We’ve got an Aigo AigoPad N700 here that has kindly been sent over by Think4Mobile in the UK. It’s a preview model and something that may, or may not, make it to European markets. Given the rough seas right now and the specs of the N700, we’re not sure it has the right stuff to succeed. See our article below and the video at the end for more information.
Android 2.1 on ARM11 with 800×480 and no Google Market/Apps is a surprisingly low-quality combination, especially compared to the build quality and looks of the AigoPad which say so much more. Capacative touch is there and it has a nice ruberised back that I’d love to see on the Galaxy Tab. A magnetic charging port and even 3G is included [The model we have is CDMA /EVDO for the U.S. market so we’re unable to test that bit.] but even if the OS was upgraded to 2.2 with Google Market, the 800×480 screen and ARM11 processor just wouldn’t cut it in the market today unless the price was amazingly low.
Admittedly, there aren’t any 3G-enabled low-cost tablets in the European market right now but given that Viewsonic will likely reduce its Viewpad 7 price very soon to give it breathing space from the Galaxy Tab, that niche might be filled very quickly. Even so, the ARM11 niche isn’t going to last long as features and applications on Android demand ARMv7 architecture and multi-core platforms date it even further.
The N700 appears to have one thing on its side…battery life. Aigo have dropped a 4250mah battery into this thing and I havent charged it for 4 days. Admittedly it was on standby (bluetooth and Wifi on) for 3 of those days but I was extremely surprised to see it still running – with 50% battery. After another day of testing (about 3hrs) we’re only down to 36% battery. This could be the most power-efficient tabelt i’ve ever tested so if you’re looking for that as a feature, here it is!
Notes:
Mono loudspeaker is loud and good
Screen has some fading at angles
WVGA is noticeable on test having used the Galaxy Tab for 4 months!
Button hardware: solid
No Wifi-N support
Browser fixed to landscape mode
GPS, accelerometer included
Sideloading of many apps works without problem
3mm longer than a Galaxy Tab (same width)
About 1mm thicker
Brightness – good range but nothing new
No docking port, no hdmi
Platform doesn’t support 720p decoding
Only supplied charger worked despite it being a USB cable.
No search button
No camera
Overall I’m impressed with what Aigo have done in terms of engineering but the total package misses the mark for developed countries in Q1 2011. We’ll definately keep an eye on Aigo though.
Update: Think4it Solutions tell us that they will be putting the N700 on the back-burner for the time being as Aigo have just revealed a 2.2, ARMv7 version (likely Cortex A8) with european 3G support that is planned for an April launch.We’ll stay in touch in because a low-cost Cortex-based device is exactly what’s needed. Fingers crossed for 1024×600!
Google confirmed last Friday that they are hosting a press event on Wednesday to discuss their upcoming Android Honeycomb release and share some details on the future of the Android ecosystem. While manufacturers have already detailed their upcoming Honeycomb powered devices at CES in Vegas, Google have yet to share any detailed information about Honeycomb itself other than teasing developers with a preview SDK. So, other than an in-depth look at the Honeycomb release what else can we expect tomorrow? I’ve put together a few ideas of my own to bring you some predictions below.
Android Market Web Client
This was first teased at Google I/O 2010 by Google’s Vic Gundotra. This will bring a simple but comprehensive Android Market experience to users that has not been designed to comply with the limitations of the mobile form factor. Simply visit the Android Market on your computers web browser, find new applications and watch them automatically download to your Android device. Much like the recent device client update, I’d expect this to work on device running Android 1.6 or greater.
Android Music Player
Another product that was demonstrated at Google I/O 2010 was a significantly improved music player. Not only does the application have an overhauled user interface that’s similar to the Gallery application the improved application will have the ability to stream music from any computer that has a special music streaming application installed. Watch a hands-on of a leaked early build of the application below.
Android Market Paypal Support
It seems like a long time since Paypal accidentally blogged about Android Market gaining Paypal support, that’s because it was a very long time! When Paypal does eventually launch within the Android Market not only will it provide another mechanism for users to purchase applications it might benefit users living in countries not fortunate enough to have paid application support as Google may look to benefit from Paypal’s 90 million customers and roll out the Android Market to more countries.
