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So about 6 months to a year about I hear about a new concept for gaming called onlive. Its a consoleless based cloud gaming system using high end specific servers to run your game and then broadcast the graphics via video online. The possiblitlies would be endless but thats alot to ask and almsot not possible. Well 6 months pass and I see a new article saying they are offering an Alpha release deal with ATnT wherer Atnt pays your script 4.99 a month, for a year, and you pay after that. So I signed up figuring AtnT would be picking up the bill. So far you can choose from Mac or PC versions of the app. The app is around .5MB. So tonight I come home and low nad behold theirs and invite. They said they are gonna do em in waves as the system allows it. So I sign up and download it on my PC and let me say I was throughly impressed. Their is about 1/8th a second lag that I can see but the graphics are just under a ps3 or equal to. Sound on my PC stuttered a lil bit and it would drop a frame every now and again but it was definately playable. They have like 11 games now to choose from from major developers and whats cool is you can rent games for a couple days for like $4. Or you can buy them for more, but every game gets 30 minutes demo time. So you can play every game 30 mintues to try before you buy. So I played around with it and was blown away. It definately has a couple bugs but its more then playable and the graphics are great. Oh yah you have ot be wired right now to use it. THey aren't doing wireless yet. So here goes the real test. I whip out my Asus 1000HE netbook with 2GB ram and 1.6ghz atom cpu. Load up onlive and install it. Ran a game and it looked identical to my PC or PS3. It was freaking amazing!!!! Actually it ran way better on my netbook. Less dropped frames, sound was crystal clear, lag seemed a bit less. It was aboslutly amazing. I'll try to make oyu guys some video's to watch. But if it ran so good on my 1.6GHZ atom, I can only imagine it could run awesome on my HD2!.Check it out and sign up for the free year promotion. You'll be absolutely blow away and will definatelly see this in a phone soon. It could easily be done.
PS Im so amazed I'm gonna look into buying stock in this company.
I got the Gtab earlier today. Here are my thoughts.
- standard OS is barely serviceable.
- TNT 2.2 makes this thing so much better
- tegra 2 chipset is a game changer. i played w/ the samsung galaxy and the ipad at best buy. the gtab running tnt 2.2 is so much faster than both devices. i can't wait to upgrade my phone to a dual core later this year.
- this thing would be worth $400 msrp if......the screen was remotely usable
- i can't use this thing for more than 30 mins w/out getting a huge headache. the screen is god awful. if it had a decent screen i would keep it. but i don't want to spend $400 for a tablet that i can't use for more than 30 mins. i literally get motion sickness looking at the screen.
i'm going to sleep on it and try again tomorrow. maybe it's the lighting in my room. who knows. if it doesn't get better, i'm going to return it.
The screen has a limited viewing angle and the resolution leaves some to be desired. But I'm not going to return my tablet. It doesn't bug me that much and I can't wait until there is software out to utilize both cores of the tegra 2.
They really rushed this through production, that is apparent. I'm not gonna whine about it, I could've waited for them to refine it but I want it now!!!!
h_10 said:
I got the Gtab earlier today. Here are my thoughts.
- standard OS is barely serviceable.
- TNT 2.2 makes this thing so much better
- tegra 2 chipset is a game changer. i played w/ the samsung galaxy and the ipad at best buy. the gtab running tnt 2.2 is so much faster than both devices. i can't wait to upgrade my phone to a dual core later this year.
- this thing would be worth $400 msrp if......the screen was remotely usable
- i can't use this thing for more than 30 mins w/out getting a huge headache. the screen is god awful. if it had a decent screen i would keep it. but i don't want to spend $400 for a tablet that i can't use for more than 30 mins. i literally get motion sickness looking at the screen.
i'm going to sleep on it and try again tomorrow. maybe it's the lighting in my room. who knows. if it doesn't get better, i'm going to return it.
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Click to collapse
Assuming that you're in landscape mode, try rotating the gtab 180 degree -- i.e. turning it up-side-down -- and see if you have a better viewing experience (this trick does NOT work for e.g. full-screen youtube).
Also, ensure auto brightness is set to on. The screen going full tilt in a darker room will burn a hole through the back of your head.
I actually leave it at manual and adjust as needed. For example, playing the dreaded Angry Birds I usually jack the brightness down or else my eyes start to hurt very quickly.
The refresh rate might be causing issues, as well. Why did they pick 50 hz?
h_10 said:
i played w/ the samsung galaxy and the ipad at best buy. the gtab running tnt 2.2 is so much faster than both devices.
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Click to collapse
WHAT?! NOT EVEN CLOSE. The iPad destroys this thing, even when running TnT lite 2.+
I've had my gtablet for almost a week now, (put TnT lite 2.2 on it immediately) and I just came from the mac store, and 20 minutes of messing with the iPad-- the whole time I was thinking, "jesus, this browser speed and smoothness crushes the gtablet." scrolling, and pinch to zoom are instant, and insanely smooth. This gtablet? not so much.
