04/07/2011 UPDATE -- GREAT COMPILATION OF INFO HERE: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1026660
And another FAQ:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=874258 - please use this as an updated reference!
Also, this FAQ is VERY helpful: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865245
A good third-party doc on how to install the VEGAn ROM (not written by gojimi, FYI): http://www.blendblog.net/Blendblognet/tabid/36/EntryID/67/Default.aspx
or use this one, if that link is down : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=12552736#post12552736
and lastly a good FAQ on the update.zip firmware process: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892090
This post last updated March 27th 2011.
Figured I'd start doing a brain dump of what I know, so far. Assume TnT Lite 4.x, as this is what I use. But stock / zPad / cm6.1 / all other 1.1-based ROMs might also work unless noted.
Please feel free to add to this FAQ with apps tested, general information etc.
---------------------------------------------------------------
General pre-sales / new user / "should I buy this?" information
Viewsonic support site: http://www.viewsonic.com/gtablet/support.htm. Their customer service is very good and I have used them many times. The only issue i have right now is a lack of information, but I don't fault CS for that.
Should you buy this?
It's up to you, but be aware of what you are getting into. Here's a quick breakdown of what you will / won't get:
- You are basically paying for hardware that is not optimized for Android. It's fast, but it could be a lot faster and we're hoping that future updates will take advantage of that. The hardware is bleeding edge, right now.
- The LCD screen is basically a netbook screen. With that in mind certain angles are really bad. It's looks pretty good spot-on, just like a netbook.
- HDMI works, but you need a dock which is not officially available yet (there is a zPAd dock that can be purchased, overseas).
- 720p/1080p might work, but needs to be encoded a certain way.
- Standard video seems fine, in particular Xvid AVI's.
- There are issues with games, right now. Some work, some don't. Simple as that. EDIT: There is a g-sensor fix that might correct this, in certain mods.
- There's an official app store, but it's not as extensive as the full Google Market.
- Angry Birds works.
- There's no official Flash support, yet (even as of 3/2011). That may change in the future and there are ways to get an unofficial patch (see below).
- To make the device really usable, you need to mod it and will need to be familiar on how to sideload apps. This is my opinion, of course.
The mods are not supported by Viewsonic, so keep that mind!
---------------------------------------------------------------
General information on the different unofficial ROMS available
- Vanilla restore image. This is an attempt by our community to have a restore image in case your device is having issues or you need to wipe any mods off before returning it. It will wipe the system data, but not the user data. For the latter, you'd want to do a factory reset under Settings -- Firmware. The link also has links to the actual firmware updates that TnT Inc. supports.
- zPad v3. This is a port of the zPad ROM to the GTab. Rothnic has spearheaded this effort.
- VEGAn-Tab. This is still a 1.00 beta firmware to port the Advent Vega firmware to the GTab. As of March 2011, it is fairly stable and very usable. The main dev (gojimi) is working on a Gingerbread port.
- TnT Lite v4. This is a streamlined version of the stock firmware. It leaves the status bar and settings area intact, for example - but removes the main TnT homescreen and replaces it with a stock launcher. It also has the same bugs as stock.
- CyanogenMod. This is an early beta so keep that in mind - I would recommend this only for technical users. It is an attempt to port cm to the GTab. Bekit has spearheaded this effort. There are a few recent efforts, mainly for Gingerbread.
Some cm links:
IRC: #tegratab in freenode.
Forum: http://tegratab.com
Complete nvflash restore: http://db.tt/Wm25t7U
CM6.1 (Beta4): http://goo.gl/Z3jaC
3/2011 EDIT: See the development area for more ROMs as there are more than I can review, here. This site has quite literally outgrown this one FAQ I had created.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Known issues
I used clockworkmod via ROM Manager and now I get a "Magic Value Mismatch" Error
AVOID ROM MANAGER, please. As of this writing, it installs a version of clockworkmod that does NOT play nice many of the ROMs we have, and might even have issues with stock ROMs. PLEASE AVOID!!
If you get that "Magic Value Mismatch", you have soft-bricked your device and will need to use the nvflash tool to correct that. See the development area for the nvflash sticky.
