The first tablet running Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system was made available this week—and it's selling for less $100. What the joint effort by MIPS Technologies and Ingenic Semiconductor doesn't have is a name.
The 7-inch tablet is currently available in China and online through Ainol Electronics, but the two companies said Monday that it will be released in the U.S. and elsewhere "within the next several months." When it does hit other geographies, MIPS Technologies and Ingenic said Leader International and OMG Electronics would be among the partners bringing the ultra-cheap tablet to market.
The unnamed Android tablet features a MIPS-based XBurst CPU that clocks at 1GHz as part of the Ingenic JZ4770 mobile applications processor that powers the device. Most consumer tablets currently on the market use ARM-based CPUs like the Apple iPad 2's A5 chip, with a few built around the x86 architecture more commonly found in PCs.
"We are pleased to join with MIPS to announce these breakthrough high-performance, low-power, low-cost Android 4.0 tablets," said Ingenic chairman and CEO Qiang Liu, in a statement. "Combining the elegance of the MIPS architecture and Ingenic's innovation in processor design, we are bringing a new level of processor technology to mobile devices.
"As we continue to collaborate with MIPS to broaden the mobile ecosystem around the legendary MIPS architecture, we anticipate even broader proliferation of our devices worldwide. We believe the mobile world will be more versatile and colorful with another processor joining in,"
The new tablet has a capacitive multi-touch screen, front and rear cameras, Wi-Fi, and support for USB 2.0 and HDMI 1.3. The companies didn't specify the amount of disk space in the device, but a microSD slot is included to add extra storage. Ingenic's JZ4770 chip uses a Vivante GC860 GPU, which can handle 1080p video decoding and 3D graphics.
MIPS Technologies and Ingenic said 8-inch and 9-inch versions of the tablet are being planned.
"The openness of Android is enabling a new level of connectedness and interaction between devices and between people across the globe," MIPS Technologies president and CEO Sandeep Vij said. "We are excited to be a part of the Android ecosystem delivering on that vision. We applaud Ingenic's accomplishment in developing this new high-performance, feature-rich Android 4.0 tablet, and offering it at a price point that makes it widely accessible."
Source:cn-c114