Ainol NOVO 7 Paladin 7 Capacitive Touch Screen Android 4.0 Ultra SlimTablet PC

[Spin]

Well Once again Shane has cost me money.
I saw the Ainol NOVO 7 Paladin 7 Capacitive Touch Screen Android 4.0 Ultra SlimTablet PC with Wi-Fi posted and it was 107 dollars shipped.
Thus I am now in the tablet community. (Well in 7-10 days)

This being my first true smart device (I only have a DS lite and PSP phat)
I do not have a smart phone or any Apple / android device.
SO any and all guidance will be welcome.

Certainly my first question Root or not?

This is a somewhat stripped down device
Here are the specs for anyone that cared.
Tablet Name: Ainol Novo 7 Paladin
CPU: Ingenic JZ4770, XBurst, 1GHz
GPU: GC860
Operation System: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
RAM: 512MB DDR2
ROM Memory: 8GB Nand Flash
Flash: N/A
Screen Size: 7"
Screen Type: Capacitive (5 Points Multi-Touch)
Screen Resolution: 800 x 480 pixels
Screen Ratio: 16:9
Extend Card: Supports MicroSD/TF Cards (Maximum 16GB) [NOT INCLUDED]
Camera: N/A
Bluetooth: N/A
GPS: N/A
3G: N/A (Supports External 3G Modem/Dongle) [NOT INCLUDED]
Gravity Sensor: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes (802.11 b/g/n)
In-Built Microphone: Yes

Earphone Interface: 3.5mm
Video Output: N/A
In-Built Speakers: 1W x 1
USB: Mini USB 2.0 OTG

Battery: Built-in 4000mAh

[alexjlopez]

Congrats, Spin! To root or not to root will depend on what you want to do with the device. I'll let others comment on this, but if you're on ICS I'd say these days there's really no compelling reason to root unless you're planning on installing custom roms or want to block ads in apps. I'd hold off on rooting until you hit an obstacle in something you're trying to do. In certain cases, rooting can block you from manufacturer updates, etc. but if you're going the custom rom route you won't care about those anyway.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Hmmm... that looks pretty damn good for a $100 tablet. Got a link?

Congrats! We have a great world to show you.

[Dragon57]

Root it! Root it! Root it! Behold the power of the root side!

Yeah, as Alex said, see what you think after a few days. I, like some people always root my devices because of certain things that allows you to do, e.g. block ads, install a firewall to block apps from communicating out to the internet, do full backups of all apps, including the system apps, etc. Ask away after you get comfortable with it. You can't lose, either way.

[Spin]

Here is where I got mine from: http://forums.focalprice.com/showtopic-37539.aspx
It was 107 out the door.

I did notice the lack of Blutooth but hey its 100 bucks what can you expect.
The screen is capacitive so I was willing to try it.
The wife has been talking about wanting a tablet to do a little dumb stuff so I though why not.

For me personally I want a mame device (Yeah no blu shoots this down) and something to read CBZ comic reader.
The wife just wants a fun dork around device.
This being my first android etc I wanted a cheap try it device to see what it all is about.

I think that rooting will be the way in the end ,I am a control freak on my devices
So where should I start reading up?
Is this as bad as the PSP for potential bricking and hassle?
Thanks for any help well in advance

[Shane R. Monroe]

There is some good news and some bad news.

Good News: Word is, these tablets are pre-rooted. That's good.

Bad News: Apparently, these tablets use MIPS CPUs instead of ARM CPUs which drops compatibility with Android apps to a staggering LOW number. And like the Frogurt toppings containing sodium benzonate ... that's bad.

I hope your experience is better than most are having with this sort of device.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1847386

[Shane R. Monroe]

Still looks impressive as a media tablet and for the games it WILL support - it seems to play well.

[wildo2ne]

Engadget did a revue, they say pass on this one.

[Spin]

Will let all know when I get it.I
knew going in it was 100 bucks.
The wife and kids want
Internet browsing
Video
Reading
E-mail
Some games.
Reading up it should do all that I want.
I do not need the best thing I need a decent thing.
Will tell the true tale once received.

[Shane R. Monroe]

We await your findings!