SD Use under GB & HC - Please carify

[Stringrazor]

After 4 days with a Vtab (Gingerbread, Vizio .57) and reading through forums, I think I've caught up on most of what's going on (and unfortunately, what's NOT going on) with this tablet. I have until late July to decide whether or not it's a keeper. So far, I've been postponing the update nag. One thing I'm still hazy on is SD usage under GB and how it's been changed under HC. Would someone kindly explain?

 

[J515OP]

The short answer is under GB (on Vizio) you can't put apps or their data on the SD card. Under ICS you can move apps and their data onto the SD card (which can be much larger than the internal space) to free up the internal space.

This is despite the fact that generally moving apps to the SD card was allowed under GB and not ICS so Vizio has been backwards on this but now in a good way

 

[Stringrazor]

Thanks, I was just about to post: nevermind - Vizio Vtab 1008 and the external SD Card | RDTK

I now understand that /sdcard is actually a mount point for the file system on an internal 2.4GB memory partition and that /sdcard/external is the mount point for a file system on the actual SD card.

The 2nd part of my question remains unanswered: How has this changed under HC?


Now that I understand the GB SD mount issue, it adds a (-1) point for keeping as a GB tablet. I suppose I should allow the HC update sooner rather than later. If I hate HC on the VTab, I still have until late July to return it to CostCo.

 

[wlellis]

After 4 days with a Vtab (Gingerbread, Vizio .57) and reading through forums, I think I've caught up on most of what's going on (and unfortunately, what's NOT going on) with this tablet. I have until late July to decide whether or not it's a keeper. So far, I've been postponing the update nag. One thing I'm still hazy on is SD usage under GB and how it's been changed under HC. Would someone kindly explain?

I don't fully understand mount points and such, but I do know that under the original Android (Gingerbread?) the plug-in SD card could only be used for storing pictures, music, etc. Under the upgraded Android (Honeycomb), you can now freely move most apps to the SD card, thereby giving you a whole lot more room for applications. To me it is a no-brainer to go with the upgrade.

 

[Conspirator]

Mount points are just like partitioned drives on a pc. You can have your C: (Main) and D: (Backup/Restore) on your My Computer window list but only have 1 HDD. The internal drive under GB is partitioned into 2 sections, System and apps and the SD is mounted into these, screwing up drive access to only allow media hosting on card.

Under HC, the drive structure has been fixed giving you 3 seperate section, Internal Memory, Core system, and SD. Now I believe /sdcard is the SD Card, /_ is the core, and /Internal is the apps default location. With HC you can go into setting>apps and change the system setting to Default location of apps from Internal to SD card and the system will automatically move your apps for you. The one hiccup that a few on here complain about is with apps on the SD, there are 2 loads when the system starts. The first is the internal drive loading its apps, then about 30 seconds later another loading tag will appears as the SD card apps load.

 

[Stringrazor]

I don't fully understand mount points and such, but I do know that under the original Android (Gingerbread?) the plug-in SD card could only be used for storing pictures, music, etc. Under the upgraded Android (Honeycomb), you can now freely move most apps to the SD card, thereby giving you a whole lot more room for applications. To me it is a no-brainer to go with the upgrade.

The reduced usable screen size and loss of bezel button use doesn't bother you at all?

Mount points are just like partitioned drives on a pc. You can have your C: (Main) and D: (Backup/Restore) on your My Computer window list but only have 1 HDD. The internal drive under GB is partitioned into 2 sections, System and apps and the SD is mounted into these, screwing up drive access to only allow media hosting on card.

Under HC, the drive structure has been fixed giving you 3 seperate section, Internal Memory, Core system, and SD. Now I believe /sdcard is the SD Card, /_ is the core, and /Internal is the apps default location. With HC you can go into setting>apps and change the system setting to Default location of apps from Internal to SD card and the system will automatically move your apps for you. The one hiccup that a few on here complain about is with apps on the SD, there are 2 loads when the system starts. The first is the internal drive loading its apps, then about 30 seconds later another loading tag will appears as the SD card apps load.

Nice explanation, thanks!

 

[james23p]

"The reduced usable screen size and loss of bezel button use doesn't bother you at all?"

No the small amount lost still makes this tab bigger than a 7 inch. Plus I found the bezel buttons to be slow to respond sometimes at best. The HC screen buttons are alot more responsive and useful. Plus I find the Vtab to be faster and more stable in HC than GB and the ability to move apps to the SD card is a huge upgrade.

Jim

 

[sora72]

I agree with Jim.

 

[IndyOne]

The reduced usable screen size and loss of bezel button use doesn't bother you at all?

Not in the least for me. The good the HC upgrade brought far outweighs those two minor issues.

 

[wlellis]

The reduced usable screen size and loss of bezel button use doesn't bother you at all?

Not in the least - to me being able to have a significant number of apps on the tablet far outweighs what to me is a fairly minor cosmetic glitch.

 

[10amla]

The lost screen area also provides a bit more than the soft buttons, the popup menu(tapping on the battery icon) allows access to settings and some toggles. Also context menu items also will show up depending on the context, go figure. For example if you are typing a keyboard menu is available.

 

[HilltopStudios]

I hated those bezel buttons from the start. I was was accidentally hitting them while reading in bed every time I shifted my grip. I not only don't miss them, I'm glad to see them gone.

 

[Nimble1]

Wow..I can't believe that there are so many users that are happy with the HC upgrade! I was beginning to think I was the only one..LOL. To me the buttons were neat but not a deal-breaker and the ease of moving apps to the SD card is great. I am very happy with my tablet and use it almost daily even with a laptop and a desktop in the house.

 

[ktackel]

Totally agree, the HC update for me was like getting a new, more responsive tablet. Do it!

 

[Stringrazor]

How large us the update download? How long does it take to initialize after it downloads?