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I have never owned a tablet before. I never thought I had a use for one. But once the iPad and Android tablets started flooding the market, I kept thinking, "man, those are cool". But I still didn't know what I would use one for.
So now I have a G Tablet, with all of the mods applied, but I still don't know why I need it, or want it. I do most of my computing at my desk. When on the go, I use my Nexus One. Right now my G Tablet is just an expensive Angry Birds console.
So, tell me what you use yours for, before I get bored and return this item.
BTW, This is not a knock on the G Tablet, I am very impressed with the hardware (except for the viewing angles) on this device.
personally i got it for my kitchen to have a laptop like device that isnt so big and bulky like a laptop for internet radio and to access apps and cooking apps for the wifey. plus something to quickly access the web in the kitchen without having to open the laptop or try getting to the browser on my phone.
also use it to control the lights throughout the lights since i have x10 lighting in my house.
I was like you, thinking that the combo of a desktop computer, a laptop, and my Nexus One meant that a tablet would be unnecessary. I'd almost always be on either my laptop or my N1 in the evenings while watching TV, just keeping an eye on e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Plus playing a lot of Angry Birds.
But, since I got my gTab, I've used my laptop maybe twice in five weeks. My phone just sits at my side in case I get an actual call (rare!). I use my tablet *all the time* when I'm on the sofa. It's great to have a much larger screen to look at (instead of my N1) when reading Kindle books or playing Angry Birds or just surfing. I also like typing on it more since I installed Thumb Keyboard, which in landscape mode has a split-keyboard to allow for easy thumb-only typing. I watch more streaming video than I ever would have bothered to on my N1.
And it's ergonomically much more comfortable than dealing with my laptop all evening.
It's also great to have when on the treadmill compared to an N1, again for Kindle or whatever.
I use it for music on the go around my home. I may be in the kitchen doing some cooking, or helping with laundry or cleaning. I do it all with music.
I use it to surf while on the couch watching TV, anything that pops to my mind...something relating to the show, etc.
I use it in the kitchen in the rare occasion I feel like doing something different. My wife is an awesome cook but she gets home at 5 or so, so sometimes I try to do the right thing and cook some dinnah...and sometimes I'm inspired enough to try a recipe from the net.
I use it in bed when I'm winding down to go to sleep. Music or maybe an episode of something; surf the web or read an e-book.
I use it to read...magazines, ebooks, whether I'm in the couch, on the balcony, etc.
So in the end, for me it's a great value. I just wish it worked properly without flashing additional stuff.
It's a really great notebook replacement when all you want to do are the lighter things like listen to music, watch tv, surf the web or read a book/magazine. Can you do these things on your PC or Notebook? Of course you can!, but if you're the type of person who doesn't like to sit behind a PC or under a laptop for 12 hrs then it really works out.
My 2 complaints, 1 major and 1 minor are how crappy the initial software is (major) and how heavy it is (minor)...the weight may be necessary as I suspect the battery to be the culprit, and almost all the Tegra 2 devices releasing currently are this heavy, but a nicer weight would have been 1lb vs. 1.55lbs which becomes weighty in one hand after a while. The Archos 101 is just around 1lb and feels very nice to hold.
Dashboard on my work desk for scrolling news, weather, to do list and email (work station stays on task-monitor my usage to your heart's desire It department!!!!)
Desk top digital picture frame
Surfing web on the couch.
Watching missed TV shows from my bed using Bluetooth headphones after the wife's asleep
Surfing these bulletin boards.
Kindle book reader
I don't social network but I hear twitter and Facebook are popular.
Watching news clips
Trying to figure out away to port my weekly Netflix movies to this for easy viewing while traveling
Thinking of trying to setup a way to get work email and edit spread sheets real quick.
Have yet to really figure out how well some of my ideas will work.
What is wrong with an expensive angry birds console
@allenfx, have you tryed using documents to go app for editing spread sheets
Based on my experience so far:
Aggravation !!!
I used this to play emulators like Tiger Mame and Snes, I watch Justin TV, browse the web, a night clock...etc. The 10.1 screen is great for all of those things especially on long road trips like the one I took with my family last week. My kids were playing and watching videos for most of our trip. I love this thing!!!
They also used this to Vid chat. It was great because they got to say Merry Xmas to their grandparents face to face (sorta).
All of this and the battery was still at 30%+ after a 7 hr drive! That's frickin crazy...I think. Escpecially with the tablet running those tasks.
I like these ideas. Keep them coming.
I normally use my eee pc on the sofa and what not. I can see this is better solution for that, since it plays videos much better.
@dragonfly1113
I am interested in the home automation you mentioned. Can you describe your setup?
Thanks Everyone.
thewayne01 said:
@dragonfly1113
I am interested in the home automation you mentioned. Can you describe your setup?
Thanks Everyone.
