yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Tab General] Azhad:
Don't ask for deletion, state what was your problem and how you solved it, it may help somebody else with the same issue.

Well, if they use the search function :-D

Sent from my Galaxy Tab
[Galaxy Tab General] sedde:
Rofl, when i saw your post a while ago, i was like "Maybe this dude has his orientation locked from the status bar" but then i went "Nah, it cant be something like this" So i didnt reply.

:)
[G Tablet General] oodasbobooo:
Hey guys,

I work for staples in NJ, and just got some bleak news regarding the future of the G Tablet. We were just sent a notice by our warehouse/corperate that read the following:

Due to manufacturer defect, all quantities of the Viewsonic G Tablet are to be pulled from store stock and returned via RTV.

Sounds like one less place for people to pick these up.

On the bright side (those of you that need these for christmas), Amazon.com has the tablet for the MSRP ($399.99)... PLUS free super saver shipping!!

I'll keep you guys posted if we hear anymore. Our store only sold one, and it was to myself!! LOL
[G Tablet General] cyberbillp:
That's sad. I got one for my Dad, who's in his 70's and has never touched a computer. All his grandkids are on Facebook which works perfectly AFAIK, so this device is a dream for him.

I added Getjar, and installed Angry Birds, Flash, Opera, Amazon app, Amazon MP3 and IMDB. I doubt he'll use much more than that. He's not interested in staring at a screen all day.

At power up it crashed on everything, even the patch. But after rebooting, it patched itself and has been rock solid ever since. I was going to flash it with a ROM if required, but there is no need. It really is perfect for him (and will only get better with system updates). A good web browser that does Facebook and Email too.

People complain about the speed, but it seems to be at least as fast as my Galaxy S or Nexus One.

If I'd bought it for myself, I'd have it doing backflips by now. But for my Dad, it's already going to be alot for him to obsorb as-is.
[G Tablet General] shanghei:
What is the defect?
[G Tablet General] rushless:
If a manufacturers defect and originated by VS information, the Gtablet could become very scarce.

There are several out of box issues that warrant this- even ours is still "broken" due to the accelerometer, bluetooth and other issues known already.

If not initiated by VS, Staples then are already pushing product back to Viewsonic. Though not unexpected at all, this is bad and no way to spin it.

added:

Question is how long before VS themselves may consider pulling the plug? If the Gtablet CS line goes away, THAT will give us the answer. Seems VS would be better served giving our XDA Three Amigos the source and pay THEM to release a package. Word.
[G Tablet General] roebeet:
The defect could firmware based (like what happened to the Pandigital Novel). Let's hope that's all it is.
[G Tablet General] rcgabriel:
I suspect the "defect" just refers to the fact that they observed a very high return rate, *****ed to Viewsonic about it, Viewsonic shrugged their shoulders and said they're working on it, so Staples pulled the product.

Specifically, the lack of Flash which was advertised, the lagginess and tendency to crash of the product out of the box could both be considered defects in this context. I mean, honestly, if you have to install third party ROMs to make a product useful, yeah, it is basically defective. :)

Still, I'd like to see Viewsonic and Tap N Tap get their act together, release source code, update their shipping drivers and make things work better out of the box. It would be good for the longevity and availability of updates of our G Tablets.
[G Tablet General] Lnin0:
Hope to hear more from VS on this. Indeed hope its nothing more than crap firmware which drove high rates of returns to Staples and prompted them to shove it all back on VS. If that is the case then maybe Staples actually helped our cause. VS is going to definitely take notice of issues if one of their major distributors balks.

VS had what could have been the budget iPad killer this holiday season. They screwed it all up by using the low budget LCD and pushing it out the door with some broken firmware. Imagine how different the reviews and word of mouth would have been if only this thing had a slightly better display and no half baked TnT. Instead of cleaning up, they are left to mop up a half hearted attempt at a product release.

When did Amazon start selling them? I don't recall it being available from Amazon before - actually Amazon and not an affiliate.
[G Tablet General] shanghei:
Whats wrong with the accelerometer and bluetooth?
[G Tablet General] markgolly:
As Lord Scrumptious said to Caractaus Potts in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)" - "Had your chance; muffed it"....

