit plus I had to pay shipping. In essence, my price for the 101 would have been almost 370 in the end, so I just told him no thanks and sent it back to Amazon.
I ordered the Archos in the first place because while I can see myself rooting and modding, to me it's an unnecessary hassle vs. just getting something that's supposed to work. In other words, I had your outlook. Excited about the modding potential, but better suited to official support, so really I just prefer getting the updates in OTAs than rooting and modding.
The Archos 101/70 seem to 'just work'. And I'd been planning on slapping the official/unofficial? Google Market on there for good measure so I was prepared to get my hands dirty somehow anyway as I wasn't sure if this meant I needed to root or not. Archos has also, recently seemed to show that they're at least trying to get updates out the door while Viewsonic's site didn't at the time have any updates posted for the G tablet and it seemed like it was just some hardware put out and then forgotten.
However, when I was 'forced' to check out the G tablet more thoroughly it would seem it's not 1/2 as bad as I'd seen or read about (youtube, blogs, etc.) where users called TnT horrible and writers referred to it as garbage and unusable etc. I say 'forced' because I couldn't RMA the 101 for exchange as Amazon was out of stock, I had to RMA for refund. Then on impulse, I decided to get the G Tablet...because I'm plain through with waiting.
I'd known it had more raw power than the 101 but upon further reading here on xda and watching newer youtube videos it seems TnT isn't that bad if you factory reset first and start 'fresh'. Not to mention the fact that the mod community has embraced the G tablet as something 'good'. Viewsonic is also pretty 'vocal' for the most part on Twitter, and that has to count for something in terms of getting our voices heard by the company. Archos is there too but their posts are mostly about where to buy the tablet or that they're available at so and so.
My point being, I don't think it would hurt to at least try the G Tab first. Had I known then what I know now (and I should have, as I am somewhat of a tech head) I would have just gone with the G Tab and in some ways, I'm happy the 101 came DoA or maybe I'd have happily settled for a single core, 720p playing Android tablet vs. something with more power and thus potential...a dual core with 1080p playing capability and the ability to do everything faster.
Also, modding isn't horrible. It's a scary thing to think you have to do something that may brick your device to get it to an even workable state...but this isn't the case.
Even if you've never done it before once you're thorough and read/understand/execute in detail, you'll never brick. Most experienced modders can root and slap a new ROM on their devices in 20m or less (depending on the ROM size, etc) but don't watch that....if it takes you even an hour, as long as you do it right the first time (in terms of getting a recovery mod in there), you're going to be fine from then on. You'll have the added bonus of messing around with a variation of ROMs and may realize something's there that you like even more than the stock. You also have the backing of XDA devs which is a great, great thing.
My 2c.
I currently own both the GTab (running TnTLite 2.3) and an Archos 101 (finally) with the latest firmware update. Both have their good and bad sides and if you've been hanging around here, you should have a pretty good idea of what those are.
The GTab:
Pros: Fast processor, easy to hack, not easy to brick, good XDA support
Cons: Not great viewing angle, questionable (stock) UI, questionable support (from ViewSonic)
The Archos 101:
Pros: Better viewing angle, decent support (from my experience, so far,) very good multimedia support and streaming, much lighter than the GTab, built-in kickstand, HDMI out
Cons: Very locked down (but can still sideload,) slower CPU (even at 1Gz,) HDMI not reliable (at least for me)
I like them both, for different uses. I like to hack around and get to know the OS and the GTab (and my DROID) are great for that. For daily use, I use the 101 since it is lighter to carry around and has the built-in kickstand.
my $.02
I have to agree with most. I also had interest in the archos but was part of the waiting game and the misleading info from the company itself.
My draw to the archos was it being a lightweight device. HDMI ready to use and the media player that seems to be the attractive feature in comparison.
But I must say being part of this site gave me insight and "again" bumped into the gtab. At first glance the device SW is horrid to say the least. Why would they butcher it, is beyond my reasoning (perhaps a sweet deal played out w/tapntap) and the #1 problem for users trying it out of box as is. They should seriously post in the box or pamphlet to register at xda. lol.
Once you fiddle with the device(using a custom build like TnTlite/VEGAn you wont regard making your decison. Archos is limited as meantion herein and your halt for the possiblities that lay ahead.
So Yes you can say the archos is lighter, has the hdmi port... a kickstand.
I agree the Gtab is heavier in comparison, and for some the viewing angles are bad, but in the end, The Gtab is here now with an awesome HW and will be here tomorrow.
Thanks!!
Wow, thanks to all who have responded.... I am leaning heavily towards the G Tab, sounds like it would be a fun device to mod. I want a good media player in my device, that is the biggest reason I am considering Archos. I own an old 504 80gb and I have used it almost everyday. I want to take the next step up to touch screen and Android, but I want the device to have some what of a future. Seems to me Archos puts devices out that are already one generation old when they hit the market. Must be their business model to buy new every 1-2 years. I would like to have my device for minimum of 2-3 years before I upgrade.
Thanks
My brief thoughts on the matter, as posted on Archos fans forum.
"I have a GTab as well as a 101. And there is NO comparison: My GTab blows the 101 away on speed, responsiveness, and smoothness. Its just uglier & heavier! Lol! My 11 year old daughter has lay claim on my GTab. She's lucky I love her (and am afraid of my wife)! Lol! . . . Admittedly, a lot of tweaks have gone into the device as it clearly was bad straight out of the box. All I know is with a custom ROM, mine flies."
http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=43968
Just got a G-tab from local Sears last night.
Took me couple of hours to get it going with the latest TNT Lite and market fix. (still new to all of this.)
First I wanted to get 101, but it was sold out everywhere.
G-Tab was horrible with stock UI. After loading TNT, it is much better, but it has ways to go. I like the responsiveness. Still have to get used to the interface. And run some video tests. (I would like to use it in the car as an entertainment system for my kids.) HDMI via dock may be a deal killer to me.
I don't like the screen and ergonomics of the device. I will probably play around with a device, for a couple of weeks and then return it to Sears. Still want to see what will happen at CES. Perhaps Adam, will fit me better.
