The Ice Cream Sandwich tablet influx continues, with aigo the latest to step up to the CES 2012 plate with an Android 4.0 model to show us. The aigopad M803 runs ICS on an unspecified ARM Cortex A9 processor, paired with an 8-inch 1280 x 768 multitouch display and a 6,000 mAh battery.
Aigo's aigopad N700 Tegra 2 tablet was one of the more appealing Android slates we saw in the first half of this year, so we're pleased to see the 7-inch device finally launching. Priced at 2,999 yuan ($452), the N700 has a multitouch WVGA capacitive display, Tegra 2 CPU with 512MB of RAM and up to 32GB of storage, HDMI and 3G, and can be used as an oversized smartphone like the European Galaxy Tab.
aigo have been showing off their aigoPad tablets in China again, with their CEO promising five different models - various boasting 4-, 5- and 7-inch screen sizes - launching from July 2010. Interestingly, Shanzhaiben's photos from the launch (note that "aigo" translates as "patriot" since that's the Chinese meaning) only seem to show two of the units - what looks to be the smallest and largest versions - and neither bears a huge resemblance to the renders we've seen before.
Aigo's Android-based E500 MID has gone up for sale in China, priced at 1,599 Yuan ($235) and offering a 5-inch touchscreen, 600MHz ARM dual-core CPU and 720p HD video support. Connectivity for the tablet includes WiFi b/g, USB 2.0 and a microSD card slot, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack, in addition to 8GB of built-in memory.
Details of a new Aigo tablet, the Aigo N700, running Android on a 7-inch display have emerged, potentially set to be the AigoPad announced earlier on this year. The tablet has a WVGA capacitive touchscreen, second-generation Tegra chipset and up to 32GB of onboard storage, together with integrated Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi and 3G.
Aigo look to be covering all the OS bases with their tablet/MID ranges; as well as the existing Windows models and the recently uncovered Maemo device, there's now talk of an upcoming Android-based tablet. Aigo CEO Feng Jun has apparently confirmed that the company is planning to release a new tablet later in 2010, running Android and provisionally titled the AigoPad.
Unless you're a MID addict you may not have heard of Aigo, but with the company actually having shipped products rather than merely flaunted concepts we're liable to give them a little extra rope. That makes this new MID - the Aigo N500 - particularly interesting, since it runs Maemo just like the Nokia N900.
Aigo have confirmed that the much-anticipated Windows XP version of their touchscreen MID will be made generally available, in addition to the existing Linux model. Up until now, anybody wanting XP on the compact slider device had to do so unofficially.
For connectivity, input options and simply fitting into your pocket, aigo's MID certainly has plenty of potential. Unfortunately, as reviewers have discovered, it's hamstrung by its OS: adding new apps is a struggle, meaning most people will be stuck with what software comes out of the box. One owner, though, has heavily customized his 3G-equipped aigo to better perform as a UMPC rather than just an internet browser; full video demo, plus details of the changes, after the cut.
As well as their latest Fuzebox HTPC, Velocity Micro also brought along two mobile products to CES this week. The company has added a MID, the Velocity Micro NoteMagix M5, and a netbook, the Velocity Micro NoteMagix M10, to their range. The former, a rebadged aigo P8860, has a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, integrated WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G, and a 4GB SSD, and will be offered in both Windows XP Home and Linux versions.
Gigabyte's M528 MID has been flitting around the pages of SlashGear for so long now, it was hard to believe we'd never seen an unboxing for the touchscreen handheld. Thankfully the guys at UMPCFever have sorted that, showing the mobile internet device taken from box, to SIM and battery slotting in, to boot and then even flirting with its aigo counterpart.
Aigo's P8860 has been one of the more interesting mobile internet devices (MIDs) we've been keeping track of, not least because it actually managed to move out of prototype stage and into the hands of buyers. The 800MHz Atom powered ultraportable has a 4.8-inch touchscreen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and runs a specially tweaked version of Linux intended to make mobile computing straightforward; Jenn at Pocketables has been putting the P8860 through its paces, and while there's plenty to recommend it, there are also a few big questions left over at the end.