Date / Time reset to 1970 after powerdown / reboot
Update your ROM to correct this -- it's a fairly old issue.
GMT +0 after every reboot
This is a known bug with orignal TnT stock and TnT Lite 1.x, which some of us have already called VS about. It's probably somewhere in the TnT Framework. This was fixed with the 11/22 TnT firmware and the subsequent TnT Lite 2.00+. If you are on stock and see this, update your ROM.
Games cannot be played because they are titled by 90 degrees
This is a known bug with stock TnT / TnT Lite. No fix from the vendor, but certain ROMs (like VEGAn and TNT Lite) have a hack for this (care of dev gojimi!)
720p / 1080p h264 video problems
My understanding is that h264 HD playback works, but only to a certain point. Basically, videos encoded in "Main" Profile work, but those with "High" Profile do not. You can use a tool like mediainfo to see how your file in encoded.
I have used the excellent Handbrake application and an iPad profile, changing h.264 to MPEG-4 in the config, and that has worked for me on the device.
MicroSD is not being read by applications
This is a common issue with tablets, and I had seen this on my Pandigital Novel. Some applications are written to only read from /sdcard, which is the internal memory on our device. microSD is /sdcard2. So this is very hit and miss. On the zPAd, they actually map the microSD to /sdcard/sdcard1, which means that apps might be able to find that easier.
EDIT 1/2011: Some of the newer mods have an SDCARD2 fix, but it could cause media files to be deleted. A possible fix (to turn this feature off) is to create an empty file on the root of your microSD and call it ".nomedia". I have not heard of problems with the very latest mods or stock ROM.
There is no Market
Some of the mods do add the Google Android Market, but even so there are very few available apps visible. There is a fairly easy way to get around this, which is documented here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=845175
My device went to sleep and now I can't bring it back to life
This is a known issue with stock / TnT Lite 1.x+ -- the only known "fix" I know, other than opening up the device, is to let the battery drain until the device shuts itself off - this should take about 24 hours. Once this happens, you should be able to power it up again and recharge it. Newer ROMs may not have this issue.
Does the device accept 32GB microSD cards?
Yes. I own a 32GB microSD so I can confirm that.
My touch screen is all wonky / I have dead zones
See this post for a possible fix: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9774374&postcount=27
Also, try this GUI version (thanks gojimi!) : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=934500
I have a zPad dock, but my Ethernet port is not working
See this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10242366#post10242366
---------------------------------------------------------------
Other General Information
Cases / accessories
So far, nothing supported but a few DIY's. We are building out a accessories section here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=843
Running a firmware update / restore
All the ROMS use a standard firmware updater that can be used by non-technical users. Here is an explanation on how it works:
There is an "update.zip" file and a recovery foder with a file called "command". To flash your firmware, you place those on the root of your device's /sdcard. So, if your device is your F: drive for example, you should see F:\update.zip and F:\recovery\command.
Then, shutdown the device and boot up by holding the power button and volume up keys simultaneously for a few seconds - once you see the recovery text pop up in the upper left side, you can let go. The update will begin and the device will reboot about a minute later. After the reboot, I would highly recommend doing a device restore as that fixes a lot of issues (Settings -- Security -- Factory Data Reset).
You can also do this on a microSD - you just need to edit the command file and change "SDCARD" to "SDCARD2". For Windows users, don't add a .txt extension on the file as that won't work. The file name needs to be called "command".
The only ROM exceptions are the fully stock ones form Viewsonic / TnT, as I haven't touched those. You can use them in clockworkmod, or get the /recovery/command file from another ROM and then rename the stock ZIP to "update.zip" and combine them.
How to wipe data with Clockworkmod recovery (thanks to short/y for writing this!)
Boot into recovery (i.e. power down the device then power it up again while holding the volume up key) until you get the message that it's booting the recovery image.
Once you see the CWM (i.e. Clockworkmod) text screen, use the volume buttons to scroll down to the entry that says "wipe data/factory reset" (on CWM 2.5.1.2 it's the 3rd entry).
Press the Home key and, on the screen that comes up, scroll down to the line that says "Yes" and hit Home.
Once it's been formatted, return to the previous screen with the Back arrow until you're on the main screen where you can continue the process (flashing or booting).
