Viewpad 10e - G Tablet Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've been lucky enough to snag a Viewpad 10e from Argos in the UK... Struggling to find any forums specifically for this pad though.
In a nutshell, its a great piece of hardware for £200 slightly let down by stuttery software. Very iPad like but with Android gingerbread.
Anyone else out there have any experience with this tab yet? Anyone know of any plans for it to get it's own forum/development community?
Cheers.

steviesteve78 said:
I've been lucky enough to snag a Viewpad 10e from Argos in the UK... Struggling to find any forums specifically for this pad though.
In a nutshell, its a great piece of hardware for £200 slightly let down by stuttery software. Very iPad like but with Android gingerbread.
Anyone else out there have any experience with this tab yet? Anyone know of any plans for it to get it's own forum/development community?
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it a tegra 2 device? If so we all here would at least love a full working gingerbread rom.

No - sorry - its Cortex A8
Processor 1Ghz Cortex A8 Processor
OS Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
LCD Monitor 9.7” IPS LCD 1024 x 768 ; XGA
Brightness 400 cd/m2 Brightness
Memory DDR3 512 MB
Internal Memory 4GB
Band Wifi only
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth BlueTooth 3.0 and 2.1 + EDR compatibility
External Memory Micro SD card slot
I/O Interface Micro USB/ Mini-HDMI/ 3.5mm headset audio jack
Audio Stereo speakers/ microphone
Sensors G-sensor
Cameras Front: CMOS 1.3MP
Battery Li-Polymer 5400mAh
Charger 12V/ 2Amp
USB Micro USB
Dimensions 241.6 x 188.6 x 9.1 mm
Weight 620 grams
Accessories Power adaptor (with plugs), Quick Start Guide, 1Mobile Market QSG, Compliance information, Micro USB cable

Dude, return the tablet right now. Boycott viewsonic!

Its been over 24hrs with new toy now. Will be posting a review soon. I honestly like the look and feel so much that I'm selling my Galaxy Tab 10. I'll have some money left over as well cause the Viewpad is so cheaply priced. All that extra processor power is not needed for me, I basically use the tab for web browsing, a few notes, check the weather and the kids play angry birds! This pad is definitely suited to the job.

goodintentions said:
Dude, return the tablet right now. Boycott viewsonic!
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Click to collapse
Ditto. For that price, you are better to go with a much wider support device like the Kindle Fire or Nook Color. Don't expect your new toy to get any substantial update to improve it beyond what it is now. The gTablet community has already been bitten by Viewsonic false promises. Your device will most likely had the same fate.
PS: a no name brand tablet from China can do all you want at an even lower price. Did you choose Viewsonic for the peace of mind of a name brand? Viewsonic don't make their own tablet. They outsource the manufacturing, the software and the support. All they really interest in is take your money.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

Honestly, I was really impressed by the response I had recently from their support dept. I really like the device and I have been through a few to say the least. Seems like it could be quite hackable and I may just use it to learn some new programming skills myself! (If I can drum up some support). In my experience, every forum/thread has loads of people frustrated by lack of support from the manufacturers/resllers but for me, the point of these forums is finding help... Ill keep my fingers crossed that the OEM is discovered soon and after that finding some hacks should get easier.

Third warning about Viewsonic, their products suffer longevity shortfalls. I am now the 3rd person telling you they have the consumer integrity of a wombat. Don't hold your breath waiting for anyone to pick it up and think it will be differently. So many people got burned via the g tablet and it's abhorrent lack of updates from the manufacturer (which when it comes to things like drivers etc for future OS upgrades becomes a critical part of the equation) not many people who have been around the android block are going to make another purchase from Viewsonic so you could very well be alone for the foreseeable future in this purchase. I don't even like having a Viewsonic monitor on my desk at work anymore. Again, take what you are hearing at face value, Viewsonic + android = meh. I enjoyed my g tablet when i purchased it and it does almost all that I need but I hoped for more and have gotten less. Keep it if you like, but 6 months from now when you are looking at another tablet you are going to be hard pressed to find anyone to buy your Viewsonic. The poor reputation flags are there already.
Keep in mind, Viewsonic is the same company that came to XDA saying they wanted feedback and input from this community about the g tablet. That was spring of this year and not a single thing has changed. They did that one firmware update in April and since then it has been nothing but pushed changes that then get pulled back.
Keep it if you are happy with it, I just wouldn't expect anything in terms of a large community ever coming of one of their devices.

It's been almost a year since they promised they'd release an update. Every time I've asked them about update, the only reply I've gotten is "we're working on it." I dare you to find any report of a different response than that.
Viewsonic needs to go back to producing nothing but display monitors and projectors. This company is not ready yet to play with the big boys in the computing market.

US vs UK - not exactly the same...
The G-Tablet was a US only product?!
The Viewpad 10e is only in the UK so far..... 9.7" IPS panel for £199, 9mm thick looks good value to me if your needs are not too demanding

Cant get my 10e to play videos from iplayer, any idea as to why not?