And yes, the screen is staggeringly bad considering it comes from, oh I dunno, a leader in screen technology!
The same as iPad, No. HORRIBLE I don't think so. The same as almost any laptop / netbook, Yes. When held or used the same as a laptop, should be the same. Notice even Apple store has all iPad's propped up on an angle for better viewing. $379 (ports,usb,usb,sdcard,HDMI?) vs iPad $499
"The 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 screen on the G Tablet has sharp images but colors seem muted. Viewing angles are solid at 90 degrees to the left or right when holding the device perpendicular to the ground or a table. However, when the slate is resting flat on its back, you must be right on top of it or images wash out completely."
Read more: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/tablets/viewsonic-g-tablet.aspx?page=1#ixzz17PIdFM4R
Life in LA said:
WHAT?! NOT EVEN CLOSE. The iPad destroys this thing, even when running TnT lite 2.+
I've had my gtablet for almost a week now, (put TnT lite 2.2 on it immediately) and I just came from the mac store, and 20 minutes of messing with the iPad-- the whole time I was thinking, "jesus, this browser speed and smoothness crushes the gtablet." scrolling, and pinch to zoom are instant, and insanely smooth. This gtablet? not so much.
And yes, the screen is staggeringly bad considering it comes from, oh I dunno, a leader in screen technology!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each his own I guess.
My tablet runs the internet just fine and pinch and zoom is basically instantaneous. I get flash, so when I access web pages they dont look like swiss cheese and I dont have to deal with ITunes. I also saved $120(even more if you can find a "refurb") by buying the G tab over the IPad. The screen does leave something to be desired, thats for sure.
When you return your G tab and go buy an IPad, please let us know what store your returning to because I'm having a heck of a time finding one of the "refurbs".
The iPad browser seems smooth because it does no intermittent rendering or reflow. It scrolls content, waits, then renders again once scrolling is done. I find scrolling on iPhones and iPads really annoying after using a Nexus One on a modern ROM or my G Tablet in xScope, where you can scroll instantaneously and actually see the content instantly.
Pinch to zoom isn't a performance issue right now, it's a driver issue. Run multitouch tester to see what I mean - the multitouch reading on this chipset/board is very jumpy. That's what causes the problems with pinch to zoom. I remember the Nexus One was like that at first too, and it was fixed over time with software updates, as I expect this multitouch issue will be.
And Flash is actually quite good most of the time on the G Tablet - my wife was utterly impressed when we browsed the web a bit together the other evening and we could look at the Flash-laden furniture websites she wanted to check out (the only issue is the interfaces that use hover and click as separate UI controls - doesn't work so well on any touch device). I can watch Amazon VOD content flawlessly.
Yeah, the screen itself definitely leaves something to be desired. I do expect more from a nearly $400 device, especially coming from Viewsonic of all companies. That is disappointing. I can browse the web, watch video content, and even read books for perhaps a couple hours before my eyes feel too much fatigue from my G Tablet though.
If you gave me a G Tablet with an IPS display, I'd say I had the perfect device for me (a guy who loves hacking and doesn't mind replacing the craptastic stock software and hates Apple's walled garden and anti-jailbreaking policies). But we're the people who chose to be early adopters. We are probably people who habitually piss several hundred dollars away every 6 months on the latest gadget which is often half-baked when it's released. We like this stuff, that's why we're on XDA Developers forums. If you aren't into it, by all means, get the iPad. For lots of people that's a better device right now.
Life in LA said:
WHAT?! NOT EVEN CLOSE. The iPad destroys this thing, even when running TnT lite 2.+
I've had my gtablet for almost a week now, (put TnT lite 2.2 on it immediately) and I just came from the mac store, and 20 minutes of messing with the iPad-- the whole time I was thinking, "jesus, this browser speed and smoothness crushes the gtablet." scrolling, and pinch to zoom are instant, and insanely smooth. This gtablet? not so much.
And yes, the screen is staggeringly bad considering it comes from, oh I dunno, a leader in screen technology!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do not mind the iTunes UI being needed for file movement, could care less about Flash and do not need USB host function: iPad is a better choice- especially for non-modders.
I have messed with the iPad a lot and do not see the "crushes" speed difference. Especially not with 2.20 and Flash set to "on demand". Dolphin and X browser handle far more pages a lot better.
You do know that iPad client mode is chopped down versions of web pages? If you change the client in settings to "iPad" the Gtablet is actually faster. Everything is relative and not everyone likes the constrained option of an iPad. Seems the ultimate socialist device
All card carrying party members should have one! The display IS sweet, none the less, and a TON of cool and great apps. Kool aid tastes so gooood.
