Related
I got some extra money to blow...Nook color or Gtab?
\oo/
Gtab!!!
You can put the Nook application on it along with Kindle. I also recomend using one of the custom ROM's.
neo4uo said:
I got some extra money to blow...Nook color or Gtab?
\oo/
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I love my G-Tab, but I am thinking about getting my wife a Nook Color. The only problem is that B&N has stopped shipments of the Nook Color and are trying to stop sales because of the supposed "bug"...Whatever! They are trying to stop peeps from flashing ROMS to make them better. For pricing, Nook is cheaper but you can find the G-Tab at some Sears outlet store for about $280. Even after ROMs and Mods, G-Tab is worth the $$$. On my G-Tab I am running Tnt-Lite but I am looking at Vegan, seems to be a lot better.
Thanks for the replys. I have had my my face buried on the fasicnate forums and am wondering one thing. I am new to this forum. If and when the source to honeycomb is released probably after the xoom is released...do you think there will be development for the gtab for honeycomb. What is your opinions of the development experience with the gtab, from what I see there is a force of devs that work on the gtab.
\oo/
I had the same question.
I was wondering the same thing, and I chose the g tablet. Probably because I bought a used one for $260 and the hardware is way better then the nook's. I'd go with the Gtab too, because when honeycomb does get running on this baby, It will be up there with the xoom. It has a great processor and it won't be outdated for atleast 6 months.
wasupwithuman said:
I was wondering the same thing, and I chose the g tablet. Probably because I bought a used one for $260 and the hardware is way better then the nook's. I'd go with the Gtab too, because when honeycomb does get running on this baby, It will be up there with the xoom. It has a great processor and it won't be outdated for atleast 6 months.
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Thanks for the reply...I think I am going out right now to get one at office depot. I called and they got two in stock, I don't want to pay the 700 for the Xoom and I don't want to wait till the 24th lol.
\oo/
I have to agree with whatsupwithhuman... My story is that I have been an android man since the day the Samsung Moment came out. I made the mistake of buying into the hype that is the iPad and just two weeks ago gave up on it... which brings me to my current state of shopping. I spent the last two weeks looking at both of these. The nook already runs 3.0 but the G Tablet has the Tegra2 on its side... and I have a very strong feeling that a few people in the community here will provide us an outstanding honeycomb rom for the G Tablet. With that being said I just ordered one, have already chosen my ROM, TNT4.2.1 and am downloading that as we speak.
My opinion is that the Nook has a lot of people looking at it so to its benefit someone has it partially working with Honeycomb.
However, the hardware is better on the Gtablet and there is an active community so I am happily in the Gtab camp.
Nook versus GTablet
I like my Gtablet but it certainly is not without significant effort. I happen to like all of that hands on stuff, triumphantly getting something to work. But, my wife's nook works great as an ereader, has a great screen and viewing angle, is more portable and accesses the internet just fine. She has had no issues. I would say they are two different machines and experiences. B&N has updated her nook just once but I hadn't touched it with respect to altering the operation system. It is not running 3.0 as indicated earlier. I suspect it will continue along to the 3.0 path but since B&N would want you to continue to use their market store (when it gets released) it will come seriously handcuffed. That said, works out of the box.
So the decision may come down to:
7" or 10"
Nicer viewing angles or netbook type viewing angles
$250 versus $399 (or $270 if you can find it on return somewhere)
Out of the box complete or on-going tweaking
Less than a pound or great than a pound weight
No input/output or USB input/output and SD card
Notice I didn't give any of those attributes a positive or negative. To each their own. I am happy that I have the gtablet, continue to like to play with it, someday I will probably get bored with that and just want it to work. Still missing tethering with my blackberry, a decent video conferencing solution, a hdmi cable out, LAN connection. It is getting there week by week. So I have the patience to wait and work on it.
Nook Color aval at Walmart $248.00 Has IPS (in-plane switching) technology is the highest performance lcd panel avaliable today. http://www.walmart.com/ip/NOOKcolor-by-Barnes-and-Noble/15411727
Avalaible in stork on check locations
Hope this helps
Been running the Gtab since about day 1 and my biggest gripe is where the Nook shines - the screen. Bought my SO one for xmas, rooted it after a few weeks, and she loves it. No camera or bluetooth, but I rarely use either on the Gtab. TBH, I enjoy tinkering with the Nook more but have to use caution as she needs it to be stable while I've had times where I've tried 2 or 3 ROMS in one day. I'm dying to try out the honeycomb release for the Nook and have been looking around for a good deal on a used one.
As to the question by the OP, if you've narrowed it down to these 2, I'd say the GTab if you're in to tinkering and customizing, and the Nook if picture quality and stability (OOB) is priority.
My $.02
Tony
I ended up buying a Gtab...and man WoW. I really love this thing. I went ahead and installed the Vegan...WoW. I have had to do some tweaking to get my swype that I love so much on my fascinate...but I got that accomplished with one google search. I was having problems with Grooveshark...again one search on here and presto. I also have tried angry birds and also dungeon defenders...they both worked flawlessly. I am happy so far. Thanks for all the input from everyone.
