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Not sure if this belongs in Q&A but I'm looking for guidance. I just purchased the G Tab and I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. Screen I can deal with, no rear camera I can deal with, it's the lack of hardware acceleration that bothers (I don't know how I missed this). I'm considering returning this item and possibly waiting for the new Acer to be in stock somewhere. I would just keep the Viewsonic if hardware acceleration were looking likely. What do you guys think? Wait or return? Looking for some guidance from my community
The day I can run 2.3+ and play videos without issues will be a happy day
lrs421 said:
Not sure if this belongs in Q&A but I'm looking for guidance. I just purchased the G Tab and I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. Screen I can deal with, no rear camera I can deal with, it's the lack of hardware acceleration that bothers (I don't know how I missed this). I'm considering returning this item and possibly waiting for the new Acer to be in stock somewhere. I would just keep the Viewsonic if hardware acceleration were looking likely. What do you guys think? Wait or return? Looking for some guidance from my community
The day I can run 2.3+ and play videos without issues will be a happy day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HW acceleration exists in the Froyo roms - this should have been something you discovered in the first 10 minutes of browsing around here and elsewhere on teh internets prior to purchase.
If you need HW acceleration, just run a Froyo custom rom - slap any of the nice tablet launchers on it, put in an OC kernel, and hey presto you're good to go on the video front. Or, use rockplayer's software decoding with an OC kernel, and most stuff will playback smoothly.
Some HW acceleration is trickling out in the CM7 codebase, there's no reason to think that eventually it won't get there sooner or later. Mostly later.
The "last year's technology + enthusiast hackers" path isn't for everyone. No shame in that - if you want out of the box HC with full hardware support, just return the gtab, and get one.
schettj said:
HW acceleration exists in the Froyo roms - this should have been something you discovered in the first 10 minutes of browsing around here and elsewhere on teh internets prior to purchase.
If you need HW acceleration, just run a Froyo custom rom - slap any of the nice tablet launchers on it, put in an OC kernel, and hey presto you're good to go on the video front. Or, use rockplayer's software decoding with an OC kernel, and most stuff will playback smoothly.
Some HW acceleration is trickling out in the CM7 codebase, there's no reason to think that eventually it won't get there sooner or later. Mostly later.
The "last year's technology + enthusiast hackers" path isn't for everyone. No shame in that - if you want out of the box HC with full hardware support, just return the gtab, and get one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I am currently running a froyo rom which I did discover quickly I just love my gingerbread. I didn't know that software acceleration was being committed to cm7. Im running an oc kernel know which launcher pro and am pretty happy with the combo, just hoping to not be stuck here: )
Sent from my Vegan G Tablet
lrs421 said:
I didn't know that software acceleration was being committed to cm7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
limited HW accel in CM7.0.2 reported here on XDA - a couple days ago:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1049398
It probably won't be too long before Nvidia releases HW acceleration for Gingerbread. I've enjoyed mine since December and with VEGAn Tab Ginger RC1 + Clemsyn 1.5gHZ kernel... it rocks!!
lrs421 said:
Not sure if this belongs in Q&A but I'm looking for guidance. I just purchased the G Tab and I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. Screen I can deal with, no rear camera I can deal with, it's the lack of hardware acceleration that bothers (I don't know how I missed this). I'm considering returning this item and possibly waiting for the new Acer to be in stock somewhere. I would just keep the Viewsonic if hardware acceleration were looking likely. What do you guys think? Wait or return? Looking for some guidance from my community
The day I can run 2.3+ and play videos without issues will be a happy day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can get passed the screen, I would say keep. Few questions to ask yourself.
What type of vids are you planning to play? Are we talking about blu-ray rips? Do you really need 2.3? What features of 2.3 are you needing that 2.2 doesn't have?
If I were answering the above questions, I would keep it. Because I'm happy with the 2.2 based ROMS. All the vids I have put on my gtab play fine. The highest resolution that my vids are converted to is 720p and there are not many. I'm happy with how all my videos look on my gtab.
I believe the CM team is making great progress with GB and I believe they are doing this without any help form Nvidia or Viewsonic. I could be wrong.
Buuuuuuut....if you really like the Acer then I would consider it.
The reviews on the other tablets have not been stellar. Problems with lack of apps and honeycomb in general have led to the so so reviews. Dolphin hd browers runs hbo go without a hitch, stock browers couldn't without stuttering. Hardware xcelleration is not that far off in the distance if you can wait. Running vegan ginger stable and it has been awesome.
Thanks for the advice without flames This is exactly the feedback I was looking for. I especially didn't know CM was making soooo much progress. I'm going to stick around, but if it weren't for XDA this thing would be going back
I mostly rip movies and watch youtube videos which has greatly improved since switching to Vegan Froyo. I live there for a while.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
Just got my G Tablet... wondering what the best ROM is to install on this thing? seems like there are sooo many different options!!!
