Hardware & Design
The G-Slate is a sleek and professional looking tablet with a good 8.9 inch screen but its on the low res side when compared to other tablets in the market. I feel that this screen size is the sweet spot for tablets and will be the top seller size when more come out. On the surround bezel you have a mini HDMI, micro USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, volume button power button and 3 speakers for stereo sound. The speakers are average and product good enough sound.
Above the screen there is a 2 MP front facing camera for video chat. The rear has a dual 5 MP 3D camera that can record 1080p 2D video and 3D in 720p HD. The still images are pretty good for tablet with correct tone and colors however video is a mixed bag. 2D video in 1080p become pixellated when there is a lot of movement.
The 3D recorder gives you options in recording in different modes from mixed, anaglyph, single and side by side. We recorded our test video in mixed move which we uploaded to YouTube directly from the G-Slate and you can use the 3D red and blue glasses that come in the packaging to view. The 3D works but the effect all depends on what you are recording.
Inside there is a 1.0 Ghz Nvidia Tegra 2 Processor, 32 GB of storage with no expansion slot available and T-Mobile 4G data speeds. It’s a big heavier that you would expect but the weight is balanced enough that it’s still comfortable to hold.
Software & Usability
The G-slate is running Android 3.1 honeycomb with a stock interface. There isn’t much preloaded software other than some T-Mobile apps. Apps load fast and scrolling through desktops screens is smooth. I have some video playback issues playing content that is in both 720p and 1080p. It would be choppy performance using some pretty standard codecs. I used both the built-in player and the DoubleTwist player installed and neither could play video smooth. This is something Android needs to get better with. 4G data speeds were fine for me in use and didn’t experience any issuers. Battery life is good. I was able to get through a full day without needed a charge.
Overall
The G-Slate is a very good tablet for the price if you are already on a T-Mobile voice plan and sign a 2 year agreement or agree to get a new voice plan with it and with the mail-in-rebate you can get it for just about $250 now and that’s well worth the price. If you don’t want sign a contract you’re looking at around $700 which at that price doesn’t compete well with some of the other offerings out there.
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