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First you gotta look into x10 lighting which is special lighting for your house, the house i bought i was lucky enough it had the lighting in it already i just needed the "base". What happends is you get a "base" which sends signals out to devices lights/appliances/security systems for them to turn on and off. They reach out to modules which you add to a light, for instance you get a wall switch one instead of wiring the wires to a normal light switch you wire them into this x10 module which has dials on them you set the dials to a "channel" and thats how it communicates with the base. it sounds more complicated than it really is, a very easy affordable way to get it is with lamp modules which are the cheapest and they plug right into any wall outlet and have a female end on the other side where you plug in something like say a lamp. If you need anymore info on the actual setup of x10 just research on google x10 lighting and it will give you all the info.
for the app there are many paid apps out there you can get but your best off with the one thats free called autom8 its not on the market but there is a link for it if you search "autom8 android" in google you should be able to find it, it has a video attached to it of the kid doing it on his android phone, i have it on my droid 1 and now on my g tablet in the kitchen so i can turn on the lights before i even walk into the house
dragonfly1113 said:
First you gotta look into x10 lighting which is special lighting for your house, the house i bought i was lucky enough it had the lighting in it already i just needed the "base". What happends is you get a "base" which sends signals out to devices lights/appliances/security systems for them to turn on and off. They reach out to modules which you add to a light, for instance you get a wall switch one instead of wiring the wires to a normal light switch you wire them into this x10 module which has dials on them you set the dials to a "channel" and thats how it communicates with the base. it sounds more complicated than it really is, a very easy affordable way to get it is with lamp modules which are the cheapest and they plug right into any wall outlet and have a female end on the other side where you plug in something like say a lamp. If you need anymore info on the actual setup of x10 just research on google x10 lighting and it will give you all the info.
for the app there are many paid apps out there you can get but your best off with the one thats free called autom8 its not on the market but there is a link for it if you search "autom8 android" in google you should be able to find it, it has a video attached to it of the kid doing it on his android phone, i have it on my droid 1 and now on my g tablet in the kitchen so i can turn on the lights before i even walk into the house
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That's frickin cool! haha. I didn't know that even existed.
I travel quite a bit for the company I own and I am just flat tired of hauling around a laptop around airports etc. Mostly what I do is keep in touch with email but occasionally have to get into one of the network servers. I tried doing this with my smartphone but it was just too tiny and too limiting that way so I kept on hauling around my laptop.
The tablet allows me to do these without the laptop hassle. If I have to answer an email it is still a minor pain with a screen keyboard but with the tablet its much less of a hassle. During flights I can use it to play games, compose emails for sending later, writing notes or even just reading.
Its a lot less weight to carry. It may not seem like much to some but after carrying around a leather case with a shoulder strap with a six pound laptop and another two pounds of other stuff I would get to my hotels with big red strap marks on my shoulder. Now the weight is reduced by well over half and it "feels" good.
R
This is interesting stuff. First, the autom8 android seems to be an abandoned app. But reading some forums there appear to be other alternatives out there that do the same thing and have an active developer.
The price of the x10 modules are incredibly cheaper when they came out years ago. I hadn't looket at it lately but I did when they first came on the market and I thought that they were crazy expensive and I never looked at them again. Now, you can buy kits that are just about dirt cheap.
Sounds like a fun plaything but I don't see much use for it myself. If I still lived in Los Angeles it would have lots of good uses for security. But, now I live out in the country in rural Kansas and when we went to Europe we forgot to lock the front door. No biggie, didn't worry about it and when we got back all was fine.
R
I am in the same boat not sure why I bought it at the beginning. I have a laptop (very light-weight 4lb + very fast CPU + 14.1 screen), a desktop and a couple of pocket PCs (HP iPAQ). Now, my g-tablet has a "real" purpose.. is to piss off my apple-addicted co-workers (most of my co-workers use Mac laptops + Ipads, Iphones, etc). Even my helpdesk dept does not like Android, linux or windows and they think Apple is the best. Anyways, I brought my G-tablet to work one day and showed them CNN.com with Flash and ran the Quadrant score.. hahahaha.
Fuzzy John said:
Based on my experience so far:
Aggravation !!!
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Hahahaha!
I know EXACTLY how you feel. You know how I see it? You can buy few other electronics for $350-$400 that are going to pull off what this can. It's a handheld computer - it runs better graphics than I think most netbooks at this price point and the only other electronics you will buy with $400 is maybe a mid end 32" LCD TV which let's face it - you probably already own something bigger/better, in fact maybe even 2 or 3.
So I mean....unless you're willing to WAIT until March/April for the more solid stuff to come with either 2.3 as the base or Honeycomb, at least you can get a few things done in the meantime with the newest stock s/w....and hopefully by the time they become mainstream we'll get an official update that even the devs won't feel necessary to mod too heavily to be workable.