I first buy the archos 101 for my birthday on november and its not so good. Example no custom roms, speed capped at 800mhz, one of the speakers stop working ,its feel very plastic cheap! I just returned to amazon and get the g-tablet its a diferent kind of animal! Tegra 2, 512mb ram, lots of custom roms.
Its your choice! But im super happy with g-tablet never looked back since i buyit!
Neoprimal;99 [QUOTE said:
Also, modding isn't horrible. It's a scary thing to think you have to do something that may brick your device to get it to an even workable state...but this isn't the case.
Even if you've never done it before once you're thorough and read/understand/execute in detail, you'll never brick. Most experienced modders can root and slap a new ROM on their devices in 20m or less (depending on the ROM size, etc) but don't watch that....if it takes you even an hour, as long as you do it right the first time (in terms of getting a recovery mod in there), you're going to be fine from then on. You'll have the added bonus of messing around with a variation of ROMs and may realize something's there that you like even more than the stock. You also have the backing of XDA devs which is a great, great thing.
My 2c.
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I THINK its even more brick proof than people realize. I took mine from an infinite boot loop state with a partitioned (completely deleted) sd card and no back ups all the way back to stock in about five minutes (clockworkmod was the ONLY thing working) after spending about 25 minutes reading about NVFLASH and finding the correct usb to gtab driver for my pc operating system (mine was winxp pro but there was support for vista, win 7 64 and linux).
Thanks again Roebeet for pointing me in the right direction.
Pretty muck "brick proof-tacular" if you are willing to ask for help/read through threads/research.
I am fortunate enough to have both devices and did a comprehensive review with video for anyone who is still interested: http://www.blendblog.net/Default.aspx?tabid=36&EntryID=64.
They both have strengths and weaknesses as I point out in my review.
Sean
Allenfx said:
I THINK its even more brick proof than people realize. I took mine from an infinite boot loop state with a partitioned (completely deleted) sd card and no back ups all the way back to stock in about five minutes (clockworkmod was the ONLY thing working) after spending about 25 minutes reading about NVFLASH and finding the correct usb to gtab driver for my pc operating system (mine was winxp pro but there was support for vista, win 7 64 and linux).
Thanks again Roebeet for pointing me in the right direction.
Pretty muck "brick proof-tacular" if you are willing to ask for help/read through threads/research.
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This has been my experience too... bought my G-Tab (after spending hours pouring over reviews etc.) fiddled around with ROM's, managed to get it stuck in an infinite boot loop (Clockwork does NOT like NVflash!) Took about a hour reading up on NVFlash (THANKS Roebeet!!!) and got it back running again. Then did it again several more times, just to be sure. So that's cool and all..
One problem tho'... the screen.
I've seen lot's of talk about how great/awful the viewing angles are for the G-Tab. With mine, when looked at perpendicular/directly on, it looks great! But tilt is just a bit away from you (as if to place it on a table) and it gets immediately blurry and weird-looking colors (like a cheap LCD laptop screen)
HOWEVER, turn it over (so's the dock port is on the top) and do the same tilt and it looks normal (a bit washed out, but normal color and no LCD blur) all the way flat on the table... IS THE SCREEN INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN??? Could this be why some people have such opposite experiences? I looked on YouTube at some viewing angle reviews and their G-Tabs looked like mine does when it's upside-down!? I took it back to Sears and got another one, took it home and same thing! So I took it back, too and got money back and am now trying to figure out weather or not to try the Archos... still hooked on the G-Tab though, it was so nice, except for having to keep it pointed exactly at 90-degree viewing angle. Any thoughts? And another big Thanks to Roebeet, just loved TNTlite!
mattrahman said:
This has been my experience too... bought my G-Tab (after spending hours pouring over reviews etc.) fiddled around with ROM's, managed to get it stuck in an infinite boot loop (Clockwork does NOT like NVflash!) Took about a hour reading up on NVFlash (THANKS Roebeet!!!) and got it back running again. Then did it again several more times, just to be sure. So that's cool and all..
One problem tho'... the screen.
I've seen lot's of talk about how great/awful the viewing angles are for the G-Tab. With mine, when looked at perpendicular/directly on, it looks great! But tilt is just a bit away from you (as if to place it on a table) and it gets immediately blurry and weird-looking colors (like a cheap LCD laptop screen)
HOWEVER, turn it over (so's the dock port is on the top) and do the same tilt and it looks normal (a bit washed out, but normal color and no LCD blur) all the way flat on the table... IS THE SCREEN INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN??? Could this be why some people have such opposite experiences? I looked on YouTube at some viewing angle reviews and their G-Tabs looked like mine does when it's upside-down!? I took it back to Sears and got another one, took it home and same thing! So I took it back, too and got money back and am now trying to figure out weather or not to try the Archos... still hooked on the G-Tab though, it was so nice, except for having to keep it pointed exactly at 90-degree viewing angle. Any thoughts? And another big Thanks to Roebeet, just loved TNTlite!
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Ummmm.... this is not meant to be rude at all but I have to speak my mind.
For 300 bucks you need to get over it and enjoy the awesomeness you get out of ten inches that I paid to get 4 inches from my GSM (fml)
The Screen is a 300$ screen... be happy you got one before it sold out.
Not rude at all... in fact I had the same thought process... HOWEVER it was $400 ($369 listed on line, but $399 in the store, $440 with taxes [they said I'd have to return the one I bought in the store, order another online and pick it up at the merch. pick-up to get the online price] ) so it was a bit more than $300.If it were, I'd be much more inclined to just suck it up and enjoy the zippy-fast and get a stand that would hold it at the right angle... I'm looking at a "lightly used" one online that comes with a stand and chip for under $400 that I may get. I've even considered a ~$200 Chinese knock-off with a resistive screen, but I think I'd hate it, no Multi-Touch, slow response, etc. I guess it's just a balance of how much $$ with what features.
Originally, I ordered a Xoom from Verizon, but $800 plus $20/month seemed too too much! So I cancelled the order - for $35 "restocking fee" ugh, I hate phone companies - I still want a Xoom tho'.
I'm just wondering if anybody else has notice the "upside-down screen" thing, or am I nuts?
