Database Users

Any G-Tablet owners here?

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.

[Review] Xoom vs Galaxy Tab 7"

After having a bit of time to play with my Xoom, I'd thought I'd tell everyone how I felt about the Xoom and whether you should be think of upgrading from your Galaxy Tab.
Build quality
The Xoom is very will built, all the components are solidly put together - there are no rattles or any bendy bits. That said the extra weight of the tablet is definitely noticeable compared to the Tab, and certainly makes reading while holding the tablet in one hand less comfortable - plus you don't really need the larger screen for this use.
The screen does not go quite as bright as the Tab, and is not so readable in sunlight. Also it attracts fingerprints like moths to a light, after an hour of using it it looked worse than an iPad does after a whole day, though you can't really see the fingerprints while the screen is on.
Software
This is the main part I was excited about - there has been quite a bit of hype surrounding Honeycomb. Sadly, IMHO, quite a bit of it is just hype -- the main changes are in the home screen and the task/notifications bar. Both of these work really well, the 3D carousel effect when turning pages of the Home screen is really smooth, and the new notification system works really well giving you a system which works quite like a desktop. Sadly you can't pinch the screen to show all of your desktops at once.
The rest of it though, it is pretty buggy. The settings app and gmail apps have force-closed on me a number of times - these are pretty important parts of the OS and so it's seriously disappointing to see them not quite finished. The Facebook app seems to work for a few mins then crashes and won't work until I restart the device.
The browser is very nice, with proper tabs (and incognito tabs!), but if you dare to switch on Flash 10.2 all the time then the whole thing is no faster than the Tabs browser with Flash enabled -- in fact it's quite possibly worse than my Tab with an OC kernel and the latest leaked ROM.
But main problem is - where is the software? Google made much issue about Android 2.x not being fit for tablets but the truth is all they've mostly done is what Samsung did - the email app now has one pane with a list of your emails in and another showing the content of your email. It's the same with the other apps, nowhere is there an incredibly large difference in functionality between the modified Samsung apps and the new Honeycomb ones.
Sure you get a film editor app, but that was pretty much put in to grab a bit of press after Apple put iMovie on the iPad - I'm sure most people, me included, would prefer a decent photo editing/retouching app more than a pretty basic video editing one.
No free, Xoom optimized apps with the device or a store for them like you get with Samsung.
And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
That might not be so bad if there was a store like the Samsung Movies Store or iTunes where I could buy or rent a movie in a compatible format. Except this being a "Google Experience" device there are no apps apart from the few that Google put on there (and aside from film studio that's just upgraded standard Android apps). So you have a tablet that doesn't support that vast majority of media formats used by the largest desktop OS; I feel justified in saying that is a slight fail -- is Youtube supposed to be my entire source of entertainment? It's not like you can call the quality of most Flash videos on the web HD.
The one upside is the tegra 2, and all the nice games it will let you play. Except there are only a couple at the moment, and if the Tegra Zone app is to be believed, most of them won't be out for another couple of months. That said the few that are available are very nice, and run perfectly smooth.
Overall
Overall I'd give the Xoom 7/10. It's good, and the first Honeycomb tablet, but I think it will probably not be in the top 5 come the end of the year.
I can understand some people might buy it over others on the promise of slightly quicker updates, but I'm seriously considering taking mine back and waiting for the Tab 8.9, I have a few more days to play around with it before I decide. Sure it will have customized interface so it might not get updates as quickly, but actually it will do much more out of the box than the Xoom does, and it will still probably do more than the Xoom will even after the Xoom has received an update.
I used to be someone who bought plain Android devices on the basis that they quicker updates (have an NS, had an N1, etc), but a lot of the time it makes little difference. Google doesn't actually release updates often enough anymore for that to be much of an issue, and in some cases these days manufacturers have actually made things better than Google did (e.g. the standard browser in the Galaxy S on 2.2 is far better than the stock browser on a Nexus S on 2.3).
Sadly in this case the bad experience reflects badly on Motorola even though it isn't really their fault - they've had nothing to do at all with the software. At the same time that is their fault - it's their tablet and if I was head of a Motorola I'd want to make sure the software I was putting my name on did everything I wanted and worked properly - Android manufacturers should stop getting so desperate to compete with Apple and actually focus on the quality of their own products.
So my advice would be wait. And possibly in this case don't let the factor of whether it's a pure Google device affect your decision so much -- Honeycomb is still an infant and it really needs some features added on for a full tablet experience.
* I was completely aware the Xoom would come with no added extras like the Tab did when I bought it. I just thought Google would have put more work into making Honeycomb for great for tablets.