I almost decided to return mine today when the screen became unresponsive and no amount of claimed calibration would work. But I calmed down, did a full wipe and now it's good. I think the hardware is pretty solid, it's just the software that is a total mess and the devs here are doing the best they can with what they have but in the end I think it's the people that sit down in labs and workstations that need to make at least a solid software core for things to be based upon and I don't think that's the case with the tnt software, zpad software or vega software. I think it's all based on some pretty crummy stuff. I still have high hopes for something better when Honeycomb comes, or something written from the ground up by the devs here based on 2.3.
man let me see......what don't you use the gtab for????? lol. I mainly use it while watching tv i can watch football and browse the web. i like the google finance app to check my stocks. its great entertainment when i have company i leave it on the coffe table so guests can play with it or surf the web... yeah i have 2 laptops even an ultra light and thin 11.6" screen 3.5 lbs but i still prefer this as my internet browser while on the couch... sure i can do all that on my iphone 4 but i cant even look at that small screen after getting used to my tab! i tether my phones internet to it so a long ride in the car goes by quick, when others are driving of course. i love the old school nintendo emulators also...again can do all that from my phone but why when i have a ten inch screen.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b3 using Tapatalk (while on the couch waiting for MNF to start)
Travelling with less than two pounds... access to my brokerage account and virtually all the investment pages I tend to use... E-mail... news, sports, weather... Twitter feeds I follow... much easier to carry around the house than the laptop. An aside: the WiFi is very sensitive. On an Amtrak train, waiting to leave Chicago's Union Station and then at least for an hour or two heading West to Denver, I had the choice of a dozen or so connections available to me. About half were open networks from hotels and eateries. As the train picked up speed, available connections changed every few minutes. Crazy stuff. The December VS update just before Christmas was wonderful for this stock gTablet. The only fix I want now is video added to Skype capabilities.
Tom
3 movies on one charged battery..... Enough said...
jacindc said:
But, since I got my gTab, I've used my laptop maybe twice in five weeks. My phone just sits at my side in case I get an actual call (rare!). I use my tablet *all the time* when I'm on the sofa. It's great to have a much larger screen to look at (instead of my N1) when reading Kindle books or playing Angry Birds or just surfing.
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Same here. Chat, read email, browse the web, all on my sofa and much more comfortable. I use my laptop in the morning... to prop up my tablet.
-=Sent from my VS GTablet (VEGAn b4) using Tapatalk=-
I use my g tablet for everything the only time I use my PC was to download the new roms but now I have rom manager working my PC is just a dvr I also use the PC as dual boot 64 bit windows/linux. If I could use Linux on the g tablet my PC would be an expensive dvr only right now I'm using vegan beta4 and its pretty smooth
Can anyone tell me how the screen looks when compared to a nook color? I am looking for a good tablet that can handle school books and isn't too hard on the eyes. I know the nook screen is great but would like a larger screen than 7". Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
For me the screen was what killed this device for me. The viewing angles are pretty bad, no way you can set this flat on a table or desk and not hover directly above it to read what's on the screen. Straight on everything looked pretty good, but there will very soon be lots of Android tablets that will have better screens on the market. If you're just looking for something to get you through till then the gtab is a good bet, otherwise I would wait on the next wave of them to hit.
Yeah, the screen isn't all that great. I just played around with a friend's ipad last night and the screen is way better. I've heard the nook is pretty good too, but haven't seen it in person.
Having said that, I can easily do just about anything I want to. I watch comics on it in portrait and I'm used to it. In two years I'll think its archaic, but what tech isn't like that? I think for the next 6-18m the best you are going to do to get a better product with a better screen is to spend $500-800 on one. I wasn't willing to spend that much. I spend $350 and was happy.
I've also spent a few minutes on the phone with a friend figuring out how to do things on the ipad that are easy on the gtab. So it really just depends on what you want it to do, and what media you want it for.
Nook is very nice. Gtab not so much. But remember the internals blow the Nook away.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
The price point was the prime consideration for me. Technology evolves too quickly for me to justify spending a large sum of money. This tablet for circa $400 and no monthly 3G data plan was a better purchase for me than an Apple or Samsung at roughly twice the price, especially considering the probability of something significantly enhanced showing up in a year. The combination of Viewsonic support and the developers' efforts and users willing to participate in Q&A in this forum is superb. The view angle isn't an issue for my wife and me; we watched some movies while on a 4k mile roundtrip train trip, and easily used WiFi at train stations and stopovers. I bought this in the end of November, and no regrets.
Tom
Maybe my video can help you make a decision? I'm obviously only one opinion, so I'd say watch my video and a bunch of others on Youtube before you make a decision. Also, if it's possible, hit up a local Office Depot or Sears or something, someone around you may have a demo of one. Happy shopping!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO1XyVK6cms
Call sears before you go. Most of the stores around here have a cardboard mockup on display. You can't see the real thing. If you want a pnp no brainer tab with a pretty screen, you don't want G tab. If you want to play this is great.
Depending on your needs, the limited viewing angle may be either a feature or a bug. Last week, my boss had the middle seat on an airline flight. The guys sitting on either side of him were both working with tablets. He couldn't tell what the guy on his right was doing because his screen had a lousy peripheral viewing. He said he spent a very informative flight reading the presentations on the tablet of the guy on his left whose screen was highly readable from where he was sitting. Go figure....
Porsche or VW
PORSCHE 911turbo with so so paint job
Or
VW with perfect paint and a good stereo
I know my choice even with some tinkering...
Try looking at most laptops and netbooks with the display tilted back or worse yet hold it in "portrait mode"
This tablet is at least $700 less with no contracts. 24m x $30+150
G tablet is off the chart fast.
Nook may be ok. But g tablet looks future proof for at least 1 generation. So nook + 1 more device.
