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{Make Sticky} We need Source

Dear Forums,
As we all know, the key to having a truly customizable device is having the source for their builds, and as we also all know, Viewsonic has not released the source code for their Gtablet.
If we all find the correct email to contact, much like all other companies they will be pressured into releasing the source to the community.
Let's get this done.
LETTER
Dear Viewsonic,
We are aware your company has directed many customers calling for technical support to the gTablet sub-forum of xda-developers
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=841
Please consider listening to what the community as asking for.
By using the Linux Kernel in your device you are required by the Free Software Foundation's General Public License (GPLv2) to release the source code for the kernel. If there is any proprietary software involved in said code, then you have the right to protect your investment, and not include that with the source release.
We are entitled to the source to change our tablets in the way we see fit with the full understanding that when we modify our tablets software we remove ourselves from any sort of warranty you may offer.
Furthermore, we would like an open dialog between with your developers concerning the software which is shipped with the gTablet. It well known among the community that the return rate for the gTablet is unnaturally high. The version of Android developed by Tap n Tap does not provide a positive user experience for the average user. By this time you should be aware of such feedback coming from the main distributors of the gTablet, Sears and Staples. This situation will only continue to get worse as detailed professional reviews of this product begin to circulate around the Internet. One such review I am referring to will be posted to Anandtech.com in the next few days.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4054/first-look-viewsonic-gtablet-and-tegra-2-performance-preview
Barnes and Noble has released a Software Development Kit as well as source code to enable the community to make the Nook Color the best product it can be.
http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/press_releases/2010_oct_26_nook_developer.html
Please follow their example. By working together we can make the gTablet a real competitor in the burgeoning tablet marketplace.
Sincerely,
The gTablet Community from xda-developers.com

I'll second that. Not sure what we can do, but they should be reminded.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Viewsonic's main website has a support tab that you can send inquiries. Do you think it would get to the right place if we used that?

The email avenue did not work for me
xmr405o said:
Viewsonic's main website has a support tab that you can send inquiries. Do you think it would get to the right place if we used that?
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I tried using the email tech support method for the web site; got this response back:
Dear Mr. Walker,
Thank you for contacting ViewSonic Technical Support.
I apologize but as much as I wanted to assist you with it, the product that you are inquiring about is handled by a different technical department.
You may contact them by calling 1-866-501-6405 between 8am-5pm PST, Monday through Friday.
If you have other technical concerns, feel free to contact us again. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to assist you.
Sincerely,
Josef
ViewSonic Technical Support
(800) 688-6688 (USA)
(866) 463-4775(Canada)

[email protected] said:
I tried using the email tech support method for the web site; got this response back:
Dear Mr. Walker,
Thank you for contacting ViewSonic Technical Support.
I apologize but as much as I wanted to assist you with it, the product that you are inquiring about is handled by a different technical department.
You may contact them by calling 1-866-501-6405 between 8am-5pm PST, Monday through Friday.
If you have other technical concerns, feel free to contact us again. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to assist you.
Sincerely,
Josef
ViewSonic Technical Support
(800) 688-6688 (USA)
(866) 463-4775(Canada)
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Go for it. it has to drop sooner or later. the more pressure from the community, the better. I'll drop them a line as well.

I get the feeling that instead of taking the time to lock the device down like is done with phones and other android devices, they decided they will just not release the code and hope to stall out mods that way.

TheMongol said:
I get the feeling that instead of taking the time to lock the device down like is done with phones and other android devices, they decided they will just not release the code and hope to stall out mods that way.
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That'd work, except for the fact that it's against the GPL, and that'd be breaking the law. They have to make it available, it's just a matter of pressuring them into doing so sooner than later.

just sent off my second email to viewsonic regarding the gtablet (along with a note telling them to fwd the email accordingly). i will let you guys know if i get a response.

Just called in. They are taking people's contact info that say they are android developers (they started doing that today) and they said they are not doing it to track us or anything like that, but to contact us...like say...when the source is released.
Everybody, call. Emailing isn't going to get you anywhere.
I informed them that they will legally have to release source under GPL, he said he will be passing that up to the developers. It sounds like we may be getting somewhere, but we need to call...the more the merrier. It sounds like they have a small call center so its not how many times you call, but how many different people call at this point.

myndwire said:
That'd work, except for the fact that it's against the GPL, and that'd be breaking the law. They have to make it available, it's just a matter of pressuring them into doing so sooner than later.
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Oh yes indeed. But that doesn't mean people won't try to get away with things from time to time. Perhaps they are not even aware. I know I am going to call and ask soon even though I just started developing on android.

