Just sharing my first impressions and experiences - G Tablet General

I purchased the gtab yesterday in a first-buy-at-office-depot-recognize-cannot-bring-back-after-opening-box-return-and-buy-at-sears-with-pricematch-and-10dollarsoff deal.
after having read a lot of postings on here, didnt bother with stock, but went to install
the Calkulin+Clemsyn Froyo Combo (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1024120) right away.
followed instructions, installed well, needed to reboot a couple of times more than described, but now gtab runs fast, smooth, camera, market, flash, ext.keyboard, all is functioning well.
great deal, great tab !
imho, if viewsonic gets the hint to support custom roms, drops the price to 199, they'll sweep ipads off the rug !

Related

Would anyone recommend the G-Tablet?

I've been trying to decide between the G-Tablet and the Archos 101. I definitely want a 10.1 inch screen and am fine with rooting and installing custom ROMs. For those that have the G-Tablet would you recommend it? I had been leaning more toward it but then I realized after tax it would be about 430-445 so not far off from Ipad pricing. I was hoping to keep the price down but I've read good and bad things about it. Most of the bad seems just in regards to it as it is stock.
I guess I'm lucky because I'm stock with LauncherPro and a couple of other addons and have not seen the wifi or boot looping problems. I want to root but will stay stock to see what the updates are from Viewsonic.
The only thing I'm really disapointed in is that there is no Android Market and it doesn't look like there will be. The market that is being installed tomorrow is Pocketgear and I'm not impressed with it at all. I have searched for many things and have yet to find anything I was looking for. Maybe it will be different once it is on the Gtablet but I'm not going to hold my breath.
All in all I'm very pleased with the Gtablet. And with the support of the people here I'm sure it will only get better.
I had pre-ordered the 101, then found this device. First off, you might want to check out this forum, as the Gtab has been mentioned a few times:
http://forum.archosfans.com/viewforum.php?f=74&sid=14fbe18a3bde1b86944379a04044ace9
Here's my take on the 101 / Gtab pros and cons.
- Archos has a better media player and codec support. That's their bread and butter, so it's expected.
- The 101 is 256MB of RAM with a less powerful CPU than the GTab. This puts the GTab on more of the bleeding edge, with the issues that arise because of that. But it might be a better candidate for 2.3 or 3.0. Maybe.
- The 101 is locked down tight, as far as the firmware is concerned. The GTab is not and has an APX mode that makes it virtually unbrickable. Mods galore may arise, because of that.
- The prices are similar, assuming you compare the 16GB and you get the GTab on sale.
- The bad screen angles on the GTab seem to also affect the 101, from what I've read.
- Neither have the actual Marketplace, although I'm sure the 101 will get a hack sooner or later.
- Archos has been pretty good with ROMS, so far. Viewsonic support remains to be seen.
- The GTablet is popping up all over the place, in B&M. That means some decent return policies - Staples has a 14 day return on it, for example. The Archos is not as easy to find in B&M stores, at the moment.
- The Gtablet has Froyo today, and it has an (unofficial) Flash apk today.
I guess it's "pick your poison".
So I picked one up yesterday at Staples and am going to revert back to stock and return it... Here are my reasons why...
- Screen viewing angles are awful. Sitting at a table with the GTab laying flat is an impossible angle to view with.
- The device is heavy to hold. I found my hands hurting trying to use it while holding it.
- The image is not very crisp. I found that it hurt my eyes to use the device for long periods of time.
Again these are my perceptions and don't take them for anything beyond a personal review. I have been using a HTC Hero with CM6.1 and have been very pleased.
I am either going to get an iPad, wait for a better WiFi only tablet next year, or just stick with my trusty Netbook.
PS...Is there a link to instructions for reverting back to stock? Thanks!
If you haven't done anything fancy like install a ROM. You can just hit the factory reset under settings. If you have been playing around, then there is a stock TnT vanilla ROM on forum tegratab website (I can't link it) which you can install just like any ROM.
I don't know how to get rid of Clockworkmod (NVflash?), but I can't imagine the average Staples employee will dig that deeply.
I'm probably going to take mine back this weekend. I want to give the new OS update a fair shake. But otherwise I agree with you on virtually all counts.
packfan909 said:
So I picked one up yesterday at Staples and am going to revert back to stock and return it... Here are my reasons why...
