With its 8.9-inch screen, the T-Mobile G-Slate is noticeably smaller
than both the 10.1-inch Xoom and the 9.8-inch iPad 2. The G-Slate is
only slightly heavier than the iPad 2, but, like the Xoom, feels
heftier, due to its odd weight distribution.
The G-Slate has a thickness of 0.49 inch, a little over one-third
thicker than the iPad 2′s 0.34-inch profile. In landscape mode, its
screen is as wide as the iPad 2′s, but is about an inch shorter in
height. The G-Slate feels comfortable in our hands while typing, whether
in landscape or portrait mode, and unlike the iPad 2 with its
smooth-as-silk metal casing, the G-Slate isn’t as likely to slip from
our grip.
On its bottom side, the tablet has ports for Mini-USB and
Mini-HDMI–although not Micro-HDMI as on the Xoom. On the top are a
volume rocker and microphone pinhole. Two speakers can be found on the
right side, with another on the left. Also on the left are the
power/lock button, a headphone jack, and the power adapter slot input.
Accessing the G-Slate’s SIM card is a little more involved than doing
the same on the Xoom. There’s a hidden panel on the back, requiring you
to push down and slide it, revealing the SIM slot as well as the reset
button underneath.
These days you can’t have a tablet without a built-in camera, usually
two. The G-Slate attempts to one-up the competition by including not
only a front-facing 2-megapixel camera, but also a 5-megapixel 3D camera
on the back. Technically, this is three cameras in all, although
T-Mobile isn’t really marketing it that way.
If you’ve seen pics of the back of the G-Slate, you may have noticed a
narrow silver plate across it. You may have also assumed this
stylish-looking plate doubled as a kickstand. It doesn’t; its only
function is to add a little design panache.
The G-Slate is the first Honeycomb tablet with out-of-the-box 4G
support, courtesy of T-Mobile’s network. The tablet also comes with
T-Mobile streaming TV preinstalled as well as an on-demand service
called T-Mobile TV, EA’s Need for Speed Shift HD, Zinio Reader, and 3D
camcorder and player software. Full Flash support is delivered via the
Get Flash application, which will install Flash on the device within
seconds.
The G-Slate also provides the usual tablet features, such as Bluetooth
2.1 support for audio and peripheral support (including Bluetooth
keyboards). The Wi-Fi antenna supports bands up to 802.11n. Embedded
sensors for screen brightness, accelerometer, and gyroscope are all
included
A 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core mobile processor and 32MB of internal flash memory round out the specs.
The good: With 4G support, a wide-angle IPS screen, out-of-the-box
streaming TV features, and Honeycomb support, the G-Slate is currently
the best option for Android tablet shoppers.
The bad: Unless you have a thing for two-year contracts, the G-Slate is
pretty expensive. 3D implementation is disappointing, and 4G drains the
battery something quick.
by: Kevin Statham
http://www.mycoolgadgetreviews.com
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