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iPad estimated to be cornering nearly 73% of Chinese tablet market
We're used to seeing tablet market share illustrated on the world stage. China, however, has usually been untouched. Analysys International has taken a crack at decoding the market and has bucked a few expectations in the process: according to its estimates, the iPad's lead is even larger in China than it is worldwide. About 72.7 percent of all tablets sold in the country during the second quarter were Apple-flavored, while homegrown hero Lenovo was a distant second at 8.4 percent. Everyone else had to contend with less than four percent and reflected the more diverse Chinese technology sphere -- relative heavyweights like Acer, ASUS and Samsung had to hob-nob with brands that have little recognition elsewhere, such as Eben and Teclast. The researchers credit Apple's lead, a 7.8-point gain, to a combination of the new iPad and a price-cut iPad 2. We'd add that Analysys' figures might not tell the whole story, though: China is well-known for its thriving shanzhai market, where legions of KIRFs and very small (usually Android-based) brands likely slip under an analyst group's radar. That said, it's still an illustration of how Apple's influence in tablets is a distinct reversal of its much smaller smartphone share, even in a nation that's a hotbed of Android activity.
Polaroid SC1630 Android HD smart camera hands-on, is it a cameraphone or a phonecamera?
The camera modules in smartphones continually improve, and these days there are phones like the iPhone 4S and the Nokia N9 who can take snapshots as good -- and sometimes better -- than point-and-shoots. Polaroid's known for making cameras, but its newest device, a rebrand of the Aigo A8 we saw at CES last year, flips the script by taking a 16 megapixel point-and-shoot and shoving an Android phone inside.The Polaroid version's called the SC1630 Android HD Smart Camera, and it's packed with 850/1900/2100MHz WCDMA and 850/900/1800/1900 GSM radios, along with WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and an FM antenna thrown in for good measure. The SC1630 sports an 800 x 400 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, while underneath there's 512MB of built-in storage and 512MB of RAM, along with proximity and G-sensors, micro SIM slot, Micro USB and a 2.5mm headphone jack. As we said above, the camera is a 16 megapixel unit, with aperture of F3.1 - F5.6, 3X optical zoom and 5X digital zoom, a max shutter speed of 1/1400 and ISO tops out at 3200. It's got geotagging and anti-shake support as well, and can shoot videos in 720p. Scheduled to arrive in April for $299, the device still has a few kinks to be worked out and there may be some changes to that hardware before it makes it to market. Here at CES 2012, we got a chance to lay hands on the phone and speak with Emanuel Verona, Polaroid's Executive VP and COO about the company's first Android offering, so read on past the break for our impressions and his thoughts.
Aigo preps glasses-free 3D tablet because Avatar demands it
Make no mistake about it, 3D is an industry darling (despite its gimmicky implementation). The feature, incorporated in everything from movies to TVs to video game consoles, is now taking a trip over to the wild, wild west of tablet design. Coupling the tech with Google's latest device agnostic OS -- Ice Cream Sandwich -- Chinese manufacturer Aigo is prepping to release its own glasses-free 3D Pad that utilizes a high-res LCD display similar to Nintendo's 3DS, letting users turn the effect on and off. No pricing or concrete launch plans have been announced outside of a planned February 2012 bow. But after next week's CES reveals, the tab's sure to find itself in plentiful company.