I called them today, as well - good bunch of people over there and a pleasure to talk with them.
I'm serious - in a world of reps in third world countries speaking broken english and working off a script, the VS reps are a breath of fresh air and Viewsonic should be commended for that alone. I put in my usual request to please release the source and I was told that they will pass it onto the development team.
I don't expect anything to come from it, but they do know who I am and who we are, so I'm hoping that VS management throws us a bone once they realize what a mistake it was adding that TnT layer.

roebeet said:
I called them today, as well - good bunch of people over there and a pleasure to talk with them.
I'm serious - in a world of reps in third world countries speaking broken english and working off a script, the VS reps are a breath of fresh air and Viewsonic should be commented for that alone. I put in my usual request to please release the source and I was told that they will pass it onto the development team.
I don't expect anything to come from it, but they do know who I am and who we are, so I'm hoping that VS management throws us a bone once they realize what a mistake it was adding that TnT layer.
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I agree. The guy I talked to was pretty cool. He also said that the developers are being very persistent about keeping TnT in place. Very nice to talk to someone that can actually speak English

scsione889 said:
I agree. The guy I talked to was pretty cool, and even he came out and said xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. He also said that the developers are being very persistent about keeping TnT in place. Very nice to talk to someone that can actually speak English
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Watch out, they read these forums, don't want to get the poor guy fired!

jacindc said:
Watch out, they read these forums, don't want to get the poor guy fired!
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x2 on that! Rule of thumb - if you write something here about a conversation with CS, assume that their management might read it and how that would look.

Just spoke with Mike @ Viewsonic gtablet support. First, they are very nice! Second, Mike said that they are working on a release, but no date yet. Finally, Mike said that they would be posting it to viewsonic.com/gtablet website (and to also check xda-developers.com for other updates).
They also took my e-mail address - hopefully to send out a blast when they are finally able to post it.
BTW, Mike - thanks!
I also have to echo others who have posted here - Thank you, Viewsonic, for having people who can speak English!!

I figured I would do my part as well. I called & spoke to a tech who said they were not releasing it & have no plans to do so. I said its linux based & the GPL says they have to release the source by law. He said they dont support changing the operating system. I said Android is linux based & falls under the GPL. He then transfered me to a senior tech who said:
Tap n tap is proprietary & therefore it doesn’t fall in the GPL. He said the TNT is also horrendous & they want to protect the tap n tap ‘investment’ which is why the source wont be released. They did not ask for my information aside from my first name for the conversation we had. He basically said they were not going to release the source regardless of how many people called. The only way to get it is to sue the company & force them to do so. Obviously, I am not looking to spend more money just to get the source. He knows that, the company knows that & until someone bucks up & hires an attorney, viewsonic doesn’t care.
He did say that they did get a number of calls, he feels for me, he said others have rooted it but tough titties (my summary).

RichTJ99 said:
He basically said they were not going to release the source regardless of how many people called. The only way to get it is to sue the company & force them to do so.
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Boy, did my blood pressure just skyrocket.

RichTJ99 said:
I figured I would do my part as well. I called & spoke to a tech who said they were not releasing it & have no plans to do so. I said its linux based & the GPL says they have to release the source by law. He said they dont support changing the operating system. I said Android is linux based & falls under the GPL. He then transfered me to a senior tech who said:
Tap n tap is proprietary & therefore it doesn’t fall in the GPL. He said the TNT is also horrendous & they want to protect the tap n tap ‘investment’ which is why the source wont be released. They did not ask for my information aside from my first name for the conversation we had. He basically said they were not going to release the source regardless of how many people called. The only way to get it is to sue the company & force them to do so. Obviously, I am not looking to spend more money just to get the source. He knows that, the company knows that & until someone bucks up & hires an attorney, viewsonic doesn’t care.
He did say that they did get a number of calls, he feels for me, he said others have rooted it but tough titties (my summary).
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Thanks for the info.
What I don't understand is why is it that HTC is bound to GPL in that it must release source for its devices even though the majority of HTC devices has the proprietary software, Sense?
I don't think having proprietary software on a device exempts a company from conforming to GPL.

i think they must be new to linux or HTC is very used to dealing with Linux.
The senior tech was sympathetic but was firm in repeating the company plans. Heck their twitter page sais the same exact thing.
It makes me wonder if I should return it.

RichTJ99 said:
i think they must be new to linux or HTC is very used to dealing with Linux.
The senior tech was sympathetic but was firm in repeating the company plans. Heck their twitter page sais the same exact thing.
It makes me wonder if I should return it.
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I agree- without source, the gtab won't be able to experience its full potential especially if Viewsonic thinks anyone likes tapntap. Makes me wonder if I should return mine even though (outside of a few annoyances) I really like the device.
Viewsonic has to release source. Their device is Linux based with a proprietary software user interface just like HTC devices. This is ridiculous.

Call for Action! Viewsonic G Tablet & Honeycomb

After reading the thread and watching a Youtube video posted here regarding Viewsonic not supporting the G Tablet but migrating on to their next version of this device, that is not all true.
I called Viewsonic and expressed wanting access to Honeycomb as official release to G Tablet customers by Viewsonic and was told they are logging the calls. So people need to at least call in once, at (866) 501-6405. The info goes to their sales team and they are in contact with Google regarding getting Honeycomb. No release date as of yet but it looks favorable because it is in Google's best interest Honeycomb gives us access to Android Marketplace. We can move it along faster by increasing the numbers (immediate need) through telephoning.
Thanks, all for your support!
FYI I praised the device first, which I am happy with it, and then stated I was interested in getting an official copy of Honeycomb from them.

Wow. Sounds cool, who knows when viewsonic will get honeycomb. With that and with some marketing, the viewsonic g-tablet would be much better than most tablets in the market. XD
PS: I would call but i am in mexico. Hope many people call.