Update: Just found G-Tab for $299 on eBay/Tigerdirect with free shipping, 10 left...
gtab viewing angles
Yeah, On gtab noticed the screen has better viewing angles from top and left side than bottom and right. I dont know if that means they are building it installed upside down but they should move the factory to the southern hemisphere if they are ;-) or something.
Lousy viewing in the sun, regardless of angle.
Also wish the return key wasn't so badly placed, hold it in the right hand only and bound to hit the return key...

Is it too late to buy a G Tablet (should I just wait for something better)?

Hi all,
I know the G tab has been out since late last year...
And I know that after I root and rom it, this thing will be amazing.
But am I too late for the party? Is it worth it to buy one now? Or should I just wait at this point to see if something better is coming out... I have not been researching tablets as much as phones lately.
oresteez said:
Hi all,
I know the G tab has been out since late last year...
And I know that after I root and rom it, this thing will be amazing.
But am I too late for the party? Is it worth it to buy one now? Or should I just wait at this point to see if something better is coming out... I have not been researching tablets as much as phones lately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a good question. The G-Tab is a sweet tablet for the price point, it will get its best shot at Honeycomb next week, when Notion Ink drops a first party release of Honeycomb for the Adam (which shares a lot of similar elements to our tablet).
That being said, everyone who currently owns a tablet (except for the Transformer and the NEW Galaxy Tab 10.1) is paying the early adopter price. Android isn't 100% there yet, but if you own an Android phone you know this. For me, I absolutely love Gingerbread (2.3.3) on my Droid X, and I loved 2.3.4 on my Droid 1; it's a complete enough OS for me now. Honeycomb 3.1 feels much better than 3.0 as well.
Tegra 3 (Kal-El) is right around the corner, and will probably come in at a $400.00 price point. Qualcomm is shooting for 4-core tablet processors by the end of the year (Q4). Also, we're expecting to see Ice Cream / Ice Cream Sandwich (next Android version, for both tablet and phone) in late Q3.
If you can wait, wait. if not, get a G-Tab. Something like a Xoom is not worth the premium over the G-Tab, even for a nicer screen.
It is an excellent question, but you really have to understand your own tech preferences to know for sure.
The GTAB's main cons right now are the screen angles (most likely unfixable) and the stock software. For the latter, there are many mods you can use, but if you are looking for a HC port it's not quite there yet - we're hoping that will change soon.
Its pros are price. For $125 less than a Transformer, you can get a device that's comparable in speed and might be comparable in software, in the near future. But you are in the hands of the modding community since the vendor seems to have abandoned the device.
There will always be the next best thing, around the corner. So it's a really a question of price and whether or not the device serves your purposes at that price.
I'm confident that this device is more than capable of doing what I want to do.
Mostly web browsing.
Some games.
Perhaps Facebook games.
youtube, flash, netflix if possible.
I'm not going to use it for work, and start editting documents, etc.
I'm going to check out one at Sears possibly today and see if the viewing angles are an issue.
I think the main reason I'm worried about something new coming out, is because of the chance the modding community might move on to the next device. haha
Also a valid point to consider. I can't speak for everyone here, but for myself I plan to pull back after this month. Not so much because the GTAB isn't a good device to mod anymore, but for personal reasons (taking a break from modding tablets, in general - will still have my GTAB but will be less focused on it, that's all).
There was a bit of a lull last month, but there's still activity right now in development as new devs have popped up as some of the older devs/modders have moved on it seems. So, it's hard to say what will happen in a few months, but right now there's still some activity. I think that will continue until the Notion Ink HC port shows up and it's ported over to the GTAB (we hope).
Great info in these posts as i'm in the same situation as the original poster. Currently an ipad user but would like to try an android tablet on the "cheap". Unfortunately, there isn't any retailer nearby carrying the tablet so i cant see how bad the viewing angles are first hand. Is the screen good straight on?
Elroyy said:
Great info in these posts as i'm in the same situation as the original poster. Currently an ipad user but would like to try an android tablet on the "cheap". Unfortunately, there isn't any retailer nearby carrying the tablet so i cant see how bad the viewing angles are first hand. Is the screen good straight on?
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Have you ever used a netbook before? The screen is a typical netbook screen. Straight on and 45 degrees each way looks fine. From up above viewing angle will go to almost 90 degrees without the loss of quality. From below anything beyond 45 degrees and you will lose the colors.
There are also some nice youtube video comparisons between the G-Tablet and iPad. One in particular shows the differences in the viewing angles. You'll know which one I'm talking about becuase the creator uses his daughter's iPad, with her "Hello Kitty" wallpaper on it...
(in my opinion though, how can you see the superiority of a screen that has Hello Kitty on it, lol)
The viewing angles are bad, but, I VERY rarely need to share the screen or find myself in a position where the screen is hard to see. sure, other devices have screens with better angles, but how often do you browse the web or watch a movie at an 80 degree angle from a personal device?
I love this tablet. I bought a leather case from electronic crap dot com and its like carrying around a journal. Easy to carry, I play games on it and I log into my computer at work from it all the time.
I agree, there always something better around the corner, but this tab has a great price point and there are lots of stable and highly usable roms.
Bottom line is you don't get this tablet because its the latest and greatest. You gt it because its way cheaper than other tabs with the same power.
Thanks everyone. I do have a netbook, never really had issues with the screen. I also saw that video with the hello kitty screen saver. Straight on, i'm guessing the screen is pretty decent.
You will be happier spending a bit more on the crop of Honeycomb tablets released this year. The first time you flip your gTab around to show someone something on the screen, only to see that person moving his or her head around with a look of stern concentration on their face, desperately trying to find the right angle to see what the hell you're trying to show them, you'll wish you had forked over their extra $100 or so for a better screen. You may think, "Oh I'll never do that, I'll always just be looking at it straight on with no deviation!" but you'll find out soon enough that's not the case.
That's just one example. There are other solitary situations where the screen won't be at the sweet-spot angle -- for example, my Transformer is sitting on my desk here at work, propped up in its case, but it's behind me and to the right, and still looks great. I often reach back and press the power switch to get a quick look at my email or whatnot. The gTab would require me to move directly in front of it to get a good view.
gTab was a good starter tablet when the only other option was a $700 Xoom. With the cheaper tablets being released, its value has decreased greatly. But if you only have $275 or whatever to spend, and can't afford $125 more, then I guess it's your best option for a 10.1" Android tablet.
