As I already own an Archos 101 and am rather disappointed in it, I spent quite a bit of time the past few days trying to track down a working Gtablet to spend some serious hands-on time with. My secondary goal was to install the latest Viewsonic update to see firsthand how it improves performance since I cannot find any detailed reviews or Youtube videos of a freshly-updated Gtablet. All of the review I've seen are from the original ROM version or a modded TnT Lite ROM.
Sears Outlet had nothing even remotely close to a tablet in stock. Regular Sears had 'em in stock but no demo model on display. Both Staples I visited were unsurprisingly devoid of any tablets other than the usual Sony e-readers and Kindle. That left Office Depot as the only place selling Gtablets...and I'm not sure how much longer that will last. I hit 4 local ODs in total. One had a non-functioning display model and the other had a functioning display model but was sold out and not expected to restock them. In all, I was able to play with 3 demo models. One had a flaky, slow wi-fi connection but the other two I was able to update to the latest official ROM. My Archos really is pitiful when used in portrait mode and that's something I have not been able to test on the Viewsonic...but standing to the side and tilting my head, it still didn't appear as bad as my Archos in portrait mode.
I have to admit, last week's update makes a world of difference. I switched off that horrible launcher and went to the (mostly) stock Android launcher. It was lightning-fast, even faster than my Droid X. The web browser was still kinda lame but I would put Dolphin HD on there immediately.
Remember, I'm comparing a bolted-down GTab to my Archos 101, but the Viewsonic *DID* appear to have slightly better viewing angles and better brightness over the Archos but at the expense of more washed-out colors. Performance-wise, there is no comparison between the two. The Viewsonic is a beast! Angry Birds is now part of the standard software bundle with the latest update and it was smooth as silk with the Tegra 2. I did everything I possible could considering the limitations of the in-store demo unit to make the thing lock up or become sluggish and it took everything I could throw at it.
While I am still concerned about the lack of Android Market/Google apps, my remaining issues with the GTab are mostly hardware-related as well as the usual pricing/support/availability concerns. It's a bit chunky and heavy and I am not a fan of the non-backlit buttons or the miniUSB port...and why do all of these Android tablets require a bulky AC adapter? I want to travel light and share a single microUSB adapter between my table and my smartphone! Also, the lack of any location-based services on the Viewsonic is a bit worrying, especially for their asking price. With a $100 price drop, the GTablet would be the most awesome thing out there.
Also, if you compare apples to apples (GTab vs 16gb Archos), you're only looking at a $50 price difference for much better build quality, performance and 2x the RAM on the Viewsonic.
I am probably going to return or sell my Archos and wait to see what is unveiled at CES. But if I had to buy a new today *today*, it'd definitely be the GTablet. Kudos to Viewsonic (or whoever their OEM partner is) for quickly cranking out a solid ROM update on the heels of the sadly overblown Staples recall story.
You'd almost that Apple and the various wireless carriers are doing everything in their power to keep the tablet market limited to the iPad and the hideously overpriced Galaxy Tab. Hmmmm......
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