ViewSonic G Tablet

Pros: + Everything you love generally about tablet computing. Portable and convenient
+ Cost! Great value considering the HW package and the price seems to be dropping even more
+ More flexible Android OS
+ Lighting fast operation

Cons: - Extremely glitchy out of the box
- Few custom cases and accessories available
- Lower Screen resolution (not viewing angle), but not that bad

Summary: Just a few cleanups after owning gTablet for more than a month now. I actually returned it to buy it again. I gave it 5 stars at the $390 I paid for it. If I could give it 6 now that I replaced it at $299, I definitely would. It really does blow my mind what you can get for $299 versus the competitors at $599. The competition may very well be better (XOOM, iPad 2, Galaxy Tab 10) but there's no chance it's $300 worth of better. I also upgraded to TnTLite 4.4.0 ROM and it's a tad slower (but still really quick) than 4.2.0 but much more complete and way more stable. This is an incredible deal.

I also decided to elaborate on the screen issues since it seems to be a big deal to a lot of people. It's not as good as an iPad screen, which means you can't view it every which way. It's absolutely fine most of the time. The biggest issue you'll run into is with dark screens (likely from video content). This is where the viewing angle becomes most evident. Again it's fine with what I call natural angles but any odd angle and you'll lose the picture. Having said that, I can't for the life of me figure out why so many people are bothered by it. The only time I notice it is when I'm trying to view the tablet when someone else is using it and when the tablet's on the nightstand charging. Neither of which seems like a make or break limitation but to each their own I guess.

About two weeks into the purchase, I love my GTab. So much that I kept it over a Refurbished iPad 1 I got on clearance for nearly the same price.

If you're reading this review, chances are you're a lot like me. You realize a tablet's not an essential purchase but you want one anyway as a nice to have. You're thinking about jumping into the tablet market, perhaps ready to finally get an iPad/iPad2 but you're looking for possible (cheaper) alternatives. You like the reviews you've seen so far on the GTab, but you're exceedingly anxious as to whether you have the tech credentials (or even the patience) to Flash a new ROM.

My advice. Do it. The GTab represents a tablet computer. The iPad is an iPad. While this doesn't have the finished product appeal of the iPad (thin form, slick finished edges, stable SW out of the box), it represents a much better addition to my device arsenal. I also own a 2Gen Kindle and an EEEPc Netbook for class (I know...) and if I wasn't so extremely picky about how I'm using each device, GTab could really replace both.

I tinkered with the GTab a bit out of the box as I was curious to see just how terrible the stock ROM was. While I didn't think it was terrible (I think I had a more up to date version than some of the earlier reviewers), it was a "Force Close" field day. Lots of applications and processes failed, which is not something you expect to see with a brand new product. So I went online for the directions to flash a new ROM and within about an hour I had TNT Lite flashed on it. There are really good, step-by-step directions on how to do it out there!

Having flashed the new ROM, I immediately started to realize it outdid the iPad 1. This thing is FAST. Really fast. It snaps from app to app in a heartbeat. It often feels faster than my i7 desktop without a full Win7 OS slowing it down. Ports! SD Mini and USB! You can upload and download files without a computer, attach a peripheral, etc. File Management Apps that let you handle files like you do on your PC.

Android Market lets you get Apps that seem more flexible than Apple apps (like live wallpaper, widgets, file management, internet browser, etc) then lets you set those as the defaults! You never have to look at the stock internet browser or video player again if you don't like them (but I do).

ADOBE FLASH! You'll miss it more than you think you will. Nothing beats opening up pages like CNN.com and ESPN.com and having video content start up. It's amazing how many Apps you don't need when the browser supports the entire internet. I went through my iPhone to see which apps I should check the Android market for and I realized I didn't need many of them as a weblink on the home screen was the best option when working with a 10inch tablet.

I could go on all day but I won't. In summary, I think the GTab is a great tablet paired with TNT Lite ROM but you've got to be prepared to tinker a bit. TNT Lite helps a ton but the open development environment will mean you can still crash it occasionally if you get carried away (which is easy to do because there's so much to explore out there!). I don't consider myself terribly computer savvy (although definitely a gadget *****) and I was able to figure it out.

Updated on Aug 22, 2011

*** P.S. If you will buy this Tablet I suggest you have compare prices before you decide at: www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004EPV7TK?ie=UTF8&ref_=dp_olp_new&condition=new#?ie=UTF8&tag=***************&********=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957