I picked one up a few weeks ago.
It's nice, the reviews are correct on the screen.
The stock rom is ok but CM7 is way better
http://www.cyanogenmod.com/

I also just got rid of it.
It's heavy and the viewing angle on the screen is really poor. So using it as a reader it kind of a pain. I had to develop a new stance in my chair to be comfortable. I traded for the nook color and put CM7 on that. If it's going to be a ereader then don't waste your money, your wrists will thank you.
(the nook BTW performs really well with a modded rom)

Relax & wait for the TouchPad...

dvyi83 wrote:The firmware is not even usable out of the box. It is absolutely necessary to root and flash Vegan or something similar. I can watch video for at least 7-8 hours straight.

I'd have to disagree with you about the firmware out of the box. (technically I did OTA to 3588 then 4349) but to say it's absolutely necessary to root and flash is not true. I don't want Wooters who may be timid in must flash this, or the stock sucks not be afraid to pull the trigger on this deal.

I'd rather give the advice that it's a matter of choice. True modding is easy and you can go back/forth between mods and even back to stock. But the VS stock firmware is quite useable. I have one running 3588 and another at 4349 - both are performing well. There isn't anything I can't do with the stock rom.

Upgraded to VEGn, etc. & can use full Android App market which really makes it a great deal.

massanutten wrote: There isn't anything I can't do with the stock rom.

what about the google market. That's not on the stock rom, They had some other market on there.

I dont know what you guys mean about the viewing angle, it looks pretty good to me on my ipad 2

cowboyesfan wrote:Does this play Angry Birds?

Yes it does. I have it on mine.

Bought one of these the last woot and it's pretty good. Two points:

1. I did the ROM thing with TNT lite and it works fine EXCEPT it does not seem run the locations services. I can't tell even its approximate position through the IP address. All reference is gone from the Settings panel too. (If anyone knows how to overcome this, I'd appreciate a note!)

2. I bought the Amazon Kindle DX case and its fits almost perfectly. The only misfit is the hole for the power source is partially obscured. I have to push the case corner aside 2mm or so before I plug it in. Quite trivial, really, and the price was good at around $20.

vicmacs wrote:I dont know what you guys mean about the viewing angle, it looks pretty good to me on my ipad 2

The ipad2 has a way nicer screen. totally different animal. Your eyes and the LCD on the viewsonic have to be parallel. you angle that thing away just a little the screen darkens. Just like a bad LCD tv.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viewing_angle

Link to the dock that this thing sits in:

http://electroniccrap.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_10&products_id=6

When he has them in stock (like now), Steve ships very quickly. I ordered this tablet on the last Woot-Off and ordered the dock a week later. Got the dock first, even though both items shipped to APO address in Iraq. Running tnt-lite and am very impressed. This tablet is tremendous!

dvyi83 wrote:Rooting is easy, just one click application, as long as you can find the app online. Flashing roms can take a little bit of reading. It's not hard but if you have no idea about anything, it can be a pain to figure out.

Agreed - it's very easy and if you look at some videos, it is a piece of cake.

dvyi83 wrote: If you dont like to tweak software then this might not be the tablet for you. It is very capable but even after setting things up you will still run into some bugs.

I'd still recommend this tablet to folks who have not interest in modding. I'm only reading these in order and commented on an earlier post of yours. I thought you were on the "you have to mod" side of the house. Your reply here looks like you are not that hard core "absoultly must mod". I'd challenge anyone to find any mods out there that you still run into some bugs. I think it's the nature of the beast there will always be some bugs or ways to do things differently.

massanutten wrote:I'd have to disagree with you about the firmware out of the box. (technically I did OTA to 3588 then 4349) but to say it's absolutely neccary to root and flash is not true. I don't want Wooters who may be timid in must flash this, or the stock sucks not be afraid to pull the trigger on this deal.

I'd rather give the advice that it's a matter of choice. True modding is easy and you can go back/forth between mods and even back to stock. But the VS stock firmware is quite useable. I have one running 3588 and another at 4349 - both are performing well. There isn't anything I can't do with the stock rom.

Came here to second this. I've had no trouble with 3588 or 4349. My son uses it for games, I use it for surfing and as a portable internet radio, among other things. I may yet root it, but I don't feel I _have_ to at all.

dugjohnson wrote:Sorry, I have to disagree with everyone who is saying you have to root this. I DID root mine, but not until after I got it away from my wife who spent a week killing Green Pigs in Angry Birds.
If all you want to do is what you say, the interface that comes with it will work. You don't have to change the ROM. After a while you will probably want to, and it is really easy, but don't let the performance junkies tell you this is worthless without it. It is still an OK tablet at a good price even if you don't change the ROM.

