Need an quick education

[bc3737]

I am thinking of purchasing a VTAB for my wife. Seems to be just what the doctor ordered for her. Does not have to be fast - Must be able to send/receive e-mail and use a few apps. She is NOT a "power user". Reading this forum has brought up a couple of questions. What is honeycomb and do I have to worry about that? Is the OS in VTAB upgradable? I keep reading about a SIM Card issue, simply put - what is the issue? I keep seeing something regarding an upcoming "update", an update to what and has it happened yet??? Anything else I should be aware of. Thanks for your help
Bill

 

[ktackel]

Honeycomb (3.0) is a version of Android created just for tablets, Vizio initially said that the Vtab will be upgraded to Honeycomb (currently runs Gingerbread 2.3) but more recently there is talk that they may skip Honeycomb and go to Icecream Sandwich (4.0) which is supposed to handle hardware resources much better but again it is just talk at the moment.

The current sd card set up will only hold media, pics, audio & movies, most Android devices will allow you to copy and run apps from the cards also and there is said to be an update coming that will address that.

Personally I have been very happy with the Vtab so far and for the price you can't beat it. I am a power user (geek), but with a family price came first in my decision. For ebooks, netflix (has HDMI out), games, web browsing and the real Android market not a skimmed down version like most others in this price range it is a great choice. Also went away recently and sitting in the hotel room the gps was nice to see what was around and if your phone has wifi hotspot capabilities you can you it as a gps in your car.

I suggest buying from Costco, they have a great price ($184 last I checked) and a generous 90 day return policy.

Hope this helped.

 

[marvin02]

bc3737,

VTAB and the SD Card

That's an overview I wrote based on my posts in the forums and my experience with the VTAB.

There have been three updates since the VTAB was released. All addressed software concerns.

Never buy an electronic device based on what it might be down the road, buy it only if it fits your needs as it is now.

Good luck.

 

[rprr]

Thanks for that article..

I wish we could have a sticky FAQ on this forum.

 

[skoster]

Honestly, if you're looking for a few apps and email your wife probably will not run into a problem with the SD card space.

I get all my email (work and personal accounts using K9 email client), do all of my scheduling (Business Calendar), read e-books (Moon+), take notes (Evernote), make and receive calls (GrooveIP and a Google voice number), and even run GPS (CoPilot with the Northeast US maps), edit/view documents (google docs and Olive Office), access my home computer files (Dropbox), do emergency translation at clients houses if the interpreter doesn't show up (google translate) and browse the internet (Miren browser) and I haven't run into the end of my storage.

Do I want the storage issue fixed? Of course! Can I do what I need to do without it being fixed? Yes. Honestly I think that at the sub-200$ price point this tablet is exceptionally attractive.

 

[bc3737]

Skoster, and everybody else, thanks for the education -
But still have questions - People talk about using VTAB as GPS unit? How does that work? Only in range of a WiFi hot spot or any where "on the road"?
Thanks Again

 

[bc3737]

AND - What are these "Launchers" I read about - I.E. "Launcher Pro"etc. ??

 

[skoster]

The GPS chip works anywhere, as long as you use software which has offline maps. I use ALK CoPilot because it has offline maps and I can download just one area of the US so I don't use up too much space (relatively, I still need around 250MB for map data), and it costs from about $3 to $25 depending on the version and features you want.

Launchers can be thought of as skins in a way, they just change what your home screen looks like and how you interact with it. I use Go Launcher EX, but I haven't tried many so I can't rate it against anything (works fine for me, though).

 

[marvin02]

Info on launchers. Launchers are "home" apps, they replcae the built in app that comes up when you press the home key.

Info on setting a default app.

The VTAB can be turned into a stand alone GPS (no network connection) with a nav app that downloads the maps top your device. Co-Pilot has been mentioned, there might be others that let you download a sub-set of the maps for an entire country/region. I think that the Navigon apps now have this.

 

[tec10]

I use Sygic app for Nav. Works geat, you get a free two week trail. You can load the state you need and the vtab GPS works without wifi connection. Vtab will not work when cold so don't leave in car.
[h=2][/h]

 

[xkchief]

You should buy the Vizio--give it a fair try--then make your decision--you can keep or return for a refund--All the information is great but actually using it is most important, personally I love it!

 

[Philtablet]

I play a lot of Amine for PSP. The PSP can play movies from a memorystick. I transfered some of my MP4 Amine to the microSDHC card (inside the Folder marked VIDEO) and it works. The Vizio adds two other folders (as far as I can see it is nothing).

I haven't tested different format music yet but I am pretty sure MP3 would play if MP4 plays with no modification.

 

[Deandec]

My bride is a solitaire and video poker junkie. We travel in a Motorhome often. She communicates via email with several buddies. We also have a laptop.

I bought the Vizio because it was inexpensive compared to many tablets with good connectivity features and does a rapid start up compared to a laptop.

The Vizio actually cost about the same as a stand alone GPS. Our Garmin GPS is older and cannot be updated. I downloaded Sygic for a non-connected GPS source of data. It works fine.

We found a screen cover to avoid fingerprints and a folio to protect the Vtab and provide a table stand were great additions for us.

So, the more expensive tablets did not fill our needs any better than the Vizio. We are not excited by the remote control feature or the streaming feature. But the VTAB fits our current needs nicely.