But, even though our hero is down, he's not out yet (queue Dec. 19th)....

(Sorry, my kids pulled out our Chitty Chitty Bang Band DVD to watch this holiday season and I just love that line. IMHO, its the best delivered line in the movie - but there are others that come close....)
[G Tablet General] rushless:
Not oriented correctly and bluetooth will not work with input devices (due to Tap UI).
[G Tablet General] shanghei:
What happens December 19th
[G Tablet General] shanghei:
Is that why when I open gallery the gallery folders only tilt to one side?
[G Tablet General] rushless:
DV's awful cockney accent is pure (unintended) comic gold :)
[G Tablet General] rljohnson:
Shame they can't get it together. Reflashed and except for the little things (sound and external SD) I use it more than the iPad.
[G Tablet General] xdaLurker:
Time will tell.......

but hopefully flash with the stock TnT rom.
[G Tablet General] Bad@ssGtab:
If they are recalling them it's for the crappy OS.... Ive had my Tab for over a month now and it only gets better....

With the Vegan beta 3 this thing has been rock solid...

Ya, a few FC's here and there and some quirks, but what computer doesnt have quirks...

In 30 days with the help of the amazing folks on this forum, the G tab will be rock solid...

I did a "throwdown" with a friend with an iPad and the G tab smoked him in the end... Yes, iPad a little more refined and stable, but for getting down and dirty the Gtab was clearly on top...

90% of the iPad apps are crap...

Sears and several others on line still have the Gtab for sale...
[G Tablet General] markgolly:
Definitely!:D
[G Tablet General] reisa:
... and couldn't both of these be fixed in software?
[G Tablet General] shanghei:
This thing is fast enough to play x264, I cant wait for it to be fully able to be taken advantage of its specs.
[G Tablet General] TheTruth:
I love you - chitty chitty bang bang, that is.......
[G Tablet General] rushless:
Roebeet has looked at the accelerometer, keyboard input and BT issues, but they are not practical to get to and modify in the FW.

True that the Gtablet is a nice device with TnT Lite or Vegan, but 95% of the folks that turn the device on will not even know what XDA is, except letters.

Per Viewsonic CS, 60K were sold into channels. If we assume 30K actually sold through to customers (the rest being held back by retailers NOT wanting to sell them), the impact is very large- HUGE.

Mutiply a large percent of the 30K by at least $100, and that is the cost impact being absorbed, when all is said and done by Viewsonic. The impact will easily be in the millions of dollars. Viewsonic better be accruing for it to hit February/March, on their P&L.

Seems real simple: Pay the Three Amigos to create a FW package with source code provided by VS. At least then the Gtablet and VS would have a chance.

Better be an AMAZING update coming in a few days or For Whom the Bell Tolls will start playing in February (if not already too late).
[G Tablet General] wordweaver27:
G-tab is on the front page of Staples Weekly Ad for 12/19 - 12/25 for $399. Interesting. (although I suppose those ads are finalized weeks in advance)
[G Tablet General] jimcpl:
You're assuming that it's because of only FW, though....
[G Tablet General] trscons:
I wonder if some buyers' expectations are too high. After looking at bulky slower netbooks and the Apple and Samsung tablets over the last few months, the gTablet seems to be at the right pricepoint for me. At 1.5 lbs and 10-12 hours battery life, it is great for traveling and gives me access to E-mail and my broker... plus news, weather, sports. While I look forward to the Dec 19 update with Flash, even as it is now I use the gTablet more than my laptop. And Angry Birds is great. :-)
[G Tablet General] insight3fl:
The way I read this Staples thing is it is being returned "via RTV" or Return To Vendor. And we know the vendor is U S Merchants, not Viewsonic. I think that USM has distributed and invested too much in this partnership to pull it from all the retailers. I believe this is not a price point item for Staples with Office Depot using a full Kiosk in the store for two tablest one of which is the USM Viewsonic. So they decided it was not worth selling and dealing with ANY returns. So, my two cents says that it will continue to be distributed until the 100,000 or so that USM built, bought and packaged are distrubuted all over the country until after christmas.
[G Tablet General] Alpha06:
Probably going in for a complete firmware overhaul so it's usuable out of the box (because it isn't right now)
[G Tablet General] hextex:
...I had no idea. I had been wanting to pick one up from the outlet. I bet that doesn't happen now. I wondered into Staples tonight and they had this signage in front of the demo unit (which was still there).
[G Tablet General] roebeet:
Now you got me thinking

Could they really be pulling all the devices off the shelves just for a simple firmware update? Or is there something really going down on the 19th, besides Flash? I am not getting my hopes up here, but man it would be sweet if they tore up the Tap N' Tap contract and decided to use a clean Android build, instead.
[G Tablet General] butchconner:
hextex,

What signage? Inquiring minds want to know.......