\oo/
Congrats on your new addition! I have both NC and GTab. As a old MS guy (back to DOS 3.3) figured I needed to embrace Android. Anyway, both units super-serve my needs. The NC screen is without doubt fabulous. Been reading that it's been OC'ed to 1.1 Ghz and rooted with all the bells & whistles of froyo. I'm standing pat to see what BN releases OTA until I move. The GTab is tons of fun and (so far) more scalable. Bottom line for me, when I read -> NC. Play/Learn -> GTab. HTH!
Das_Negros said:
I love my G-Tab, but I am thinking about getting my wife a Nook Color. The only problem is that B&N has stopped shipments of the Nook Color and are trying to stop sales because of the supposed "bug"...
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mb2k said:
I'm dying to try out the honeycomb release for the Nook and have been looking around for a good deal on a used one.
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The Nook color is available again on the B&N website - ships in 24 hrs. They were never pulled from stores in my area. I doubt they could have made it unhackable this fast.
If you get in on the groupon thing ($20 B&N gift cards for $10) and get lucky getting B&N to accept multiples of them you can get a nook color for $125. Some people have got 3 or 4 (or more?) this way. I was able to order one by phone. It took 10 minutes to read all the gift card codes to the CSR. Even though I have a G-tab couldn't pass up a tablet with an IPS screen for this price. I will still keep my G-tab though.
wow did the groupon really work?
Yeah does this really work? You can only buy one at a time per e-mail I guess so you would need 12 or 13 of them to get it for $125??
I really liked the gtab except for the screen. The viewing angles are horrible. You pretty much have to have the device right in front of your face in order to use it. Its to bad really because its a really cool device and the specs on the hardware are awesome. I wish it was $50-$100 more and came with a better screen. I ended up returning it to office depot yesterday and I am really disapointed. Its a really cool device but I am just one of those people that couldn't get over how bad the viewing angles are.
juxsa said:
I really liked the gtab except for the screen. The viewing angles are horrible. You pretty much have to have the device right in front of your face in order to use it. Its to bad really because its a really cool device and the specs on the hardware are awesome. I wish it was $50-$100 more and came with a better screen. I ended up returning it to office depot yesterday and I am really disapointed. Its a really cool device but I am just one of those people that couldn't get over how bad the viewing angles are.
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When you first get the G-Tab the viewing angle can be a little disconcerting but once you get through that initial time period of using it you get used to it, through repetition your mind automatically figures out how to view it at the right angle and you don't even notice or think about it anymore. I think if you had stuck it out you might have had the same experience.
I had the device for 10 days before I returned it. I'm just one of those users that couldn't get over the Extremely limited viewing angle of the device. Its to bad because again, I really liked it and would have been more than willing to spend $50-$100 more for the device if it only had a better screen. IMO If I had a choice between the gtab and the nook I would go with the nook purely due to the screen of the nook being so much better.
I have a G-tab and 2 NCs - all rooted. I use the G-tab and my wife and daughter own the Nooks. Vegan on the G-tab is great, and I hardly ever walk upstairs to my PC anymore. The same with my wife and daughter on their Nooks. The NC screen is awesome, but I prefer the larger size of the G-tab plus all the other bells and whistles. My son has Android envy with his Ipod Touch! May have to get him a refurb G-tab for $270 down the road...
I looking to buy a tablet and from everything I have read and tested at Office Depot (viewing angles) the G tab seems fine to me. I am sure it will be faster after I root and load new ROM.
But with all of the new tabs coming (xoom and so on) at this point should I just wait. I know the xoom seems very high to me (800.00) not sure I want to pay that much. I know I don't want to buy another tab for 2 years or so. So maybe the xoom would solve that issue.
Thoughts?
David
If you are willing to root the 'g' tablet and install one of the community developed ROMs, I say go for it. The 'g' tablet was bleeding edge when it came out, is still at the head of the pack and will remain a strong platform for another year and a half to two years.
The price is right and unless you always have to be right at the bleeding edge, you will not be disappointed with a 'g' over the time frame you are looking at (and perhaps a little beyond).
Wait for Xoom to Come Out and Then Buy GTablet
Given how active the developers are, I'm betting that within a couple of weeks of the release of Xoom there will be a XoomLite Rom here for the Gtablet. So I'd wait a couple of weeks until the Xoom comes out. Take a look at it in a store and if it is really $800, unless there is something in the Xoom hardware that you can't live without, buy the Gtablet. Then put the ROM of your choice on your Gtablet (I use TNTLite) and keep checking back for what I expect will be a version of Xoom for our Gtablets.
If you are a tinkerer- get the Gtablet now. Seems all of the devices have quirks coming out, but one common thing is some form of dual core chipset. Quirks are there in one combo or other:
1. Overpriced
2. Proprietary connectors
3. No USB Host
4. No USB
5. Did I say overpriced yet?
Example is the Xoom. Costs $800. My Gtablet and 64gb iPod 4 cost $86 less than that.
My next tab will be the iPad "2". I love the app ecosystem and the game & app quality is AMAZING. I have my Gtablet and Incredible for Android fun and for Flash & internet function. Game emulators too.
