MIPS Announces $100 ICS Tablet

[Red Storm]

Available now in China. "Coming soon" stateside, but you can have it imported now for ~$160.

Between this and a Touchpad, I would probably go with this. :hmm:

http://www.ainovo.com/ - Product's official site.

So who's going to take the plunge? 😛

 

[runawayprisoner]

MIPS, a completely different architecture.

In other words, it's not ARM.

Also in other words, the current library of Android apps that run on ARM processors likely won't work. Or at least the majority of them won't.

So to sum up, why... should I care about this if it only runs the Android OS but not its apps?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

MIPS, a completely different architecture.

In other words, it's not ARM.

Also in other words, the current library of Android apps that run on ARM processors likely won't work. Or at least the majority of them won't.

So to sum up, why... should I care about this if it only runs the Android OS but not its apps?

Actually many of them should work. After all Android apps are written in java so the underlying architecture doesn't really matter provided the dalvik vm has been ported to it. Some apps do make use of native code but they should be in the minority.

This is basically the same approach MS is taking with Windows 8, encouraging developers to create apps using .NET which can then run on bouth x86 and ARM versions of the OS.

 

[Red Storm]

Hmm, I wasn't aware it wouldn't work with the majority of Android apps. That definitely explains the $100 price tag. 😉

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Hmm, I wasn't aware it wouldn't work with the majority of Android apps. That definitely explains the $100 price tag. 😉

It will work. The entire purpose of using a language like Java is so you aren't tied to a single architecture like ARM.

 

[Red Storm]

It will work. The entire purpose of using a language like Java is so you aren't tied to a single architecture like ARM.

Well then in that case consider me intrigued again. A $100 ICS tablet would make a great kid's toy.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Actually many of them should work. After all Android apps are written in java so the underlying architecture doesn't really matter provided the dalvik vm has been ported to it. Some apps do make use of native code but they should be in the minority.

This is basically the same approach MS is taking with Windows 8, encouraging developers to create apps using .NET which can then run on bouth x86 and ARM versions of the OS.

Well, certain applications, like emulators, don't rely on Dalvik VM... and I'm sure many 3D applications that rely on certain GPU-specific codes wouldn't run.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Well then in that case consider me intrigued again. A $100 ICS tablet would make a great kid's toy.

Question: What's the availability of a $100 ICS tablet from China going to do to the other makers?

Answer: Accelerate there exit from the business!


Brian

 

[upsdriver]

Question: What's the availability of a $100 ICS tablet from China going to do to the other makers?

Answer: Accelerate there exit from the business!


Brian

Just like Honda accelerated BMW's exit from the business? Consumers fall into different segment with different purchase behaviors. There is obviously a market for budget tablets as there is for high end ones. The main problem with budget tablets (and budget anything) is that the profit margins are razor thin. Not something the major players envy.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Well, certain applications, like emulators, don't rely on Dalvik VM... and I'm sure many 3D applications that rely on certain GPU-specific codes wouldn't run.

Android isn't exclusively PowerVR like iOS, instead ulp geforce, PowerVR, Adreno, and Mali gpus are all in widespread use in current generation Android devices so it is unlikely there are many apps out there with gpu specific code. Provided the gpu used in the MIPS tablet fully supports the same version of OpenGL ES as the others there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Zaap]

Question: What's the availability of a $100 ICS tablet from China going to do to the other makers?

Abso-freakin'-lutely nothing, just like the past year's crop of cheap sub-$100 Android tablets from China that no one ever heard of and fewer people buy.

This is just another forgettable POS that will be sold by the likes of Lightinthebox, or for $89 on eBay, the only difference I see is rather than crap hardware running Froyo or GB, it'll be crap hardware running a barely-functional ICS. In other words, a big yawner.

 

[soccerballtux]

Well, certain applications, like emulators, don't rely on Dalvik VM... and I'm sure many 3D applications that rely on certain GPU-specific codes wouldn't run.

hm didn't seem to know what a JavaVM is, so one up yourself by talking about OpenGL ES??? 🙁

If the games don't run it'll be because the manufacturer didn't bother to write a solid GPU hardware driver, which is very likely.
There is no such thing as "GPU-specific codes".

 

[soccerballtux]

Abso-freakin'-lutely nothing, just like the past year's crop of cheap sub-$100 Android tablets from China that no one ever heard of and fewer people buy.

This is just another forgettable POS that will be sold by the likes of Lightinthebox, or for $89 on eBay, the only difference I see is rather than crap hardware running Froyo or GB, it'll be crap hardware running a barely-functional ICS. In other words, a big yawner.

I wonder what kind of person gets these. I think its the type who buy their kids things in half-assed ways. Kid asks for an Ipad, gets super excited by the parent hinting at it, then kid gets this thing because parent was a cheapass and "it looked the same so he won't know the difference". Then kid realizes the thing is a POS and stops using it after two weeks.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I can't imagine why anyone would even remotely consider something like this. If you can't spend at least $200 on a Kindle Fire or $250 on a Nook Tablet, then don't even bother. Everything below that is just garbage and you'll hate it and feel ripped off most likely.