Plus I really like the kindle app on a 10.1 screen.
n2thecloud said:
PORSCHE 911turbo with so so paint job
Or
VW with perfect paint and a good stereo
I know my choice even with some tinkering...
[snip]
Like buying a core i7 computer running windows xp
montyhp
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Seriously, I have become quite a fan of Apple's Macbooks and own and use both a Macbook and iMac pretty much daily. The Macbook is used a lot for running tracks and click tracks in live band situations which it excels at. We also use it to share internet in our house. Seems like anything with wi-fi will connect to it! But when it comes to portable devices I just found Apple's iPad and iPod touch a bit too limiting.
I recently sold my latest generation 32gig iPod Touch (had 4 buyers lined up to buy it...crazy) to get some extra money to put toward buying the G-Tablet. I bought one, and after a little updating and extending the ROM, I have to say I am blown away by this G-Tablet. After putting the Skinomi on it I think the screen is fine. Viewing angles aren't that great but no big deal to me.
This G-Tablet is fast and so much more fun than Apple's portable stuff for me personally, because I love the fact that I can change ROMS and that I can have the full Market and especially have FLASH! I was very bored with the iPod after having two generations of Touch's, even though my new one had the two cameras and faster processor. The HD camera was nice to have, but I already had a small Kodak Playsport that shoots 1080p and better pictures. Not being able to see videos on some of my favorite websites like mma-core.com (mixed martial arts fighting and info) was quite annoying and eventually what killed the experience for me.
Really enjoying the G-Tablet experience and for me personally I'm not missing anything and have gained a lot of freedom in getting the G-tablet. The only trouble is my wife and both kids keep asking to use it every night when we are all sitting in the family room hanging out! Even made a nice DIY leather case for it (See post in Accessories section)
Welcome to the other side of "The Walled Garden."
I have an iPad my company issued me but I still use my gTab most of the time between the two. They both have their pros and cons. Once I can get the Netflix app to stream on the gTab I'll probably use my iPad even less.
willyc32 said:
Seriously, I have become quite a fan of Apple's Macbooks and own and use both a Macbook and iMac pretty much daily. The Macbook is used a lot for running tracks and click tracks in live band situations which it excels at. We also use it to share internet in our house. Seems like anything with wi-fi will connect to it! But when it comes to portable devices I just found Apple's iPad and iPod touch a bit too limiting.
I recently sold my latest generation 32gig iPod Touch (had 4 buyers lined up to buy it...crazy) to get some extra money to put toward buying the G-Tablet. I bought one, and after a little updating and extending the ROM, I have to say I am blown away by this G-Tablet. After putting the Skinomi on it I think the screen is fine. Viewing angles aren't that great but no big deal to me.
This G-Tablet is fast and so much more fun than Apple's portable stuff for me personally, because I love the fact that I can change ROMS and that I can have the full Market and especially have FLASH! I was very bored with the iPod after having two generations of Touch's, even though my new one had the two cameras and faster processor. The HD camera was nice to have, but I already had a small Kodak Playsport that shoots 1080p and better pictures. Not being able to see videos on some of my favorite websites like mma-core.com (mixed martial arts fighting and info) was quite annoying and eventually what killed the experience for me.
Really enjoying the G-Tablet experience and for me personally I'm not missing anything and have gained a lot of freedom in getting the G-tablet. The only trouble is my wife and both kids keep asking to use it every night when we are all sitting in the family room hanging out! Even made a nice DIY leather case for it (See post in Accessories section)
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good to hear that! If Viewsonic/malata made a better screen for it, it would be a perfect tablet! I guess that nothing is perfect.. and don't tell Steve!!
willyc32 said:
Seriously, I have become quite a fan of Apple's Macbooks and own and use both a Macbook and iMac pretty much daily. The Macbook is used a lot for running tracks and click tracks in live band situations which it excels at. We also use it to share internet in our house. Seems like anything with wi-fi will connect to it! But when it comes to portable devices I just found Apple's iPad and iPod touch a bit too limiting.
I recently sold my latest generation 32gig iPod Touch (had 4 buyers lined up to buy it...crazy) to get some extra money to put toward buying the G-Tablet. I bought one, and after a little updating and extending the ROM, I have to say I am blown away by this G-Tablet. After putting the Skinomi on it I think the screen is fine. Viewing angles aren't that great but no big deal to me.
This G-Tablet is fast and so much more fun than Apple's portable stuff for me personally, because I love the fact that I can change ROMS and that I can have the full Market and especially have FLASH! I was very bored with the iPod after having two generations of Touch's, even though my new one had the two cameras and faster processor. The HD camera was nice to have, but I already had a small Kodak Playsport that shoots 1080p and better pictures. Not being able to see videos on some of my favorite websites like mma-core.com (mixed martial arts fighting and info) was quite annoying and eventually what killed the experience for me.
Really enjoying the G-Tablet experience and for me personally I'm not missing anything and have gained a lot of freedom in getting the G-tablet. The only trouble is my wife and both kids keep asking to use it every night when we are all sitting in the family room hanging out! Even made a nice DIY leather case for it (See post in Accessories section)
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What is skinomi...