BTW, my next phone will be either the Thunderbolt, Bionic or something similar on Verizon. No iPhone and the Xperia Play will likely have proprietary connectors, no microsd (Sony proprietary) and be locked down, so no dice for me.
iTunes may suck butt since a forced interface, but a lot of apps rock hard! Real hard.
Please forgive the slight tangent of my post.
If you're still unsure, then your best bet is to wait. You may even want to wait for the new 10.1 inch samsung tablet. I believe it will cost more than the Xoom but its another option. Here are some specs for that device:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=953341
I just bought one yesterday from office depot after looking at the tabs in general for awhile and
Buying a archos 7 first. I got rid of that because it wasn't what I thought. I think the g tab is the coolest
toy I have ever had. If you want just a giant cell phone without the phone then wait for the Xoom.
The new Elocity A10 is coming out, but the 4gb is more money than the 16gb Gtablet. For the extra money you get a (supposedly) better screen and backlit buttons. But, since it hasn't been shipped out yet you have no idea about the quirks involved.
The Notion Adam looks cool, people that have it seem to like it but who knows how long it will take to get your hands on one. I would wait and watch since it is a new company.
The Archos 101 has it's pluses like a ton of codecs, but it has bugs and also supposedly has a bad screen. The price is nice though.
The Xoom is $800 and requires a month of Verizon service. It is a great looking tablet, but if I were going to spend that much I could get a good computer with money left over.
You can wait forever for more tablets tablets to come out. When the iPad was announced I kept hearing over and over that a better, cheaper Android tablet was on the way. Here we are, nearly a year out and there is nothing that competes.
Were I think the G tab excels is price point. Especially if you can get the $279 price. It has a great following on this site, a good set of hardware and once it is rooted it flies.
Buy the gtablet...better yet buy two for the cost of one xoom! We'll get honeycomb too.
If you're willing to wait, also consider toshiba's tablet. http://www.thetoshibatablet.com/
I like that it uses a full SD Card slot for cheaper/larger storage options (>32gb) and has a user replaceable battery.
vpad10s ?
I've seen a lot of comparisons between the Gtablet and other tabs, but what does everyone about the vpad10s?
From the specs and all, it looks like a dual boot Gtab, which has its own appeals.
yelrx8 said:
I've seen a lot of comparisons between the Gtablet and other tabs, but what does everyone about the vpad10s?
From the specs and all, it looks like a dual boot Gtab, which has its own appeals.
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Dual boot would be great if the device would at least come with Android 2.2 but instead only having 1.6 makes it deal breaker for me.
And then there's the Touchpad, the HP/Palm WebOS tablet that's due out this summer:
palm.com/us/products/pads/touchpad/index.html
Was in the same boat...
I was torn between waiting and getting the G...ended up with the G-tablet and no regrets once I figured out how to encode high def video so it would play.
Wth TNTLite installed, this thing really hums, and frankly, I was expecting a seriously bad screen, and while it's not a 90 degree viewing angle, it looks fantastic when you're looking right at it (and frankly, if I'm using it, I'm looking at it).
Not to mention that at the price they're going for (and I had shipping and taxes to get to Canada), it is still soooo much cheaper than any of the alternatives with same specs (The Elocity A10 for around the same price only has 4GB onboard).
Hope that helps...
You can always wait for something better, but for us it was a matter that it seemed like a great deal for the price. I had the FCs with the stock TnT apps but after installing the vegan rom everything is great.
Would of loved to have gotten a Xoom, but considering we got 2 Tegra2 based 10' tabs for the same price, and they do everything that we need I am satisfied.
Thanks everyone for your posts.
I have ordered a GTab from Amazon (should be here tomorrow.. you have to love prime). I have not ordered a keyboard yet nor a sd card. But have a 6gb card that should work for now.
If all goes well then I will keep it. I will try the xoom when it comes out, but for the money and features of the Gtab and for the use I need (really just notes in meetings and browsing the web) I think I am good.
Another question: I want to use either a USB keyboard or a RF keyboard/Track ball) what ROM do you suggest?
And if I wanted to make a backup of the current ROM before I upgrade what do you suggest? Or should I just use one of the manufacturer ROMs listed in the dev forum?
Again thank you for your help.
Up until last week, I too, was torn between waiting for the Xoom, or 'settling' with a lesser tab like the Galaxy Tab.
I picked up a Viewsonic G Tablet at Sears for $399, rooting it 30 minutes after unwrapping it, I've no regrets. My reasoning was as follows:
1 - Wanted it to be Android-based, so no Ipad.
2 - Galaxy Tab at 7", a little too small.
3 - Tegra2 based, should be Honeycomb-ready, no need for a rear camera.
4 - Xoom, even if Wifi-only version is released, I doubt it would beat the GTab at price.
This should last me until maybe the next gen of Android tablets arrive next year.
Currently running Vegan 5.1.1 ROM, with full market, all the apps I could want. This is so much fun!
Really was an easy choice for me. Price plus fun of rooting and flashing roms while I wait for honeycomb. The gtab rules and my friends that get to play with mine can't put it down. I can't put it down ;-)
So my situation, I was fortunate to earn a free ipad wifi/3g 16gb from a sales contest at work, well Ive played with the thing for a few weeks and I have to say apple blows. Anyways gunna sell it on ebay, looking like I can get about $450 for it.
