Viewsonic G-Tab
 

I picked up a Viewsonic G-Tab off Amazon for $279 a couple of weeks back. This is a well supported machine via the XDA group.

I still can't compare anything to an iPad, because I don't know anyone who has one...

Anyway, I will do a few comparisons to the Color Nook (I paid $199, but it is normally $249) and the HP Slate.

Basic Specs:
1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 - Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU
512MB DDR
16GB internal memory (expandable by up to 32GB via SD Card)
Google Android 2.2 (Froyo)
10.1" TFT-LCD with LED driver system and 1024x600 resolution
NVIDIA Tegra 2
OpenGL ES 2.0
32-bit LP-DDR2, DDR2
S1080p H.264/H.263/ VC-1/MPEG-2/4/WMV9/DiVX 4/5 Video Decode
1080p H.264/MPEG-4 Video Encode
Supports multi-standard audio formats, including AAC, AMR, WMA, and MP3
1.3-megapixel camera
Built-in 2 x 1-watt stereo speakers
USB 2.0 (Slave)
Mini USB 2.0 (Host)
3.5mm stereo headphone
Micro SD
Dock for HDMI/Headphone/USB (optional)
DC Input (Power)

First impressions:

It's big. It's bigger than my HP Slate. It feels heavy, but it is the same weight as my Slate and that of the iPad, 1.5 lbs.

G-Tab: Width: 10.5", Height: 6.8", Depth: 0.54", Weight: 1.55 lbs.

Slate: 9.21 x 0.58 x 5.91 in (23.40 x 1.47 x 15.00 cm) & 1.5 lbs.

Nook: Height 8.1 inches, Width 5.0 inches, Depth 0.48 inches, Weight 15.8 ounces

The best comparison is between the Nook and the G-Tab, since they are both Android and I've posted a bunch on the Slate.

The Nook comes with crappy dedicated version of Android, for B&N. It is easily "Nooted" to allow regular marketplace apps to be loaded. It also can be loaded with different ROMs, but I have not done this yet, since I've now given it to my wife as a reader/e-mail device.

The G-Tab starts life as Android 2.2 (Froyo). I, after way too much work, was able to load 2.3 (Gingerbread) onto the G-Tab. It works quite well with Gingerbread. I have noticed no problems, but then the ROM is a well established one.

The G-Tab is faster. Much faster. A good way to compare is playing Angry Birds. On more complex levels, the G-tab is noticible smoother. This would obviously be from the dual core, 1.0 Ghz processor. The Slate is about another 70% faster, but then it is running Win 7.

I've been able to load up all of my Android apps and it works well. The screen rotates very well and the g-sensors are responsive.

The screen is very readable and the battery life seems quite good. I ran it most of the weekend on a single charge.

Use: It is a good little game player, video shower, e-mail and web surfing machine. I like it! I can do a lot more with the Slate. But for these functions, it preforms very very well. With the well working bluetooth, I can connect it to audio devices, but the speakers that are built in work fine.

One thing I like better than the Nook, it has dedicated back, home, search and menu buttons. The Nook has one button and this brings up the soft menu. It also has dedicated sound buttons on the side.

So which do I like better? It depends. I really like the form factor and weight of the Nook. The 7" tablet is so easy to carry virtually anywhere. The screen is still very good.

But the Nook is also a bit Spartan. Bluetooth is never going to work correctly. It was never designed to really be a full Android machine, etc. It works fine if your plan is to have a reader, web surfing, e-mail, video machine. But it is noticibly slower. For the price difference, I think the G-Tab is a better value. IF you can find a color Nook for under $200, you might consider that.

I do think that the 7" tablet is the right form factor. I will be looking around for a 7" with good specs that can be rooted/ROMed. But until then, I get the G-Tab and the Slate, and my wife is going to get the Nook.

The final note, the one thing I can compare the iPad on is price. The 16GB Wifi only iPad is $449 and the iPad II is $499, not quite double in price. No other comments possible.

iPad had something like 90% of the tablet market in 2010.

My guess is that in 2 years, Android has equal units share to iOS in tablets, >40% each, leaving <20% for MSFT, RIMM, HPQ/WebOS, etc. That's about how long it took Android to overtake iOS in smartphones.

Various factors that could make Android's rise in tablets faster/slower, so figure they net out. The +/- factors include
- Unfettered distribution, tablets are not tied to carriers
- Android more mature now than when iPhone came out - code, brand, apps
- Apple's A4/5 chips lagging the 2/4 core ARM CPUs from NVDA and others
- Apple has secured supply of NAND and other components
- No huge leap in tablet features on the immediate horizon (as far as my imagination goes, if Jobs has something big up his sleeve, then I'm wrong)

I think Apple will continue to make the lion's share of profit in tablets incl the app store and mobile advertising. I think GOOG will be #2. The hardware companies making the Android tablets and components will, I think, come in a distant third.