Aigo A8 / Leo 14 megapixel cameraphone hands-on (video)
We were wandering the floor at CES just before the end of the show when we stumbled upon this oddly familiar device. It's the Aigo A8 -- née Altek Leo -- an Android cameraphone (more like a phonecamera, really) destined for China Unicom that sports a 14 megapixel autofocus camera with a CCD sensor, xenon flash, 3x optical zoom, and support for 720p HD video recording. Of course, we wasted no time taking this rare beast for a spin, even going so far as to sample the camera. Take a look at the pictures below, followed by more information -- and videos -- after the break. %Gallery-113767% %Gallery-113769%
Aigo's iPhone 4 battery case features internal charge cable
Heavy iPhone users live or die by their choice of battery case, and Aigo has a new offering that adds a twist to the standard cases now on the market. On top of its advertised 300 hours of standby time, the Aigo aiPower i616 also includes an integrated charging/sync cable that folds into the case when not in use. The Aigo i616 offers a respectable 1500mAh external battery that promises up to 7 hours of talk time, 10 hours of internet usage, 10 hours of video playback or 40 hours of audio playback. Included with the battery is a microUSB port for charging, a switch to manage battery usage and a battery check button to display the charge level. When you don't need that extra juice, the battery case is easily removable so that you can use your iPhone 4 in its sleek, smooth and naked form. Reasonably priced, the Aigo i616 will set you back US$79.99. The Aigo is creative with its integrated cable, but it faces some stiff competition from Mophie. Early last week, Mophie introduced its new juice pack plus for iPhone 4, which offers an impressive 2,000 mAh battery that delivers 8 extra hours of talk time, 7 hours of cellular internet usage or 11 hours of Wi-Fi internet usage. A virtual speaker box is also included to help with speakerphone performance by redirecting the sound from the bottom of the handset to the front. The Mophie is available now in black for $99. A splash of color will be added starting in January 2011. [Via Engadget]
Aigo's iPhone 4 battery case internalizes your charge cable, InCase Snap Battery lightens the load
Our quest for the perfect iPhone 4 battery case continues apace with the Exolife Exogear presently holding the lead, slightly ahead of the Mophie Juice Pack Air and the Mili PowerSpring. Just like these fine selections, the Aigo aiPower i616 claims to "virtually double" battery life, but it's got another trick up its sleeve: a hidden USB ribbon cable for both charging and data built right into the case. Should you want for a longer sync cable than it provides on its own, there's also a second microUSB port built into the left side, as well as a switch for the external 1500mAh battery and a handy button to display its current level of charge. Not bad for a pleasantly comparable 125.8 x 62.6 x 17.25mm, nor the $80 asking price. If you're looking for something a little more svelte, however, the $60 InCase Snap Battery might be more to your liking -- it adds a 900mAh battery in a soft-touch frame that InCase claims is the slimmest around. We can't say it looks like it offers much protection, only covering the corners and rear of the phone, but fashion has long been a harsh mistress to those who obey her siren call.
Aigo debuts Maemo-based Walkshow NX7001 MID
We're not quite sure what's gotten into Aigo these days, but we're not about to try to stop 'em -- the company has just followed up its impressive-looking N700 Android tablet with this Maemo-based Walkshow NX7001 MID. While this one isn't quite as sleek as the Android tablet and has a few drawbacks (a resistive touchscreen, for starters), it is a Mameo-based MID, which isn't exactly all that common these days -- DIY jobs aside. The rest of the device's specs also look to be decent enough, if not necessarily all that impressive, including an 806MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, a 4.3-inch WVGA display, 128MB of RAM, built-in WiFi, 3G and GPS, dual cameras, and a microSD card slot for expansion. Still no word on a release date, but it looks like this one will set you back about $500.
Aigo's surprisingly sexy 7-inch N700 tablet packs Android 2.1 and Tegra 2
Go 'head Aigo! Get down with your bad self. Quite frankly, we never anticipated Aigo / Patriot to come through with a me-too tablet that actually made us take a second glance, but darn if this one isn't quite the looker. And that's before you've even had a moment to digest the specifications sheet. According to new details surfacing in China, this 7-inch machine will hum along on a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor and feature NVIDIA's Tegra 2 graphics chipset. There's also 512MB of DDR2 memory, an 800 x 480 pixel multitouch display, 4/16/32GB of inbuilt storage, a USB socket, microSD slot, HDMI output, inbuilt WiFi, optional 3G WWAN, audio in / out and a 3,120mAh battery. Android 2.1 will be the OS of choice, but crucial details surrounding price and availability are sorely missing. Call us crazy, but we'll actually be keeping an eye out for specifics on both. Update: Well, what do you know? Seems as if this here device may in fact be a Compal NAZ-10 in disguise, and if this YouTube video is to be believed, it'll boast 16 hours of HD video playback on a single charge and a $300 price tag. Can you say "tempting?" Thanks, Alain!
