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I bought a G-Tablet from ebay for about $320 (shipped), but it hasn't arrived yet. I recently had bought the Nook Color and rooted it, overclocked it to it's max, and still was severely disappointed in its performance. My nexus one, *not* overclocked, although rooted but pretty much stock with launcher pro...blew it away in every performance measurement I used: flash videos in the browser, general browsing, video playing of non supported codecs through Rockplayer (worked flawlessly on the N1, was choppy on the Nook Color)
I guess I should have asked this question before I went ahead and actually bought the gtablet, but are there any Nexus One owners here who can make the strange apples to oranges comparison between the Gtablet and the N1 as far as performance? Once you've rooted and modded the Gtablet of course, I'm not looking for a stock to stock comparison (even though my N1 is nearly stock)
I still have a few days to return mine... They have a Honeycomb port on the evo. But things are developing rather slow for the gtablet. Gingerbread runs well but everything is still work in progress.
I can't knock it. But I can't say I'm completely satisfied either. I was also an early Nexus One adopter and it took me almost a year to love it. I bet I end up keeping the gtablet, it'll get there eventually.
The performance is like running windows 3.1 on a quad core. The hardware is amazing, software not so much.
I have both the N1 and the GTablet. The Gtablet is much faster with the correct ROM. My wife uses it mostly to read Manga. Every now and then I get my hands on it to tinker a bit Quadrant speeds are much higher on the tablet.
I think this would be a great tablet for Honeycomb. If I had the knowledge and was able to use it for more than about an hour I would work on a Honeycomb port.
I have both as well. I almost bought a Nook Color, but the hardware on the GTablet is more "Tablet" oriented. I flash a new ROM every couple of week so far. It is pretty quick with a custom ROM, but none of the current ROMs (based off of Froyo) are really utilizing the Tegra 2 to its fullest potential I think. I believe the devs are waiting for Honeycomb devices to be released (Xoom) and to get their hands on system dumps.
Wow $320? I was considering the nook but at this price point combined with the tegra2 and 10.1" screen this may be a contender!
http://www.viewsonic.com/gtablet/spec.htm
Things I noticed:
-The battery may appear weak @ 3650mAh, but this review says otherwise.
-No sensors? (accelerometer, magnetometer, light)
-No HDMI port, but a proprietor connector with a cable forecasted in the future.
-working bluetooth, dont know if the headset profile is supported
-100% need to nuke the default software and install CM7
Good review: http://www.linuxslate.org/Review_Viewsonic_G-Tablet_Android_Tablet.html
I have both an N1 and a G-Tab, and am running the VEGAn ROM on my tab. I love it, especially since it will allow me to bide my time a bit before taking the plunge on the new Honeycomb tablets, so that those prices can maybe drop a bit.
I have used my laptop maybe twice since I got the GTab, back just before Thanksgiving. I use it mostly in the evenings on the sofa while watching TV, to surf, IM/Twitter/Facebook, read e-mail, read Kindle books, and of course play Angry Birds.
Nexus One & GTab
I too have an N1 and a GTablet running the Adam ROM.
The tablet is a great piece of hardware, and it really only becomes cool once you get the correct ROM (VEGAN or ADAM) on it.
The speed is amazing.
I get almost 20-24 hours of charge out of the device.
I've even got more than 2.5 days of standby time (screen off, wifi off, but not in true standby mode)
I also have the dock for it (kinda pricey at $70), but hey, now I have a media tablet that hooks up to my HDTV, has a USB drive attached, and I can use a wireless keyboard to have some fun with it from afar.
All-in-all, I give the GTablet two-thumbs up!
That said, I'm getting a XOOM tomorrow to play with next!
Cyan has a ROM for it in beta testing
Sent from my Nexus One
I also have an N1 and a G Tab. Absolutely the first thing to do is install a custom rom. I'm running latest TNT Lite with Launcher Pro and this thing runs circles around my N1. I tried the gAdam rom also, but I think notionink needs to get their act together and fix their issues before we'll have a decent port. I stuck with tnt lite because it keeps a few of the cool tablet changes like the 3-pane settings area. I'm not sure if CM has this.
I've only had it a few days, but battery life is fabulous. Lasted all of yesterday with wifi all day, normal email, web, game, etc use and still had 40% when I went to bed. Such a far cry from needing to charge my N1 around 5pm.
Also, it does indeed have an accelerometer and a light sensor. Does not have GPS or Magnetometer (compass).
Buck Shot said:
Cyan has a ROM for it in beta testing
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Link please?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=951822
It's not exactly CM... but it is based on it.
Anyways I also have a G Tablet. I am a huge fan of it, and use it every day. Tether it with my N1, and life is good =D. I am actually running the above rom on it right now. It's pretty good, it just needs some work on drivers still. Nvidia just released the gingerbread drivers for Tegra 2 though, so it will probably be in the next release of Vegan.
Is the viewing angle really that bad?
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/14637-cyanogenmod-7-for-g-tablet-v700-beta1-1192011/
teh_lorax said:
Is the viewing angle really that bad?
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It's not fabulous, but I read Kindle books on it all the time with no problem. Sometimes it's better to hold it upside down for a slightly better look. And it is true that laying it flat on a table and then trying to type will be pretty hard angle-wise. But if you're sitting somewhere, holding it in your hands, it's acceptable.
(All of this is said, though, with the understanding that N1 owners are very spoiled when it comes to display since the N1's is so beautiful, so it still might be an issue for you even though I don't find it any big deal.)
I was really torn over the GTab or iPad2. I purchased an iPad1 just to play with and while the OS is atrocious, the screen is bright, awesome, and responsive.
I plan to use a tablet for business to show off websites and draw up designs on the spot. While I really wanted an Android tablet, nothing really strikes my fancy regarding the screen. The GTab's screen size is odd too, making it really feel like an oversized phone.
I took the iPad back because of the iPad2 release next week. During which I bought a Nook to play with. Sure the Nook had a great IPS screen but the it was sluggish and wasn't responsive to my touches when trying to sketch, plus the 7" screen was too small.
I really need a 4:3 10" and it seems the iPad2 @ $499 is the best bet for me.