I decided to try one...
Works on live streaming for me from the app but not the others, think it could be to do with the Flash player version, read recently about other tablet users having issues with bandwidth / setting local storage to 0...

Which app did you use, couldn't find one in the 1mobile app store that came on the device

rustyfishhook said:
Which app did you use, couldn't find one in the 1mobile app store that came on the device
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BBC iPlayer 1.04 apk from the web. It still is only working for me with live TV, Flash version 10.3, Flash 11.0 wasn't working...
Will play around with the different versions in the office today

Ok so I now have the Viewpad 10e working with BBC iPlayer.
I used BBC iPlayer 1.0.4 & Flash 10.3.185.25
I put these into a zip file on 4shared, not sure if I am allowed to share the link or not..

Hello
I'm very keen on the Viewpad 10e myself. Has anyone tried out the multimedia side of it? it would be great t be able to play 1080p movies, etc. By the sounds of the 3D stuff that comes with it, it should be a decent GPU in it, would be nice to know how it does.

Custom ROM
Does anyone know how to install a custom ROM on the device?

Hi all
I'm thinking of getting one of these too. But I'm a bit concerened about the 'dated' SC A8 CPU and the dated OS?
Some of the things I will want to do on this is video calling using Skype (yes, I know there are other alternatives, but it has to be Skype) and playing DivX/Xvid movies and some .MKV movies. Could anyone tell me if it will be good enough? I am quite impressed by the dimensions and the screen, but if the specs can't keep up then I'm thinking of a cheap and chunky Tegra 2 tablet like the POV which is actually £10 cheaper and I'll put a custom ViewComb 3.2 ROM on it...
Any suggestions/opinions?

Does anyone know how to root the device?

Just got one for my daughter.
First impressions : well-made bit of kit with a great IPS screen. worth it for the hardware, I would say.
Moon reader pro is great on it, as is perfect viewer for comics and pdf's.
Can't get the video calling working for some reason. Anyone had any joy with this ?
Have tried Tango and Fring. In both cases, the FFC doesn't seem to switch on. You can see the the other person on it, but they can't see you.
Also, with Tango, the mic is switched off, and can't be switched back on.
Some sort of firmware shenanigans going on here. Had a quick chat with Viewsonic customer support just now, who will email me back.
Bit concerned by the negative comments on this thread !
Wanted the archos 101 as HMV were doing it for £129 , but just missed the boat, and then this came to my attention in Argos. Hope I haven't landed a dud !
Well, so far, have managed to get all her bits on it. Their version of market is a bit limited, but there is enough to get you started. Go launcher was a must, after having it on my Galaxy S2 phone, and it seems to cope ok. Formatted some of her films as mp4's and the shipped 'vortex player' handles them well.
Video calling would have been icing on the cake really.
Oh yeah, and whatsapp functionality, but there are ways around that I am looking into now.
Overall so far - promising.
Root and custom rom's would really maximise this thing's potential.
Oh yeah, and won't talk to my macbook pro over bluetooth- first device ever to do that.

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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Kindle Fire has root and CWM - and why that doesn't matter