Sent from my UPC300-2.2 using Tapatalk
iondokk said:
What is skinomi...
Sent from my UPC300-2.2 using Tapatalk
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http://www.skinomi.com/vigta.html
Jon
Does the Skinomi make the screen look better or is it just for protection? Maybe less glare?
I'm using it. Less fingerprint on the screen for sure.
Apple Sucks
I got rid of my iPad1, I had iPad 2 in hand ready to buy...called Apple to see if I would have any issues with reloading the content....bingo...issue!!
Apple does not allow you to re-download books or music.
You can re-download apps once.
Apple expects you to pay again for content you already paid for....so long apple
Steve Jobs...the apps nazi....no more money for YOU!!!!!!
I was near an Office Depot today and stopped in to see if they had the G Tablet on display. Sure enough there it was very close to the front of the store in an Android tablets display. I had never seen the device in person before and based on what I have been reading I was expecting to see literally the worst screen I have ever seen on a device. Imagine my surprise when I hit the power button and was presented with what was in my opinion a very nice display. Sure if I changed my viewing angle to an unnatural position it started to look worse but it's a tablet! I'm literally always going to have it directly in my line of sight. When used in this manner I thought it looked great!
I have bought and returned an iPad 2 due to terrible backlight bleeding. One thing that struck me as much better about the G Tablet screen was that it was much less pixelated than the iPad 2 screen. Web pages were sharper as was the overall interface. In my opinion the viewing angle issue has been greatly overblown.
This unit on display was running in the classic mode and even then it was quite sluggish. I'm not sure if this should be attributed to the fact that Viewsonic's ROM is simply awful or if this particular unit had an issue. Regardless I'll be rooting and installing one of the preferred ROM's on my device anyway so performance will not be an issue.
For $279 this is looking like quite a value, can't wait to receive it!
Nice to read this. I was also expecting to see a really crappy display that blacks out the second you tilt your head a fraction. Really glad to hear that this isn't the case.
Now I'm about to stand on my head to get a shipping email. Ain't gonna happen until at least Monday.
Good lord. I wasn't this anxious for Xmas when I was a kid ;->
Metal_in_Silk said:
Nice to read this. I was also expecting to see a really crappy display that blacks out the second you tilt your head a fraction. Really glad to hear that this isn't the case.
Now I'm about to stand on my head to get a shipping email. Ain't gonna happen until at least Monday.
Good lord. I wasn't this anxious for Xmas when I was a kid ;->
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You are funny but I get you nothing like the anticipation of a new tech toy. You will love gtab particularly thinking about how much you paid for such a fun device.
The screen is fine in landscape mode as you indeed will position it at a natural angle and everything will be fine. Just so I am clear, by natural, I mean you don't really position the display perfectly flat in front of your eyes, you tend to look at the screen having your eyes positioned higher than the screen (unless your the kind of person who enjoys having his arms in the air). This is when colors are the most uniform from top to bottom. if you were to raise it or lean it back too much so that you end up positioning your eyes lower than the bottom of the tablet, you get past the screen's viewing angle.
This is only problematic in portrait mode (which I seldom use). For example, if you rotate your tablet so that the top is now facing left, you then need to position the tablet to your right a little to get the same color uniformity as you need to keep both your eyes over the top of the tablet.
If they made xooms or ipads with this screen for 300$ in addition to the 600$ "perfect screen", I would chose the 300$ one as you easily get used to it.
To put it in perspective, the touchscreen is not sensitive enough on a tiny area at the top left corner of my g-tablet and I have trouble taping things there (where the home button is located on VEGAn tab and the battery icon on gAdam). Comparatively, this is by far a worst problem than the viewing angle in my mind.
I think it looks bad, when I have it laying down I can't see a thing. When I show friends something I wonder if they can see it. It's not the worst but it could be much better
(Devil's Advocate)
I've had my GTAB since November and I do love the device - it's a modder's dream since it's very difficult to fully brick. Got mine used on the cheap and I feel that the hardware itself is solid. Except the screen.
You are 100% correct that it's fine when using spot-on in landscape, but tilt it ever so slightly down and solarization begins. And, in portrait mode, even the slightest tilt will change the screen image significantly.
I didn't really notice this flaw at first. It really took me at least a week or two of using it for various things before it became noticable. Trying to play a game where you need to move the device around a lot, playing a video when it's flat on the table and you are looking at it from an angle. Or reading comics in portrait mode.
The iPad1, for all its faults (and there are many), has a fantastic IPS screen that eats the GTAB's for lunch. I have a SmartQ R10 with the same screen and that's what I use for reading comics... not the GTAB. I think the screen has been the #1 hardware issue here in XDA since the forum opened - so much so that there are several threads on trying to get a replacement screen that would fit.
Here's a post I made over at Slatedroid comparing the GTAB angles with a Xoom and an R10: http://www.slatedroid.com/index.php?/topic/15865-screen-angles/. Those pictures are very accurate.
Not trying to kill people's excitement - just understand what you're getting - it's still a GREAT bargain and a great device. But the screen angles can be a problem, depending on what you use it for.