That's a pretty accurate description. I went through 2 XOOM's which I bought once they released the WIFI only model, and my experience was the same if not worse. Lots of potential, but they really missed the mark with that one. The second XOOM had a hardware failure and refused to charge, and since I was pretty let down overall, and that needle thin power adaptor is just waiting to snap off, I got rid of it entirely. I bought my first Galaxy Tab WIFI model Monday from Tigerdirect, got it Wed and have used it since and I absolutely love it.

That's an interesting review.
It surprised me that honeycomb still isnt working perfectly. I thought that they would update it regularly.
The Xoom seemed to me, to be a liitle bit too fast released device.
I also agree that it probably wont be the best in the flow of the year - off course.
I think HTC looks quite promising, if they release a bigger version of their Flyer.
Let's see if the Companies learn from the others - if a company releases later, it always has a lower risk of failing, because it can learn out of the mistakes of the others...

And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
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Click to collapse
This, x1,000. I own an original iPad, and picked up a T-Mo Galaxy Tab for $100 on Craigslist. Once the wifi Xoom came out, I went to Staples to pick one up.
Disappointment doesn't begin to capture it. Such a lovely screen...why, why, why wouldn't you include a Movies app with the tablet? Videos that played flawlessly on the Tab would stutter and whimper on the Xoom. That's just inexcusable.
I also co-sign everything you said about Facebook; I had the same experience with Seesmic.
I bought it on Friday evening. I returned it on Sunday afternoon. I can handle rough edges with software, but this goes beyond that. And selling it for $600? Yeah...not so much.
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.

