[The Alpha Gamer]

I'm thinking of buying an Aurora as my first tablet but would like some answers to a few things I'm not clear on yet:

1. It has no market but you can install it on 4.0.1, how easy is this to do and is it possible to do it using a Linux computer?
2. 4.0.3 is out but it's harder/not possible to install market onto it, is there actualy any reason to upgrade or will it be fine to stay on 4.0.1?
3. There are scripts to root it, but some people are saying it comes prerooted. Does it come prerooted and if not, is there any reason to root it? I've rooted my phone and haven't found any advantages to it yet.
4. I've seen reports that Live Wallpapers are supported, and I've seen reports that Live Wallpapers are not supported. Are they or aren't they?
5. How well does flash work? I've seen some people say it doesn't work very well/only with certain browsers. Does it work well, with all browsers? Can I play Farmville on it?
6. I've heard that bluetooth dongles don't work. Is that just the ones for file transfers or all bluetooth related things? I like to use wireless mice, but they use bluetooth don't they? Do they work?
7. My main uses for the tablet will be webbrowsing, watching videos via hdmi out, reading comics and magazines and drawing on Sketchbook Pro https://market.andro...sk.sketchbookhd Would this tablet be fine for all of that?
8. How long does the battery last and since the plug wont be the UK kind, would a usb plug work fine for charging?
9. I heard that some apps wont work because it doesn't use an ARM processor, is this true and if so, how bad is the problem?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[MrTasselhof]

The Alpha Gamer, on 04 February 2012 - 11:34 AM, said:

I'm thinking of buying an Aurora as my first tablet but would like some answers to a few things I'm not clear on yet:

1. It has no market but you can install it on 4.0.1, how easy is this to do and is it possible to do it using a Linux computer?
2. 4.0.3 is out but it's harder/not possible to install market onto it, is there actualy any reason to upgrade or will it be fine to stay on 4.0.1?
3. There are scripts to root it, but some people are saying it comes prerooted. Does it come prerooted and if not, is there any reason to root it? I've rooted my phone and haven't found any advantages to it yet.
4. I've seen reports that Live Wallpapers are supported, and I've seen reports that Live Wallpapers are not supported. Are they or aren't they?
5. How well does flash work? I've seen some people say it doesn't work very well/only with certain browsers. Does it work well, with all browsers? Can I play Farmville on it?
6. I've heard that bluetooth dongles don't work. Is that just the ones for file transfers or all bluetooth related things? I like to use wireless mice, but they use bluetooth don't they? Do they work?
7. My main uses for the tablet will be webbrowsing, watching videos via hdmi out, reading comics and magazines and drawing on Sketchbook Pro https://market.andro...sk.sketchbookhd Would this tablet be fine for all of that?
8. How long does the battery last and since the plug wont be the UK kind, would a usb plug work fine for charging?
9. I heard that some apps wont work because it doesn't use an ARM processor, is this true and if so, how bad is the problem?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

1) Not sure on the whole Linux computer.
2) There is a sticky topic with script for 4.0.3 just as there was for 4.0.1... you should be fine.
3) ROOT is requried for some apps to run and allow system settings to be modified/tweaked... a rooted tablet can do the same and more than a non-rooted tablet.
4) Currently Live Wallpapers are not a stock option, but could possible be added/enabled by copying over the required files.
5) Flash does not work very well with ICS... so I wouldn't count on it... now there is I believe a Gingerbread firmware that can be downloaded and installed if Flash is a major concern.
6) Currently there hasn't been a successful report of Bluetooth... and yes a bluetooth dongle is required to work before you can use any Bluetooth devices.
7) This tablet would be great for all of that... the only possible concern is the Web Browsing if you plan to use a lot of FLASH sites.
The device can be charged by USB. The battery will give you around 4 hours at 100% CPU, Brightness, and WiFi... under normal circumstance and use though you should be able to get 5 to 8 hours.
9) Every app except 1 that I have tried have worked.. The only app that hasn't run for me is SkyFire browser.

Please note most if not all of these questions have been answered either in the videos or on the forum.

