OK, so I stepped out and purchased my first Google Android device. For work I have a myTouch Android phone, but this is sort of a new world for me. Since it was partially subsidized by my company, I decided this was the time and I bought the Viewsonic Gtablet. Dual core, 16gig, 10.1″ Touch Screen Internet Tablet. Here are the specs.
Those who know me know I have a great distrust for Google (maker of Android system). I feel like they could very easily become some sort of “big brother” type entity causing a paranoid police state. But then again… we also have to live in the world we were born into, so I am cautiously participating with my eyes wide open.
But back to the tablet. I chose the Viewsonic G-tablet for a couple reasons…
- Price – At $250, it was 1/2 the price of other Android tablets and 1/4 the price of the iPad2.
- Credibility – This model has been out for several months now and seems to consistently get high reviews from the tech community.
There is a couple of drawbacks to the Viewsonic Gtablet though. First of all, and this is the major issue, the operating system that comes out of the box is horrible. It is a Viewsonic / Android hybrid that is slow, clunky, ugly, and doesn’t have the ‘real’ android market available to it. However, I knew this up front before purchasing.
When I read the reviews on Amazon there were several comments about how the stock software was terrible and the buyer really needs to “flash the rom”. So, understanding that up front, I did a little research on how to get that done and within a few hours I had successfully updated the software and the machine now screams with a custom Android 2.2 software build. At the time of this writing Android 3.1 is the standard, but I don’t mind being a little behind in the operating system software if it means I can save half the price.
At the moment I’m working on developing several apps for the Android. They are actually done except for reworking the graphics to display correctly when run in tablets. So these tablets came on the scene (for me) just in time. I will post some examples of my apps when they’re done.
If anybody out there wants to get into the tablet world while on a budget… The Viewsonic G-tablet is a great option. I would recommend it to anyone. Here are some links.: Amazon.com CompUSA.com
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