Rev
[G Tablet General] rayden25:
That would be great...
[G Tablet General] rushless:
Viewsonic is not exactly the most high margin business there is. A couple million dollar hit for refurb margin loss recuperation, retailer compensation, repacks, future lost sales, etc will hit their bottom line HARD. Not joking in any manner when saying VS had better have a few million accrued for losses due to their pi55 poor decisions with this device. Holding on to Tap UI, is nothing short of business sabotage.

Tap UI is DOA and should be treated both as a sunk cost AND a hostile entity towards their business. Reckoning WILL come to the people that sourced and approved launch with the current out-of-box firmware package.

This might seem dramatic to some, but any here that have ANYTHING to do with sales and operations planning will know what I mean. There will be (business) blood.
[G Tablet General] hextex:
Oops sorry about that.

I ask the sales guy near by and he had no details to add.
[G Tablet General] rushless:
"Manufacturing defect" is a customer centric way of saying "Returns are too high with the device, so we are sending it all back". Curious if Office Depot follows suit now.
[G Tablet General] Robert Duncan:
BTW, my wife was given the same story at Sears today when she went to buy one.

Update: Sorry, she went to Staples. I had told her to go to Sears. She just mentioned to me this morning where she actually went.
[G Tablet General] roebeet:
I don't know if I should be worried or pleased

I guess I should call our friends at CS tomorrow, and see if they know anything. I have to assume this is a new firmware update they are pushing or else we, as owners, would be getting emails about our devices being "defective".
[G Tablet General] GenBlood:
Most likely Staples removed the Viewsonic g tablet from the shelfs due to the high

return rate. Most people are looking for a cheaper solution then a iPad. Most people

expected it to work just like a iPad an it didn't come close. The base rom isn't the

best, but the ui does suck.

I updated with the tnt lite 2.4 and it's working great. I've added flash too and most

web sites don't have any issues.

Looks like it is a wait and see issue now.. :p
[G Tablet General] anlog:
Two weeks ago I was told by reps at two different Sears stores (Westminster, CA and Costa Mesa, CA) that the returns weren't going to the Outlet, but were instead being returned to the manufacturer to get the latest software update(s).

If they are recalling even the new ones now, then it HAS to be due to some kind of big update. With Viewsonic stating on Twitter that in a coming update they will most likely give users the option to enable or disable TapNTap, plus Flash, etc, then I'm guessing it has to be a pretty big update.

They will miss the Christmas rush, but if it hits the last week of December or first week of January there will still be a lot of people with Christmas money and pre-paid debit cards looking for stuff to buy...

Viewsonic's plan all along with this tablet was to cater to the "I just want a simple and pretty interface" crowd. Most people aren't going to be able to (easily) update the thing, and out of the box it is simply unusable. They goofed, and are trying to fix it. The damage might already be done, though...
[G Tablet General] andygee:
Well if that's the case Sears and Amazon both still have the product listed for ordering on their site.
[G Tablet General] oodasbobooo:
Hey guys I have a quick update. While I couldn't beat the specifics about the "manufacturing defect"out of them, staples corporate did let it slip that we are to hold all signage for now. What that means to me is that all hope may not be lost, and staples may be giving the revamped g tablet one more go on the sales floor if/when we get them back! I'll keep everyone posted if I get anymore info.... Anyone contact viewsonic cs on this and get their take on it?
[G Tablet General] rushless:
So VS has apparently listened? This could be good news and pull the G from the brink of modder-only obscurity :) No Tap UI would seem dubious though, unless they are applying another less obtrusive layer to cover the hardware specific to the device (storage, hardware buttons, etc). This would make Roeby and company, veddy' veddy' happy :)

Perhaps this puppy will get a new lease on life and thrive. No other comparable hardware options yet (for the price), so it could still be pretty big...... IF VS comes though with a great update.
[G Tablet General] roebeet:
I called CS today (and gave them the "please get us source" request as well). According to them there is no recall and should be available - I guess I will pop over to SEARS and Staples today.