Fortunately, you're right, there are tons of options...
Unfortunately, everyone will give you the same answer, "It's up to you."
I know it's a cop out, but it's really true. I suggest that you search for some videos on youtube of the different roms. Reviewers more than likely have used different ones and will give decent reviews, as well as why they stuck with the one they are on, currently.
One MAJOR decision is whether to stay with the 1.1 bootloader, ot update to the 1.2 bootloader. Robeets worked hard at getting most of the 1.1 Roms translated to the 1.2 branch. So, if you prefer TNT lite (1.1), then go for Mountain Laurel (1.2). Vegan 5.1.1 (1.1) flash brilliant corners (1.2).
When I got mine, it came with Tnt lite installed. I didn't care ofr it much, so I flashed Vegan 5.1.1. I used it for about 3 weeks, then did the update procedure and flashed Brilliant Corners, and haven't looked back. It's stable, everything but hardware acceleration works (but that doesn't work on any Rom at this point)
If you want to go with the honecomb development, then you need to be on 1.2 bootloader. Put it this way. There are 2 major "styles" of rom that you will NOT be able ot use on 1.2, they are Vegan Ginger, and CM7. There is one "style" of rom that you can NOT use on 1.1, that being Honeycomb (Bottle of Smoke)
Pretty muc all other popularly used roms can exist on one or the other in their specific arrangements.
When I did the update process, it required me to flash to the stock 4349 update, and to be perfectly honest, it really wasn't that bad. You can apply market fixes to it, to pretty much make it fully functional. It's not a bad starting point if you want ot play around, and get used to the tablet before jumping to a new rom. it will also give you a chance to figure out what you do and don't like about the stock setup, and what you'd be looking for in a custom rom.
That's the most diplomatic I can be, but once again, ultimately, it's all up to you.
Just got my last Thursday. Spent the entire weekend playing around.
Started at VeganGinger but I just found it to be a little unstable but I loved the speed. Also has some video issues and since this was primarily for my kids to watch movies while on the go that was not acceptable.
Went back to VeganTab 5.1.1 and loved it. Extremely stable and everything worked but I really missed GingerBread.
Finally took the plunge to CM7 nightly last night and I can't find any problems so far. Very stable and I love all the tweaks for tablets. Video works great. HD video in youtube starts off a little shaky for the first few seconds but stabilizes after a few seconds. Other movies play great in rockplayer and ASOP video player.
I like to stay a little more on the bleeding edge than leading edge with ROMs but I am just not ready for 1.2/HoneyComb yet. It looks awesome but I think they have a few more bugs to work out before the noobs like me jump on.
Hope this helps.
Depends on what you want to use the tablet for. I am just using mine to play around with - a new toy and a first time android user.
In 2 weeks, I have installed VEGAn-TAB Ginger and then moved on to CM7 to get netflix app working and now on the Honeycomb alpha.
Of these, I liked CM7 as it seemed to be more stable. Not a whole lot wrong with Vegan-tab ginger either. Both will run fine if you want to use it daily. The HC alpha is unstable but fun, and a work in progress.
Cheers to all the devs who work on all these ROMs. Great job
Watch some of the videos in the stickied topic in this general forum. Good idea what you are getting into.
What did you do to go from Vegan Ginger to CM7
Is there a link with a step by step instructions to move from Vegan Ginger to CM7? It is not clear what we have to clear. Do we need to wipe data as well as dalvich and partition?
albertgalpin said:
Is there a link with a step by step instructions to move from Vegan Ginger to CM7? It is not clear what we have to clear. Do we need to wipe data as well as dalvich and partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was hoping to do something similar.. from Vegan Froyo to CM7 but I've been putting it off
I use Brilliant Corners. Was on Vegan 5.1.1 first then Calkulin/Clemsyn and I'd have to say BC is my favorite out of the bunch. It's on the other forums, PM me if you don't know what I'm talking about. I'll probably be trying Honeycomb out once it hits beta.
sorry for the newbie question.. but what does all this mean.. Honeycomb, Gingerbread, Froyo, etc.?
they are nicknames given to the versions of the Android Operating system. equate them to 3.1, 97, 2000, XP, Vista, or 7 for Windows.
Froyo is version 2.2
Gingerbread is version 2.3
Honeycomb is version 3.0
If you see a tablet, or phone for sale that says it has Android version 2.2, then it's using the "Froyo" version.
Honeycomb is the first, and only (so far) Android operating system specifically designed with Tablet's in mind. All others are phone based.
There is a rumor that Google is designing an Android OS that will be a hybrid phone/tablet OS, it's rumored to be version 2.4.
The ultimate goal for the G-Tablet is to get a stable hardware accelerated honeycomb rom onto it. It would be the natural fit since the G-tab is a tablet, of course.
----Edit----
you may now be asking, why don't all tablets use honeycomb, then.
