Pipo Max M1 Tablet - 9.7" IPS, Dual Core/Quad Core GPU, Bluetooth, HDMI, Dual Camera $232.67 shipped or $247.67 (with US company quality check)

Quote from zslick : Why there is so much of discussion about a tablet w/o GPS and NFC? These are now standard sensors. isn't it??

I can't think of any reason I would ever even need those features on a tablet. I don't even know if my HP Touchpad has a real GPS, can't say I've ever used it if it does. I do use it on my phone, but it's a phone.
NFC, I don't even know why I'd need it on anything. I'm not missing not having this feature on my phone and couldn't care less about it, so don't know why I'd miss it on a tablet.

Quote from GnatGoSplat : I can't think of any reason I would ever even need those features on a tablet. I don't even know if my HP Touchpad has a real GPS, can't say I've ever used it if it does. I do use it on my phone, but it's a phone. NFC, I don't even know why I'd need it on anything. I'm not missing not having this feature on my phone and couldn't care less about it, so don't know why I'd miss it on a tablet.

Yeah, I'm not too concerned about GPS or NFC at this point either. My Thrive has GPS and it functions just fine. But its ridiculous on the 10.1 inch screen. Can't imagine I'd ever use it. The GPS might be more useful on the 7 inch tablets though.
So I guess the more features the better. But in the $200 range, 10" form factor, I don't consider these things standard.

Quote from johnnyblades : Yeah, I'm not too concerned about GPS or NFC at this point either. My Thrive has GPS and it functions just fine. But its ridiculous on the 10.1 inch screen. Can't imagine I'd ever use it. The GPS might be more useful on the 7 inch tablets though. So I guess the more features the better. But in the $200 range, 10" form factor, I don't consider these things standard.

What exactly are you guys using these tablets for then? Just curious.

Quote from psyctto : somebody doesn't know the definition of HD... you resolution whores kill me. like it makes a difference on a 10'' screen. that said, this is way to much money...

You're one of those people that would defend a 60" TV with 1024x768 Res, eh? Cool. Just not my thing
Crisp graphics on a small screen is sexy. If you don't agree, neat. Go complain on Wikipedia.

Quote from zslick : What exactly are you guys using these tablets for then? Just curious.

Web, email, and apps for me. Currently using my HP Touchpad right now to reply. Sometimes YouTube bids as well.

Quote from jackharvest : You're one of those people that would defend a 60" TV with 1024x768 Res, eh? Cool. Just not my thing Crisp graphics on a small screen is sexy. If you don't agree, neat. Go complain on Wikipedia.

nope...
my 65'' tv is 1080P, where it's needed.
my 42'' tv is 720P, where 1080P isn't needed.
my tablet, a Touchpad, is 768x1024, where 1080P really isn't needed.

but hey, more power to you if you want to drop premium dollar for something that doesn't matter... on a device that really has no way to benefit from a resolution that high.

Some thoughts on a few things...


1. 1024x768 9.7" screen is the same resolution as an iPad 2. Most people I talk to (which granted this isn't an scientific process) really don't give rip that the new iPad as an ungodly high resolution. Which MURDERS the GPU performance by the way. I am all for higher res in a small display because personally I think more is better... but not if I have to absolutely kill my GPU in the process. The New Ipad performance is similar to the iPad 2 in spite of having a much stronger processor. It is that ridiculous display... I digress. The point I was making is that most people I talk to can't tell much of a difference between the iPad 2 and the "new" iPad display. I am not saying there isn't a difference. There is, and it IS noticeable. What I am saying is that it isn't as groundbreaking as going from say... a TFT Panel to IPS and the majority of my prospective customers just don't care. Is higher better? Yes. Is 1024x768 in a 9.7" bad? No and it is actually better for performance especially gaming.

2. Someone said they would buy a previous generation name brand over this unit and I would say you are nuts if that previous gen unit carries anything LESS than a Tegra 3.

I would never pay more for a Tegra II device vs this unit sporting the RK3066. Please notice how I worded that.... THIS UNIT. Because this device is pretty decent quality and yes there is a lot of junk coming out of China yet. "sporting the RK3066"... Do you have any clue of the performance of this chipset? It BLOWS the Tegra II out of the water and greatly surpasses the Tegra III in several benches and is neck and neck anywhere else they are close, like GPU performance. But Memory Speed, and I/O especially... the RK3066 absolutely murders the Tegra III which equates to a much smoother android experience, web browsing, etc.

3. NFC and GPS - Once again I will agree, more is better, and I would LOVE to have both of these functions but I just don't see using NFC in particular anytime soon. By the time I would start say... paying for things using my tablet.... I will probably be ready to upgrade my tablet. As someone else pointed out, GPS would also be nice, but I don't see myself using it too often in a device with this size screen. In regards to NFC, I don't buy mobile electronics with features I don't plan on needing for another 2 years. Is is GOOD to have these things? YES, just like the resolution (without any major drawbacks). But is it something I am going to really miss? Not at all...