rnoboa said:
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.
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If you're interested, here's my short review of the Transformer, originally posted in the Transformer XDA forum. I do compare it to my Galaxy Tab, so I don't think it's unreasonable to post here!
Regards,
Dave
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I've had my Transformer for 4 full days now, and I've a few comments to make for prospective purchasers.
First of all, a little background - I've had Android phones since the original G1 was released in the US (I was there when it was released), and since then have owned the HTC Hero, the HTC Desire, and now the Desire HD (and a Pulse Mini as a backup device).
I also have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7", which I've been using since October last year and I still think is a fantastic device, so most of my observations on the Transformer (henceforth called the TF) will be in comparison to Galaxy Tab (henceforth called the GT). As an aside, I also have a Toshiba AC100 Android netbook, so I think I have some feel for how the TF will be once the keyboard dock arrives.
Build quality
The TF feels like a really high quality device. I know some people have reported issues with back light bleed etc, but I've had no such issues. The aluminium case is really nice to the touch, as is the back of the device which is a plastic made to look a bit like carbon fibre.
Design - the design is generally really nice, though if I had one criticism it is the size of the bezel is rather large. Additionally, it does feel a little odd holding the device in portrait mode as it comes over as very tall and thin, especially when compared to the GT.
The IPS display is lovely and crisp, though it does seem a little less bright than the display on the GT.
OS and software
This is both simultaneously the best and worst feature that the TF has over the GT. In general browsing use, the TF is much more like a laptop/desktop experience than the GT, and you can see Honeycomb has great potential. However, it does feel very much like an unfinished product.
When the GT first came out, the stock browser was notoriously laggy (fixed in later iterations), and the TF suffers from the same issue - in fact it is worse because whilst the GTs browser was basically just laggy, the TFs browser is laggy and buggy.
Specifically, clicking on links in other applications often causes the browser to pop up, but it doesn't load the new page - this can be fixed by "killing" the browser and restarting it, but it shouldn't be this way. Whilst I much prefer the native browser when it works correctly, I'm now using Opera Mobile for day to day use.
Honeycomb Gmail on the TF is a revelation - it is a far superior client than the client on the GT.
Other minor Honeycomb/TF complaints are:
1. There doesn't seem to be a way to clear all notifications easily.
2. Just getting to the Settings menu is overcomplicated.
3. The keyboards do seem overly large in my opinion, and there don't seem to be enough long press options to get to alternate characters, though I'm aware these are easily replaceable.
4. Overall the TF performance is good, but I don't feel that Honeycomb is taking advantage of the dual core Tegra 2, and thus in general use it doesn't really feel any faster than my single core GT.
Media Playback
This is an easy one - the GT is a better media player than the TF, simply because it natively supports more formats (e.g. DivX).
I'm not unused to transcoding video to H264, as I had to do this often on my earlier Android devices, but with the advent of Cortex A8 class devices with Neon, I found software players like RockPlayer more than acceptable. This does not seem to be the case for the TF, since Tegra 2 doesn't support Neon instructions. However, the AC100 is a Tegra 2 device, and the built-in media player is much better than the stock TF one too, so really I think that Asus should have done more here.
With the TF, I'm back to having to transcode media, and to be honest for the most part that means I'll just my GT instead.
Overall Usage
Here's where it gets interesting!
The TF provides a very different experience to the GT and for the most part it is very enjoyable- when I bought the device, I knew it be mostly be a "coffee table" device, and that the size, weight, and built-in 3G of the GT was going to a distinct advantage over the TF when it comes to travelling.
What I didn't expect is that the GT still holds some advantages at home too.
Put simply, the TF is still too big and heavy sometimes - when I get up in the morning, I usually take my GT off charge and slip it into the pocket of my dressing gown, and this means it goes with me when I go to make a coffee, visit the "office" in the bathroom etc.
Also, late at night, if I want to watch something whilst lying in bed, the GT is simply much more comfortable to hold for any period of time, and coupled with better media support is always going to be the preferred option.
The Future
I don't think it is really fair to judge the TF until the keyboard dock becomes available, because I honestly think this will significant change the nature of the device.
When I first got my AC100, it was running Eclair and to be honest it was pretty rubbish, but it got so much better when Froyo landed.
I can see the TF similarly getting a completely new lease of life once the dock arrives.
Also, Honeycomb does feel like a work in progress, and I'm hoping for regularly updates to this device, which again should improve the experience, along with more Honeycomb specific apps on the market.
Conclusion
I think the TF is a fantastic product and the price is extremely good for what it is. I certainly wouldn't want to put anyone off buying one if they have a genuine interest this form factor. In the UK at least, I think the Xoom has priced itself out of the market massively, which currently leaves the TF as the 10.1" tablet of choice.
The biggest issue for me is that 10.1" tablets are generally too big and heavy, and whilst newer tablets may be lighter, they will still be similarly sized unless they can dramatically reduce the size of the bezel.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" may well be a better compromise, and I will be looking closely at this once it arrives. However, it won't fit in a jacket pocket, so would still likely just be a coffee table tablet for me.
Ultimately, I think my ideal tablet device would be a 7" form factor device like the GT, similar internal hardware to the TF (dual core, IPS, memory etc), and built-in 3G. Until something like this ships, I think my GT will still be my primary media consumption/browsing device.
Steve Jobs may think that there is no market in 7" tablets, but in my case he's wrong!

Thank you soooo much for the Tab vs Xoom reiew. I was looking at the Xoom a couple weeks ago, but when I saw Sprint marked the Tab down to $199, I bought it instead. Although the Xoom is a gorgeous device, I am becoming quite sold on the 7" size. After using my Tab for a week, I love it! Now if the Xoom was only, say $100 more than the Tab, I may change my mind, but as it is now, it's way too expensive for what it offers out of the box. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Xoom have a price drop soon.

How bad is Honeycomb? The reviews of the G-Slate, Xoom, and even Eeepad Transformer suggest that Honeycomb itself is... not ready and quite laggy. How does it compare to plain old Froyo on a 7'' Tab?

so if understand correctly, android market does not install the tablet version of gmail or any other app on the galaxy tab?