And another FAQ:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=874258 - please use this as an updated reference!
Also, this FAQ is VERY helpful: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865245
A good third-party doc on how to install the VEGAn ROM (not written by gojimi, FYI): http://www.blendblog.net/Blendblognet/tabid/36/EntryID/67/Default.aspx
or use this one, if that link is down : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=12552736#post12552736
and lastly a good FAQ on the update.zip firmware process: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892090
This post last updated March 27th 2011.
Figured I'd start doing a brain dump of what I know, so far. Assume TnT Lite 4.x, as this is what I use. But stock / zPad / cm6.1 / all other 1.1-based ROMs might also work unless noted.
Please feel free to add to this FAQ with apps tested, general information etc.
---------------------------------------------------------------
General pre-sales / new user / "should I buy this?" information
Viewsonic support site: http://www.viewsonic.com/gtablet/support.htm. Their customer service is very good and I have used them many times. The only issue i have right now is a lack of information, but I don't fault CS for that.
Should you buy this?
It's up to you, but be aware of what you are getting into. Here's a quick breakdown of what you will / won't get:
- You are basically paying for hardware that is not optimized for Android. It's fast, but it could be a lot faster and we're hoping that future updates will take advantage of that. The hardware is bleeding edge, right now.
- The LCD screen is basically a netbook screen. With that in mind certain angles are really bad. It's looks pretty good spot-on, just like a netbook.
- HDMI works, but you need a dock which is not officially available yet (there is a zPAd dock that can be purchased, overseas).
- 720p/1080p might work, but needs to be encoded a certain way.
- Standard video seems fine, in particular Xvid AVI's.
- There are issues with games, right now. Some work, some don't. Simple as that. EDIT: There is a g-sensor fix that might correct this, in certain mods.
- There's an official app store, but it's not as extensive as the full Google Market.
- Angry Birds works.
- There's no official Flash support, yet (even as of 3/2011). That may change in the future and there are ways to get an unofficial patch (see below).
- To make the device really usable, you need to mod it and will need to be familiar on how to sideload apps. This is my opinion, of course.
The mods are not supported by Viewsonic, so keep that mind!
---------------------------------------------------------------
General information on the different unofficial ROMS available
- Vanilla restore image. This is an attempt by our community to have a restore image in case your device is having issues or you need to wipe any mods off before returning it. It will wipe the system data, but not the user data. For the latter, you'd want to do a factory reset under Settings -- Firmware. The link also has links to the actual firmware updates that TnT Inc. supports.
- zPad v3. This is a port of the zPad ROM to the GTab. Rothnic has spearheaded this effort.
- VEGAn-Tab. This is still a 1.00 beta firmware to port the Advent Vega firmware to the GTab. As of March 2011, it is fairly stable and very usable. The main dev (gojimi) is working on a Gingerbread port.
- TnT Lite v4. This is a streamlined version of the stock firmware. It leaves the status bar and settings area intact, for example - but removes the main TnT homescreen and replaces it with a stock launcher. It also has the same bugs as stock.
- CyanogenMod. This is an early beta so keep that in mind - I would recommend this only for technical users. It is an attempt to port cm to the GTab. Bekit has spearheaded this effort. There are a few recent efforts, mainly for Gingerbread.
Some cm links:
IRC: #tegratab in freenode.
Forum: http://tegratab.com
Complete nvflash restore: http://db.tt/Wm25t7U
CM6.1 (Beta4): http://goo.gl/Z3jaC
3/2011 EDIT: See the development area for more ROMs as there are more than I can review, here. This site has quite literally outgrown this one FAQ I had created.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Known issues
I used clockworkmod via ROM Manager and now I get a "Magic Value Mismatch" Error
AVOID ROM MANAGER, please. As of this writing, it installs a version of clockworkmod that does NOT play nice many of the ROMs we have, and might even have issues with stock ROMs. PLEASE AVOID!!
If you get that "Magic Value Mismatch", you have soft-bricked your device and will need to use the nvflash tool to correct that. See the development area for the nvflash sticky.
Date / Time reset to 1970 after powerdown / reboot
Update your ROM to correct this -- it's a fairly old issue.