4. U.S. Quality Check... Guess who the competition is for a U.S. company that sells China Tablets... not Best Buy... more like spemall or merimobiles that are all Chinese operated and only do drop shipping by "free" 30-Day delivery Hong Kong Post or 20 Day delivery EMS (for $15 more) so they generally have bargain basement pricing. So guess who my customers are? People who also shop at spemall and merimobiles. A lot of those folks actually like to buy from a U.S. company but they still prefer dropshipping for the lower price and they don't mind taking a small risk of NOT having a quality check on my side. However, ironically, all of the orders for the Max M1 thus far have opted for the quality check. AND the customization service that comes with it. I was a bit surprised as I just expected price shoppers. Anyhow, I am not trying to "beat" Best Buy or Newegg, I am trying to compete with the Chinese vendors.

Someone who owns a Galaxy Tab 10.1" tablet is not exactly my target market. Good for them, its a nice device . I don't really compete in that space. I compete against other people selling China Tabs, and my value proposition is that I am in the U.S., I try my best to only sell quality stuff, I speak english, and I do it better than those companies in China.

Lets take the Aurora II as an example of my business vs. other similar buinesses. I am considering this unit. Ainol, in typical Chinese fashion, just put out a huge batch of devices with dead pixels on the display. My supplier sold off all the dead pixel devices to other suppliers that will happily sell them to unsuspecting customers who purchase from say.... spemall (I kid, I am just using them as an example). My supplier keeps the unit with good screens, checks each one, and then sells them to me.

If you are going to pit me against Best Buy... with the RK3066 I can offer more power for your money, but I will be the first to admit that a Samsung device is almost always going to be the better "built" unit vs. a China tab. You pay $200 more, but it will last 6 months to a year longer and you will probably have less hiccups along the way.

For those of you who want a slightly higher resolution/PPI I am testing the Yuandao N101 next week which is a 1280x800 10.1" unit sporting 32 GB of Storage, Bluetooth, dual cams, HDMI out, the RK3066 processor, a MicroSD slot, and Blutooth.

To those who had China Tabs in the past (and by past I mean longer than 4 months ago) a LOT has changed. China still puts out a lot of landfill... but quality has gotten better even in just the last quarter. Most ONDA tablets for example are easily as good of build quality as what you find at the big-box retail stores. Tech has come a long way as well, the RK3066 is a currently unparalleled processor for the price. These aren't the sluggish Via 8650 256 MB tablets of a year ago. Heck, there are even a couple of Quad-Core China chips right around the corner.

Anyhow... to distill all that down... is the Max M1 a "good" value for your money? I would argue most definitely due to the high-end processor which will smack around anything else in this price range with this size screen. Is a $350 device nicer than the Max M1... yes, probably.

So rather than saying I wish it had NFC and GPS and a 2048x1080 screen res (or whatever the new "standard" in HD is...)... Please be of use on the forum here and list off what other devices you can buy that are a better value for the money? I think a $40 price differential is the max in that regard.

So currently we sell this unit for... $232 sans any modifications... and yes it comes in English with the Play market and is perfectly usable without our tinkering. What our tinkering DOES do is enable the device to work with most new Gameloft games... It plays NOVA 3 and Mass Effect Infiltrator like butter btw.... Some are saying, I can play NOVA 3 on my... if it is a Tegra II or comparable... I would argue not nearly as well as you can play it on this, if at all.

So, if your device out of the box CAN play NOVA 3 very smoothly then you can compare the price at our "modded" price of $247... So I will give you up to $287 to work with but not a penny more, that is the "delivered to your door price"

If your device CAN'T play NOVA 3 out of the box, you can have up to $272 to play with.

Show me a device with this size screen or comparable in those price ranges that is a better value for your money. That kind of information will be of use here on the forums I think.

Score extra points (if we were scoring)....

1. More points to you if you "match" our device price or beat it...
2. More points for each legitimate feature your device has that ours doesn't
3. More points if your device is not an "open box" or "returned" product.
4. More points if your device is not from "craig's list" or "ebay"

Have fun . I am interested to see what comes back. This was the question I posed on another thread about a different device and I got some very good suggestions for "better value for your dollar" vs. what we were selling at the time.

Regards,

Roman

If you insist on not buying Chinese tablets because, well, because they're from China.......then you would be foolish not to take that support and put it behind Roman and TopNotchTablets.

You will not find someone that is more dedicated to putting a good product into the market and helping those that are interested in buying it or knowing about Android as a whole.

Thumbs up to the thread because of the seller.
A+.

Quote from Evo-IC : If you insist on not buying Chinese tablets because, well, because they're from China.......then you would be foolish not to take that support and put it behind Roman and TopNotchTablets. You will not find someone that is more dedicated to putting a good product into the market and helping those that are interested in buying it or knowing about Android as a whole. Thumbs up to the thread because of the seller. A+.

Thanks! kind words much appreciated. I can talk about how great we are all day long but it doesn't quite mean as much lol in that I sell this stuff.

I am curious though as to hearing some suggestions.

The Tab on Slickdeals being discussed in this manner was the Singularity which was a Single-Core Cortex-A8 (allwinner chip) also 9.7". Anyhow, it was very good market research for us and I am sure helpful for other users as I posed the question about better deals and some folks really did come back with some very good options in the same price range as our offering. Which really is just the nature of the business.

