[AC Slater]

One of the latest articles about some more schtuff concerning this tablet:
[>] http://www.ainol.com...o&articleid=583
Also be sure to check: http://www.ainol.com...olquad/page.htm .

You can order it at any given tabletreseller (Spemall, Merimobiles, Chinagrabber, etc).
Or... you can buy it offa the Tmall-links (Taobao) always posted below newsposts on the official Ainol-site (my suggestion).

• http://ainol.tmall.com
  
• http://ainoljy.tmall.com
  
• http://ainolyy.tmall.com
  
• http://ainolqn.tmall.com
  
• http://ainolyz.tmall.com
  
• http://ainolsh.tmall.com

If you need a agent to help you purchase, I'd recommend either MisterTao (#1 in my opinion) or Zarmark. There's also others such as Bhiner, Choobuy, etc.

They sell for 1099 RMB, which is roughly 175 USD or 135 euro's, which is a extreme bargain I'd say. Of course you'll have to add a commission fee and international shipping. But still. (Appears to be the cheap way, webshop prices are more expensive, besides, you buy directly from the Ainol provided store(s) and usually they throw in some freebie accessories).

I went ahead and ordered one, since I can't be bothered to wait for the NOVO10 Captain (no definite info's on that tablet yet from Ainol, I'm expecting it to arrive somewhere february 2013 or so?), which I eventually will probably get as well (and sell the Hero II). The trade-off of getting a Hero II in respect to the Captain would be:

• 1280x800 instead of 1920x1200 resolution
  
• 8000mAh battery instead of a 10000mAh one
  
• Lack of GPS and Bluetooth

But I'd say for the price it's a no-brainer. It beats the previous Hero (I) and the freescale Quadcores for sure. Maybe I would rather have a Samsung Exynos 10.1" tablet, but the best option there is the Ramos W30HD, but I'm not very fond of the design, besides, they've gotta be kidding me putting such a low capacity battery in there, with every new generation having higher density pixel screens and a more powerfull powerhouse (CPU & GPU).

Anyways, we'll see. Apparantly Ainol sticks to the Actions quadcore set-up.
It's a bold move, but I'm curious how it works out.

This post has been edited by AC Slater: 27 December 2012 - 04:13 PM

[AC Slater]

Checkout the image that appears on http://ainol.tmall.com :

Mali400MP (quadcore multi graphic processor) so it seems.

[androidinata]

Still no specific release date??

Sent from my GT-S5660 using Tapatalk 2

[AC Slater]

According to the following listings it seems to be ready to get in 3 to 7 days (hover over the tabletcolor selection (only black available), it says '3-7 days', well, atleast in Chinese it says so).
[>] http://detail.tmall....?id=16768981007
[>] http://detail.tmall....?id=21849496196

And another talks about 'about 10-20 days after payment'...
[>] http://detail.tmall....?id=18331891807

My bet is that with a bit of luck, if you were to get it, you'd be enjoying it already in the month of January.
I mean, I would love to get a Novo10 Captain, but so far there was one image and lots of rumours, no real Ainol updates, no listings, so I'm not convinced it will launch before the end of January/start of February. I'll first get my hands on the Hero II, I can always upgrade to the Captain whenever that one will finally emerge from the boiling depths of Ainols R&D and starts hitting mass production.

This post has been edited by AC Slater: 27 December 2012 - 09:31 PM

[Arbalath]

I can see that this appeared in many chinese shops.. In one where I usually buy it's not written if tablet is in stock and in specs it says GC1000 plus not mali. Other than being quad-core it doesn't have anything better than hero I, even bluetooth is not mentioned. I'm really looking forward for some test and real working experience with this tabled in comparison with Hero I. Price is around 220 with shipping.

[AC Slater]

True, bluetooth isn't mentioned anywhere, that's why I included in the openingpost that one of the trade-offs compared to a Novo10 Captain would be bluetooth-functionality. Altough, I was so excited to have it on my Novo7 Fire, but honestly I've never used it. I bet same would go for GPS, I have a smartphone with (A-)GPS anyways. But the 1920x1080 and 10000mAh would be more than welcome ofcourse.