Google Certification
One question that always crops up with newly announced products is “does it have Android market? inch. Now that Android has officially expanded to both tablets, TVs and has Google’s full blessing expect greater diversity in devices that carry the Google logo. Previously, for a device to be Google certified and carry the Android Market it needed to fall into the phone category. Since Google is expanding into the tablet business expect Android devices in all sorts of shapes and sizes to now carry the Google logo and provide users with the true Google experience they expect to see on their Android device. Maybe we might even see the long rumoured WiFi-only Galaxy Tab launch soon.
This is just a small portion of some of the Android Ecosystem updates I expect we might see tomorrow however I know many users would be more than happy to see something simple like the elusive Nexus One 2.3 over the air update!
Tune into youtube.com/android from 10AM PST / 6PM GMT to watch the event live.
Google confirmed last Friday that they are hosting a press event on Wednesday to discuss their upcoming Android Honeycomb release and share some details on the future of the Android ecosystem. While manufacturers have already detailed their upcoming Honeycomb powered devices at CES in Vegas, Google have yet to share any detailed information about Honeycomb itself other than teasing developers with a preview SDK. So, other than an in-depth look at the Honeycomb release what else can we expect tomorrow? I’ve put together a few ideas of my own to bring you some predictions below.
Android Market Web Client
This was first teased at Google I/O 2010 by Google’s Vic Gundotra. This will bring a simple but comprehensive Android Market experience to users that has not been designed to comply with the limitations of the mobile form factor. Simply visit the Android Market on your computers web browser, find new applications and watch them automatically download to your Android device. Much like the recent device client update, I’d expect this to work on device running Android 1.6 or greater.
Android Music Player
Another product that was demonstrated at Google I/O 2010 was a significantly improved music player. Not only does the application have an overhauled user interface that’s similar to the Gallery application the improved application will have the ability to stream music from any computer that has a special music streaming application installed. Watch a hands-on of a leaked early build of the application below.
Android Market Paypal Support
It seems like a long time since Paypal accidentally blogged about Android Market gaining Paypal support, that’s because it was a very long time! When Paypal does eventually launch within the Android Market not only will it provide another mechanism for users to purchase applications it might benefit users living in countries not fortunate enough to have paid application support as Google may look to benefit from Paypal’s 90 million customers and roll out the Android Market to more countries.
Google Certification
One question that always crops up with newly announced products is “does it have Android market?”. Now that Android has officially expanded to both tablets, TVs and has Google’s full blessing expect greater diversity in devices that carry the Google logo. Previously, for a device to be Google certified and carry the Android Market it needed to fall into the phone category. Since Google is expanding into the tablet business expect Android devices in all sorts of shapes and sizes to now carry the Google logo and provide users with the true Google experience they expect to see on their Android device. Maybe we might even see the long rumoured WiFi-only Galaxy Tab launch soon.
This is just a small portion of some of the Android Ecosystem updates I expect we might see tomorrow however I know many users would be more than happy to see something simple like the elusive Nexus One 2.3 over the air update!
Tune into youtube.com/android from 10AM PST / 6PM GMT to watch the event live.
JKK (JKKMobile), Chippy (Carrypad) and special guest Al Sutton (Funky Android) talk in depth about Honeycomb and some of the tablet and netbook news from the last 2 weeks including Fusion, WebOS and Galaxy Tab 2
Progress is inevitable and yes, I suppose ‘evolution is fate.’ In this world of manufacturers and companies pushing for 12 month device churn and with platforms improving to offer a quicker route to market we can expect the pace to quicken but if you’re one of the ones in that area between purchase and 6 months ownership when that evolution is announced, it hurts!
In this case, Samsung look to be announcing the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 at MWC under the banner ‘evolution is fate’ which, for about 1.2-1.5 million people could hurt badly. Unless of course, the Galaxy Tab 2 isn’t a 7 inch device. If it’s the 10 inch device that was previously promised then everyone will be happy. ‘Galaxy’ as a brand carries a lot of weight, the original Tab proved that it was a quality device and with Samsung themselves able to call on class-leading in-house technology and a new tablet-focused operating system, you know that this is going to be something special.