Like previously said, coming from a Nexus and playing with the iPad, the display is very important to me.
I've had a Viewsonic G Tablet since November 21st. I love it. I have mainly stayed with TnT Lite because it's the most stable custom rom.
Performance: Both are about the same. I'd give a slight edge to the G Tablet.
Screen: The N1 screen is slightly easier on the eyes. There are many reports about the G Tablet's poor viewing angles and quality. Personally, it hasn't bothered me as much as some other folks. I use the G Tablet in Landscape mode 99% of the time, and has been fine. I've watched movies, football games, and played angry birds for hours on end without getting major eye strain. When in Portrait mode is where you really see the poor viewing quality. TnT Lite includes a hack that provides a subtle improvement on the viewing quality. You really see a difference when reading books and comics on the G Tablet.
The key with the G Tablet is that it really is only usable with a custom rom. Although, Viewsonic recently made available a Unit Test version of their next stock rom upgrade (3991), and it seems really slick, especially in Classic Home mode. I expect when it's released, more users will start using the stock rom. Of course, everyone is anxiously awaiting for Honeycomb to become available on the G Tablet.
I need a Honeycomb tab and I thought this Samsung was the best, but I've read a lot of complaints about it.
Now, after all these issues, should I go on with the purchase or do you think it's better to wait for something else? Thanks a lot
Frankie
that would depend on what you need. if you're looking for a multimedia device that plays just about everything out there, the archos 101 is better - but it has a crappy screen and locks up if you do more than one thing at a time.
if you need a netbook replacement, the transformer is the way to go. just be wary about the dock. it drains about 3-7% when docked,not in use and not charging. some reports says that if you let the dock drain it will not charge up again.
the galaxy tab 10.1 is a good general use tablet. where i find that it shines is reading comic books. the over saturated screen makes the colors really pop. plus being so thin, it feels like you're holding a comic. it also has the best screen of all the hc tablets currently. down sides are browser bookmarks that randomly change (not present in other tablets) and possible dust in your screen.
the two hc tablets have the same downsides of all hc/tegra2 tablets. poor selection in media playback, some bugginess with apps not working or crashing, browser gets bogged down with javascript heavy sites...
in my opinion, the gt10.1, or any hc tablet is just a good plaything for now (i'm not saying you can't be productive with it). hopefully by the end of the year a more complete product, software and hardware-wise, will be available.
I voted NO ...
If you know me from this board, I was trying and trying to get one imported from US (I live in Europe), but I got string of issues for that. Well, that's not the reason that I do not recommend this device, not at all. However, I took that as blessing in disguise
You know, I have no problem at all with the hardware. I don't mind Tegra 2 and I even prefer Tegra 2 compare to Exynos (mainly because I want THD gaming more compare to watching video). Also, I don't mind for not having SD card. And I really love the form factor, slim, thin, slick!
Now, why I don't recommend this tab?
Well, mainly because I am not sure with the current state of Android Honeycomb! I keep reading issues and bugs (?) on this new OS. For example: The slow (lag) text input on web browser, I don't think I can live with this issue because I use web browser a lot (right now, I am using my wife's iPad2). For me, this is crucial issue. From what I read, this is Honeycomb bug/issue as other tablets are experiencing the same.
So, yeah, I am now taking a break from finding my dream Android tablet. Until Google fixed this issue and other quirks on Honeycomb (like the sluggish performance on launcher, 4GB file size limit etc.). Which I think the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich will address all this.
I voted no.
I like my galaxy tab, but honeycomb still has a long way to go. I bought it mainly for browsing the net and it can hardly do that correctly. lol
gogol said:
Which I think the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich will address all this.
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I too think that the current generation of Android tablet software/hardware have been rushed to market to compete with iPad/iPad2. While Android and the manufacturers have done an excellent job for the given time frame, I think the 2nd generation of software/hardware will be a massive improvement. Google are taking their time to release Ice Scream Sandwich which is reassuring. The fact they haven't released source code for Honeycomb just further supports this. And while even the 2nd generation of tablet hardware will have issues as well, I think the main issues will be resolved regarding Android integration on tablet (i.e. performance).
I know full well that waiting for the next generation is a never-ending game but allowing the 1st generation to pass and waiting upon the 2nd generation isn't a bad strategy.
I vote yes.
Granted, honeycomb still has some work to be done (hopefully with the 3.2 update "in a few weeks"), but I'm more than happy with mine. I haven't really experienced the keyboard lag people are talking about, so I can't comment there, but I wasn't happy with the sometimes jittery motion while swiping through home screens. Installed adw launcher and I'm loving how fast it is now.
Early adoption sucks.. I owned a xoom before this, so maybe I can appreciate it more. That being said, I also have an ipad and ipad2 in the house, and I would take this any day of the week.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
I think you should just pick one up and see how you feel about it. Many will say dont bother, and many will say its the greatest. Personally I love mine, regardless of the state of Honeycomb I'm in it for the long run. But its best you form your own opinion and now based your purchases on others completely.
Sent from my ThunderBolt
my question exactly, I can get it at a local dealer - decent price BUT no local warranty - he promises to ship it back and handle everything if it goes wrong ! should I take the leap or should I wait or just pick up the Transformer instead?
Really depends on the user.
No - to my parents, sisters, wife, other newbs. The ramp is still just a bit too steep still on .any. Honeycomb tab device. Froyo is much more completely baked as a general consumer-ready OS.
Yes - to any enthusiast who wants to dig into the device, config/customize/root, etc.
Maybe TouchWiz will add a little to the newb acceptance factor...
There are certainly some quirks with HC on the tab. I didn't seem to have as many issues with 3.1 on my Xoom. However, there isn't a better screen or sound out there right now. All my complaints are software related and will either be corrected by Google or out developers. I give it 2 thumbs up.
I voted "Yes" even though I disagree with the way the option is written. The Tab has issues, of course, but its more than usable. Maybe I just have mine set up better than some, but I have almost no problems at all with anything on the device. The Tab is neither buggish nor slow, so I really don't see how anyone could credibly choose the "No" option.
Yes, I would buy a Galaxy Tablet...