You will have special section of apps created for the Honeycomb and for 2.2 or 2.3.
Apps that are not suppose to work will not be shown on the Market.
Some apps created for phones freeze or fail to work but overall you can find apps that suit your needs. I would agree that at this point software has rough edges but this is always an issue for the early adopters. The 1st iphone had no software choices at all and it took more than half a year to get something else.
Screen size and resolutiin make Xoom almost a laptop.
I like Xoom but prefer Galaxy Tab because of size and weight.

What Do you Expect with the Nook Color 2?

I know we are probably no very close at all to the release of the Nook color 2 but i want to know what you people want to see in the next nook.
I want to see
1. 1 Ghz Processor Stock (not having to put custom kernel onto)
2. One camera on front of the device
3. HDMI port

IIDeViiNII said:
I know we are probably no very close at all to the release of the Nook color 2 but i want to know what you people want to see in the next nook.
I want to see
1. 1 Ghz Processor Stock (not having to put custom kernel onto)
2. One camera on front of the device
3. HDMI port
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All three are pretty much unnecessary for the ebook market.

Nburnes said:
All three are pretty much unnecessary for the ebook market.
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If the original only had what was "-necessary for the ebook market," none of us would be here

Taosaur said:
If the original only had what was "-necessary for the ebook market," none of us would be here
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Lol
I agree it will probably have the Camera, maybe the 1ghz processor(but definitely not dual core) and definitly no HDMI port. lol that last one was just dreaming... but a guy(or a women) can dream
I suspect louder speakers! lol

I agree with burns... If they do anything to the Nook Color, it'll be make it lighter. I doubt they'll continue to try and compete in the Tablet market. It would just be silly, especially with Amazon positioning themselves to make a tablet that undercuts everything on the market less of chinese tablets.

I do agree it's unlikely that the tablet 'sweet spot' B&N hit with the current NC will still be there around October when it's time for a new device. They would probably be smarter to focus on increasing battery life and lowering cost while increasing their color-specific offerings (kids books, magazines, cookbooks/how-to).

Same device, slightly new proc maybe but....
Half the weight!,
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App

Please, oh please...an 8.9" screen that approximates the page size of a "trade" paperback.
This has been my reading goal from the beginning as 6 is too small and 10.1 is too large.
More up-to-date processor (though the current is doing just fine) and full Andorid Market access without rooting (let the quality of the unit speak for itself...don't hamstring it).
A truly non-glare AND (largely) non-reflective screen.
A front firing speaker!!!
8 1/2-9.0 would be a real "Goldilocks" range though I have gotten quite used to the 7"!
And, last but not least, a removable battery or significantly extended battery life.

A user serviceable battery for sure

Def. the battery
lighter
better "anti-glare" technology, whatever that may be
camera would be nice, but probably won't get it
Proc would be nice too, and may get that
Speaker quality is really imperative....
Here's hoping!
DB

Honestly I don't expect anything out of the Nook Color 2, because I don't think it will have the same developer community so I won't want one.
The Nook Color is what it is because from October of last year, to this month (when sub-$300 Galaxy Tabs began popping up on the internet) it was the best tablet value. For much of that time, it was BY FAR the best tablet value- beating other options by $hundreds.
That is no longer the case, and it won't be the case for the next Nook Color. We will probably keep our pace of development on the original for at least another six months due to critical mass, but the next great hackable ereader is probably that tablet Amazon is keeping under wraps.
If B&N is smart they won't replace the first Nook Color for a while (aka sometime in 2012)...

Who needs a tablet in 2012? We'll all be gone anyways! lol... silly interwebs-peoplez.

There will be no crazy nook color 2.
The nook color does everything an ereader should do, too much in fact. B&N dont want you to buy the NC they want you to buy BOOKS! Adding more features to appeal to this community is the LAST thing they will do.
If anything they will revise the current nook with a better anti glare coating, hopefully a better speaker and i would not be surprised to see a locked bootloader and the ability to boot from SD removed.
The "hacking" community has been great thus far because now they can say we have sold "eleventy billion machines"! Now that they have that bit of marketing under their belt theres NO reason under the sun to cater to us anymore and every reason to start locking it down and protecting their interests...
My guess is it will probably happen as soon as amazon uses nook marketing against them. "XX% of nook colors are running the amazon kindle app" Makes one appealing tag line for amazon. If that happens the shareholders will put an end to the fun quick enough.
TLR the original nook color is probably as good as its going to get for us.

