TechnesstivityChinese Ainovo Novo7 Tablet Is $99 And Runs Ice Cream Sandwich
Ainol’s Ainovo Novo7 is a 7-inch, Android 4.0 running tablet from China which will be distributed soon. The Tablet is powered by a special 1GHz single-core MIPS processor. It has dual cameras – one on the front and the back, supports 3D graphics, 1080p video encoding and an HDMI port to connect to HDTVs.
It’s manufactured by MIPS and Ingenic and the companies say 8-inch and 9-inch variants of the device will be coming soon. Like basic Android devices, the Novo7 comes pre-installed with Gmail, Google Talk, Google Maps and Google Music. One thing it misses is Android Market, as Google doesn’t officially provide Android Market access in China. It can however access third-party app stores like Amazon’s, where apps can be downloaded.
MIPS is a new kind of processor that battles Intel’s x86 chips and ARM’s chips and the Chinese are trying to push home-grown development instead of the reliance on western technologies. Another device running MIPS, is Velocity Micro’s Cruz at a price of $139.
At a price of $99, the Ainovo Novo7 is a breakthrough device. Most Android tablets on the market at the moment run Android 3.0 Honeycomb and cost above $250 while the inexpensive ones run Android 2.2 Froyo due to low processing power. The only device running Ice Cream Sandwich officially is Samsung and Google’s Galaxy Nexus. The Novo7 is currently avaiable at Ainovo.com
MIPS chips dominate processors used in TV, set-up boxes and other embedded devices. The company believes smartphones and tablets are an extension of that market. What do you think of the Novo7? Please leave us a comment.
Source: TechCrunch via ComputerWorld
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