- Screen viewing angles are awful. Sitting at a table with the GTab laying flat is an impossible angle to view with.
- The device is heavy to hold. I found my hands hurting trying to use it while holding it.
- The image is not very crisp. I found that it hurt my eyes to use the device for long periods of time.
Again these are my perceptions and don't take them for anything beyond a personal review. I have been using a HTC Hero with CM6.1 and have been very pleased.
I am either going to get an iPad, wait for a better WiFi only tablet next year, or just stick with my trusty Netbook.
PS...Is there a link to instructions for reverting back to stock? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the vanilla ROM - it's in the development area. It should get you very close to stock. And also do a data wipe, of course.
lintmail said:
If you haven't done anything fancy like install a ROM. You can just hit the factory reset under settings. If you have been playing around, then there is a stock TnT vanilla ROM on forum tegratab website (I can't link it) which you can install just like any ROM.
I don't know how to get rid of Clockworkmod (NVflash?), but I can't imagine the average Staples employee will dig that deeply.
I'm probably going to take mine back this weekend. I want to give the new OS update a fair shake. But otherwise I agree with you on virtually all counts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the ROM info. I am just going to return it at this point. The viewing angle and heft can't be resolved. And I appreciate the feedback on the Archos 101 with regards of viewing angle. A few friends tried the GTab yesterday when I brought it over, they were all unimpressed.
These tablets need to bake a little longer in the oven!
packfan909 said:
Thanks for the ROM info. I am just going to return it at this point. The viewing angle and heft can't be resolved. And I appreciate the feedback on the Archos 101 with regards of viewing angle. A few friends tried the GTab yesterday when I brought it over, they were all unimpressed.
These tablets need to bake a little longer in the oven!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of box the device sux, but with TnT 1.03 and market hack, it is solid. Archos 101 apparently uses the same display, so no better, but the device is lighter. Weak device though compared to the power of Tegra 2 and 512mb ram.
If you showed this device with stock rom- now wonder people were not impressed- yikes
rushless said:
Out of box the device sux, but with TnT 1.03 and market hack, it is solid. Archos 101 apparently uses the same display, so no better, but the device is lighter. Weak device though compared to the power of Tegra 2 and 512mb ram.
If you showed this device with stock rom- now wonder people were not impressed- yikes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^ this ^
Besides wake up time... A necessary evil... This pad rocks with TnT lite .3 cannot wait for 2.0 at this rate.
TNT lite .03 + Flash + gapps install = Keeper
If you are OK with flashing ROMS then get it. With TNT lite and Flash, I'm willing to keep it in spite of the viewing angles.
As far as weight is concerned: It doesn't feel heavier than an IPAD. Most of that weight is battery. Great battery life by the way.
My first road test of the gtablet tonight. I am flying to Vegas with the gtablet and the Archos 43. I will let you know how they do. For TSA screening purposes, will they want me to remove the gtablet from its case and run it through the xray like a laptop?
I was showing it off with CM 6.1 Beta. That viewing angle is a deal breaker for me. With regards to the weight, are you saying it weighs as much as an iPad?
Not sure why people are so surprised by the viewing angles. If you want the display of an ipad or even a galaxy tab, you're gonna have to buy an ipad or galaxy tab. The display on the g is fine for me, for now. When the big name tablets start coming out like htc and moto, that's when I'll expect more out of tablets. I'll also expect to pay more than 399 too.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
The problem is that one can't be sure until they have it in their hands. I would think that a normal operating position (on a desk with user in front of it) would be something to expect out of any tablet. I would love a Galaxy Tab but I refuse to pay a carrier for mobile internet service. If they released a WiFI only Galaxy Tab, I would run to the store to get it.
The viewing angles aren't as good as the iPad, but not so bad that it really bothers me that much. Maybe it'll get more annoying after a while - I'd eventually like an Android tablet with an IPS or other higher end LCD screen, but this will do for now in terms of hardware.
For me, $420 (including tax) for the G Tablet and a carrying case sounded like a good deal, for the early adopter set on XDA-developers who like to customize and live on the bleeding edge.
