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A quick background about me: I started looking at picking up a tablet around the end of December for my January birthday. I'm a huge Android fanboi, and have been toying around with/incessantly ROMing my rooted Droid1 for over a year now, so I wanted to step it up a notch and get a tablet that had a reasonably large development backing. And then I found out about the G-tablet. It seemed an almost unobtainable mix of top-of-the-line specs along with hackable software. I had to act on it. I convinced my mom that this was the ONLY thing I wanted for my birthday, and all that I asked for was a nominal (less than 1/4) assistance toward the purchase of the $380 device. She agreed, and I excitedly bought my G-Tab about a week and a half ago. Since then, I've been completely unable to tear myself away from this forum; the activeness of the development community here for the G-Tab is even greater than I imagined, and on an almost daily basis I find a new reason to spend more and more time here (hello Notion Ink ports/forthcoming Honeycomb ports!!!). You guys are seriously a wonderful and brilliant community. I'm sincerely thankful for the great group of people who are significantly smarter than me and are able to do incredible things with such an incredible piece of hardware. I got this device because it was about as hackable a piece of hardware as one could get, and while the development portion of that hackability could have led to a lot of frustration and disappointment, it has MORE THAN met my expectations. As a result, I've got a rooted, custom ROM'd device with a Hulu hack, full market hack, and Swype hack. I honestly couldn't have possibly extracted more value out of a $380 purchase in any theoretical world, and I attribute that all to you, the active developers here.
I know this is my first post and I'm a total n00b, but I really do appreciate what all of you devs have done here, and I wanted to let you all know that.
Thanks, sincerely.
Very nice first post and welcome to Gtab Android Heaven!
Thanks a lot :-D. I hope to one day contribute to this active and robust community. Cheers.
Welcome, not too many people ever say thanks, always *****ing about something not working. Some of these people here are scary smart!
If you have been molesting a droid for over a year, you are nowhere NEAR the n00b I was when I got my Gtab a few weeks ago. I had only seen a couple of droid phones in person, but I liked what I saw. Droid users I have shown my Gtab to have been really impressed with it. The most common comment is "damn that's fast!" (I am running Vegan and loving it.)
And you are so right about these fora, lots of sharp folks here with good instructions (if you are careful to follow them) for just about anything you might need to squeeze onto the tab. I also have yet to see anyone get ugly in a thread like you see in so many other places.
A supportive development community like this can change a lot of things and I am glad to have found it!
Nice post. I like you, was hardly active here at all until I discovered the g tablet. I have since been barely able to tear myself away from the g tablet forum here. A sincere thanks from me as well to the guys doing the hard work making these tablets what they are.
4rs fed said:
Welcome, not too many people ever say thanks, always *****ing about something not working.
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LOL! So true.
If you got half a lick of sense and take the time to do your research (before asking stupid or repetitive questions) this community will bend over backwards to help you. I spent about a year researching tablets and when the g-tablet hit this site I realized it's potential and knew it was time to dive in. I've never owned an Android device until buying the g-tab Mid December and the amount I've learned from the smart folks here is phenominal, and i still feel like a noob. Each day is a new learning experience. Kick back and enjoy the ride!
Im Another noob who has purchased a G-Tab because of the fact that so many of you Devs are doing such a great job with this tablet and sharing your efforts with all the rest of us noobs.
Up till around 2 months ago id had basically no contact with Android other than i knew it was a mobile phone OS by Google. Had never seen it, basically knew nothing about it other than its name.
I had been here to XDA before as i used to own a Dopod mobile phone, and i was using a windows mobile rom from here.
So i was so happy to see that the ipad had started a great new tablet trend (not a ipad fan, but realise if it wasnt for the ipad, the current trend may never have happened). So i was excited when Tablets started kicking off, always wanted one. So i started searching for an alternative to the ipad.
The first tablet i almost bought was a "WeTab", a German 11.6 inch made tablet, it sounded great on paper, great specs, but after i started reading the user reviews, i decided that it wasnt the right tablet for me. Weak touch screen and poor software support put me off.
So i kept looking for the right tablet to get, after a while i settled between either the Gtat, or the Archos. I wanted a 10 inch and these both looked like great tablets. The software review for the G-tab were not good at all, but the hardware specs looked better to me than the Archos.
