I have had my tablet for about two weeks or so with sufficient time to play around with it. So it’s about time that I finally posted my impressions of this Android tablet.
My first general disclaimer is that I haven’t spent much time at all with a G Tablet using the stock Android OS it comes with. Why? Because it sucks beans. I had heard beforehand how bad it was and everyone was right. It is clunky, elements take up way too much room on the screen, and getting to your various screens was awkward. The G Tablet app store was also pretty awful, with virtually a fraction of the available offerings we have come to expect from the Android Market. At this point in the development of Android OS’s we have come to expect (at bare minimum) the same from a tablet that we have on our phones without the actual phone part. And the stock OS didn’t even come close.
But overall the tablet is a nice size and not nearly as heavy as the Motorola Xoom. And that is huge because I felt like the Xoom was way too heavy for lots of casual use on the go. But then you have that clunky OS so… Anyway, it’s a good size with good readability. For most the screen sensitivity seems to be pretty good. Mine was pretty awful. I didn’t realize it was awful until I handled my co-workers tablet. He then toyed around with my tablet for a bit and hear is the best quotable about the lack of sensitivity: your tablet should be a touchpad, not a presspad! But that turned out to be fixable, so moving on.
The biggest drawback about the unit is the screen. This is NOT a screen that can be used easily outdoors or in direct bright light. The reason is there is a ton of reflection from the screen that makes it hard to read or see icons. Also the viewing angles are not so great and you have to play around a bit to see what is the optimal angle to allow for comfortable reading of the screen. It’s all not optimal, but tolerable because of the low price.
It doesn’t come with any accessories, so it takes a bit to find the right ones to round out the experience of the unit. (It comes with a usb cable and a charger with a fairly decent-length cord) For overall carrying purchased a Caselogic VNA210 10.2-Inch Netbook/iPad Attache (Black) from Amazon for about 15 bucks. It comfortably holds the data cable, the charger, and the tablet all in separate compartments. It has handles and a shoulder strap. It looks a little man purse-like, but if you put it on with the tablet in the back it’s not too bad! 😉 For carrying without need of the cables, I purchased a Case Logic VLS-110 Sleeve for 7-Inch to 10-Inch Netbooks and iPad. It fits the tablet perfectly BUT has absolutely no zippered compartments for other items. Looks good though, and only cost 9 bucks. For a stand my only recommendation at this time is what I have… a plate stand from Bed Bath & Beyond. I looked the entire store for something like that, and then asked if I could buy one. You can’t though. As I was going to ask the clerk for info on ordering one he gave it to me and said Go. And you don’t have to tell me twice.
So I have a decent unit for a great price with some decent accessories and a great stand for ease of use. But now, it’s time to root this sucker so I can see why tablets are supposed to be such a great thing. Stay tuned for “Rooting my Woot”. 😉