Viewsonic G-Tablet review and pics!

[SolidOrange]

i finally got my hands on a viewsonic gtab, and wanted to throw up some pics and a quick review for anyone else who was considering the purchase.

first pics, out of the box last night:

first impressions; the hardware is GREAT, the included software is AWFUL!! the dated and non-customizable home screen is a huge put-off considering it IS running FroYo, and not having the Android Market pre-installed seems crazy to me. luckily, there is a quick fix for both of those issues! root, and flash TnT lite then take 5 minutes to do the market fix and you will have a GTab that looks like this:

now the software finally lives up to the hardware, and this thing absolutely FLIES!! web browsing is insanely quick, and opening/running apps is unbelievably fast. if you don't believe me, here's the Quadrant benchmark scores to prove it.

after playing with it for just a few hours, here's a quick list of pros and cons.

PROS:
-Price (compared to iPad and Galaxy Tab)
-Dual core processor (FAST! and ready for future Android updates)
-Can access full Android Market
-Can be rooted very easily
-Overall build quality
-Screen size

CONS:
-Awful stock software
-Screen viewing angle is pretty narrow in portrait view (it is more than acceptable in landscape)


and some comparison shots with my Droid:

to sum it all up, if you do not have the time/ability/confidence to root and flash a new ROM, the GTab is certainly NOT worth the money. however, if you can do it (and it's REALLY easy), you are getting a device that is just as cabable, has a bigger screen, and is far cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

 

[dannzeman]

Thanks for the quick over view and a starting point for rooting and roms. I played with one in store this past weekend and you're right, the stock software blows! I wish I would have known how far the modding community has gotten, then I would have bought it.

Sent from my Xtremely Syndicate Epic using Tapatalk

 

[DeathsArrow]

Interesting, I didn't know that it came with Froyo. I thought Jerry's review said it came with Eclair.

 

[SolidOrange]

finally found a cover for this thing!! hopefully this will cut down on the number of people who ask me if it is an iPad, as well as protecting the back and covering the plethora of logos viewsonic decided it needed, lol.

...and since i know you'll all ask.
buy the cover here.
buy the decal here.

 

[smithe68]

Thanks for the review, I have been looking at tablets, and this might just be the way to go.

 

[rinnr1]

Looks like an update is coming out and others will hopefully start selling it again.. I might have to wait till Honeycomb comes out before I buy a Tablet..

Viewsonic: There's no G Tablet 'manufacturing defect,' it's a user experience issue -- Engadget