Since ive been using PC's for almost 20 years now i knew full well Viewsonic was a good brand name, and even if they didnt manufacture the products, it was the quality that went with the name that made me consider the G-tab.
But it wasnt till i checked XDA to see if you guys were doing anything with the G-tab that i realised that thanks to you guys the weak ended software side of the G-tab was not a real issue. That you guys had taken the G-Tab and made it a monster in the jungle
I ordered 1 from Amazon, which i learned i could by one from a thread here, and around 2 weeks later it turned up. Ive been having a ball messing with it ever since, Android is great, and you guys make it even greater.
Sorry if i rambled a bit here but i just wanted to say "THANK YOU" for all you guys have done for myself and the rest of us noobs
Echoing the thank yous as the community is the reason I got this tablet when I did.
Yeah, echoing as well. I bought the device only after I knew that you were out there to make the software issue into a non-issue. I use my tablet only a daily basis for both my work and my pleasure. I wouldn't be able to do either without the great stuff you guys have done. Much appreciated.
Another me to reply. Forgot where i first saw the gTab, but after reading here for a couple of weeks, i found mine at Sears for $379, plus the rebate for the free dock.
Without all of the tremendous resources on this forum, i would have missed out on this journey. I have tried all of the ROMs, and have settled on the Vegan 5.1b rom for now.
Thanks again to all of the developers,and to the non-developers, this would not have bee possible without your persistence in testing these roms and asking the what if questions.
I'll echo the same sentiment. Frankly I would probably not have bought the gtab if I had not come across this forum and all the people here who have been working to make it a better product.
Thx to all of you.
I also would like to add a big thanks for all this incredible info & apps.these dev have added to the gtab and other devices. Again Thanks, J.
Stock gTab.
Gonna go ahead and throw out my THANKS to the Devs here and those all around XDA. I have spent more time on XDA since getting my Hero a year and a half ago,then my Evo when it came out, and now wasting away on my G Tab. Wife loves the tab so much I had to get her one. Both of ours were rooted the day we got em.. entirely because this community!
I look forward to seeing what the next big rom is for the G Tab! (Running VEGAn now, hopefully someone releases a Honeycomb rom in the next couple weeks!!)
I am going to purchase a tablet ASAP. I have been waiting and looking for something to come out that is just the one, but that has not come. I waited forever for the Xoom but the price is staggering in my opinion. I have come back to the Viewsonic G Tablet for the reason that it is pretty fast and thanks to you guys the rooting seems to make it show its muscles. That being said I would like to know that this is a good purchase and that I am not making a mistake. I also would like to know about the rooting and which one works the best for this unit. Also, after being rooted how hard is it to update the system. I am a noob at these units so please understand I am just searching for answers. Oh, and can you run torrent programs on tablets?
Thanks
I guess really what you need to do is make a list of available tablets. Then base the decision on the best price point via hardware/support. I think one of the main things that makes the G-tablet shine is XDA and its developers. But as in all electronic inevitability, its only good as the people behind it. I got my G-Tablet because it was going to be one of the cheapest tablets out there, its what I could afford. Are there better ones out there, well yes and no just depends on what your going to be doing with it. Know the devices faults. Don't listen to reviews, most will give you a half-ass answers, play with the device in person if you can. Thats all I can really help with, do research make sure you get the most bang for the buck. And above all else, good luck and I hope you enjoy your future purchase, it's your decision
RedbullSushi said:
I am going to purchase a tablet ASAP. I have been waiting and looking for something to come out that is just the one, but that has not come. I waited forever for the Xoom but the price is staggering in my opinion. I have come back to the Viewsonic G Tablet for the reason that it is pretty fast and thanks to you guys the rooting seems to make it show its muscles. That being said I would like to know that this is a good purchase and that I am not making a mistake. I also would like to know about the rooting and which one works the best for this unit. Also, after being rooted how hard is it to update the system. I am a noob at these units so please understand I am just searching for answers. Oh, and can you run torrent programs on tablets?
Thanks
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The only real issues I have with my GTAB is the viewing angles since I like to stream Neflix and Hulu and the sort via "Playon". It's not so good unless you have it facing you near direct
Also, the PDMI port is only for use with a dock (until someone puts out a PDMI to HDMI cable).
