W00Ters word of warning - check your OTA version FIRST!

[pbrauer]

All -

It has been pointed out by Roebeet (trust ANYTHING he says as the Gospel) that you need to be a little careful when you get your new tab to check which OTA thread you have installed on your tablet. Right now, all of the ROM mods are based off the 3588 release and these ROMS will at best not work properly and at worst brick your shiny new tab if you are running 3991 or higher.

Now, that should have scared you into at least paying attention. That being said, all you will need to do is first check, second if you have 3991, you can downgrade to 3588 and then you are good to go. I also have seen that Roebeet is planning on a fix for this if it truly is an issue when these tablets start getting received.

cheers,
p

 

[mactexas]

Just bought my tablet and have not received it, but will it be obvious which release I have. In other words where is the information found.

 

[pbrauer]

Settings->about. Easy to check, you just need to make sure it is done.

Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt using the Android Tablet app!

 

[Fuganater]

Here is how to recover back to the 3588 ROM.

GTab recovery firmware (homebrew and official Viewsonic versions) - xda-developers

 

[GSXR]

Thanks for the heads up.. Maybe someone can sticky this information in the G-tab subsection of this forum? Right now it's being listed under Viewsonic.. When I bought my device on W00t, I went straight to the G-tab section of this forum to learn more, not the broader Viewsonic section Just sayin'

 

[Fuganater]

It is already a sticky.

Moved to the g-Tablet section.

 

[fridge011]

Thanks. Just got my tracking number and shipping notice on whoot! Hopefullysince im in Louisiana I'll get it quick. I have everything downloaded at home and at work.

 

[gadgetrants]

Thanks. Just got my tracking number and shipping notice on whoot! Hopefullysince im in Louisiana I'll get it quick. I have everything downloaded at home and at work.

It's really weird. Over at xda I feel like a cranky bastard and want to razz anyone with a shipping notice. Hop on over here, and I genuinely feel excited for you. No envy whatsoever.

I think it must be the color scheme over there that sets me off. I'm on the thread for new owners, and I swear I'll lose my mind once a steady stream of "I got it" messages start flowing!

Well, it's good to know this place makes me a nicer person!

-Matt

 

[fridge011]

I think I know what u mean. On xda there is kind of a business/ technical feel to it (not that it's not friendly) but here it feels friendlier and more personal. Over there The stickies and the other threads aren't as easily distinguished so it looks like one big jumbled never-ending column. It's a really helpful, good, and informative forum but it's missing something..... Fedex needs to start working weekends. If only this weekend. Matt, what time did u order? I order about 645am central time. I'm not sure if it goes in order but it might give u an idea when they will ship it.

 

[gadgetrants]

I think I know what u mean. On xda there is kind of a business/ technical feel to it (not that it's not friendly) but here it feels friendlier and more personal. Over there The stickies and the other threads aren't as easily distinguished so it looks like one big jumbled never-ending column. It's a really helpful, good, and informative forum but it's missing something..... Fedex needs to start working weekends. If only this weekend. Matt, what time did u order? I order about 645am central time. I'm not sure if it goes in order but it might give u an idea when they will ship it.

Wow, you jumped way before I did. I saw it same time as you...but didn't buy until 6:00pm central. Now I'm seeing all the XDA messages about shipping notifications arriving, and I bet I'll hear on Monday (or later!!!!). Based on the owners posting in the thread below at XDA, I bet you'll see something soon.

Oh, here is a good quote from XDA that suggests they'll go out in the order they were bought:

xda-developers - View Single Post - Official WOOT GTab Shipment/Status/Recieved thread

Didn't see this info posted - forgive me if it's somewhere I haven't looked yet.

From the Woot discussion thread:

The unofficial update is that many of these will ship today and tomorrow but there is an expedited inbound portion that may not turn around and make it out until Monday. We will prioritize by the time-stamp of your order.

Tracking emails are automated once your shipment label is generated and the order batch is released. We will split and release the shipped portion of the batch tomorrow so that your tracking numbers will send then. The remainder should ship and be emailed Monday.


So, I'm thinking some folks may get theirs as early as Wednesday of next week.

Can't post a link, the post is:
PostID=4397756

-Matt

 

[gadgetrants]

Fedex needs to start working weekends. If only this weekend.

Oh, and fwiw someone in that same thread just posted: "Haha, im on the same boat as you, I ordered about 6 Pacific time, pretty sure our tablets will be shipped Monday or Tuesday. Good thing is that Fed-Ex delivers on Saturdays too." It was news to me, but I hope it's right.

-Matt

 

[roebeet]

Sorry that I don't peruse here more often (it's a time issue, that's all). Just a quick note on my concerns.

The most recent released OTA firmware from Viewsonic is 1.1-3588 - this is a "1.1" firmware that was released in January and, in general, the mods over at XDA should work with it. My TNT Lite mod, for example, is usually tested with 3588 as a baseline. If you get 3588, your modding (if you choose to do that) should have a low risk.

However, there is a non-released firmware that was leaked in early March, and actually was built-out in mid February by TapnTap Inc (the company that develops the GTAB software). This is build "1.2-3991". It's a "1.2" firmware which has a new bootloader and kernel and does NOT play nice with most of the mods over at XDA. The reason why, from my own testing, is that the new bootloader makes some under-the-hood changes. Old kernels don't work with the new booloader, and the 3991 kernel doesn't work with the old bootloader. It's actually a very nice stock ROM and is a major improvement over previous ones -- the problem is just getting the upgrade without having issues.

Bottom line: If your Woot device is 3991 (Settings -- About Tablet - Tap UI Version), please report it here or in XDA, and then PLEASE hold off on using any mods over at XDA until the problems can be worked out. If you throw caution to the wind and start modding, you could semi-brick the device.

I think the chances that the Woot devices have 3991 is low. But, there is a chance that Viewsonic created that firmware specifically for Amazon - the timing fits, and maybe Amazon wanted a ROM from them with a better recovery (which really caused a lot of the Staples returns, as the old recovery was crap) and they wanted Flash pre-installed. 3991 would give them both.

Btw, the reason why this is kind of "under the rug" over at XDA is because 3991 has not been released. Many devs and power users consider 3991 a non-issue unless it actually gets released and, so far, that has not happened. As a systems adminstrator, I get paid to think about worst case scenarios so I probably sound like my concerns are unfounded. And they probably are. But, I'd rather take precautions, just in case.

Thanks for reading!

 

[fridge011]

Thanks for the update roebeet. Matt to tell u the truth I've been sitting on 600 bucks waiting for the ctia wireless convention to end so I can see if there was something new I wanted to invest in but with fuganater giving me the heads up on the whoot deal (many thanks) I just couldn't pass it up. Hope yours goes out Monday at the latest

 

[gadgetrants]

Thanks for the update roebeet. Matt to tell u the truth I've been sitting on 600 bucks waiting for the ctia wireless convention to end so I can see if there was something new I wanted to invest in but with fuganater giving me the heads up on the whoot deal (many thanks) I just couldn't pass it up. Hope yours goes out Monday at the latest

Did you buy two...? If not, can you loan me the other $300?

Just kidding...the last thing I need is ANOTHER device.

@roebeet, welcome to the forum (as an official member, anyway!). I can't believe how far you've come since the days I knew you on slatedroid last year with the PDN. You're almost a household name. Heck, you ARE a household name!

-Matt

 

[roebeet]

I don't do anything different now than I did on the PDN - it's just a little more visible, now. Not sure how that happened.