Aigo jumps on the e-reader bandwagon with EB6301
It's official: everyone's making an e-reader. While we're still a little unsure of where all this is heading (hey, call us Luddites, but we actually like turning pages!), we're always glad to see an ever-expanding offering of literacy-encouraging gadgets. Chinese company Aigo has just announced its own model, the daringly named EB6301. This one boasts a 6-inch E Ink display, a host of buttons running down its left side in addition to the navigation panel, and has 2GB of built-in storage. There's no WiFi on this unit which is a disappointment, and it's going to run 2,499 yuan -- about $366. There's no word on availability outside of China at this time.
Video: Aigo's MID gets Windows XP, relabeled a UMPC
Aigo's MID has been around the block for what feels like ages now, but it's getting an all new purpose in life thanks to one of Redmond's operating systems. If you'll recall, a MID typically runs a "lightweight" OS and is designed to be more of a sophisticated PMP; on the other hand, a UMPC is built for a real-deal OS, something that business users may appreciate. Semantics aside, what we have posted up after the jump is a ten minute video showing off just how well this machine handles Windows XP, and by our estimations, it looks pretty darn good.[Thanks, Benz145]
Aigo's "Jigsaw of Love" MP3 player completes you
No specs here to speak of. Only pics of this oddly shaped player from Aigo called the "Jigsaw of Love." Presumably then, you can mate the DAP with your partner's piece and then "leak" the sordid video onto the Internet in hopes of fake-fighting a revival to your fading career. But that's just a guess.[Via PMP Today]
Gigabyte's M528 MID gets unboxed, photographed lots
We've already had the pleasure of checking out the Aigo Patriot in its natural habitat, and now we're finally being treated to the same with its Gigabyte-branded counterpart. The Atom-based MID has been unboxed all official-like over at UMPC Fever, and the photographer didn't even shy away from snapping a few with the lid off. Have a look yourself in the read link below, but don't get too attached -- so far as we can tell, it'll cost you a pretty penny to get it imported from a foreign land.[Via SlashGear]
Aigo's P8860 MID reviewed: sweet, but potentially irrelevant
We already knew Aigo's P8860 MID was hacker-friendly, and all that is well, fine and good -- but what about for consumers who aren't into soldering irons and illicit boot ROMs? The crew over at Pocketables sat down with the handheld for a spell in order to bust out their best review, and at the end of the day, they found it to be somewhat compelling and a touch irrelevant all at the same time. You see, hardcore nerds (read: us) will likely be able to appreciate the fact that an x86-based system, with all the amenities of Flash support, etc., was squeezed into such a small device; the average joe / jane, however, probably won't take the time to recognize the advantages over their current smartphone. In other words, this here is an splendid example of a niche product, and you should probably consider how necessary it is in your life before pulling the trigger -- but you already knew that, now didn't you?
How-to video shows 3G implant into Aigo P8860 MID
Aigo's P8860 MID was already a potent, handsome piece of machinery in its factory form, but adding in 3G is like adding melted chocolate to a glazed hot doughnut from Krispy Kreme -- it's just better, even though it's tough to accomplish and potentially harmful to your health. Far-reaching metaphors aside, our pals over at jkkmobile have put together an all-telling 18 minute video that explains how to add 3G HSDPA to this here MID. For seasoned DIYers, the process of opening it up, soldering a mini PCI-e connector / SIM card slot and tossing in a 3G card / antenna won't seem that difficult. For everyone else, we'd recommend watching thrice to make sure your confidence level is at the appropriate position before delving in. Vid's after the break, per usual.