Well said. I have not rooted mine and except for not being able to access android market I've been pretty happy. It does 95% of what I want and can't wait to take it on vacation instead of my laptop.

nice toy but not nearly as good as the iPad. to make it useful you must root it and go with a vanilla android operating system.

the one I got in March has terrible touch sensitivity. That may just be my unit but it makes it really tough to use.

I am so in the mood to buy a tablet, but see most of the powerful and expensive stuff coming out late summer.

I really want one to use mostly as an e-reader. The Nook sounds good, but it's too small for me. The question I have about this device is whether the vertical angle (I want to read books in portrait mode) will be a good experience. I have read several comments about vertical angle being problematic. I also note that it's thinner than the iPad. I do like the portrait angle for reading on the iPad. Will this device disappoint?

Thanks.

theguruguys wrote:Its not even a debate. They do suck.

Who cares about the viewing angle! You're holding in tour hand for yourself. End of story! ;)

mjgreenwood wrote:what about the google market. That's not on the stock rom, They had some other market on there.

I was referring to installing a complete rom mod. Regarding Market - yes I did a market fix and but this is not modding to a new rom. If I dindn't do a market fix, there are plenty of app stores out there - Amazon Apps, SlideME, freewarelovers are to name a few.

Edit: Sorry, maybe I missed what you were asking. True, it didn't have google market installed, but my question is what does google market provide to non-stock firmware users?

This is an AWESOME Tablet once you update to the VEGAN ROM and overclock it by 40%. I loved the first one I bought on Woot well enough to buy a second one for my daughter when they offered them through Amazon. I am so close to buying another one now just because it is a bargain at this price. I LOVE IT (and there are some decent cases for it on Amazon). My new favorite toy.

theguruguys wrote:Its not even a debate. They do suck.

Agreed. I bought one off Woot in March. I have an iPad to compare to and now a rooted Nook Color. The gtab can do a lot of things but the viewing angles bothered me. The fingerprints on the screen, the weight, the edges....all just bothered me a little bit. I decided I don't need a full USB port, I don't need a front facing camera, I don't need stereo speakers from a tin can.

But my needs obviously aren't the same as others. I just wanted something to browse, something small and easy to use and play games like Angry Birds.

It works other than that!

fenderbass wrote:Who cares about the viewing angle! You're holding in tour hand for yourself. End of story! ;)

Well said!

I bought this tablet and I've owned several others but this one, for the price, is AMAZING.

Pros
1. Developers choice - lots of activity on XDA Developers, lots of ROMS, optimizations, extra goodies

2. Size - 10.1 is so much better for viewing websites (I own a Galaxy tab 7") but I prefer the larger screen size

3. Price - $279 it as a duo core 2 processor the same as the Xoom at $599. Plenty fast runs all apps, full market (after root) and I haven't encountered an app I couldn't run

4. Full USB, port. Genius. I can connect a thumb drive, a mouse, a keyboard (I have the case with kick stand and keyboard) perfect. Converts the tab into a netbook. Perfect for productivity.

5. Practically impossible to brick, seriously Heimdall or Odin restores to stock have worked 100% of the time when I thought the tablet was dead.

6. Youtube has videos of step-by-step ways to root, run clockwork, install a ROM, you don't have to be a genius to hack

Cons

1. Finger print magnet

2. Battery life is good, but there's something wrong with the battery indicator, never shows charge to 100%

3. I run VeGan RC1 and its sweet, but out the box, Tap n Crap software is horrible, cumbersome, no market, crap

4. Viewsonic is not exactly putting the gTablet at the top of its todo list. So not many updates (although they released on recently)

Overall I give the tablet once rooted 4 stars out of 5. Not 5 stars because its been out for a while and no Froyo update and no word whether it will get a 3.0 update even though it has the processing speed and memory to do so.

scyld wrote:I know I'm a broken record, and a super hitchhiker one at that, but...

Without an HDMI port how realistic is it that I'll be able to output the display direclty to a projector for a Powerpoint presentation?

Not likely, right?


I have to say: for the price, this thing is really packed to the gills with features... great deal, and hardware-wise REALLY competitive with iPad. I just can't wait for an adaptation of Honeycomb for this...

God I'm tempted. If there were only a way to hookup a projector through the USB port and display a Powerpoint presentation, I'd be 100% for sure in for 1.

Sears had a mail-in for a $10 (plus $10 shipping, several months ago for a stand/port connector/charger that has HMDI, USB and ethernet connections. Was playing video and slideshows to my TV. Worked pretty well. Came in a box with no English on it. Made by "Malata", which I have never heard of. If you could find one, I think it would work for you.

can you insert a sim card into this model?

