First Official ICS Android Tablet: NOVO7; Endorsed by Andy Rubin, Only $99 Bucks!

[dgstorm]

Here's a bit of a surprise... even though we have seen ports on several devices, the first Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich tablet will not be what we expect. The first ICS tablet will be a $99 dollar MIPS SoC enabled tablet called the NOVO7.

Instead of the usual ARM-based chispet, the NOVO7 uses the MIPS-based XBurst processor called JZ4770, from the Chinese Ingenic Semiconductor. This chip runs at 1GHz and can handle 1080p video playback and 3D games with its Vivante GC860 GPU. Supposedly, this tech is very efficient with battery power and allows for 7 hours of browsing or 6 hours of 3D gameplay.

The tablet also has a 7" capacitive touchscreen, a USB 2.0 port, microHDMI ports, a 2MP rear camera, a front-facing camera and a microSD slot. This tablet even garnered the praise of Mr. Android himself, Andy Rubin. Here's a quote,

I’m thrilled to see the entrance of MIPS-Based Android 4.0 tablets into the market. Low cost, high performance tablets are a big win for mobile consumers and a strong illustration of how Android’s openness drives innovation and competition for the benefit of consumers around the world.

The NOVO7 tablet passed the Google Compatibility Test Suite certification. It will run pretty much all of Google's services and can handle thousands of apps from the Android Market. Even though the device is only $99 bucks, it looks like they are charging $66 bucks for shipping, which is a bit sneaky, but still worth looking at. What do you think?

You can check out their full press release at the source link below.

Source: AndroidTablets.net via First ICS Android Tablet - MIPS Based, and Sub-$100 Price Point NOVO7 - Press Release

 

[johnomaz]

Interesting though I'll wait to see a review of it from a reputable source. Nice to see another low priced competitor though.

 

[Garemlin]

I dunno. This just has "get what you pay for" written all over it. I could be wrong though.

Tap'd from my Bionic

 

[lastname_firstname]

Another? This is the cheapest tablet I've seen

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[debdroid1a]

Another? This is the cheapest tablet I've seen

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Do you mean cheapest by lowest price, or do you mean specs compared to other low priced tablets.

There was lower priced ones the day after thanksgiving. And there have been under $100 android tablets out for about a year now.

Sent from my Droid 1 using DroidForums

 

[bazar6]

If Rubin is endorsing it, I hope it isn't going to be cheaply manufactured... "available in the next several months" doesn't help much for Christmas either...