The great things about the GTAB is the hardware, this thing is virtually unbrickable. Believe me I have bricked it and was able to bring it back from the cold dark black screen that makes you think this thing is a goner!!
Performance is TOP NOTCH, Aside from some glitches with the custom roms its very responsive. And thanks to the Fantastic Dev-Nation we have here at XDA this thing has gotten a lot of love!
Battery life is amazing, I get 12+ hrs of use even after watching three 2 hour movies back to back to back!.
Torrents are supported, I have used "tTorrent Lite" to aquire a few things though as with most torrents speed is questionable and even more so with the tablet.
Rooting this device is very easy, "z4Root" will do it in a tap.. (Litterally)
ROM? I use VEGAn 5.1 Beta (without the 5.1.1 supplement patch)
Others here like, TnT Lite, and there are variants of CM7 floating around. Some are Officially supported and others are not.
The GTAB can be a Fantastic device provided you are willing to make the effort it takes to transform it from "Out of the Box CRAP" to the magnificant device it was meant be.
So unless you have issues with viewing angles (as many do), can aquire a dock to stream AV to an output of your choice, are frightfull of modding, then perhaps this device is not for you.
Hey I really appreciate the posts. I am not afraid to mod the device at all, as a matter of fact I find that half the reason for getting this tablet. It is going to be for fun so I am looking forward to learning more. I feel that technology is something I am always chasing and pushing into areas like this helps to keep me young in this area. I think this solves my issue and I will get my unit ordered today. I still have the question of a torrent program. That is something I heard you can do with Android.
Thanks again guys for the helpfull posts. I appreciate it very much.
DVDFab
I've said this before on another thread but if you plan on purchasing the DVDFab software with all the bells and whistles do a google search for tarzan media. I've bought it from them for less than $40 with free lifetime upgrades.
It is by far the easiest, most flexible dvd ripping/converting app I've ever used.
Edit: posted on wrong thread somehow... Sorry.
Being that you have brought up ripping......are you ripping and burning to dvd from a tablet, or what? This is a new thought being that I was not aware of an external burner plugging into the unit. Please fill me in on this or did I just misunderstand.
thanks
What if i said you could get the GTab for $300 shipped?
I was also going to wait and see how that Tablet Market plays out.
Then I heard about and posted this: Available from SearsOutlet for $279
RedbullSushi said:
Being that you have brought up ripping......are you ripping and burning to dvd from a tablet, or what? This is a new thought being that I was not aware of an external burner plugging into the unit. Please fill me in on this or did I just misunderstand.
thanks
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Oops, somehow my post got in the wrong thread. But, since you asked...
No, I am not using my gTab for ripping or burning; just viewing.
I ordered mine today. I took the advice of a member and bought a used/like new in original packaging for 327. I thought that was a good price. I will be researching the ROM loading now while I wait. If any of you guys have good easy instructions or tips please feel free to post or PM me.
Thanks
Wow... Did I pick the wrong phone to get this year? Every phone Ive had since I started getting smartphones has had some community around it that has developed roms. It seems like the Q hit the scene and got lost. Everyone is either on the galaxy III or EVO LTE. Or is it just difficult or something to make roms for this phone.
Maybe my desire to have a hardware keyboard is getting outdated... I remember when the epic came out and sold out nearly immediately just because of all the people who wanted a hard keyboard.
I guess Im just disappointed ... thanks for paying attention for a moment,
Wow... that's a nice first post introducing yourself to the community...
Maybe a little research before purchasing would have helped you make a better decision?
This phones dev is in it's infancy, most qwerty phones take off a bit slow, see where this one is in a year.
-Saint
Another thing to consider (and I think others have voiced this previously here or something similar)....at least compared to the Epic, this phone doesn't have the innate motivational outright must-have *need* for ROM development and such, for one simple reason: while not saying the phone is perfect, by and large, the phone just simply works and works well on stock alone. As many reviews attested from launch, its also about as close to AOSP in stock form as you're likely to see from a major US carrier with little built-in bloat.
None of that is to say that ROM development wouldn't make it better or isn't desirable by any stretch, but at the same time, there isn't really a general sense of urgency about it either as compared to examples we've all experienced in the past. Hopefully that's due to Google's influence taking hold over Motorola and continues going forward as well.
fallnSaint said:
Wow... that's a nice first post introducing yourself to the community...