...after ICS and next wave of tabs have come out, so I can pick it up on Black Friday for $250 and put CM8 on it!
No early adopter am I... oops I mean
I voted yes, but it all depends on what you expect from a tab.
It is running an OS designed for small, portable devices.
I look at it like a 'handyman' device; a jack of all trades, and a master of none. It plays games, but not as well as a console. It browses the web/email, but not as good as a netbook. It handles business needs for working with documents, but not as well as a PC.
I just don't understand why so many people expect it to be a laptop replacement.
IF you're uncomfortable with the uncertainties behind Honeycomb and IceCreamSandwich:
-AND aren't willing to root, don't buy any Android tablet now.
-AND ARE willing to root OR don't mind Honeycomb:
--AND value expandibility over fit and finish or low cost, get a Transformer.
--AND don't need expansion, want a more polished tablet, and don't mind paying more, get a Galaxy Tab.
--AND don't need expansion, don't mind some rough edges, want to get your feet wet in Android without spending a lot, and are ok with Gingerbread, get a Nook Color to root.
He states that he needs a Honeycomb tablet, so stop voting NO because you think HC is not mature.
YES! GT10.1 is the best Honeycomb tablet out there bar-none!
pokey9000 said:
IF you're uncomfortable with the uncertainties behind Honeycomb and IceCreamSandwich:
-AND aren't willing to root, don't buy any Android tablet now.
-AND ARE willing to root OR don't mind Honeycomb:
--AND value expandibility over fit and finish or low cost, get a Transformer.
--AND don't need expansion, want a more polished tablet, and don't mind paying more, get a Galaxy Tab.
--AND don't need expansion, don't mind some rough edges, want to get your feet wet in Android without spending a lot, and are ok with Gingerbread, get a Nook Color to root.
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Can you put this into an IF-THEN-ELSE statement? I can I think follow it better that way..
e.mote said:
Can you put this into an IF-THEN-ELSE statement? I can I think follow it better that way..
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Those aren't allowed in General.
Yes, absolutely.
Does honeycomb have some issues? Yes. That being said this is a beautiful device and in my opinion, worth the price over the other HC tablets just for a refined form factor. Awesome screen, very polished design.
I bought this device to be able to quickly access news, email and calendars, to be able to view office documents in meetings without having to drag my laptop around, and lastly to entertain myself on flights. This device does all of those perfectly. Even iPad 1&2 owners that have stopped by to check the device out were absolutely blown away.
Wow, the wording on this poll is pretty extreme - the best you can say about the Tab is that it's "still usable." Well I've had mine for a week now, and I absolutely love it. Having played with every other Android tablet out there, as well as the iPad, I think it wins hands down.
1. I don't get what people dislike about Honeycomb. It has so many features and is much more intuitive than my Froyo phone; why aren't people complaining more about the iPad's lack of a widget architecture? That's HUGE in my experience. iOS just gives you a screen with a bunch of icons, and jumping from app to app, while we have sophisticated widgets that put enormous functionality right on the home screens.
2. Flash is important. A few quick hacks and you can also watch Hulu (lame that it's not automatically allowed, I admit). But there is Flash on half the sites I visit, and the Tab does a great job with it. Having used Flash on a couple phones previously, I can say this is a big leap forward with 10.3 and the Tegra 2 processor. I can't imagine why every reviewer doesn't disqualify the iPads on that basis alone - it's a deal breaker.
3. In terms of other Android tablets, the Tab 10.1 has by far the best screen I've seen - it's beautiful. And the thin/light thing really makes a difference to me when it comes to a tablet that you have to hold in your hands 90% of the time you're using it. Plus, it's just a much more attractive design than the others I played with. I like the Transformer's additional ports and keyboard dock, but I have a laptop and a netbook and I don't want a tablet to substitute for those. I want it to be a tablet. That's what the Tab 10.1 does best.
In sum, it's not "still usable," it's the best tablet currently on the market.
markp99 said:
Really depends on the user.
No - to my parents, sisters, wife, other newbs. The ramp is still just a bit too steep still on .any. Honeycomb tab device. Froyo is much more completely baked as a general consumer-ready OS.
Yes - to any enthusiast who wants to dig into the device, config/customize/root, etc.
Maybe TouchWiz will add a little to the newb acceptance factor...
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I think this sums it up. Android lacks the polish of iOS, but it's so damn fun exploring the endless possibilities of Android. Provided it's software related, there's also another option that works just as well or better. I have faith that any issues that currently exist will be resolved in due time. The hardware is great and I can work with the software.
So, I currently have a Dell Streak 7. I'm considering moving my tablet business to Asus, because Dell does not seem to be doing anything good right about now. I just got hired at a new job, and hopefully by the end of the month, a Tranformer with a Keyboard will be within reach. I have a few questions.
Firstly, I know there is an Ubuntu build that can be flashed, but to dual-boot it with Android, you need an NVFlashable ROM. Is there an NVFlash of the original ROM, so I can run official Honeycomb and dual-boot with Ubuntu?
Secondly, how good is the build quality of the tablet and keyboard, and how well do they work together? Is the hardware up to spec with the software? If I am spending $600 to run Honeycomb and Ubuntu, I want to make sure that the hardware won't die on me.
Third, I am hoping the performance is good. Considering the keyboard and Ubuntu support, I am planning on using this not just as an Android tablet, but a Linux laptop. Is the performance while running Linux acceptable for daily use, and are there any bugs?
bluesy_92 said:
So, I currently have a Dell Streak 7. I'm considering moving my tablet business to Asus, because Dell does not seem to be doing anything good right about now. I just got hired at a new job, and hopefully by the end of the month, a Tranformer with a Keyboard will be within reach. I have a few questions.
Firstly, I know there is an Ubuntu build that can be flashed, but to dual-boot it with Android, you need an NVFlashable ROM. Is there an NVFlash of the original ROM, so I can run official Honeycomb and dual-boot with Ubuntu?
Secondly, how good is the build quality of the tablet and keyboard, and how well do they work together? Is the hardware up to spec with the software? If I am spending $600 to run Honeycomb and Ubuntu, I want to make sure that the hardware won't die on me.