Listen, I understand how people are looking at KF and thinking - man, it's already rooted, has CWM and ROMS are but a minute away. Our NT is still locked down, and we're being told it may stay this way.
So naturally, being in your return period, you're thinking about switching boats to KF.
I have one word explaining why that's a real bad idea: SPECS.
Ok, say you have a KF running CM on it.
RAM - you have 512MB RAM. That's low, not enough for GB or ICS. No need arguing that GB will run on it - yes it will, but it'll never be as smooth as a 1GB RAM device. Android will keep closing apps to free up mem, that creates response lag.
Anybody who had an original SGS with GB on it knows - you just can't make an SGSII out of it, it will always lag here and there. Read engadget review - they are complaining about how laggy it is.
Memory - You've got 6GB memory. That's it. You'll never have any more. That means you'll constantly feel deprived of space - you can't load full HD movies to watch, you can't load your music collection on it. You'll constantly be sacrificing something.
Books/Media store - you only have access to Amazon media store, since B&N doesn't have a store you can install and use. On a NT, though, without any root we already can stream Amazon content, read Kindle books, and that's all with native support of everything B&N has to offer.
No MIC - forget about using your Fire with Google Voice. There's no mic. Also forget about recording yourself reading books to your kids, to use in case you're on vacation or something.
Amazon Cloud you say? Yes, but only where you have a good WiFi connection. As soon as you're out of range - the fun stops. Phone tethering you say? Those 2GB will disappear MEGA FAST if you stream to your KF.
Amazon videos you say? Sure, but remember - that ain't free. Pay Amazon Prime membership fee, then also pay for movies themselves. And again, only when on WiFi and you don't get to keep it.
On the other hand, consider this:
With NT, even without root, we already have a device that's:
Very snappy
Able to sideload apps
Able to run a different launcher
Able to run Opera browser - nice n fast
Able to run 720p videos in browser, full screen
Able to play almost any video up to full-HD 1080p BlueRay
Able to play AVI files with free third-party players (no need for conversion)
Has 33GB+ of memory with an added SD card. I've just loaded tons of movies, books, magazines and music on it, and still have space remaining
Will be able to be used as a phone with Google Voice
Run Amazon Market (some have reported that even older Android Market APK works)
Run both Amazon's and B&N's premium content.
Think about it. Yes, KF was hacked faster than our NT was, but in the end, we already have almost everything we need, AND we have a much more powerful device.
KF was quicker at the start, but it has almost depleted its potential as a modern Android tablet, considering what future versions of Android need. Our device still has tons of untapped potential.
EDIT:
Engadget released a comparison between the two HERE.
Here are some interesting parts for the lazy:
Both tablets are a good size for one-handed reading, though the Nook edges out the Kindle here a bit, with its slightly lighter weight (14.1 ounces to the Fire's 14.6). The Nook's subtly convex back and plastic bezel make a bit easier to hold.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both devices rock 1GHz dual-core processors, but the Nook has an edge here, with its 1GB of RAM to the Fire's 512MB -- and certainly the difference is noticeable, even when booting up something as simple as a game like Angry Birds. Things are even more pronounced during video playback. We took Shutter Island for a spin via Netflix streaming on both devices, and it was really like night and day. Motion is far less choppy on the Barnes & Noble device. The HD playback on the Nook also picked up subtle imagery like patterns on ties, which were largely lost on the Fire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tl;dr version: PATIENCE!
+1 to NT and I repped you too!
oh wait..not SD. LOL
That is why everyone needs to pull their pants back up and wait.
It will be rooted.
I also voted this thread up!
How hard would it be for them to close the sideload loophole? The thing updates automatically, right? Obviously they are not going to be excited hearing about everyone using the Amazon store.
I agree the Fire is not a good alternative for exactly your reasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this is worth keeping if it turns out to be locked down tight.
compscure said:
How hard would it be for them to close the sideload loophole? The thing updates automatically, right? Obviously they are not going to be excited hearing about everyone using the Amazon store.
I agree the Fire is not a good alternative for exactly your reasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this is worth keeping if it turns out to be locked down tight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my opinion, a locked NT as it is right now is still much better than a KF running CM.
But given that they locked it down, don't you think it was a mistake/accident that they allowed apk installs through the browser? When they push the first update will that ability still be there?
DarkDvr, normally i would agree with you if the market only have two 7inch tablet to choose from (KF and NT). However this is not the case, we have tons of options in 7inch tablet market, and if B&N really is being an ass to lock down the NT, then people can choose other tablets that might fit their need better.
Last year when NC came out there was only two 7inch tablet (NC, and Samsung Tab), so we get a lot more developer support, and people are willing to be more patient, but this is no longer the case.
7inch tablets:
Nook Tablet
Kindle Fire
Samsung Tab (~$250 refurbished for 3g version, cheaper for wifi version)
Nook Color ($199)
Lenovo Idea Pad A1 (Cortext A8, 512mb ram, bluetooth, GPS, f/b camera, microsd slot, $199)
Acer Iconia Tab A100 (tegra 2, 1gb ram, Honeycomb, bluetooth, f/b camera, <$200 on BF)
Kobo Vox (Cortex A8, 512 ram, Gingerbread, MicroSd, $199)
Samsung Tab 7.0 Plus (Exynos dual core, 1gb ram, honeycomb, GPS, BT, F/B camera, $399)