There is no way I would recommend this device in its current form to friends or family, of course, until the software improves markedly.
I also don't think the drivers etc. are doing full justice to the Tegra 2 at this point. My Nexus One actually gets about 5-10% higher scores on Quadrant. That shouldn't be. And for a dual-core chip, it oddly lags when the system is waking up from sleep mode and runs choppily sometimes thereafter - some sort of memory management bug.
Such are the joys of the bleeding edge.
i would have liked for it to have better viewing angles too, it definitely can be a pain to have to look at a certain way. but i usually keep it on a little stand when on my desk, i'm trying to not let the screen thing bother me too much. the software and stock ui are both jokes and i knew that going in. the blue weather homescreen is horrid, i like a nice clean and clutter free homescreen. i'm just staying confident that the boys here at xda are gonna make this tablet a nice user experience. i think it scored around 1900 on quadrant when i ran it on the g, i usually get around 1400-1500 on my incredible. i think the g-tablet should be doing way better though.
I have been driving the g tab since last Saturday and I would recommend it as a keeper. I tried the Huawei S7 for a day and ran away from it screaming. By comparisons, I have had good success side loading most of my favorite apps here without compromise. The device is modder friendly as have been my last dozen or so phones. Rooting was quick and easy. I have some market apps available, but for those not open, I load them on my Liquid, then use Titanium, to "restore" them onto the g tab.
If you are willing to do as something as super simple as install TnT Lite 1.03, or the coming 2.0- YES! Here is copy from part of another post:
Gtablet with TnT Lite 1.03, Flash app & market fix:
1. Best performing Flash of any current Android device: CHECK!
2. Market: CHECK!
3. Great sound quality: CHECK!
4. Smooth browser: CHECK!
5. Comics & PDFs, regardless of size, smooth: CHECK!
6. PSX4Droid smooth for 3D games: Using PSX4Droid 1.5, CHECK! (1.7 sucks)
7. Capcom 1 & 2 and ALL Neo Geo games playing super fine: CHECK (TigerMAME)
8. Wifi tether works great
Archos 101 has a 3630 and half the ram of the Droid X. Droid X does not play Flash as smoothly, nor the games in items 6 & 7 anywhere near as well.
Gtablet rocks- warts and all- Looking forward to TnT Lite 2.0
6. PSX4Droid smooth for 3D games: Using PSX4Droid 1.5, CHECK! (1.7 sucks)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.5 would not load the bios for me..
Gtablet weight same as ipad
packfan909 said:
I was showing it off with CM 6.1 Beta. That viewing angle is a deal breaker for me. With regards to the weight, are you saying it weighs as much as an iPad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to Apple the Ipad weighs 1.5 to 1.6 depending upon model. The Viewsonic site lists gtablet at 1.55 pounds.

[Q] Initial Impressions of GTab

I hope no one minds a relative tablet newbie posting some initial impressions:
I got this tablet yesterday morning from Office Depot.
Charged (didn't wait until fully charged to start her up).
1. I am not sure why everyone is so disappointed with the screen. I think it is fine. I can see it and you could have two people side by side watch a movie and it would be OK. Maybe I just don't have anything compare to. (I did play with BILs ipad last summer and I don't recall it being much better).
2. My gtab worked fine out of the box. If you were unitiated, you would probably think it is OK. However, I very quickly flashed the Vegan ROM. The access to the full google market is a big deal.
3. I do wish I had full time connectivity (3g). At school and home I have very good wifi access, but sometimes when I am out it would be handy to have access.
4. I will be reviving my old bluetooth module and trying it out this afternoon.
5. Initial battery charge lasted 22 hours of being on. During that time I flashed roms, played some music, played a game, installed numerous apps... I did sleep for some of that time, though. However, I left the screen on the whole time because I wanted to drain the battery fully. Also, just charged it fully in 3 hours.
6. One question: With Vegan, I lost the functionality of the light sensor. Is there a way to restore that?
Over all, I think I am going to be happy.
(p.s., rainx worked great).
Montyhp
I agree with you completely.... the g tablet does what I want it to do. Did flash it... screen is ok for me...no complaints......
I think Roebeets 60hz upgrade on TnT lite ROM helps screen viewing as well.