Hi my 2 cents...
Having used the G-tab for about 4+ months; my recommendation is to wait (if you can). My biggest gripe is the screen (both resolution and viewing angles).
I use it primarily as a media consumption device...watching videos, games, browsing and reading books (in that order)
videos - if I have an option (pc or tv near by) i chose them as the resolution on G-tab is not good. HD videos are choppy (I have tried a few mods but all more or less same)
Games - this is good no complaints
Browsing - this does not have 3g so without wifi its useless. I tether using my iphone, which is cumbersome but works
Reading books - good; but the screen is useless outside (unless its night or cloudy)
This is a great device to buy cheap and beat the crap out of it...(software wise). I also owned an ipad and adam and they also have their own problems.
My first Android tablet is Gtab because it is cheaper and has good performance compared to other 10" tablet in the market. For 10" size tablet, if you have up to $300 budget, Gtab was a good starter tablet (with Xda support). If you have up to $400 to spend, ASUS transformer is not bad. If you have more than $500, of course, you will have more choices. So it depend on your budget.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I think this would be a good, cheap way to get into Android tablets. I would still have my ipad as a backup.
asdf73 said:
videos - if I have an option (pc or tv near by) i chose them as the resolution on G-tab is not good. HD videos are choppy (I have tried a few mods but all more or less same)
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I'm willing to bet you only tried the ginger based ones. Those don't have hw acceleration, so HD vids are choppy. The froyo ones, especially the ones based off of TnT, are pretty smooth.
My recommendation to the OP is if you're going to get the gtab please please please go to my website and read it. And if you're going to compare it to the ipad, please stick with froyo. It is not the latest and greatest, but it certainly is stable and fast.
I was thinking about TF or GT10.1 but non of HC based tablets supports Netflix as for the moment... Well, paying $125 or more in case of GT10.1 for not been able to watch Netflix in my opinion is just wrong.
No doubt, IPS or better screen is a must for photo-frames.
All in all there are no perfect tablet as of now but hopefully we will get there...
I went to Office Depot today to see the screen.
I didn't think it was as bad as what everyone is saying.
Sure, its not as nice as an iPad screen...but its potentially almost half the price...
I don't mind that tradeoff... I'm looking at buying it used anyway. I figured that's the best way to break into the tablet realm and not have any regret about not waiting..
oresteez said:
I went to Office Depot today to see the screen.
I didn't think it was as bad as what everyone is saying.
Sure, its not as nice as an iPad screen...but its potentially almost half the price...
I don't mind that tradeoff... I'm looking at buying it used anyway. I figured that's the best way to break into the tablet realm and not have any regret about not waiting..
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Hey, I sent you a private message. PEACE!!
I highly NOT recommend buying the G Tablet. It has nothing to do with the viewing angles.
The reasons why I would tell people to stay away from the tablet are the following:
1) Viewsonic released the damn thing and then basicaly orphaned it immediately. The result is a lack of software libraries needed for development, and the implications are inferior mods with more limited capabilities. As far as I'm aware, there are no Gingerbread roms that truly support HD or fully support graphics hardware acceleration. And getting Honeycomb on the damn thing has been a Promethian effort. All Honeycomb mods are in alpha, and there's hardly any guarantee that any will ever be fully functioning.
2) The bulky design is far from a joy to hold in your hands. It makes it unpleasant to use the touchscreen while holding it, making both gameplay and activities like typing more difficult.
3) Others may disagree with me, but software on the tablet has always acted jerky and has always been slow. It completely lacks the smoothness of other devices, and sometimes it's hard to believe that you're actually using a comparartively (for price vs. power) powerful piece of hardware with dual core processor and not something that feels like it barely has the computational power to run your web browser or word processor (however, it does handle graphics rendering as well as it should).
Maybe I'm overly pessimistic, but I cannot imagine an application for which the G Tablet could be at all recommended. I would highly advise looking elsewhere for an entry level Android device, or wait for the new batch of Honeycomb tablets which will roll into stores very soon.

[Poll] I'm returning. Are you?

I'm going to return my tablet to Amazon and wait for something better. I have been using the 10.1 non stop for the past two weeks and it is awesome. The few problems it has are with HC and not the hardware. However, I feel the processing power needs to be a bit higher for 1280x720 resolution and we need more video codecs. Nvidia say they won't make the same mistake with the upcoming quadcore, and since it's only 2 months away, the wait feels justified to me.
Don't get me wrong, this tablet owns all other HC tablets at the moment. I just would be very pissed off if the new tablets like the Amazon Hollywood appeared this Christmas and completely destroyed the performance of my 10.1 along with playing nearly any video I copy onto it.
I urge anyone still within their return period to consider sending it back. It would be one thing if the new tablets were 5 or 6 months out, but 2 months is too close.
ericc191 said:
I'm going to return my tablet to Amazon and wait for something better. I have been using the 10.1 non stop for the past two weeks and it is awesome. The few problems it has are with HC and not the hardware. However, I feel the processing power needs to be a bit higher for 1280x720 resolution and we need more video codecs. Nvidia say they won't make the same mistake with the upcoming quadcore, and since it's only 2 months away, the wait feels justified to me.
Don't get me wrong, this tablet owns all other HC tablets at the moment. I just would be very pissed off if the new tablets like the Amazon Hollywood appeared this Christmas and completely destroyed the performance of my 10.1 along with playing nearly any video I copy onto it.
I urge anyone still within their return period to send it back. It would be one thing if the new tablets were 5 or 6 months out, but 2 months is too close.
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You do understand that if you actually lived by that way of thinking, you would literally (seriously, joking aside) never own a tablet...? Because lets say you were thinking about the original G-Tab when it first came out...but then heard that Honeycomb was on its way, so you waited...then Honeycomb shows up with its array of tablets (the Tegra 2 generation)...and as tempting and highly-praised as they may be, you then hear about the next round of Honeycomb tablets (with quadcores )...but wait! not all that long after that should be the Ice Cream Sandwich debut with yet ANOTHER suite of tablets (with maybe hexa- or octo-core chips! ), so I'm guessing you should wait for THOSE to come out, right?!?