I joke, but next iPad may have USB and a lot of good games are heading to it. PSP2 will be DEAD (IMO of course). I could see me with the G and an iPad.... but my wife may kick my a** having such a vision....
rcgabriel said:
If you gave me a G Tablet with an IPS display, I'd say I had the perfect device for me (a guy who loves hacking and doesn't mind replacing the craptastic stock software and hates Apple's walled garden and anti-jailbreaking policies). But we're the people who chose to be early adopters. We are probably people who habitually piss several hundred dollars away every 6 months on the latest gadget which is often half-baked when it's released. We like this stuff, that's why we're on XDA Developers forums. If you aren't into it, by all means, get the iPad. For lots of people that's a better device right now.
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Click to collapse
This sums it up.
I get the walled garden and what makes it attractive. It is kind of like the Matrix (or AOL). Plenty of people are content in their rigidly defined, "happy" world being machine food. However, others want to see the real world beyond someone else's vision of what it should be. People who want to make their own realities even if it is in a wasteland filled with choas and danger.
The iPAD v.2 will still be lcoked to iTunes and it still won't have Flash or USB support. Those are the deal breakers for me.
Lnin0 said:
I get the walled garden and what makes it attractive. It is kind of like the Matrix (or AOL). Plenty of people are content in their rigidly defined, "happy" world being machine food. However, others want to see the real world beyond someone else's vision of what it should be. People who want to make their own realities even if it is in a wasteland filled with choas and danger.
The iPAD v.2 will still be lcoked to iTunes and it still won't have Flash or USB support. Those are the deal breakers for me.
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Click to collapse
Same deal breakers for me, and it costs more money too. The IPad works for most people and its very easy to use for the average users. I personally cant stand ITunes and I love the fact that I have flash on my device.
i like the gtab. or rather i like the idea of the gtab. an open unlocked device that's ripe for modding and developing. i just wished they put a better screen on it. if the screen were usable, i'd keep this thing. i just physically can't use this thing for more than 30 mins at a time. i tried using it again a few times this morning and got a headache again.
i'll keep it for the kids to have something to play with and use during the xmas vacation. i'll take it back after xmas and wait for another more polished dual core android tablet w/ a better, ie usable, screen.
i really wanted to like the gtab.
to be clear...
I have faith that once the builds start taking advantage of the real power of this tablet's hardware it will be faster than the iPad in every respect.
(the screen will still suck, but hey...)
Acturbo said:
When you return your G tab and go buy an IPad, please let us know what store your returning to because I'm having a heck of a time finding one of the "refurbs".
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HEY NOW! I never said anything about getting rid of it!
My wife plays a ton of those flash based browser games and I'd be murdered if I took this thing away...
Life in LA said:
HEY NOW! I never said anything about getting rid of it!
My wife plays a ton of those flash based browser games and I'd be murdered if I took this thing away...
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Click to collapse
Yours and mine both haha. If this thing could utilize shockwave I dont think I'd ever get a chance to play with it.(She loves POGO)
Rule #1 of G Tab: Never show your wife angry birds, lest you lose your G Tab.
mine went back
I loved the g tab with tnt 2.2......everything worked great on it (esp flash and angry birds), but I just couldn't take the screen anymore. So I returned it couple days ago.....
I'm catching my self missing it today but than i remember how crappy the screen is and look forward to another product.
The hardware on the g tab is great, but like what most of you are suggesting, it needs a better screen (which will probably increase price too)
Thank you roebeet and rest of the community for making such awesome ROMs.
The G tabs original OS is garbage.
Great.
rcgabriel said:
Rule #1 of G Tab: Never show your wife angry birds, lest you lose your G Tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOW you tell me.
Factory wipe and back to the store you go, you incredibly powered but finicky thing, you!
Just not the device for me. I had fun rooting and customizing, but the tablet just doesn't want to behave. foremost, I want a device that works. Should have just sprung for the extra $150 (including tax) and got the iPad...
BUT wanted to say thanks to robeet and everyone else here who helped me with questions along the way. You guys are all pretty great!
Sorry to see you go! Hope you can find the tablet that best suits your needs.
now we can talk about him.
I am afraid my gtablet will suffer the same fate.
Funny I have both g tab and I pad and I'm thinking of giving the I pad as a gift basically there is nothing exciting about it.
I think you should try the I pad first. I'm not saying that the g tab is #1 but the I pad is definitely not.
Tried the ipad. Yeah, built in 3g w/ data was sweet.
But man, this is a BEAST. So much more than the iPad. Once an optimized tegra android rom rolls out...it's gonna rock. I'm having a bunch of fun trying stuff out, seeing what games I like, apps, etc...
Open source based devices for the win.
The iPad just works. But the g tablet works, in a much bigger atmosphere, so yeah, there are some bugs to iron out. But it's capable of a bunch more.
Oh and
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/17/dungeon-defenders-first-wave-brings-unreal-engine-to-android-th/
One thing that bothers me is that when I am using this at night I have no idea where the home, search, setting keys are :/
shanghei said:
One thing that bothers me is that when I am using this at night I have no idea where the home, search, setting keys are :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few DIY options, You could put a small sticker on them, for example. Others have suggested glow in dark stickers so it can be seen at night.
