Related
Thanx to the XDA community for your support - Via @ViewSonic on Twitter!
Nice work guys!!!
It's things like this that make me so furious that I'm not the one calling the shots at ViewSonic. They are sitting on a gold mine right now but it's covered in feces and only devs/techies can see it.
No political tie is worth the amount of $$ they are losing on this product right now (the only logical reason I can think of for them to keep TapNTap alive) and all they have to do is release it with a ROM comparable to VegaN or hell even stock android and these things wouldn't be able to stay on shelves more than 5 minutes.
ViewSonic PLEASE get your sh*t together and release s/w that truly shows off the capabilities of this amazing hardware!!!
teleknEsis said:
It's things like this that make me so furious that I'm not the one calling the shots at ViewSonic. They are sitting on a gold mine right now but it's covered in feces and only devs/techies can see it.
No political tie is worth the amount of $$ they are losing on this product right now (the only logical reason I can think of for them to keep TapNTap alive) and all they have to do is release it with a ROM comparable to VegaN or hell even stock android and these things wouldn't be able to stay on shelves more than 5 minutes.
ViewSonic PLEASE get your sh*t together and release s/w that truly shows off the capabilities of this amazing hardware!!!
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Dude, chill the F out. Viewsonic just acknowledged that the software mods are a good thing, that they -might- open the possibility of uninstalling TnT, and most important, they're releasing the kernel sources this week.
They're giving the community the tools, giving Staples the Finger on the internet, and are saying "our hardware is badass and you guys are making us proud of our product. Go Community!".
So chill out.
cybik said:
Dude, chill the F out. Viewsonic just acknowledged that the software mods are a good thing, that they -might- open the possibility of uninstalling TnT, and most important, they're releasing the kernel sources this week.
They're giving the community the tools, giving Staples the Finger on the internet, and are saying "our hardware is badass and you guys are making us proud of our product. Go Community!".
So chill out.
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First of all, your icon reminds me of something: When is Rush's new album coming out?
Though articulated in a crude manner, the points are valid. The device should not have been released as is and the FW package was a dysfunctional mess. Staples reacted to the high returns and incurred costs due to those returns- I would have done the same thing. There are more products than just this tablet to be concerned about (as I am sure you appreciate).
The grand question still remains: The CEO stated no "layers" over Android, yet the antithesis of such a position was released. Tap UI is hands down, the WORST Android layer published by a company and the hardware simply did not work correctly. Due to hardware specific to each device, some form of interface is needed so everything works... but Tap UI--- DANG!
A first product release by a company in a newer market should set a good example- that is KEY to gaining marketshare in newer markets. Well, that and price point Using the excuse that "another OEM" made the product can be used for about 90% of current consumer electronics. VS can not use the excuse- consumers are indifferent to this.
I think VS needs some props too. I mean they messed up releasing a messed up device but in a little less than 3 months they have tried to fix it. How many times have companies that said they'd release an update (albeit a sorry one) on a certain date but fail to do so. Not sure what happened to the flash update but still the effort is there which should at least give them some of their integrity back, right?
Now if they really do release the kernel source this week, I'd say they are ok in my book.
cybik said:
Dude, chill the F out. Viewsonic just acknowledged that the software mods are a good thing, that they -might- open the possibility of uninstalling TnT, and most important, they're releasing the kernel sources this week.
They're giving the community the tools, giving Staples the Finger on the internet, and are saying "our hardware is badass and you guys are making us proud of our product. Go Community!".
So chill out.
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Yes finally they are taking a step in the right direction and listening to the people but it took staples pulling the rug out from under them for it to happen. Regardless, mad props to ViewSonic for acting quickly and other oems should be playing close attention right now *cousamsunggh*
Well I hope they follow through with their promises. I hate seeing good products falling by the wayside. Once modified I can't keep this thing in my control as wife and kids use over their laptops! Viewsonic owes the developers a nod of thanks.
Pretty damn cool a big company even acknowledges us. No matter what we're a very small % of the market. In fact, most companies intentionally lock us out.
I just bought a G Tablet today at Sears, thanks to the XDA community (the ONLY reason I chose it). I went to my local Staples first to see if they had one to demo, and of course I was told they were recalled and couldn't sell them even if they hadn't sent them all back yet. So they lost my business to the only Sears (one of about 20) in my area I could find that actually had one in stock.