Pazzu510 said:
Wow. Sounds cool, who knows when viewsonic will get honeycomb. With that and with some marketing, the viewsonic g-tablet would be much better than most tablets in the market. XD
PS: I would call but i am in mexico. Hope many people call.
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it's a toll free number given

dont forget to also ask for official flash support. still waiting.

Sm0k3d 0uT said:
it's a toll free number given
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For those who are not familiar with other countries and how telephones work - Toll-free numbers do not work internationally.
Some numbers are good for US and Canada, but I have never heard of a toll-free US number that can be dialed from Mexico.
LOL. Maybe smoke a little less?

What is this "Mexico" you speak of? I am pretty sure the United States and Canada are the only countries/continents on the planet Earth. I learned that in school! (I am being facetious by the way).
You might be able to call toll-free over Skype. I know they are working on getting more countries covered through Skype.

XD. Yes i am from mexico and even if we got our own toll free numbers, they are not the same as the US ones; but dont worry, i bet i am one of the only people that has a g-tablet in the country(apart from those guys in the border) and i dont think much of them know much about flashing or other things like that.
Good thing is that you dont lose much calls to viewsonic because we are minority, bad thing is that i cant help with this. XD
But i got your back(Moraly).
BTW: Viewsonic should think about selling here. People are liking tablets a lot, they have a good product for a good price and the target-market for that kind of tablet is huge. All we have is mediocre overpriced tablets like a 16gb ipad for about 1,020 dollars and galaxy for the same price; I think we would be lucky to get the xoom for less than 1350 dollars(That is why i researched and bought the great g-tablet[if you wanted to know])

nunjabusiness said:
For those who are not familiar with other countries and how telephones work - Toll-free numbers do not work internationally.
Some numbers are good for US and Canada, but I have never heard of a toll-free US number that can be dialed from Mexico.
LOL. Maybe smoke a little less?
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actually, there are such things as International Toll Free numbers.
Why not try it first then comment later

+1 for call in. Took less than 5 minutes.

the devs here will probably have honeycomb working long before viewsonic does (if they do decide to provide an upgrade). A lot of phones right now are just getting Froyo while Gingerbread has already been released

just called
the guy told me that it would be logical to upgrade to honeycomb,but said they have no official word on the matter. Not sure but the guy sounded optimistic to me,not really sure how to explain that.

While I applaud their commitment and determination, there are just some better benefits you get from having an official copy. Like product updates when they discover some flaws in the OS.
The devs on this site do provide a wealth of knowledge when it comes to hardware add-ons, upgrades and tweaks so I will continue to frequent the site. With any website we all realize it is a numbers game, whatever you can do to keep the frequent site visits. To each his own preference of how they would like to get their hands on Honeycomb.

Waiting on Honeycomb
If i have to buy a XOOM just get get the software; I will ; then i'll return it within 14 days to get my Money Back/

If i have to buy a XOOM just get get the software; I will ; then i'll return it within 14 days to get my Money Back/
Not necessary, it is in Google's best interest to release the software to all android tabs. How some are making this personal when it is business is beyond me.
So they didn't support using froyo, on android tabs. Quite understandable, but the bottom line is people want android so bad they are willing to support any version of it on a tab with their purchasing power. As a business owner, I would find that complimentary. Not too mention, these are potential marketplace customers ripe for the picking. Not hard to deduce they will make the OS available based on the "built-in customer" base.

So they didn't support using froyo, on android tabs. Quite understandable, but the bottom line is people want android so bad they are willing to support any version of it on a tab with their purchasing power. As a business owner, I would find that complimentary. Not too mention, these are potential marketplace customers ripe for the picking. Not hard to deduce they will make the OS available based on the "built-in customer" base.

Not to lead the thread too far away, but anyone else amused that the Xoom comes without an official Flash version on it? So our $359 tablet beats their $800 tablet when it comes to actually doing things?

EwanG said:
Not to lead the thread too far away, but anyone else amused that the Xoom comes without an official Flash version on it? So our $359 tablet beats their $800 tablet when it comes to actually doing things?
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When I saw that I died laughing........ And no WiFi units for some time down the road. I love my G tablet.

Well...we don't have an official flash either....I'm sure xoom will work with unofficial flash also...

And the Xoom will have flash 10.2 within a few weeks...
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/02/2...e+(droid+life)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

