There’s also WiFi b/g and a 0.3-megapixel front facing camera for video calls, along with 8GB of flash storage and a memory card slot. A microphone, speakers and g-sensor round out the main specs, in what seems to be a relatively basic slate. A row of touch-sensitive buttons for menu and back, among other things, also leads us to wonder whether this was originally intended to be a device for earlier versions of Android, but which aigo decided to revamp with 4.0 onboard.

aigo will have to pair it with a similarly humble price tag if it wants to succeed with the M803, else we can see this being just another of the CES 2012 Crap Tablet contenders. Unfortunately pricing and availability are still a mystery right now.

There’s also WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, as well as USB, audio in/out and docking connectors. No rear camera, from the sound of things, but there’s a 1.3-megapixel webcam for video-chat, along with an accelerometer and digital compass.

We’re disappointed to see Android 2.1 rather than Froyo, but Aigo has at least done some work on the aigopad’s interface with their custom Freedom River UI. No word on active battery life, only up to 60 days standby, and nor do we know when – or if – the N700 will see a Western launch.

[via Pocketables and via Android Community]

As for specifications, there’s talk of the same NVIDIA Tegra chipset as we heard last time, together with 3G and WiFi connectivity.  Only one gets named in the report, the aigoPad N701, which will apparently run Android 2.0 at launch but be upgraded eventually to Android 2.2 Froyo.

There’ll also be some form of on-device app download service, though it’s unclear at this stage whether that’s the Android Market we know from smartphones or a distribution method of aigo’s own creation.  No word on pricing, either, though we’ve previously seen the 5-inch aigo E500 go up for sale in China at the equivalent of around $235.

[via Shanzai]

As for the version of Android itself, that’s OS 1.5; hopefully Aigo are looking at updating that sometime soon.  Battery life is tipped at up to 6hrs of solid video playback or WiFi browsing, which seems a little underwhelming for the 3,200mAh pack, but that could be a mis-translation from the Chinese Newegg site.  The whole thing measures in at 150.4 x 90.9 x 12.5 mm and weighs 228.5g.

While we’ve seen hundreds of Android tablets announced in the past twelve months, what makes Aigo’s particularly interesting is the fact that the company has a proven record of partnering with distributors and getting their MIDs on sale in the US and Europe.  Now word on when – or if – that will actually happen, but to be honest we’d rather have the Tegra 2 based Aigo N700 spotted earlier this month.

[via Cloned in China]

Measuring 208 x 122 x 13.95 mm, there’s still room for stereo speakers, a microphone, HDMI and USB ports, along with a microSD card slot, 2-cell 3120mAh battery, accelerometer, ambient light sensor and digital compass.  According to the leak, the N700 will also support 1080p HD video playback, Flash 10.1 and 3D sound, and run Android 2.1.  There’s also talk of an optional docking station, with HDMI, audio and USB connectivity among other things.

The company first confirmed they were looking at producing an Android-based tablet back in February, though they’d only say that the so-called AigoPad would debut sometime in 2010.  Two other versions – with 4- and 5-inch touchscreens – are also tipped, but there’s no word on pricing or availability for any of the three.

[via ChiniTech - thanks Alain!]

Unfortunately Jun failed to go into any more detail regarding the tablet, including withholding details on screen size.  At this point, it’s unclear whether the AigoPad will be a Notion Ink Adam rival, with an 8 to 11-inch display, or more of a MID with a 4 to 7-inch panel.

As we’re discovering, though, the deciding factor for these tablet-style devices is probably not so much OS or even size as it is chipset and battery life.  If Aigo pick one of the more frugal ARM Cortex A9 chipsets (and hopefully pair it with one of the recent low-power displays, such as Pixel Qi or mirasol) and squeeze out over 10 hours of battery life then they could carve a niche for themselves.

[via Pocketables]

It’s also designed – like the N900 – to be used not only as a “portable computer” but as a phone.  Under the hood there’s an ARM-based 806MHz Marvell PXA310+ processor running the show, along with 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM, while connectivity includes WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, 3G EVDO (obviously with voice and data support) and GPS.  You also get a 3.2-megapixel camera, a VGA webcam, 4.3-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen and a 2,600mAh battery.