No offense man, but I really wish people would come up with more logical, legitimate, and justifiable excuses for not buying new pieces of electronics, because face it - it is a 100% certainty that within 6 months of your purchase of said piece of electronics, it WILL be outdated to some extent. Like it or not, it is a virtual guarantee that within that amount of time the successor generation of products (in this case tablets) will hit the market with better specs and features than that of the product you bought. And that is a stone-cold fact something that all of us as fans of electronics and gizmos simply have to come to grips with.
joeski27 said:
You do understand that if you actually lived by that way of thinking, you would literally (seriously, joking aside) never own a tablet...? Because lets say you were thinking about the original G-Tab when it first came out...but then heard that Honeycomb was on its way, so you waited...then Honeycomb shows up with its array of tablets (Tegra 2)...and as tempting as they may be, you then hear about the next round of Honeycomb tablets (with quadcores )...but wait! not all that long after that should be the Ice Cream Sandwich debut with yet ANOTHER suite of tablets (with maybe hexa- or octo-core chips! ), so I'm guessing you should wait for THOSE to come out, right?!?
No offense man, but I really wish people would come up with more logical, legitimate, and justifiable excuses for not buying new pieces of electronics, because face it - it is a 100% certainty that within 6 months of your purchase of said piece of electronics, it WILL be outdated to some extent. And that is a stone-cold fact something that all of us as fans of electronics and gizmos simply have to come to grips with.
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If you read my OP, you would see my reasoning which should be more than justified with the next slew of more powerful tablets. 6 months is fine to me. Not 2 months, though.
I'll give you an example. I recently built myself a computer and started out with an X58 and a Core i7-950. About a month and a half later, the new P67 boards came out and that awesome i7-2600K with them. I asked on many forums what I should do and most said I should be happy with what I had. I ignored that advice and couldn't be happier. But, when I was building the 2600K rig, everyone kept telling me I was wasting my time because Z68 boards. I don't care about the upcoming Z68 boards because I'm very pleased with my PC. It's far superior to the i7-950 build and it will last for quite some time.
Tegra2 just isn't powerful enough. I can't even use a live wallpaper without stuff becoming sluggish and you can't argue that one. Try moving an icon around with a live wallpaper running.
Their pricey toys...not investments.
Well, in my case they sure are an investment literally, doing post-graduation the laod of coursebooks is unbearable, these a step ahead from usual e-ink crap have helped me a lot, adding the annotation feature. It ain't mere multimedia box where you throw all 1080p movies (God knows from where!) and expect playback or else failure. Consider the excellent resolution, the browser experience with flash and excellent apps around (actually mean the THD games!) plus QUick office HD (as free!!! take this iPAD) and pdf readers like Repligo and eZpdf.
One man's bad experience doesn't justify the claimed redundancy of such a wonderful piece of technology! Quad-cores ahead, sure let'em on, more fun is ahead, massive multitasking and profound browser experience with emerging social networks like google+ and prevalent Fbook!
In short, Screw you man! I am keeping mine!
mughalgxt said:
Well, in my case they sure are an investment literally, doing post-graduation the laod of coursebooks is unbearable, these a step ahead from usual e-ink crap have helped me a lot, adding the annotation feature. It ain't mere multimedia box where you throw all 1080p movies (God knows from where!) and expect playback or else failure. Consider the excellent resolution, the browser experience with flash and excellent apps around (actually mean the THD games!) plus QUick office HD (as free!!! take this iPAD) and pdf readers like Repligo and eZpdf.
One man's bad experience doesn't justify the claimed redundancy of such a wonderful piece of technology! Quad-cores ahead, sure let'em on, more fun is ahead, massive multitasking and profound browser experience with emerging social networks like google+ and prevalent Fbook!
In short, Screw you man! I am keeping mine!
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Click to collapse
I definitely love the very last sentence of this.
Now see I'm not saying the tablet is a bad experience. But I think it's a good idea to hold out a few months. It's the same thing with phones. I really like the Sensation and the Evo 3D, but the Nexus is coming this Christmas too. I've been patiently waiting for it.
task650 said:
I definitely love the very last sentence of this.
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Effing priceless
ericc191 said:
Now see I'm not saying the tablet is a bad experience. But I think it's a good idea to hold out a few months. It's the same thing with phones. I really like the Sensation and the Evo 3D, but the Nexus is coming this Christmas too. I've been patiently waiting for it.
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So are you honestly going to say that right about when the time comes for you to buy the phone you're holding out for and you hear rumors swirling about the next phone after that (and this will happen, by the way, it has happen with every single major period of Android-related releases so far), that you won't be tempted to do the same thing over again (that is, hold off until that comes out?). You seem to be missing the point - if you subscribe to this it will unarguably be an endless circle. And it is by no means your fault necessarily, its the Apples, Samsungs, HTCs, LGs, Sonys, Motorolas, Toshibas, etc of the world who are coming out with newer generations of productions, not yearly, or even every 6 months, but most often even less than that. Of course the good side of that is the technology is progressing super fast these days, so I guess that's the tradeoff that we all have to live with - major progression and innovation of tech but with each piece getting trumped by the next every few months
I can honestly say I will get the Nexus 3 or whatever it will be called, regardless of upcoming rumors around that time. As long as it's not done like the Nexus S was. A clone of a phone already out.
ericc191 said:
I can honestly say I will get the Nexus 3 or whatever it will be called, regardless of upcoming rumors around that time. As long as it's not done like the Nexus S was. A clone of a phone already out.
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Well I can definitely agree on you with the Nexus S - I am an N1 owner, from the day of launch, and I have yet to see another new phone on the market since then that can hold a candle to that phone, period. Now that being said, we'll all have to wait and see what the N3 will be all about. If you recall, the Nexus S was rumored to have quite a lot going for it...until it saw the light of day, at which point we were all like, "what?". So clearly the N3 has some really big shoes to fill, and hopefully those developing it realize this completely.
ericc191 said:
Now see I'm not saying the tablet is a bad experience. But I think it's a good idea to hold out a few months. It's the same thing with phones. I really like the Sensation and the Evo 3D, but the Nexus is coming this Christmas too. I've been patiently waiting for it.
