World’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet released
The world’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet has gone on sale with Chinese manufacturer Ainovo taking the honours with a budget 7-inch offering, the Ainovo NOVO7.
With the Motorola Xoom 2 expected to be the first ICS tab prior to its somewhat disappointing unveiling, speculation and anticipation has been rife for a number of weeks around which high profile manufacturer would get the nod to release the first tablet sporting the latest Google mobile OS offering.
Ainovo NOVO7 Specs
- Asides from joining the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the now two strong contingent of Ice Cream Sandwich outing devices the entry level Ainovo NOVO7 features specs which punch far beyond its minimalist £60 price tag.
- Boasting 4GB of internal storage and a MIPS-based 1GHz processor the NOVO7 touts front and rear mounted 2-megapixel cameras alongside a touted seven hour battery life whilst browsing the web.
- Despite coming firmly out of left field to land as the first Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet, Ainovo is claiming to have the full support of Google and the company’s head of Android, Andy Rubin.
- ”I’m thrilled to see the entrance of MIPS-Based Android 4.0 tablets into the market,” the Ainovo press release quotes the Google leader as saying.
- “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.”
via World’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet released | T3.
LG Nitro HD hands-on
AT&T stole some of LGs thunder earlier this week when it unveiled the companys LTE flagship — the Nitro HD — before the handsets official coming out soirée. Well, tonight LGs gone and thrown that fete anyway, introducing us once again to its 4.5-incher. But you have to wonder why the companys even bothering to roll out yet another Gingerbread-baked device when Samsungs Galaxy Nexus is already out of the gate and leading the Android charge with ICS — not to mention the current availability of rival heavyweights like the Rezound and Droid RAZR. Still, the phones packing some very respectable specs, with a “true” HD 1280 x 720 IPS display, dual 1.3 / 8 megapixel shooters, a hefty 20GB of storage and a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm APQ8060 processor running the show. Is it too late in the game for LG to make its beast matter? Follow past the break as we gather our first impressions of this tardy to the party entry.LG Nitro HD hands-onRight out of the box, youll notice the Nitro registers as a featherweight. Read more 
Lenovo unveils the LePad S2007 and LePad S2010, both with Honeycomb and 1.5GHz dual-core chip
Oh no, it isn’t just about the 5-inch tabletphone today. Announced at the same event in Beijing just now are a couple of larger tablets from Lenovo: the LePad S2007 and the LePad S2010. Interestingly, the latter 10.1-inch device isn’t quite the same as what we saw in our exclusive scoop from two weeks ago: it’s 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual-core rather than 1.6GHz NVIDIA quad-core, 1GB RAM instead of 2GB, no funky fingerprint scanner on the back, and it’s launching with Android 3.2 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich. But fret not, as we’ve been informed that its international counterpart — aka the IdeaTab K2 in our scoop — will launch with the latest Android OS; so we’re just waiting for a release date.
Both of these Honeycomb tablets share many similarities: Qualcomm’s dual-core 1.5GHz chip, 1GB RAM, 1,280 x 800 IPS display (pretty nice on a 7-inch form factor, with 216ppi density), eight megapixel main camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, dual-mode 3G (China Telecom’s EV-DO plus China Unicom’s WCDMA) for data plus voice calls, and plans to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich in the future. Aside from the obvious physical differences, these tablets also come with different battery capacities: the 360g-heavy, 9.7mm-thick S2007 comes with 3,780mAh that can last up to eight hours on WiFi; whereas the 670g-heavy (almost the same as the original WiFi iPad, uh-oh), 9.9mm-thick S2010 has a generous 7,560mAh that can push it to 11 hours. Like the S2005 tabletphone, both tablets will be available in China next month; so for now, stay tuned for some hands-on photos from our folks over at Engadget Chinese.
Lenovo launches IdeaTab S2005 aka LePad S2005, a 5-inch Gingerbread tabletphone
You may recall that last week we had a cheeky peek at Lenovos upcoming tabletphone, and now our brethren at Engadget Chinese are actually touching one in Beijing! Dubbed the IdeaTab S2005 aka LePad S2005 in China, this Android 2.3.5 slate packs a 5-inch 800 x 480 LTPS display with 178-degree viewing angle but same resolution as the Dell Streak 5s LCD, sadly, a Qualcomm dual-core 1.2GHz chip, 1GB RAM, a five megapixel 1080p imager on the back, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a 1,680mAh battery. In terms of connectivity and expansion we have a micro-USB port, micro-HDMI port and HSPA+ radio so its ready for China Unicoms network. All of this is packaged in a 9.95mm-thick body, weighing a total of 198g. Just as thick as the Streak 5 but lighter, even with the slightly larger battery capacity.There arent any prices just yet, but given that this device is entering the Chinese market in two days time, it wont be a long wait for those obessed with tabletphones and speaking of which, its rather odd that Lenovos marketing this as a tablet rather than a phone. Stay tuned for our hands-on photos
via Lenovo launches IdeaTab S2005 aka LePad S2005, a 5-inch Gingerbread tabletphone — Engadget.