For all intents and purposes, unless hardware issues prevent it, there's no reason VS would have to not port Honeycomb to the G Tab eventually. It's a matter of time.
Of course what many of people have to realize is that their Android build isn't done in-house, so they don't really have 100% control of the 'timing' or direct control over the detailed elements in the UI.
For example, HTC/Motorola/LG/Samsung/Dell, etc. routes are more or less direct - Google releases their SDK, they grab it, they grab the newest drivers/fw etc from their board vendor(s) and voila, they release their own UI to various devices. This is the fastest method...even though they all take a while to release updates in any case.
Viewsonic however, seems to depend on TnT which is a customized UI from a different company designed for these type of tablets....which means it's up to someone else to incorporate the newest Tegra drivers from Nvidia and the newest software and firmware from the part manuf. of the "Harmony" build - whether that comes from Malata directly or is worked on by the TnT team/VS team, I don't know. I do know that they don't build TnT, so that's an extra step in that process.
It's not as direct a route per se, which means that it will likely take longer to see updates and that the updates are not guaranteed to include the most recent software, because of the extended 'journey' of software development.
If VS were able to cut out TnT however, and use 'good' in-house devs and a 'vanilla' OS then it would be quicker for sure and possibly better for the general consumer.
There was a response by VS the other day in here somewhere that seemed to POSSIBLY hint toward a change to that? (hopefully - but I could be reading into it incorrectly).
I'd LOVE to have a good official VS android build as well. I really appreciate the devs and what they do, but relying on xda CAN be risky business. It's not unheard of for a xda dev to move on from one device to another or from one flavor of ROM to the next. Then you find that your favorite ROM gets less time than another or that it gets left behind completely. That's human nature. If I were a dev. I would work on the device I like and the flavor of Android/UI/ROM I prefer, so I completely understand. An official 'channel' is great in that you know (more or less) that you're going to get your updates and fixes.
In a perfect Android world, these companies would just give us an option....
brand new vanilla including newest drivers/firmware and maybe at some later point, their 'flavor'. Alas, this isn't Windows 7 and I guess it's just not in the cards to play out that way. So we just have to be patient. I doubt calling in will help more so than them already seeing overwhelming interest both in twitter and in here. But I suppose when you really want something, nothing beats a fail but a try.

Why Viewsonic hates us

Viewsonic announced it's Honeycomb tablet @ 7 inches. Which means they have the HC source code... which means they hate the gtab community.... because we don't get it, even for modding purposes.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/12/viewsonic-7x-shrinks-honeycomb-to-7-inches-for-the-tiny-handed/

They don't hate the Gtab community. Don't try to anthropomorphize a corporation because you will only end up sad and depressed. All Viewsonic wants is to make money by putting out products and then putting out more products. We are numbers, not faces.

Fair enough. I suppose I am a bit idealistic that they would continue to support something older. Perhaps more my frustration is the lack of source code when it could be given... but that it an entitlement mentality I suppose.

forgiventhief said:
Fair enough. I suppose I am a bit idealistic that they would continue to support something older. Perhaps more my frustration is the lack of source code when it could be given... but that it an entitlement mentality I suppose.
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stop caving because one person says something!!!!
and to the user that commented to the OP, thought the info you stated (numbers, not faces) is true, STOP ACTING LIKE IT'S ACCEPTABLE.
To many 300 to 500 dollars is a lot of money and the company has a moral obligation to support it for a reasonable amount of time. This was in no way accomplished by viewsonic. Horrible business ethics and I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VIEWSONIC PRODUCT. you vote with your purchasing power and viewsonic lost mine, my family's and my friend's votes.
as an aside, I suspect seeing all the progress made viewsonic might try to "save the day" and eventually release something for our g tab honeycomb flavored. I'm not fooled and you shouldn't be either. Your support should be for the devs like roebeet. If your running honeycomb and you haven't donated to him or the adamdevs you should feel worse than viewsonic.
vote with your money, I VOTE FOR OUR DEV COMMUNITY!
(before I get any posts about talking about donation, donation doesn't imply 3,000 dollars. Even if it's only a dollar, it says something.)

You do realize viewsonic just slapped their name on the Malta, right? You're mad at the wrong company.

schettj said:
You do realize viewsonic just slapped their name on the Malta, right? You're mad at the wrong company.
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Doesn't matter, though. As soon as VS slapped their name on it, they've adopted it.
The way VS is treating the gtab is worse than just numbers. They have intentionally ignored it, not giving it any press or anything at all. There isn't even a direct link to the gtab from their main website.
The gtab is doing way better than other "real" VS devices. It's the number 1 seller on amazon for goodness sake. I'm still baffled why VS isn't putting more energy into the gtab. It's like they don't even wanna mention it.

I think it is a way to get more people to move to their ViewPad line and off of the GTab. I will not switch to their new line just because they put 3.0 on it. Our Devs will get a port over to the GTab and it will blow their new line out of the water. Shady tactics if you ask me.

goodintentions said:
Doesn't matter, though. As soon as VS slapped their name on it, they've adopted it.
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But they don't have any code... they have no development resources. They have a brand name. Whooo.
Seriously.

goodintentions said:
It's the number 1 seller on amazon for goodness sake.
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Yes, it was for the week it was on blowout $280 clearance. Look, it's a great bit of first gen tegra2 tablet hardware with a dreadful screen that would make it unsellable at any price other than "half of what everyone else charges".
That's dropping under $200-$225 now, which is probably well below the breakeven point. So enjoy it, and support the hackers hacking away, but forget about any serious support for it from VS. You'll be much happier.