Third, I am hoping the performance is good. Considering the keyboard and Ubuntu support, I am planning on using this not just as an Android tablet, but a Linux laptop. Is the performance while running Linux acceptable for daily use, and are there any bugs?
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I'm wondering this as well.
I was contemplating the same thing before I got mine 1.5 months ago. I planned on replacing my aging eeePC 1005HA with the TF101 + dock, but I currently don't have enough money to buy the dock.
I've used Linux for years and currently use it as my main OS on my desktop, so I love the fact that you can run Ubuntu on the TF (which I haven't tried yet). I was following the dev of it for a little while and unless they changed the process, having a flashable ROM doesn't matter as Ubuntu replaces the recovery partiton (which houses the stock recovery or Clockwork) and not the system partiton (which houses Android). From what I've seen Ubuntu isn't 100% working yet and isn't ready for everyday usage. Prime 1.4 (which is essentially a slightly tweaked honeycomb build) has a flashable blob file, they're currently up to Prime 1.7 although IDK if any blobs exist for it.
The build quality of the TF is generally good, but there are some problems. The bezel may be loose in certain areas (about a 1" section on my top left corner is squeaky), your unit may have minimal or massive lightbleed due to the way IPS screens are backlit (any device with an IPS screen has lightbleed, take a look at the iPad2) someone on here did a poll about lightbleed and 75% of users reported that they had some form of lightbleed, and some users have noticed dust trapped under their glass screen. After 5 weeks of usage I just had to RMA my TF because it didn't want to charge the battery anymore.
The hardware on the TF is great and when coupled with great software it works extremely well, the problem is that Honeycomb is still crappy in some areas. There aren't many apps that truly support tablets and some things just don't perform well (across all Honeycomb devices, not just the TF). The TF has typing lag when using both the virtual and physical keyboard, but that seems to be more of a HC problem. 3.2 fixed a lot of things but Honeycomb isn't perfect by far.
Don't let all of this deter you from getting one though, it's a great device. All of the software problems should be fixed in the coming months when Ice Cream Sandwich is released and hopefully newer batches of the TF will fix some of the quality problems. Even though I had to send it back to get it fixed when it was only 5 weeks old, I still love the damn thing and miss it already!
I love mine. I've had a couple of tablets before, and I think this is the best by far. I'm one of the lucky ones who has no lightbleed(none at all) and no squeaks in the case, but even if I wasn't that lucky, I'd still love it. It's the highest build quality of any of my tablets, and it's super stable(for me at least). The only time I ever have to reboot is to update the firmware, and it lasts in standby for an entire week, with the wifi on(not in power-saver) the entire time. Also, Honeycomb in general is verrrrry nice, compared to my froyo/gingerbread tablets, and I think Asus has made a very good build of it.
I plan to dual boot Ubuntu when they get the touchscreen figured out, but AFAIK, there is no CWM method when dual-booting yet, so NVflash is the way to go. The stock firmware is available in NVflash form, but I think dual-boot will still break the OTA updates.
Alright, now another question. How well does Ubuntu work with the hardware? Will the USB port on the keyboard and external memory on the tablet be recognized? Will the built-in cam be recognized by Ubuntu as a webcam, or made useless? Is there anything else I should know before buying?
bluesy_92 said:
Alright, now another question. How well does Ubuntu work with the hardware? Will the USB port on the keyboard and external memory on the tablet be recognized? Will the built-in cam be recognized by Ubuntu as a webcam, or made useless? Is there anything else I should know before buying?
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Hope that your unit doesnt have locked bootloader (new key) and thus cant root or anything!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1198510
I've been seriously wondering if I should buy an Asus Transformer now that it has been out for a little while.
I don't know if I am too bothered with the 3G model that is to be released soon, as I do not mind just using my mobile phone as a wireless hotspot if I needed to use the internet and I would mainly be in places using this tablet where there is WiFi anyway.
We have a few sitting in the stock room at work and it's so incredibly tempting to get one as I've become smitten with all of the videos and the threads in this forum about it but I'm wondering if I should wait for something better that might come out.
It is a lovely little device though and I am sure I'd be happy to have one. I think I could compare my same situation to choosing my HTC Desire over a HTC Desire HD, although that came down to which telephone network I was using. Vodafone in Australia weren't doing so well (and still aren't as far as I know) and the Desire HD was exclusive to their network but I was convinced to go with the better telephone network and I love my HTC Desire even though it was around a year old after it came out.
Perhaps I just answered my own questions as to whether or not I should get an Asus EEEPad Transformer but I feel as if I need some more convincing from users here and not just Youtube reviews! It seems like a wonderful unit of technology, Bluesy and I am sure that you would be very happy with it. The devs here seem to be working very hard on creating a strong support in relations to customisation for this device so it will only get better. The Ubuntu support for it already astounds me! Haha.
lathanub, I was in the same situation last week, and pondered and wondered what to do. Finally at friday I ordered one myself! There just isnt any other device in same price range to compete with TF and it has all the latest technology in it.
TF 2 will be released Q1/2012 earliest imo, and so much can go wrong on it too with new chip inside. I see no use of 2 extra cores in near future for basic tablet usage, unless you wanna run the latest and greatest 3D games on it etc (I think tablets aint good for serious gaming, casual is ok for me)...
3G is probably coming in months time, but for me constant 3G connection just eats battery for nothing when using WIFI. And I own a MiFi device, that is so small to carry around, when Im not in area with WIFI. 3G is so much slower than any WIFI anyways, so I happily use it instead.
Ofc its finally about you, if you find the tablet useful now. For me, having handy device is priceless atm:
- read email
- twitter
- IM
- surf the net for some minor things
- watch youtube when bored
- watch movies/series when on the road (or waiting in airport like usually)
- read books
etc...
I dont think I need to boot my desktop at home anymore, unless I do serious work. Having ultra fast PC on 24/7 just for email/IM is bit too much....
Guys, do yourself a favor and look for the correct version of dock. B50 docks are horrible! The battery drain on them is at 5% an hour and it defeats the purpose of the dock totally.