For me the biggest drawback to the screen's viewing angles is showing it to all the Apple fan boys I work with, they instantly start telling me how it would be a deal breaker for them and never really give it a chance. Different strokes for different folks, personally I prefer a device that is open with a large and active development community such as XDA.
I was looking at this and a NookColor, screen size isnt that big of a deal. Just other specs that im trying to compare. Have you tried the nook color yet
Heh, My Biggest Complain, and this is silly, is the silly amount of fingerprints this thing collects. This is my first tablet...and I know my Droid does it share of CSI printing, but wow.. I still have to do the RainX fix, which I hope will assist in that.
I also want a rubberized Sleeve or skin or something to make it less Slippery.. The back is crazy. I really see why Notion Inks ADAM is getting praise for that little Bump on the one side..Gives you something to hold onto... ;-)

[Q] Should I buy?

Hello everyone,
I had wanted the Moto XOOM since it was shown off at D but every since I saw that $699 price tag I have been very disappointed. I want to stay at the $500 level... Although I love Android and I am a die hard fan and prefer it over iOS any given day, the iPad is not a bad option because my main purpose for a tablet is to quickly browse the internet while watching tv or something, without having to pull out my laptop.
I do not know why or HOW the G tablet completely surpassed my brain and eyes, but I just learned about this bad boy today! So far I have fallen in love with it. It is a XOOM, minus the dual cameras and 3G (later 4G) which I really do not care about. Other than that hardware is same for the most part (which is why I love the XOOM and now falling in love with the G tablet)
My question is how satisfied are you guys with the performance or the device? Is it what you guys expected? Are there different ROMS available? and if so then which one is the most stable and what issues it has, if any?
Thanks in advance I look forward to reading what everyone has to say!!
Hi,
Welcome to the forum. The answers to all of your questions are here, you just have to read a few dozen topics. The four sub-forums under the Viewsonic G Tablet heading will provide all the information you need to get what you need out of the G Tab.
The short answer is, "Yes, you should get one immediately!"
I am running VEGAn-Tab and have almost everything I need in a handheld device. On a scale of one to ten - my Gtab is about an eleven ... for me. Your mileage may vary, of course. Out of the box, it is about a five or six. But once you flash a ROM and do the Market fix, the heavens will open up for you and manna will rain down!
OK, I exaggerate a little! But only a little. Read the more recent reviews on Amazon.com and the forums here and you will see what we really think of them. Mine has changed my whole daily routine in a good way and my 17-inch HP notebook is now sitting in its messenger bag, possibly facing a new life as my wife's main computer. I am also looking at getting one for each of my support techs at the office, once I find a decent VNC client.
You will find, after reading some of the threads here, that the devs at xda-developers are doing amazing things with/for our little electronic buddies. It will likely serve your needs well.
Thanks for the input, really appreciate it.
I currently have an Incredible and am changing roms left and right and see that almost every ROM has SOMETHING that is not working, with the exception of maybe 5 that are solid from A-Z.
How many roms are there for the g tablet and how many of those are FULLY PERFECTLY functional?
Theirs quite a few people working on Roms and updates are pretty frequent so bugs are being worked out!(most already have) The most Stable roms out for G tab are the Vegan Beta 5.1 and Tnt Lite ones. Tnt Lite more stock Tap n Tap u/i if you like that or Vegan if you prefer more stock Android. Speeds is pretty snappy. faster than any phone ive had. The screen isn't the best but its still fine for me. It uses a laptop screen instead of an Ips like ipad or phones. bad for portrait mode good for landscape. in Short, Screen is so-so, Roms make this thing fly, Very Good tablet and very open. In a Sense it already comes Rooted. Flashing roms and kernels is cake and This thing is near impossible to brick!
In my opinion the G tab is a good example of the spirit of libre software coupled with nice hardware. It is locked just enough to keep someone from acidentally crippling their device, but if you want you can put damn near anything you can compile on it.
I can't speak for Motorola from experience, so I won't say anything other than that I don't trust or like them.

my g-tablet 12hr review

I searched for a few days all over the internet before I ended up getting the gtab... I almost got the herotab mid816, but I'm glad I spent a bit more, I ended up getting a lot more back.