yes, the code for our G-tabs belongs to Malata, but so does the code for the Vega and the Adam. They are rumored to be at least getting official GB roms WITH hardware acceleration. VS is to blame for not providing us with that as well. If they do, but are keeping it hush-hush, I'll change my opinion.
Of course, Vega and Adam are running on the new 1.2 bootloader (always have been). Now VS teases us with an update that they pull, that is on the 1.2 bootlaoder? In essence, VS provided our devs, very briefly, with the tools needed to port any updates from Adam or Vega. So, while not actually giving us what we've requested, they are letting other companies, and third party developers do their work for them.
It may be that Malata has abandoned VS for their lack of support for the G-Tab, so Malata cut them off from future development releases.

snapz54 said:
and to the user that commented to the OP, thought the info you stated (numbers, not faces) is true, STOP ACTING LIKE IT'S ACCEPTABLE.
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I didn't say it's acceptable. In fact it makes me just as mad as it seems to have made you and I have made my opinion on that fact known many times on this board and the Nvidia developer board. I'm just saying that the people who want these updates are currently in the minority. I agree that we should get updates but we have to realize that might not happen. In fact I'd much rather use homegrown software from the fine developers on XDA, Cyanogen, and any other dev website that's working for better things for the Gtab than anything Viewsonic/Malata/Nvidia puts out anyhow.
This whole frequently updated software thing is new to the world. I mean think about Apple and Microsoft. Microsoft updated like once every five years. Apple was better, but in both cases users were made to pay for the updates. Now we buy these devices and expect free software updates indefinetly? Sounds good to me, but what about these companies? Where is the money for them? What incentive to they have to churn out more software at no charge to the customer? I'm just saying that there are two sides to this argument and both should be represented.

adampdx said:
This whole frequently updated software thing is new to the world. I mean think about Apple and Microsoft. Microsoft updated like once every five years. Apple was better, but in both cases users were made to pay for the updates.
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What color is the sky in your world?
The problem with Android is exactly the problem Google is trying to get a handle on....
Fragmentation.
When you leave updates up to the the hardware manufactures, you're guaranteed to screw your customers. Because the only way the HW guys make any money at all is by having the customer buy new hardware to get the shiny new features.
Hopefully Google will be able to beat these guys into submission, but I do feel for them... they thought they were getting in on a great thing with a cheap OS for their hardware, and instead they were turned into commodity manufacturers delivering Google ad revenue to Google. Ah well.

I'd much rather use homegrown software from the fine developers on XDA, Cyanogen, and any other dev website that's working for better things for the Gtab than anything Viewsonic/Malata/Nvidia puts out anyhow.
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But it's these updates that custom rom devs use to get the information they need to make their roms. If we ever get official hardware acceleration it will be bundled into one of the officially released updates. The drivers can then be added to existing roms, or future roms. The bottom line is that we NEED official updates if we are to ever get the G-tablet to reach it's full potential.
Now we buy these devices and expect free software updates indefinetly? Sounds good to me, but what about these companies?
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These companies, namely VS knows that they put out a crap product, in regard to software. In fact, they, at one point, directed their customers HERE for support for their device. They released a product in which the hardware outclassed the software. What we paid for was hardware, plain and simple. only recently have people actually said they're using stock firmware and it doesn't suck. Prior to the latest updates (3588 and later) I would suspect that everyone that bought a G-tablet, including myself, KNEW that they were going to have to flash a custom Rom. Just a few days ago, another 850+ G-tabs were sold on Woot, again. At one point it was the top seller on Amazon. VS has to save a little face and continue to support their software, and yes, provide updates.
Fortunately for VS, Notion Ink seems more interested in updating their product for us...of course, VS had to sneak in the 1.2 dev branch that's shared by the Adam.

some good points have been made, but none of the ones supporting VS have been valid.
slapping your name on something instantly slaps responsibility on you, this "passing the buck" mentality is a big part of whats wrong with the world. Everyone can blame someone else and nothing gets done.
The consequences in some small part are now realized. Myself and others will not support viewsonic in any capacity in the future. Actions like this catch up with you, VS is a horrible company that saw an opportunity to make a quick buck without a moments thought of how it might affect anyone.
stop supporting these type of actions, they are wrong.

snapz54 said:
some good points have been made, but none of the ones supporting VS have been valid.
slapping your name on something instantly slaps responsibility on you, this "passing the buck" mentality is a big part of whats wrong with the world. Everyone can blame someone else and nothing gets done.
The consequences in some small part are now realized. Myself and others will not support viewsonic in any capacity in the future. Actions like this catch up with you, VS is a horrible company that saw an opportunity to make a quick buck without a moments thought of how it might affect anyone.
stop supporting these type of actions, they are wrong.
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So you bought an $800.00 xoom?

snapz54 said:
stop supporting these type of actions, they are wrong.
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That would be "don't buy the product"
Since I wanted a device I can experiment with, and didn't want to spend more than $280, this was the only device available.
I bought it knowing what it was. An orphan device with no significant Vendor support.

i thought google said they aren't going to release honeycomb SDK? so doesn't that mean manufacturers are not allowed to release it?
but i guess if we buy the next VS tablet. we can port a honeycomb rom from that to the gtab.

ninditsu said:
i thought google said they aren't going to release honeycomb SDK? so doesn't that mean manufacturers are not allowed to release it?
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You're confusing SDK (Software Development Kit) with Source Code. That said, up to this point, Google has been reluctant to release the Source Code for Honeycomb for - what I can only assume is - the purpose of reducing hardware fragmentation and QA purposes.