Look for a B70 dock and for tablet, look for a no light bleed version but one that is not B70 if you want root - it is a BIG problem with these tablets right now. Rest all are great though. Ubuntu support is good as long as you don't put it on a MicroSD card.
Regarding the hardware issues - buy it at Staples or Best Buy if you are serious about using them for a while and exchange if you get bad batches. I bought online and RMA/Returns are greatly delayed and you have to pay shipping!
kkiran said:
Guys, do yourself a favor and look for the correct version of dock. B50 docks are horrible! The battery drain on them is at 5% an hour and it defeats the purpose of the dock totally.
Look for a B70 dock and for tablet, look for a no light bleed version but one that is not B70 if you want root - it is a BIG problem with these tablets right now. Rest all are great though. Ubuntu support is good as long as you don't put it on a MicroSD card.
Regarding the hardware issues - buy it at Staples or Best Buy if you are serious about using them for a while and exchange if you get bad batches. I bought online and RMA/Returns are greatly delayed and you have to pay shipping!
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I wouldn't call it a "big problem" with the B70s just yet. I have counted about 15 people on the forum and IRC that have successfully NVflashed a B70, and only one person who hasn't, and it hasn't been confirmed that it's due to a different SBK yet. It's something to be aware of, but there's alot of fear-mongering going on too.
My only advice is that, dont compare this to a laptop becuase it's just a *bit* below laptop level. It's great for what it does and not much else. If you're content with that, then you'll definitely love the Transformer.
I can't put the transformer down. Once I found Thumb Keyboard and SwiftKeyX for tablets, it is a dream. I'm out of town for 2 weeks for business and this thing is great. Emails, office doc's, Facebook, twitter, gTalk Video chat, games, Netflix, notes, etc.
My laptop is only on for wifi adhoc connection.
Asus Transformer 3.1 pwnd
www.MiiWiiChat.com
www.SnapSiteAdmins.com
I'm picking one up on Friday. Which store you guys recommend I purchase it from?
Vandam500 said:
I'm picking one up on Friday. Which store you guys recommend I purchase it from?
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Best Buy so you can take it back easily if you want.
Hello all. I'm on a bit of a budget and I'm going to buy one of these two tablets. Right now I'm leaning towards the a500. Was hoping to get some input and opinions on what you think I should do. I realize posting this in this forum I might get slightly biased opinions, so be it.
The only thing that makes me hesitate on the Acer is it has a slightly slower processor out of the box, but we're only talking .2ghz. What has the Acer been OC'd to still running stable?
Also, I see the wifi card uses the 2.4ghz spectrum, I believe this should allow me to tether this to my evo 3d with no problems?
Lastly, if anyone has anything to add, or something else I should consider before purchasing, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
The touchpad doesn't run android and only has a port of cm7 which I think is still in beta/alpha. And they're extremely hard to get your hands on one for the price it has been lowered to. And the iconia can be had for $299 for the 16gb model on black friday
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
I would prefer the Touchpad if I could choose again. This is a personal experience for me, and I didn't have a good one with this honeycomb tablet. It has quite a few bugs that a lot of android users are facing, but could be avoided if a custom rom that fixes the bugs is installed, which voids your warranty. Also, Most Honeycomb tablets have the so called "Portrait lag", which makes the tablet slightly choppy or jittery (depends on roms, how much choppy) when it's in a portrait mode. In landscape, it's perfectly smooth. And if you would like to use the tablet in both orientation, I would first wait if the ICS fixes all the issues including the portrait lag. This lag is present in EVERY SINGLE rom I've tried (can't be avoided). Some people are actually saying that ICS will most likely fix the bugs, but bring different bugs to the android tablets. We have to try the ICS on tablets to know for sure. Anyway this is only my opinion, and again, if I could choose, I wouldn't buy an android tablet. I am actually thinking of selling this and getting a Touchpad soon..
Again, this is just my opinion, so all android fans, don't bash on me.
sw6lee said:
I would prefer the Touchpad if I could choose again. This is a personal experience for me, and I didn't have a good one with this honeycomb tablet. It has quite a few bugs that a lot of android users are facing, but could be avoided if a custom rom that fixes the bugs is installed, which voids your warranty. Also, Most Honeycomb tablets have the so called "Portrait lag", which makes the tablet slightly choppy or jittery (depends on roms, how much choppy) when it's in a portrait mode. In landscape, it's perfectly smooth. And if you would like to use the tablet in both orientation, I would first wait if the ICS fixes all the issues including the portrait lag. This lag is present in EVERY SINGLE rom I've tried (can't be avoided). Some people are actually saying that ICS will most likely fix the bugs, but bring different bugs to the android tablets. We have to try the ICS on tablets to know for sure. Anyway this is only my opinion, and again, if I could choose, I wouldn't buy an android tablet. I am actually thinking of selling this and getting a Touchpad soon..
Again, this is just my opinion, so all android fans, don't bash on me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although this is not the first time I've heard of what's been described as "portrait lag", I've never paid attention to it, as my tab stays locked in landscape (personally don't understand why people even use portrait mode, no offense intended).
So I just took it out of lock for the first time since June, when you had to run Gingerbreak locked in portrait mode IIRC.
I just ran through a dozen pages in browser, books, documents, ran through my apps, all my home screens, etc., and experienced nothing close to lag. Could someone maybe elaborate a bit more on the experience please?
tyia
The lag is terrible in 3.1 but it seems to have gone away in 3.2. I haven't used web OS since the 1st palm pre for sprint and although it looks very elegant there isn't enough devs for it and is possibly done with for good which means no future support. Now its been rumored the iconia will see an official release of ics so it will make this tab feel brand new again. The only reason I could see myself getting the touchpad would be to run cm7/9 on it but its a very nice looking piece of hardware. And I'm not an android fan boy. I do have the iconia tab and an evo3d but I also have a ipad and iPod touch so I'm kinda into everything.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
kjy2010 said:
Although this is not the first time I've heard of what's been described as "portrait lag", I've never paid attention to it, as my tab stays locked in landscape (personally don't understand why people even use portrait mode, no offense intended).
So I just took it out of lock for the first time since June, when you had to run Gingerbreak locked in portrait mode IIRC.
