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First Android ICS tablet NOVO7 is based on MIPS processor, costs $99, and is endorsed by Andy Rubin

First Android ICS tablet NOVO7 is based on MIPS processor, costs $99, and is endorsed by Andy Rubin

Posted: 05 Dec 2011, 09:03, by Daniel P.

Categories: Android Android Tablets Tablets

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First Android ICS tablet NOVO7 is based on MIPS processor, costs $99, and is endorsed by Andy Rubin

Silicon from the Californian MIPS Technology is powering a 7" tablet that runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich and can be yours for $99 plus $66 shipping charges. This breaks three milestones right there - the sub-$100 barrier, the first with Android ICS, and the first non-ARM ICS slate with MIPS SoC.

NOVO7 Android tablet with ICS

The NOVO7 slate uses the MIPS-based XBurst processor from the Chinese Ingenic Semiconductor, called JZ4770. The SoC runs at 1GHz and includes the Vivante GC860 GPU, which allows for 1080p video playback and 3D games. The tablet maker claims 7 hours of web browsing and six hours of gaming with the chunky ICS slate, due to the power-sipping MIPS technology.

Chinese Android tablets are a dime a dozen, and, although this one is listed with a 7" capacitive touchscreen, USB 2.0 port and microHDMI ports, as well as 2MP rear camera and a front-facing one, it is probably still a clunker, if history is any indication.

What piqued our interest though is that Google's Andy Rubin himself seems to be satisfied with this development that not only breaks the $100 tablet barrier, but is also the first tablet to officially be sold with Android ICS onboard:

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.

After this lavish endorsement it is no surprise that the NOVO7 tablet has passed the Google Compatibility Test Suite certification, and is ready to run Google's services as well as the thousands of apps on Android Market - it comes with Spiderman preinstalled. Still, no data is given for the screen resolution and the internal memory, so we wouldn't expect wonders in those areas, but the $99 slate does offer a microSD card slot for good measure.

Press Release

MIPS Technologies and Ingenic Semiconductor Announce Availability of World’s First Android™ ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ Tablet

1GHz, Low-Power Tablet Sets New Market Standard at Sub-$100 Price Point

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - December 5, 2011 - MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS), a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications, and Ingenic Semiconductor, a leading China-based CPU provider for mobile multimedia applications, today announced worldwide availability of the world's first tablet based on Android ^TM 4.0, known as 'Ice Cream Sandwich', that is retailing for less than $100 (U.S). The tablet is powered by Ingenic's JZ4770 mobile applications processor, which leverages a MIPS-Based^TM XBurst^TM CPU running at 1GHz.

According to Andy Rubin, senior vice president of mobile at Google, "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 new Android 4.0 tablet is available in China and online through Ainol Electronics Co., Ltd. It will be available in the United States and other geographies within the next several months under brands from companies including Leader International Inc. and OMG Electronics Ltd.

The new tablet is available with a 7" capacitive multi-touch screen. 8" and 9" form factors will be available soon. All versions include support for WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, HDMI 1.3 and microSD, as well as 3D graphics with the Vivante GC860 GPU, 1080p video decoding and dual front/rear cameras. The XBurst processor's power-efficient architecture provides extended battery life-the 7" tablet draws less than 400mA during active web browsing.

"We are pleased to join with MIPS to announce these breakthrough high-performance, low-power, low-cost Android 4.0 tablets. Combining the elegance of the MIPS architecture and Ingenic's innovation in processor design, we are bringing a new level of processor technology to mobile devices. As we continue to collaborate with MIPS to broaden the mobile ecosystem around the legendary MIPS architecture, we anticipate even broader proliferation of our devices worldwide. We believe the mobile world will be more versatile and colorful with another processor joining in," said Qiang Liu, chairman and CEO, Ingenic Semiconductor.

"The openness of Android is enabling a new level of connectedness and interaction between devices and between people across the globe. We are excited to be a part of the Android ecosystem delivering on that vision. We applaud Ingenic's accomplishment in developing this new high-performance, feature-rich Android 4.0 tablet, and offering it at a price point that makes it widely accessible. We look forward to teaming with Ingenic as it continues to develop MIPS-Based mobile innovations," said Sandeep Vij, president and CEO, MIPS Technologies.