schettj said:
What color is the sky in your world?
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Ha! Always good to get a laugh out of these heated discussions. As far as fragmentation goes, I agree. It's a problem that Google created and now they're trying to fix. I'm not sure I can imagine a world where there are several hundred different pieces of tech floating around from different manufactures that all use software provided by a singular, separate company. Oh, wait...that sounds like WINDOWS. He he... I wouldn't dare compare our beloved Google to the likes of Microsoft. Never.

schettj said:
That would be "don't buy the product"
Since I wanted a device I can experiment with, and didn't want to spend more than $280, this was the only device available.
I bought it knowing what it was. An orphan device with no significant Vendor support.
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Thank you. These things are on clearance for a reason. A lot of people here have unrealistic expectations. Companies don't make money by pouring resources into devices that nobody bought. I remember buying an Atari Lynx back in the day and only had it for about a year before everybody stopped making games for it and they were pulled off the shelves. I never once thought that Atari hated me.

Express your opinion to ViewSonic

If you are interested, there is an opportunity to provide your perspective on ViewSonic's decision to provide support for your G-Tablet device on Facebook.
Search for ViewSonic the go to discussions on the left hand side.
Steve

It may amount to nothing, but at least we have an area to vent where Viewsonic is at least reading it. Granted, it could be (and most likely is) some summer intern that's just posting canned responses to our complaints, but at least that's better than being ignored by their customer service area.

I can't, sorry. Viewsonic blocked me on FB as well as twitter.

I expressed my concerns on the nvidia developer forum. Will on Facebook as well.
Sent from my Flashback HC-TAB using XDA Forum App

Right now, nvidia is pointing its finger at viewsonic saying viewsonic isn't supporting the gtab. Viewsonic is pointing its finger at nvidia saying nvidia won't support the harmony tegra 2 beyond 2.2.
Have you ever called for support and then get redirected endlessly to another line only to go in a big circle and end up where you originally were?
I firmly believe nothing will ever come out of our complaints.
I've mentioned this before elsewhere. Both our acer iconia tab and asus transformer have gotten updates after updates. My g/f's transformer recently got an update for her dock free of charge after customer complaints that the dock was draining battery. Asus engineering team came up with a way to put the dock to sleep when not in use and offered the hardware update free of charge.
Mean while, we have gotten nada from VS in the last 7 months.

goodintentions said:
Right now, nvidia is pointing its finger at viewsonic saying viewsonic isn't supporting the gtab. Viewsonic is pointing its finger at nvidia saying nvidia won't support the harmony tegra 2 beyond 2.2.
Have you ever called for support and then get redirected endlessly to another line only to go in a big circle and end up where you originally were?
I firmly believe nothing will ever come out of our complaints.
I've mentioned this before elsewhere. Both our acer iconia tab and asus transformer have gotten updates after updates. My g/f's transformer recently got an update for her dock free of charge after customer complaints that the dock was draining battery. Asus engineering team came up with a way to put the dock to sleep when not in use and offered the hardware update free of charge.
Mean while, we have gotten nada from VS in the last 7 months.
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Nivida hasn't made a statement sine the April fiasco. I don't rst thatViewonic ever actually spoke wiht anyone at Nvidia regarding drivers. they claim that they did, simply ot shut us up.
The only thing we can do now, is leave negative reviews on as many sites as we can for the potential lack of support for their products. Even just a few people deciding not to urase frm Viewsonic would make difference.

TJEvans said:
I can't, sorry. Viewsonic blocked me on FB as well as twitter.
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well apparantly if you voice your opinion too much they will dete your posts and make is so you cannot post their facebook page anymore. i have been banned for simply asking "I have just one single question for Viewsonic (that i know will be ignored or deleted)..... With the "less than desirable" support i and others have recieved for your GTablet product, why would i spend any more money with you and buy a Ventana??" so now the only place i can post is to the "recomendations" section.

mmenzie said:
well apparantly if you voice your opinion too much they will dete your posts and make is so you cannot post their facebook page anymore. i have been banned for simply asking "I have just one single question for Viewsonic (that i know will be ignored or deleted)..... With the "less than desirable" support i and others have recieved for your GTablet product, why would i spend any more money with you and buy a Ventana??" so now the only place i can post is to the "recomendations" section.
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They banned you for that? Ouch. I'm surprised they haven't deleted my comments yet, then. I figured I was skirting with a ban, but no worries - I'll keep posting there every few days until they do.

roebeet said:
They banned you for that? Ouch. I'm surprised they haven't deleted my comments yet, then. I figured I was skirting with a ban, but no worries - I'll keep posting there every few days until they do.
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thanks... hope someone keeps up the fight!!!

roebeet said:
They banned you for that? Ouch. I'm surprised they haven't deleted my comments yet, then. I figured I was skirting with a ban, but no worries - I'll keep posting there every few days until they do.
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They're not stoopid. You're too high profile to ban. Banning you will cause a fire storm. Just like banning me will cause a fire storm also. And trust me, if I get banned it will definitely go on the front page of my website. And based on how many visitors I get, it will be a PR nightmare for them.