That’s all strikingly similar to the first non-Nokia Maemo device we saw, Optima’s OP5-E, though Aigo have sensibly slotted some hardware controls onto the N500′s front panel.  Most interestingly it’s already on sale – albeit in China – for 3999 RMB ($586); Aigo devices have previously shown that they’re capable of crossing over to Europe and the US, so we’re quietly hopeful that the N500 will too.

[via Pocketables]

Where the current Aigo MID has just 4GB of onboard flash storage, the company has doubled that for their Windows XP version.  Unfortunately they’ve done this by fitting two 4GB drives, rather than one big 8GB drive.  They’ve also confirmed that there’ll be two versions, one with integrated 3G and one without.

No word on pricing or specific availability, but Aigo are saying the new XP MID will be available in around one month’s time.  Aigo will also be making the XP-related drivers available to existing owners.  This video from jkkmobile sets out the possible pros and cons of the new XP version:

Cosmetically, the MID got a new matte-finish faceplate that cuts down on fingerprints and makes it easier to hold.  The standard runtime then gets a boost, with a new second battery that adds just a few millimeters to the back of the aigo but increases usage from 2hrs to around 5hrs. 

Meanwhile the 800MHz processor gets Windows XPe (XP embedded) to play with, and handles it with aplomb; there’s enough grunt for multi-tab browsing with smooth touchscreen inertia scrolling, together with the capability to run far more applications than in the MID’s native state.  Finding a connection shouldn’t be hard, either, given that the aigo has WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G and GPS.

As you might expect, it’s not perfect: the keyboard could be improved, and with no mouse pointer you’re stuck using the touchscreen for navigation.  That could make one-handed use tricky.  The standard aigo SSD is also a limitation, being neither as capacious nor as speedy as you might want for a true companion device.  Still, they’re the sort of modifications you might have to turn back to aigo to have implemented.

[via UMPC Portal]

The NoteMagix M10, meanwhile, is another OEM rebadge and as such has the typical Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB SATA hard-drive and WiFi.  General specs don’t differ too much from the norm – three USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, 10.2-inch 1024 x 600 display and 3-cell LiIon battery – so Velocity are looking to differentiate with slick accessories and customization.  Each M10 will be shipped with a smart neoprene carry-case and a mouse (either wired or wireless; they’re currently undecided).  Eventually they plan to offer as many color options as Apple does in their iPod nano range.

Pricing is not entirely confirmed, but the M10 is expected to be priced at around $399.  We’re waiting for confirmation on the M5 MID, but given the Gigabyte M528 – also based on the aigo reference design – is expected to retail at around $685, don’t expect it to be all that cheap.

Update: According to Velocity Micro, the M5 MID pricing has not been finalized but is expected to be under $500. 

The SIM is for the M528′s internal 3G modem, which was confirmed as standard back in August.  That gives the Gigabyte a fair range of connectivity options, including WiFi, Bluetooth, HSPA and USB.  The M528 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, GPS and dual cameras (VGA up front, 3-megapixel with autofocus round the back).  Storage is courtesy of a 4GB SSD, while the processor is an 800Mhz Silverthorne/Poulsbo (Menlow).

While Expansys USA previous listed the Gigabyte M528 on their website for preorder, it’s now no longer available.  The MID is still listed at Expansys UK, where it’s priced at £539.99 including tax.

First the good: it’s light, stops creaking after a couple of days use, and has reasonable battery life.  Jenn managed 3hrs of web-browsing and online video streaming with brightness set at medium.  It’s also highly hackable, both in terms of hardware and software, and we’ve already seen an internal 3G HSDPA mod.

On the downside, without tweaking, it can feel only three-quarters finished.  Bluetooth and WiFi were occasionally temperamental, the web browser can end up taking up a fifth of the display once the taskbar, tab row and horizontal scroll bar grab their share.  In the end, though, it’s the perennial MID problem that sets the P8860 on shaky ground: people will admire it for its compactness, for fitting a full (albeit low-power) computer in such a small chassis, but it’s a big step encouraging them to move up from a smartphone, say, to a relatively expensive mobile device like the Aigo. 