As for the question on speed -- imo, 3389 (and even the latest 3588 release) are still a bit sluggish, as you mentioned. Several alternate ROMs out there will improve speeds significantly as they are using newer drivers that Viewsonic has yet to incorporate into a released firmware.
I should think that those of us who don't plan to watch videos or play games will be quite satisfied with it.
Thanks for the comparison pictures -- that was a great service to those of us on the fence The viewing angle issue, while noticeable, now seems tolerable to me. I'm torn between grabbing a Xoom tomorrow or ordering a G-tab from Tigerdirect tonight (kicking myself for being such a wuss and not getting it from Woot...). Aside from the screen, my biggest concern is that the G-tab will never get Honeycomb, and if it does, whether or not the lower resolution will make it incompatible with tablet apps. I love Android, but I don't want to use the tablet as an oversized phoneless phone for too long.
Decisions, decisions ...
roebeet said:
Here's a post I made over at Slatedroid comparing the GTAB angles with a Xoom and an R10: http://www.slatedroid.com/index.php?/topic/15865-screen-angles/. Those pictures are very accurate
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From those pictures I doesn't look that bad. Sure IPS has better viewing angles, but most people use a TFT monitor on their computer at home, and they dont complain. There is a down side to IPS and its the refresh rate that can cause ghosting. Plus think of it as a semi security feature, it will be harder for people to look over your shoulder and see what you are up to.
Google seems to be really bent out of shape with getting AOSP out for 3.0 - my guess is that Moto is really paying them them a nice sum to keep the Xoom as the ONLY HC device around.
If one Harmony based device gets HC, someone will probably manage to port it to ours. We just need that first device to get it. But that may not be for a long time. And agreed on the screen, but keep in mind that the Notion Ink Adam has the same screen so if they manage to port it, then the GTAB will likely get it.
LowSky said:
From those pictures I doesn't look that bad. Sure IPS has better viewing angles, but most people use a TFT monitor on their computer at home, and they dont complain. There is a down side to IPS and its the refresh rate that can cause ghosting. Plus think of it as a semi security feature, it will be harder for people to look over your shoulder and see what you are up to.
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Agreed - the bottom line it what you plan to do with the device. Spot-on landscape mode looks like just like a netbook screen, because that's exactly what's in the GTAB.
docprego said:
I was near an Office Depot today and stopped in to see if they had the G Tablet on display. Sure enough there it was very close to the front of the store in an Android tablets display. I had never seen the device in person before and based on what I have been reading I was expecting to see literally the worst screen I have ever seen on a device. Imagine my surprise when I hit the power button and was presented with what was in my opinion a very nice display. Sure if I changed my viewing angle to an unnatural position it started to look worse but it's a tablet! I'm literally always going to have it directly in my line of sight. When used in this manner I thought it looked great!
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People like to exaggerate. I don't know why, but they like to do it. It's also because this unit doesn't cost as much as, say, the ipad.
My brother, someone who always wants the newest and greatest, came over to visit today with his 2 kids. I let the kids play with the device because they were curious. My brother started criticizing it after I told him how much I paid for it. First, he criticized it for the small internal sdcard. I had to tell him that the ipad has the same amount of internal space. He then accused the battery of not lasting long enough. I had to tell him that actually it's right up there with the ipad. He then picked it up and said it was too heavy. I told him that it only weighed .22 lb more than the ipad. Not to be outdone, he claimed that .22 was too much more than his ipad. He then said it must be really really slow. I brought it over to him and showed him that it was running just as fast as his ipad. He started playing with it and then he said "aha, it doesn't have 3g."
The point is he had never seen the gtab before. Actually, he had never heard of it before. Yet, he didn't like it at all. It was obvious he was desperately looking for reasons not to like it.
I did notice that even though he was looking for every reason to criticize it he never noticed the screen being "bad". So, obviously the gtab screen isn't really that bad. People online who are bashing this device describing the screen as the worst thing ever to have existed (or something like that) are just exaggerating because they are looking for a reason to bash the device.
It's no different than a typical netbook or laptop screen. Why the bloody hell is it a life and death issue all the sudden?
goodintentions said:
It's no different than a typical netbook or laptop screen. Why the bloody hell is it a life and death issue all the sudden?
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Because with a netbook / laptop screen, you are looking at it at the same angle 90% of the time. A tablet is a different animal - you have it flat on your desk, or in portrait mode reading a book, or moving it around if you're playing a game. It's not at the same landscape mode / angle all the time. Completely different device.
Here's a perfect example: I was playing that evil and life-draining game Angry Birds earlier today. On my Xoom tablet, I have a tendency to play it where the screen is leaning back slightly on my palm, as that's comfortable for one handed play. Screen is fine. But on the GTAB, when I play it that way the screen solarization can be seen - I have to force it to be more spot-on to my line of sight, but that's not as comfortable in my hand.
That's the difference, and why it's not really that noticeable until you really start using it day-to-day for a long period of time.
Don't get me wrong. I notice it, too. It just doesn't bother me like it supposedly bother other people. But then again, I was born in a house with a dirt floor and grew up with a 4 inch black and white tv, so I guess my standards aren't as high as yours.