Pros: AWESOME TOUCH RESPONSE, blazing fast (after a new rom), multi touch works good, lots of Modding options
Cons: small viewing angle, android standard buttons on the side don't light up, slow stock rom, expensive dock (55$)
This is my first android tablet but I do have 2 android phones. This thing destroys my phones in speed! This thing is crazy fast! I plan to write a better review when I get home, but for now I must say I really like this g-tablet. I plan on uploading some app packs or at least do some compatibility tests for people! Later g-tabbers.
dispozable said:
I searched for a few days all over the internet before I ended up getting the gtab... I almost got the herotab mid816, but I'm glad I spent a bit more, I ended up getting a lot more back.
Pros: AWESOME TOUCH RESPONSE, blazing fast (after a new rom), multi touch works good, lots of Modding options
Cons: small viewing angle, android standard buttons on the side don't light up, slow stock rom, expensive dock (55$)
This is my first android tablet but I do have 2 android phones. This thing destroys my phones in speed! This thing is crazy fast! I plan to write a better review when I get home, but for now I must say I really like this g-tablet. I plan on uploading some app packs or at least do some compatibility tests for people! Later g-tabbers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny that after all of the hubbub of new tabs coming out, the Gtablet still seems the best option for modders (total cost considered).
Actually, from everything I read, this was the best (cost effective) option for anybody wanting Android. It just so happens that a new ROM is required if you want to enjoy the speed. I think that if you are in the lookout for honeycomb, you really need to consider this one.
I just did not want an iPad.
I hated it out of the box and thought I had wasted money then I installed tnt lite and love it
I have to admit that even with its shortcomings its looking more and more like a bargain compared to the prices of the new stuff coming out. I'm very happy with mine and i am really surprised by how much i use it now.
I hated it out of the box and thought I had wasted money then I installed tnt lite and love it
I think that for the non-iPad crowd, the G-Tab will end up being the best value for a Honeycomb tablet this year. With the exception of a better screen, there's not much else to want compared to the other Honeycomb tablet announcements. Yes, a GPS would be nice, but I don't seem to miss it. I plan on holding onto the G-Tab until the next round of tablets with quad-core Tegra III's come out.
I have to thank the developers here that are really breathing life into the device and putting money in Viewsonic's pocket; as I believe that if it weren't for the existence of other ROMS, the G-Tab would have long since disappeared.
Thanks guys!
tysonkam said:
I think that for the non-iPad crowd, the G-Tab will end up being the best value for a Honeycomb tablet this year. With the exception of a better screen, there's not much else to want compared to the other Honeycomb tablet announcements. Yes, a GPS would be nice, but I don't seem to miss it. I plan on holding onto the G-Tab until the next round of tablets with quad-core Tegra III's come out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that this is the best cost efficent option. I am using the enhancement pack and everything runs great and I can't wait for honeycomb. I just with the screen was a bit better.
Ive gotta say, though I like the tab (running vegan tab) it does seem more sluggish than my froyo dell streak. Also, I find the screen responsiveness pales in comparison to my ipad. Those two things may be related.
If the screen wasn't so bad, this would be a great tablet. But I'm pretty particular about screens (particularly IPS vs. TN panels), and this may not bother other folks as much. If you can live with the screen or don't even notice what's wrong with it, you've got a great device for an excellent price compared to the competition.
I was very hesitant to mess with the original, as it upgraded as soon as it connected to my wireless wifi. But the Marketplace did not work, so I took the plunge a couple weeks back and put the TNT and the Clockworks and its been great ever since. I wish I could find some info on all the menu items in Clockwork. I discovered by accident to "fix the permissions" was via the Clockworks. I discovered by accident where the backup files "live" on the sdcard so I could copy them to the computer. When I do a restore, there are about 4 choices, but I can only speculate as to what each would overwrite or upgrade. When it formats or does a "restore" I don't exactly know what I am restoring.. I know there is a lot of capability in Clockworks, but have not been able to find one location that has a good tutorial.
I have to smile as I read all the "new" pads coming out on Engadget, et.al., and they have similar hardware, except gps, as the Gtab, its almost a "secret" gem, and with the upgraded ROMS on this site, its a real jewel...