Samsung Tab 7.7 (Exynos, 1gb ram, Honeycomb, GPS, BT, F/B camera, 1280x800, price?)
HTC Flyer (1.5ghz, pen input, $299)
Dell Streak 7 Tablet (Tegra 2, 800x480, Honeycomb, f/b camera)
And those are only the major brands, there are other off brands like Archos, Velocity Micro, Coby, that i didn't include.
So to me, if B&N really want to piss off the community that help make their NC a success to began with, then I will vote with my wallet and let them know that it is not a good idea to piss off the people your loyal customer, and your first adopter for the NT.
EDIT
Don't get me wrong, I still have high hope for the NT, and i really like the NC/NT simple but elegant design. However if B&N really choose to lookdown the NT's bootloader (which the dev community haven't conclusively proven yet), then i really don't want to buy a product from a company that chooses to piss off it's loyal customers.
gordon1hd1 said:
7inch tablets:
Nook Tablet
Kindle Fire
Samsung Tab (~$250 refurbished for 3g version, cheaper for wifi version)
Nook Color ($199)
Lenovo Idea Pad A1 (Cortext A8, 512mb ram, bluetooth, GPS, f/b camera, microsd slot, $199)
Acer Iconia Tab A100 (tegra 2, 1gb ram, Honeycomb, bluetooth, f/b camera, <$200 on BF)
Kobo Vox (Cortex A8, 512 ram, Gingerbread, MicroSd, $199)
Samsung Tab 7.0 Plus (Exynos dual core, 1gb ram, honeycomb, GPS, BT, F/B camera, $399)
Samsung Tab 7.7 (Exynos, 1gb ram, Honeycomb, GPS, BT, F/B camera, 1280x800, price?)
HTC Flyer (1.5ghz, pen input, $299)
Dell Streak 7 Tablet (Tegra 2, 800x480, Honeycomb, f/b camera)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, I definitely think that locking NT was a huge mistake that B&N will pay for, but for some of us NT IS the best option.
Samsung Tab - 10 inch heavy shovel - screw that
NC - too weak and laggy, even after mods
Lenovo - 512 RAM, weak
Acer Iconia - I see $330+ price even for 8GB version
Kobo Vox - 512 RAM and don't trust that brand
Samsung Tab 7.0 Plus - 400+tax for a tablet is overpriced
Samsung Tab 7.7 - even more expensive?
HTC Flyer - slow and laggy, overpriced since day 1
Dell Streak - slow and laggy, low res screen
What I'm saying is that when you, like me, are in the market for a cheap tablet, there's only 2 good options - NT and KF. Rest of them are either overpriced as a device (going into netbook or UP category, where they just can't compete) or some shady brands.
At least that's my thinking.
EDIT:
Don't get me wrong, I still have high hope for the NT, and i really like the NC/NT simple but elegant design. However if B&N really choose to lookdown the NT's bootloader (which the dev community haven't conclusively proven yet), then i really don't want to buy a product from a company that chooses to piss off it's loyal customers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, and given a choice, I'd always go for a company that doesn't insult my intelligence and doesn't treat its customers as morons. However, I have full faith in XDA community and still believe this will get hacked. And when it does, I'll be pointing finger at KF and laughing maniacally.
Depending on the weather here on the forum in the next 12 days, B&N may be losing my $260 to a Samsung G 7+ (maybe even a KF if I'm feeling crazy). Or just wait a few months see what turns up after Christmas.
gordon1hd1 said:
So to me, if B&N really want to piss off the community that help make their NC a success to began with, then I will vote with my wallet and let them know that it is not a good idea to piss off the people your loyal customer, and your first adopter for the NT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw a quote linked somewhere here recently from someone from B&N and they said something about 3% of NC coming from modders. I don't know how accurate or guesstimated that number was, but we shouldn't forget that they sell millions of these devices to normal consumers and there are only thousands of us. I'd like to think they keep people like us in mind, but we certainly aren't they primary market by a long shot.
I agree that there are lots of other options, but it's disheartening when none seem to have the build quality and specs in the same price range as the Nook models, excluding BF sales that might be hard to get. The IdeaPad looks intriguing at first glance but is the same basic hardware as the year-old NC and with a worse screen (and eww: the $200 version has 2GB storage that probably won't ever fit ICS). Acer A100 looks nice but also has a cheaper screen and a small battery.
DarkDvr while i am like you, think that the NT might be the best fit for my use case also. But with so many choices out there, i think our dev and support community won't be anywhere near the same as it was with NC. Plus with the bone headed move on B&N part, i don't see many true devotee sticking to the NT like yourself. And that is the ultimate problem, without a strong dev community, the NT most likely won't get all the goodies like CM7/CM9, which is what made the NC awesome.
By the way the Samsung Tab i was referring to earlier is the 7inch model, the same one that came out right before NC. Both are rocking Cortex-A8 processor.
I am honestly VERY happy with the status of my KT right now. As it stands, with a launcher, widgetlocker app and all the other sideloaded apps I wanted I have everything i wanted.
I dont care if I lose amazon marketplace support, because honestly I can find any apk I want all amazon does is give me a way to read reviews (which i can through the browser + android market)
the only thing, and trust me it is a HUGE thing, i am terrified of is that come day 15 or 16 or even 30, B&N releases a firmware update i cannot click 'no' to and it updates my nook and closes the hole we've been using. I dont know if its possible, but I reckon it is and that would make me a very sad camper since stock, this thing is a total piece of **** software wise (nook market is worthless), i bought a tablet, not an ereader.
boomn said:
I saw a quote linked somewhere here recently from someone from B&N and they said something about 3% of NC coming from modders. I don't know how accurate or guesstimated that number was, but we shouldn't forget that they sell millions of these devices to normal consumers and there are only thousands of us. I'd like to think they keep people like us in mind, but we certainly aren't they primary market by a long shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boomn i think you underestimate the word of mouth, and unofficial advertisement B&N get from the modder community. Every few weeks there is a story on Engadget, Liliputing or Gizmodo about how great the NC community is, and the release of the a popular Rom for the NC. Or how most of the highly rated reviews on B&N, Amazon, BB are from modder who brought the NC to use as a tablet. So while we as a community might be small, but our influences on "Normal" people's purchase decision are much higher than B&N thinks.
And if B&N think that they can piss off the dev community, while taking on Amazon, and all the other 7inch tablet maker out there, and still make the NT a commercial success, they might be in for huge disappointment. Just look at how many of the NT and KF review out there mention rooting or app side-loading as part of the official review, and how much negative PR B&N got from the 1GB storage limitation on the review sites.
.
Because I live in Italy I'll receive my NT only on 26Nov. (if I will lucky), so no give back option for me
So.. I really, really hope that a hack will be found. Just the root will be enough for me
With the root we'll be able to run custom recovery, trow away what we don't need and add what is missing (settings, etc).
BTW for me realease the source and lock the bootloader is a nonsense!
First post.
I'm a full-time iOS developer with about 6 iOS devices on my desk right now. I really like iOS and love developing for it. Having said that....
I picked up a Kindle (e-ink) about a year ago and then switched to a Nook Simple Touch the day they were released. I've been watching the KF/NT release with great interest.
I eventually decided on the Nook Tablet and stumbled across this site the day I got it (the 16th). I have been blown away by the things you people have accomplished in just a couple of days and I've had a blast watching the hour-by-hour discoveries.
My main reason for getting the NT was as a reader and everything you folks are doing is icing on the cake. Very nice icing!
I'm also very optimistic that breakthroughs will continue even if the pace slows a bit. For me the KF is just too restricted in capability--even it if can be rooted.
As an aside, I also have access to a handful of Android devices including a 10.1 Galaxy Tab, and a Lenovo Ideapad K1 (it helps when the company is buying), but I prefer the Nook Tablet to either.
As long as I can keep side-loading apps I'll be happy. I certainly understand the sentiments of those not wanting to reward B&N for what appears to be a snub. At the same time as long as they continue to allow me some method to get a few more apps on the device I'm good with it.
It's been my experience that once I get a device setup--either iOS or Android--I really only end up using a handful of apps (after trying dozens)--but I want them to be very good apps that *I* get to choose.
Thank you to you all!
This thread should not exist, has nothing to do with android development and sounds more like a sales pitch than anything.
I get it you prefer the NT, me too but this thread is pointless and should be deleted...
gordon1hd1 said:
Boomn i think you underestimate the word of mouth, and unofficial advertisement B&N get from the modder community. Every few weeks there is a story on Engadget, Liliputing or Gizmodo about how great the NC community is, and the release of the a popular Rom for the NC. Or how most of the highly rated reviews on B&N, Amazon, BB are from modder who brought the NC to use as a tablet. So while we as a community might be small, but our influences on "Normal" people's purchase decision are much higher than B&N thinks.
And if B&N think that they can piss off the dev community, while taking on Amazon, and all the other 7inch tablet maker out there, and still make the NT a commercial success, they might be in for huge disappointment. Just look at how many of the NT and KF review out there mention rooting or app side-loading as part of the official review, and how much negative PR B&N got from the 1GB storage limitation on the review sites.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point, we are certainly a vocal and influential bunch. However lots of those "normal" consumers would never check any place like Engadget for any review and have probably never heard of it. Mentions of modding/hacking/flashing in online store reviews go right over lots of people's heads too. Amazon and B&N are going to sell a ton of their tablets through physical stores like Walmart, Target, BestBuy, etc where most people still shop too. I agree that we probably do have more influence than just 3%... and now I'm not even sure where I was going with this point, lol
notinterested said:
This thread should not exist, has nothing to do with android development and sounds more like a sales pitch than anything.
I get it you prefer the NT, me too but this thread is pointless and should be deleted...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the general forum for the NT not the development forum. Calm down.
Knuxr said:
This is the general forum for the NT not the development forum. Calm down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My mistake, was on the wrong tab.
Still though, pointless thread is pointless. We all know the better device.
notinterested said:
My mistake, was on the wrong tab.
Still though, pointless thread is pointless. We all know the better device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree with that, but this thread serves as a reminder why it is still better than the Fire, to those that might not know.
notinterested said:
This thread should not exist, has nothing to do with android development and sounds more like a sales pitch than anything.
I get it you prefer the NT, me too but this thread is pointless and should be deleted...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...Excuse me?
Forgive me for not appreciating your "experience" on XDA since, omg, feb 2010, but this is a General NT forum, and this thread is very much important to people who are right now at a tipping point between NT and KF, considering the latest root news for both devices.
So drink some coolaid and move along, kid.