I don't think I will be a blip on their radar, to be honest.
Before their April CS change / support drop / abandonment, I had some pull over there (I think). CS knew me and we had a decent rapport, and I even had the ear of at least one manager over in VS R&D. But something definitely happened in April - I don't know what it was, but my guess is that somebody in middle or upper management looked over the costs and and profit margins for the GTAB, and basically said "cut this one loose". There was a very quick, and very noticeable (at least to me) change in how they treated their GTAB customer base. And, so far, that has not changed yet.
They even had a presence here in XDA, back in December / January. But I haven't seen anyone from VS post here in a VERY long time.

goodintentions/living enzyme, has something happen to your Facebook account? Can't find you on the Facebook campaign page and your posts in the Viewsonic forum has also disappeared. Just want to know if you are interest in being an Admin on the Facebook campaign or can recommend someone here for the job.

I'm having my man period. Very emotionally unstable. Decided to disable my facebook account.
By the way, thanks for condering me. Unfortunately, my life is very busy. My schedule also very erratic. This is not to mention the times I have to sleep on the couch due to monthly biology.

LOL. It's good to have you back.
I had some trouble locating this post. Saw you pop up again on FB and was about to ask again the same thing.
So can you think of any who might be interest in taking over running the campaign? How about this guy/gal? I just never notice him/her before. S/He certainly has the enthusiam.
I feel like I have taken the campaign as far as I can go. Time for some fresh blood.

Keep in mind that there are several layers, here - the one I complain about the most is continued Froyo support. This is also the thing I believe is the most likely to be fixed, especially since there are UAT releases out there, already. It's just a question of the various companies working out their issues and green-lighting it.
The Gingerbread / HC requests are a different animal. The reason why is because it's not just Viewsonic's headache, it's all the other companies that are using a Harmony board, including Notion Ink. NONE of them have source from Nvidia, and none have HC source from either Nvidia or Google. Not that they shouldn't try, of course, but I don't see this happening anytime soon (if at all).
I'd be satisfied with a new fully released and supported Froyo stock ROM, at this point. It would show that Viewsonic and their vendors are still supporting their users - it wouldn't make a big impact here since we modded their ROMs already, but a released 1.2bl that "stuck" would at least push development into that direction even more.

roebeet said:
The Gingerbread / HC requests are a different animal. The reason why is because it's not just Viewsonic's headache, it's all the other companies that are using a Harmony board, including Notion Ink. NONE of them have source from Nvidia, and none have HC source from either Nvidia or Google. Not that they shouldn't try, of course, but I don't see this happening anytime soon (if at all).
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Nickos over at Slatedroid share a similar view as this. To the best of your knowledge, is NVIDIA deliberately withholding Gingerbread or it just so happen that people on Harmony are more interest in getting Honeycomb/tablet OS? Has Notion Ink mention anything about bringing GB to the Adam?

Notion Ink had a GB alpha, but it has the same hardware acceleration issues as CM7. I believe they've since scrapped that and have concentrated on Honeycomb.
I honestly don't know what's going on, but my best guess is that Nvidia doesn't want to put in the resources to support GB on Harmony (no matter what they say in writing). The reason why I feel this way is because there are several vendors affected, and I suspect that Notion Ink, in particular, would want these drivers. But this is only a guess.
It's also possible that Notion Ink is beholden to another company to lean on Nvidia - perhaps Flextronics? We know that Viewsonic has this issue, but not sure about NI. There's a lot about this whole sorry mess that I don't really understand, to be honest.

roebeet said:
Keep in mind that there are several layers, here - the one I complain about the most is continued Froyo support. This is also the thing I believe is the most likely to be fixed, especially since there are UAT releases out there, already. It's just a question of the various companies working out their issues and green-lighting it.
The Gingerbread / HC requests are a different animal. The reason why is because it's not just Viewsonic's headache, it's all the other companies that are using a Harmony board, including Notion Ink. NONE of them have source from Nvidia, and none have HC source from either Nvidia or Google. Not that they shouldn't try, of course, but I don't see this happening anytime soon (if at all).
I'd be satisfied with a new fully released and supported Froyo stock ROM, at this point. It would show that Viewsonic and their vendors are still supporting their users - it wouldn't make a big impact here since we modded their ROMs already, but a released 1.2bl that "stuck" would at least push development into that direction even more.
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As usual, Roebeet, I believe you've nailed it. I realize margins in this stuff is pitiful but it's hard to believe Viewsonic hasn't seen they've done the hard parts already in gearing up a staff to do a Tegra tablet. Get a better screen and be the full featured kindle fire of the line. I think all the 500+ tablets will fail unless they get much more functional, but the 200-300 market is there for the taking if a decent company went after it. Kindle fire and the plethora of manufacturers will make it hard to win, but it is winable. In their defense, I must admit, it all looks like a losing proposition until the field gets trimmed a bit.
And, supporting a full blown Froyo would be a great support step.

