Vizio Tablet VTAB1008

Pros: USB port, SD Expansion slot to 32 Gb. No carrier/service obligation. COST ! ! ! CostCo price: $189.99. We'd give it a perfect five-star rating if it had a back facing camera, more memory, wider view angle display -- Then it's an iPod and cost $600.

Cons: No back facing camera. Evidently no service/repair options.

Summary: I own an iPod Touch, 32 Gb. The iPod is where I store my music, use the camera/video function. Up until the Vizio Tablet VTAB1008, I've been using the iPod Touch as an "on the road" WiFi access device when motorcycling. The iPod does everything I need to do, but the screen is too small to seriously "surf" online. The Touch keyboard is small too, and difficult to poke out any sort of message beyond a 140 character "Tweet."

I looked at NetBooks -- 11" Acer Aspire One; half the size of my 15.4 laptop. I'm looking for something to fit in a Harley Davidson saddle bag, and a 15" laptop takes up all the space. 11" NetBook cuts the space consumption in half, but an 8" tablet takes up nearly no space at all. (And I have cargo pockets on pants it will slip into.)

No moving parts, I worry about motorcycle vibration and laptop keyboards, disk drives. Solid state flash memory eliminates those concerns.

Mostly, it's an affordable solution to what I need on the road. I have the iPod as a complementary device . . . The Vizio Tablet VTAB1008 offers usable screen size, ample storage (with an SD chip). I don't store my tunes on the tablet, no videos, no photos. What I need on the road is an 8" screen where I can check email, log into WiFi, FaceBook, surf the web, use maps, weather.

It's a larger screen complement to the iPod -- WITH a USB slot, which is a feature the $500 iPad doesn't offer.

CostCo is selling the Vizio Tablet VTAB1008 for $189.99, and they stock SD chips too.

Updated on Apr 26, 2012

Purchased this tablet. Returned it to the vendor in less than an hour. (We wish the product was not bolted to a display that prevents looking at features (like the SD and USB ports).

USB port on this tablet is a "mini" USB -- basically the terminal for the charger -- it DOES NOT support USB plug ins like a flash drive or other device.

SD slot is hidden on the edge of the frame.

The tablet wouldn't set up, wouldn't recognize my existing Google acct. I kept getting messages: "Your phone acct. is not set up to transfer data." It IS set up to transfer data.

Chat support gave me a "ticket number" and told me to call Tech. Support. Tech Support.

Tablet kept going into "sleep mode." Wouldn't shut down, wouldn't re-boot, wouldn't set up.

After maybe a half-dozen attempts, Tech Support dropped my call. I suspect they're on a time/quota system and felt they were spending too much time with me.

Couldn't set up, crashed out of the box, poor Tech. Support.