****
The part about the screen that really bothers me is the fingerprints. Bought a screen protector just to see if it helps. The angles do not bother me as much and kind of like the guy next to me in the airplane not seeing what I am doing...
jhermit said:
The part about the screen that really bothers me is the fingerprints. Bought a screen protector just to see if it helps. The angles do not bother me as much and kind of like the guy next to me in the airplane not seeing what I am doing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a two pack of microfiber cloths from Target dollar spot. They work great!
rain-x
jhermit said:
The part about the screen that really bothers me is the fingerprints. Bought a screen protector just to see if it helps. The angles do not bother me as much and kind of like the guy next to me in the airplane not seeing what I am doing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read in a different post if you use rain-x it cuts down on the smudges. I wonder if the anti-fog works better. I have not tried it yet but it sounds like a good idea.
Yes, I was going to try the screen protector first since it was only $11 shipped and others have had good luck with it. If that doesn't do it, then Rain-x will be my answer. I would prefer not having to apply Rain-x every few weeks...
I was hesitant of the rain-x method, but I tried it 2 days ago. It did wonders and highly recommend trying this out. I have not redone the process yet. Just make sure you really let the rain-x dry to a haze before wiping clean.
I have had very little fingerprints at all.
Thread link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892959
Might as well just wax the screen with car wax if people are using rain-x.
Update:
I do now use Rain-X on my tablet about once every two weeks (twice so far) and there is no fading or any kind of bad response from the tablet. I have gone through a few roms and now have a stable and fast one running 2.2. All in all I really like this tablet. I got my hands on an iPad and I felt like a traitor and an iRetard. I keep asking "Where is the back button? Where is the menu button?" After about 10 minutes I gave up and decided the trade wasn't worth it
Untill they have Android working on an iPad (stable, not just booting) I'll pass and stay with my G-Tab.
Sent from my G-Tablet 2.2 using Tapatalk

Happy with your TF700?

Looking for a new tab for ~$200. 2 on my radar are the TF700 and the Galaxy tab 3. All the "official" reviews of the ASUS are great, but a lot of the real world reviews complain that it's sluggish, poor battery life, poor build quality. Don't know if the sluggishness is cured by a new ROM or not. I'm not sure which is faster--hard to compare specs between 2 chip architectures, although the samsung is newer. I don't need a dock. So which would you get?
TF700 is sluggish even with custom rom. I would not spend my money again on this. After every wifi connect it takes minutes the device responds hardly at all. Some times it takes minutes to wake from sleep. Any app using flash memory blocks the device for the time, e.g. play store updates.
This is even after the custom modders hard work in effort to make it better. I`m on cromix 5.4.
ikkeT said:
TF700 is sluggish even with custom rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. Sometimes. Slow storage cannot be fixed by software workarounds.
ikkeT said:
After every wifi connect it takes minutes the device responds hardly at all. Some times it takes minutes to wake from sleep.
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Click to collapse
In my experience, connecting to wifi causes about 3 seconds of lag where the device is unusable. And I become impatient when it takes more than 3 seconds to wake up, because usually it takes 1-2 seconds. All that without any special tweaks and keeping fsync on.
I don't use a lot of apps that run on wake up (like Google Now) though.
ikkeT said:
Any app using flash memory blocks the device for the time, e.g. play store updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, sometimes. That's why I turn off auto-update.
It seems people are able to get the device responsive. The root failure is the known flash issue. I have plenty of apps installed, including the google services. I should really try to find and disable the services that start syncing while waking up and getting internet connection.
But still, comparing to other devices I have, they are cheaper and don`t have the same issues. I was cheated by asus while buying a top of the line price device, and not getting a device worth the money.
On the other hand, you are buying a second hand device, and not paying that much. The best thing about the device is the custom roms and tweaks that sdbags, _that and co. are doing. They keep the device software fresh, and try to tackle the issues. Thanks for that!
Get the Asus TF701T or Nexus 10 if you are on a budget?
Don't buy the Tab series. It's rubbish. Sluggish, laggy and the hardware is something that makes an iPad look high-end.
The TF700 has serious I/O issues (which a few lads here have done a marvellous job of making bearable, provided you're willing to waive your warranty.)