Why aren't mainstream tech websites mentioning the gtab? It didn't even make it to most of the top 10 lists. Is there a conspiracy to downplay the effectiveness of the gtab once it's rooted and flashed? I've used the update viewsonic provided and even that has made the gtab totally awesome.
I'm just puzzled why the modding and hacking communities are the only ones recognizing the potential and power of this machine. None of the tech websites is mentioning anything about the potential behind this tablet. It's mind boggling. Even viewsonic has decided to stop supporting it. Why?
goodintentions said:
Why aren't mainstream tech websites mentioning the gtab? It didn't even make it to most of the top 10 lists. Is there a conspiracy to downplay the effectiveness of the gtab once it's rooted and flashed? I've used the update viewsonic provided and even that has made the gtab totally awesome.
I'm just puzzled why the modding and hacking communities are the only ones recognizing the potential and power of this machine. None of the tech websites is mentioning anything about the potential behind this tablet. It's mind boggling. Even viewsonic has decided to stop supporting it. Why?
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Cnet, PC magazine, mobile magazine and PC world have. It seems they have Apple stock they are banking on so they are plugging ipad. Notice every other commercial was ipad now its Xoom.
Those type entities like to cattle-herd consumers in certain directions for maximum profitability of those who are paying for advertising on their sites. GTab is a sleeper tab and although they down played it many are still buying as of late in mass quantity. It is selling by word of mouth by satisfied buyers. The very best advertising the kind you don't have to buy. Interesting to watch them change their reviews. Check out cnet for a laugh.
I think primarily because it doesn't come from one of the "big" companies like Motorola, Samsung, or HTC. There wasn't much of a push by Viewsonic advertising wise to put this thing in the spotlight and when it first came out it was lamented for it's poor viewing angles and horrible custom UI. Sure the product has improved immensely since launch by way of updates and custom ROMs but it's hard to shake off that initial impression. Right now many people see it as just another android 2.2 tablet.
It's all about Marketing, I'm sure. The Xoom is a media darling because Motorola has paid lots of money to make sure of that -- ie. the Superbowl commercial.
And Apple's Marketing juggernaut is legendary.
edirector said:
Cnet, PC magazine, mobile magazine and PC world have.
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Yeah, they did a quick review of the gtab when it first came out late last year basically saying it sux and then they haven't said anything else since.
Check out cnet for a laugh.
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What do you mean? I just went to it. Didn't see anything different.
Here's an example of how much the GTAB is ignored
GTAB has had OTG access since Day One, even with the crappy software. The Xoom did not, when it was released.
So, I happened to find an OTG cable in my Bag of Carp and ported the GTAB config changes and init changes to the Xoom. I am not a dev by any means, but it was fairly easy to do, given my experience here - maybe an hour of work to port, test and then release.
The darn thing ended up on Engadget. The ONLY mod I've ever done that's made it to Engadget.
As happy as I was to see it get advertised, I had to scratch my head and wonder why my other mods, which required a LOT more work, and even the rest of the developers here have gotten zero recognition on sites like that. I know gojimi made it to Engadget once, but it was due to his Adam apps that he ported, not his GTAB ROMs.
Maybe the Woot! sale and subsequent $299 sales will finally give the GTablet the visibility it deserves.
I wonder if the larger "mainstream" publications shy away from anything ROM related (and probably root too).
I'm a woot-er waiting for mine still, but from all I've read, TnT out-of-the-box pretty much sucks and you have to be willing to do the flashing, etc to get it to a more useful state. So, since it's not a good tablet without a newly flashed ROM, this isn't really a great device for the general consumer.
That said, I'd think you'd see it get more play on more techy oriented websites that wouldn't be avoiding discussion of ROMs.
roebeet said:
Maybe the Woot! sale and subsequent $299 sales will finally give the GTablet the visibility it deserves.
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They haven't taken any notice of the woot deal, either when it was on, or now, even w the 10k sales in one day. Funny thing is when the Samsung Galaxy players went on sale in Korea, and apparently sold 10k in one day, that made news all over the place. That should tell you everything.
Jim
All journalists have a hive instinct.
jimcpl said:
They haven't taken any notice of the woot deal, either when it was on, or now, even w the 10k sales in one day. Funny thing is when the Samsung Galaxy players went on sale in Korea, and apparently sold 10k in one day, that made news all over the place. That should tell you everything.
Jim
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Yeah, the $299.99 16GB iPad from Verizon also made front page news on Engadget this past week.
goodintentions said:
Yeah, they did a quick review of the gtab when it first came out late last year basically saying it sux and then they haven't said anything else since.