Video demo of the HSDPA-enabled aigo P8860 after the cut

The P8860 required not only a torn-apart Novatel modem, but a freshly soldered Mini PCI-E port and SIM slot.  The antenna also needed to be fitted in there.  It’s not such a squeeze, though; there’s still space for the next hack, which could either be a super-speedy USB flash memory drive or maybe a fingerprint reader.

While the aigo P8860 launched in Hong Kong had a factory-fit 3G option, the model currently on sale through the worldwide distributors seemingly does not offer it.  Considering how chunky most USB 3G modems are, integrating it inside the casing – especially if there’s the space for it – makes much more sense.  Unless, that is, you prize your warranty.

Size-wise, the Aigo’s slide-out QWERTY keyboard gives it some extra heft over the Archos PMP, which can be as thin as 0.5-inches if you go for the smaller-capacity 60GB version.  The Archos range is cheaper, too, from $349 to $449 (with 60GB to 250GB capacity), while the Aigo comes in at $699 (with a mere 4GB SSD).  Internet browsing is the real surprise: while you’d expect the faster P8860 to wipe the floor with the Archos 5, in actual fact there’s no stand-out winner with webpage loading times.

Of course, the two devices aren’t intended to be rivals, but considering the core functionality overlap – internet access – it does make you wonder which better satisfies the whole initial MID concept.  Unless the prices of “true” MIDs come down, the casual buyer is unlikely to even consider them, never mind pick the over and above the internet-enabled PMP alternative.

Video dissection after the cut!

There’s good and bad, if a straightforward parts swap-out is what you had in mind.  The P8860′s 512MB of RAM and 4GB SSD are both soldered in place, so you’ll need to be adept with a soldering iron if you want to upgrade there.  However, there are plenty of internal spots where you could add a 16GB or 32GB flash drive, if extra storage is a priority.

Alternatively, one of those spots could be used to add in an HSDPA modem.  The version of the aigo P8860 on sale through the official worldwide distributors doesn’t appear to ship with a WWAN module installed.

If we’re dealing in halves, then the remaining 50-percent of today’s good Aigo news is that the company has signed the necessary deals with Microsoft and Intel to be able to promise Windows XP drivers for the Mobile Internet Device.  A Windows XP version was spotted at the Hong Kong launch but no timescale for availability given; we now know that come the first week of October the drivers will be released.  It will mean the 4.8-inch touchscreen will be properly recognized and functional.

Direct From Japan are asking $699 for the Aigo P8860, including free shipping worldwide.  That compares well to the HK$5228 (US$670) price-tag in Hong Kong.  Your money gets you an Intel Atom Z500 processor, 512MB of RAM and a 4GB SSD for storage, all in something weighing just 350g.

[via Pocketables]

Aside from the touchscreen, the M528 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, GPS, 3G HSDPA and dual cameras (VGA up front, 3-megapixel with autofocus round the back).  Storage is courtesy of a 4GB SSD, while the processor is an 800Mhz Silverthorne/Poulsbo (Menlow). 

One suggestion is that pre-orders have already taken up all units that were available for delivery on the 17th.  The M528 US price is roughly the same as that of the aigo MID, recently announced in Hong Kong.

[via jkkmobile]

The P8860 uses an Intel Atom Z500 processor and usually runs the Midinux Linux-based OS with 512MB of RAM and a 4GB SSD for storage. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, GPS and WWAN. The touchscreen is 4.8-inches and WVGA (800×480) resolution, and the whole thing weighs just 350g.

All of the P8860 units aigo announced today will ship with Midinux, but that didn’t stop aigo (or perhaps UMPC Fever!) slapping an HSDPA dongle into the XP version. No word on when or if the P8860 will make it to the US or Europe, but Hong Kong buyers will be looking at a HK$5228 (US$670) tag.

That gets you an Intel Atom Z500-powered ultraportable running the Midiux Linux-based OS, 512MB of RAM and a 4GB SSD for storage. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, GPS and WWAN. The touchscreen is 4.8-inches and WVGA (800×480) resolution, and the whole thing weighs just 350g.

It’s certainly a little cheaper than the predicted price from the first round of hands-on reports, but there’s no sign that Aigo have addressed what turned out to be disappointing battery life. The MID managed around 2hrs with WiFi turned on and the device used for basic surfing and a little typing.

[via UMPC Portal]