Aigo "revs up" Formula One-themed PMP with 720p output
Unlike certain other Chinese devices, the Aigo Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP5 personal media player is actually a working, fully-featured PMP with support for FM radio, eBooks, and an adequate variety of audio and video formats -- it even outputs 720p content, though its own display is limited to 480 x 272. While Aigo's sponsorship of the McLaren Mercedes Formula One car is this thing's excuse for existence, it's technically also under the company's Patriot name (it's called the Patriot MP5-MK3510) but we're guessing the F1 theme will be more attractive to the Y chromosome than Winnie the Pooh. [Via PMP Today]
Aigo's stretchy USB speaker borrows sock technology to boom the bass
Mmm, elastic, is there anything you can't do? First it turned that quitter of a sock into a winner, now it promises to assist in producing "the deepest music" from an open Aigo E086 portable speaker. The 1.7 watt USB speaker features a single 36mm driver, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a 3-hour charge for up to 4 hours of usage. And hey, Cingular was done with that logo anyway. Yours in Japan for ¥2,580 or about 27 greenbacks. [Via Impress]
Intel-based MID to make a splash on France's SFR
It looks like France's SFR will be getting some tweaked variant of Aigo's familiar P8860 Intel-based MID... with 3G on-board. The device features an 800 x 480 touchscreen display, an 800MHz Atom CPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of flash memory, Bluetooth, WiFi, a VGA webcam, 3 megapixel camera, and a full slide-out AZERTY keyboard (as well as some odd, circular navigation wheel). Obviously the big bonus here is the 3G connectivity, which sounds like it will be offered at €19.90 (about $26) or €24.90 ($32) per month, depending on plan. By appearances, those plans include unlimited data -- though the machine translated article seems to suggest there could be some capping. The Linux-powered device will sell for €249 / $310 (€349 with a €100 rebate) -- no word on release date.
Aigo P8860 MID cracked open, modding possible
The cats at UMPC Fever have taken the liberty of cracking open Aigo's P8860 MID and splaying its contents out for the world to see. Apparently, the crew was looking for modding possibilities, and discovered that while the RAM and SSD are soldered to the mainboard, there's ample room for an HSDPA or flash drive upgrade (they suggest 16GB or 32GB is doable, and who are we to argue). A picture says a thousand words, or so we're told, so hit the read link and take a look at all the nasty innards.[Via iTech News Net]
Aigo P8860 MID now readily available, Microsoft angles in on Intel's turf
Those really sold on Aigo's P8860 MID (also sold as the Gigabyte M528) have already been able to get their hands on one if they were willing to pay a premium and go the eBay route, but it looks like Aigo has only now finally snagged its first official reseller in the form of Direct From Japan, which means the rest of us can now readily get one for $699 (with free worldwide shipping, no less). Perhaps even more interesting that, however, is word that Aigo has also signed a deal to make official Windows XP drivers for the device available in late October, which is more than a little reminiscent of Microsoft's moves to snag a piece of the similarly Linux-friendly netbook market, though only time will tell if this relationship proves as successful.[Via Pocketables]
Compal's MID slider with global HSPA/EDGE data -- first UMPC it, now you don't
Compal's been a vocal supporter of Intel's MID followup to the tragic UMPC platform ever since It was announced in April of last year. Hell, the Taiwanese ODM even dedicated a team to crank out all the devices expected in the first half of 2008 but never came thanks in part, to Intel's Atom slippage. Now Compal looks ready to toss a MID to consumers (either direct or through a third-party manufacturer, it's not clear) with the unveiling of this handheld at Intel's IDF in San Francisco. The QWERTY slider packs GPS, a Linux-based OS with media player, browser, eMail and IM clients, and Option's GlobeTrotter Connect and GTM501 HSPA data kit offering tri-band HSUPA/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE connectivity the world-over. No pricing or availability has been announced but we hope to hear more later today.Update: Ah ha, it's the same reference design used by Aigo's Patriot, aka, M528.%Gallery-29945%[Thanks, Stuart L. and LosOutlandos]