[G Tablet General] k3for:
G-Tab Dock update (and other accessories)

I hadn't seen anything on people talking about the dock recently, so I thought I'd post my observations. I am running TNTL4.2.3 with CWM.8.

I bought my Malata DS-A002 dock from merrimobiles for $45 incl shipping.

Took about 3 weeks. They were not real responsive, and I was worried after 10 days of hearing nothing, not even a shipping notification, but it arrived in good shape, in what looked like original Chinese packing with a airmail box around it.

It takes the same power cord as what you get with the G-TAB - it does not come with another power cord. However, it's regular 12VDC and you can find the barrel connector (probably the "yellow" one) at radio shack and build yourself a nice wall and car secondary charger.

The one USB port works good for keyboard. I checked, and it does support a hub, and I keep a USB keyboard plugged in all the time - my G-tab has no problem ever recognizing it or using it. Nice that the keyboard home (home), esc (back), F1 (menu), F4 (call log?), arrow keys all work in lieu of tablet hard or soft buttons, and often typing letter/number characters automatically invokes search. There seems to be more than the standard 500mA coming out, so it will probably power a rotational portable drive, besides just USB sticks. However, the USB drives don't automount like putting a stick into the g-tab edge USB port - you might have to issue some device commands.

Ethernet works fine. If you don't already have it plugged in, you might have to ifconfig eth0 up. You might have to ifconfig 192.168.x.x netmask 255.255.255.0 if it doesn't pick up your dhcp. You might have to manually add your gateway with route add default gw 192.168.1.1 dev eth0. I've heard that some people see dorked up DNS but my Verizon FIOS router as gateway provides "pass-through" DNS so I didn't have to add a second one. I have not seen any conflicts with wireless being on or off, I seem to be able to run both, or either, independent of order, and I didn't edit dhcpconf.whatever other than to add a few comments for later just in case, and to test the mount r/w in that folder with Root Explorer. I use "Terminal Emulator" (don't forget to su) for the console commands when necessary.

Only thing I have not yet tried is HMDI - only cable I have is a mini-HDMI for my Droid X, which works great to watch ESPN3 football games on the Vizio plasma when the local cable provider isn't airing the game you want to see. Am getting a cable off Amazon, but I'm curious if you have to use RealHDMI or other assist software like on the Droid X, or if it's automatic and if it replicates ones screen to the HDMI out when docked. On the X, due to chip limitations, your phone screen goes blank when you enable the HDMI out - makes it hard to "guess" at the touchscreen to navigate.

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edit: added 2/20/2011

I got an HDMI cable and tested it on a Vizio 50" plasma. It works fine, generally outputs in 1080i but you're still driving from the native 1024x600 pixel display, so don't expect typical 1080i when watching Youtube or other videos. Sound did come through, and in fact, plugging in HDMI to the dock did not silence the G-tablet speakers, interestingly. Also, on the G-Tab dock, I was *not* able to drive a DVI digital 15-inch monitor from the dock with my HDMI cable and an HDMI to DVI adapter, nor was I able to get any kind of analog video out (VGA on the DVI analog pins), like I *am* able to do with my Droid X HDMI output.

The dock *MUST* be powered by the AC/DC cable for *ANY* of the outputs (ethernet, USB, HDMI) to work. The tablet will not power the dock, and these do not appear to be pass-throughs on the connector - these appear to be separate devices or at least active drivers. I don't know how a passive cable would ever work, for those of you who are looking to just make/buy a cable equivalent of the dock. Disconnecting power from the dock causes the ethernet adapter to lose its configuration (IP/netmask). My USB keyboard quit working if plugged into the dock and power is removed from the dock. HDMI also cut out when power removed.

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The dock holds the tablet at a nice viewing angle, although you'd think at first it's a little "too" upright. Great turning it into a more-than-netbook touchscreen PC.

Other accessories you might be interested in:

- I did get that carbon fiber sticker for the back of the g-tab, partly to cover up the stupidly large Viewsonic logo and partly because it was starting to get scratched up - I use it in the Honda Element with velcro on a stick mount just aft of the gearshift as a 10" GPS navigator. Thread is on here, just search, seller is Formula One.

- CoPilot is the absolute best no-network navigation software I have found, get it when it's on sale. MapDroyd/NavDroyd with free maps is a close second. EarthNC is great for nautical and topo navigation - I could never get Navionics (bought the East Coast) to work on the g-tab - not even a FC, just closes invisibly after downloading maps.

- I use GPS Status and BlueGPS to get positioning from a little Bluetooth external GPS receiver I keep on my dash - they're about $30 on eBay, and they power off when not in use, recharged via USB once a week. There's another BlueGPS-like app you can run on your Android phone that sends the phone's GPS position over bluetooth to your tablet. It's like Bluetooth GPS tethering, and you can even tether Wifi internet from the phone (I use Barnacle) at the same time - just keep your phone plugged into your car charger, because it will get sucked dry otherwise.

- I also got a neoprene case - it's not quite large enough to fully hold the G-tab which is longer than the iPad, but it's good enough. Best part is the way it folds and latches into a Origamo stand, the brand name is Incase, and it's sold at Best Buy in the iPad section. Great for the coffee shop or bar:

go to the incase web site and search for "origami"

Get one now, or maybe hope they make one for the G-tab size. Only mod I had to do is widen the lower shelf with a bit of plastic and black Gorilla (duck) tape, since the G-tab's lower edge is rounded and doesn't quite "catch"

- A bluetooth or USB keyboard is great. I bought the $10 generic (says "Gear Head") from Office Depot. I have this one coming:

search amazon for "Portable Bluetooth Wireless Universal Keyboard (Silver) for Viewsonic G-Tablet with 10" Multi-Touch LCD Screen, Android OS 2.2"

and also check out the stand:

Amazon "Arkon Portable Fold-Up Stand for Apple iPad, Galaxy Tab, BlackBerry Play Book"

Enough for now...

Many thanks again to Roebeet for the excellent work on TNTL, making my G-tab more than just a couch pad. I've been with this and his work since November, and very happy to have gotten this far. I do feel bad that these things are sitting gathering dust at my Office Depot because most folks are too scared to buy them. I just wish I could talk them down some off the $379 list.

Skip Gadgetman K3FOR