I just ran through a dozen pages in browser, books, documents, ran through my apps, all my home screens, etc., and experienced nothing close to lag. Could someone maybe elaborate a bit more on the experience please?
tyia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use portrait mode, because Google is so stupid that they put the status bar on the bottom and made the already narrow 16:9 tablet even narrower and its very annoying to browse the wn where you can see only small amount of the website at a time. This is also why I prefer 4:3 Touchpad. If the status bar is on one side of the screen, say like archos 101 G8, then I personally think it will make viewing web more pleasant. Same goes to PDF, document reading. Portrait mode is much better for that IMO.
And you may have misunderstood what I said, so let me clarify. The bug is called portrait 'lag' but its not lag, but as I explained, its choppiness, and jitteriness (is this even a word..? Lol). It gives users not so good experience. At least to me.
Just wanted to clarify.
Thanks for the responses, gives me more to think about. I probably should wait for the next generation of tabs, but I don't feel like dropping $600+ on one.
Right now I'm probably 65/35 in favor of the a500.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
For the record, my A500 can run stable at 1.6 GHz, though I keep it at 1.4 to be reasonable.... the Tegra 2 seems to overclock well.
Just want to chime in on OC..with Thor's v13 ROM, my a500 oc'ed to 1.5G stable day to day operation
Running 1.68ghtz. Thors 3.9R3 kernel.
But really, who would even try to compare a TP to an Iconia? Especially considering they are no longer in production (unless you buy a notebook pc, then they toss one in).
HP never was really known for support, but, if you wanna get a discontinued item, hey, you get what you pay for
And talk about backtracking;
1. Let's merge with Compaq (2 losers become 1 big loser)
2. Let's buyout Palm, and change the name to Pre, now lets kill the line
3. Let's put out a tab, but nobody wants it
4. Let's kill the tab line
5. Oh, let's also get out of the PC business as well
6. Wait, all the tabs sold at 99 bucks, let's make another 1/4 mil units
7. Wait, we were kidding, we're not getting outta the PC business
8. And those extra tabs??? well, gotta buy a notebook to get one
Is this a company you really want to do business with?
flonker said:
Thanks for the responses, gives me more to think about. I probably should wait for the next generation of tabs, but I don't feel like dropping $600+ on one.
Right now I'm probably 65/35 in favor of the a500.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're going to get an A500 wait until Black Friday, it's only a week away
I have both & use both as intended (for entertainment, quick email, etc.). For better support, I would stick with the Acer unit, even though very good community support is provided for the HP unit, it still is considered a "dead" unit.
i say buy the touchpad. as of now, cm7 runs pretty damn well and webos is a true gem for when you just want to browse, play emulators, use social apps, or schedule your calendar.
Battery life is also phenomenal.
Thanks again for the responses... Can I hit thanks in the xda app somehow? Or, do I have to fire up my laptop?
I had the original Palm Pre and the only real problem I had with it was it's build quality, but I liked webos. Yes, it's a dead OS, but if I can dual boot into a stable version of android that is fine. The build quality on the HP touchpad seems to be excellent as well.
However, I see myself mainly running android, and would think a device where it is the native OS would probably be the best in terms of community/developer support. I've also never had a honeycomb device and it would fun to play around with until ICS.
That being said, I'm a bit worried of build quality with the Acer. I noticed a door covering the microSD slot, and it seemed kinda flimsy.
I figure I can get both for $300 new, but the touchpad would also come with some extras like the folio case and Bluetooth keyboard for that price.
I'm going to get the Acer. The feature that put it over the top? It's getting a port of GTA 3, it had better be a good port. lol.
If you actually took the time to read through this post, please resume living your life immediately.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
The sd/sim port, indeed can seem a bit weak, but, once you know how to get it off correctly, it's ok. Took mine off numerous times and no issues. But it's been a month since i needed to remove it, so it doesn't happen every day. Just don't be the hulk, as really it's easy.
The android community is number one, bar none.
But really, for a few dollars more, you can get the 501 with 3g (just don't get it from at&t as it's sim locked.
I just love rubbing in my download speeds with my friend (iPad owner). He stopped playing games with me. Or when I flash a new rom in 5 minutes, with a completely different theme and look.
The best is when I whip out my 320gb ext HDD and play films.
---------- Post added at 10:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:46 PM ----------
kjy2010 said:
If you're going to get an A500 wait until Black Friday, it's only a week away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the states that is...
They are like apples and oranges. Both are sweet, but oh, so different.
I bought the 16GB Touchpad from a local Walmart on the morning of the fire sale. I would not have done so otherwise. Do I regret the purchase? No. Do I use it often? No. I am much more interested in my Acer A500 or my little Galaxy Tab 7". They are versatile and FUN! I use whatever device is handy and is charged. That means I also use my 1st gen iPad as much as any other tablet. I just picked up a refurbished Acer W500, so that is my current plaything.
Follow your bliss or your wallet, whatever works, works.
Moscow Desire said:
Running 1.68ghtz. Thors 3.9R3 kernel.
But really, who would even try to compare a TP to an Iconia? Especially considering they are no longer in production (unless you buy a notebook pc, then they toss one in).
HP never was really known for support, but, if you wanna get a discontinued item, hey, you get what you pay for
And talk about backtracking;
1. Let's merge with Compaq (2 losers become 1 big loser)
2. Let's buyout Palm, and change the name to Pre, now lets kill the line
3. Let's put out a tab, but nobody wants it
4. Let's kill the tab line
5. Oh, let's also get out of the PC business as well
6. Wait, all the tabs sold at 99 bucks, let's make another 1/4 mil units
7. Wait, we were kidding, we're not getting outta the PC business
8. And those extra tabs??? well, gotta buy a notebook to get one
Is this a company you really want to do business with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. You hit the nail right on the head I'd love to get a TP if I can only find one for $100.It woul be a nice toy to play with for Android ports, but nothing serious. When I first heard of the firesale (literally a couple hours after HP announced it), I dropped into all nearby electronic stores and they were already sold out. I'm seeing all kinds on classifies sites like kijiji and craigslist but they're all $250-300 which is more than I'd like to pay.