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Click to collapse
I've been waiting for a Verizon phone with a dual core and LTE forever now and guess what, it'll probably be outdated when it arrives, maybe I should hold off for a quad-core, kal-el, or maybe a 6-core or just maybe wait 25 years in hopes that phones are so advanced every new one will be just like the others (wont happen). Buy now and use it for a few year and sell it on ebay and pay a couple more dollars to get the next gen.
There will always be something newer and faster. And just like our tab, they too will not be perfect.
I definitely understand the point you guys are making. But I'm not concerned about having the newest and best. It's about getting something that works well and also satisfies. If I'm dropping 500 dollars, I want to be completely happy with my purchase and I'm not with the 10.1.
EDIT: I'm going to sign up for that AMEX membership so I can have that option in the future as well.
I never understood the point of threads like these. OP has an opinion; others have their own. What's the point of a poll? And more to the point, regarding the following quote:
ericc191 said:
I urge anyone still within their return period to send it back.
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F-you, OP. You don't have the right to "urge" me to do anything. Your opinion is your own -- but when you try to impose it on me, we've got a problem.
Berner said:
You don't have the right to "urge" me to do anything. Your opinion is your own -- but when you try to impose it on me, we've got a problem.
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Exactly this!
Berner said:
I never understood the point of threads like these. OP has an opinion; others have their own. What's the point of a poll? And more to the point, regarding the following quote:
F-you, OP. You don't have the right to "urge" me to do anything. Your opinion is your own -- but when you try to impose it on me, we've got a problem.
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I can see how that came off wrong. What I meant is that I urge people to consider it.
The point of a thread and poll like this was to see if anyone else was thinking of doing the same thing as me. That's why we have the poll option.
Don't get so worked up over something on the internet. It causes stress.
ericc191 said:
I'll give you an example. I recently built myself a computer and started out with an X58 and a Core i7-950. About a month and a half later, the new P67 boards came out and that awesome i7-2600K with them. I asked on many forums what I should do and most said I should be happy with what I had. I ignored that advice and couldn't be happier. But, when I was building the 2600K rig, everyone kept telling me I was wasting my time because Z68 boards. I don't care about the upcoming Z68 boards because I'm very pleased with my PC. It's far superior to the i7-950 build and it will last for quite some time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your thought process, but herein lies the problem:
You returned your old PC and upgraded it and I am sure you are extremely pleased with what you have. Now, if you would have kept your i7-950 build you would have also been extremely pleased with it.
With the way hardware technology is advancing, software developers cannot keep up. How many applications do you have that take advantage of the extra speed of that newer generation processor? Heck, how many applications are there that actually take use of anything higher than a dual core processor? Not many - and in your case, there's probably only a handful of applications that will use the newest generation processors to their potential. In all likelihood you don't use these, and even if you do, you only use them extremely rarely.
The same thing is happening in the Tablet field, although to a stronger extent. I actually don't know of any applications that take use of the dual-core processors in newer generation phones and tablets. In fact, Froyo and Gingerbread don't even take use of dual-core processors at the kernel level. Applications being built for mobile devices just aren't likely to be designed with multi-threading in mind.
Keep this in mind when you are deciding to take your tablet back - but I wish you good luck nonetheless.
You bring up some good points. I play a lot of PC games and noticed a good amount of difference, but outside of games not much.
And there's is a good chance I could get *screwed* with a quad core tablet that overheats and has horrible battery life. We'll see.
ericc191 said:
I can see how that came off wrong. What I meant is that I urge people to consider it.
The point of a thread and poll like this was to see if anyone else was thinking of doing the same thing as me. That's why we have the poll option.
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Why do you think you need to urge people to consider returning their Tabs? We're not children who need to be reminded of our options as consumers. Your ex post facto reinterpretation is nearly as patronizing as your original post.
While I give you credit for acting civil in your posts -- an unusual accomplishment in this genre of threads -- it still appears to me that you're just looking to provoke polarizing responses. Whether the Tab is or isn't a good purchase for someone is matter of personal opinion. No poll or discussion is going to change that.

[DISCUSSION] If you got a cheap touch, are you happy or regret your purchase?

Just curious how people feel who have played with them a few days.
If android never comes, are you happy with the device as is? Is the current crop of apps and the OS not sufficient and you bought it only with the hopes of android?
Do you like the existing OS and if android is never ported would you still be happy with your purchase?
I think for 99/149 I don't see many complainers but just curious what people think who've had the device a few days.
I have had it a few hours and I am very happy, the few thins i really want my tablet to do it is do wonderfully, even more happy than my Nook Color on CM7. honeycomb on the NC might be nicer, but until a HC port comes to touchpad i doubt i'll put android on it.
If no android then its ****. I don't like the webos. ANDROID is farrrrrrrrr better.
I agree that android is so much better.. one thing that would make this thing collect dust on my desk is the lack of apps.. I must admit that i did get it mainly for the potential of an android port. I am of no help porting android but if that doesn't happen relatively soon then I think it will be on eBay..
I have a question for those that may be more familiar with webos... when i am listening to music and plug my headphones in, it still plays the music on the speakers and my headphones, which as you know defeats one of the main purposes of headphones.. LOL is it a bug or intended?
I really like it, I think webos makes more sense on a tablet than android currently does, but that's imho. Its a shame they dumbled in the beginning of the os game, it could've been something special. Inductive charging is really cool, I misses that after I got rid of my pre and its cool to have it back. I'm surprised more devices don't have it. The tp isn't great for app happy people, but out of the hundreds of appa I've tried on ansroid I only use 3 or 4 of them regularly ans the tp's internet ia more than capable of replacing some of them.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
For what I paid and what limitations they inherently have, I couldn't justify paying more than $150 with any OS on it. I'd like to see some more games on the WebOS side but at $150 I'm happy with it and it wouldn't be worth any substantial money to have more.