I then want to take the money and buy an android tablet, i really want a honeycomb one, but I know they are very expensive as they are just coming out.
So I thought to myself why couldn't I just buy a tablet that comes with Froyo, and then root it, and flash a custom honeycomb rom once a developer ports it over to my device..? It would save me alot of cash/waiting.
So I'm assuming all the G tab owners did some shopping around before buying this tablet. What are the top 3 android tablets under $450 in your opinion?
Obviously another concern is which tablet under $450 will be likely to have the most developer support, being the flashaholic that I am, I really want something that has many roms and kernels etc.. availiable. I did see quite a few roms in the G tab development section, but I am finding it very difficult to find out information about other tablets as far as rom development. What do you guys thing from a developer support stand point?
Thanks!!!!
Under $450 and that are out now tablets....
If you're just looking for a tablet to browse the internet, casual gaming, youtube..you know basic stuff...you can save about $100 by buying a nook. Lots of dev support...I mean lots.
If you want something more powerful with a bigger screen but weaker viewing angles than the gtab is tops in my opinion. If you don't mind a used gtab...than I would grab one if you can find it.
As for a third choice, I guess I would get the archos 70 or 101.
Awesome thanks.
I personally wouldn't get a nook. I had one and ended up trading it for an archos 101. From what it looks like there is more development for the GTab. The nook is a nice device but I really didn't think the device was speedy enough for me. If I'm getting a tablet then it should have better specs then my phone (Nexus S). Screen on the Nook was nice but I've always wanted a bigger tab. I like my archos 101 but then again the processor was good but I felt it could be better. I just sold my archos a few days ago on here and ordered a GTab and it'll be here tomorrow. Nook is $250 new and GTab cost me $368, with the GTab you may be getting a worse screen but you get more internal storage, better processor, bluetooth, IMO better dev support, and a USB port which I personally want. I've also had a Galaxy Tab but when I had it development was slow so I got rid of it also again it has the same specs as my phone. IMO theres no point in a tablet that has equal or worse specs then your phone (unless you have a dual core phone) and after experience 7inch screens are good for reading and comics but 10.1inch screens are better for web browsing and even better for reading and comics
Had my gtab for about 2 weeks now that I bout from another user here on xda for $320. Prior to the purchase I had been following the forums and watching youtub videos of the device and drooling. Now that I have it, I feel I may have hyped it a bit too much. It is a good device but there are a few things about it that bother me but to be fair I was expecting some of them. the screen is as bad as they say. This device is pretty hefty. Holding it in can be tiresome at times. The bezel is thin on three sides, one of which also has capacitive buttons which makes it hard to find a comfortable way to hold it at times unless you are using both hands. No gps. As for the roms, as good as they are they are far from perfect. They each have their own issues which were easy to ignore at first but after a while i find to be annoying when you want something that just works. I appreciate the devs though and I'm sure in time they will figure everything out. After trying a xoom at frys the other day I can honestly say they know what a tablet should be like. I just wish it wasn't an extra 500 bucks.
BuI shopped arround for a good while. I have been using resistive screen tablet PC's in my work for years, and hated them. Ugly screens tedious repeated touches to get anywhere. Call me crazy but I really believe that anyone who complains about the screen on the gtab needs to take a reality check. This thing has better viewing angles than my android phone. What do you want to do with it? Rest it on your coffee table and sit 10 feet away at a 45° angle and expect perfect color? Yes there are nicer screens out there but IMHO this is way better than the crap I have seen for years. I'm sure it would have had a super top of the line screen too if Malta could have gotten screens from LG at nearly cost like apple does.
The price is perfect and the screen is perfect for the price. Enjoy the fact that no one will see what's on your screen unless you want them to. Its a security feature in my book.
Sent from my Chromatic Magic using XDA Premium App
Mantara said:
BuI shopped arround for a good while. I have been using resistive screen tablet PC's in my work for years, and hated them. Ugly screens tedious repeated touches to get anywhere. Call me crazy but I really believe that anyone who complains about the screen on the gtab needs to take a reality check. This thing has better viewing angles than my android phone. What do you want to do with it? Rest it on your coffee table and sit 10 feet away at a 45° angle and expect perfect color? Yes there are nicer screens out there but IMHO this is way better than the crap I have seen for years. I'm sure it would have had a super top of the line screen too if Malta could have gotten screens from LG at nearly cost like apple does.
The price is perfect and the screen is perfect for the price. Enjoy the fact that no one will see what's on your screen unless you want them to. Its a security feature in my book.
Sent from my Chromatic Magic using XDA Premium App
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^^^^Yeah This. I waited a week for mine to come from the good ol' US of A (Im in oztralia )
After reading all the reports.. bad screens, slow stock UI etc I thought ok, well the screen is probably as bad as they say and the UI cant be that bad...
well it was exactly opposite - the screen is actually not that bad compared to some screens i deal with daily. UI was even worse than I could have imagined.