I think the Amlogic dualcore MX/M6 processor was just a little bit too underpowered to be found in a 10.1" tablet, considering all the alternatives with RK3066 processing power and such. I think the Hero II will know a noticable performance increase in comparison to the preceeding model.

About the GPU, it's hard to tell what's really going on under there, so many mixed information. But just take a look at the following and pretend to be Sherlock Holmes, using the power of deduction.
From Ainol.com ->

"NOVO10 hero quad-core equipped SMP symmetrical high-performance quad-core ARM cortex A9 family architecture chip ATM7029, the highest frequency of 1.5GHz, the 200% increase in overall performance compared to dual-core processors. Quad-core 3D GPU with a proprietary independent 2D GPU separation technology show leading the same level of graphics rendering strength, quad-core 3D GPU to help run the large 3D games, 2D GPU to better enhance the quality of 3D GPU pixel fill you shuttle between the various large-scale 3D games or office, graphics software with ease.

4K ultra clear video + 3D video output horizon Unlimited'"





So, what does that tell us?

• It has a dedicated quadcore 3D GPU
  
• Also includes a dedicated 2D GPU
  
• Can put out up to 4K resolution

So surely it cannot be the dualcore GC1000 and frankly, I don't know what a 'GC1000 Plus' is supposed to be, lol. When something says 'Plus' I expect a slight enhancement only.
But they're talking about 4K output... that's quite the statement. So that could go more in the direction of a Mali-450MP I would say:

• "supporting scalability of up to 8 cores" -> It has five
  
• "provides a perfect solution for 2K and 4K" -> It has 4K output

I mean... assume all you want, but I don't think it will be lacking much. It even supports Blu-ray 3D video playback and 3D output at 1080P 60fps H.264 (low bitrate), for 3D-capable televisions.
There's also a 6-way videoplayer. Not that I would have a use for it, but it proves that it's capable:


Video of the action: http://v.youku.com/v...kxMzE2NjQ0.html

It's considerably cheaper to get one from Taobao than from a webshop, but surely, it might be a little bit more of a hassle, especially if you're not living in Asia.
My agent says my pre-order will be released in one week. Hopefully will have it in somewhere in January, would be cool. Gotten really curious.

[Arbalath]

For now I can only assume this - even resellers don't have information what they are selling - in different places they mention mali400 (not 450) and gc1000 (again). Untill I see hard proof what I am actually buying no preoders for me

[sJaguar]

no gps
no bluetooth

[dastaff]

Confirm: no Bluetooth no GPS.
The first is really not important for a Tablet, the second...
I suggest to all this
www.pandawill.com/ainol-novo-10-hero-2-quad-core-tablet-pc-android-41-ips-hd-screen-101-inch-16gb-dual-camera-p70835.html

[AC Slater]

Of course, that's what I said in the openingspost, the Captain will have bluetooth and GPS, but the Hero II doesn't.
It also lacks the 1920x1200 resolution of the Captain and 10000mAh capacity battery.
Though I'd reckon, for the price you are still getting an awesome deal and yes, the Captain will be an even better buy, but like I also stated: there hasn't been any announcements (that I'm aware of), it could still take a few months for Ainol to release it. Buy the time I'll probably get it, 'cause I digg the idea of 1920x1200 resolution and the 2000mAh more you get. Bluetooth would be a nice bonus and GPS, can't really see me using it, but why not embrace it, hell yeah, more than welcome to add it guys!

Hero II is also spotted on:
> Aliexpress: http://www.aliexpres..._720535144.html
> Buyincoins: http://benz.bicoin.c...duct-25280.html

Don't forget, you also have recommenderdiscounts and coupons for various sites.
Look 'em up on www.tjoos.com and www.retailmenot.com .

Altough I still recommend to use the Ainol provided Tmall (Taobao) stores.
You do need an agent to buy from there internationally, but it's quite the bit cheaper.
You usually also get some nice freebie accessories. But ofcourse a webshop is less hassle. So much is true.

Coming back to the GPU, still no definte answers. Most point to it being a Mali-processor type.
Can't really imagine it being a Vivante, but who knows. It can even be the PowerVR SGX 544.
I just know that's enough for what I'm going to use it for and looks to be quite capable.

