$100 Ice Cream Sandwich Tablet Coming to U.S.
A new tablet with the latest Android version (Android 4.0/Android ICS) will begin its shipment in China and it would soon be available in the U.S. within the next months and its price? Less than US$100.
This tablet dubbed as Novo7 tablet has superior specifications despite the low price cost. The Novo7 tablet is a 7-inch tablet that is powered by Ingenic's JZ4770 mobile applications processor, which utilizes a 1-GHz MIPS-Based XBurst CPU. It has 2 cameras (front and back), 3D graphic capabilities, 1080p video decoding as well as an HDMI 1.3 (high-definition multimedia interface) port that is utilized to connect the tablet to H D TVs. The tablet also has Wi-Fi connectivity and USB 2.0.
In terms of battery performance, the tablet can last 8 hours for watching videos, 7 hours for browsing the web, and 6 hours when playing games. One of the tablet's defining features is the OS that it is utilizing which is the latest Android version, Android 4.0 which is also known as Android ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich). MIPS and Ingenic also added that there is a possibility that they would release an 8-inch and 9-inch screen tablets in the future. This tablet is available in China through Ainol Electronics. Once this tablet will be available in other countries, it would under different brands namely Leader International and OMG Electronics.
The Novo7 has also acquired Google certification to run Google-based applications like Google Maps, Gmail, Google Music, and Google Talk. Despite acquiring the needed certification, there could be a potential problem with this feature due to the fact that Google does not allow Android market access in China. Jen Bernier-Santarini, a spokesperson for MIPS addressed this issue through saying that "Android Market access is provided by Google through negotiations with carriers and OEMs as part of Google Mobile Services in other geographies and so Google will need to work with U.S. OEMs on this for future releases of the product." Despite this setback, users can work around this problem through accessing third-party app markets like Amazon so that they would be able to access and download more apps.
Andy Rubin, senior vice president of mobile at Google described that the company is excited with the availability of Android ICS in low-cost tablets stating that "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."
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