Even if Android doesn't come, I am happy with my purchase. I really like the way a lot of things work in webOS. But I will replace the OS with android if it gets a polished build.
Even if you only use the touchpad as a digital picture frame, you can't get one with this size and quality of screen for $99.
For what I paid and what limitations they inherently have, I couldn't justify paying more than $150 with any OS on it.
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You wouldn't pay more than 150 even if it had android on it? Say it was an official android device and it was 200 bucks. You wouldn't think that was a deal?
Like it so far the audio is great.
Mine is sitting quietly in my office, waiting for someone to work some magic with Android. I've played around with webOS for a few hours but that got boring fast. This is my first tablet purchase and even at the firesale price I'm not impressed. I see little use for tablets beyond being a source of occasional entertainment for people with money to burn.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
i manage to get two 32gb,
i give one to my wife with the intent to keep it stock webos and the other for me to play and maybe flash android one day.
i love android ,but 115 british pounds for a capacitor screen with a browser that support flash,a decent email client,photos and video playing,music sound good(due to the thickness of the tablet i think the speakers take advantage of that),just a bit heavy.
what there is to don't like.??
definitely not a 400pounds worth,but definitely 115.
don't forget the nice 50gb free cloud space that comes with it.
thumb up for me.
So far, I love my decision to purchase it. I picked two up, one for me and one for the girlfriend. WebOS is very smooth and looks amazing but needs some more apps which could come with the huge influx of Touchpads. I will be looking forward to an android port just to mess around with it and decided which to keep.
I've currently applied a few speed patches and have it overclocked to 1.5GHz and it flies.
I feel like the screen clarity sucks. I have never used a tablet before, except a brief use of a ipad during a checkout, but the touchpad screen looks blurry to me. It remind me of the old school color screen nextel phones i95.
I've had it for almost a day now. Very happy after I finally got the patch installed, it's pretty ridiculous to have to click the thing 20 times to get the patch to finish.
When I bought it I had fully intended to flash android when it's ported, but now I think I'm going to stick with webos for quite a while. There's nothing that I really miss from the Nook Color so far, and webos has a far better browser and keyboard than android.
I bought one and ordered another (that I hope will someday arrive). After playing with this one for a few days... I wish I had bought a few more.
Yeah, app catalog is lacking, but as a previous poster said, $100-150 for a 9.7" capacitive, snappy internet slate is awesome. I'd love to permanently mount one in the kitchen for recipes and whatnot, and replace the "family calendar".
Can anyone comment on the readability of PDFs on the Touchpad? That is the primary reason I would be buying this to supplement my nook color.
The NC is perfect for everything except finance/accounting/technical PDFs , for which I'm hoping the 10" screen of Touchpad would be better?
lazarus2297 said:
I agree that android is so much better.. one thing that would make this thing collect dust on my desk is the lack of apps.. I must admit that i did get it mainly for the potential of an android port. I am of no help porting android but if that doesn't happen relatively soon then I think it will be on eBay..
I have a question for those that may be more familiar with webos... when i am listening to music and plug my headphones in, it still plays the music on the speakers and my headphones, which as you know defeats one of the main purposes of headphones.. LOL is it a bug or intended?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing happened to me when I plugged in my beats by Dre solo hds.. did the software update and problem was eliminated..
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Proud owner its still in the unopened box, haven't had time to open it and get into it enjoyably.Plan to keep it stock Web OS, I owned a palm pre and enjoyed it. I still believe Web OS is underrated and some users don't see the brilliance of it. I would have paid more if I had to. But the idea of flashing anything on it talks to the flashing geek in me haha. I would be more interested in flashing window 7 on it (not sure if it's a option) just saying.
Enjoy...
Sent from my Nexus X 4G using xda premium
imjimmy said:
Can anyone comment on the readability of PDFs on the Touchpad? That is the primary reason I would be buying this to supplement my nook color.
The NC is perfect for everything except finance/accounting/technical PDFs , for which I'm hoping the 10" screen of Touchpad would be better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the built in app is decent at PDFs
I'm actually surprised by how much I like mine. I have a honeycomb tablet, also, and the hp is actually very enjoyable to use. It definitely lacks in expandability, since the app catalogue is def smaller, but I actually like it a lot.
That being said, definitely not worth the original price. 150$ (32gb) maybe.... we'll see in a few weeks.
after a string of cancelled orders, I decided to just suck it up and buy one from CL. I paid about 40$ over tax+shipping but it's worth not having to deal with shopping around while at work. I'm much more productive and I actually have my toy in my hands.
That being said I'm keeping my eyes open for a 16gb for my daughter to play with, hopefully HP SMB will have some more tomorrow.

[Q] iPad vs GTablet

I have a 32 gig iPad 1 and am looking to trade it for an Android tablet. Someone just offered up their GTablet. It looks great hardware wise but the screen worries me. Without the ability to inspect the unit yet I wanted to go right to the source.
What do you guys really think about the screen and viewing angle on the GTab?
tnt533 said:
I have a 32 gig iPad 1 and am looking to trade it for an Android tablet. Someone just offered up their GTablet. It looks great hardware wise but the screen worries me. Without the ability to inspect the unit yet I wanted to go right to the source.
What do you guys really think about the screen and viewing angle on the GTab?
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Honestly, The GTab has the worst viewing angle of all tablets. It is horrible compared to my Xoom and worse compared to my TF. The GTab screen works OK, you just have to be in front of it.
JoTeC said:
Honestly, The GTab has the worst viewing angle of all tablets. It is horrible compared to my Xoom and worse compared to my TF. The GTab screen works OK, you just have to be in front of it.
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What angle in degrees does it start to fall off?
You can see it fall away at 10 degrees both vertically and horizontally. And good luck viewing it outside... LOL
It is what it is, a great device to hack on and play with. This was my first Android device and I learned about an OS that I previously had no clue about. That's probably why I still have it.
Guess that pretty much makes my mind up. I'll hold out for something better.
Thanks for the input.
There are definitely better devices out there if you want something that works right out of the box, and there are quite a few devices coming out soon with pricing comparable to the gTablet. The gTablet viewing angle isn't the best, especially since the screen was made for netbooks. That being said, it works fine for me. I knew the shortcomings before getting it, and was expecting worse. It won't be up to par with an iPad at all.
