26 replies to this topic

[Sere83]

It's kind of annoying to be honest that no one on the forum is picking up any of the current crop of Chinese hardware. There are literally hundreds of tablets all different sizes and screen resolutions all running either the exact same very capable rockchip solution as the andypad, an AMLogix A9 chipset or the Renesas Dual core A9 Chipest and even a few OMAP models on android 2.2 or 2.3.

Devs really need to start looking in to them as some of this hardware is very solid and even the initial android builds aren't bad at all either but could obviously really flourish with custome roms. And best of all they are cheap. Just to name a few....

Ainol Nova 8
Onda Vi30
Ployer Momo8
Window N50
Teclast T760
Wits A91
Renesas A9
S.m.a.r.t.Q G7

All have differing pros and cons but definitely worth a look. Don't get me wrong there is a lot of crap out there too, but also some solid hardware too. The Lenovo does look very nice but it will almost certainly not be that cheap when it drops in the UK.

Edited by Sere83, 03 September 2011 - 04:13 PM.

[Lew247]

Sere83, on 03 September 2011 - 04:07 PM, said:

Teclast T760

I believe that "is" the Andypad ... just cheaper even including postage from China

[unrandomsam]

Lew247, on 02 September 2011 - 11:06 AM, said:

£125 and it has a capacitive screen  http://bit.ly/riLUzh

And the Lenovo has a standalone GPS.

There is also the 2 archos G9 (80 and 101) models at £200 and £250 respectively (RRP) (with GPS dual core omap A9 with NEON) and Honeycomb 3.2 (And standalone GPS). (Can probably get a HP Touchpad also for £200 if you have nothing against giving someone £100 profit for doing nothing.)

This Andypad is too late (If it was released when it was first announced maybe it would do better).
won't get market share unless the pro model is dropped to £129 at least.

[The Soup Thief]

unrandomsam, on 04 September 2011 - 04:30 PM, said:

This Andypad is too late (If it was released when it was first announced maybe it would do better).
won't get market share unless the pro model is dropped to £129 at least.

Seems so I fear
I just had a Google of those tablets on Sere83's list - some very interesting (and, tbh quite similar looking) devices
It all is looking like a bit of a minefield - all this choice is just confusing me! I'm gonna keep my powder dry and wait for a front runner to emerge
Hope it happens soon tho!  I want me some tablety action!

[Sere83]

Lew247, on 04 September 2011 - 10:52 AM, said:

I believe that "is" the Andypad ... just cheaper even including postage from China

Yes you are right. It's chassis has seen a slight redesign but they are the same. The regular andypad is the Teclast P71 with again a slight chassis redesign.

I agree some what that that the Andy Pad's arrival may be a little late. Dual core tab pricing is dropping rapidly, mind you Lenovo and others still feel there is a market for single core A8 and A9 variants, and while not as powerful as their dual core counterparts they are still useful.

Reminds me a bit of how things have changed since the first gen Atom N270 powered netbooks, netbooks nowadays are so much more powerful. I'm sure in a years time a single core cortex A8 will be a relic.

I think the main thing though is software really, any device seeing a decent well optimized honeycomb port automatically becomes more appealing. Suppose we will have to see what ICS brings though in terms of merging the OS's.

The China market is an absolute mine field for those lacking knowledge, so it is hardly surprising that we are not seeing so many devs picking up the hardware on Modaco. Nevertheless there is some decent stuff out there as mentioned before. Andy Pad actually chose very well with the Teclast T760 it is definitely one of the front runners in the China market at the minute, all things considered.

Personally I'm thinking I may sit tight for the moment when it comes to purchasing a tablet. After using MIUI on a Galaxy S on the weekend, I am saving all my money for the Xiaomi MIUI phone, best android build in the world right now if you ask me, can't look at 2.3 on my ZTE blade any more with out thinking how crap it looks and functions compared to MIUI.

Edited by Sere83, 04 September 2011 - 10:00 PM.

[echolock]

I had a serious look at most of the cheap Chinese tabs, but I think the thing that ultimately prevented me from going for any of them was the lack of support for custom ROMs. I kinda take for granted that if I dislike my phone's software I can replace it, so to not have that ability is a major downside for me, and that's why I had/have high hopes for the AndyPads. They're like the Chinese tablets (maybe a little more expensive, sure, but not much) but with the potential for some decent base software and even if not a good liklihood of custom ROMs.

But I've still seen no reviews. Aren't AndyPad sending out review units? The Register had a review of the Pro as part of their "cheap tablets" roundup but I'd like a review of the basic somewhere.

Paul, maybe you could pop round their office and see if they'll let you review a unit or two with the release candidate/final software build? ;-)

[Peteb1951]

The range of stuff available from China is very interesting, but I echo the comments that as an individual you have to be very careful buying something expensive from someone so far away.

On Ebay today the Teclast (which only has 8GB) is around £160 to £174 depending on postage costs - but, speaking from bitter personal experience, if your package gets picked up by customs, as it might well do, you will have to pay VAT, import duty and the Royal Mail handling fee before you can collect it. It could easily add more than £50 to the cost, and you still won't have anyone in the UK providing support.

The Lenovo US price of $199 will probably end up as more like £175 than £125 when it gets over to the UK, so it will be competing against the Pro rather than the Standard Andypad, is single core, 1GHz  with only 8GB memory, and as it has only just been announced it will be even later than the Andypad.

The rush for the clearance sale Touchpads (and their subsequent prices on Ebay) show that there is a market for a good quality tablet at a reasonable price. Andypad and the Advent Vega are aiming for that space, and the reductions in price of the Motorola Xoom and Galaxy Tab suggest other manufacturers are moving in the same direction. That will leave space for the iPad to take Apple's usual place at the top of the price (and design quality) pile with people who can afford the price premium; while the rest of us get as much functionality but with a less slick user experience at a price we can persuade the other half is good value.

"Andypad custom rom" already yields 54,000 Google results, so perhaps the Andypad can become the next Psion?