Maybe a little research before purchasing would have helped you make a better decision?
This phones dev is in it's infancy, most qwerty phones take off a bit slow, see where this one is in a year.
-Saint
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Sorry? I didn't realize I needed to introduce myself everytime I get a new phone. I may not post very often, but I have been here for a while. Sadly, my ability to do anything with making roms is very limited and I havent had the time to learn much more than how to root and put in new roms. At the moment Im leery of rooting this phone due to the whole "Void your warranty" thing that motorola has. It may not matter at all since I have insurance, I dont know.
PythonFanTN said:
Another thing to consider (and I think others have voiced this previously here or something similar)....at least compared to the Epic, this phone doesn't have the innate motivational outright must-have *need* for ROM development and such, for one simple reason: while not saying the phone is perfect, by and large, the phone just simply works and works well on stock alone. As many reviews attested from launch, its also about as close to AOSP in stock form as you're likely to see from a major US carrier with little built-in bloat.
None of that is to say that ROM development wouldn't make it better or isn't desirable by any stretch, but at the same time, there isn't really a general sense of urgency about it either as compared to examples we've all experienced in the past. Hopefully that's due to Google's influence taking hold over Motorola and continues going forward as well.
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Fair enough, I suppose I did note that I wasn't having much issues. I guess I just got used to getting a new phone and seeing new roms up almost the same week. Thats happened on the last four phones ive had. I may just have to bite the bullet and just unlock my bootloader so that I can root and use it again. I really am only missing one item that I want, but as mentioned above, Im a bit leery on the "void your warranty" to unlock the phone. I was a little put off by the "no drm content" warning too, but then again, I dont usually watch movies on my phone... just lots of crunchyroll.
kilmarac said:
Sorry? I didn't realize I needed to introduce myself everytime I get a new phone. I may not post very often, but I have been here for a while. Sadly, my ability to do anything with making roms is very limited and I havent had the time to learn much more than how to root and put in new roms. At the moment Im leery of rooting this phone due to the whole "Void your warranty" thing that motorola has. It may not matter at all since I have insurance, I dont know.
Fair enough, I suppose I did note that I wasn't having much issues. I guess I just got used to getting a new phone and seeing new roms up almost the same week. Thats happened on the last four phones ive had. I may just have to bite the bullet and just unlock my bootloader so that I can root and use it again. I really am only missing one item that I want, but as mentioned above, Im a bit leery on the "void your warranty" to unlock the phone. I was a little put off by the "no drm content" warning too, but then again, I dont usually watch movies on my phone... just lots of crunchyroll.
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First post in a new forum acts as your intro imo. We are working towards some roms, just a bit slow going atm.
As for the official unlock, have you looked at this:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1942243
Can't say I have ever used a warranty having insurance, but may put some of your concerns to rest.
-Saint
Well I look at this one of two ways...
Either you a) help make those ROM's that come out within a week of the device's release or b) wait for others to release them.
I am usually in the B category, as the most I've done previously was help test and write scripts... I'm attempting to be in the A category myself, but it's not working out real well (as you can tell...)
So, unless you can help, I suggest you continue to wait. It will come, just give it time... the hardware is solid, and I don't see any issue getting CM9 singing. CM10/other stuff will have to wait IMHO until official JB - unless some other breakthru is made, which would be great.
Regardless, patience is a virtue. Everyone is doing this in their free time, for no profit. I hope to have something fruitful in the near future, but I have very little help and am still learning the ropes of Android development in general...
I was contemplating getting init.d working for us, but I think I'll wait a bit longer. League of Legends is calling me.
Seriously though, the ROMs will start flowing when people find issues with what we have now. And since what we have now is as close to stock as it gets with manufacturer skins, people are pretty satisfied. I know I sure am, otherwise I'd have cooked something up already.
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2
Hello Community
I come to you today in dire need of some advice/help PLEASE.
I know it comes down to me but I feel I had to do this to assist me in a decision that has to made possibly withing a few hours. So Im askng for your help in a short time. Im not 100% sure I have to make it today but Im pretty sure, I might have 48 extra hrs but i wont know that until a little later on. My hopes are high that when the time comes You all will have helped in making my decision a little easier.
Ok.
Here is a quick overview.