The answer is, android tablets predate honeycomb. You might notice, if you flash Vegan5.1.1 for instance, that the dock on the right side contains a "phone" button. that's because the Froyo OS was designed for phones, not tablets. you can remove the icon, but it will still maintain scripts for phone function, though it can't actually be used as a phone.
This is where there is actually an advantage for iUsers. iTunes contains sections for iPods, iPhones, and iPads. You can download an app designed for an iPhone, and run it on an iPad, but it will only be seen on a small portion of the screen, but centered. You can resize it, but you'll lose some clarity in the image. However, you'll be unable to download an iPad app for your iPod, becuase it's specifically designed for the iPad.
In the Android market, there aren't any distinctions between 10" tablets, 7"tablets, or phones. you may download an app, thinking you can play it (try spiderman HD for instance) It will install, and work, but the image only takes up a 4" portion of the screen. The buttons are all out of whack, it's not centered, and you can't resize it. It's made for phones, and ONLY phones, but there's no way of knowing until you've tried it. Likewise, the reason we need to do market fixes and tweaks, is because hte market doesn't recognize the G-Tablet as a 10" tablet. So most tegra games will not show on the market. You need to trick the market into thinking that you have something different.
Getting a rom specifically designed for tablets is a step in the right direction for making the G-Tablet perform up to it's potential.
albertgalpin said:
Is there a link with a step by step instructions to move from Vegan Ginger to CM7? It is not clear what we have to clear. Do we need to wipe data as well as dalvich and partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably should, but I didn't and have no problems.
where do I find these ROMs and the install instructions for them? I'm thinking I'm going to try CM7 first..
I went from Stock 3588 rom to Vegan 5.1.1 to CM 7.0.3. I really like CM7 it seems much more responsive I was concerned about the lack of hardware video drivers for the Ginger based ROMs but to be honest I have not had a problem and Netflix run very well on CM7 which was a big factor for me switching to CM7 from Vegan. I installed CM7 from CWM did the usual factory reset/delete user data and clear cache and it loaded fine. I am looking forward to a stable HoneyComb ROM
I figure you are asking for our opinion and not the absolute universal truth, so my opinion is that stock derivatives are the best. Only missing the tabs for text selection. Particularly, Calkulin's version is pretty good, and the one further refined by Clemsyn with overclocking which is the most solid performer I came across.
Check in the Dev section for the links.
did the latest CM7 nightly build today.. works good..
I had to manually download and install GAPPS and also do the Flash Player install and the marketplace fix. but now it works..
and I didn't know that the stock video player sucked.. so I had to download MoboPlayer.. seems to work for most download videos online..
when you click a video online like say a .avi or .mpeg it loads right up in MoboPlayer now.. is there a way to make it load from the web broswer into VPlayer or something else? everything goes to MoboPlayer now... and although MoboPlayer seems to play 90% of the videos... there are some that still don't play and only seem to play in VPlayer...
Anyone have any suggestions to this question, now that we're a few months further down the road?? Hopefully some of you have gotten a chance to load many of them and settle on one that you like best. I just got a gTablet (BL1.2), and can't wait to get CWM and a good ROM on this thing! So, at the present time, which are the most stable ROMs out there? I am looking for a Honeycomb based one specifically. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
HC rom is not stable right now, due to the fact that HW acceleration and etc is not supported really well. It really boils down to two choices in HC rom, flashback or Gtabcomb. Flashback is still updated, while developer of gtabcomb has abandoned the rom, thus no more update. However, as so far i know , gtabcomb is more stable than flashback.
HC will have HW acceleration and have 3.2 ported, as talented folks are still porting .36 magical kernel to gtab. It's not yet complete, maybe another month or two?
As for stable roms, go for froyo. Calkulin and Clemsyn ver 6 froyo rom is fast, (1.5Ghz overclock), but it might result to overheat, thus you might want to tweak the clockspeed (doable in setCPU).
For gingerbread, go for vegan tab 7.10. Quite stable . the only deal killer is that pandora is not working well on Vegan.
In the end, it still boils down to choice of what u want
I have settled with the Beast 2.2.1 rom BL 1.2. I have figured that it is the only one that can display HBO go properly. The only down fall is that the front camera doesn't work, but don't use it anyways. Trying different things with it and everything seems to work perfect with it. It is a froyo based rom, but with a little display changes it displays exactly like VeganTab 7.0. I was even able to change the bootloader to the VeganTab Gingerbread.
Ok, been floating around here for months... I've tried most of the roms out there..
Right now I'm using Cyanogen 7...
It works great, it's fast, 99% of everything works... except... the camera and HW video acceleration...
Which rom should I use if I want 100% of the device to work.
If I switch over to a Vegan 5 rom, the cam works, but then my 32 gig sd card doesn't show up....
So, I'm asking for someones opinion...