I actually have a ZT-180 Frankencase where I punched out holes in the leather where the buttons are and then layered them with tape - gives it a tactile feel. But it's real ugly looking.
shanghei said:
One thing that bothers me is that when I am using this at night I have no idea where the home, search, setting keys are :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or.... you use a ROM with the soft buttons so you don't have to use them... VegaN perhaps?
it2steve said:
or.... you use a ROM with the soft buttons so you don't have to use them... VegaN perhaps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what I was going to suggest. I'm using the vegan rom and use the soft buttons that show on the status bar. I love this Rom and tablet so far! I haven't even tried tnt light but I don't think I need to, this rom works perfect for me so far. The ipad does seem a little boring compared to the g tab in my opinion, once you play with android its hard to use something like ios and be satisfied, for me anyway.
Alpha06 said:
Tried the ipad. Yeah, built in 3g w/ data was sweet.
But man, this is a BEAST. So much more than the iPad. Once an optimized tegra android rom rolls out...it's gonna rock. I'm having a bunch of fun trying stuff out, seeing what games I like, apps, etc...
Open source based devices for the win.
The iPad just works. But the g tablet works, in a much bigger atmosphere, so yeah, there are some bugs to iron out. But it's capable of a bunch more.
Oh and
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/17/dungeon-defenders-first-wave-brings-unreal-engine-to-android-th/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Flash, no USB host, no USB connectors and iTunes interface forced upon the user are the main reasons- no iPad for me.
That said, there ARE some great games and others coming to it.... STAY AWAY FROM THE PRETTY LIGHT!
All our OP had to do was make a CW backup and update apps with Titanium. Any problems and BOOM! back in business in less than 30 minutes
That all said, were it not for Clockwork, I will be bold to say that almost EVERY one of us would be returning ours too (already would have). The roms are GREAT, but we would be pretty much be screwed without CW. Only mega techs would be bothering with the other options.
The only thing the ipads got on this is the screen.
http://www.droidgamers.com/index.ph...iglitz-about-unreal-engine-3-ddfw-and-android
JS: For Dungeon Defenders: First Wave, Tegra 2 is primarily a question of "best experience". The game runs by far best on Tegra 2 out of any mobile device we've put the title onto. It's nearly a portable PC level of graphics capability. So while the game doesn't require Tegra 2, we do prefer to play it that way here, which provides an HD resolution, the highest quality textures, and a set of levels that simply could not be rendered on the lower-spec devices. But for the wide array of other SOC's out there, they'll still be getting an experience that is pretty darn awesome.
bittrix said:
now we can talk about him.
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Click to collapse
I LOLed
Yeah, you can't deny that this thing is a powerhouse. But, in it's current state it is definitely a high maintenance device. And when it comes to a tablet, I just want to turn the thing on and have it do what it's told. Sure, thanks to clockwork flashing ROMS is not as terrible as it could be, but still...
Ultimately I don't have a lot of problems with the iPad's constraints. As a lifelong apple user I'm fine with the itunes based file system. (although killing the ability to use the device as removable drive has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever seen!) And as far as the no flash thing goes, I was playing with an iPad in the store the other day, and all the sites I went to played video! CNN, BBC, ESPN, IGN... I guess they're running HTML5 in parallel with their traditional formats.
All that said, I might not even get one. Ver2.0 will be out in 4 months. I can probably wait.
In related news, I just noticed my receipt is EXCHANGE ONLY, and seeing as how I don't need $425 in credit at office depot, I've posted it on craigslist for $400. If anyone here is in the LA area and is interested in buying, I'll sell for $350.
Again, you guys kick ass. And overall I would consider it a positive experience.
rushless said:
No Flash, no USB host, no USB connectors and iTunes interface forced upon the user are the main reasons- no iPad for me.
That said, there ARE some great games and others coming to it.... STAY AWAY FROM THE PRETTY LIGHT!
All our OP had to do was make a CW backup and update apps with Titanium. Any problems and BOOM! back in business in less than 30 minutes
That all said, were it not for Clockwork, I will be bold to say that almost EVERY one of us would be returning ours too (already would have). The roms are GREAT, but we would be pretty much be screwed without CW. Only mega techs would be bothering with the other options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I don't know about others, but if it weren't for the helpful folks here, like roebeet et al, I probably wouldn't even have BOUGHT the Gtab !
Jim
To the op, don't leave for an ipad now. Gingerbread is here, honeycomb is almost here along with other tegra 2 devices, ipad 2 is coming...etc. why pay for an ipad that's going to be yesterdays news in a couple of months. At least wait for a price drop on the ipad.
To everyone else, everyone knows that being a custom rom flasher/addict isn't for everyone. Especially when its in its beginning stages just like our gtablet. I can say that force closes and bootloops don't bother me because I know its part of the game. I'm. Just glad I know where to look for solutions (xda) and I know how to use nvflash if necessary.