[Q] CyanogenMod for Cube U9GT-2

Hi xda-Members,
I have a simple question:
Is the Cube U9GT-2 compatible with CyanogenMod?
I've got Gingerbread on my tablet, but I'm not really satisfied with this OS, maybe because it's developed for smartphones and not tablets.
Greets Meldamos
Hi.
Unfortunately I cannot help with your question. All I know is that some people are experimentinig with ICS (Android 4.0) on the U9GT-2, and there is a beta firmware for it if you would like to give it a try.
I am also thinking of buying one of these tablets. I found it for 230 Euros (=290 USD, =190 GBP). I was just about to press the "Add to cart" button when I saw your post.
What do you thing about this tablet? Do you have it long? Are you happy?
Also can you please PM me with the information of where you bought it from and if you were happy with the transaction (if it was an online buy)?
Thanks
Little review of U9GT-2
Well I have this tablet for 2-3 Weeks now and I don't regret it. I bought this tablet over an online-shop called cect-shop, because the support is in german and it has a warranty of 1 year. And there it costs 200€ with 25€ express shipment (there in 3 days from china to germany ^^) and 25€ toll. All in all I paid around 250€, much cheaper than here in germany where it starts at 350€ up to 700€ and not almost on a level of the capacity this tablet has. By the way if you ask cect-shop, they'll send you a stylus pen with your tablet for free.
The tablet uses Android 2.3 with Honeycomb style, not bad but could be better. The OS seems not to be build for battery saving, because the power runs of after 2-3 days in standby.
I asked the manufacturer about ICS and got the answer that they're working on it, but still need time to finish the compatibility with U9GT-2. They'll publish it on their homepage I think.
On the look it get often mistaken with an Apple iPad but it's not exactly like one. The capacitive display works fine, it discerns up to 10 fingers but you are not using 10 finger actually ^^
The sound is pretty good I think, even if I don't really know how the standard quality of tablets are. The big trouble is like I said the OS. But it's a thing you can change and does not affect the quality of this tablet.
If anyone has precise questions feel free to ask. I'm not good at writing a review.
Thanks for the valuable info.
Few questions more if you are kind enough:
1. Can you confirm the manufacturer's site? I have found one web address in China and never managed to connect
2. Can you confirm the thickness of it? Is it realy less than 10mm? Does it actually feel like an i-pad when you are carrying it around?
3. The material on the back side is it realy aluminium?
4. I have noticed that on different sites they give slightly different specs from cect.Ie pandawill gives a CPU of 1Ghz, thickness of 7mm and battery capacity 8000mAh, though cect gives 1.2Ghz, 9.7mm and 7600MAh. This is a problem with the Chinese sites / products / clones I guess... Nevertheless, since you are in Germany, you must have heard or seen an Easypix Easypad, have you? I am between the cube and the Easypad 970 (at easypix.eu). They look very similar. Do you have any personal feedback on that ?
5. Finally, does the screen look and feel like being IPS or not?
Sorry if I bother you too much, but it's the first time I buy a gadget withut actually testing or seeing one, so I am a bit concerned. Thanks
christis said:
Thanks for the valuable info.
Few questions more if you are kind enough:
1. Can you confirm the manufacturer's site? I have found one web address in China and never managed to connect
2. Can you confirm the thickness of it? Is it realy less than 10mm? Does it actually feel like an i-pad when you are carrying it around?
3. The material on the back side is it realy aluminium?
4. I have noticed that on different sites they give slightly different specs from cect.Ie pandawill gives a CPU of 1Ghz, thickness of 7mm and battery capacity 8000mAh, though cect gives 1.2Ghz, 9.7mm and 7600MAh. This is a problem with the Chinese sites / products / clones I guess... Nevertheless, since you are in Germany, you must have heard or seen an Easypix Easypad, have you? I am between the cube and the Easypad 970 (at easypix.eu). They look very similar. Do you have any personal feedback on that ?
5. Finally, does the screen look and feel like being IPS or not?
Sorry if I bother you too much, but it's the first time I buy a gadget withut actually testing or seeing one, so I am a bit concerned. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay let's start:
1. Yes the manufacturer is available. There are also 2 supporter for questions available via skype. They're on workdays online so you can ask them directly. But there english seems not to be very good so better you keep your questions simple
2. I measured it now, I don't warrant than my results are exactly but they're 243mm x 190mm x 10,5mm (length x width x height). I have never had an iPad (too expensive for a tablet) but it feel very comfortable if I carry it around and it's not very heavy. I don't have a balance here but I think it's around 500-700 gram. Well it doesn't feel heavy for me that's all I can say actually.
3. YES it is aluminium and what a luck it is, because on the 3. day it got pushed against a aluminium pole and has only a really small dent left. A plastic hull would have cracked I think.
4. Don't look at the GHZ, many sellers push or fake them, maybe caused by stupidness or advertising. The U9GT-2 has a Rockchip 2918 CPU. Look for the specs on google. The battery is an advertising medium. I doesn't has 8000 mhA or even 7600 mhA. I has 2 x 4000 mhA batteries but they just sum them what they shouldn't do. Like I said the OS is not optimized for tablets and it really takes too much power in stand by. When playing you don't recognize the power loss. I played 3 hours a game called "deadly dungeon" (a dungeon crawler) and the battery has got from 63% to 49%. Well I've not saw the easypad, but they're exactly the same. They've got the same capacities and even the same OS. Throw a dice from 1-3 easypad and from 4-6 U9GT-2, that would be my solution ^^... Well I don't know if easypix is working on a ICS for easypad, just know that cube is working on it.