I know have vegan on it and it rocks. For the price I am absolutely blown away.
You can not go wrong with the g-Tab. Especially since you stated that you are a "Flashaholic." I have had mine for almost 2 months now and absolutely love it. I have tried both the vegan and TNT-Lite roms, and ended up staying with the TNT-Lite. While there are many things that could have been implemented better, in my mind it is a better value right now than the competition. I love the fact that it has removable storage. I have a little case that I keep my micro-SD cards in and swap them out whenever I want to watch something else or need more storage. Since purchasing this product, I have taken it with me on several business trips, and have found it indispensable. I can even back my photos up onto it using an SD card reader.
Bottom Line: If you do not mind playing around and fiddling with settings and enjoy trying new things, then I suggest getting the g-Tab. Over wise I suggest waiting a little longer until the "Tablet Form Factor" becomes more settled.
Just a note on the Notion Ink Adam which falls into the sub $450 category (wifi LCD version, anyways). I received hoping to get better viewing angles but they seemed to be the same as the Gtab, plus I really like the Gtab's form factor a lot more. The Adam was heavier, thicker and more squared off making it not as comfortable to hold as the Gtab. I ebayed the Adam and actually turned a little profit from it
Great info guys! Thanks to everyone who replied, all very helpful!
I got several buyers for my ipad so it should be gone today
I think the g tab sounds like it will do what I want, it really will just be for playing games, web browsing, and taking on airplanes etc, so it sounds like the way to go. And hopefully honeycomb roms will be available before too long!
Follow up question, where can you get a good case for the g tab? I liked the one that I bought my ipad, it was kind of like a little padfolio and it could fold into a "stand" which was great for watching movies on the plane.
Other than that just gotta research rooting this thing, I plan to pick one up before the end of the weekend. And you guys have already given me some ideas which roms to try. Thanks!
luigic81 said:
Follow up question, where can you get a good case for the g tab? I liked the one that I bought my ipad, it was kind of like a little padfolio and it could fold into a "stand" which was great for watching movies on the plane.
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Check the G Tablet Accessories forum, there are a couple of options depending whether you want a keyboard or not and at least one more on the way
Alright just a couple more for the helpful people here
1. is this the best way to root the g tab? http://droidpirate.com/2010/11/27/how-to-root-your-viewsonic-g-tablet/
2. After I root I will be following the instructions in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865245
So I was wondering if I had to update anything in order to flash custom roms, or can I just root my tab, and then follow the instructions on that thread and be good to go on custom roms?
Also what ROM would you guys recomend? I am typically an AOSP guy assuming that everything is functional, but my wife will be using this tablet too and she is not very tech savvy, so I would like a rom that is pretty stable, any suggestions would be apprecited thanks!
Also I see clockwork v08 seems to be the hot ticket, so I assume that I will use that? I have always used Amon RA on my EVO, but it doesnt appear that Amon RA is availiable for the G tab, is that a correct assumption?
Thanks again for all the help, I know those last few questions arent necessarily pertinent to my original post, but I appreciate the help.
All the instructions you need to root the device are in the second thread you linked -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865245
Just pick out a ROM - TNTLite and VEGAn are the two most popular around here - and follow the instructions carefully.
perfect thanks, guess I should've read this line from that thread
"You do NOT need to root your tablet to install a ROM on this device using this guide. All the after-market ROMs are pre-rooted."
LMAO!! haha cool.
Just a little update, I got my GTab today and love it sooooooooo much. Viewing angles aren't to bad. Monster Madness, Samurai II, and Backbreaker are awesome. Very fast device
Awesome I can't wait, should have mine before Monday
Wi-Fi only Motorola Xoom at Sam's Club
I think the gTab is the best bang for your buck at between $350 and $400 especially with the ROMs our gTabDevs are churning out for us. However, if you really want an official Honeycomb tablet I've read that Sam's Club will be selling these at their stores for around $500 each in the next few weeks.
Just thought some folks might want to know.
I am sticking with my Nook Color
After having received the Archos 101. I was disappointed in the screen quality and the touch screen and lack of dev support. I sold it and got the g tablet and was in love with it until I bought my mom a kindle and started to like the form factor and size. I then started becoming bored with my g tablet. I then began looking at the nook color forums and decided to buy one, since I have bought it, I haven't touched my g tablet. I really like the size and the feel of it, I read more now and still play the games I like. I am happy running CM7 gingerbread and looking forward to honeycomb when it comes out as AOSP.
The dirty little secret is that there is no day to day life changing use for a tablet. So this can put you in two categories.
#1. You want to try and use the tablet during travel and such. In this case form factor is going to be important. The Nook Color is probably a better option as you sacrifice overall performance for the usability of the design.
#2. You want a device to develop on and try to utilize the latest and greatest. The Tegra 2 is the "it" platform right now for the android tablets. The GTab and its brothers give you the best entry into this field.
I am solidly in #2. Sure I have played some games on my tablet, I have browsed the web and I have used it on the go. But there has never been a situation where my VZ Droid would not have let me do the exact same thing.