Don't know if you've got some money to spare, but if you're intending to last a few years with a tab, save some more quid and look into the TabPro series.
I have to agree with everyone and avoid the TF700. I have a first gen Samsung Tab 10.1 and even though it's plastic and feels cheap in your hand it runs circles around the TF700.
I upgraded last year to a Note 10.1 (2014) P600. It's been very good imo. The plastic housing turns some people off though.
If you want a cheap quick tablet the Tab 3 might not be a bad choice.
ikkeT said:
TF700 is sluggish even with custom rom. I would not spend my money again on this. After every wifi connect it takes minutes the device responds hardly at all. Some times it takes minutes to wake from sleep. Any app using flash memory blocks the device for the time, e.g. play store updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine refurbished from a Woot! deal earlier this month. The TF700 is slow as molasses. It probably runs as smoothly as the original Samsung Nexus Galaxy smartphone. Every minute of regular use, it'll hang for a few seconds on some random action.
yohojones said:
I have to agree with everyone and avoid the TF700. I have a first gen Samsung Tab 10.1 and even though it's plastic and feels cheap in your hand it runs circles around the TF700.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In hindsight, I probably should've bought that instead.
I must take some of my words back. Now I updated to chromix-kk. While at it, I didn't install all the apps I had previously, and disabled some bells and whistles that check things from net while wlan connects. This is way better to use now.
Never the less, still mad at Asus...
ikkeT said:
I must take some of my words back. Now I updated to chromix-kk. While at it, I didn't install all the apps I had previously, and disabled some bells and whistles that check things from net while wlan connects. This is way better to use now.
Never the less, still mad at Asus...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. Bought a tf700 from new egg, but they ended up dicking me around and never shipped it. Found a galaxy note 10.1, and am happy enough with it that I haven't bothered rooting/installing a new rom...
I'd buy a Nexus 10 if they ever get them back in stock...
Very happy now
I bought a TF700 in December 2012 after reading many positive reviews which were obviously written by people who never spent much time actually using one. I suffered though a year of using it with the stock ASUS ROM.
December 2013...out of warrenty...time to be daring...nothing to lose...before buying a Nexus 7, I decided to unlock & install CROMi-X...like night & day...I actually enjoyed using my TF700... don't need a Nexus 7 anymore.
Spring 2014...tried CROMBi-KK on ROM2SD...liked KitKat...CROMBi-KK got better with every new release...very stable now.
September 2014...tried f2fs format for data partition...even better!!!
Like I said...VERY happy NOW...sbdags and crew are miracle workers...their efforts made it possible to transform a device that I was ready to trash into a device that I use throughout the day and is a pleasure to use.
If you're stuck with a TF700 on stock ASUS, give CROMBi-KK or ZOMBi-X a try...they're still under development, so I think the best is yet to come
bplzip said:
I bought a TF700 in December 2012 after reading many positive reviews which were obviously written by people who never spent much time actually using one. I suffered though a year of using it with the stock ASUS ROM.
December 2013...out of warrenty...time to be daring...nothing to lose...before buying a Nexus 7, I decided to unlock & install CROMi-X...like night & day...I actually enjoyed using my TF700... don't need a Nexus 7 anymore.
Spring 2014...tried CROMBi-KK on ROM2SD...liked KitKat...CROMBi-KK got better with every new release...very stable now.
September 2014...tried f2fs format for data partition...even better!!!
Like I said...VERY happy NOW...sbdags and crew are miracle workers...their efforts made it possible to transform a device that I was ready to trash into a device that I use throughout the day and is a pleasure to use.
If you're stuck with a TF700 on stock ASUS, give CROMBi-KK or ZOMBi-X a try...they're still under development, so I think the best is yet to come
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW..
So much love for crombi zombi cromi :good: check this out team ...
@sbdags @hardslog @_that
So much love for our many hours spent....
Thx Josh
lj50036 said:
So much love for our many hours spent....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Making the TF700 suck less since 2012".
( however, currently working on making TWRP suck less )
I really am not happy with mine. I was happy with Cromi-x but started to get laggy out of the blue. Currently trying Zombi and Cromi, see which one is better for this piece of junk.