Life in LA said:
I LOLed
Yeah, you can't deny that this thing is a powerhouse. But, in it's current state it is definitely a high maintenance device. And when it comes to a tablet, I just want to turn the thing on and have it do what it's told. Sure, thanks to clockwork flashing ROMS is not as terrible as it could be, but still...
Ultimately I don't have a lot of problems with the iPad's constraints. As a lifelong apple user I'm fine with the itunes based file system. (although killing the ability to use the device as removable drive has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever seen!) And as far as the no flash thing goes, I was playing with an iPad in the store the other day, and all the sites I went to played video! CNN, BBC, ESPN, IGN... I guess they're running HTML5 in parallel with their traditional formats.
All that said, I might not even get one. Ver2.0 will be out in 4 months. I can probably wait.
In related news, I just noticed my receipt is EXCHANGE ONLY, and seeing as how I don't need $425 in credit at office depot, I've posted it on craigslist for $400. If anyone here is in the LA area and is interested in buying, I'll sell for $350.
Again, you guys kick ass. And overall I would consider it a positive experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
APPLE FAN BOY ALERT. Jk. And I was soooo nice to u at the other forums too....never again!!!
you have them along the top as well on most screens as sofware keys. I'm using the Vegan-Tab rom and it is stable and fast!
Life in LA said:
I LOLed
Yeah, you can't deny that this thing is a powerhouse. But, in it's current state it is definitely a high maintenance device. And when it comes to a tablet, I just want to turn the thing on and have it do what it's told. Sure, thanks to clockwork flashing ROMS is not as terrible as it could be, but still...
Ultimately I don't have a lot of problems with the iPad's constraints. As a lifelong apple user I'm fine with the itunes based file system. (although killing the ability to use the device as removable drive has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever seen!) And as far as the no flash thing goes, I was playing with an iPad in the store the other day, and all the sites I went to played video! CNN, BBC, ESPN, IGN... I guess they're running HTML5 in parallel with their traditional formats.
All that said, I might not even get one. Ver2.0 will be out in 4 months. I can probably wait.
In related news, I just noticed my receipt is EXCHANGE ONLY, and seeing as how I don't need $425 in credit at office depot, I've posted it on craigslist for $400. If anyone here is in the LA area and is interested in buying, I'll sell for $350.
Again, you guys kick ass. And overall I would consider it a positive experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Double post.
I am in the market to buy a new tablet but I have been looking between archos and a viewsonic. I want to stick with a 10 inch screen but I would like to get the most bang for my buck right now my spending limit about 400 dollars.
I am aware that the g tablet has a nvidia dual core processor which is fairly appealing. However I wanted to get some input from people that have had hands on experience with those tablets. Are there any new tablets I should hold out for or what would you people suggest thank you for your help.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
I own both and will probably sell one of them. I'm still deciding, but leaning in favor of the Gtablet. I plan to post a full comparison on my blog (http://www.blendblog.net) where I reviewed the Archos 101 already.
A quick summary though is as follows:
GTablet performs much better. I've not had to worry about memory whereas on the Archos I've often had to manually kill apps to get the device to stay responsive.
The Gtablet is built better. The screen is slightly better, viewing angles are bad on both but the Archos screen feels like you are tapping on cheap plastic wheras the Gtablet feels like solid glass. The tradeoff is that the Gtablet is MUCH heavier, and bigger.
Both of them have very good speakers.
The fiddle factor with the Gtablet is much higher, but if you are here you probably know that. You must root and rom the device, although that is not a tough thing to do. However, I have spent countless hours with mine trying to get it to wake from sleep correctly, an issue many have. I finally figured out a workaround that fixes the issue at the expense of battery life. It seems that some units just have issues waking from sleep, I may still exchange mine because of this.
Build consistency seems to be a bit sketchy on both fronts. The aforementioned sleep issue has bitten me on the GTablet and my Archos has been RMA'd (their support was excellent though) due to a huge stuck blue pixel in the display that was horrible looking.
Archos has one big leg up on the Gtablet and that's video support. It will play anything I throw at it (I did have to buy a $15 AC3/MPEG2 codec package though). The stock video player is much sleeker as well integrating movie descriptions etc. With the Gtablet you are left with the usual hodgepodge of Android video players that don't work with everything etc.
Google was somewhat right in saying Android wasn't ready for "primetime" but I have to say, I find these devices very fun to play with and use on a day to day basis.
I am definitely leaning towards keeping the Gtablet and selling the Archos when I get it back from RMA. The speed advantage of Gtablet is noticeable and with this excellent hacking community in place I feel like there is a much better chance of it being relevant (Honeycomb?) going forward than with the Archos.
I hope this helps!
Sean
Grabbing VitalPlayer pretty much cleared up the problem of the G-Tab not supporting MPEG-2 or AC3, and it's free. YMMV.
VitalPlayer on Appbrain
Where are the codecs for g tablet to match Archos ???
