How do you rate the Vizio Tablet?

[goingup]

So with root now capable on the Vizio, would this tablet now be considered the best cheap all around, do just about anything tablet out this Christmas season? Looking to get a tablet that does the same as the rest (movies, music, browsing and will play most android games thrown at it).
How does it stand up to the new crop of tablet wannabes out at this time? Kindle and Nook

 

[LadyAngler]

I picked it over the Kindle Fire. I think it is a pretty nice value right now since the price has dropped. I think the V-Tab performs pretty well with all the areas you mentioned except for games. I have read a couple negative reviews in that area. But I am not a big gamer. So maybe others will chime in for you in that area.

I do think things will get better now that we have got root capabilities for the Vizio. But I think as far as developer support the Fire might be a better option there.

I bought my V-tab at Bj's Wholesale for $189.00. I noticed today that they do have the V-tab available online as well. Usually you can get a trial membership from Bj's if you are not already a member.

Sent from my VTAB1008 using Tapatalk

 

[eracer]

I've had mine for about two weeks. Really seems like a well built product. It has a few funny glitches now and then like any new high tech gizmo. I'm very pleased with it for what I paid ($189).

 

[bc3737]

Just a new three or four day owner - So far I have not been disappointed - For the price and for what my needs are (not many) very happy. Most of the issues I have had are caused by my inexperience with Android but the learning curve is getting shorter due to the help every one on this forum are so good.

 

[robop]

what gameing limitation?

 

[goingup]

My concerns are how well it performs. I am trying to decide between Lenovo A1, Vizio, Kindle Fire, Nook Color 2 or just go the China knock off route. My goal is a device that does all the standard stuff these do with a lean toward gaming. Nothing more than your typical android games. But once rooted and a baked Rom like CM7 comes along that's going to change the overall speed and feel of the tablets in question. Who do you guys feel will take the crown then, bringing into account the hardware of each?

 

[droid_dude]

So with root now capable on the Vizio, would this tablet now be considered the best cheap all around, do just about anything tablet out this Christmas season? Looking to get a tablet that does the same as the rest (movies, music, browsing and will play most android games thrown at it).
How does it stand up to the new crop of tablet wannabes out at this time? Kindle and Nook

Overall: I rate the VTAB a 9 out of 10 (based on features and price). If you ignore the low price advantage and don't care or plan to customize, my rating would go to about a 7-8 out of 10

=====================================================================
I own the VTAB and the Nook Color (the original Nook Color) and I prefer the VTAB.

For $189 (Costco), there is really nothing out there that I think compares feature for feature.

You can read this thread about comparisons vs. the Fire:

http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/vizio-tablets/24297-vizio-vtab-vs-amazon-fire.html#post138520

Now that the VTAB is rooted, it really makes this the VTAB great. The FIRE does not SDcard expansion and the rooting fix really allows the VTAB to take advantage of the memory expansion.

In comparison to the Nook Color, here are some of the advantages

VTAB has a bigger screen (8" vs 7") and slightly higher resolution
In my experience the VTAB has a more responsive touch screen
VTAB has HDMI output
VTAB has GPS
VTAB has IR Remote control feature
VTAB has "dedicated hard buttons that rotate", the Nook uses softkeys (kind of a hack that doesn't always work)
VTAB has a front camera and microphone.

In short, you can tell that I prefer the VTAB over the Fire and the Nook Color. That being said, you have to be willing to customize and root the VTAB to really get the full functionality out of it. The easiest functionality improvement is to replace the stock launcher with something like Zeam Launcher or Launcher pro.

For users that don't want to customize (change the User Interface, root, etc.) they might like the stock Amazon Fire and or Nook.

 

[Maine_Coon]

9 out of 10. For under $200 it is incredile.

Let's see what my Vizio vtab1008 can be:

GPS w/Copilot
Land/Mobile Phone w/Groove IP & Google Voice
Воок Reader w/Kindle
IR Remote Control
Desktop PC control w/Splashtop Remote
TV w/Sling and Vulkano clients
Video/Music player
Radio
Web browser/email client
Chess
Alarm Clock

Did I forget anything?

I'll root it when I find compelling reason to do so. As of now, I don't. I am quite satisfied with the interface and I have 2.15GB available on the "internal' SD card,

The only other tablet which can do all of that is Sony, but it is more than twice the price of Vizio.

 

[goingup]

This was exactly what I needed to hear, because now I can not lose a battle with the wife. LOL

 

[robop]

Those are very good, detailed reviews!

 

[hardsell]

for $189 yeah it is a good tablet say 3.5 out of 5 but for the initial price point of over $300 not so good and I have noticed more poor reviews after the price drop than beforeseems the single core is whats getting the new lower reviews as the big two tabletsheading into holidays, the fire and nook tablet both have dual core as does the main 8 inch competitor the archos 80 9g or g9

 

[droid_dude]

for $189 yeah it is a good tablet say 3.5 out of 5 but for the initial price point of over $300 not so good and I have noticed more poor reviews after the price drop than beforeseems the single core is whats getting the new lower reviews as the big two tabletsheading into holidays, the fire and nook tablet both have dual core as does the main 8 inch competitor the archos 80 9g or g9

I am wondering if any VTAB users have noticed any lag with the single core processor? Perhaps since I don't play that many games, I have never noticed any performance or lag problems.