Ingenic JZ4770 SoC

The Ingenic JZ4770 SoC inside of the new tablet is one of the first MIPS-Based systems-on-chips (SoCs) targeted for mobile devices that delivers 1GHz+ frequency, increasingly a requirement for tablets and other devices that incorporate rich multimedia and high-performance applications/functionality. The JZ4770 SoC is powered by a MIPS32 compatible XBurst CPU designed by Ingenic. The XBurst CPU core adopts an innovative ultra-low-power pipelining architecture which consumes less than 90mW in 1GHz (with L1 cache), and the entire SOC consumes ~250mW with the CPU and video engine operating under full load. In addition to the XBurst CPU, the JZ4770 SoC integrates an optimized 1080p video processing engine, OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics processing unit from Vivante Corp. and numerous on-chip analog and application blocks such as audio codecs and GPS.

Pricing and Availability

Ingenic's JZ4770 SoC for Android 4.0 tablets is available now. The new Android 4.0 tablet is available in China and online through Ainol Electronics Co., Ltd. at www.ainovo.com. The 7" tablet retails for less than $100 (U.S.) non-subsidized. The tablet will be available in other geographies within the next several months. For more information, visit http://en.ingenic.cn/.

About Ingenic

Ingenic Semiconductor was founded in Beijing in 2005 to develop innovative processor technology. Based on the MIPS architecture, Ingenic designs its own CPU core called XBurst. The XBurst CPU adopts an innovative micro-architecture which consumes very little power under high performance. Powered by the XBurst CPU, the company's JZ47xx series application processors are widely deployed in embedded devices and consumer electronic products including PMPs, educational electronic devices, eBooks, biometrics and more, with more than 30 million units shipped to-date. For more information, visit http://www.ingenic.cn/.

About MIPS Technologies, Inc.

MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS) is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications. The MIPS architecture powers some of the world's most popular products, including broadband devices from Linksys, DTVs and digital consumer devices from Sony, DVD recordable devices from Pioneer, digital set-top boxes from Motorola, network routers from Cisco, 32-bit microcontrollers from Microchip Technology and laser printers from Hewlett-Packard. Founded in 1998, MIPS Technologies is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices worldwide. For more information, contact (408) 530-5000 or visit www.mips.com.

Follow MIPS on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, RSS and Twitter.

MIPS, MIPS32 and MIPS-Based are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and other countries of MIPS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks referred to herein are the property of their respective owners. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

source: MIPSTechnologies, Ainovo via AndroidCentral

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1. ZEUS.the.thunder.god posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:09 5 0

sounds very interesting for this price

2. tacohunter posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:14 2 5

$99 that's €74. This is so cheap.

5. Giggity posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:33 6 1

Let's not overlook the $66 shipping charge

12. xmusicianguy posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:24 1 3

" 1.
*
o NOVO7NOVO7$99.00
o Item number: 001
o Item price: $99.00
o Quantity: 1

* Item total$99.00
*
Shipping and handling loading...$60.00

* Total $159.00 USD

"

I'm not paying that. maybe when it fully comes state-side it will be cheaper. I'm not paying $60 for shipping.

15. Giggity posted on 05 Dec 2011, 12:20 2 0

Did I mention 99% of the time shipping is nonrefundable?

This comment is posted in response to #12 Show

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3. Habib posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:20 2 0

WAIT 1GHz what? dual core or single core :/?

well logically, the ice cream sandwich is optimized for dual cores but it would be really nice to clear that up on the article :D! though, it would be surprising to see a single core run android 4.0!! and my Lg revolution would get a taste of it

4. kshell1 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:27 2 0

dude i doubt the revolution will ever get ics.

8. taz89 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:38 1 0

the nexus s is single core and is going to get ics..all 1ghz single core will be capable of ics its just whether the oem's want to upgrade it and sadly you chose a lg phone out of the millions of android devices

13. mad5870 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:33 1 0

My eris can run ICS for the most part. and we all know thats a single core

14. kshell1 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 12:14 0 0

its an LG phone thats why i say it wont get it. otherwise it could run it but as i said its LG but maybe if youre lucky XDA will port it to your phone if you root it. LG has a horrible history of updates

16. hunted posted on 05 Dec 2011, 12:54 0 0

i believe even arc s will get updated to ics

This comment is posted in response to #14 Show

This comment is posted in response to #14 Hide

21. networkdood posted on 05 Dec 2011, 15:23 0 0

My Captivate is running on ICS 4.0.1. Works pretty nice.