Amazon Android market is now on there, and it works easy and has everything I need. I thought I got a great deal when I paid $100 more for it at Christmas. I still think I got a good deal compared to other stuff out there. The latest no-brainer software upgrade makes the thing work easily- no modding necessary for me. Just click on the update icon. That's all there was to it. I am very happy with it.

mjgreenwood wrote:what about the google market. That's not on the stock rom, They had some other market on there.

The ipad2 has a way nicer screen. totally different animal. Your eyes and the LCD on the viewsonic have to be parallel. you angle that thing away just a little the screen darkens. Just like a bad LCD tv.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viewing_angle

You're comparing a $279 tablet to a $500 Ipad2 and your only beef is the viewing angle? Why don't you compare a Kia to a BMW? The tablet isn't trying to compete with Apple. It's a reasonably priced alternative that runs Android. Sure iPad2 has a better screen but your screen is going to look exactly the same ALL the TIME. My eyes will be bored to death by the lack of personalization ability Android offers.

borntohunt wrote:Last time I bought the gTablet & the web link below was very helpful but easily overlooked:

Favorite gTablet Apps & Resources

Our Favorite FREE Android Applications

Multimedia
Adobe Flash Player
- Reboot after install for best results.
Winamp
RealPlayer
Pandora Radio
Amazon MP3
IHeartRadio

Communication Apps
Yahoo Messenger
ICQ Mobile
AIM
Twitter Client
Facebook
TweetDeck
Fring
Pulse News Reader

Games
Angry Birds
Basketball Shot
Pocket Legends
Replica Island
Bebbled
Puzzles

eBook Readers
Borders eBooks
Kindle
Kobo
Wattpad
FBReader

System Utilities
Adobe PDF Reader
Documents to Go
- View Word, Excel, Powerpoint files and attachments.
Remote RDP Lite
Android VNC Viewer
Advanced Task Manager
DropBox
PocketCloud
- RDP/VNC Client, requires desktop companion

Other Android Resources

Android Apps Web Sites
FreewareLovers
Mobango
Aproov.com

Android Market Apps
SlideMe
Leaf Open Market
Amazon App Store for Android
Developer Resources
XDA-Developers

Find out what Android developers and gTablet enthusiasts are doing with their gTablets at the XDA Forum.
Android Developers Official Site
Android Forums
Android Central
Android Police

Wha?! No Uloops? The music composition App with a built in online community? http://www.uloops.net/

Bought one on Amazon - had to send it back due to dead spots (not image, but touch spots). Now trying to get the second one to work for my mother-in-law. Not easy to use for a novice. I would not recommend it for anyone that is not very computer savvy.

Just wooted and ordered mine today. Does anyone know how long does shipping take to KY

Purchased my gTablet from Woot last month and updated all of the stock ROM's. This locked the device and I couldn't modify to a custom ROM. Learned a whole lot on HD Developer's site and DOWNGRADED the ROM to an old version (stock from the box), so that I could install Gingerbread ROM. Outstanding tablet from there forward. Only wish it supported Skype (in the works). Enjoy :-)

streetwild wrote:Can the version of android be updated to 3.0 and up, etc?

Not yet. Google still hasn't released the source code for 3.0 to the public. I'm not sure what kind of deal Motorola worked to get it on the Xoom. There are some great 2.2 and 2.3 ROMs out there, though. My wife and I each have a gTablet, she runs VEGAn (2.2 Froyo) and I run VEGAn Ginger Edition (2.3.2 Gingerbread). To the best of my knowledge either will run everything 3.0 will run at the moment. And it's a safe bet that once Honeycomb is released and CyanogenMod updates to it, VEGAn will update to it pretty soon after.

cliveholloway wrote:And the screen isn't great. I hear that it may be improved by adding a skinomi protective screen protector (on my todo list)

Having said that, I'm pretty addicted to mine now I have Vegan Tab installed.

I broke down an down and bought the skinomi for mine for lack of a decent case option. Made the whole tablet a lot less figerprint-a-licious, and scratches are now a non-issue. 'zon actually carried it cheaper than skinomi's site when I picked mine up.

(Rocking cyanogen 7 on mine; in my tests it beat the pants off of vegan for reliability where gingerbread's concerned)

rejavanation wrote:You're comparing a $279 tablet to a $500 Ipad2 and your only beef is the viewing angle? Why don't you compare a Kia to a BMW? The tablet isn't trying to compete with Apple. It's a reasonably priced alternative that runs Android. Sure iPad2 has a better screen but your screen is going to look exactly the same ALL the TIME. My eyes will be bored to death by the lack of personalization ability Android offers.

