8% off All Tablets. Novo 9 Spark $207.90, Hero $156.40. Crystal $86.50 @ BIC

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• Aids on 11/04/2013 - 11:43 Comment score below threshold.
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  LolwutMikka on 11/04/2013 - 11:48

  Been looking for a budget tab on the side for someone which is fairly similar in specs/quality to a N7 but obviously not as great. Been hearing a lot of good things about the Crystal… suggestions anyone?

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  chewbot on 11/04/2013 - 12:07

  Not sure but that appears to be the dual core crystal not the quad core

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    newox on 11/04/2013 - 12:11

    yeah. you're right. the one on the page is the dual-core. here's the quad core http://www.buyincoins.com/new_en/details/7-ainol-novo-7-crys…
    For some reason it's cheaper too

    • 

      chewbot on 11/04/2013 - 12:15

      Ta.
      That's a bit odd it being slightly cheaper than the dual core.

      • 

        Kikkoman56 on 11/04/2013 - 13:01

        +2

        The quad core chipset isn't actually that good, the GPU provides little compatibility (Vivante and not PowerVR / Mali / Adreno) and falls behind vastly in terms of gaming performance. General performance its not so bad but remember each core is a Cortex-A5 and thus the IPC is lower and in non multithreaded apps, the Cortex-A9 dual will beat it. Most people on slate droid and such don't really suggest getting this Actions Chipset.

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  nothommus on 11/04/2013 - 13:19

  Whats the shipping like for these guys?
  EDIT: Oh, its free, awesome! Tempted to pick up the crystal, even though i already have a transformer.

  • 

    bob_wangkar on 11/04/2013 - 23:39

    I have a crystal2. No problems with it so far. Everything has been working fine, except for some incompatibility with some apps. Luckily don't need them.

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  redbigot on 11/04/2013 - 13:34

  +1

  I bought a Novo 9 Spark recently (paid $239 delivered), I'm pretty happy with it, but there are some deficiencies that might deter others.
  Pros:
  Great hi-res "retina" screen
  Good battery life and great standby time, uses little battery.
  Better graphics chip than the other Ainol quad core tabs that use GC1000 (Crystal, Hero)

  Cons:
  No bluetooth for bluetooth keyboards.
  Not compatible with a number of apps (but pretty much all I want works fine)
  Wifi range from AP limited (but not a problem where I am)

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    systmworks on 11/04/2013 - 14:27

    Not sure if you have tried it, but sounds like new firmware makes the device more responsive.

    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2175446

    With time/maturity the app bugs may be ironed out also.

    If I hadn't bought a Samsung TAB 7" last week I would go for one of these as Id love the high res screen.

    • 

      redbigot on 11/04/2013 - 18:28

      Thanks, I haven't looked recently at the available firmware, will check this out. Replacing the standard launcher with Nova Launcher fixed a few "responsiveness" issues for me, but would be good if a couple of app compatibility issues could be fixed.

      After 2-3 updates the manufacturer usually moves on to the next model set, unless the custom firmware modders decide it's worth the effort.

  • 

    Jimpower on 11/04/2013 - 15:25

    I'm quite interested on Ainol Spark (I have the older Ainol Aurora), do you know if Skype work on Ainol Spark?
    And also, how good is the battery? 6 hours with medium use?
    Thanks :)

    • 

      redbigot on 11/04/2013 - 18:23

      +1

      Skype works, but the standard Skype screens only seem to work in landscape mode, but the video window does rotate to portrait so you can hold it in a more natural position for video chats, with the camera at the top rather than at the side.

      I haven't done a stress test on the battery with video or sustained wifi, but after an hour of a video @ 720p it's about 75%, so maybe 4-5hrs on constant video, a lot more on music/books, a 10,000 mah battery is pretty big, even with the hi-res screen, it's quite a heavy little package.

      Unlike some of the other Chinese tablets I have/had it is very good in standby mode, uses very little battery, some of the others chew it up even with Juice Defender.

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  PJC on 11/04/2013 - 16:49

  That link shows $93.99 for me.

  • 

    newox on 11/04/2013 - 16:53

    there's a discount code that you apply at check out

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  Trishool on 11/04/2013 - 16:50

  If you don't like Ainol jokes, you're not human.

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  n4630386 on 30/04/2013 - 13:40

  Bought one and received 2 weeks later.
  Very bad experience because I received a used item.
  Lots of scratches on the screen!