6. Muhannad posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:33 2 0

I would really want to get one of these but I don't understand if Andy Rubin recommended this tablet just because it's the first with ICS or because it's actually good.

7. ore123 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:33 0 0

nexus s will run ICS

9. -RVM- posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:41 0 0

If this tablet is really based on MIPS processor, it will be really interesting to compare its performance with traditional ARM-based tablets. This also proves, that u don't have to port Android apps for different CPU architectures, as they are real-time interpreted anyway.

10. Bluesky02 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:03 0 0

Need more info about its CPU/GPU and some benchmarking.

11. Muhannad posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:19 0 0

On GSMArena.com, it was indicated that it's resolution might be a WVGA.

17. droidguy2323 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:10 0 0

So how can htc,samsung,asus,and acer combat this when it hits state side really. Even Amazon is gonna catch if this thing getting the proper marketing.

18. kshell1 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:13 0 0

they will combat it easily. for one its only a wvga screen which means massive pixelation on a 7 in screen. a single core processor in the beginning of the quad core era and a 444mhz gpu in the age of mali-400 and powervr. this tablet is extremely outdated except for ics which is truely the only value in this package

19. samda posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:16 0 0

ICS can run just fine on a decent single core processor, likely even smoother than gingerbread

20. jibraihimi posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:41 0 0

Full HD on single core 1ghz processor??? So all the manufacturers were making us fool, since starting of this yr. that Full HD playback require at least dual core processors................. Well most of the specs of this device is outdated but then also at this price point and with ICS and endorsement by Andy Rubin, this gonna be a killer device..........!!!

22. DigitalMD posted on 05 Dec 2011, 17:23 0 0

I'm waiting for the totally voice controlled Jellybean Android 5

23. DigitalMD posted on 05 Dec 2011, 17:24 0 0

Yeah, HD playback has nothing to do with dual core anything. Its the GPU that handles video so a single core with a GPU is just fine, peachy, easy smozzie.

24. belovedson posted on 05 Dec 2011, 22:50 1 0

chinese maker android anything = garbage

25. dalek posted on 10 Feb 2012, 09:50 0 0

yeah, just like anything made in China, like the iPhone...it is made in China, by Chinese. Lumping anything together in a general biased assumption is idiotic.

I bought one of the Novo7 tablets and it is a good cheap device for my kids, and shipping was (is as of today from Pandawill) FREE...so it's still only $107. It took 3 weeks to receive from Singapore (free shipping rate). It was preloaded with 90% Chinese apps, so I deleted them and installed many English version apps. Biggest issue was that the Android Market (english) was not pre-installed, so I had to get the apk file and manually install it, but once it was installed...functions fine. And HD video runs great and looks great.

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First Android ICS tablet NOVO7 is based on MIPS processor, costs $99, and is endorsed by Andy Rubin

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25 Comments Follow Following

1. ZEUS.the.thunder.god posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:09 5 0

2. tacohunter posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:14 2 5

5. Giggity posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:33 6 1

12. xmusicianguy posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:24 1 3

15. Giggity posted on 05 Dec 2011, 12:20 2 0

3. Habib posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:20 2 0

4. kshell1 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:27 2 0

8. taz89 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:38 1 0

13. mad5870 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:33 1 0

14. kshell1 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 12:14 0 0

16. hunted posted on 05 Dec 2011, 12:54 0 0

21. networkdood posted on 05 Dec 2011, 15:23 0 0

6. Muhannad posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:33 2 0

7. ore123 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:33 0 0

9. -RVM- posted on 05 Dec 2011, 10:41 0 0

10. Bluesky02 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:03 0 0

11. Muhannad posted on 05 Dec 2011, 11:19 0 0

17. droidguy2323 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:10 0 0

18. kshell1 posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:13 0 0

19. samda posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:16 0 0

20. jibraihimi posted on 05 Dec 2011, 13:41 0 0

22. DigitalMD posted on 05 Dec 2011, 17:23 0 0

23. DigitalMD posted on 05 Dec 2011, 17:24 0 0

24. belovedson posted on 05 Dec 2011, 22:50 1 0

25. dalek posted on 10 Feb 2012, 09:50 0 0

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