Lack of personalization Android offers? Do you mean iOS? You can change literally EVERYTHING on Android. Look at ADW or Go Launcher EX vs stock or Sense on HTC devices. On iPad you can change what, the background?

I bought a different tablet a few weeks ago to give this new form factor a try. I took it on vacation hoping to use it to keep track of email using the pay-for wifi in the resort lobby. It worked but it felt awfully primitive. Quite a bit of unexpected bahavior when reading mail or surfing the web. For example it kept opening emails when all I wanted to do was scroll up or down. I'm sure it's all a matter of learning how to use the interface properly but still I did not find it -that- intuitive. Perhaps this is because I've been a Windows user since, well, W95 and DOS and others before that.

My conclusion so far is that Android 2.x isn't really worth the trouble in a large form factor. It's probably fine for phones. Once you start lugging a tablet like this or even bigger you might as well get a netbook and use apps you're used to (say Thunderbird and Firefox) to read email and surf. Price is comparable or cheaper and a true keyboard and touch pad sure is nice.

Oh, I found the power behavior of my tablet dismal. You have to truly shut it down to preserve power. Just putting it to sleep it'll still sit there draining your battery. This tablet is hopefully a lot better that way but watch out for it. I expected these tablets to be instant on and not use any power when switched off. Oh, mine also did not have a lock capability out of the box. Sure, there's a primitive lock when it wakes up but reboot it and there's no lock. That's not cool.

What are ya'll's experience with the battery life on this??

NocturnalOne wrote:My conclusion so far is that Android 2.x isn't really worth the trouble in a large form factor. It's probably fine for phones. Once you start lugging a tablet like this or even bigger you might as well get a netbook and use apps you're used to (say Thunderbird and Firefox) to read email and surf. Price is comparable or cheaper and a true keyboard and touch pad sure is nice.

I totally agree. Hopefully they'll come out with a decent Windows Mobile tablet that can run decently, then I'll get one. I'm not spending $300 on a tablet just to surf and play angry birds.

The write up descriptions just keep getting better and better. The Kids.Woot copy is just as funny.

Thanks for yhr laughs yet again, guys/gals!

Well, after thinking about it at the first woot, seeing it on Amazon, and more woots, I still am holding off. I plan on using the tablet for 2+ years, so company and accessory support is important to me.

Additionally, the recently released asus eee transformer is $120 more with positive reviews. Given my plan to keep using it for multiple years, I have more "time" to justify spending more money and getting a better screen and additional support.

But, will likely go to my OfficeDepot (which has it in stock) to see the gTablet up close.

So, my husband is an artist and animator and is looking for a device to use as a digital sketchbook. I wonder, how good is the touch screen, is it pressure sensitive, does it use a stylus, can you purchase better styluses, and are there any good droid apps for drawing out there (esp ones that will work after mods)???? I think this might be a good father's day gift if it has the artist tools we need...and I'm not really interested in giving into the communist monster that is Apple Corp.

Have this, works great and super convenient;

http://cgi.ebay.com/10inch-Case-USB-keyboard-Viewsonic-Gtablet-10-/320670632482?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item4aa9758a22#ht_5499wt_901

aasoror wrote:Check these accessories

- Skinomi full body skin protector. (price jacked up but can be brought down a little bit with get25 coupon).
- CaseCrown Protective Double Memory Foam case - Nylon Gray (yes it fits). ($4.22 shipped)
- Arkon Portable Fold-Up Stand. (very slim, very sturdy and super portable).
- Witglobal Gtab folder leather case/stand. $16 shipped (haven't received mine yet)
- Tomtom BT GPS receiver. (typically $20 on ebay)
- Lenovo Multimedia Remote with Keyboard.
- Vector Mfg VEC009 Universal Dc Adapter (comes with interchangeable tips of which one fits the gtab perfectly, also sends the proper voltage).


STAFF: Fixed your links. Don't put quotes around the URLs.

I have a Nook and i have a Gtab thanks to Woot! with its last sale of one a few months back.

I would have to say as a pretty wall ornament its great. With the Malata Zpad dock it comes in handy as something similar to a Sony Dash.

As for usefulness? I honestly hate the damn thing . Until Xda gets to either a 2.2/2.3 Android Rom i like or Honeycomb 3.0 hits it with a mod then i do not really plan on using it.

Any serious interests in mine: fowldogg@gmail.com

Dock:
http://www.ankaka.com/malata-zpad-dock-docking-station-for-malata-zpad-t2-hdmi-output-usb-lan-port_p47889.html