So if you can get one for $100, go for it. Otherwise, I'd either recommend the A500 or wait 1-2 months for a newer Tegra 3 device.
Acer all the way.
As of now the Touchpad is dead with webOS and not stable enough with android yet. You really can't do much with it now besides browsing the web and email. I don't like honeycomb very much but at least the Iconia will get the ICS upgrade.
I have the A500 and I am very satisfied, to say the least!
I also bought today the BB Playbook for $199cdn (the deal wasn't to be missed). Very nice machin.
Will be on sale in the US on black friday at Staples
I'd rather get a tetra based tablet, the touchpad is nice but who knows how top end games will be supported on that device. I had a nook color Flanders even the smoothness that it got to only made me want a real tablet
Sent from my ICONIA
I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to post this under, seeing as I'm new to the XDA Developers community, but here goes nothing:
Has anyone else that has purchased an Kindle Fire been having second thoughts?
I think the main reason that I'm feeling this way is the whole thing feels sluggish, and the entire experience is frustrating. I did not buy the KF for a media consumption device; I bought it with the intention of rooting it, and having a $200 full-featured Android tablet, and having done so, something still feels off. It's extremely frustrating that I spent hours trying to get a custom wallpaper, and while I understand that it's a known-issue (So many threads made everyday...)
I played with my friends G2 today, which by no means is a new phone, and it (felt like), it kicked the KF's ass in speed. I just don't understand this at all. This (afaik) is a single core 800MHz device that feels more fluid than a 1GHz Dual Core. Is there something I'm missing?
Now, I'm new to Android, so I have absolutely no idea if this is a software issue that will get resolved (Honeycomb / Ice Cream Sandwich?), how long a wait that will be. (I understand that no one knows the answer to that.) Or... Is this just the hardware that $200 will buy you? I understand they're selling each KF at a loss, maybe I had higher expectations than I should have.
I noticed in a local Best Buy Black Friday ad, that the Acer Iconia 7" tablet will go on sale for $190, which has spurred thoughts of returning my KF, and purchasing the Iconia. Can anyone think of a good reason not to?
Please excuse my ignorance, I really am trying to learn something here. Will these issues improve with time, once custom ROMs start getting developed for the KF?
Thanks for reading. I appreciate any input, even if it's pointing out something I've missed. (Especially so.)
First off, welcome to the forums! and yeah, general is a pretty decent place for this sort of thing imo.
I think, if you're looking for a full featured android tablet for under $200, and are willing to brave the black friday madness to get it, then by all means, return your kindle and go for the Iconia. It's got better specs, cameras, honeycomb, etc - and lets face it, amazon designed the kindle to be just that, a kindle. Whatever android functionality we get past that should be looked at as a bonus to what was already there imo.
I've owned an asus transformer as my primary android tablet for close to 6months now, and got the kindle intending it to be mostly a device for media, so I was pleasantly surprised how well it did as an android tablet as well. I actually ended up falling in love with the size and ease of one-handed use of the 7" tablet, and am debating ditching the transformer and either going with just the kindle, or picking up a more powerful 7" tablet myself.
Don't get me wrong, I love the kindle and will definitely be hanging onto it - but one of the more main reasons I got it was it's integration to all of amazons media services.
I think you'll notice a considerable increase in speed and smoothness with the tegra 2 and more notably the 1gb of memory, especially if you root the iconia and install a more cut down rom.
The only thing I will say here is having used both the kindle and a 10" honeycomb tablet now... I'm not entirely sure how i'd like the honeycomb interface on a 7" tablet... it might almost feel too cluttered - but thats an ocd person with a very minimalist taste speaking.
Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.
I've seen quite a few complains about sluggish performance but I honestly haven't seen any of that after rooting and switching to go launcher. There was some noticible slow downs changing orientation of the device or just simply scrolling throught the carousel when I was using the stock launcher but that seems to be all gone now. Ive been playing Pandora while surfing on opera with several tabs open haven't seen any lag at all. Maybe im not stressing my tablet enought? Idk what other ppl do on it but coming from an ipad 1 im very satisified with my purchase . ICS is suppose to have similar ram usage to GB so I think the 512 ram should be suffice atleast for my usage.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
Really appreciate the thought out reply.
I love the 7" form-factor myself; the only doubt that I'm having right now is battery life. It seems to be 5 hours of casual WiFi browsing, which is ridiculously low compared to the KF. The other features totally make it worth it. Mini-HDMI and Micro-SD would definitely be nice to have, as well as GPS? Jeez.
Edit: If I do return it, should I unroot it, is there a process to return it to factory settings?
Yeah, 5 hours battery life is a bit rough - although again to reference my experiences with the transformer, at least, a cut down Rom will likely help that a decent bit.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
If you return any tablet you've rooted by all mean unroot it. It not only helps if you get a clerk who knows what to look for (and refuses your return justifiably as rooting voids warranty) but also it's good form. It avoids "surprises" for whomever gets your tab afterwards.
Having owned the Iconia A100 for about 2 weeks before returning it (battery life, viewing angles, Acer possibly leaving tabs and lack of dev support) I must say it's a fine little tab. Only 8G internal but uSD offsets, 1GB RAM, quality build and reported ICS in January are real pluses. Price ($330) is steep but if you can get it on BF then do so.
Now that root has been achieved on the NT, it's blows the doors off the KF (specs, battery life, etc). Seriously look into it as a replacement for the KF.
BTW I would not count on HC or ICS for the KF. No reason for Amazon to do that as it doesn't add revenue to buying anything from Amazon. B&N only upped the NC to 2.2 Froyo after almost a year on 2.1 then stopped.
skeeterpro said:
Now that root has been achieved on the NT, it's blows the doors off the KF (specs, battery life, etc). Seriously look into it as a replacement for the KF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a link for NT root? I can't find it and I am holding off on buying one until I see what's possible on it.