5. Well I don't know what you understand of a "feeling" for IPS. It looks like a monitor how you see it everywhere today. Don't know if you still have a cathode ray tube (I have one), but there is a difference. Of course, the games are sucking because they're not build for 9,7" displays . Some games are smoother with the resizing, others are bad. But the quality of the display is very good. Of course, not standard on notebooks over 15,6" (which I prefer) but for 9,7" it's high resolution.
Hope my answer could help you and other people who struggle on buying a china-tablet
PS: I've got many friends who look suspect at the tablet, like it could break every second, and I'm just smiling and laughing about their prejudices.
Fantastic answers.
Thank you very much for your effort.
I will follow your advice with the dice after the holidays
Happy Christmas
christis said:
Fantastic answers.
Thank you very much for your effort.
I will follow your advice with the dice after the holidays
Happy Christmas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
STOP!!! xD... Hope you did not buy it.
Forgot to mention that the EasyPad 970 can only use 8GB Flash HDD. U9GT-2 use 16GB! You get the double storage for the same price.
Sorry for my late answer, did not recognize the difference in the first place.
Sh*t. I bought one a few days ago
I generally know what NAND flash is, but not sure about its' importance. Mine still says 5.9 Gb free, after fully loaded with apps (I know they've got nothing to do with the NAND, but I can't seem to find a way how to run out of space in NAND). In any case, it is better to have double the capacity with the same cost, no matter what.
By the way, that NAND is some soldered microchip, or it can be a micro SD card on the motherboard so that it can "easily" be upgraded in the future if the need arises?
Nevertheless, I am happy with the tablet. Already rooted and experimenting. A couple of snags though, but I will find my way around them hopefully.
By the way, is there a way to hard - reset the tablet by hardware (since there is not a pin-hole or something)? Any combination of buttons pressed during power on?
The internal flash memory is installed in form of chips. Two in the Cube, as can be seen at tabletrepublic.com/forum/android-tablet-reviews/disassembling-cube-u9gt2-414.html, presumably one in the easypad. Apparently the 8GB of the easypad are partitioned in 0,5GB for apps and the rest for data while the 16GB in the Cube are partioned in 1GB for apps and the rest for data. I have read that by installing the cube firmware on the easypad 970, one can get 1 GB for apps, too. Personally, I think 8GB internally is plenty because media files (movies etc.) usually are stored on external SDHC cards anyway for fast swapping.
My 2 cents...
I recently bought one while I was in Beijing on holiday and was really amazed with the battery life with Android 2.3, considering I was streaming movies non-stop for 14 hours straight (in comparison with and iPad 2). The multi-touch keyboard sometimes has a lag although most the UI seems to be relatively smooth.
The camera located at the back also took decent pictures during day and night.
Overall this is a neat unit under $350.00 AUD considering most other units requiring a stylus or long fingernails to operate. I will be looking at rooting the device in a few weeks after I do a bit more research.
Let me know if you have modded your unit and your thoughts.
Thanks
Cube U9GT2 USB host controller issues
Hello everyone,
I'm hoping to solve a problem here, I just purchased a Cube U9GT2 Tablet 9.7
running: Android ICS 4.0.3 with a Kernel Version:3.0.8+.
With a build number: rk29sdk-eng4.03 IML74K eng-yangyun.20120108.124417 test-keys.
It came with an OTG/USB Cable and has both a USB and a USB/OTG port.
Let me just state this, I have tested all cables, ports and jump drives and have reformatted them to fat32, they were Fat32 also.
The problem I'm having is ICS can't see any jump drives I hook up to it. I installed a program from the Market called, USB Host Ctrlr. It ran a info check after install, and here is what it said:USB Host Controller Version Number:0.42 S3C USB Host Driver NOT Found! Root Hub Present. USB Host Mode is active.
I'm no developer or even a decent novas, but with decent instructions I can execute. Any ideas how to fix this, The price was Killer, when one is buying from a Chinese Company, the support is pretty limiting when you only speak English.
That's why the great price, I'm not complaining, I just want to get this resolved if possible.
In regards to the Tablet, I really like it a lot! pretty fast, smooth interface, easy to navigate, decent keyboard, (but I'm use to a smartphone).
It plays movies very nice, screen is plenty bright, It can use a Micro-sd card up to 32 gigs. Have not had any crashes yet, had it about 2 weeks. They have raised the prices about $13.00 I had to try one at that price, plus shipping was Free! I ordered it late on a Sunday night in USA, got it in 3 days DHL shipping, Hard to beat. Anyhow if anyone can help here, it sure be very appreciated. I would even be willing to pay something if reasonable.
If anyone is interested i can provide brand new AUTHENTIC CUBE U9GT2 at the price of euro 240.00.
The price include express shipping to all around the world (4-5 business days).
I am sending from European country so residents of EU will not pay additional taxes or VAT !!!
Let me know.
pashiamas said:
If anyone is interested i can provide brand new AUTHENTIC CUBE U9GT2 at the price of euro 240.00.
The price include express shipping to all around the world (4-5 business days).
I am sending from European country so residents of EU will not pay additional taxes or VAT !!!
Let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pls check your PM