For me Nook is perfect as it now with CM7 + OC kernel:
Fast and smooth for ebooks, web, music, movies and casual gaming.
As the bug for battery life is fixed, it is astonishing about power.
Wifi is really ok with my MB511 (tethered 3G/Wifi from the backpack to the nook).
Maybe a bluetooth keyboard or a dock like the asus transformer and i have a netbook
For the size, 8.9" would be great without screen border.

I'd like to see at least a mono mike input
for voice control & email - SMS to text apps and voice chat

The fabled Amazon tablet will have a lot to say about whether there will be another NC, and what it will look like.

We should do everything we can do prolong the life of the NC now.
Still rocking the Incredible with the XDA Premium App.

The only improvement I can think of considering this is an ebook device would be a better screen for use outdoors as others have said.
The current screen is awesome indoors... great color, great viewing angles. I'm also impressed how good the touch sensitivity is for a resistive digitizer. But outdoors I can barely see what I'm trying to read through the reflection of my face or of the sky.
Had I bought this primarily as an ereader I'd be disappointed.

chrisjs81 said:
I'm also impressed how good the touch sensitivity is for a resistive digitizer.
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Good sensitivity "for a resistive digitizer" is a rather poor review of a capacitive touchscreen

Taosaur said:
Good sensitivity "for a resistive digitizer" is a rather poor review of a capacitive touchscreen
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Whoops. I swear I read it was resistive before I bought it. Either way it's quite good the only issue I have is the position jumping when I lift my finger off (such as when using the arrow to move the cursor) I don't have the same issue on my phone but that may just be the angle since the NC is so much larger.

Thinking of selling iPad 1 for fire!

So, I'm an android fan and have been thinking about selling my iPad 1 and taking the cash and picking up the Fire. I've played with my co-workers and realize they are supposed to be compared. Was just wondering what you guys think?

You will probably be able to sell your ipad1 for at least 300 dollars. I guess it really depends what you want to do with the tablet. There are Android tablets out there with better specs than the Fire that you could get for 300 dollars, maybe cheaper with holiday sales. However, if you are mainly interested in surfing the web and consuming Amazon content, the Fire is the way to go. It probably meets my needs/wants about 80% of the time.
The main issues I have are that browser is not faster than my other tabs, not much storage space for offline content, and keypresses don't always respond.
Edited to add: lack of bluetooth is also a bummer.

brocja01 said:
So, I'm an android fan and have been thinking about selling my iPad 1 and taking the cash and picking up the Fire. I've played with my co-workers and realize they are supposed to be compared. Was just wondering what you guys think?
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Click to collapse
There are plenty of tabs out there that will service you better than the KF. If you get $300 for your iPad1 seriously think about looking around at other options. After using an iPad I truly doubt, in the long run, the KF will satisfy you. More memory, more options, a much better chance at HC or ICS (very much doubt the KF will get either) and overall better android experience. Comparing the iPad (any version) to the KF is not really valid no matter who says so IMO. The only things they really share, IMO, is that they are both serviced by closed gardens.
That said, welcome back from the "Dark Side".

What I wish I could do is have both. But the wife says only one tablet. Just kind of ready something for something new. The majority of what I do is Netflix, Hulu, and web browsing. I'm thinking the fire will do all those things well and hoping the developer community gets behind this and we get some fun roms.

brocja01 said:
What I wish I could do is have both. But the wife says only one tablet. Just kind of ready something for something new. The majority of what I do is Netflix, Hulu, and web browsing. I'm thinking the fire will do all those things well and hoping the developer community gets behind this and we get some fun roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can respect that. But don't buy something mainly because it's "new" and "flashy" or "because everyone is getting it". Get something that is scalable, stands good chance of upgrading and will provide you with a learning milieu that truncated e-readers likely will not.
Just food for thought.