HTC G1 gets a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich (video)
Even though Ice Cream Sandwich is popping up everywhere since its source code was released to the public, we’ve got to give a shout out now that its been squeezed onto the original Google phone, HTC’s G1. The G1 was last seen sporting an unofficial Honeycomb port, and now jcarrz1 from XDA-Developers is showing off his device running Android 4.0 in this video. So far the touchscreen is (slowly) working, along with all apps and “ICS goodies”, though WiFi, Bluetooth and rotation are still out. That’s a nice effort for a device that some said wouldn’t see any versions past 1.5, so press play and witness the unholy fusion of Android’s past and present working all at once, or hit the source link below to grab the alpha release for yourself.
via HTC G1 gets a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich (video) — Engadget.
T-Mobile to bleach Samsung Galaxy S II in white, arriving ‘in time for the holidays’
What’s that gorgeous device doing in a pearly white on this side of the pond? T-Mobile will be offering a second color option for its flagship TouchWiz device, the Samsung Galaxy S II, “in the coming weeks.” Though its exact launch date is uncertain, the two companies assured us that it would land in time for the holidays. We’re just hoping they’re not referring to Valentine’s Day.
via T-Mobile to bleach Samsung Galaxy S II in white, arriving ‘in time for the holidays’ — Engadget.
Archos Debuts The Arnova 9 G2
Remember back in July when Archos debuted the G9 series? Yeah I barely did too. I had to refresh on them myself. Head slumped with shame Check this out, maybe it will help you too. Well this isn’t a G9 it’s a G2, and even thought there is no pricing with this announcement. We can assume this will priced around the level as all other mid-range tablets. The Arnova 9 G2 is 12.5mm thick and is sporting a 5 point multi-touchscreen at 9.7 inches, 1GHz processor, and is running Android 2.3.Gingerbread. Not a high-end device, but not everyone needs a high-end device. Check out the source for all the details. Keep an eye on us as well. As soon as we hear about prices we will be sure to let you know about it.
Archos 101 G9 review
Archos were making “tablets” before the majority of manufacturers had even considered it. It had large screen devices before the birth of the iPad and before Android even existed. Of course they were called portable media players in those days, and it was a slightly messy business involving software packs and docks.
But can experience in portable media devices give Archos the edge they need in this competitive market? Can their blend of affordability and media handling result in a package with universal appeal?
Design
Beginning with design, as we so often do, doesn’t get the G9 Archos tablet off to the strongest start. The choice of plastics reminds you that this has been designed to a price point and although there are some interesting twists, it doesn’t really manage to stand apart from other budget tablets. Read more
Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade confirmed
Hardly the most unpredictable news in the world, but Samsung has now officially confirmed that the Galaxy S II will be receiving an upgrade to the next big version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. That word comes from the company’s UK Twitter feed, though specific dates aren’t yet being provided. Samsung’s UK strategy has generally been consistent with the rest of Europe, meaning that an update to British Galaxy S II phones will likely be happening simultaneously with those in neighboring countries. US owners of the various carrier-branded GSII models should be a little more wary, however, as the history of Samsung Android upgrades in that market has been one of patchy, inconsistent updates that typically come quite a bit later than the global version. For now, let’s just add another highly prized handset to the growing list of confirmed ICS upgrades.
If you were hoping for similarly good news with respect to Samsung’s earlier top model, the Galaxy S, the company’s saying it has nothing to announce yet. An update to Ice Cream Sandwich isn’t being ruled out, but clearly Samsung doesn’t want to make any promises it won’t be able to keep.
via Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade confirmed | The Verge.
HTC Zeta rendered, rumored to pack 2.5GHz quad-core CPU and Ice Cream Sandwich
Ready for today’s grain of salt? We just got handed imagery and specs of a possible HTC device in the works codenamed the Zeta. It’s a quad-core handset, much like the Edge that was leaked last week, but it has a much faster 2.5GHz APQ8064 CPU along with 1GB of RAM running the show, on a 4.5-inch 720p HD display. According to our source, the uniquely shaped smartphone will come with Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed with Sense UI (version 4.0 wasn’t specified, but we’d be surprised to see it any lower on an ICS device) and have 32GB of internal storage space, an 1,830mAh battery, Beats Audio, Bluetooth 4.0, an 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash, 1080p video capture and a 1.3MP front-facing cam. Dimensions? We have those, too: the Zeta is said to measure at 109.8 x 60.9 x 9.8mm (4.32 x 2.4 x 0.39 inches) and weigh 5.15 ounces (146g). Pricing and availability aren’t known, and we’re still digging for more info. It certainly has an intriguing look; the sharp corners would be a huge departure from HTC’s recent design choices, though it appears to have HTC’s signature unibody build in the back. So are we just looking at a cool concept or is this the next flagship phone? We’re hoping it’s the latter.
via HTC Zeta rendered, rumored to pack 2.5GHz quad-core CPU and Ice Cream Sandwich — Engadget.
