We’ve got an Aigo AigoPad N700 here that has kindly been sent over by Think4Mobile in the UK. It’s a preview model and something that may, or may not, make it to European markets. Given the rough seas right now and the specs of the N700, we’re not sure it has the right stuff to succeed. See our article below and the video at the end for more information.

Android 2.1 on ARM11 with 800×480 and no Google Market/Apps is a surprisingly low-quality combination, especially compared to the build quality and looks of the AigoPad which say so much more. Capacative touch is there and it has a nice ruberised back that I’d love to see on the Galaxy Tab. A magnetic charging port and even 3G is included [The model we have is CDMA /EVDO for the U.S. market so we’re unable to test that bit.] but even if the OS was upgraded to 2.2 with Google Market, the 800×480 screen and ARM11 processor just wouldn’t cut it in the market today unless the price was amazingly low.

Admittedly, there aren’t any 3G-enabled low-cost tablets in the European market right now but given that Viewsonic will likely reduce its Viewpad 7 price very soon to give it breathing space from the Galaxy Tab, that niche might be filled very quickly. Even so, the ARM11 niche isn’t going to last long as features and applications on Android demand ARMv7 architecture and multi-core platforms date it even further.

The N700 appears to have one thing on its side…battery life. Aigo have dropped a 4250mah battery into this thing and I havent charged it for 4 days. Admittedly it was on standby (bluetooth and Wifi on) for 3 of those days but I was extremely surprised to see it still running – with 50% battery. After another day of testing (about 3hrs) we’re only down to 36% battery. This could be the most power-efficient tabelt i’ve ever tested so if you’re looking for that as a feature, here it is!

Notes:

• Mono loudspeaker is loud and good
• Screen has some fading at angles
• WVGA is noticeable on test having used the Galaxy Tab for 4 months!
• Button hardware: solid
• No Wifi-N support
• Browser fixed to landscape mode
• GPS, accelerometer included
• Sideloading of many apps works without problem
• 3mm longer than a Galaxy Tab (same width)
• About 1mm thicker
• Brightness – good range but nothing new
• No docking port, no hdmi
• Platform doesn’t support 720p decoding
• Only supplied charger worked despite it being a USB cable.
• No search button
• No camera

Overall I’m impressed with what Aigo have done in terms of engineering but the total package misses the mark for developed countries in Q1 2011. We’ll definately keep an eye on Aigo though.

Update: Think4it Solutions tell us that they will be putting the N700 on the back-burner for the time being as Aigo have just revealed a 2.2, ARMv7 version (likely Cortex A8) with european 3G support  that is planned for an April launch.We’ll stay in touch in because a low-cost Cortex-based device is exactly what’s needed. Fingers crossed for 1024×600!

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This is rather embarrassing

I’ve been a big proponent of ARMs Cortex CPU cores and have regularly highlighted that they are ‘entry level’ for any sort of Web work on an ARM platform. I’ve tested many ARM11 devices from smartphones to tablets and have never seen any browser speed or quality that would make me happy in a productive scenario. In today’s world of advanced smartphones, there’s every chance that the average consumer would notice too. The latest device that I’m testing, the SmartQ T7, is so slow that I’ve postponed my review until the company can confirm that there isn’t a networking fault. I’ve also been fairly public that the Nokia N8 with its ARM11 CPU won’t be a blazer when it comes to Web browsing and my early tests confirm it. I’ve also disputed cries that a new browser will make it better.

Imagine my surprise today when a tablet I’ve been very positive about in terms of speed turns out to be an ARM11-based device. Initial reports from Viewsonic indicated that the Viewpad 7 it would be a Snapdragon-based device but the specifications were changed and the unit will be based on the Qualcomm MSM7227 CPU. I only found out because all the other devices based on the same OED (Camangi FM600, Olive Pad, Spice Mi700) are all advertising the Qualcomm MSM7227. Viewsonic confirmed to me today that the device will now ship with the MSM7227 and interestingly, that the unit I tested at IFA and am basing my positive thoughts on was the ARM11 model. [Gulps]

Of course it doesn’t change the product one bit (unless you have an affinity for Cortex cores) but it does mean I have to be more careful with my analysis in the future. In my defence I was told that it was Snapdragon and it was actually pretty fast but I apologise for this mistake and hope you’ll respect my openness. The relevant product specification pages have all been updated. Learnt from this: Android 2.2 is an extremely efficient OS and it’s possible that Symbian^3 could also be well-optimised in terms of its latest browser software.

At the end of the day our ‘Open Review’ sessions and videos catch any failings and issues and we’ll be planning just that for the Viewsonic products (Viewpad 7 and Viewpad 10) so stick with us for the real story.

Note: I’ve also added a bunch of early review links to the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 product pages.