The news comes from Samsung Hub (article seems to have been pulled) via JKKMobile
It would be silly of HTC not to consider bringing an Android Tablet to the market. They’ve done a few tablet-like devices in the past but with the 7-10 inch consumer tablet sector booming, this is one that could set some seriously big sales numbers, especially given the maturity of Sense, HTCs well-respected user interface, utilities and applications suite. Looking at the rumored specs I see strong competition for the Galaxy Tab but there’s lots more to find out before it can be recommended.
Of course, price is unknown along with size, weight, battery life and all the other important things you need to know to make a decision. We’re hoping they will be revealed/leaked during MWC or CeBIT at the latest. With lots of people talking about dual-core, don’t get led into thinking it’s yesterdays CPU. Dual-core means less battery life under load, more cost and that GPU could outperform the one on the Galaxy Tab. A 3.0 upgrade should also be taken into consideration.
Think4it Solutions have just sent over an Aigo N700 that they are testing with a view to distributing in the UK. The N700 already sells in China and with 3G, it sells for, I’m told, around $300. Running on an unspecified Qualcomm platform at 600mhz it isn’t the fastest device and I’ve managed to determine that it is an older ARMv6 core which means it’s similar in build to the Viewpad 7. Where the Viewpad 7 has Google approval though, the N700 doesn’t and that means no Market, no Gmail, no Google sync. An 800×480 screen also outs it at the budget level and when you consider that it has an Android 2.1 build, you wonder how this will compete on anything but price. The build quality and look of the device are good but I’m really looking for a unique selling point. With the Viewpad 7 covering the lost cost 3G / Google approved market and the Archos 70 covering the low cost, high performance non 3G market the only place the N700 would have fitted is with 3g + ARMv7 either with or without Google Market to sit between the surprisingly large space between the Archos 70 and the Galaxy Tab. With Viewsonics next 7-er looking like it might slot in there, I’m doubting the Aigo N700 will fit anywhere unless it comes in at a super bargain-basement price.
I’ll give this some time over the weekend and let you know more next week but for the time being I have to say ‘hold-off.’
If there’s one thing that gets me going it’s a mobile device with great audio features. I love music discovery, mobility and quality. The fewer wires, the better. The Creative ZiiO 7 and 10 inch devices have just such a feature and having tested it at CES I can say that I’m now a fan of APT-X and I want to integrate an Android tablet into my lounge Hi-Fi as soon as possible. I’m not sure the Creative ZiiO tablets are the hardware I’d use though.
APT-X is a brand of licensed codec that can be used over the A2DP Bluetooth profile to provide CD-Quality output. The default A2DP profile (SBC) falls short of that, and it’s noticeable. Obviously APT-X is an optional, licensed codec and you won’t find it on many Bluetooth implementations but I’m hoping it feeds its way into more stacks as soon as possible.
The ZiiO Tablets themselves are somewhat sub-par. The screen is dull, includes resistive touch, there’s no Google Market and while the device might be cased in rugged plastic, it looks and feels low-quality. I wrote about them previously and even then, when information was thin on the ground, the standout feature was APT-X. The price of €249 for the 7 inch version is reasonable for a Cortex A8 device and Creative have added some nice A/V software but without the Google market and with the screen issues, you might be disappointed. The UK sales page is here. Admittedly, the 10 inch version (€350) does look better and when it gets an Android 2.2 upgrade, might be worth taking a second look, as long as you don’t mind a resistive touchscreen.
I tested the ZiiO 7 with the Creative WP-300 headphones that also support APT-X. The quality and comfort surprised me. The quality also carries on through the Creative Speakers and this is obviously the key feature. There’s a unique selling point here and it’s all to do with music around the home. I like that idea but I hope Creative bump up the quality of those tablets to match what I heard. Maybe products based on the SiVO Digital Home Platform (announced at CES) will be better.
Interestingly, I tested the WP-300 headphones with the Galaxy Tab while I was on the stand and I thought the quality was good despite not supporting APT-X. (At least as far as I know.) I’ve never spent $90 on a pair of headphones before but they sounded so good that I’m very tempted. If the Galaxy Tab gets APT-X support in it’s next firmware, I’ll be pushing the button for sure.