I am comfortable with the fact that I bought a development platform. Having it in hand shows me the potential of the concept.
slysecretspy said:
The dirty little secret is that there is no day to day life changing use for a tablet. So this can put you in two categories.
#1. You want to try and use the tablet during travel and such. In this case form factor is going to be important. The Nook Color is probably a better option as you sacrifice overall performance for the usability of the design.
#2. You want a device to develop on and try to utilize the latest and greatest. The Tegra 2 is the "it" platform right now for the android tablets. The GTab and its brothers give you the best entry into this field.
I am solidly in #2. Sure I have played some games on my tablet, I have browsed the web and I have used it on the go. But there has never been a situation where my VZ Droid would not have let me do the exact same thing.
I am comfortable with the fact that I bought a development platform. Having it in hand shows me the potential of the concept.
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Excellent post, and i'm in catoegory #2 as well, I'm playing with house money becuase I got the ipad for free. But my wife really wants something to play games with and I like to watch movies etc on the airplane as well as browse the etc at home.
I think of all the tablets available today, the HP Touchpad is the one I would choose. I got to play with a few tablets recently. Among them were the iPad, Moto Xoom, HTC Flyer, Blackberry Playbook, Huawei Ideos and the HP Touchpad. The newest Sammys weren't available. Nor were the Acers.
First off, the BB Playbook was the absolute worst of them all. It took 3 people to accidentally figure out how to delete a picture. Whilst messing with it trying to navigate around the UI, I snapped a picture of myself and wanted it off the system. I looked and looked and looked and finally called one of the store associates to assist. After he played with it for a long time, he called another store associate. The second associate played with it for a very long time also and then accidentally figured it out. We all went through every menu we could find and the answer was a simple downward swipe from the top of the LCD frame.
This brought back memories of my experience with a BB phone. No friggin way would I buy a damn BB tablet.
The rest of the tablets were sweet. The HTC Flyer was super smooth and gorgeous. The Xoom is old news. And the iPad is tired. I was really surprised by the Huawei tablet. It's so inexpensive, yet it works really well. Nevertheless, I love WebOS and my play time with the HP tablets was great. It worked flawlessly and smoothly and has that excellent multitask system. Plus I love the style, size and shape.
When the Sammys come out, I'll give them a try also and see it they can best the HP.
I'm liking the xoom. A keyboard and a mouse and I can ditch the MacBook.
Following the rules
im not and idiot or a noob, im tyring to post legitimate feedback on an android rom i am currently using but i need 10 posts so here is one more, thanks for this stupid rule! 8
I have been using Droid ROMS, MODS and kernels since the G1.
OG Galaxy Tab
I have the OG Galaxy tab and it rocks honeycomb pretty well. By 2 year old loves netflix so I'm happy.
Oops
OG Galaxy as in the 7 inch version. Honeycomb is on thru a custom ROM.
When I was in the market for a tablet I took a look at the xoom, playbook, iconia, and the transformer. The xoom was off the list because it was out of my price range. The playbook, I could not find the back button do that was it. It came down to the iconia and transformer, and I chose the iconia because of the full sized usb port and flash on the back.
Sent from 234 Elm Street
MartyLK said:
This brought back memories of my experience with a BB phone. No friggin way would I buy a damn BB tablet.
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also that in order to get e-mail on the thing you need to be linked up via bluetooth with another phone.
i went to check one out, was in a game when i did, looking all over for the exit button, took me and another employee 20 minutes just to figure it out, swipe up....yeah, lets not put softkeys on it like we do with our phone, nah, no menu, a FRIGGAN SWIPE MOTION!, i can't blame them for trying to be inovative, but the "physical buttons" for the playbook are so small that someone would need a stylus just to press the friggin' buttons.
it has flash, and 1080p playback....yet the camera on it sucks.
RIM, try harder next time.
I don't have a tablet. But I would like one!
Kiboe said:
also that in order to get e-mail on the thing you need to be linked up via bluetooth with another phone.
i went to check one out, was in a game when i did, looking all over for the exit button, took me and another employee 20 minutes just to figure it out, swipe up....yeah, lets not put softkeys on it like we do with our phone, nah, no menu, a FRIGGAN SWIPE MOTION!, i can't blame them for trying to be inovative, but the "physical buttons" for the playbook are so small that someone would need a stylus just to press the friggin' buttons.
it has flash, and 1080p playback....yet the camera on it sucks.
RIM, try harder next time.
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The store I was at had a couple Playbooks on display at different areas of the store and the first one I came to had a non-functional small round button on the top...the button about the size of a bb pellet. I didn't know it didn't function; that it was damaged, and figured it was some sort of LED indicator. On the second Paybook, which was fully functional, if I hadn't pressed that little round button by accident to turn on the device, I never would have figured out how to power it on because I attributed that round button as an indicator or something of that nature. I wouldn't have intentionally pressed it.
The Playbook is typical BB B.S. I had the same experience with my BB phone. I spent 90% of my time trying to find stuff on it than I did just using it. No wonder BB is in the crapper these days.