Thanks for the link to the comparison roebeet. I think I can live with that. One of my (major) pet peeves is having a co-worker peer over at what I'm doing, makes me want to do a Three Stooges eyepoke. This should actually work in my favor as:
1) I won't have to outen some nosy body's eyes when I check msgs
2) Will probably save my job and/or a lawsuit one day (see #1)
Still excited and bouncing in anticipation LOL it's been ages since I've played around with mods on a device. Really looking forward to it
Metal_in_Silk said:
Still excited and bouncing in anticipation LOL it's been ages since I've played around with mods on a device. Really looking forward to it
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Just ordered mine, in the same boat as you Tigerdirect the estimated arrive date as the 29th, but Memphis tends to get things a little quicker *fingers crossed*
goodintentions said:
Don't get me wrong. I notice it, too. It just doesn't bother me like it supposedly bother other people. But then again, I was born in a house with a dirt floor and grew up with a 4 inch black and white tv, so I guess my standards aren't as high as yours.
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In my house, my kids call me "the cheapskate". I set new lows for standards.
And at least you had a TV - I used to make dioramas with cartoon cutouts in them to make my own cartoon shows. And I liked it!
dfin13 said:
Just ordered mine, in the same boat as you Tigerdirect the estimated arrive date as the 29th, but Memphis tends to get things a little quicker *fingers crossed*
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Lucky you! You'll be modding and playing Angry Birds while I'm still waiting on a shipment confirmation
Srsly, this is gonna be some fun. The screen doesn't suck as bad as I thought it would and playing with the various mods will be a very welcome distraction from doing ppls taxes
roebeet said:
In my house, my kids call me "the cheapskate". I set new lows for standards.
And at least you had a TV - I used to make diarrheas with cartoon cutouts in them to make my own cartoon shows. And I liked it!
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Now THAT was an interesting mental image
dfin13 said:
Thanks for the comparison pictures -- that was a great service to those of us on the fence The viewing angle issue, while noticeable, now seems tolerable to me. I'm torn between grabbing a Xoom tomorrow or ordering a G-tab from Tigerdirect tonight (kicking myself for being such a wuss and not getting it from Woot...). Aside from the screen, my biggest concern is that the G-tab will never get Honeycomb, and if it does, whether or not the lower resolution will make it incompatible with tablet apps. I love Android, but I don't want to use the tablet as an oversized phoneless phone for too long.
Decisions, decisions ...
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When I played with the xoom up close I noticed the bad viewing angles too. At that price unacceptable but at the price of the g tab understable they already gave you quite a lot for little money, costs had to be cut somewhere. Xoom should be top notch. I started to buy it until I saw the viewing angles and build. The SmartQ awesome. I actually need another tab for work with a different operating system but did not find the ipad engaging enough. I hate the slow rate of trickle with these tabs.
Looking at the last picture unless they were swapped the xoom looked washed out to me. SmartQ held it's own in every picture.
Metal_in_Silk said:
Now THAT was an interesting mental image
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Darn spell check screwed up. But maybe I should have left it - it was a more interesting response!
edirector said:
When I played with the xoom up close I noticed the bad viewing angles too. At that price unacceptable but at the price of the g tab understable they already gave you quite a lot for little money, costs had to be cut somewhere. Xoom should be top notch. I started to buy it until I saw the viewing angles and build. The SmartQ awesome. I actually need another tab for work with a different operating system but did not find the ipad engaging enough. I hate the slow rate of trickle with these tabs.
Looking at the last picture unless they were swapped the xoom looked washed out to me. SmartQ held it's own in every picture.
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Yeah, it's a bit washed out once the angles go past a certain point - I think it's just the nature of a TFT screen and probably can't be avoided. But slight angles (which you can't really see in those pics) are very good on the Xoom.
And x2 on the GTAB comment. At less than half price, it's still a bargain. We don't have HC either, but that's something that's potentially fixable, at least.
As for the SmartQ R10, the angles are great but it's a slow-as-molasses device (Telechips CPU with Android 2.1, only) - works fine as a cbz reader, however. What I'm still waiting for is an IPS screen paired with a Tegra 2 chipset. They are coming this year, allegedly.
I just got my projector a couple of days ago. It was kinda a splurge purchase cause I didn't *need* it and $250 ain't cheep, but I has some extra Amazon balance that I didn't have designated for anything so I decided to splurge.
First, it's smaller than I expected it. I really expect it to be thicker than the JBL speaker mod, but it isn't. It's smaller... only a touch thicker than the Incipio Battery Pack.
I was a little disappointed by the brightness level... or lack there of... you're not going to be able to use this in a brightly lit room under most situations. Especially if you're looking at video that's somewhat dark itself. However, in a slightly darkened environment it should work just find for bright graphics/video, or in a relatively dark room it doesn't just find for any type of viewing.
Last night I watched an episode of Luke Cage shining on my bedroom ceiling. I had the lights completely out in the room and the picture looked great. The ceiling was probably about 6 feet above my head and I'd estimate the picture was around 40 inches across (so in the range of 50 inches diagonal?). Obviously the pictures is only 480p, so don't expect 4K or even 1080p quality, but honestly it was sharper than I expected and I really couldn't complain at all. Quality looked fine to me.