Thinking maybe things may change for the better for the gtab once ics source code is released. Hoping we can see that on the gtab with some support from nvidea. I'm just guessing that the reason why HC wasn't released or supported on the gtab was because the source for HC never was released. i know the devs will have better progress with ics since they will have the source with it then they did with HC so I believe one way or another we will get ics on the gtab and hopefully get the support from nvidea or viewsonic back
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App

jbuggydroid said:
Thinking maybe things may change for the better for the gtab once ics source code is released. Hoping we can see that on the gtab with some support from nvidea. I'm just guessing that the reason why HC wasn't released or supported on the gtab was because the source for HC never was released. i know the devs will have better progress with ics since they will have the source with it then they did with HC so I believe one way or another we will get ics on the gtab and hopefully get the support from nvidea or viewsonic back
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
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IThe source code of gingerbread was released also and we still couldn't have a GB rom with hardware acceleration and camera working, so I really dont think that having the source code of ICS will help so much .
Our last hopes are the devs who are working in the development of a fully functional kernel for HC, if they can do it for HC for sure they could do it with ICS...but I'm not too optimisic
Enviado desde mi GT-I9000 usando Tapatalk

Viewsonic Taking Jab At HP

I can't believe that ViewSonic took the time to release a very hypocritical statement about how HP "failed" with their webOS and that they (VS) were "dedicated" to their tablets and other products.
http://www.viewsonic.com/company/news/vs_press_release_526560.htm
I want to know what dictionary they got their warped, backwards definition of "dedication" from.
From the article...
"ViewSonic was among the first manufacturers to introduce a tablet solution back in Q4 2010," said Jeff Volpe, president of ViewSonic Americas. "Since that time, we have rolled out more tablet offerings than any other provider, focusing on particular market demands."
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Hmmm, wonder what tablet that was they introduced in Q4 2010? Oh yeah, the one they haven't wanted to support since 3 months after release. Sounds like their experiment failed more than HP's - at least HP was 100% behind their tablet.

Wow, that's rather brazen of them to reference this tablet and dedication in the same breath.

The press release also reads like it was written by a semi-literate intern. Perhaps their company would be doing better if they hired people who could actually read and write?
Tasteless, tactless, inept twits.
I bought the g tablet for the hardware. Viewsonic was an incidental middle man - I immediately flashed one of the community roms after purchasing (before my first full charge, even) and I haven't looked back since. I'll bet that more than 80% of all g tablet users aren't on the stock rom, and couldn't care less about Viewsonic once the warranty expires.
Where, exactly does "dedication" come into it?

All I can say is...
Pot, meet kettle.

JRowe47 said:
The press release also reads like it was written by a semi-literate intern. Perhaps their company would be doing better if they hired people who could actually read and write?
Tasteless, tactless, inept twits.
I bought the g tablet for the hardware. Viewsonic was an incidental middle man - I immediately flashed one of the community roms after purchasing (before my first full charge, even) and I haven't looked back since. I'll bet that more than 80% of all g tablet users aren't on the stock rom, and couldn't care less about Viewsonic once the warranty expires.
Where, exactly does "dedication" come into it?
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Because we want honeycomb or even gingerbread drivers? They aren't pressuring nvidia enough.
Sent from my Flashback HC-TAB using XDA Forum App

It seems to me like all the pressure has come from the community devs, and Viewsonic is only ever motivated by complaints, instead of having a go-get-em, let's deliver the best product we can! attitude. I could be wrong, but tbh I am rather underwhelmed by Viewsonic.

To be fair the letter is titled with "Windows Tablet Solutions". And there was something about a Microsoft partnership... Perhaps that is why the Gtab is a red-headed, forgotten step-child.
Sent from my Flashback 7.2 using XDA Premium App

WOW.
I actually just posted in another thread about the Touchpad, as was comparing the current issues with our own GTAB issues - there are a lot of similarities here. The dead OS, lack of support and future updates, lack of source code for Android 2.3 / 3.0, which will give developers obstacles as far as hardware acceleration and other specific hardware device drivers. The only difference being is that the GTAB does at least run Froyo, wheras the Touchpad cannot run any Android version (yet).
Viewsonic shouldn't even be bringing this up - if anything else, they are lot more similar to HP than they think they are. And at least HP has owned up that they have dropped the support of the product - I even heard that users who purchased the device in the last 60 days (which is all of them) will be getting partial refunds - Viewsonic, you hearing this? At least HP is doing the right thing for their customer base.
EDIT: Just tweak their own words a bit, from their news release. Notice the similarities --
“Viewsonic's move to launch a tablet with an untested and unsupported (from Google) tablet OS appears to have presented a challenge in marketing their tablet solution. The Froyo TapnTap OS, unfamiliar to both consumers and enterprises, complicated the tablet sales process and thus deemed a failed experiment. "

VS has been ignoring all our inquiries. And yet here they are jumping at the first opportunity to take a jab at HP. This proves that they are watching and reading. They just choose not to respond to us.

This statement speaks volumes about Viewsonic. No one should have any doubt about how shady they are now.

Viewsonic's Tablet support is a joke. The fact that they took that jab at HP is completely rediculous. As mentioned before, at least HP did the right thing and has a channel open to their consumers. That's more than Viewsonic has done. And HP is offering to refund the difference between what consumers paid and the clearance price or give them a full refund. That makes me wish I had bought it instead of the GTab. That's something I'll take into consideration when making my next Tablet purchase.