I went with a Transformer. I did some research too. I will say this that playing with a unit in the store and taking it home and using it for a week or two is a huge difference. I am sure you can make some basic decisions based on your likes and dislikes, To heavy dont like how it feels in your hand etc, but nothing takes the place of good ole fashioned "Use it". I wrote a pretty long article regarding my purchase and my decisions tree in the transformer forums, as there are a lot of "Can the Asus Transformer replace my netbook/laptop" threads on a lot of different forums and i wanted to put my thoughts out there as well. I will find the link and link it. But in short the basic answer is it depends. I know not the best answer and not the one you were looking for but its the truth.
Here is my post its long but might be worth a read if you are trying to decide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=15679836#post15679836
I am very happy with the transformer and in my post i give the reasons i chose it.
The Rahl
we have the xoom here. not sure how we like it yet. can't get it to root. or rather can't find a walkthrough that doesn't assume you already have certain things installed on your computer. not their fault. it's the xooms for me needing to root to actually use all it's features.
i have the galaxy 10.1 its so dirty i love it. slim, light, and fast
Apple suxxx but by the way, I prefer the iPad 2 !
I prefer the 7 inch tablet, but there aren't any good ones. The best 10 inch is the sammy sung tab 10.1.
It down right makes all the other tabs look like s**t. Samsung did a GREAT job on the screen. I like the feel of the thrive but it's screen sucks. The ipad seemed heavy but I do like its keyboard. The touchpad and playbook are the worst. the iconia is pretty ugly. The xoom feels nice but has a bad screen in my opinion. Tab 10.1 is best then xoom or ipad.
Reply
I am using Apple i pad. Its features processing speed durability awesome.
Some tablets are truly great in the niche such as Xoom, Transformer and Ironia, but seems that it's still no one is good enough to beat the iPad. At least for me, I have to admit the using experience is really fantastic on iPad.
chikwarne said:
I am using Apple i pad. Its features processing speed durability awesome.
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skydeve said:
Some tablets are truly great in the niche such as Xoom, Transformer and Ironia, but seems that it's still no one is good enough to beat the iPad. At least for me, I have to admit the using experience is really fantastic on iPad.
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Yeah, I agree. The iPad is a powerful and well engineered tablet. But it lacks the high res display I desire and this makes it tired for me. I'm spoiled by the Retina display of my iPhone 4. There just isn't a display as good as the Retina display. If Apple puts an equivalent display in the next iPad, that would solve the tired problem.
i am waiting samsung tab 10.1 or sony
I have the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and it rocks, so fast and easy to use.
I bought my 8 yr. old daughter a Velocity Micro Cruz. I sent that same POS back 2 weeks later. She is only 8 so I'm not looking to spend mega bucks and I don't buy anything made by Apple. I am thinking of getting her the Gen 9 Archos 8in tablet when it arrives in a few months. The Cruz isn't a bad tablet for the price point but it simply has too little internal memory. It constantly froze on us. It is great looking hardware, nice looking screen and a little heavy. Also, not having the genuine Android Market or XDA-Dev support was a killer. I came to realize I have no love for Android in it's current state (2.3 and below as I haven't used or seen a Honeycomb tablet yet). As a long time Windows Mobile user Android still reminds me of an incomplete and immature version of Windows Mobile that is more popular but not more effective. I am disappointed in this realization, especially when 90% of the tablets out there worth their salt, hardware wise, are Android based.
To be fair, I actually played with my friend's IPad II also. When I say played with, I mean sat there and used it for 2-3 hours to see if it could impress me. The answer is no. It's a $600 POS. What's scary is the Velocity Mirco Cruz was $179 total and the $400 or so price difference really doesn't show when it comes to using the damn things. The Ipad was lighter, faster and didn't freeze (because it has enough damn internal memory), but like every other damn Apple product it is limited and constricted. I swear if the Cruz had more internal memory it would have been 200x more effective than that Apple pos. Transferring information was easier. Using it as a part of my current environment was easier (HD2, Windows 7 laptop, Windows Vista PC). When I used the Dolphin browser it worked excellent (as did Safari). Basically the only satisfying experience I had on the Ipad was the Youtube application and the only thing that made it better than what I get on my HD2 is the screen size. Beyond that it has nothing on my 2 year old phone. Apple smapple.
I don't expect the HP or BB tablets to last very long in this market so I'm hoping Microsoft comes out with a viable tablet OS (which is rumored) and it doesn't actually disappoint me the way everything else has. Knowing I won't be able to replace the Cruz for under $200 I upped the ante to $300 and it looks like Archos is going to slide in with the gen 9's. Hopefully I won't remain disappointed.
So my mother in law got my 7 year old a tablet for christmas this year. Nice, only it was the horrifyingly worthless Sylvania that Toys R Us and CVS were giving away on black friday. So my boy thinks he's got a tablet just like dad's Galaxy Tab 10.1, but not so much. It's the thought that counts, right?
I thought maybe it had been rooted and could run CM7 or something, but no such luck. Locked down and it doesn't have the enthusiastic dev community around that I am used to with other devices... to say the least. Compile that with the substandard hardware and it's a paperweight. This is the type of device that gives android tablets a bad name.