Thanks for the hard work!:good:
Very Unhappy
Happy?? NOT AT ALL, this was a waste of money, what a piece of crap. Design is good, is aluminum, nothing really fancy, I don't care if a product is made out of plastic if runs smoothly. Is VERY sluggish overall, but... playing games is perfect, the Tegra4 shines in that area. So.. if you want to waste your money in junk, go for it and buy a TF700.
Abisoxth said:
Happy?? NOT AT ALL, this was a waste of money, what a piece of crap. Design is good, is aluminum, nothing really fancy, I don't care if a product is made out of plastic if runs smoothly. Is VERY sluggish overall, but... playing games is perfect, the Tegra4 shines in that area. So.. if you want to waste your money in junk, go for it and buy a TF700.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh, don't wanna rain on your parade, but the TF700 has the Tegra 3...
Try a custom rom - makes a hell of a difference!
Happy? Overall, yes.
I bought my 2012 TF700, with keyboard dock, for 230 bucks off ebay just about two months ago. I like my hardware older, cuz it means I can afford it. Could have gotten one even cheaper, but this guy had really cared for his -- had the original packing materials, manuals, and the whole nine yards. Since I had a tF101 with Timduru's superb ROM (KatKiss), I'd been to the ROM flashing rodeo before. And immediately I went for Crombi-KK, Zombi-X, Crombi-KK again and so on. Two big snags up to that point... Chrome browser just dogged it sometimes, suddenly and without wraning. And the whole thing seemed -- sigh -- laggy some times.
Enter in the ROM2SD / DATA2SD options via sdbags _that and the crazy ROM roasting crew. The tablet went from slow to medium to very fast. I monkeyed with varioius settings in the cpu profiles as well. I went for f2fs format on the data partition. In short, I made it a hobby to get this baby working smoothly and well. And ya know what? I'm about 90 percent or better there. Chrome, I must say, does NOT impress me as a browser. The best one? That little funky android browser that doesn't get much love yet is packed in with the operating system. I also suspect the gmail app of being a major player in slowing my system down sometimes. But overall, as a user who really wants to use this baby as a productive laptop and not as much a gaming tablet, I am finding it quite nice indeed. If I'd had more money, I'd have gone for the TF701. But for 230 bucks plus 30 more for a 64 gig micro-sd card of quality to use via data2rom, this baby is nearly a third to even one half faster than it was before.
Hacker mentality? You can have a lot of fun with this tab. But if you want things to work right out of the box, better go for a TF701 or (gag!) even a Winduhs tablet. But don''t get me started on my loathing of win 8.1....
Blessings. Happy (almost) all the time w/ my Asus Transformer TF700. Now, if only I could turn that annoying mouse pad off!
:victory:
Short answer is yes.
But it depends on why I chose to get a tablet in the first place. I really have no need for a tablet. My phone was giving me everything I needed for anything mobile and my laptop was perfect for daily computing. I recently needed to read massive amounts of PDF books and although my laptop was available, I realized a tablet would help me out a lot. So I knew I needed a screen with good resolution. I was about to buy a generic tablet that for the bill for 100 but soon realized that there wasn't much development for these generic tablets. I found the tf700 had an awesome screen resolution and big development support. I got it for 150 refurbished and I can't find a better deal considering the tablet's screen resolution.
TBH I think that there are better buys out there if you want a tablet that will be quick, will have future support, will be used with all the bells and whistles of android. But for my needs I can't find a tablet that's running a very stable kk ROM with this resolution for 150. I'll probably sell it next year for 100 bucks? Not bad depreciatio
bplzip said:
Like I said...VERY happy NOW...sbdags and crew are miracle workers...their efforts made it possible to transform a device that I was ready to trash into a device that I use throughout the day and is a pleasure to use.
If you're stuck with a TF700 on stock ASUS, give CROMBi-KK or ZOMBi-X a try...they're still under development, so I think the best is yet to come
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience is much the same as yours. I found myself rarely using my tf700 because of its sluggishness, and when one evening I needed it for a simple skype call and it wouldn't perform, I decided it was either the bin or try to do my first ever unlock, install twrp and crombi-kk. I went for the latter. Everything went smoothly, and I now have a tablet that actually works, and even works quite smoothly. Thanks to sbdags &Co.

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