G slate review
Right now two camps seem to be getting the most supporters: seven-inchers, like the Streak 7 andBlackBerry PlayBook, and 10-inchers, like the Motorola Xoom and the Apple iPad. But, sometimes weapon systems need to be a little more specialized. Sometimes the templates don’t fit, and the $530 (after rebate, on-contract) T-Mobile G-Slate by LG isn’t fitting into those categories, slotting somewhere in between with its 8.9-inch display backed with Tegra 2 graphics, 4G HSPA+ wireless, and all the oomph you want in a modern Android device. It’s a little smaller and little lighter than the 10-inchers, bigger and meatier than the sevens and, by cutting down the middle, it hits almost all the right marks.
Hardware
Out of the box the G-Slate looks like, well, any other Android tablet (especially the LG Optimus Pad). Until we start getting oblong-shaped slabs, it’s going to just keep getting more and more difficult to tell these things apart, and with a complete (but tasteful) lack of branding on the front, this machine is completely nondescript when just sitting there. It’s only the metal ring around the screen, forming the edge of the chassis with its subtle and silvery hue, that makes this tablet look a little different from the rest.
That ring of metal is, quite naturally, punctuated by numerous holes for ports and things. When holding the tablet in landscape orientation, on the bottom are one each of micro-USB and HDMI, along with six golden contacts that will mate up with a dock. Moving clockwise around the left edge we find an input for the provided AC adapter, though you can charge over micro-USB — slowly. The 3.5mm headphone jack is here as well, along with a speaker and, on top, a power button that is mostly flush and a little hard to find, but workable. Up top, on the left, is the volume rocker (also something of a challenge to locate), along with a small hole for a central microphone, and around on the right side is the other speaker.
On the back is where all that missing branding wound up, T-Mobile on top and LG on the bottom, each a light gray applique atop the darker gray plastic back. A gratuitous swipe of brushed metal bisects the thing, “with Google(TM)” engraved. We might have preferred something a little more personal. “With love, Sergey” or some such. Ultimately, it looks a lot like an overblown, perpendicular Optimus 2X.
Also on the back are not one but two HD camera holes, with a little LED flash sitting off to the side of one. They’re five megapixel each, capable of recording 1080p video when using one or 720p when you’re calling on the pair to capture in 3D. Around the other side a two megapixel shooter peeks out from behind the glass.
Those with particularly strong thumbs and determination will manage to pry off the upper portion of the plastic back, revealing a SIM card and not much else.
The plastic back definitely gives the G-Slate a somewhat less posh feel than much of the competition, but that decrease in luxeness comes with a strong benefit: it weighs 1.3lb compared to the Motorola Xoom’s 1.6. It’s just a hair thinner and about an inch shallower and, while it’s a little unfair to compare a nine-incher to a ten in these kinds of metrics, in day-to-day use we didn’t find ourselves missing that extra inch, especially since this is almost exactly as tall as the Xoom. We did, however, notice the reduced weight, and that decrease in width means it feels a bit better balanced in the hand.
Internals
The 8.9-inch, glossy, 1,280 x 768 display is a bit shorter and skinnier than the Xoom’s 10.1-inch, 1,280 x 800 display. This gives it a slightly higher pixel density and, indeed, you can tell the difference. With the Xoom, the pitch on the pixels seemed a bit broad — jagged edges appear on text and in high-contrast areas. The G-Slate’s screen definitely has a sharper, crisper look. However, it’s also rather more yellow, added warmth that we didn’t notice until putting them side by side.
Pushing the pixels is a dual-core, 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, which continues to be super trendy. It’s running at 1GHz here and keeps things moving smoothly. That’s backed by 32GB of internal storage that is not user-expandable — you can keep hating on Motorola all you like for not enabling the microSD slot by default, but at least the Xoom has one.
For connectivity, a slew of antennas are included here. There is, of course, WiFi and Bluetooth, but the G-Slate is a tri-band UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ device, meaning it’s sorta 4G right here and now.
Performance and battery life
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