Check out the HTC flyer at Best Buy for $299 and look at forums here. It has much better specs and will run netflix and hulu plus.
Edited to add link: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-ga...ablet-dont-forget-the-powerful-htc-flyer/5271

I really like the 7 inch size. The iPad can be too big sometimes.

It all depends on your needs. I for one love my fire. But you have to keep in mind it does have its limitations, aka memory. It has "only" 6.5 Gb of useable storage, personally I feel that is plenty of storage for my needs. I mean I've downloaded a ton of apps and have barely made a dent, but, if you plan on loading up the kindle fire with a ton of music and movies, you may want to think twice, me personallly ill just stream everything. I might load some music on it for a trip, but beyond that I don't see the point. Enough with my storage rant though. I'm really enjoying the kindle fire, I actually have grown to love Amazons custom skin it just makes sense to me, even though at times it can be a little frustrating because of some.minor lag, which I'm sure can be fixed with a software update. But, one thing I enjoy about the interface, is depending on what section you are in, aka books, apps, you can quickly access the store for that content, very User friendly, but if you don't like it then side load go launcher ex and you got an experiance like other android counterparts. And another feature I feel is well done is the search with a quick click of a.button you can choose to search device or web, fantastic. Plus watching Hulu plus on the fire is great, the $199 price tag is really a steal in my opinion.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

I sold my ipad 1 around 2 weeks ago to make a switch to the kindle fire and loving it. The whole experience is much smoother, no more checkboards when I scroll down webpages and having multiple tabs open didnt make the tablet unusable. Though I do kinda miss the app store and itune university. I use my tablet mainly for browsing and reading so the smaller form factor is perfect. Before the kindle fire I thought about switching to the galaxy tab 8.9 its significantly easier to handle than the ipad weight just under a lb. I really liked it but for less than half the cost and comparable specs I took the kindle fire over it

brocja01 said:
I really like the 7 inch size. The iPad can be too big sometimes.
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The flyer is 7 inches. I don't have any big problems with Fire, you just might want to check all your 7 inch options before you decide. Of course with the Fire, you can't beat the price.

I sold my 16GB iPad 1 (WiFi) for ~$225 and got a Fire, I couldn't be happier.

I use an ipad2 as a college book and internet lol... if you can justify using it and getting a better experience go for it. I have an android phone so that would be too much android in my life. I'm sticking with the ipad and android together. Makes the one offset the other when one becomes lacking.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium

I sold my ipad earlier this year and picked up a nook. I just couldn't stand iOS. Sold the nook and now i have a Fire. I like it a lot, and i'm really tempted to keep it. I have to say I am disappointed with the lack of storage. As far as i am concerned that is the only major drawback, albeit a large one for me as I can at times be without internet for several months at a time. This is primarily when I want a tablet for movies and reading.
As far as its intended function, as an e-reader, it performs quite well. With wi-fi turned off and the brightness at about 80%, i'm seeing an hour for every ten percent down to 15% before I plug it in.
I think it is a great size. For the most part it is quite portable. Its got some heft to it, but it feels right and solid. I'm sure you have read plenty of reviews by now, so no point in me going on about it.
I say bite the bullet and pick one up as it is quite cheap. If u don't like it sell it, i'm sure these things will be sold out for an amount of time some where, at that point you definitely shouldn't have a problem getting your money back. Heck, pick one up locally, most places now have an extended return policy because of the holidays. I've already bought two as gifts for my family when I go to visit them.

killerbicycle said:
I sold my ipad earlier this year and picked up a nook. I just couldn't stand iOS. Sold the nook and now i have a Fire. I like it a lot, and i'm really tempted to keep it. I have to say I am disappointed with the lack of storage. As far as i am concerned that is the only major drawback, albeit a large one for me as I can at times be without internet for several months at a time. This is primarily when I want a tablet for movies and reading.
As far as its intended function, as an e-reader, it performs quite well. With wi-fi turned off and the brightness at about 80%, i'm seeing an hour for every ten percent down to 15% before I plug it in.
I think it is a great size. For the most part it is quite portable. Its got some heft to it, but it feels right and solid. I'm sure you have read plenty of reviews by now, so no point in me going on about it.
I say bite the bullet and pick one up as it is quite cheap. If u don't like it sell it, i'm sure these things will be sold out for an amount of time some where, at that point you definitely shouldn't have a problem getting your money back. Heck, pick one up locally, most places now have an extended return policy because of the holidays. I've already bought two as gifts for my family when I go to visit them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have access to usb power source when you are away from internet, you might check out the seagate go flex satellite( 500gb hdd with built in wifi). You can sideload the app and stream media from the drive to your device. The app isn't terrific, but it does work on the fire. The hdd acts as a router and creates a network between it and your device.

