New Evoke 7" Tablet

[Charlie]

Hi all,

Whilst surfing I saw that Storage Options have a new 7" table called the Evoke which is available on the SO site for pre-order.

Key Features:
Powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Intuitive 7" Capacitive Multi-Touch IPS 1024x600 screen
Dual Core ARM Cortex A9 1.6GHz Processor
Quad Core Mali-400 Graphics Processor
8GB of on board storage, expandable by up to 32GB via MicroSD

Price: £119.99

Scroll Evoke is a capacitive touch-screen Android 4.1 Dual Core tablet that incorporates Bluetooth wireless technology. Portable, with its highly responsive 7’’ IPS screen, powerful hardware and a stylish, slim design, the Scroll Evoke is the perfect companion for internet browsing, games, videos and a host of other applications.

A powerful Dual Core 1.6GHz processor combined with a speedy Quad-Core Mali-400 Graphics Processor mean that the Scroll Evoke is capable of handling demanding games and online content seamlessly. Add the latest Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system, which is designed to optimise tablet enjoyment and functionality, and a great all round experience is guaranteed.

Scroll Evoke is also a highly versatile multimedia device; connect peripherals such as mice, keyboards and speakers, wirelessly and effortlessly with Bluetooth technology or watch your favourite film in full 1080p HD or 3D by connecting Scroll Evoke to your 3D or HD TV or monitor (via an optional high-speed HDMI cable).

P.S.
I am also willing to put money on that they will have a new 9.7"~10.1" tablet out soon that is very similar to the Evoke, but with the larger screen & hopefully more RAM and a larger battery too. Now whether that is named Evoke is something I am not sure of.

P.P.S.
I think (and still do) that the Excel is a great little tablet and very nice looking, the new evoke seems to improve on that both in looks and in hardware. I would really like one of these in my stocking for Christmas and a 10.1" version too - Not sure if I have been good enough this year tho'.

[Trashcooky]

Nice find Charlie,
Seems like the Christmas market is suddenly opening up.
Not a bad price but I don't know enough yet about the Cortex A9.
If this can be communicated with via USB like the Cortex A8 Allwinner A10 then they have a winner on their hand.
Word of warning to others though that it would appear that the newer releases from SO don't always come rooted out of the box any more.

I would like to know more about the Cortex A9 if anyone has the knowledge on this processor.

[Charlie]

<snip>

I would like to know more about the Cortex A9 if anyone has the knowledge on this processor.

Thanks TC - Yes I would like to delve deeper into the A9.

EDIT:
The ARM Cortex-A9 CPU can be single-core, dual-core or quad-core, and features speculative Out-of-Order Execution (allows high-level code such as C/C++ to automatically run more efficiently), yet is extremely low in battery power. So the ARM Cortex-A9 is used in most of the latest multi-core devices, such as the Apple iPad2 (Apple A5 processor), LG Optimus 2X (nVidia Tegra2), Samsung Galaxy S II (Samsung Exynos 4210), Sony NGP PSP2, and the PandaBoard (TI OMAP4430).

[Charlie]

Cortex-A8 & Cortex-A9 are NOT two different processor models, they are two different ARM design specs. For example:

Cortex-A8 chipset:
An Allwinner A10 (Mali-400 MP1 GPU) = Is a single core processor with a single core GPU.

Cortex-A9 Chipset:
Rockchip RK3066 (dual core) (mali-400 MP4) = Is a dual core processor with a Quad core (Mali-400) GPU.

Now back the the question of whether the A9 is (virtually) non-brickable like the A10 - I am still none the wiser, but lets hope so for the sake of great development and mods

P.S.
There is very little point in getting a tablet with a Cortex A8, the little money that you will save by getting an Allwinner A10 or Rk2918 device is a false economy. The new dual-core chipsets (A9) are far better and right now the Rockchip RK3066 (dual core) (mali-400 MP4) is the best value and the sweet spot for a 7" or 10" tablet in the budget category.

[Trashcooky]

Thanks for this Charlie - really useful stuff.
It's great to see you buzzing on the Forum after your sabbatical.
Hope to see many more of your posts once again.


Edit: I just browsed the Evoke on SO's site and I notice as with all their other tablets, still no official support from Google so (officially) no Playstore either.

Also I would like to know more about just what a Long Life Li-Polymer Rechargeable Battery specification actually is.

[Charlie]

Thanks for this Charlie - really useful stuff.
It's great to see you buzzing on the Forum after your sabbatical.
Hope to see many more of your posts once again.

You are welcome and I hope this helps others too. I did think that it was about time that I got back into the swing of things, well the Android world at least, before it changes more that it has all ready.

[Trashcooky]

I just posted this on Storage Option's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/storageoptions ... s&filter=2

"I must say that your new Evoke tablet specification really looks the business and a fair price too. Before I decide to buy one can you please specify the battery actual specs - i.e. 4,200 mAh or whatever - because "Long Life Li-Polymer Rechargeable Battery" doesn't tell me anything regarding how long I can expect to use between charges and whilst I realise this depends on what I am doing with the tablet an actual capacity rating tells me whether I am wasting my money or not. Cheers."

I will repost their answer when/if I get one.

[Charlie]

Yes it would be a very useful base point to know what the specs for the battery is, hopefully they will reply soon.

[JCB]

One of the things I noticed is that the screen resolution at 1024x600 is better than most budget 7in Androids which typically have 800x480 pixels. Screen resolution was a driving factor in my choice of the Scroll Engage, which has a 1024x768 pixel 8 inch screen. If I did not already have the Engage then I would give consideration to the Evoke, but I think I still prefer the squarer screen.

In the days of CRT screens, I mostly used a 1024x768 display on my PC, but with LCD I am now using 1920x1400, preferring a 16:10 aspect ratio rather than the standard 16:9 ratio of TVs and most monitors.

[Trashcooky]

I just posted this on Storage Option's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/storageoptions ... s&filter=2

"I must say that your new Evoke tablet specification really looks the business and a fair price too. Before I decide to buy one can you please specify the battery actual specs - i.e. 4,200 mAh or whatever - because "Long Life Li-Polymer Rechargeable Battery" doesn't tell me anything regarding how long I can expect to use between charges and whilst I realise this depends on what I am doing with the tablet an actual capacity rating tells me whether I am wasting my money or not. Cheers."

I will repost their answer when/if I get one.

Well I got a reply alright but I had to respond as below:

Thanks for your comments. We're certainly pleased with the Evoke - it has a great feel to it, is responsive and a more than capable device.

In-built there is a 300mAH Lithium Ion battery. This provides a good level of battery life, although this will clearly vary depending on applications and usage. As a guide, we tested video streaming in the office and this should give somewhere between four and six hours of high quality video.

I hope this answers your question.

Best Wishes,
Martin

My response.... "Thanks Martin, but I sincerely hope you have missed a zero off your reply?"

EDIT from Martin: Well, spotted John - it is, of course a 3,000 mAH battery!

Seems like they got the advertising on TV again in the bag: http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/gadget-s ... te-for-120