There is allegedly an update on the 19th which sounds like something going OTA, so that's a good thing. But Flash is not confirmed to be in there. The guy was pretty hush-hush about it, so I couldn't extract any more.

I guess we will see what happens tomorrow.
[G Tablet General] Lnin0:
The hacks at Engadget are running with the 'discontinued' story based on little more than a couple cell phone pics. No response from Staples, no response from Viewsonic.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/18/viewsonic-g-tablet-pulled-from-staples-stores-manufacturing-de/

Based on oodasbobooo comments it sounds like the signage may not have been approved by Viewsonic. Perhaps they cut a deal and VS agreed to take back the inventory because of high return rates but sounds unlikely VS authorized signage stating 'manufacturers defect'. It may have been a deal to pull existing inventory to be replaced at a later date by tablets that have the updated firmware out of the box.

Viewsonic really needs to step up on this one. As if the poor reviewed and release firmware was not bad enough now you have media sites posting 'DEFECTIVE' front and center. It won't just be Engadget either...their 'story' will spread to other non-fact checking outlets as well.

In an ideal world, if there is no 'defect', then this is what I would like to see happen:

-VS puts out the firmware update on Monday (lets hope it includes Flash support, calibration and option to run naked - ala no TnT)

-VS releases source code on Monday

-VS follows all this with press release to blog / news outlets regarding firmware release with Flash support and various speed enhancements and kernel source is released to dev community. VS acknowledges they are looking into Staples "news" as no recall exists. VS reiterates the Gtab performance+price point as being an industry leader and its commitment to the success of the brand ... hinting at future (2.3 and 3.0) updates :-)

So it again comes down to the update and how badly VS needs to be ready with a solid firmware fix on Monday. Having all that go down on Monday would surely get the VS Gtablet in the news and quite a few new and second looks.

Yeah, it was a mistake on VS' part to rush release but it is a nice little tablet and not deserving of all the poor publicity it is getting. Yeah, it deserves some but it doesn't deserve to get this beat up.
[G Tablet General] jimcpl:
It's not just the writer... have you read the comments?

Apple's fanboys are a really tough crowd :)...

Jim
[G Tablet General] akodoreign:
Yuppers they are all over this one... I love my tablet... currently my family is passing it around taking turns playing angry birds on it its the center of attention at the family holiday party :)
[G Tablet General] dohminator:
yeah like I said in another thread, bunch of Apple drones!
[G Tablet General] rayden25:
I agree with everything you stated and it seems very simple for us out here, but if it was that easy I think Viewsonic would have done that already. I think there are some pressures we are not seeing from other sources. Viewsonic has been around for a while, I'm sure they know they need to do some of thesze things, but maybe they just can't because of those external forces. Just a thought, but I wish it would go down like you said!

LOL!
[G Tablet General] mspkash1:
http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/12/18/viewsonic.gtablet.pulled.from.staples/

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2010/12/18/staples-pulls-viewsonic-g-tablet/

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/12/1...et-recalled-staples-pulls-veiwsonic-gtablets/

:mad:
[G Tablet General] stanglx:
Guys.. I work for a large consumer electronics manufacturer and I suspect its being pulled because of "false" advertising. ViewSonic ise advertising FLASH and other features that either are not available (ie Flash) or just do not work properly (Accelerometer, etc.). Anyone who sells the device, and of course ViewSonic are liable for false advertising. Some nut can potentially bring them to court over this - as an example I have seen hundreds of lawsuits that rate the speed of devices (cameras, Printers, etc.) and if the plaintive can prove that the device does not fit within its advertised tolerances he has grounds for a lawsuit - of course he needs to prove damages but anyway its a liability/risk - Staples probably is just a very conservative company, couple that with many returns they are pulling it. Now technically if ViewSonic has not acknowledged that its defective and based on these forums it sounds like its just software that needs to be updated... Staples could be liable with calling it defective couple that with potential losses of sales at other establishments due to their calling it defective - this is a much larger liability in my eyes... and believe me I deal with this on a daily basis..
[G Tablet General] jimcpl:
I've very been following the tablet space for awhile (2 TC1100s and aU850), and, as a user, what it comes down to is being able to have a 'choice'.