Well, my problem has been fixed. I'm keeping the iPad, so the kids and wife can use it and I'll be buying a Fire right around Xmas. Talked the wife into letting me buy one after saving up some money. Thanks all for the recommendations.

Still Worth Buying

With the price going down to 149$ is this a good buy?
My main use is reading books, magazines and occasional browsing with flipboard and pocket.
My main influence is the aspect ratio, since it's more suitable for magazines compared to other android tablets. not to mention the screen size for such price.

With the HD screen, decent cpu, ability to easily root or run cyanogen mod, for the price I think it's very much worth it.

>My main influence is the aspect ratio
My criteria were aspect ratio, size, and ongoing OS support. Nowaday there are many cheap tabs at close to $100 mark, but they're all 7" 16:10 AR, and most without continuing OS support. Thanks to verygreen and other helpful people here, the Nook HD/HD+ will live on past the B&N era. AFAIK, the Nooks--NC, NT, and HDs--are the only cheap tabs to have official CM support.
But as you mentioned it comes down to your uses. 7" is better for travelling, as well as things like GPS, cams, etc, which the Nook lacks. The HD+ is better if simply for its larger size and res, which are optimal for long-form reading and web browsing.
As for pricing, at some point it becomes petty to harp on the few dollars' difference. Yes, there's a big diff between $500 and $200, but $150-vs-200, not so much. Would you be willing to go across town to buy a 15-penny egg vs a 20-penny one here? Price shouldn't be the end-all. But if it comes to that, my last HD+ was a $120 refurb I bought for my mom, and I'm entirely satisfied with its like-new condition. It probably is new, but marked as refurb for clearance.

In addition to what e.mote already said (which I fully agree with), I think the main thing you have to decide is what you'll be using it for. It all comes down to personal use. Since you said it will be for reading books and mags and occasional browsing, the HD+ is perfect for that. I use it for the same purpose + watching TV with Dish Anywhere around the house + streaming movies / shows from my PC with Plex for Android. On the other hand, if you're going to be doing CPU/GPU intensive stuff like gaming, get the new Nexus 7. I got my HD+ for $120 @ Staples and that was too good to pass up and don't regret the purchase at all, especially with official CM support.

I paid $ 180 for my HD+ and am very satisfied with it.
Watching movies I encoded, browsing web, checking email, playing
the latest games...it does it all quite well.

I have seen as low as $120 refurbished units from B&N which is pretty good. I bought mine at $149 and I have no regret even with all the crazy deals popping up later.
aGoGo said:
With the price going down to 149$ is this a good buy?
My main use is reading books, magazines and occasional browsing with flipboard and pocket.
My main influence is the aspect ratio, since it's more suitable for magazines compared to other android tablets. not to mention the screen size for such price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

e.mote is spot on, but as for my $0.02 I am very happy with my nook HD+. It's my first tablet and I love the high resolution screen and it's plenty portable. I'm using it to watch my favorite tv shows from anywhere I happen to be and I love it! Not to mention that due to a shoulder injury I have been limited on how much I can sit at a computer and work, but with the tablet I can use it for hours without aggravating it. It is well worth the money in my mind.

aGoGo said:
With the price going down to 149$ is this a good buy?
My main use is reading books, magazines and occasional browsing with flipboard and pocket.
My main influence is the aspect ratio, since it's more suitable for magazines compared to other android tablets. not to mention the screen size for such price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Nook Tablet. Still love it. The 7" format fits for my uses. Never the less. The HD+ is the biggest bang for the buck. Good engineering. It is quality. I read a lot and the HD+ 9" format is a big improvement. I watch Netflix on occasion and with this tablet it is big enough to enjoy a video without having to use glasses.

