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ViewSonic G Tablet Video Transcript
Hey, I'm Donald Bell. And today we're taking a First Look at the ViewSonic G Tablet. This is an Android tablet running a heavily modified version of Android 2.2, and priced around $400. There are some cool things here. One thing I noticed is that it has a 10-inch screen which is something we haven't really seen on a lot of Android tablets yet. Mostly, we've been seeing that 7-inch size, so 10-inch puts it right next to that iPad sweet spot. Another cool thing here is that there's more ports on the side than we're used to seeing. There's a full-sized USB port, which allows you to connect a keyboard or any other kind of USB devices directly in here. Another thing I liked about the G Tablet was video playback- supports up to HD resolution quality, and it also has good format support. Another one of the things that G Tablet does well is the web browser. With a 10-inch screen, you really feel like you're getting the full browser in the window instead of having to zoom in a lot like you would on a 7-inch or a 5-inch tablet. There's no flash support yet, but it should be coming. And that'll enable to watch YouTube or even CNET TV videos. So everything the G Tablet does right; there's still a lot of things that are disappointing. You don't get the official Google App marketplace. Instead you have to use this unofficial workaround that's a little bit of a bare to use. And even when you do get them working, a lot of them seem to hang up or crash. The bottom line is, it's nice to see an Android tablet finally branch out into that iPad-like size. But to get there, ViewSonic had to gut a lot of what's fun and familiar about the Android Operating System- the customizable desktop, Google apps, and being able to reliably install third party apps. The $100 you'd save choosing this over an iPad just isn't worth the headaches. So that's the ViewSonic G Tablet for CNET.com. I'm Donald Bell.
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ViewSonic G Tablet Review
The good: The ViewSonic G Tablet is one of only a handful of Android-based devices offering a 10-inch screen at an iPad-besting price tag.
The bad: Adapting the smartphone OS to such a large screen requires many custom interface tweaks that fall short. The lack of official Google mobile services and Android Market limits potential. Many third-party apps don't work as expected.
The bottom line: The ViewSonic G Tablet carves out a unique niche among Android tablets, breaking away from the smartphone to become a type of domestic dashboard. Unfortunately, many key benefits of the Android OS are lost along the way.
ViewSonic G Tablet Specs
Manufacturer: ViewSonic
Part number: GTABLET
- Product Basic Spec
ViewSonic G Tablet Prices
Online stores
| Store | Certified rating | Inventory | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $279.88 |
 | Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $279.88 |
| Amazon.com | Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $279.88 |
