Shenzhen, China-based Aoson is now shipping a mobile Internet device (MID) that ships with Android, and can also run Linux 2.4, Mac 9.1, and various flavors of Windows, reports Qianlong.com. The Aoson M500 mini-tablet runs on a 624MHz Marvell PXA303 processor, and offers a five-inch resistive touchscreen, plus 3G, WiFi, and GPS wireless capabilities, says the story.

The Aoson M500 is available now in China for $265 US, says ChiniTech, which based its story on a more detailed piece from Qianlong.com. The somewhat ragged translation offered by Google has Qianlong.com referring to the device as the Ericsson M500, but this appears to be an error. Aoson itself does not currently appear to offer any information on the M500, which Qianlong.com says sells for 1899 Yuan ($278).

The Aoson M500's venerable Marvell PXA-303 processor (data sheet in PDF format, here) is clocked to 624MHz, according to Qianlong.com. This ARM/XScale processor is accompanied by 128MB of RAM and 256MB of internal flash, as well as an SD slot for expansion, says the story.

Aoson M500
(Source: Qianlong.com)

The Aoson M500's five-inch touchscreen provides a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, says Qianlong.com. Resistive technology is said to be used in order to support non finger-touch input, such as that provided by the integrated stylus. An HTC-designed trackball and function buttons offer additional input options, says the story.

Equipped with WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and accelerometers, the MID is also said to be available with a 3G modem that supports WCDMA and EVDO. The device reportedly plays video at up to 720p quality, supporting 10 video formats, including H.264. Somewhat surprisingly for this relatively low-end device, it also offers HDMI output.

M500, rear view
(Source: Qianlong.com)

The Aoson M500 measures 5.98 x 3.27 x 0.65 inches (152 x 83 x 16.5mm), says the story. The device's 2500mAh battery is said to offer four hour life and 72 hours standby.

The M500 ships with Android (version unlisted), but also is claimed to support Linux 2.4. Google's Chrome browser is said to be included, as well as media players, and e-reader support is offered with PDF, TXT, and CHM formats. Additional software is said to include QQ, MSN, GTalk, and various productivity apps.

Android PMP close to shipping

Speaking of small Android-ready tablets from across the Pacific, we see that our sister site, WindowsForDevices, has run a story saying that Korean firm Yukyung appears to be readying its Viliv P3 PMP (portable media player). Demo'd at CES in January, the device is now called the Viliv P3 Prime, and it boots into either Android or Windows CE 6.0, says the story.

The Viliv P3 Prime (pictured) has a 3.7-inch AMOLED (active matrix organic light emitting diode) display, and includes wireless networking. Like the M500, it offers HDMI output, and also provides a microSD slot, says the story. (For more information, see the full WindowsForDevices story, here.)

Availability

The Aoson M500 is available now in China for $265, says Chinitech, (story here). The original Qianlong.com report, found in this somewhat shakily translated page, here, lists the price at 1,899 yuan ($278). Aoson site itself may be found here, but does not appear to offer further information.

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