It will always be a good (great?) portable media player. That's how I would view the HD+. Gorgeous screen, solid sound via headphones. Other tablets are going to have more cores and features and higher AnTuTu scores but this is a 1920x1280 IPS with 32GB on board for a low price. AND we're in Cyanogen builds -- support for the foreseeable future. That's a huge plus that everyone doesn't have.

I have an Acer a500 that is in a bad place and began looking for a tablet to replace it. Started out with a 7" 32GB Nexus v.1, but service plan and all was $248.00 - and right now we can't afford it. Read some more and the Nook HD+ really began to catch my eye...but again at that time, felt it was too much and took it back. Tried refurbed Acer A100 and it was AWFUL due to my high degree of near-sightedness. Took it back and went back to B&N and repurchased Nook HD+ with 16GB storage. As files are now accessible from cloud or google drive, and Nook has SD card slot, storage is not a huge issue.
Reason? I missed that 9" HD display for reading and web browsing, I'm not a huge B&N fan, but man did the HD+ sell me...and at $150, it's a definite steal. Seriously thinking about saving up enough money to buy a second one before too long, just to have to tiinker with.

think there might be a $20 gift card too if from b&N

Howdy,
Is the $20 gift card thing new? I bought mine in person a couple of weeks ago at a b&n and there was no gift card advertized or involved...

It's only $109 with free shipping for the next 2+ hours at http://1saleaday.com/main/

I was going to post this, and also I'm ordering. Just spotted this about 3 hours ago.
dxwilliams40 said:
It's only $109 with free shipping for the next 2+ hours at http://1saleaday.com/main/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

dxwilliams40 said:
It's only $109 with free shipping for the next 2+ hours at http://1saleaday.com/main/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I grabbed one from this deal too.
Wonder when we'll get them?
First shipment estimated to leave on
Thursday, September 12th, 2013
Orders usually ship within 7-10 business days
Under limited circumstances, up to 30 days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

When my Nexus 7 (2012) and HD+ are both available I consistently pick up the HD+ for the vast majority of uses. The screen size of the HD+ makes standard websites much easier to read, allow for more ebook content on the screen, and make it better for watching videos. In addition the sound of the HD+ is much better than the Nexus 7's. The Nook's negatives are that it is heavier and not as comfortable to hold but those are trade offs I'm happy to accept for the increased screen size. For my uses I don't notice much of a difference in speed.
Another thing to consider is the Nook's ability to run a custom ROM from an SD card without modifying the tablet's internal software. I'm running CyanogenMod 10.2 (the 4.3 version of Jellybean.) It's not perfect and has occasional problems including random reboots, but so does my Nexus 7 (to a lesser extent) when running stock software.
Overall after 4 months of ownership of the HD+ and 12 months with the Nexus 7, I think the Nook HD+ is well worth the $150 price even if it's being discontinued.

I have heard that the nook will be discontinued and that new versions will be released at the end of the year, I don't know which is true. Still a good device for the money. What makes this a great device are the smart people on this forum, verygreen especially (hat tip to you) and cross pollinators from other similar devices. It gets better with every release.
Sent from my BN NookHD+ using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

New Nook from 1SaleaDay has arrived
My 16GB Nook HD+ from 1Sale-a-Day arrived yesterday in pristine condition (likely completely unused, but refurbished in original box and with a warranty). I opened it up and went thru registration, and it immediately updated to 2.0.6. I added a few apps and then checked the software update button and it then updated to 2.1.1. Finally, I backed up, rooted, and added extras from Leapinar's thread. This was a little tricky and seemed to not work until I pushed in on the microSD while booting. That worked! I now have a perfectly functional Nook HD+ !! I love the great features, especially the screen resolution, and it is much more nimble than my old HP Touchpad. Overall I am VERY satisfied.

You got yours already?
Mine hasn't even shipped.
I did snag a groovy case for it on ebay for $18

The Nook HD+ is a bargain. I've owned the HP Touchpad and now after upgrading to the Nook HD+, I couldn't be happier.