What is the best 100% working rom... Plus'es and Minus'es on it, work-arounds?
I can bounce around in a file manager and get things off the sd card, but the kids and wife can't... that's why I haven't stuck with Vegan 5...
Any help/opinion would be great.
Thanks,
Tim
Get "Camera Fun" from marketplace. Works fine on a Gtab using C M 7.
Sent from my G Tab using Tapatalk
Rooted stock.
But for family friendly use, its hard to beat. After the market fix that is.
Or VEGAN Ginger 7.0
I am back on rooted 4349 because the kids can use it. VEGAN Ginger seems 40% faster than stock though.
That's what I am/was leaning towards, however I can't figure out how to have the system load from my 32 gig sd instead of the internal...
The kids have movies that eat up the internal rather quickly
Thanks for the reply.
Tim
But netflix works on cm 7 and not on vegan. Cm 7 is the most advanced
Sent from my G Tab
CM7.1 RC1
works the best just replace the DSPmanager with the one from nightly 83
tjsooley said:
CM7.1 RC1
works the best just replace the DSPmanager with the one from nightly 83
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gets my vote too, everything works great: Netflix, YouTube, games like asphalt 6 etc.
albertgalpin said:
But netflix works on cm 7 and not on vegan. Cm 7 is the most advanced
Sent from my G Tab
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Netflix works on vegan GE now with a little tweaking. Check out this helpful post. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15147560&postcount=13
C7 better than caulk Clemson v6? I never used CM7. what are the major pros for cm7. This is my first rom. Thx
ONLY a froyo rom will work 100%, since that's the only android source that is available to work from. Ginger and HC are frankensystems, taking code from here and there to get a working OS.
I'm on Calk/Clem v6 1.2 bootloader and everythign is working fine. You'll get hardware acceleration, you'll have a working camera, you'l have access to SDcard. you won't have Netflix, but honestly, people, is the selection of netflix movies that stream really that great? Besides that, you'll need a wifi connection to stream them anyway. You mentioned that you have movies on the SD, then do you really need netflix? I only ever access netflix at home, through my Wii, so, no need for it on the tablet.
besides...check out "megaviewer pro"
Agreed 100 % with Calkulin/Clemsyn combo. Used it for a while until I tried Beasty2.2.a/Clemsyn combo on 1.2bl and stayed there since. Same if not better, and can play PlantsVsZombies.
TJEvans said:
ONLY a froyo rom will work 100%, since that's the only android source that is available to work from. Ginger and HC are frankensystems, taking code from here and there to get a working OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, that's what I thought so I've been looking for a good Froyo rom, but apparently now everyone is going gaga about Vegan GE. Folks claim its just as fast as the froyo edition (most forms of HW acceleration are now working, aside from HD playback if I understand correctly).
Also, wasn't a HC rom released last week for one of the sister tablets to our G-tab (think it was the Adam)? That should mean native driver support for HC.
But honestly, now I don't know what to think, and since I share this tablet with my wife and kids, I can't afford to go testing all the roms out there to find a good one.
you won't have Netflix, but honestly, people, is the selection of netflix movies that stream really that great? Besides that, you'll need a wifi connection to stream them anyway. You mentioned that you have movies on the SD, then do you really need netflix? I only ever access netflix at home, through my Wii, so, no need for it on the tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, I hate it when people say that. That's what people say when they want to justify their choices and just accept the lot given to them. Remember when iOS users said they don't really need MMS because they have email? Or that they really didn't need multitasking? But when they got all those things, suddenly they turned from "who needs that" to "look what the iPhone can do!". How many iOS users say they don't really need flash anyway, and secretly loathe that we can do it and they can't?
I'm glad you are happy streaming netflix with your wii. Do you remember last year when that didn't work yet? Every day I would check and see "Coming Soon" on their website. Did you feel like "meh, I don't need it on my Wii- I have it on my laptop!"?
Meanwhile, netflix was actually one of the deciding factors to get a tablet. Right now, when we go on family trips we pack light and bring a netbook for casual browsing and mini-movies. Until I saw netflix running on the G-tablet via a youtube demo a couple of months ago, I didn't consider replacing it with a tablet as an option.
So, you might even say this is rather critical for some people. Heck, I've been stuck on CM7 all this time, which I don't particularly like, for this very reason. Just think before you say stuff like that, you know? Especially if you want folks to trust your opinion.
I got my gtab mostly for watching downloaded videos, web browsing, some gaming. My first rom upgrade was vegan-tab ginger edition. Did not play videos as well as I hoped(choppy). Had some minor issues with sound. I switched to calk/clem ver 5 and videos are smooth and most video players work. I'm not into neflix, but Hulu, Flash, slingplayer, all work. It may not be the best rom, but it works for me.
kosenn said:
I got my gtab mostly for watching downloaded videos, web browsing, some gaming. My first rom upgrade was vegan-tab ginger edition. Did not play videos as well as I hoped(choppy). Had some minor issues with sound. I switched to calk/clem ver 5 and videos are smooth and most video players work. I'm not into neflix, but Hulu, Flash, slingplayer, all work. It may not be the best rom, but it works for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd guess that is because of the lack of HW acceleration in Ginger. Seriously, why is everyone running away from Froyo roms? ::scratches head:: what am I missing?