He's disappointed, it's a brand new tablet, and to him should work like the others he's used, but of course doesn't. I'd planned on handing down my Incredible when I upgrade and setting it up as a wifi only device for him, but am considering just purchasing an inexpensive tablet that is decent quality and fully enabled (or can/will be).
I'm perfectly comfortable with rooting and flashing roms. I would like something with either current or expected support from CM. I'd like something that could run things at least as smoothly as the incredible can.
Right now I'm looking at a few different options:
Nook Tablet - Pros: nice hardware, should run CM9, expandable storage Cons: No camera
Kindle Fire - Pros: works out of the box with the Amazon app store, should run CM9, $199. Cons: only 8GB storage, not expandable, hardware not quite as good as the Nook Tablet, No camera
Acer Iconia A100 - Pros: Out of the box it is complete. Tegra 2. Expandable storage. dual cameras. except for the shorter battery life it compares to my Galaxy Tab. Cons: over my price range of $300.
Opinions? Am I wrong for dismissing Velocity Micro, Archos and the like without giving them a shot? Any good deals I'm overlooking?
CM9 on the Nook Tab? Doesn't it have a locked bootloader. I'd stay away from it.
Kindle Fire is nice but I think it lacks Bluetooth and cameras (which are becoming important for tabs)
Try to get a TouchPad
Yes, get an TouchPad - you can find it at very low price - and install CM.
c0x91 said:
Yes, get an TouchPad - you can find it at very low price - and install CM.
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This. You can get a TouchPad for $200 and it's worth more than that. You can't find a better deal.
bleach168 said:
This. You can get a TouchPad for $200 and it's worth more than that. You can't find a better deal.
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I triple that.
Currently running Xron b2.9 on mine.
Agreed if you can get your hands on a touchpad. Or maybe pick up a 16 gig playbook (199) it's only a matter of time till a developer on here gets android up on it and the hardware is pretty solid
TouchPad +1
Awesome hardware (for the going rate of $225), 10" screen, and big following here. webOS is nice, elegant, simple, and stable. But, there are very few apps. I'm not a fan of Gingerbread on a 10" screen, but ICS is coming along, and GB should fill the android and app craving until its here.
I almost got a Vizio tablet ... but as you said a cheap tablet with poor popularity here is a bad combo. I don't regret for a second spending a little more a getting the TouchPad over the Vizio tab, or Fire.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
OK, some questions about the Touchpad...
The 4:3 screen, most android apps are developed with 16:9 screens in mind. I can see this not being an issue with an app which uses a dynamic layout, but with games which have static assets how does this work out?
This tab will be used primarily for games and children's books, how is compatibility running CM7, any issues?
Once CM7 is installed is it seamless? WebOS holds no interest for me because of the lack of apps.
If I go the ebay route, I can likely get an A100 for the same price as a touchpad, does the TP still hold up?
Ok, newbie here.... Who makes the touchpad? How are the tablets from China? Are they just a waste of money?
I think the Touchpad recommendations are spot on, but I'll tell you that the Acer A100 is a good device. I got one for my daughter (same age as your kid) and have been happy with it. No rooting, running both Android Market and Amazon Appstore. Found it for around US $250 on Amazon.
Good luck on your purchase.
I will buy a kindle fire and install cm9..
Ok, figured out the touchpad is HP Still curious about the tablets from China if anyone has insight.
4yo
I've had a similar tale. Currently my 4yo has confiscated my HD2 running a CM7 ROM be hes practically taken over his mothers transformer. Needless to say she's not happy about that and he doesn't get his hands on my flyer without supervision so I've been thinking about getting him his own tablet.
I have an old 7 inch tab that i've had since the dawn of time it seems and and it worked well with the help od slatedroid before XDA opened up to tablets. Once we upgraded it was his defacto tab, until he broke the power switch.
My boys has had a lot of exposure so hes good with technology but hes young and not always as aware of the value of things as I'd like. I'd love to get him something to save wear and tear on his mothers tablet but id like something that he can load his existing android apps on and just enjoy.
I'll be watching this thread closely for any suggestions that aren't a touchpad.
I would also recommend the Touchpad. I also have a kindle fire and the form factor does not lend itself to the comfortable web browsing experience that you get with a Touchpad + CM7 and Maxthon/Dolphin/Boat.
It is good for reading books, and checking the web/email in a bind - but screen real estate is limited and the lack of hard keys is at times annoying.
Kindle Fire, enough said
I am running cm7 on my wife's nook color. Works well for when my boy wants to play games, but for reading, the original nook software is better, so I just have a dual boot setup... it just runs cm7 off the sd card. I like the setup.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Kindle Fire is a really nice tablet in hand, I know your complaints were technical ones, but out of those cheap tablets I still vote for the Kindle Fire.
I vote for an HP Touchpad w/ dual boot to webOS or Android or an original Samsung Galaxy Tab 7"er
withoutname90 said:
I will buy a kindle fire and install cm9..
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I think c9 will be a good option down the road on a kindle. It is not ready for prime time yet.
Great to play. Not a daily driver.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/9/2695314/asus-eee-pad-memo-me370T-tegra-3-price
The new standard of low price tables. Ics out of box, camera, tegra 3, and other good stuff. best of all its $249