MK803 Show Out & Amlogic Takes Over.Linux Maybe?

Miniand is selling a new PC-on-a-stick called the MK803. It’s about the size of a chunky USB flash drive (or the MK802, UG802, or other Android mini PCs). But it’s a fully functional little computer with a processor, storage, and memory.

This particular model features an Amlogic AML8726-M3 processor and ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software. But the folks at Miniand are hopeful that they’ll be able to get a desktop Linux operating system up and running on the device.

Miniand has a bit of experience in that area. The site was one of the first topost builds of Ubuntu Linux for the MK802 mini PC.

But the MK803 has a faster 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and should offer better overall performance than the MK802.

The device also features 1GB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage, a microSD card slot, USB 2.0 port, and HDMI output. It has built-in 802.11b/g WiFi and can connect to a wired network using an Ethernet to USB adapter.

The MK803 is available from the Miniand store for $79.

Note that there are a number of other folks selling similar devices called the MK803 at lower prices. But make sure to check the specs. Many have different processors than Miniand’s MK803.

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Ainol launches Novo 10 Hero tablets with dual, quad core CPUs

Chinese device maker Ainol has two new 10 inch Android tablets in the works. Both feature 1280 x 800 pixel IPS displays and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software, but the Ainol Novo 10 Hero II has a quad-core processor while the cheaper Novo 10 Hero has a dual-core CPU.

Gadget Greats is selling the Novo 10 Hero II for $240 and the Novo 10 Hero for $194.

The cheaper dual core model features a 1.5 GHz Amlogic 8726-MX processor with Mali 400 graphics, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, front and rear cameras, microUSB, mini HDMI, and microSD card ports. The tablet has an 800mAh battery and features WiFi and Bluetooth.

The Ainol Novo 10 Hero II has a 1.5 GHz Actions Semiconductor ATM7029 qud-core processor and ARM Mali 400 graphics. The rest of the specifications are the same as those for the dual core model.

I haven’t heard much about the ATM7029 processor, but there’s a discussion thread about the chipset at the SlateDroid forum. Just because a processor has 4 cores doesn’t necessarily mean it will be faster than a dual core CPU, but theoretically multi-core architecture can lead to speedier performance especially when running tasks that support multi-threading, or running multiple apps at once.

Multi-core chips can also help keep power consumption low by allowing a tablet to run several cores while achieving similar performance to what you’d get when running a single core at a higher speed.

It won’t be clear whether the Novo 10 Hero II benefits in either of those ways until we start to see some hands-on performance tests.

via xda-developers

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Review #Ainol Novo 7 Crystal Jelly Bean 4.1 Tablet

Ainol launched a Jelly Bean tablet – Ainol Novo 7 Crystal. It boasts an HD MVA 7" mult-touch screen (ultra-clear) and Dual Core 1.5Ghz Cpu. This is the new upgrade (MVA screen) replacement to discontinued Novo 7 Elf II.  Below the hood is an Amlogic 8726-M6 Cortex A9 processor, a Mali 400 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The 7-inch touchscreen display sports a 1024 x 600 resolution, and Ainol chose an IPS panel for wide viewing angles. The tablet will be available in black and white.

Features:

Model: Ainol NOVO7 Crystal 
CPU: 2nd generation ARM Cortex-A9 based AMLogic 8726-M6 1.5GHz CPU 
GPU: Dual-Core Mali-400 
Operation System: Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

RAM: 1GB DDR3 
Nand Flash: 8GB(Android System consumes about 2.2GB) 
Shell Material: Plastic 
Screen Size: 7 Inch 
Type: Capacitive Screen (5 points) 
Screen Resolution: 1024 x 600 IPS screen 
Extend Card: Support TF card up to 16GB (Not includes) 
Camera: Yes, 2.0MP Front Camera. 
Gravity Sensor: Yes 
Multi-Touch : Yes, 5 points touch 
Flash: Yes 
Video: AVI/MOV/MP4/RMVB/FLV/MKV (more format supported via 3th party player such as rock player) 
Music: MP3/WMA/WAV/APE/AAC/FLAC/OGG 
Ebook: TXT, PDF, HTML, RTF, FB2 
Email and Browser: Yes, built in 
WIFI: 802.11 b/g/n 
Earphone Interface: 3.5mm 
Battery: 3700mAh 
Language: Indonesia, Dansk, Deutsch, Chinese, English, Spanish, Germany, Italian, French, Latvia, Malay, Nederlands, Poland, Romania, Russian, Greek etc. 
Other Applications : Office, Browser, Gallery, Clock, Calculator, Calendar, Gmail; 
Product Size: 189.3x120x11.2mm

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