What do you mean? I just went to it. Didn't see anything different.
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It moved up a half star.
chrishaw said:
I'm a woot-er waiting for mine still, but from all I've read, TnT out-of-the-box pretty much sucks and you have to be willing to do the flashing, etc to get it to a more useful state. So, since it's not a good tablet without a newly flashed ROM, this isn't really a great device for the general consumer.
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The last OTA actually made it faster and more functional. I would say to anyone getting a new gtab to give the stock a shot for a day or two. I was a totally different experience from when I first picked up a gtab to playing withe the latest OTA at office Max this weekend.
Sent from my Chromatic Magic using XDA Premium App
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.
A few months ago, during the whole nVidia Harmony forum post fiasco, there seemed to be a pretty decent campaign by some members of XDA and other forums to get Viewsonic to support their product. That caused them to (at least temporarily) release the 1.2 branch.
This helped push forward ROMs by Roebeet and others. The future looked bright for Honeycomb on the Harmony platform.
Now, after asking a question on their Twitter post today, I am not so sure about Viewsonic's commitment to support a product that still has a lot of potential.
Here is the Twitter timeline:
ViewSonic
What do YOU use your tablet for the most? Tell us on Facebook! on.fb.me/ViewSonicCorp
tomsliwowski
@ViewSonic I'd love to use my GTab for Honeycomb. Are you ever going to support the GTab at all?
ViewSonic
@tomsliwowski The GTablet was never promoted as a Honeycomb product. There are multiple business and technical issues with both nVidia
ViewSonic
@tomsliwowski and Google that prevent later versions of the Android OS from being implemented on the GTablet.
tomsliwowski
@ViewSonic I'm sorry but that is simply not true. Customers of yours on XDA, SlateDroid and TabletROMs have versions of HC running.
ViewSonic
@tomsliwowski There are 3rd party companies that have hacked the device, however, Honeycomb is not support by ViewSonic on the gTablet.
tomsliwowski
@ViewSonic All they need is for you to release Harmony drivers which nVidia already publicly stated they will provide upon request from you
ViewSonic
@tomsliwowski For further support on this matter, please contact the gTablet support team at (310) 228-4000.
Frankly I didn't expect them to reply to me and to offload the blame to their partners that quickly. I know that if they don't put at least a fully working (i.e. minimally buggy) official 2.2 ROM I will not even consider Viewsonic for future hardware purchases.
Time to get on Twitter
Maybe ask Tom about an article on Viewsonic's commitment to the Gtab, on their own website.
viewsonic.com/company/news/vs_press_release_443666.htm
viewsonic is right on the first part but wrong when they dont provide the drivers
Well, this is a bummer.
Maybe we should be talking to Malata instead of Viewsonic.
Well if you want to make a vow to never buy another Viewsonic product do it now. Here is my hand, I pledge to never buy another Viewsonic product again.
Let's not just vow not to buy, we need to all start calling, emailing viewsonic, make sure you let them know you indend to not only stop buying their products but to also stop reccomending them to friends, family, customers, random people on the street. Let's tie up their phone lines, email and twitter accounts with our vocal displeasure.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I tried this with HP. My Dv6000 laptop was part of a whole batch of bad laptops. Not just dv6000 but a ton of the dv lines. Basically the laptops all overheated and eventually died within 1-2 years of use or less. I called, emailed, did everything and HP basically told me to eff off. I paid $1200 for the laptop as well. Companies suck these days. I will never buy an HP computer ever again because of this. So at least they are losing the customer and I do bad mouth them to people looking at computers because of how bad their customer service is. Google Dv6000 overheat 3 beeps, etc and you'll just see how many people out there had the same problem. HP are crooks.
To who it may concern,,,
The following is a letter that I emailed, faxed, snail mailed and posted on their forum:
I am or should I say was a loyal ViewSonic customer. That was until I learned that ViewSonic would not only release a version of HoneyComb for the GTablet, but that you would also not assist the development community in their endeavors to create at least a working HoneyComb-like OS by releasing the Harmony driver sets per Nvidia. Now I know who ever receives this will probably initially discount this as the ravings of one disgruntled customer. I would ask that you consider the following:
1) I am a techie. As such I enjoy big ticket techie items. I am in the market for a large screen television. Guess who I will no longer consider? You're now probably thinking, "Big deal so we lose one customer."
