After mulling over the Archos 101 back in October, and increasingly frustrated with their delays, I found this gem in my local SEARS. It has a Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset, which you will probably be hearing about increasingly in 2011. A really nice device overall, but it's not without its faults which I will summarize. First, the hardware....
Hardware Pros:
- Tegra 2 chipset dual-core with 512MB RAM. Bleeding edge hardware, so much that the software has not caught up, yet (see more on that, below).
- MicroSD slot, which supports up to 32GB.
- A full USB port. You can hook up peripheral devices to it, such as a USB keyboard.
- Micro USB port (not proprietary) , for mounting to your PC. Forgot your cable and you're at a friends house? No worries, just use any micro USB and you are in.
- Front facing camera. It's not the best, but it works.
Hardware Cons:
- The LCD. Yes, ironic given that this is packaged by a company known for its displays. The 1024x600 10 inch screen is essentially a netbook screen. It's actually not bad at all when looking at it straight on, but the viewing angles are not very good. This is critical if you were planning on using this as a gaming device where you'll be moving it around.
- h264 support is limited. This is confusing to some, as technically h264 works in certain configurations. 1080p "high profile" encoded videos do not work, whereas "main profile" does work. The bottom line here is that you might find issues with certain high-def videos that will be very choppy or flat out crash the device. My understanding is that this is a limitation of the Tegra 2 chipset itself.
The hardware is very impressive, overall. However, where this device loses a full point is the software that is supplied out-of-the-box. Although it's Android based, the stock launcher is replaced with a interface called "Tap N' Tap", which is actually a third party vendor. I don't particularly like the interface myself - it's slow, buggy with a tendency to "Force Close" very often, and the Marketplace that's been recently added is very different than the Android Marketplace you might be used to on your phone (and not in a good way). Overall, it's just plain bad.
If you are technically inclined or don't mind thinking outside the box, there are already several alternate firmware replacements for the device that can be found by Googling "Viewsonic G Tablet xda-developers". These mods can turn the device into something you are more familiar with, if you use an Android phone. But, keep in mind that these alterations are not supported by Viewsonic and you could void your warranty. So buyer beware.
The other major problem is that Android itself is not built for tablets, yet. But version 2.3 is about to be released, which could change things considerably in the next few months. Whether or not the GTablet eventually gets an official 2.3 release, or a more Android-looking interface that is fully supported by Viewsonic is anyone's guess at this point - so, just know what you are getting into.
12/21/10 EDIT: The next official firmware slated for release this week by VS should allow the user to bypass the Tap N' Tap homescreen, and use a more vanilla Android interface. This is a step in the right direction, imo.
04/17/11 EDIT: I've gotten some heat for the title of "Next Gen Hardware". Remember, this was written in December - that's an eternity in technology terms. The GPU is actually still up-to-date as of this writing, but Android devices with better screens are starting to show up (ie. the Xoom and soon the Transformer). So just keep in mind when this review was written....
04/23/11 EDIT: I'm hearing reports that these new Amazon GTablets MIGHT be arriving with the latest Viewsonic firmware - this firmware adds a lockscreen, Adobe Flash and French / Spanish languages and a few other things. You can tell if you have this new firmware if you go into Settings -- About Tablet and check the TapUI version -- "1.2" means the new firmware, and "1.1" means the old firmware.
If you have a "1.2" firmware, please be careful with mods on XDA (as of this writing) as they are generally built around the "1.1" firmware, only. Or, alternatively, you can try the few 1.2-based mods at Slatedroid (just Google "Slatedroid Gtablet 1.2" and you'll find them). You can downlevel your firmware from 1.2 to 1.1 - but there is a small chance that you could soft-brick your device, especially if you don't read directions carefully - there are specific steps to take. Just be careful, and have fun with your new tablet! ViewSonic gTablet with 10" Multi-Touch LCD Screen, Android OS 2.2
I own a G Tablet. I like my G Tablet. Let me tell you why no-one is raving about the G Tablet.
The electronics exceed the iPad at time of writing. The form factor is nothing to write home about. The viewing angles on the screen are sub-par, which is surprising given the device's provenance. The Tap n' Tap user interface is a disaster. I say again, a disaster. Slow, inelegant, and insufficient.
There is good news. First, the price is right. It can be had for as little as $380.00, a far cry from its competitors. Second, the user interface can be replaced. There are communities of individuals (XDA), who have very graciously put their hard work and talent into producing replacement ROMs for this device which override the existing software with something that is much closer to the standard Android OS and that interfaces correctly with the Android App Market. It is DIY, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-dig-into-it work to install a new ROM and get it running properly. Even then there will be charming bugs to fix. Expect this to become a minor hobby.
In conclusion, the G Tablet is a conditionally five-star device. It is inexpensive, the hardware is perfectly solid, and a technically minded individual who is willing to spend some time tinkering with it can turn it into a very useful tool.
If you are Viewsonic, or work for Viewsonic, or know somebody who's cousin might work at Viewsonic, then please tell them; ditch Tap n' Tap as soon as humanly possible. - Viewsonic - Android - Tablet - Tablets'
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