I love the tech game. In the last few years Iv grown more and more fond of it. Love phones tablets Android. Gaming I would put below the others only because I havent had a system in a few years. Not because I didnt want a game system, whether it was money or i was into something else, I just never found myself buying one lately.
I never had a PS3 or an XBOX. last system was the Ps2 and i got rid of it a few Xmas's ago because I was not playing it. But now the PS3 and the 360 are out there and I can feel a 'want; for one of those systems to play online,to enjoy everything they have to offer.
I also want that Note2 BAD. it looks so sick,
Right now I have the GalaxyNexus(vzw)32gb. a Nexus7 16gb and a Kindle Fire Hd coming for xmas
The phone is perfectly fine. Its only 6 months old. Im being perfectly honest when i say I have a phone that does all i need it to, I one of if not the best 7inch tab out right and I have a 3rd coming. Would all this tell me I dont need another phone/tablet? YES. But im also telling my self that if I get the Note2,IT WILL BE A REPLACEMENT FOR ALL 3 OF THOSE DEVICES! AND I CAN SELL THEM!
I just dont know what to do. I am THE WORST when it comes to making decisions like this, Ill make a decision then ALWAYS second guess myself after.
btw I didnt know this until recently, I was planning on paying 289 or 299, however much the main carriers are selling it for but I see thats its $178 some places
then, if I decide to go with a system and not the phone, i wont know which one to get. LOL I know im terrible.:fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:
So guys if you can shed ANY light at all on my situation, I would appreciate SO SO much.:fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:
thanks for taking the time to read. :fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:
Hello! First off, thanks for having an awesome website like this, and forums full of help!
So as the thread title states, I'm looking for someone to video chat with so I can ask a bunch of questions. I am a slow reader, and have some eye strain issues, so I tend to avoid reading like the plague; so looking through lots of forum threads for each piece of information isn't a great option for me. The other reason why a vid-Q&A session would help me is because I really am pretty ignorant on most of this fancy cell-phone type of stuff, and may have a huge range of questions, from basic definitions, to device-specific possibilities, to program choices, etc. I don't do well learning stuff from reading, and am much more of a discussion-learner. Also, typing back-and-forth is also very time consuming, so I'm not huge on that sort q&a either (though obviously, if someone's willing to spend time helping me out, I'm appreciative of whatever way they help). Finally, the big crunch factor is time. I have 6 days to return this device, and I think I'll need more time than that (due to my schedule) to figure everything out on my own forum-searching. So I'm humbly asking if someone is available and willing to spend their time to make my work easier. I'd be greatly appreciative!
I need someone who speaks English. I'm in the Eastern time zone (US East coast). Please PM me if you're able to help!
Some of my question topics:
I bought a 'new' T-Mobile Galaxy S3 T999. But I'm seeing indications that the device is rooted or something. True?
Is my device disabled from downloading any updates, or just an issue with Samsung holding the current update?
The Root Explorer app shows all options in some oriental language. Is there a way to change that?
***When dialing to make a call, my older phone would allow me to search by name (so I'd hit 5646 and anyone named John, and other possible names would show up as options). My new phone doesn't do this, and I don't see an option anywhere for it. Is there a simple way to change this? (This is the question which started my search in the first place, bringing me here).
All Galaxy S3s are basically the same hardware? The only difference really in how things play out is the programming/OS?
My device has 4.1.2 T999UVDMD5. I read (here: ___support.t-mobile___.com/thread/44716___) that this OS is pretty crappy, and he's happy with the one he replaced it with. I need help figuring out whether switching up my OS is right for me, or no. I do see some lag in performance, and a bit of quick battery eating. Also not so happy with minor changes to the keyboard.
Where can I find layman's definitions of terms that people are throwing around? Like ROM, Firmware, Flashing, Odin, Kernel, etc. I assume that if I'm going to mess with my phone, I should know these things.
If all phones are created equal, and can be stripped down and dressed back up to function as desired, would it make more sense to return my $350 new S3 (non-contract), and buy a used one in good condition from Swappa for $200-300, and rework it?
Is buying from swappa safe? Seems kinda sketchy to me, in terms of reliability for returning a product if needed.
Like I said, lots of questions all over the place. Thanks in advance for reading and any help you can give! (especially to any tech guru's who aren't camera shy.