GMT +0 after every reboot
This is a known bug with orignal TnT stock and TnT Lite 1.x, which some of us have already called VS about. It's probably somewhere in the TnT Framework. This was fixed with the 11/22 TnT firmware and the subsequent TnT Lite 2.00+. If you are on stock and see this, update your ROM.
Games cannot be played because they are titled by 90 degrees
This is a known bug with stock TnT / TnT Lite. No fix from the vendor, but certain ROMs (like VEGAn and TNT Lite) have a hack for this (care of dev gojimi!)
720p / 1080p h264 video problems
My understanding is that h264 HD playback works, but only to a certain point. Basically, videos encoded in "Main" Profile work, but those with "High" Profile do not. You can use a tool like mediainfo to see how your file in encoded.
I have used the excellent Handbrake application and an iPad profile, changing h.264 to MPEG-4 in the config, and that has worked for me on the device.
MicroSD is not being read by applications
This is a common issue with tablets, and I had seen this on my Pandigital Novel. Some applications are written to only read from /sdcard, which is the internal memory on our device. microSD is /sdcard2. So this is very hit and miss. On the zPAd, they actually map the microSD to /sdcard/sdcard1, which means that apps might be able to find that easier.
EDIT 1/2011: Some of the newer mods have an SDCARD2 fix, but it could cause media files to be deleted. A possible fix (to turn this feature off) is to create an empty file on the root of your microSD and call it ".nomedia". I have not heard of problems with the very latest mods or stock ROM.
There is no Market
Some of the mods do add the Google Android Market, but even so there are very few available apps visible. There is a fairly easy way to get around this, which is documented here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=845175
My device went to sleep and now I can't bring it back to life
This is a known issue with stock / TnT Lite 1.x+ -- the only known "fix" I know, other than opening up the device, is to let the battery drain until the device shuts itself off - this should take about 24 hours. Once this happens, you should be able to power it up again and recharge it. Newer ROMs may not have this issue.
Does the device accept 32GB microSD cards?
Yes. I own a 32GB microSD so I can confirm that.
My touch screen is all wonky / I have dead zones
See this post for a possible fix: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9774374&postcount=27
Also, try this GUI version (thanks gojimi!) : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=934500
I have a zPad dock, but my Ethernet port is not working
See this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10242366#post10242366
---------------------------------------------------------------
Other General Information
Cases / accessories
So far, nothing supported but a few DIY's. We are building out a accessories section here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=843
Running a firmware update / restore
All the ROMS use a standard firmware updater that can be used by non-technical users. Here is an explanation on how it works:
There is an "update.zip" file and a recovery foder with a file called "command". To flash your firmware, you place those on the root of your device's /sdcard. So, if your device is your F: drive for example, you should see F:\update.zip and F:\recovery\command.
Then, shutdown the device and boot up by holding the power button and volume up keys simultaneously for a few seconds - once you see the recovery text pop up in the upper left side, you can let go. The update will begin and the device will reboot about a minute later. After the reboot, I would highly recommend doing a device restore as that fixes a lot of issues (Settings -- Security -- Factory Data Reset).
You can also do this on a microSD - you just need to edit the command file and change "SDCARD" to "SDCARD2". For Windows users, don't add a .txt extension on the file as that won't work. The file name needs to be called "command".
The only ROM exceptions are the fully stock ones form Viewsonic / TnT, as I haven't touched those. You can use them in clockworkmod, or get the /recovery/command file from another ROM and then rename the stock ZIP to "update.zip" and combine them.
How to wipe data with Clockworkmod recovery (thanks to short/y for writing this!)
Boot into recovery (i.e. power down the device then power it up again while holding the volume up key) until you get the message that it's booting the recovery image.
Once you see the CWM (i.e. Clockworkmod) text screen, use the volume buttons to scroll down to the entry that says "wipe data/factory reset" (on CWM 2.5.1.2 it's the 3rd entry).
Press the Home key and, on the screen that comes up, scroll down to the line that says "Yes" and hit Home.
Once it's been formatted, return to the previous screen with the Back arrow until you're on the main screen where you can continue the process (flashing or booting).
Last edited:
