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AmericanDane · 10-26-2011, 01:10 PM

I just received a Viewsonic Viewbook. So as comparisons I have a pocket edge (ermine), Nook Color (CM7.1), gTablet (C&C 2.2 1.5) and the new Viewbook 730.
Maybe I'll get the motivation to do a thorough comparison of the 7" devices, but here's what i noticed so far:
The VB730 is the poorest build of the 3 7" devices above. In shape and format it's very similar to the Nook Color but not nearly as solid. The Edge can't be beat for carrying around and banging around.
The VB730 has 4 things (that I know of so far) the Nook Color doesn't: 1. A camera. 2. HDMI output. 3. You can use a stylus to draw on pictures - although this might be more of a software thing as I'm not sure what kind of screen the VB730 has. 4. Fully functioning Bluetooth.
The Nook Color has things the VB730 doesn't have: 1. That higher res, beautiful, IPS screen. 2. A very active development community. 3. multi-touch, smooth as silk.
The Pocket Edge has things neither of these devices have: 1. separate ink reader. 2. Best packaging and case in the world. 3. Best wireless signal of the 3. But the edge has some weaknesses and the biggest has to be the screen on the tablet side.

I was really looking forward to the VB730 but, at this point, I'm a little disappointed. Viewsonic, as they did with the g Tablet, took a pretty good piece of hardward and managed to get some high school kids to build the firmware for it. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but, seriously, even though it's 2.2 android and pretty modern hardware, the applications it comes with seem clunky. To be fair, the Nook Color offered nothing other than reading and a crippled email capability in stock, and even the PE stock software isn't very good. Unfortunately, so far, I see no one has built a custom rom and souped this puppy up.

If I had to buy one of these today, it would be a Nook Color because of the screen primarily. If the PE could have an improved tablet screen it would win. If the VB730 gets a smoother and slicker rom implementation it could win because of it's expanded capabilities like HDMI and the camera (skype video is a big issue with me).

If you like the feel of quality then the NC or PE are your devices - and maybe the Kindle Fire will make all of this totally irrelevant as if someone gets a custom rom onto the fire, it should be the tablet of choice for most (I think).

10-26-2011, 01:10 PM	#68
AmericanDane Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Pocket Edge	I just received a Viewsonic Viewbook. So as comparisons I have a pocket edge (ermine), Nook Color (CM7.1), gTablet (C&C 2.2 1.5) and the new Viewbook 730. Maybe I'll get the motivation to do a thorough comparison of the 7" devices, but here's what i noticed so far: The VB730 is the poorest build of the 3 7" devices above. In shape and format it's very similar to the Nook Color but not nearly as solid. The Edge can't be beat for carrying around and banging around. The VB730 has 4 things (that I know of so far) the Nook Color doesn't: 1. A camera. 2. HDMI output. 3. You can use a stylus to draw on pictures - although this might be more of a software thing as I'm not sure what kind of screen the VB730 has. 4. Fully functioning Bluetooth. The Nook Color has things the VB730 doesn't have: 1. That higher res, beautiful, IPS screen. 2. A very active development community. 3. multi-touch, smooth as silk. The Pocket Edge has things neither of these devices have: 1. separate ink reader. 2. Best packaging and case in the world. 3. Best wireless signal of the 3. But the edge has some weaknesses and the biggest has to be the screen on the tablet side. I was really looking forward to the VB730 but, at this point, I'm a little disappointed. Viewsonic, as they did with the g Tablet, took a pretty good piece of hardward and managed to get some high school kids to build the firmware for it. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but, seriously, even though it's 2.2 android and pretty modern hardware, the applications it comes with seem clunky. To be fair, the Nook Color offered nothing other than reading and a crippled email capability in stock, and even the PE stock software isn't very good. Unfortunately, so far, I see no one has built a custom rom and souped this puppy up. If I had to buy one of these today, it would be a Nook Color because of the screen primarily. If the PE could have an improved tablet screen it would win. If the VB730 gets a smoother and slicker rom implementation it could win because of it's expanded capabilities like HDMI and the camera (skype video is a big issue with me). If you like the feel of quality then the NC or PE are your devices - and maybe the Kindle Fire will make all of this totally irrelevant as if someone gets a custom rom onto the fire, it should be the tablet of choice for most (I think).