[ale] android tables (or tablets)

arxaaron arxaaron at gmail.com
Thu Dec 22 17:13:15 EST 2011


Just a thanks for the thorough comparison / review below.  Helpful info
as my partner or daughter may be asking for a tablet soon.

peace
aaron

On 2011/12/22, at 09:36 , Robert wrote:

>> You might consider a Barnes and Noble NOOK -- especially if the eBook
>> features are a plus.
>
> I have both the original B&N Nook color and the Viewsonic GTablet.  
> Both are
> rooted and running cyanogenmod. They both have some minor annoyances.
>
> On the software side (ie cyangenmod, affects both tablets), there are
> occasional issues with Android Market. It can be a bit tricky  
> getting it
> installed, and newer versions of market sometime report that apps  
> are not
> compatible. There are workarounds, so it's fine for a geek who is  
> willing to
> do a little extra work. Not so good for handing off to someone who  
> just wants
> it to work, unless you are going to set it up for them and help with  
> the
> occasional app that doesn't work.
>
> Viewsonic GTablet - I haven't found the portrait viewing to be as  
> bad as the
> previous poster. I use mine in portait and landscape mode. The most  
> annoying
> think on the 'button' (e.g. home, back, menu). The are touch  
> sensitive (not
> actual buttons, they are completely flush and indistinguisable from  
> any other
> part of the edge of the table in the dark), on the side of the  
> screen, and are
> not backlit. This makes for lots of accidental presses in the dark,  
> when
> rotating the table, or handing it to someone else. I turn on the  
> cyanogenmod
> option to have the buttons in the task bar at the top of the screen  
> so I don't
> have to hunt for the physical buttons in the dark. I haven't  
> checked, but it
> would be nice if there was an option to disable them completely.
>
> It also has a 3rd party dock available, which provides power, a usb  
> port, an
> ethernet port, and hdmi out.
>
>
> Nook color: This just feels well built and solid. It has exactly one  
> button
> (not counting volume/power), and it functions as the 'home' button.  
> Again, I
> use the option to put software buttons in the taskbar. Normally this  
> is fine,
> but there is the occasional app the goes full screen, leaving you  
> without a
> way to get to the back or menu keys. The only option being pressing  
> home.
> I also have some issues with the screen recognizing touches... I  
> reularly have
> trouble trying to 'click' an icon/link on a web page, particulary  
> near the
> top/bottom of the screen. I don't know if this is just mine, or if  
> it's a
> common issue.
>
>
> I keep the gtablet on the dock in the kitchen for fast family access  
> to
> calendars shared on our phones.  I use the Nook when I am on the go  
> and want
> something with a bigger screen than my phone.
>
> btw, the hackers keyboard 'app' is awesome.. especially if you use  
> ssh.. and
> it's much easier to use on a tablet, where it won't take up the  
> whole screen
> in landscape mode...
>
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