Refurbished iPad with Wi-Fi 16GB (first generation) - Apple Store (U.S.)

The 16g iPad 1 is $349.00 from Apple (refurbished).

Apple refurbished stuff is probably better than new as it has been double checked for quality.

I use two Ipads in the airplane for our charts and maps. A year ago there was no choice.

As soon as there are some good alternatives out there these will be flipped on Ebay and we will get something NON-Apple. Sorry but having to go through this crap of using Itunes to get info into the units and so on is just not worth it.

Have a G-Tab. Rarely use it.

Google need to address the Android fragmentation issue.

It's a major PIA for those of us creating apps for the platform.

Consumers are stupid. You put an app on the Android Marketplace, clearly state what it works on, have it automatically hide from devices that don't support it, they get their hands on it anyway then give you a 1 star rating because a 3d shooter designed for a 3.0 tablet does not work on a first gen cell phone.

Frustrating.

Thanks James, I was set on a Nook color... but then life happened (as in bathroom remodel that depleted all my funds) so I am not buying any toys for awhile.

Edit: Didn't read all the specs in your first post... but is it wifi only, no G?

Yep, these are both Wifi only. I have tethering devices so 3G doesn't matter. I don't think that the G-Tab has a slot for it. I know the Nook does not offer a 3G Color model.

When I changed my plan to AT&T, they gave me a Mifi unit AND combined with everything else and discounts, it nets only about $5 per month. ($35/mth in Discounts, $40/mth plan).

I picked up a Gtab from Amazon and received it on Friday. I went to xda and promptly downloaded Gingerbread to it (upgrading from Android 2.2 to Android 2.3). My folks have an Apple iPad 1.

The Apple is better out of the box. The Apple has a much better screen for viewing. Apple is cool.

The GTab, with the upgrade that I did is a FAST machine. Faster than the iPad. It does what I want it to do and while the viewing angle is really poor, I do not need others to see what I am doing. It can be found everywhere for $300.

Refurbed products are not all they are cracked up to be in my opinion. I was in the camp of "This has been given a second glance" when I was younger, but after having worked at a Contract Manufacturer, and been in high tech most of my professional life, I no longer hold this opinion. Often problems that are experienced in hardware are cold solder problems. While these problems will present themselves in one component, once that weak link has been resolved, there are likely others that will surface. Just my opinion, and I did not stay in a Holiday Inn last night.

Bummer, for my application I would really like Wifi + 3G

As Red Beard said, there is tethering (attaching it to your phone), but there will also be a glut of new tablets on the market soon and the pricing will drop.

Yeah but that would require trading up to a new phone... not a bad idea because mine is two years old and due for a update... on the other hand my current phone works just fine and trading it in will cost $$$.

But as you say... it will be interesting to see what comes out in the next few months.

I'm running Vegan Gingerbread. Which one did you choose?

I think that the Samsung Galaxy Tab looks like it might be the one Scott would like. It is 3G and it is the small form factor.

I too went with the VEGAn. It appears to be stable. I have noticed the camera is basically unusable at this point, but that is not a concern of mine.

I really picked it up as a toy. I was looking for something to sit on the couch and surf the web while watching TV. It will also prove to be a game platform for my kids (and wife as it turns out).

It will be interesting to see if Honeycomb makes it on to this tablet. While the hardware specs are great, and it should be able to handle it, I am concerned that the developer following may dwindle as newer cooler, also inexpensive tablets hit the market

Samsung Tab was the other tablet that I was looking at. I ended up not going that route because I liked the dual cores of the gtab and I decided portability was not necessary. Samsung makes a nice product (I have a Captivate phone) and the Froyo OS on it is great. I imagine that it would be equally as good or better on the Tab.

Honestly, if I needed cellular connectivity, I would go with the Apple iPad 1. I bought it for my parents specifically for the cellular connection. The nice thing about it is there is NO contract. You can turn it on or off by the month. I

If Scott is looking immediately for something PORTABLE, with cellular connectivity, then I would recommend the Samsung Tab.

2011 is supposed to be "the year of the tablet" - so I agree it might pay to wait

are you running MS Word, Excel on any of these?

Android has a program for reading these files. If you need to create, you can use Google Apps. I do not believe the MS products will work on this OS.

I have seen where people upload a full blown Linux variant, but that seems odd to me as using a touchscreen for anything data entry intensive seems like hard work.

Or the iPad...

The iPad is nice, but the samsung is more portable.

Viewsonic makes a 7" product with a cellular connection, the ViewTab 7. I do not know much about it, but I believe the price is also around $300.00...at that point, I would go with the Samsung though.