Meanwhile, does calk/clem support BT keyboards? I have a BT keyboard that is working great on the ginger roms I've tried. A little scared it won't work in Froyo...
@Dishe:
The netflix account I use isn't even mine, it's my stepfathers. He got it a while back, to get videos in the mail. Then he started streaming to his laptop. He gave me his password so that I could get it on my Wii. Since then, about Christmas time, I think I may have watched one complete movie at home. I just have never found their selection of streaming videos to be that great that it was an application that I absolutely needed. I usually download movies from ThePirateBay.org and watch them with my netbook connected to my TV.
So, for Me, Netflix isn't an application that I will justify not having by downplaying it. I didn't have it 7 months ago on anything. I tried it, and really couldn't find anything to like about it. When my stepfather offered my his account, I seriously thought that I would be able to rid myself of the over 300 DVDs that I own, because "I could just stream anything on Netflix." Well, I started searching their library for movies that I own, and pretty much none of them were available. So, I can be 100% sure that not having it on my G-Tablet isn't a justification of not being able ot have it. It's a realization that I hardly ever use it on a device that it runs flawlessly on, so it's not remotely necessary on a device that it might be able to run on.
I downloaded Megaviewer pro, which also streams videos, and it can actually find nearly every movie I search for.
I did take my g-tablet on a mini-vacation last week. I had "kidvideos" (good for cartoons for the little ones) and Megaviewer installed on it. I can honestly say that my son never even asked if he could watch a movie on it. The only time we could even consider it was when there was a network around that I could log into, anyway. So, you're anchored, and the selection is minimal.
MAybe if we had 3G capabilities, it might be worth it. But right now, the only place I can stream videos is at home, where netflix works fine on the 52 inch screen...rather than the 10 inch one.
for your BT question...I don't have one to test, but my BT GPS does work on it.
Edit: Oh, and why is everyone running away from Froyo....because it's old news. The tablet community is all about the latest and the greatest. Why did everyone want Vista when XP worked just fine? It's just a mentality that the newest product must be the best product. I never understood it either. I've been using Froyo since getting my tablet, and never even considered Gingerbread, knowing it's limitations. The basis of my opinion is that our devices came with Froyo, has drivers for Froyo, and works 100% with Froyo...
and yes, I'm still on XP, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Fair enough on the netflix thing. But other people love netflix streaming- myself included. I catch up on old TV shows and randomly pick new movies to watch. Something I forgot to mention is that its nice having it on the Tablet because sometimes there's a movie my wife doesn't care for, so I can watch it on my own anywhere instead of hogging the TV or computer. Its nice to watch it on a tablet from bed or the couch or places a laptop would be awkward to use.
TJEvans said:
Edit: Oh, and why is everyone running away from Froyo....because it's old news. The tablet community is all about the latest and the greatest. Why did everyone want Vista when XP worked just fine? It's just a mentality that the newest product must be the best product. I never understood it either. I've been using Froyo since getting my tablet, and never even considered Gingerbread, knowing it's limitations. The basis of my opinion is that our devices came with Froyo, has drivers for Froyo, and works 100% with Froyo...
and yes, I'm still on XP, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, I just had this conversation with someone in another thread!
Sometimes newer is better- Froyo brought JIT, voice search, and other great features and performance enhancements. Now it works great, and is exactly what our devices came with! But moving on to an unsupported rom just because its newer is EXACTLY like XP to Vista, IMO!
I love to trick out my machine, but at the end of the day I want it to work the best it possibly can. Vista didn't do that, so I stuck with XP until Windows 7 (which, btw, is a fantastic and worthy upgrade from XP). The same is true of tablets, however without continued support from Viewsonic, or Froyo roms from the community (and l0rd knows I don't have the time to pick up development myself anymore), I feel like certain bugs will never get fixed. Skype 2.0, btw, will apparently work with video chat on Gingerbread enabled devices with cameras (not on G-tablet yet, but with Galaxy working within hours of announcing the new Skype, I think it might soon). Between that and Netflix, I'm really not sure what I'd rather anymore.
Dishe said:
Skype 2.0, btw, will apparently work with video chat on Gingerbread enabled devices with cameras (not on G-tablet yet, but with Galaxy working within hours of announcing the new Skype, I think it might soon). Between that and Netflix, I'm really not sure what I'd rather anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, skype video only work for ONE specific android device. This is not a bug. This is corporate incompetence.
goodintentions said:
Actually, skype video only work for ONE specific android device. This is not a bug. This is corporate incompetence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone hasn't been reading the news...
http://techcitement.com/mobile/skype-2-0-for-android-brings-video/
Dishe...The XP to Win7 analogy is fitting here. Let's take my tiny little Acer Netbook here. Supposedly, it's not able to run win7, due ot hardware limitations. That's exactly the case with the G-Tablet.
Now, if Acer were to develop a way (drivers and such) that I was able ot run Win7, then I would probably switch. The fact is, my netbook was created to run XP, so, I know that XP is the only OS that will run properly on it.
The G-Tablet, has hardware that is CAPABLE of running Gingerbread and Honeycomb, and I assume, eventually Ice Cream Sandwich (why do these nicknames make me hungry?)
The problem, is that Viewsonic/Nvidea have failed at providing the drivers and such that will make it possible to run these newer Android versions.
Sure, I could attempt to install Win7 on my netbook, but then I'll be *****ing and complaining when things don't work, or won't work. Same as if I continue to lie to myself in thinking that Gingerbread or Honeycomb will work flawlessly within the constraints of the hardware that we are using.
I commend the people that try their hardest to get these things working. They do it for the joy of saying that they did it. They provide something to the users that gives them hope that it will eventually be a reality. I truly believe that it will be, as long as Nvidea cooperates, which they said they would, as long as device providers request the drivers...none have, as of yet. We thought that Notion Ink was, but they are using the pieced together rom that tabletroms developed...essentially failing their own community.
TJEvans said:
Dishe...The XP to Win7 analogy is fitting here. Let's take my tiny little Acer Netbook here. Supposedly, it's not able to run win7, due ot hardware limitations. That's exactly the case with the G-Tablet.
Now, if Acer were to develop a way (drivers and such) that I was able ot run Win7, then I would probably switch. The fact is, my netbook was created to run XP, so, I know that XP is the only OS that will run properly on it.
The G-Tablet, has hardware that is CAPABLE of running Gingerbread and Honeycomb, and I assume, eventually Ice Cream Sandwich (why do these nicknames make me hungry?)
The problem, is that Viewsonic/Nvidea have failed at providing the drivers and such that will make it possible to run these newer Android versions.
Sure, I could attempt to install Win7 on my netbook, but then I'll be *****ing and complaining when things don't work, or won't work. Same as if I continue to lie to myself in thinking that Gingerbread or Honeycomb will work flawlessly within the constraints of the hardware that we are using.
I commend the people that try their hardest to get these things working. They do it for the joy of saying that they did it. They provide something to the users that gives them hope that it will eventually be a reality. I truly believe that it will be, as long as Nvidea cooperates, which they said they would, as long as device providers request the drivers...none have, as of yet. We thought that Notion Ink was, but they are using the pieced together rom that tabletroms developed...essentially failing their own community.
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We are in agreement.
I don't really get what hardware acceleration is....is it when you turn your device in portrait mode/landscape mode? because i heard that Vegan Tab GingerEdition doesn't support hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration allows a hardware to operate faster than what the software can do. In the gtab, when we say hardware acceleration we are actually referring mostly to audio and graphics hardware acceleration.
Try to think of it this way. Suppose you are put into a maze and you want to get the other side. Without a map, you'd be wandering around until you get to the end. If you're smart, you can mark where you were, draw out a map as you go along, and even explore the maze in a pattern that allows you to find the route faster.
But wouldn't it be much easier if someone gives you the map of the maze and all you have to do is follow the map and voila you're done?
That's what hardware acceleration is. The cpu is sequential, performing one function at a time. Just the software alone isn't enough to optimize the hardware (audio and graphics). We need the drivers for them for optimization.
Unfortunately, those bastards at nvidia and google decided orphan harmony users barely 4 months after its release. Greedy corporate SoBs.
that's an awesome explanation, nice one!
But yes, no gingerbread support for our hardware's drivers which means things will rely more on CPU power and take more resources to do. Currently, since the device shipped with Froyo, Froyo drivers are all we got. However, if I understand correctly, an official Honeycomb rom was released for one of our sister devices, and we may be able to get native drivers from that.
We'll see.
Dishe said:
that's an awesome explanation, nice one!
But yes, no gingerbread support for our hardware's drivers which means things will rely more on CPU power and take more resources to do. Currently, since the device shipped with Froyo, Froyo drivers are all we got. However, if I understand correctly, an official Honeycomb rom was released for one of our sister devices, and we may be able to get native drivers from that.
We'll see.
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Unfortunately, if you're referring to the viewsonic 7 incher HC tab, it's not exactly a sister of the gtab. The gtab is an adopted child and the 7 incher is a birth child.
And also unfortunately, if you're referring to the adam, NI didn't release a HC update from the google source code. They released a hacked version ripped from the transformer.
Just stick with froyo for now.
OK so you're telling me that i'm better off running a Froyo Rom then the GtabComb that is currently out just because of hardware acceleration?
skotter said:
OK so you're telling me that i'm better off running a Froyo Rom then the GtabComb that is currently out just because of hardware acceleration?
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Sort of. He's saying that the only native hardware support currently exists in Froyo, so if you want everything to work as intended, that's really the best option.
If you want bleeding edge, its cool that we CAN run Honeycomb, but they are mostly frankenroms, pieced together from various sources and don't work 100%. I've noticed a dramatic difference in the way my tablet runs when I go back to Froyo from anything else- the transitions are smoother, response is faster, clicks more responsive, more apps work, hardware like the camera works, etc., and with hardware acceleration you can watch an HD video without resorting to overclocking and winding down your battery faster in the process.
Really, IMO, everything is better in Froyo and the only reason to have so much interest in the newer roms is for intellectual purposes (or just to say you can). They really don't run as well yet.
Now, there was a bit of a splash recently when someone on tabletroms managed to get a Honeycomb kernel from the Acer Iconia to boot on a Notion Ink Adam (very similar hardware to ours) without any modification. That means a lot of native driver support for Honeycomb might be coming soon. But not yet.
Dishe said:
Sort of. He's saying that the only native hardware support currently exists in Froyo, so if you want everything to work as intended, that's really the best option.
If you want bleeding edge, its cool that we CAN run Honeycomb, but they are mostly frankenroms, pieced together from various sources and don't work 100%. I've noticed a dramatic difference in the way my tablet runs when I go back to Froyo from anything else- the transitions are smoother, response is faster, clicks more responsive, more apps work, hardware like the camera works, etc., and with hardware acceleration you can watch an HD video without resorting to overclocking and winding down your battery faster in the process.
Really, IMO, everything is better in Froyo and the only reason to have so much interest in the newer roms is for intellectual purposes (or just to say you can). They really don't run as well yet.
Now, there was a bit of a splash recently when someone on tabletroms managed to get a Honeycomb kernel from the Acer Iconia to boot on a Notion Ink Adam (very similar hardware to ours) without any modification. That means a lot of native driver support for Honeycomb might be coming soon. But not yet.
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Can you recommend me some Froyo ROMs that are stable, fast, fully functional, and has good battery life?
Thanks.
Vegan 5.1.1 is an old rom but all the hardware works. Plants vs Zombies works, but Gun Bros doesn't (at least on mine).
problem with 5.1.1 is that there isn't much support going on and some of the code is outdated.
Over at slatedroid, I'm trying out Brilliant Corners (based on vegantab, but more updated kernel, etc) and so far its everything 5.1.1 offers and then some. Quite happy with it, and everything seems to run full speed.
When I was running Ginger roms a month ago, I happened to review a Samsung Galaxy tab 10 and some other tablets with the same tegra 2 chipset as ours. I was so disappointed in my G-tab, I didn't realize how slow it had gotten without HW acceleration. Since installing Brilliant Corners, I'm much happier with it.
Brilliant Corners is a respected ROM and seems to be the best choice if you want to go to the 1.2 bootloader, but I'm not aware of anything in BC that is so much better than Vegan to make me bother changing.
mike_ekim said:
Brilliant Corners is a respected ROM and seems to be the best choice if you want to go to the 1.2 bootloader, but I'm not aware of anything in BC that is so much better than Vegan to make me bother changing.
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Includes an updated kernel with overclocking ability, etc, built in. You could technically flash your own kernel to use with Vegan, but I think there are some more little bugfixes as well since someone is actively working on it. For example, when Netflix wasn't working on it (before the recent update), Roebeet was actively trying to find out what made it work in CM7 so that the changes could be applied to his roms. He eventually did release some patches to get it partially working. VeganTab doesn't get that kind of love at the moment.
Caulkin
Caulkin's Rom (Froyo) I feel is the best, minus the fact that the stock browser for it is awful. I've found it to be the fastest, and most stable with the best support for usb devices and mounting the gtab to a pc. Also, I would recommend installing pershoots Froyo kernel.
roberto188 said:
Caulkin's Rom (Froyo) I feel is the best, minus the fact that the stock browser for it is awful. I've found it to be the fastest, and most stable with the best support for usb devices and mounting the gtab to a pc. Also, I would recommend installing pershoots Froyo kernel.
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caulkin's rom has issue with sound in mobo player. sound is extremely small almost muted. because of this, i'm going to beasty rom and so far happy with it
Alright so I can't seem to get HD videos to work all that well- tried everything from stock 1.1, 1.2 and a whole list of froyo (and now) hoenycomb roms.
I am now also trying to see about the 3d gaming options, air attack seems to work smoothly but I would like to see galaxy on fire 2 working... it just freezes up in the first few frames rendered on the home screen (of the game).
What rom offers best support for hw acceleration, both for 3d graphic rendering AND HD video?