Basically, I like tablets.

They fit a certain part of my lifestyle, so I don't want just one company to totally dominate the space, because it then becomes "their way, or the highway". That would be regardless of whether it was Apple, Microsoft, Google, or whoever.

For the moment, an Android tablet is my choice, and I probably don't have to tell some of you how frustrating a wait it has been for a 'good one' (the Gtab, in case you're wondering), with many of the obstacles that Google itself has placed in the road (Android is not for tablets", Android fragmentation, etc.) for potential manufacturers. Apple is probably ROTFL, watching all of this :)...

Sorry for the rant, and JMHO....

Jim
[G Tablet General] trscons:
FWIW my local Staples (southern NJ, near Camden) still had the gTablet on display and for sale this. Sat night. The tech person knew of the unit, TNT Lite, upgrading etc al, but didn't know anything about the recall. Nor was there anything on the computer. I also stopped at the Sears store; $380, in stock, also the VS blister-pak case made by Case Logic. I didn't bother asking its price. I was out cruising the area stores looking for a wireless camera, to no avail.
[G Tablet General] insight3fl:
You make a good point here.. one in which I had not thought of. While others screamed lawsuit for false advertising, I forgot about one of my clients ( I am in the "risk" business) made hard drives and on the box forgot to mention that when you format them they have less capacity then what they are rated for. A company then filed a class action suit against them and many other drive makers and millions were spent on defense for years and years until the finally settled.
[G Tablet General] ima_UNC_fan:
I've thought about this a lot since I first heard about it last night. As of now, I plan to keep my GTab (even though Staples will let me return it).

My only concern is...is there a real HW defect? I need more info before I do anything else. I'm happy with the GTab. I'm excited about the new and updated ROMs coming out. As of now, the only thing I really want is video chat...
[G Tablet General] rcgabriel:
Honestly, there are a lot of quirks, but if there were an actual major hardware flaw, we would know about it here. The actual hardware quirks that I know of are:

1) Viewing angles on the LCD aren't great, especially in portrait mode. For some people this is a showstopper, for others not a huge deal. There is no fix for this issue.

2) Touchscreens tend to become uncalibrated, or come out of the box incorrectly calibrated. Fix is in the thread "Touch sensitivity" in General forum - you can re-calibrate it if you have an issue.

3) Battery charge meters can become uncalibrated or ship improperly calibrated. You can discharge as fully as possible, recharge as full as possible, then reset battery stats in ClockworkMod. This works on most Android devices. Additionally, there are some alternate battery meters people have suggested if you continue to have problems.

Everything else that's a problem out of the box is a software issue, as far as we know. And the most major software issues are fixed in all the XDA ROMs (constant force closes, major lagginess, etc.), leaving only some minor software glitches. So I wouldn't get yourself too worried about this.
[G Tablet General] Lnin0:
ViewSonic just tweeted.

"We are looking into Staples' gTablet action and will provide more information as we get it."

Sounds like they are just as caught off guard by the "manufacturers defect" as everyone.

Still no tweet about the update ...
[G Tablet General] cutterjohn:
apple fanbois are mostly like rabid dogs. I should know as I used to quaff the koolaid and live in the reality distortion field before coming to my senses and protecting my wallet.

Hope that this isn't a hardware defect after all as I planned to keep my gTab...
[G Tablet General] markgolly:
The only hardware defect I've run into thus far is that one of my gtabs' sound subsystem 'freaks out' producing a lot of static and I have to reboot it. My other gtab doesn't do this or at least hasn't so far. I'll be taking it back for exchange tomorrow....
[G Tablet General] jimcpl:
I just was looking at VS' comment on their Twitter, and it just occurred to me, "What if Staples didn't tell VS that they were going to do this 'recall'?".

Wouldn't that be weird?

Jim