This lack is confusing given the fact that we know tetra 2 is superior. It would seem that xoom will support many popular video codecs when it comes out in Feb!
Archos vs
I own both tablets, and can say without reservation that the G tablet is superior in many ways. It is a much more solid build ( although about 8 oz heavier)
The G tablet is much faster with the Custom Roms. I have had a number of Archos devices, and have been pleased with them, but after owning the G tablet, with its open nature and ability to modify, I will never opt for such a closed off device like the Archos again. Don't get me wrong- it is a good device, but it lacks the potential of the G tablet.
I have the gtablet running Vegan 5
I have no problems playing videos at all using vplayer, rock player and even es explorer has a pretty good player. I played with 101 archos not bad but looks cheap next to the g tab, also as a long time fan of NVIDIA I knew it was going to fast!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I haven't used the Archos, but I was in your exact position a little over a month ago, ultimately I choose to check out the G-Tab because I could pick one up locally and return it in 30 days if I didn't like it. I have to say that at first I wasn't pleased with it overall, but that changed as soon as I started flashing some of the amazing ROMs available here on XDA. I'm not new to flashing my devices, but even if this had been a first time experience for me I doubt I'd have had any problems. Follow steps carefully and you can't go wrong, if you have a question it's most likely already been asked by someone before you, so just search the forums and you'll find the answer quick enough. Long story short the G-Tab would be a real dog of a product if it weren't for this amazing community of developers, but because of them I think it's got a future, a fairly bright one at that. I love my G-Tab more and more everyday, and as of now I do not regret purchasing it.
snipestech said:
I have the gtablet running Vegan 5
I have no problems playing videos at all using vplayer, rock player and even es explorer has a pretty good player. I played with 101 archos not bad but looks cheap next to the g tab, also as a long time fan of NVIDIA I knew it was going to fast!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Mine's running the same configuration. Do you have anything with audio encoded in AC-3 Dolby Digital? I ripped all my DVD's to my media server using h.264 for video but leaving the original surround sound audio in place. On the Archos I could play those files with the $15 MPEG2/AC-3 plug-in. I have not been able to find a video player yet that does this for my Gtablet (tried ES and Rock amongst others) but I haven't tried the VitalPlayer that theindependent recommended. I'll post back when I get a chance to try that player, it may solve this issue somewhat.
Sean
Same here... Once I did a little more research I found that the Archos 101 had the exact same viewing angle issues with a crappier plastic feeling screen. When you couple that with 256 meg ram and Single Core design it was a simple decision for me.. I figured if I couldnt have an iPAD equivilant screen then I would go with what is future proof. The only real option is the 7inch which every states viewing angles are good - but was still concerned with the future use of the hardware and resale value (at that time). Dual core Tegra's in about 6 - 12 months will hold their value significantly higher than a 256 meg / single core device. By then I see better screens coming out and will upgrade then.
Till then... Im loving the decision - I also agree I was very upset the first few hours until I got the custom rom, kernel, launcher and other apps all up and running..
geoffreywolter said:
I haven't used the Archos, but I was in your exact position a little over a month ago, ultimately I choose to check out the G-Tab because I could pick one up locally and return it in 30 days if I didn't like it. I have to say that at first I wasn't pleased with it overall, but that changed as soon as I started flashing some of the amazing ROMs available here on XDA. I'm not new to flashing my devices, but even if this had been a first time experience for me I doubt I'd have had any problems. Follow steps carefully and you can't go wrong, if you have a question it's most likely already been asked by someone before you, so just search the forums and you'll find the answer quick enough. Long story short the G-Tab would be a real dog of a product if it weren't for this amazing community of developers, but because of them I think it's got a future, a fairly bright one at that. I love my G-Tab more and more everyday, and as of now I do not regret purchasing it.
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stiphy said:
I own both and will probably sell one of them. I'm still deciding, but leaning in favor of the Gtablet. I plan to post a full comparison on my blog (http://www.blendblog.net) where I reviewed the Archos 101 already.
A quick summary though is as follows:
GTablet performs much better. I've not had to worry about memory whereas on the Archos I've often had to manually kill apps to get the device to stay responsive.
The Gtablet is built better. The screen is slightly better, viewing angles are bad on both but the Archos screen feels like you are tapping on cheap plastic wheras the Gtablet feels like solid glass. The tradeoff is that the Gtablet is MUCH heavier, and bigger.
Both of them have very good speakers.
The fiddle factor with the Gtablet is much higher, but if you are here you probably know that. You must root and rom the device, although that is not a tough thing to do. However, I have spent countless hours with mine trying to get it to wake from sleep correctly, an issue many have. I finally figured out a workaround that fixes the issue at the expense of battery life. It seems that some units just have issues waking from sleep, I may still exchange mine because of this.
Build consistency seems to be a bit sketchy on both fronts. The aforementioned sleep issue has bitten me on the GTablet and my Archos has been RMA'd (their support was excellent though) due to a huge stuck blue pixel in the display that was horrible looking.