I think I was taken :(

I bought a Nextway Fast 9 X from spemall.com as shown here:
http://www.spemall.com/Nextway-F9X-...PS-Screen-2G-Ram-1-5GHz-4K-Video-Black_g.html
After fully charging the tablet I started using it and it froze. I then restarted it and its froze a total of 5 times. Its had errors with the launcher, when opening the apps tab all the images would look like the background but pixelated.
Here is a link to the pictures i took: http://s1232.beta.photobucket.com/user/xstingstreetx/library/Defective
Next, I was able to disable some things for the tablet to run properly without crashing. However, this thing score terrible on benchmarks and is VERY slow moving. The processor is actually 1.08Ghz not 1.5.
I was able to root it thanks to Bin4ry see here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1886460
Video by Bin4ry see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7EpkrCq1gfM
I was able to overclock on the stock kernel and such to 1.152 stable.
I was hoping someone could help to develop ROMs, Kernels, etc to make this thing work better.
Any and all ideas or feedback is appreciated.
Things that I didnt notice when I bought it is: I dont believe there is bluetooth or GPS
Also the GPS and blutooth either does not exist or possibly the software in the tablet just doesn't work with it.
xstingstreetx said:
Also the GPS and blutooth either does not exist or possibly the software in the tablet just doesn't work with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so you bought a non-brand cheap chinese tablet and now you want someone to develop a ROM for it ?
edit: wait. that is not that cheap. why on earth would you buy a non-brand tablet with a budget at 200$?
krankdroid said:
so you bought a non-brand cheap chinese tablet and now you want someone to develop a ROM for it ?
edit: wait. that is not that cheap. why on earth would you buy a non-brand tablet with a budget at 200$?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well no other tablet has competitive specs that I found. However I didnt know this tablet wasn't a 1.5 Ghz quad core as listed on the sellers site.
xstingstreetx said:
Well no other tablet has competitive specs that I found. However I didnt know this tablet wasn't a 1.5 Ghz quad core as listed on the sellers site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if something sounds to good to be true. it probaly is..
sad to say the chances of someone making a ROM for non-brand products is pretty slim, since most ROM are created on the basis that a device is widely bought and used. Of non-brand phone and tablets there are such a variety that developing for them makes no sense.
Get your money back if you can, and get a branded device. For 200$ you can get a Nexus 7.
if you want the same size and format of the one you got, look around for what samsung, acer, asus, hell even what Point Of View have to offer..
Sorry, but you won't like it -
The main disadvantage of buying a no-brand device is although it may work better the known brands, in case of a fault (software or hardware), you're on your own.... Not many users have flashed/fixed/used this device. So if you brick it, get a bootloop or find a bug, not many can help you.
Not speaking about the variety of ROMs...
I've been there.... I've bought a no-brand phone and after a year it's main PCB failed. I couldn't find a replacement part and had to throw the device away.
Anyway.....
Use the device, enjoy and don't brick it
Sent from my digital submersible hovercraft.
xstingstreetx said:
Well no other tablet has competitive specs that I found. However I didnt know this tablet wasn't a 1.5 Ghz quad core as listed on the sellers site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the moderators will give me permission, I can give you a link to where there are 4 custom ROMs for this tablet. I have installed the BETA4 and it better utilizes the Retina Display (unless you have bad eyes, and there is one geared for that one as the defective one you are using does). I honestly don't know if your problem can be helped with software, but it might... I can also give you a link to the newest stock ROM and a Windows app to install it. I would rather get permission first to post 2 direct links... one is to Arctablet (and you can do a Google or DuckDuckGo search and find it by the way) and the other one is to a tablet distributor who was good enough to create download links and instructions on how to use the hokey Chinese installer. The question is though, is your problem hardware or a botched ROM?
It does not have Bluetooth or GPS. My Archos outdoes it in that way, but it is a true quad-core retina display and mine works very nicely... nicer now that I have the better use of the resolution available. Its wildly vivid. I honestly can find no real issues other than a few I had from not wiping the thing before I flashed it (oddly it suggested I not do so... which caused me grief w/Google Play eventually). It comes rooted, and if you have one of those that are like partly-rooted or whatever some call it, do a factory reset and it will come back fully rooted. The ROMs of course are all rooted. I have a cheap 10.2", which honestly if I had not had something else would have given me ulcers, but hey... I only paid $14 for it from Quibids (including bid prices), so I can't complain. This one cost me around $150 with a few extras, so a little grief I can handle. But so far... those are interesting words... so far, it is actually very impressive. My daughter has a boyfriend who is an Apple fanatic, and he's kind of fixated on it from certain similarities to what he is coveting these days.
I have it going at 1.2ghz (quad-core), although I have gotten it up to just under the 1.5ghz it claims (1440). It will do it, but I wouldn't bet on its stability. It comes at 1.0 preset from manufacturer, but is easily changed with the cpu app of your choice. I use Setcpu... works for me. It has 2gb ram... can't complain.
I read some arguments on the cameras, but I don't see it... I took some pics tonight of my daughter on her way to a costume party... they are the best thing I have this side of my Kodak. I'm sure it takes better video than the Kodak though. Anyway... its responsive, sharp, and does what I want. You have to buy a Bluetooth dongle for next to nothing to have Bluetooth though for some bizarre reason it shows its there. The one page that I mentioned gives advice along with pics on how to do some interesting mods to it. It is capable of more than they shipped it with. I am sorry that you are having troubles with yours... I don't know if you still have yours or not. I've only had this a few weeks. If you are interested, let me know... and if the moderators allow it, I will post links.
I hate that you have had such grief with yours. If I can help, I am willing.

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