I already own the HTC flyer referenced in my .sig and I don't think anything comes close to it speedwise since it has a 1.5 GHz single core processor. And I've played with the Dell streak 7 which is dual core 1 GHz. Since app so few apps can actually use the second core it feels slower by comparison. It has 512 memory like the KF and I think that's much of the reason it seems so much slower. I used the V6 whatever script by Zepp-somebody (as you can see I'm just horrible with names) from here on XDA and it made a big difference. So I'd guess the Fire would also benefit from tweaked minfrees and OOM settings also. Considering some of that 512 is given to video I think almost all lag is actually the Android OS moving things out of memory and killing apps to make room for the new app or the app you're returning to.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk
I have to add that I tried quite a few devices before settling on my 7". I brought home a couple, the Iconia screen was just unacceptable period, the angle you will want to view it the most is the worst, every Iconia I've seen has this problem on both sides of the border. Not to mention not so great battery life although I did find it better than the reviews, and random FCs. I eventually settled on a Flyer and it's miles ahead of the Iconia, what a polished device, it just works, so smooth, has a really nice screen, and is solid built.
I'm here cause I'm looking at the KF myself for my kids, but it sounds like it will be more trouble than it's worth to get them working north of the border. I tried a Vox for a couple of days and it was just so buggy, slow and locked down.
bsoplinger said:
I already own the HTC flyer referenced in my .sig and I don't think anything comes close to it speedwise since it has a 1.5 GHz single core processor. And I've played with the Dell streak 7 which is dual core 1 GHz. Since app so few apps can actually use the second core it feels slower by comparison. It has 512 memory like the KF and I think that's much of the reason it seems so much slower. I used the V6 whatever script by Zepp-somebody (as you can see I'm just horrible with names) from here on XDA and it made a big difference. So I'd guess the Fire would also benefit from tweaked minfrees and OOM settings also. Considering some of that 512 is given to video I think almost all lag is actually the Android OS moving things out of memory and killing apps to make room for the new app or the app you're returning to.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also considered the Flyer when I bought the A100. The digitizer for note taking attracted me but not paying upwards to $70-80 for the pen. No HC was a turn-off with little hope of upgrade. That plus a couple articles spectulating HTC getting out of the tab business broke the deal for me. But I have read that the Flyer is a serviceable device indeed!
---------- Post added at 09:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 AM ----------
sgood1971 said:
Do you have a link for NT root? I can't find it and I am holding off on buying one until I see what's possible on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. You'll need to be familiar with ADB (but then we all should).
Keep in mind the Search function is your friend!
To be completely honest, most of the things that I've noticed have performance issues are the Amazon-specific things -- the bottom buttons, the stock launcher, etc. In fact, everything else, now that I've rooted it, runs just fine even when I limit the processor to 600MHz per core.
I really am pretty sure the biggest performance thing is Amazon's modifications to the Android stuff. So, that *may* be fixed in upcoming updates. Or, heck, we'll just get a good custom rom sometime!
I've noticed intermittant sluggish performance only on Silk Browser. Using Opera Browser instead solves this and is much faster browsing experience.
skeeterpro said:
Sure. You'll need to be familiar with ADB (but then we all should).
Keep in mind the Search function is your friend!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the link. I did indeed use the search, I always do. Unfortunately my search-foo must have been weak indeed today.
Thanks again.
mewshi said:
Or, heck, we'll just get a good custom rom sometime!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I'm thinking it won't be too long before they start the ROM game...or hoping. I wouldn't keep the fire with its stock interface; I also bought it as a tablet. That said, the thing has been out a WEEK and they've already made leaps and bounds. The thing was rooted in like 12 hours, they've got CWM on it (just can't navigate easily) and I think they'll work out the kinks and start romming. My hope is for CM9, myself.
matt314159 said:
This. I'm thinking it won't be too long before they start the ROM game...or hoping. I wouldn't keep the fire with its stock interface; I also bought it as a tablet. That said, the thing has been out a WEEK and they've already made leaps and bounds. The thing was rooted in like 12 hours, they've got CWM on it (just can't navigate easily) and I think they'll work out the kinks and start romming. My hope is for CM9, myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True enough but regardless keep your hopes and expectations realistic. Remember that this device was not designed to be an open android tablet. The overlay and mods from Amazon might be tough to completely delete or bypass. Could be wrong but even so it's a $200 device. It will only ever be that. Which is fine but it is what it is.
I own a flyer also and it is a great tablet. I also bought the Fire for what is was advertised for, media content from Amazon. I don't intend on rooting because I think it performs just fine as it is. For your kids, watching movies, games and reading, I think they would enjoy this 7 inch device.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using xda premium
After going to Best Buy, and playing with the Iconia, it's re-affirmed my purchase in the KF. The display on the Iconia certainly leaves something to be desired.
I think I basically want a Galaxy Tab 7.0 at a $200 price point - not gonna happen, heh.
xodlike said:
After going to Best Buy, and playing with the Iconia, it's re-affirmed my purchase in the KF. The display on the Iconia certainly leaves something to be desired.
I think I basically want a Galaxy Tab 7.0 at a $200 price point - not gonna happen, heh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know.. display on that was one thing i never really thought about. heh.
At this point, I have to say the Fire is a keeper for me. What put it over the edge was that I was able to sideload the ereader.com app and read my books in full screen (I have been using this site for ebooks for more than a decade and probably have 200+ books in that library). The ereader app won't let me unlock my books on my Archos Honeycomb tablet and my HTC Flyer on Gingerbread will unlock the books, but the app is the screen size of a phone and I can't figure out how to make it bigger.
The Fire is the only device I can stream Amazon Instant Video without stuttering and allows me to use Netflix and Hulu too.
I've managed to sideload my manga reader apps and some other apps I love.
I can't plug a hard drive in, but I can stream with my Go Flex satellite.
Surfing isn't any better than any other device I own (maybe a little bit slower), but I can live with it for the other benefits.
Still not giving up my other tablets though
Expecting a "full featured" tablet from a $200 tablet is silly. The Kindle wasn't built to be a rooted device, it wasn't built to do all the things that Android tablets can do (GPS, bluetooth, video/voice calling, etc), it was built to be a media consumption device and a reader. It does both of those things well, and anything else it can do is just extra goodness. If you need more storage, GPS, bluetooth, or any of those other features... I'd recommend going with another tablet. You'll be spending more, but you get what you pay for.