Archos has one big leg up on the Gtablet and that's video support. It will play anything I throw at it (I did have to buy a $15 AC3/MPEG2 codec package though). The stock video player is much sleeker as well integrating movie descriptions etc. With the Gtablet you are left with the usual hodgepodge of Android video players that don't work with everything etc.
Google was somewhat right in saying Android wasn't ready for "primetime" but I have to say, I find these devices very fun to play with and use on a day to day basis.
I am definitely leaning towards keeping the Gtablet and selling the Archos when I get it back from RMA. The speed advantage of Gtablet is noticeable and with this excellent hacking community in place I feel like there is a much better chance of it being relevant (Honeycomb?) going forward than with the Archos.
I hope this helps!
Sean
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Great summary! I expect video support to get a lot better once Nvidia finally releases final drivers. Kind of have too, with all the T2's coming out soon.
In a nutshell, if higher def video is not 90% of the reason you are getting a tablet, the Gtablet is a FAR better choice than the Archos 101. Also, the Archos 101 has a few glaring problems besides a much slower chipset:
1. 230mb of device app space. Gtablet has eight times more space
2. 256mb ram (contant performance battle unless just using for video)
Have both Archos is light and thin, a little bit flimsy, but is a great pmp/ereader especially when on the road. Gtablet is a beast though runs circles around the Archos in regard to performance and flexibility. As a long time Archos supporter I think this my last device from them.
I just installed VitalPlayer from the market, thanks theindependent for the pointer.
It does play AC-3 so my ripped DVD's are fine. I have a 720p video though and it can't keep up, it stutters. The Archos 101 played it just fine.
Hopefully as rushless said, there will be updates to the driver so that hardware acceleration for hidef video can be added.
There are 2 other features the GTablet are missing that I forgot about:
1) No mini-hdmi output port, instead it has a docking station port. I would get more use out of mini-hdmi although the UI on the Archos is very bad when plugged into a monitor as I menitioned in the review on my blog.
2) The kickstand, while somewhat cheesy, is a nice feature on the Archos device.
One plus for the Gtablet (for me at least) is it uses the more standard mini-usb type plug instead of the micro usb plug of the archos. Most of my other devices are miniusb so I prefer this.
I think to sum things up I'd say that if you want a video player and e-reader that can do a nice amount of computer like things I'd go Archos. If you want a computer that is an ok e-reader (just a bit heavier) and can do some video go Gtablet!
Sean
I was seriously considering the 101 until I found this device. I think so far (only 1 day) it is a win.
As far as kick stand I am using a Garmin GPS suction mount for a windscreen on the back it works well.
Stuggy said:
I was seriously considering the 101 until I found this device. I think so far (only 1 day) it is a win.
As far as kick stand I am using a Garmin GPS suction mount for a windscreen on the back it works well.
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Can you show some pictures of that? I have a Garmin Widescreen GPS, I ould like to see how you have it setup with the g-tablet.
Sm0k3d 0uT said:
Can you show some pictures of that? I have a Garmin Widescreen GPS, I ould like to see how you have it setup with the g-tablet.
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When I get home I'll do it. It is basically the mount on the back of the g-tab (choose a location to determine tilt) and then the ball rests on the surface of desk or you can hold it using that.
How were you able to get Vplayer to run?
I've been able to install fine but when I run it I am unable to open any videos, same from a file explorer with the open with menu. Thanks!
snipestech said:
I have the gtablet running Vegan 5
I have no problems playing videos at all using vplayer, rock player and even es explorer has a pretty good player. I played with 101 archos not bad but looks cheap next to the g tab, also as a long time fan of NVIDIA I knew it was going to fast!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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You should also consider what you will want in the future their are many new tegra 2 powered devices coming out soon for a reason, the g tablet already has the same hardware but the developement is ahead of all other tablets on the market. I have the g tablet and wouldn't consider any other device thanks to the devs on the forum making it the best tablet available right now.
Sm0k3d 0uT said:
Can you show some pictures of that? I have a Garmin Widescreen GPS, I ould like to see how you have it setup with the g-tablet.
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I have some pictures here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10099907&postcount=10
RojasTKD said:
I have some pictures here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10099907&postcount=10
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Mine looks just like that - same suction mount. Sorry I didn't upload. And I think I got the idea from that post although I probably would have tried it in looking for a stand method.
I just got my Archos 101 back from RMA.
One thing I noticed that is a big plus for the Archos, at least in my setup is that when it is powered down it "sleeps properly." After 20 hours of sitting on my desk powered down it still has 95% battery life. My GTablet on the other hand won't wake up from sleep properly. You can follow the travails I and others are having on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=855821. If I leave my GTablet on for 20 hours it will be down to around 15% battery life. That's without my workaround to keep the CPU on when the screen is off that fixes the broken wake from sleep (but does slightly increase this battery drain).