Audio on the other hand... Now, please take this with a grain of salt because my hearing isn't the greatest. Last time I had my ears checked (which was probably about a 10 years ago) I was just on the bottom edge of the "normal" range, so I'm sure my hearing is even worse now. Anyway, the audio from the phone speaker was questionable at best. I did okay because I was alone in the room with the door closed so there wasn't any outside noise coming in. Plus the speaker was more-or-less pointed at my ear and was only about 2 feet away from me. But any more distance or any level of background noise probably would have made impossible for me to hear clearly. So if you are like me and don't have great hearing, don't expect to be able to play with in a large or slightly noisy room without external speakers or headphones.
Ideally I'd have liked to see an external speaker added to the mod, but I understand there's only so much that can be done. (In case you're wondering the "vent" holes on the mod are for a fan that runs to keep the mod from getting too hot.)
After an hour of watching I'd drained the battery in the projector but didn't see a significant, if any, drop in battery level of the phone.
A few other quick points:
1. The fan is very, very quiet. I didn't hear it running at all when I was watching my episode.
2. The Hinged stand looks to be very nicely built. The hinge has a lot of friction and holds in place where ever you stop it. The mod also has a magnet where the (metal) hinge touches the mod when closed. This helps to keep the stand closed when not in use.
3. There is a USB-C power connector on the projector itself to charge the mod, and it's accessible from the outside (unlike the JBL which is on the "inside" of the mod). This is a nice feature as I'll likely be using headphones when using the mod to watch video. Unfortunately, the placement isn't idea. It's on the opposite side from the lens, which means if you have the stand open more than even a few degrees it prevents a cable from plugging into the mod. Better placement would have been one of the short sides or even on the same side as the lens. Also, it doesn't appear that the mod will charge the phone if you have power plugged in to the mod when connected to the phone. Still testing this, so I might revise this later.
4. I was worried that focusing would be a problem in that when I adjust focus, would I be moving the whole phone and would it then move where it was pointed? I'm please to say the focus wheel turns really smoothly and easily. Very easy to adjust without moving the phone around.
5. Keystone adjustments work GREAT. I moved my phone a bunch and it always did a good job of adjusting the keystone automatically. The only problems it ran into where when I was on the a corner... half on one wall half on another wall or ceiling. That kinda freaked it out, but that's not really a fair test anyway.
If you had any specific questions, feel free to ask away.
do you find yourself using it regularly?
CadillacMike said:
do you find yourself using it regularly?
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Not as much as I thought I might. I have used it a number of times to watch some TV shows and a movie or two, but like I mentioned, it needs to be pretty dark for things to really show up nicely. There has been a couple of times when I thought about using it and couldn't because it was just too bright out.
If you the type of person who like to cast stuff to share with others alot or does lots of presentations this could be useful, but I'm not sure it's worth the price for just the occasional limited use.
I personally have used it for locations where there were no alternatives. I used it for projecting howto's for coping molding on a wall at a rental we were renovating, then projecting a movie during a pizza break in the living room of the same empty rental. I also projected netflix in a condo which had a small tv in an odd location. The projection to the ceiling above a bed is satisfying (twitter NFL stream). I have used it waiting to pick up daughter from band practice. I projected to the sun roof cover of my car (Tan interiors) with great results. Its not something that is life changing, but it is something you could find useful and want to use as much as you can.
The projector screen of the instal-share projector mod turn off randomly whenever mod battery below 20% while z play still has sufficient battery. Does anyone here face the same problem? Is it a bug or hardware problem? I tried to reset the mod by pressing and holding the battery check button for several seconds already but didn't help.
What a funny thread. I'm surprised at the mix of experiences. For me, the projector has been life changing. It gets used daily. I've made it so my bedroom and living room in two houses are capable of being blacked out and supporting a 120" projection surface. My TV hardly gets used anymore. I'm now researching some alternative projectors as I would like to be able to play games as well. Basically, this unit spoiled me. I now can't imagine life without screen sizes well in excess of realistic tv offerings.
kelvinhoho said:
The projector screen of the instal-share projector mod turn off randomly whenever mod battery below 20% while z play still has sufficient battery. Does anyone here face the same problem? Is it a bug or hardware problem? I tried to reset the mod by pressing and holding the battery check button for several seconds already but didn't help.
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It's a bug. Now if the phone has less than 20 % then the mod will power off regardless of the power level of the mod
killboredom said:
What a funny thread. I'm surprised at the mix of experiences. For me, the projector has been life changing. It gets used daily. I've made it so my bedroom and living room in two houses are capable of being blacked out and supporting a 120" projection surface. My TV hardly gets used anymore. I'm now researching some alternative projectors as I would like to be able to play games as well. Basically, this unit spoiled me. I now can't imagine life without screen sizes well in excess of realistic tv offerings.
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I think if I had a subscription to a streaming service like Netflix I'd use it more... but it's a pain to move files to my phone if I want to watch 'em right now.
On the other hand, I did discover that in my living room (the family TV is in the den, so the living room isn't used much), I can lay on the couch and project really big on the wall at a very comfortable viewing angle, so that's a plus.