2) Also consider this, as a techie a lot of my friends and family often refer to my judgement on ALL things technical including purchases of electronics.
3) Oh yeah, I also posted this letter on every forum and blog that I am a member of. At last count we are talking 82 sites world wide.
Good luck in your future endeavors.
Signed,
A former customer
Never Again
Never again, I say, to viewsonic. That company is a rip off, and even if they improved their ethics, I will not buy. As long as I have self respect, I will not give them one cent, because I will not allow myself to be treated like I am worthless and alive only to service those a**'s. Already, I declined to buy a 24" monitor simply because it has the viewsonic brand.
My Pledge - 30 tweets in 30 days @viewsonic, with a msg similar to No customer care, no product support, cant be trusted, never make that mistake again, boycott, boycott, boycott, remember the gTab.
It would be really cool if at least five or ten people on this site joined in with me.
I too thought the same way when i purchased a Gtab. I am now rooted with Alpha Bottle Of Smoke rom and love it! all the honeycomb i want
I went ahead and sent a tweet @ViewSonic as well, asking them if they will ever provide support for a current or future Android OS
Im hoping they will eventually release an update and bring us up to at least gingerbread...
maybe we will get lucky and they will update the GTab with ice cream sandwich...
im expecting nothing though and hoping for something
Swaggasaurus said:
I too thought the same way when i purchased a Gtab. I am now rooted with Alpha Bottle Of Smoke rom and love it! all the honeycomb i want
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Except for hardware acceleration which is a big deal
Sent from my GtabComb using Tapatalk
I think we might be better off hounding Andrew over at Nvidia for the drivers. He didnt want to give out any Google files but it sounded like he could help with the Nvidia stuff. Now that HC is ported maybe he can help with the drivers.
What's a good email address for viewsonic?
we should all just blow them up.
Swaggasaurus said:
I too thought the same way when i purchased a Gtab. I am now rooted with Alpha Bottle Of Smoke rom and love it! all the honeycomb i want
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Does the Bottle of Smoke Rom allow USB access for transferring files and MicroSD card access?
If so, I will definitely check it out.
I had an interesting Chat conversation with Viewsonic technical support this evening. I knew that Viewsonic doesn't handle the tech support of the Gtablet any longer, but didn't want the support guy, Aljhon (I called him AL) to know that I knew that.
I simply wanted to ask him if Viewsonic was planning on releasing any other firmware updates for the stock TNT Firmware.
his Answer:
"Actually, have dedicated department that supports our G-Tablets. We do not have any information for Gtablet here."
"You may contact them directly at 310-228-4000 between 9AM-5PM PST, Monday through Friday."
I know that is US Merchants contact information, and figured he would probably provide it. I expanded my questioning, explaining that I didn't have any issues with the Gtablet and htat it works fine, just htat I was simply wanting to know if the development team had any plans to update the stock firmware any time soon.
"Honestly Mr. Evans, I would really glad to assist you regarding this but I do no have any information here in my resources."
I made the point that the Tablets are still selling, with the Viewsonic name on the back, and the Viewsonic logo shown at startup...
" I am unable to answer your concern because we do not have any information here for Gtablet."
then he just kept barking the "dedicated department" BS to me with US Merchants phone number.
Why was this conversation important? It says, to me at least, that Viewsonic has indeed abandoned this product. Their support team doesn't have "any information" regarding it. If they were planning on providing a stock firmware update, then that informaiton should be available, right? By stating that he doesn't have ANY information, I took it as Viewsonic washing their hands of the Gtablet, and letting it remain at the latest released firmware (1.1.3588).
I informed him that I would never recommend a Viewsonic product to anyone I know...though now, it seems that US Merchants has their stock, and is the only company profitting from Gtablets.
I highly doubt that US Merchants is developing anything, nor even has the resources to request anything that the community wants. Their contact was Viewsonic, and Viewsonic had the contacts.
Gtablet 1.1.3588 is the farthest that this thing will go, with support from it's manufacturer...
Why dont we start a petition and link it to viewsonics forums. Let the world speak. And that makes 10!
DKS1282 said:
Why dont we start a petition and link it to viewsonics forums. Let the world speak. And that makes 10!
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Because petitions don't mean anything if the other side doesn't listen. All VS has to do is ignore us and time will make people forget about us.
Unfortunately, I do not think that the number of disatisfied g-tablet users will affect them globally enough to change their stand.
We got a tablet with similar hardware at a much cheaper price and I would say that you get what you pay for.
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
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