So, I think the RK3066 changes things quite a bit so I am interested to see what some other deal sleuths on here are able to come back with that is comparable and/or better than the PIPO Max M1 in the same relative price range.

Cheers,

Roman

I don't get it. I think he knows the definition and its usually 1280x720 min but on Android its typically 1280x800. Both my Sony s tablet and nexus 7 has "HD" resolution and it really helps when reading or surfing web. You don't need a 10" or bigger tablet to appreciate it cause people use tablets from about 1 to 2ft away.

Quote from psyctto : somebody doesn't know the definition of HD... you resolution whores kill me. like it makes a difference on a 10'' screen. that said, this is way to much money...

Quote from Roman2025 : Thanks! kind words much appreciated. I can talk about how great we are all day long but it doesn't quite mean as much lol in that I sell this stuff. I am curious though as to hearing some suggestions. The Tab on Slickdeals being discussed in this manner was the Singularity which was a Single-Core Cortex-A8 (allwinner chip) also 9.7". Anyhow, it was very good market research for us and I am sure helpful for other users as I posed the question about better deals and some folks really did come back with some very good options in the same price range as our offering. Which really is just the nature of the business. So, I think the RK3066 changes things quite a bit so I am interested to see what some other deal sleuths on here are able to come back with that is comparable and/or better than the PIPO Max M1 in the same relative price range. Cheers, Roman

No problem, I'm happy to be an advocate of a USA company that competes well in a China-centric market and keeps themselves involved in the community.

To answer your question, I think the Cube U30GT at around $215 shipped is the most likely competitor to the Pipo Max.
Take a look and see if you agree.

Quote from xWarMECHx : I learned my lesson after owning 3 el cheapo-san tablets I bought from Slickdeals postings. They were my first experience with Android tabs. They seemed fine at first, but I didn't really know how shitty they were until after I got my Galaxy Tab, Acer Iconia and Sony Tablet S. Yeah they costed more but believe me its easily worth spending $50ish-$100ish more for something MUCH better performing with quality battery and display. The irony is that I always despised the people that came into the cheap chipad threads that would argue the same. I really wish I would have listened to them. I have never used this tab, but the reason I feel I have to post this is that if they are offering a "U.S. company quality check" (LO F'ing L), they are pretty much telling you its just another shit quality chipad you have to be cautious for.

This is one of the smartest post I have seen on SD in the longest

Roman,

I'm open to any bargain no matter the brand, as long as the price/performance ratio (either perceived or touted) seems good, but I'm still scarred from being burnt by the past chipads. Not to mention that I'm pretty "tableted out" at the moment anyway.

I actually hope your tabs bring a more positive aspect to chipads. You seem pretty confident and passionate about this, and already much better to deal with than the broken english, sometimes shady websites typically in common with chipads.

A lot of people first tablets here on Slickdeals are chipads, thinking they are good based only on what they are being told. Then when they become more experienced they realize what crap they had. Change that and make their first experiences a truly good one.

Quote from teaberry : I don't get it. I think he knows the definition and its usually 1280x720 min but on Android its typically 1280x800. Both my Sony s tablet and nexus 7 has "HD" resolution and it really helps when reading or surfing web. You don't need a 10" or bigger tablet to appreciate it cause people use tablets from about 1 to 2ft away.

I think most Android tablets are 16:10 instead of 16:9. Anyway, "HD" resolution is quite nice. I play with my dad's iPad 3 whenever I pay him a visit, and that screen is super nice. However, as Roman mentioned, 9.7" 1024x768 is the same resolution as the iPad 1 & 2, and that works and looks just fine for most people. I have the exact same thing in my HP TouchPad, and I love it. I personally think the size and 4:3 ratio are a LOT more important than resolution. Having used a 10.1" China tab and 1280x800 Samsung Galaxy 10.1, I really don't like widescreen in a tablet. When it comes to tablet screens, I rank size #1, 4:3 #2, and resolution #3 in importance.

Only reason I'd even consider a China tab (and I may be wrong on this) is that I think LG is the only game in town when it comes to 9.7" 4:3 IPS panels, so China tabs using this panel should have the same great screen as an iPad 1/2 or HP Touchpad.

Quote from Roman2025 : So, I think the RK3066 changes things quite a bit so I am interested to see what some other deal sleuths on here are able to come back with that is comparable and/or better than the PIPO Max M1 in the same relative price range.

How about the Window N90 II that someone mentioned earlier in the thread? Looks like same specs except it's slightly better with 2MP cameras front and rear (although I personally don't use my tablet as a camera).

I have had a cheap plastic garbage China tabs before, but I also have a Le Pan TC970 which seems to be built exceptionally well and of very nice quality. It, however, has drawbacks such as being old tech and not upgradeable to ICS which is the only reason I'm looking to replace it. Unless I'm mistaken, Le Pan/Matsunichi would be considered a "China tab" as well, so if most China tabs are built that well, I'd definitely give them serious consideration.