Now maybe I have a defective unit, and I am contemplating returning it still. Can anyone else comment on what they see battery life wise with their GTablet when its sleeping. Preferably someone without the wake up problem my unit has. To test just charge it up, leave it "sleeping" overnight with the screen off and when you wake up the next morning report what the battery life is. The Archos only loses about 1% every 4 hours, the GTablet is losing 4% every hour!
FWIW, Archos support was awesome, I live in the US Virgin Islands and they at first tried to send it UPS which is "international" for us and a cluster to deal with. Because of this the UPS tag that was generated had it going to Pennsylvania (yes this is a common occurrence with UPS and the USVI). I called them immediately and they halted the shipment, then sent it to me USPS Express mail so I had it in 2 days! The replacement unit was in perfect shape.
Sean
Couldn't find any topics about the Ainol Novo 7 here. It's been on the news the past week for being the first tablet unofficially running ICS but I think there's bugs, I saw their topics over at slatedroid and news articles lately have been saying it's coming to the US.
Apparently there are two versions of it
Ainol Novo 7 Basic: ~$99 US (their MSRP)
JZ4770 Xburst 1.0 GHz Processor (MIPS)
GPU: GC860
512MB DDR2
7" Capacitive 5 points Multitouch Screen
800 x 480 pixel resolution
8GB Nandflash built in
Camera: Front 0.3MP, Black 2MP
Ainol Novo 7 Advanced: ~$149 US (their MSRP)
Allwinner A10 (Cortex A8) 1.5 GHz Processor (underclocked to 1.0)
512MB DDR2
7" Capacitive 5 points Multitouch Screen
800 x 480 pixel resolution
8GB Nandflash built in
Camera: Front 0.3MP, Black 2MP
Youtube of it running ICS "trial version"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iIvQamhFB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRnntvQpwRs
Runs a bit slow with some bugs, but looks like a good deal it's going to be for $99.
Looks interesting. I guess we'll see ICS on just about any kind of device in the coming weeks.
As with this one, finding out if the device itself is good and of quality is often difficult. I guess most people will still go for the bigger manufacturers and pay more because of it.
But it's companies like this one which will help push tablet prices down and become accessible for the masses.
adelmundo said:
But it's companies like this one which will help push tablet prices down and become accessible for the masses.
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yeah and thats the main thing... Look at the $99 Fire sale HP had. They had no idea how good that would be for them. Now they are looking into more frequent fire sales.
And even if it is a bit "laggy" these youtube videos I've been watching make this thing look almost as good as the other tabs. I mean no one expects a Xoom to eber be $99 bucks, but these companies will make them lose out on sales if they don't drop prices a smidge..
by the way, ordered this bad boy few days ago, should get it a week after Christmas.... if anyones interested, will post a real detailed video. if anyone would like me to test anything in particular let me know.
i think it is superb..
Let us know how you like it and post some pictures.
THANKS IN ADVANCED.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
uncleswoop said:
yeah and thats the main thing... Look at the $99 Fire sale HP had. They had no idea how good that would be for them. Now they are looking into more frequent fire sales.
And even if it is a bit "laggy" these youtube videos I've been watching make this thing look almost as good as the other tabs. I mean no one expects a Xoom to eber be $99 bucks, but these companies will make them lose out on sales if they don't drop prices a smidge..
by the way, ordered this bad boy few days ago, should get it a week after Christmas.... if anyones interested, will post a real detailed video. if anyone would like me to test anything in particular let me know.
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Yup so true. I own the 32GB Touchpad ($149 bought during first firesale) and it's great for what I want to do, which is mainly web surfing, watching a lot of YouTube, email, and a few games. Although I have not yet put on CM7 on it, it's still a decent tablet for me. I was trying to score another Touchpad during the last firesall on eBay last Sunday, but the servers were hit so hard, I missed out on the chance. I want to give something cheap to my 2 little kids since they hog up my Touchpad watching YouTube videos (mainly YouTube playthroughs of Wii games like Super Mario), and I was taking a look at this Ainol, and for $99 each, if it can stream YouTube vids and play Angry Birds and other kiddie games, I will gladly buy my kids 2 of these for Christmas.
NOVO 7 running ICS beta
I bought my NOVO 7 ADVANCED about 3 weeks ago, and I'm really happy with mine. I popped ICS on it and it is fantastic. The script someone here posted to make the market work is nice. Of course there are issues with the video during screen orientation changes that I'm told is due to the video processor used in the tablet. My initial reaction is that it's not ready for prime time, but really close.
c
I ordered one for my wife for Christmas and I have been playing with it for a couple of days before wrapping it. I Ordered mine from TopNotchTablets and they provide a service http://topnotchtablets.com/node/113 that installs full market and a few other things for free before they ship to you, if you want it. Nathan provides great support and has a great rep on Slatedroid. So far it will meet all of my wifes needs and more. It has a long battery life and is fast. For the price and support you can not beat it. Jump on it.