Alternative To The iPad?

I have been debating the iPad for 6 months but I wanted to hold out for a non-Apple tablet PC. It isn’t that I am anti Apple, I just feel that their products are overpriced in many cases. In the desktop and laptop area you can get a PC with the exact same hardware for half the expense. As a friend of mine once put it, “But you are getting the Mac experience.” Personally, I don’t need an experience. I need to get work done and I am a cheap bastard.

I spent many of those months reading and studying all the tablets that were supposed to come out this year. Everything I read sent me back to the iPad. It was by far the best, and only, tablet available. I was going to buck up and pay the bucks for an iPad. Then by chance I was at the local Office Depot getting supplies and I asked, what is coming out? What to my surprise did they have? The new Viewsonic G-tablet.

I hadn’t even heard of this one coming in all my research. I decided to do a little more research before I bought the iPad. Good idea.

The reviews on cnet.com were mixed. A couple of people loved it and a couple didn’t. It seemed that the issue was with the Droid OS and that an update is needed before you do anything else. Additionally a second update was due out before Christmas. As it was the 19^th I figured if its stable, I can wait for an update. Then it went on sale for $369. They got me.

I have to admit that this this works very well. It is lacking the 3g (or 4g coming soon) connection of the iPad. It also has an operating system that is different than Mac or Windows but it is pretty darn intuitive and easy to operate. The wifi connects quickly and works well. I have yet to use the Bluetooth connectivity but how difficult is Bluetooth?

This thing, like the iPad attracts attention. People ask, “Is that the iPad?” and when you say, “No, it’s the G-tablet.” They want to see it. Of course the best way for me to show what it does is to show my work. This gives me the option to engage clients everywhere!  In fact I have already gotten leads by showing my portable portfolio.

I can surf the net and multi task to my heart’s content. In fact that is the biggest negative; I am on this thing so much that I am having issues doing actual work!  Especially now that I got that darn Angry Birds app. My wife says I am addicted. Admittedly the Apps are a bit lacking at the moment but there are still literally hundreds to choose from. For my needs this thing works great! I can load my images and carry my portfolio with me everywhere.

With my wife’s smart phone (I have a dumb phone) we are able to create a local hotspot no matter where we are. That pretty much takes away the need for any additional services or fees too. She kicks on the Hot Spot app and we are connected. Easy.

In short, if you want to just have the ability to connect to your documents, view your images, monitor email, check websites, Facebook, LinkedIn you are good to go! Wait… does that mean it works as well as an iPad for about half the price? Hmmm….

Even if the next generation of iPad blows the G-Tablet out of the water, I have just bought myself the time I need to get me from here to April or May (expected store dates for the iPad) for very little money. It is good for my business and it may be good for you too. Look into it; it can’t hurt!