These Chinese tablets don't have any Google support. So you are going to have to root and add the Google apps anyway. Might as well just do that with the Kindle or Nook tablets and have something that's actually pretty good hardware with IPS display (I can't stand tablets without IPS displays).

 

[Bateluer]

I wonder what kind of person gets these. I think its the type who buy their kids things in half-assed ways. Kid asks for an Ipad, gets super excited by the parent hinting at it, then kid gets this thing because parent was a cheapass and "it looked the same so he won't know the difference". Then kid realizes the thing is a POS and stops using it after two weeks.

Back in my day, parents didn't give 500 dollar gifts at Christmas.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I can see using cheap tablets like this for universal remotes for my media center or as a dedicated device to have handy in the garage or shop for looking stuff up.

 

[luv2liv]

you get what you pay for.
i was curious what Android is all about so i got the Novo 7a. the screen is crappy. the wifi was troublesome at long range pass 2 floors. the frame creaks a little bit. so i doubt the big boys like Samsung, Asus, and Apple worry any time soon about loosing market share.
does the tablet work as advertised? yes.
is it gonna convert everyone to $100 tablet? not any time soon.

im definitely loving the 7inch size so far. much easy to carry around. i look forward to my next dentist apt with this thing than reading crappy Oprah magazines. and if i accidentally loose it, i wouldnt break a sweat.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Android isn't exclusively PowerVR like iOS, instead ulp geforce, PowerVR, Adreno, and Mali gpus are all in widespread use in current generation Android devices so it is unlikely there are many apps out there with gpu specific code. Provided the gpu used in the MIPS tablet fully supports the same version of OpenGL ES as the others there shouldn't be a problem.

I'll use a simple example: try to play a Tegra 2-specific game without Chainfire's wrapper.

hm didn't seem to know what a JavaVM is, so one up yourself by talking about OpenGL ES??? 🙁

If the games don't run it'll be because the manufacturer didn't bother to write a solid GPU hardware driver, which is very likely.
There is no such thing as "GPU-specific codes".

As above.

OpenGL ES is the library, but that doesn't mean everything is supported equally.

It's like saying Intel GMA 950 should be able to run all DX9 games without bugs...

 

[lothar]

you get what you pay for.
i was curious what Android is all about so i got the Novo 7a. the screen is crappy. the wifi was troublesome at long range pass 2 floors. the frame creaks a little bit. so i doubt the big boys like Samsung, Asus, and Apple worry any time soon about loosing market share.
does the tablet work as advertised? yes.
is it gonna convert everyone to $100 tablet? not any time soon.

im definitely loving the 7inch size so far. much easy to carry around. i look forward to my next dentist apt with this thing than reading crappy Oprah magazines. and if i accidentally loose it, i wouldnt break a sweat.

How is your HP Android treating ya?

 

[BenSkywalker]

Well, certain applications, like emulators, don't rely on Dalvik VM

Not arguing the general point you are making, but thought I would point out that almost every single emulator is trying to emulate a MIPS processor, so they actually should run a lot *better* on this device with rather minimal support.

 

[lorenzostpierre]

Currently the tablet is only available in a 7-inch screen but the press release states that 8- and 9-inch tablets are on the way. The new MIPS tablet is only available in Japan right now, but will hit the US and other countries soon.
Well i am thinking to get it.Its nice for this price.

 

[Red Storm]

I can't imagine why anyone would even remotely consider something like this. If you can't spend at least $200 on a Kindle Fire or $250 on a Nook Tablet, then don't even bother. Everything below that is just garbage and you'll hate it and feel ripped off most likely.

These Chinese tablets don't have any Google support. So you are going to have to root and add the Google apps anyway. Might as well just do that with the Kindle or Nook tablets and have something that's actually pretty good hardware with IPS display (I can't stand tablets without IPS displays).

It's cheaper than both the Fire and Nook, and already comes with ICS. And it does come with all the standard Google Apps (as well as access to the Android Market).

 

[Geekbabe]

Back in my day, parents didn't give 500 dollar gifts at Christmas.

I'd rather give something expensive that works & give myself the gift of avoiding having to provide unlimited tech support for something that doesn't work well. LOL,avoiding the job of being the tech support biatch is worth it!

 

[runawayprisoner]

Not arguing the general point you are making, but thought I would point out that almost every single emulator is trying to emulate a MIPS processor, so they actually should run a lot *better* on this device with rather minimal support.

Nope. It's actually not that simple.

It's the same reason why a ARMv9 CPU at 1GHz struggles to play some GBA games at full speed even though GBA games were written for a lesser ARM architecture running at something 2MHz.

Also the same reason why running Windows in VMWare isn't as fast as running Windows natively. Not even close.

 

[Mopetar]

Back in my day, parents didn't give 500 dollar gifts at Christmas.

Yeah, we got sticks; and if we were lucky they weren't wet. Dag nab kids these days.