Hope that helps,

Tasselhof

[rc3675]

The Alpha Gamer, on 04 February 2012 - 11:34 AM, said:

9. I heard that some apps wont work because it doesn't use an ARM processor, is this true and if so, how bad is the problem?

I wonder if you're getting confused with the Novo 7 Paladin which uses a cheaper MIPS processor.

[!Sumit]

The Alpha Gamer, on 04 February 2012 - 11:34 AM, said:

9. I heard that some apps wont work because it doesn't use an ARM processor, is this true and if so, how bad is the problem?

It HAS an ARM processor.
There's another Ainol tablet (Novo Paladin) which doesn't have an ARM processor, but instead has an MIPS processor, which has incompatibility issues with some apps on Market.

Also, the flaws which Mr.Tasselhof mentioned are due to the fact that ICS is not yet released from Ainol as a stable version; and we should soon expect a better firmware release from them in future or perhaps someone would make a mod firmware with better tweaks & resolved issues related to Flash etc.

In such case, you can always use Gingerbread version on Aurora, where you shouldn't have any problems with Flash or any other issue aswell. And once they've a stable ICS firmware out, then flash ur Aurora to ICS then.

This post has been edited by !Sumit: 04 February 2012 - 05:02 PM

[FizzySoda]

Since I am a complete android nOOb this looked like a suitable topic to post my question.

I read somewhere on this forum (unfortunately I can't seem to find where) that the Aurora, although offering a 8GB harddisk, only uses 1GB for apps! The other 7GB's were used for OS and as a place to store media. Could someone confirm this, and tell me what it means? 1 GB of space for apps looks so little... It souds to me you could only fit one reasonable sized game and maby 3/4 apps on there, am I wrong? Also, if I were to order the 16GB model, would I have 2GB for applications?

Once again, I am completely new to Android, so I hope someone can explain how this 1GB for all my apps thing will affect me. I am planning to use the Aldiko book app, Word Fued app and maby a nice 3d game once in a while, just because it has this Mali 400 chip which is supposed to be able to play 3d games.

Thanks for your time,
kind regards,


Erik van Beek.

[pinny716]

FizzySoda, on 06 February 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:

Since I am a complete android nOOb this looked like a suitable topic to post my question.

I read somewhere on this forum (unfortunately I can't seem to find where) that the Aurora, although offering a 8GB harddisk, only uses 1GB for apps! The other 7GB's were used for OS and as a place to store media. Could someone confirm this, and tell me what it means? 1 GB of space for apps looks so little... It souds to me you could only fit one reasonable sized game and maby 3/4 apps on there, am I wrong? Also, if I were to order the 16GB model, would I have 2GB for applications?

Once again, I am completely new to Android, so I hope someone can explain how this 1GB for all my apps thing will affect me. I am planning to use the Aldiko book app, Word Fued app and maby a nice 3d game once in a while, just because it has this Mali 400 chip which is supposed to be able to play 3d games.

Thanks for your time,
kind regards,


Erik van Beek.

Apps2sd does the trick. It allows applications to be installed on an sd card.

[FizzySoda]

That should save me some worries, thank you! If you don't mind me asking, which version did you buy, the 8gb or the 16gb and what do you think of the storage it allows you?

[CarsonUK]

you will find games simply store the installation file within the 1gb (a few MB each) and the rest of the data (the big bit) will be stored on the SD card

[FizzySoda]

So maby I won't even need the Apps2sd App... The more I hear, the more I think that the 8GB version will probably be enough for my needs. Thank you very much !

[pinny716]

FizzySoda, on 06 February 2012 - 07:14 PM, said:

So maby I won't even need the Apps2sd App... The more I hear, the more I think that the 8GB version will probably be enough for my needs. Thank you very much !

I ordered an 8gb. haven't received it yet (kinda regretting getting the 8 vs. 16 just bc its $20 more (don't want to switch now though bc ill prob go to end of shipment list)).

[CarsonUK]

I wouldn't even fill 1gb on the system to be honest... $20 for IPS over the Elf? Yes... $20 more for 16gb... no for me.

[bokas2k]

MrTasselhof, on 04 February 2012 - 02:09 PM, said:

5) Flash does not work very well with ICS... so I wouldn't count on it... now there is I believe a Gingerbread firmware that can be downloaded and installed if Flash is a major concern.
....
7) This tablet would be great for all of that... the only possible concern is the Web Browsing if you plan to use a lot of FLASH sites.

Hi all,

i'm thinking to offer this tablet to my wife, but she plays the games from facebook (Farmville, cityville...)
That games are in flash...i think!
She would be able to play these games with Aurora?

Thanks in advance

[KMA]

bokas2k, on 07 February 2012 - 07:16 AM, said:

Hi all,

i'm thinking to offer this tablet to my wife, but she plays the games from facebook (Farmville, cityville...)
That games are in flash...i think!
She would be able to play these games with Aurora?

Thanks in advance

There is a Gingerbread ROM floating around that might allow you load and play flash games. I think the flash issues on the Aurora are as much to do with ICS than anything else. Once they are straightened out, you could switch back from Gingerbread to the latest ICS ROM down the road.

[minibeats]

I'm looking at the 16 g when it becomes available over the 8g one. Know it may sound like a stupid question, but can the larger size affect the battery life and / or responsiveness as it's twice as large memory wise compared to the 8g one? Also, is there anything else that I need to be aware of in theory with the 16 g one (like if it won't be compatible with any custom roms / updates as they are designed for the 8g version)?

This post has been edited by minibeats: 07 February 2012 - 10:28 AM

[SPIRIT1]

I am thinking of buying the Ainol Novo 7 Aurora. The only reason I have not is because there is no GPS.
I realy wanted GPS for satnav etc. Can anyone tell me if i is possible to use a GPS dongle on it?
I am new to SLD and not yet got a tablet but soon will have, there is a lot of very good info here,thanks guys.

[Andy_L]

minibeats, on 07 February 2012 - 10:26 AM, said:

I'm looking at the 16 g when it becomes available over the 8g one. Know it may sound like a stupid question, but can the larger size affect the battery life and / or responsiveness as it's twice as large memory wise compared to the 8g one? Also, is there anything else that I need to be aware of in theory with the 16 g one (like if it won't be compatible with any custom roms / updates as they are designed for the 8g version)?

Battery life shouldn't be affected, it's flash memory so doesn't need to be powered all the time.

Speed? It's possible. From Mr Tasselhof's tear-down pictures there are 2 flash RAM chips in the 16GB model, and presumably only 1 in the 8GB. The controller could read/write across the 2 chips in parallel, giving higher throughput. At least some solid state hard drives do that, e.g. an 80GB model might be faster than a 40GB model in the same range. However I have no idea if the controller in these tablets can do that.

[MrTasselhof]

Andy_L, on 07 February 2012 - 02:33 PM, said:

Battery life shouldn't be affected, it's flash memory so doesn't need to be powered all the time.

Speed? It's possible. From Mr Tasselhof's tear-down pictures there are 2 flash RAM chips in the 16GB model, and presumably only 1 in the 8GB. The controller could read/write across the 2 chips in parallel, giving higher throughput. At least some solid state hard drives do that, e.g. an 80GB model might be faster than a 40GB model in the same range. However I have no idea if the controller in these tablets can do that.

I have an 8GB model.
It appears to be 2 4GB chips.

Tasselhof

[Andy_L]

MrTasselhof, on 07 February 2012 - 04:01 PM, said:

I have an 8GB model.
It appears to be 2 4GB chips.

Tasselhof

Ah, sorry I thought yours was the 16GB. So if both models use 2 chips I guess that means there's unlikely to be any speed difference between them either.

[minibeats]

Andy_L, on 07 February 2012 - 06:50 PM, said:

Ah, sorry I thought yours was the 16GB. So if both models use 2 chips I guess that means there's unlikely to be any speed difference between them either.

Thanks for all the answers - am I correct in thinking that this means that I can flash any of the images for the 8g version fine on the 16g one as well then, seeing as it's only the memory we're talking about?

[lcvdb]

minibeats, on 08 February 2012 - 08:00 AM, said:

Thanks for all the answers - am I correct in thinking that this means that I can flash any of the images for the 8g version fine on the 16g one as well then, seeing as it's only the memory we're talking about?

That should not be a problem no!