For my use, Apps seems to load fast and I never seem to notice any lag with the touch screen or response when using apps. In short, performance seems really good to me.

It's seems that many of the poor reviews have to do with:
==================================================
1) The USB charging port (the cable that comes with the VTAB is a flimsy): I overcome this by using another micro USB cable (the one that came with my Droid phone)
2) "Bad" User Interface: This is easily overcome by loading another launcher. Please refer to Marvin02's excellent article:
Vizio Tablet and home launcher replacements | RDTK
3) General Android Operating System or Android Market complaints: This is not Vizio's fault because this applies to all Android devices (unless they are complaining about lack of Honeycomb)
4) SD Card Issue: This is resolved by rooting the VTAB
5) Lack of 3G: if you want 3G, you need to pay about $200-$300 more for a tablet with 3G and then tack on about $30/month for data charges.
6) Glare and fingerprints: This addressed by purchasing a screen protector. I recommend this one:
Amazon.com: POSRUS Antiglare Antifingerprint Screen Protector for Vizio VTAB1008 Tablet 8": Electronics
7) Weight: Yeah, it would be nice to have it lighter but that would probably up the price
8) Battery Life: I have used a few battery saver apps and they seem to really help the battery life (Able to get over 5-6 hours of heavy use). However, I still normally try to remember to plug it in every day. I guess I am used to it becuase that is what I have been doing with my Droid phone for the past 2 years.
9) Poor Quality front camera: I agree that it is poor quality but at least the VTAB has a camera. The Amazon Fire and Nook Color don't have a microphone or camera.
10) Skype Video does not work: I agree that this is annoying. Vizio should have fixed this months ago since it was originally advertised as working. Other video conference apps work but Skype is the most popular and I don't want to convince my friends and family to switch over to another program.
11) Bluetooth non-functional: I agree that this is annoying. And again Vizio should have fixed this months ago (they keep promising an update). However, there is no Bluetooth in the Amazon Fire.
12) Poor viewing angle? This has not been a problem for me. I use it viewing it straight. Perhaps this is a problem if you are sharing the screen with someone else.

Overall, people need to have realistic expectations. If people cannot live with the above issues, they should consider spending about $150-$300 or more to get an Acer, Asus, Samsung or Motorola.

They might also considered the Lenovo 7" but it is more expensive, no bluetooth, and only 7".

I was thinking about returning my VTAB but since the price drop and now that it is rooted (yeah!), I am going to keep it!!!

 

[hardsell]

I don't think of gaming when I compare single vs dual core I like this explanation from:


Making Sense of Tablet Specs: A Technology Cheat Sheet

(which is a great almost must read for prospective/first time tablet buyers)


"Think of the advantages dual-core offers over single-core this way: if you are washing dishes with one arm tied behind your back (single-core) and the phone rings, you have to stop washing dishes to pick up the receiver. With two hands (dual-core), you can continue to wash dishes with one arm while the other reaches over to pick up the handset. Things might slow down a bit, but you should be able to continue both tasks with relative ease."


to me it's the ability to run more apps at once than playing games


but most people shop specs especially if it's a gift and they won't be using it (but how many buy a different brand than the one they own and "check to make sure it's not defective", ie; play with it )


so seeing those critical reviews and I'm thinking of 2? that say pretty much the same thing -> (paraphrasing) the vtab is average among __2010_ technology ...


at $189 or even lower on a black friday sale (they have already dropped the price 5? times) this is a good, not great, not terrible tablet, I personally think that this is best as a coffee table tablet to be used more for the ir remote and to check emails while watching tv...

 

[viziovtab]

i might get some heat for this but i don't really trust pandigital/coby/ and velocity and the archos 80 is 100 dlls more and don't feel confortable messing with the kindle fire in order to get the a market. to make a long story short The more I research the better the vizio vtab looks AT 189.

 

[skoster]

9 out of 10. For under $200 it is incredile.

Let's see what my Vizio vtab1008 can be:

GPS w/Copilot
Land/Mobile Phone w/Groove IP & Google Voice
Воок Reader w/Kindle
IR Remote Control
Desktop PC control w/Splashtop Remote
TV w/Sling and Vulkano clients
Video/Music player
Radio
Web browser/email client
Chess
Alarm Clock

Did I forget anything?

I'll root it when I find compelling reason to do so. As of now, I don't. I am quite satisfied with the interface and I have 2.15GB available on the "internal' SD card,

The only other tablet which can do all of that is Sony, but it is more than twice the price of Vizio.

Nice list, let me just add:

Appointment book with Business Calendar
Task list with GTasks
Emergency translator with Google Translate
Notepad with Evernote
Team meeting "enhancer" with Chess Free

Like you I'm not yet needing to root mine; however the ad hoc wifi fix has me right on the fence.