The View Tab 7 looks to have about 1/3rd the processor power of the G-Tab

I bought a Ghetto Tablet (that's what my wife calls it) the day after Christmas. Full disclosure--I'm a Mac guy. Well, partially. I don't own and iPhone and don't care to. I have an iPod, but my CL Zen sounds way better. I like Apple, but I don't like their insane prices.

So the day after Christmas I went to a local electronics store to buy a new Blu-Ray player and ended up with a G-Tablet. The manager is my next door neighbor and he bought one and liked it, so I said "what the hell--it's Christmas money!"

It's a great little tablet if you like to tinker and whatnot. Crap out of the box, but after you load a custom ROM, it's fast. Really fast. Yes, the screen isn't the greatest, but that doesn't bother me. I've been quite happy with it, especially for the price. I wasn't about to pay $500 for an entry level iPad when I could get the Ghetto Tablet for $350.

So, I agree with the above--if you want a tablet with lots of expandability but don't wanna pay Apple prices, this tablet is a great buy.

Wow! The view Pad 10 is a dual boot Win 7 Pro and Android machine!

I just found the Samsung Galaxy Tab without 3G for $349 at NewEgg. Hmmmmmmmm.

Interesting dualboot for the Nook. Posting using Honeycomb!

You have Honeycomb on the Nook... Not sure why, but that does not seem right, probably 'cause I can't get it on my gTablet yet.

Cyanogenmod 7 has its own branch for the nook color now. I just stick with that.

well, the guys have been working on the nook for a while. I expect that it will be on the g tab soon.

posting from my G tab

I am sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was doubting you...just envious.

These tablets sound interesting, especially dollar wise However, if I were a developer, I can see how fragmentation would be an issue with all these different ROMs or versions.

FWIW I have no problem with the iPad... except it uses the AT&T network and I get zero signal at my house... couple months ago they had a Nook 3G, that also used AT&T.

Which brings me to why not just trade in my stupid phone for an android or win7 phone.

Point being I have no Internet at my house so I would like to use 3G there to check my email and light web surfing.

The gTab has a USB port. I would guess that you can plug a USB 3G modem into it. I am not sure if there are drivers for Android, but they have ported Linux over to the gTab. There should be a modem with Linux drivers I would think. Of course, you would have to find one from a carrier that covers your home as well.

Of course, Verizon now has the iPad too doesn't it? That seems like the most elegant, simplist, therefore correct, solution.

Some of the Android tablets have Sprint 4G.

Good to hear your take on the G-pad, Redbeard. I've been looking at it since the price break a few weeks ago but I'm torn to buy it and hope for a good honeycomb port or just buy a honeycomb tablet. I'm really looking hard at the Asus Transformer. Honeycomb out of the box and the docking station/keyboard functionality might become the standard that others are measured against. If I don't go with the Asus it may be the Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the Xoom (if it goes down in price).

If you want the 7" form factor you might wait a little longer and get the new version of the Galaxy Tab. It is growing a little in size to 9" but it will be running the latest OS and be the thinner form factor.

You may also want to wait and look at the HTC Flyer. It is the smaller form factor and will be offered through the cellular carriers or WiFi only through Best Buy.

Well, this is the difference between the "PC" world and the Apple world. In the Apple world, you get "THIS" and maybe in white. In the PC world, there are many many many choices. And some work better than others.

l'm surprised that there isn't a Honeycomb ROM for G-Tab yet. But I am pretty shocked at how well the Nook works under Honeycomb. The Nooks seems a little slow under Gingerbread. I wish I had 2 so I could see the two side by side.

Update, Yugster ran the SamSung Galaxy Tablet (7") for $279 and $10 shipping last week. I expect it to be here tomorrow...

The G-Tab is probably going to go up for sale...

The problem with Android.

There are just too many devices available. The community have limited resources so they need to pick and choose what they will support. The hardware guys could really care less about devices they've already sold and in fact are probably purposely not addressing updates in hopes the community does. Besides, they'd rather sell you the latest/greatest device even if the only real difference is a model number and newer OS.

I will get worse before it gets better, there are an ungodly number of devices slated for release this year.

I'm fine with anything at Froyo and beyond. Gingerbread works great on the G-Tab.

James, Nook or Gtab? free 3g?

Yes, it's just terrible. I mean, I have all of these options! And don't get me started on the competitive nature of the industry, it just keeps companies rolling out better and better products! Ridiculous! :rolleyes:

I assume you mean the Viewsonic GTablet, not the Samsung Galaxy Tab when you say one is going up for sale.

HC is days away from being ported it looks like if you read xda. They have made great gains in the past couple weeks.

Personally, I like the Viewsonic GTablet. It is not perfect, but the price is right and the innards are solid.