LT-Mobile G-Slate 4G Android Tablet (T-Mobile)
by LG
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast, Sleek, and Android! It's got it all., April 27, 2011
By A. Weinrod (Kirkland, WA)
This review is from: T-Mobile G-Slate 4G Android Tablet (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)
I have had my G-Slate for a little more than 24 hours. I will update this review if anything new comes up. I considered getting the iPad 2 but was put off by the plan and no 4G. Sure, I could get a wifi version... I had a chance to handle the G-Slate last week and liked it a lot. I have an Android phone (Samsung Vibrant) and have been very happy with Android over the last couple of years (Google Voice, what a lifesaver), so was attracted to the Android Honeycomb platform angle and Flash compatibility. I also thought that Google Maps with navigation would be great on the 9-inch screen (and it is! - but more on that later.)
I was a bit taken aback that there was no user guide of any kind included in the box, though that might have been a quality assurance glitch and it was just missing. I actually had to hunt for the power button - covered by a little green protector film for shipping and nicely concealed on the upper right edge of the top of the device. Once I got it turned on there was no more confusion, though.
The screen is beautiful - nice and bright. It registered all my touches and essentially disappeared from my notice as an interface, which is what I want a touchscreen device to do. When held vertically the screen orientation shifts quickly when you move from "up" to "sideways", but it wasn't so successful flat on a horizontal surface - a minor point really, especially once I get a dock or stand for it.
The finish is an attractive mocha color and it seems like it will resist scratches and scuffs well.
The rear camera is in fact horrible in low light, until you turn on the led flash. The front facing camera seems better in low light. The G-Slate comes with an HDMI cable - I was going to take some video and play it back on the TV _ I did have a chance to see this feature in action during last week's demo, so I think it will work great, even on a 55-inch TV. The 3-D camera gimmick is a little mysterious to me, but it is not hard to change it to a standard 2-d camcorder in the menu. (To be fair, my 8-year-old thinks the 3D camera is the best thing ever!)
Setting up wifi worked just like my Android phone - simple. Setting up e-mail, ditto.
I made a brief Skype call to check the quality while on 4G. It worked really well while I was on the call (15 or 20 minutes) and my mother said the picture looked great on her end - she couldn't believe I was on a wireless tablet. I imagine this will also work fine on wifi, though I will be sure to plug it in to deal with the battery drain.
I logged into the Market and immediately saw all the apps that I had purchased for my phone, with little "install" buttons displayed - I thought that was a nice touch, eliminating the need for me to look for the stuff I already have licenses for, and also not automatically downloading apps I might not want for the tablet. I downloaded Google Earth, Maps, and a few other essentials.
Google Earth is a standout - I love the multitouch interface and zooming and changing the orientation was all super snappy on 4G or wifi.
The G-Slate comes with Need For Speed which is a fun example of the kind of game possible on the tablets - tilt to steer, etc. My daughter loves it but I think I will not play it much. On the other hand, free is never a bad thing.
The sound quality seems really, really good to me, based on a few videos and the NFS game. I haven't tried it for music yet but I'm not planning to use the slate much for that anyway. The volume gets quite loud at the top end - nice for Skype etc.
I checked out a trial issue of Road and Track using the included Zinio Reader app. The magazine images and articles were well suited to the format and I could see myself buying more content for the Reader.
I used Google Navigation in the car on the way home - much preferable to the phone, due to the G-Slate's larger screen. Traffic layer came up in no time flat as well.
Of course, no tablet trial is complete without a long Web session. I love the tabbed interface (in Android! finally! although I do understand why it's not so sensible for a 4-in. smartphone screen) and I had no trouble navigating sites, using menus, or accessing Flash content.
All in all, I think this will be a great device for portable web access, Skype, and entertainment. Battery life has been quite sufficient with overnight charging.
I would recommend this device to anyone who is in the market for a tablet, especially if you are an Android fan. The build quality seems solid, the essentials are all there, and there's enough developer power in Android to produce lots of innovative apps. I would check the 4G coverage map before you buy, if you plan to use it out and about.
