Pricing
There’s some tricky math going on, so let’s get the pricing information straightened up right away:
– If you buy the tablet unsubsidized, it costs $750.
– If you buy the tablet and agree to a two-year data plan at between $30 and $85 per month, it costs $630.
– If you buy the tablet and agree to a two-year data plan at between $30 and $85 per month AND you add voice service OR you’re already a T-Mobile customer with voice service, it costs $630 and you can send in for a $100 mail-in rebate card.
– Data plans are as follows: $30 per month for 200 megabytes, $50 per month for five gigabytes, or $85 per month for 10 gigabytes. The five and 10 gigabyte plans don’t have overage charges but once you go past your data allotment, T-Mobile can slow your connection speeds down. The 200 megabyte plan has overage fees of 10 cents per additional megabyte.
– If you’re already a T-Mobile voice customer, you can save 20% off the monthly data plan—so between $24 and $68 per month instead of $30 and $85 per month.
See all that? That’s why tablets shouldn’t be sold by wireless carriers.
Hardware
The G-Slate is stocked with similar hardware as the rest of the new Android tablets on or coming soon to the market—Motorola Xoom, Acer A500, Asus Transformer, to name a few—but it claims three distinct differences: a 4G connection, the ability to take 3D photos, and an 8.9-inch screen.
I think the 8.9-inch form factor is the perfect size for a tablet. In the G-Slate’s case, it’s big enough to sport a 1280×768 screen but small enough to hold in one hand. Battery life lasts around eight hours, and the G-Slate weighs 1.3 pounds but doesn’t feel too unwieldy or heavy. I shall call her Goldilocks.
From left to right: the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, the 8.9-inch T-Mobile G-Slate, and the 9.7-inch iPad.