[saladin911]

awesome links.... God... i just got my hero one..... lol loads of models coming out!!
but wth is that Novo 9 9.7 with semi retina display of 2k resoultion and 2 GB ram quad core (Coretx A7 in the translation) ...etc

looks awesome but... i thought the captain would be 10.1 inch any ideas which model is that??? in the translation its called novo 9 "Firewire"

[AC Slater]

saladin911, on 01 January 2013 - 11:54 AM, said:

awesome links.... God... i just got my hero one..... lol loads of models coming out!!
but wth is that Novo 9 9.7 with semi retina display of 2k resoultion and 2 GB ram quad core (Coretx A7 in the translation) ...etc

looks awesome but... i thought the captain would be 10.1 inch any ideas which model is that??? in the translation its called novo 9 "Firewire"

Posted some schtuff on that one couple'o'days over here:
[>] http://www.slatedroi...novo9-firewire/

[doomah]

It does not seem to be Mali gpu according to mc-bub.Could be gc1000 just not branded properly.

This post has been edited by doomah: 02 January 2013 - 11:23 AM

[sukanime]

I just read the review in here http://blog.worse site ever/index.php/tablet-pc/review-of-ainol-novo-10-hero-ii-quad-core-tablet-pc-10-1-inch-ips-android-4-1/
This Actions ATM7029 Quad-Core 1.5GHz much better than Allwinner A31 in CPU power.
I hope this CPU is Powerfull to Play Anime 10bit (Hi10p).
I hope someone who have this tablet could test it with Anime 10bit.
Because i have plan to buy Ainol Novo10 Captain if this SoC can play Anime 10bit smooth.

[AC Slater]

Yeah, that would be 'cause the Actions quadcore is Cortex-A9 based and the Allwinner quadcore Cortex-A7.
Am curious to find out the real life handling experience with the Hero II/Captain.

My Hero II has already arrived at my agent (they take a picture for you to check).



Total costs (taking into consideration the 10% first deposit bonus and everything): 193,76 USD ~> 147 EUR. Not too bad (free China Post shipping).
It comes with a bunch of freebies, including a case, various cables, et cetera, because of being an early adopter at one of the Ainol Tmall-stores.

Now the long wait begins!
(I'm used to 2 or 3 weeks, usually without any customs-issues (*knocks on wood))

[sukanime]

@AC Slater
Congratulations...
I hope you could help me to test Anime 10bit (Hi10p), i need real test if this SoC can handle Anime 10bit smoothly.

[Tablet_Collector]

PandaWill posted a video of this tablet. Looks pretty nice...very similar looking to the Hero I case which I really liked.

Antutu v3 score around 14052 isn't too bad either (for comparison a typical rk3066 tablet such as the Ployer momo12 scores around 11500).

I wonder how game compatibility will be?

https://www.youtube....be_gdata_player

Jez

This post has been edited by Tablet_Collector: 03 January 2013 - 07:15 PM

[Tzul]

Tablet_Collector, on 03 January 2013 - 06:35 PM, said:

Antutu v3 score around 14052 isn't too bad either (for comparison a typical rk3066 tablet such as the Ployer momo12 scores around 11500).

The 3D graphics score is noticeably low, however. Appears to be the dreaded GC1000 after all.
Well, waiting for GLBenchmark scores...

This post has been edited by Tzul: 03 January 2013 - 10:39 PM

[doomah]

Tzul, on 03 January 2013 - 10:37 PM, said:

The 3D graphics score is noticeably low, however. Appears to be the dreaded GC1000 after all.
Well, waiting for GLBenchmark scores...

On the bright side with the right drivers it would support opengl es 3.0 "halti", wouldnt it?

[Tablet_Collector]

Tzul, on 03 January 2013 - 10:37 PM, said:

The 3D graphics score is noticeably low, however. Appears to be the dreaded GC1000 after all.
Well, waiting for GLBenchmark scores...

Yes the gc1000 is the one thing putting me off. Would be interested in the Tajii score too.

Jez