Technical Details
Size (LWH): 7.48 inches, 4.74 inches, 0.47 inches
Weight: 13.44 ounces
by LG
 |
| LG G-Slate 4G Android Tablet (T-Mobile) |
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast, Sleek, and Android! It's got it all., April 27, 2011
By A. Weinrod (Kirkland, WA)
This review is from: T-Mobile G-Slate 4G Android Tablet (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)
I have had my G-Slate for a little more than 24 hours. I will update this review if anything new comes up. I considered getting the iPad 2 but was put off by the plan and no 4G. Sure, I could get a wifi version... I had a chance to handle the G-Slate last week and liked it a lot. I have an Android phone (Samsung Vibrant) and have been very happy with Android over the last couple of years (Google Voice, what a lifesaver), so was attracted to the Android Honeycomb platform angle and Flash compatibility. I also thought that Google Maps with navigation would be great on the 9-inch screen (and it is! - but more on that later.)
I was a bit taken aback that there was no user guide of any kind included in the box, though that might have been a quality assurance glitch and it was just missing. I actually had to hunt for the power button - covered by a little green protector film for shipping and nicely concealed on the upper right edge of the top of the device. Once I got it turned on there was no more confusion, though.
The screen is beautiful - nice and bright. It registered all my touches and essentially disappeared from my notice as an interface, which is what I want a touchscreen device to do. When held vertically the screen orientation shifts quickly when you move from "up" to "sideways", but it wasn't so successful flat on a horizontal surface - a minor point really, especially once I get a dock or stand for it. The finish is an attractive mocha color and it seems like it will resist scratches and scuffs well.
The rear camera is in fact horrible in low light, until you turn on the led flash. The front facing camera seems better in low light. The G-Slate comes with an HDMI cable - I was going to take some video and play it back on the TV _ I did have a chance to see this feature in action during last week's demo, so I think it will work great, even on a 55-inch TV. The 3-D camera gimmick is a little mysterious to me, but it is not hard to change it to a standard 2-d camcorder in the menu. (To be fair, my 8-year-old thinks the 3D camera is the best thing ever!)
Setting up wifi worked just like my Android phone - simple. Setting up e-mail, ditto.
I made a brief Skype call to check the quality while on 4G. It worked really well while I was on the call (15 or 20 minutes) and my mother said the picture looked great on her end - she couldn't believe I was on a wireless tablet. I imagine this will also work fine on wifi, though I will be sure to plug it in to deal with the battery drain.
I logged into the Market and immediately saw all the apps that I had purchased for my phone, with little "install" buttons displayed - I thought that was a nice touch, eliminating the need for me to look for the stuff I already have licenses for, and also not automatically downloading apps I might not want for the tablet. I downloaded Google Earth, Maps, and a few other essentials.
Google Earth is a standout - I love the multitouch interface and zooming and changing the orientation was all super snappy on 4G or wifi.
The G-Slate comes with Need For Speed which is a fun example of the kind of game possible on the tablets - tilt to steer, etc. My daughter loves it but I think I will not play it much. On the other hand, free is never a bad thing.
The sound quality seems really, really good to me, based on a few videos and the NFS game. I haven't tried it for music yet but I'm not planning to use the slate much for that anyway. The volume gets quite loud at the top end - nice for Skype etc.
I checked out a trial issue of Road and Track using the included Zinio Reader app. The magazine images and articles were well suited to the format and I could see myself buying more content for the Reader.
I used Google Navigation in the car on the way home - much preferable to the phone, due to the G-Slate's larger screen. Traffic layer came up in no time flat as well.
All in all, I think this will be a great device for portable web access, Skype, and entertainment. Battery life has been quite sufficient with overnight charging.
I would recommend this device to anyone who is in the market for a tablet, especially if you are an Android fan. The build quality seems solid, the essentials are all there, and there's enough developer power in Android to produce lots of innovative apps. I would check the 4G coverage map before you buy, if you plan to use it out and about.
Technical Details
- Google integration with preloaded Andriod Apps
- Android 3.0 operating system (Honeycomb)
- 5.0 MP rear-facing camera with LED flash and stereoscopic 3D recording
- Full HTML web browser with Flash 10.1 support
- What's in the Box: LG G-Slate tablet, standard battery, charger, USB cable with gender adapter, 3D glasses, quick start guide, user manual
- Network Compatibility: GSM
Size (LWH): 7.48 inches, 4.74 inches, 0.47 inches
Weight: 13.44 ounces
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