Where the gTablet excels is the ability to tweak it. From the many different ROMs out there (FroYo, Gingerbread, and Honeycomb versions), plus a very active development community working on bringing ICS to the gTablet, it can be a tinkerer's delight.
Sent from my gTablet using Tapatalk.
I can't even seem to give my gtablet away! I mean jesus christ, I had that on sale for a while... little bites here and there, but no one ends up buying it.. I ended up giving it to my 4 year old daughter to learn stuff... since then, it has been sitting on the nightstand... I mean seriously, I cant give this thing away!!!
I own a gtab. There is no comparison between an ipad (assuming gen 1 because 2 makes no sense) and a gtablet. Ipad is simply a more refined higher quality product with better integrated software esp if you own any other mac products. Still don't think the msrp on an ipad (either gen is worth it for what any tablet offers). The screen issue goes beyond the viewing angle. The screen is sharper on the ipad for reading - especially magazines.
What gtab does very well is have a huge user development base that is on the verge of unleashing ICS for us to play with. After that everything begins and ends with the difference in screen quality and apps.
That said I enjoy my gtab and am in no hurry to upgrade (unless I found someone who wanted to trade an ipad for it) as I can deal with it's limitations vs. the cost I paid to get something with these hardware specs.
ssmr2t: curious what you tried to sell your gtab for. I would think somewhere between 125.00 and 150.00 and it would be gone in a heartbeat unless it's all beat up. But I don't think it's worth more than 150.00 nowadays by any stretch.
tnt533 said:
I have a 32 gig iPad 1 and am looking to trade it for an Android tablet. Someone just offered up their GTablet. It looks great hardware wise but the screen worries me. Without the ability to inspect the unit yet I wanted to go right to the source.
What do you guys really think about the screen and viewing angle on the GTab?
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I haven't turned on my gtab in about three months. Yeah. They suck pretty hard. It has one good viewing angle - dead on, slightly tilted, as if it were attached as a screen for a cheap netbook, which is exactly what it is - the screen from a cheap netbook.
If you want to trade for mine, let me know
ssmr2t said:
I can't even seem to give my gtablet away! I mean jesus christ, I had that on sale for a while... little bites here and there, but no one ends up buying it.. I ended up giving it to my 4 year old daughter to learn stuff... since then, it has been sitting on the nightstand... I mean seriously, I cant give this thing away!!!
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I'll take it if you want to pay for shipping
srsly though, the viewing angles of the screen suck. if you aren't looking at it at the exact perfect angle part of the screen is just dark. though whatevs, it works for me.
As for an exchange I'd hold off for something better. might be able to get a Xoom.
People on here are crazy to think a first-gen ipad is better than the Gtab. Complain about the screen all you want, iOS is ****e.
I will also pay shipping for that Gtab you can't seem to 'give away'.
tenet420 said:
People on here are crazy to think a first-gen ipad is better than the Gtab. Complain about the screen all you want, iOS is ****e.
I will also pay shipping for that Gtab you can't seem to 'give away'.
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So there you have it, the gtab is worth about $10 - the cost to ship it somewhere
Seriously, it's a fine hacking android tegra2 device with no vendor support and flagging xda support. Oh, and that first gen iPad? yeah, it's running iOS5. From Apple. Without any hacking needed at all. And THAT is better than a tablet that was disowned by the reseller (viwesonic) and the ODM (forgot what the Chinese company's name was - malta? whatever) the day it shipped.
schettj said:
So there you have it, the gtab is worth about $10 - the cost to ship it somewhere
Seriously, it's a fine hacking android tegra2 device with no vendor support and flagging xda support. Oh, and that first gen iPad? yeah, it's running iOS5. From Apple. Without any hacking needed at all. And THAT is better than a tablet that was disowned by the reseller (viwesonic) and the ODM (forgot what the Chinese company's name was - malta? whatever) the day it shipped.
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iOS5 doesn't make it better.
You'd have to pay me to allow itrash in my house.
So there you have it, the ipad1 is worth -$10
Seriously though, I have 7 and 9 years old boys and they ALWAYS choose their Gtabs over grandma and grandpa's ipads, thank goodness!
tenet420 said:
iOS5 doesn't make it better.
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No, just supported. Which is worth whatever you deem it to be.
For what it's worth some of us actually like the Gtab...
I use it for work and it's great. It's just as fast as any other tablet I've used. I hold it or have it on my desk, I haven't a clue about whether it works from an angle or not and I really don't know why anyone would care. I guess from this forum some people prefer to look at it that way.
I have Honeycomb on it, VTL launcher, Dropbox and a million programs which if they are any good do what I want. A screen protector which keeps the fingerprints way down and a nice case.
The only issue I have is the weight, too heavy to use as a Kindle.
If it breaks I'll get something different, maybe an Ipad, maybe not.
I threw V6 supercharger on my tab running FB 10.3 and it's made a big difference. Yeah the screen sucks, but it doesn't matter to my 2yo, who is the main user.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium
It is almost criminal to say a first gen ipad is even close to being as ****ty as a gtablet.
I own a gtablet and it really is only useful as a play around with android device.
The iPad one is still the second best tablet on the market.
And this is coming from a person who owns a gtablet, droid incredible, and a galaxy nexus.
Put aside your fanboyism before you convince someone to jump into a terrible trade.
drizzt5 said:
It is almost criminal to say a first gen ipad is even close to being as ****ty as a gtablet.
I own a gtablet and it really is only useful as a play around with android device.
The iPad one is still the second best tablet on the market.
And this is coming from a person who owns a gtablet, droid incredible, and a galaxy nexus.
Put aside your fanboyism before you convince someone to jump into a terrible trade.
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Calling fanboyism on others while stating 2 sentences prior, "The iPad one is still the second best tablet on the market."
Priceless.
There's probably a dozen Android tablets out there that are better than the iPad v1, especially when you consider in price. There are many tablets better than the iPad 1 in specs, price and OS. All they lack is a half masticated fruit logo.
This thread is now way off topic and therefore redundant, consider it closed

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