It seems there is no straight answer through the 3 days ive spent on the forums... none of the roms ive used have yet to really show me what i was expecting from the tegra 2 setup.
Only froyo has full he acceleration.
Catch 22? Froyo has HW acceleration but Honeycomb has a bunch of the decent games that need HW acceleration...
zzz
pcguru000 said:
Catch 22? Froyo has HW acceleration but Honeycomb has a bunch of the decent games that need HW acceleration...
zzz
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You tell the bastards at nvidia to release the damn drivers. We've been trying to get them to release the damn drivers for months.
goodintentions said:
You tell the bastards at nvidia to release the damn drivers. We've been trying to get them to release the damn drivers for months.
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Or just generously donate to Rayman .. he is getting there sooner than later.
Well that looks awesome, is hey on xda at all or should I be signing up for an account over there?
Sent from my Android Illuminate using XDA Premium App
pcguru000 said:
Alright so I can't seem to get HD videos to work all that well- tried everything from stock 1.1, 1.2 and a whole list of froyo (and now) hoenycomb roms.
I am now also trying to see about the 3d gaming options, air attack seems to work smoothly but I would like to see galaxy on fire 2 working... it just freezes up in the first few frames rendered on the home screen (of the game).
What rom offers best support for hw acceleration, both for 3d graphic rendering AND HD video?
It seems there is no straight answer through the 3 days ive spent on the forums... none of the roms ive used have yet to really show me what i was expecting from the tegra 2 setup.
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I'm on Caulkulin+Clemsyn Combo v6 (Froyo) and mine runs Galaxy on Fire 2 perfectly.
This rom is working for me fantastically as well- played the game for an hour last night smooth as can be reminds me of old school "free lancer"
GoF worked fine on Stock and now it works on Vegan 5.1.1.
Could you have some resourse-intensive background app that needs to be killed?
Think you misread- ive got it working fully in a 2.2 rom (c+c) ...
Was wondering about this:
http://tabletroms.com/forums/showthread.php?1525-Umodified-Honeycomb-on-Kernel-2.6.36-Updated-23-07-2011
If i was to take a stock, unmodified HC rom from perhaps a acer500 as rayman did- would it boot at all on the gtablet?
I figure they are all, at their core built to run android...
Could that damage hardware or is the worst id be looking at is a softbrick (can deal with those haha)
pcguru000 said:
Could that damage hardware or is the worst id be looking at is a softbrick (can deal with those haha)
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Soft brick. Unless the software tells the hardware to do something destructive, you can't harm the hardware with software.
Many have tried to just put the image straight from other HC devices into this. Will not run without some tweekings.
Will not run at all or will run very poorly? How on earth is this stuff being debugged?
pcguru000 said:
Will not run at all or will run very poorly? How on earth is this stuff being debugged?
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I wouldn't bother with it right now, seriously, there is those out there who will seamlessly port it as soon as its in good shape.
Righto' will let it be, thanks for the information
I thought the Illuminate Honeycomb ROM has hardware acceleration?
martin88ca said:
I thought the Illuminate Honeycomb ROM has hardware acceleration?
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I noticed that as well and wasn't sure what he meant, getting full HC hardware acceleration would have garnered bigger fanfare.
martin88ca said:
I thought the Illuminate Honeycomb ROM has hardware acceleration?
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I would take that with a grain of salt,
This isn't the first time some claims were made about this ROM that turned out to be false later
How would one know/test if hardware acceleration is working?
I ran Roebeet's BoS ROM for a little right after getting my G Tab and loved having HC, but switched to Beasty's for some stability. Since it seems like some progress has been made, I am thinking of trying Flashback or Illuminate, and am leaning Flashback based on reading the threads, howerver I was intrigued by the claim that Illuminate includes hardware acceleration.
Any reccomendations between the two (or another rom for that matter)? Primarily use the G Tab for gaming.
chmcclellan said:
How would one know/test if hardware acceleration is working?
I ran Roebeet's BoS ROM for a little right after getting my G Tab and loved having HC, but switched to Beasty's for some stability. Since it seems like some progress has been made, I am thinking of trying Flashback or Illuminate, and am leaning Flashback based on reading the threads, howerver I was intrigued by the claim that Illuminate includes hardware acceleration.
Any reccomendations between the two (or another rom for that matter)? Primarily use the G Tab for gaming.
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Illuminate claims that it is the most stable Honeycomb ROM, so I'd give it a try first.
The only issue I have with Illuminate is My Locations (through Wifi) doesn't work in Google Maps.
chmcclellan said:
Any reccomendations between the two (or another rom for that matter)? Primarily use the G Tab for gaming.
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FlashBack is very, very nice. It's stable, fairly speedy (despite the lack of HW accel in all HC gTab ROMs), all the software I want runs on it although I'll admit my list is short and only includes a few games.