With the release of the kernel source code for the VIA WM8505 CPU, there has been a flurry of activity around enabling the ability to overclock these CPUs as they are used in a wide variety of cheap Android tablets.

There is now a testing kernel available for the M001 tablet if you're a developer sort of person. Or you can have a go with Relax v1.9.8 or v1.9.9. Both have versions of the OC testing kernel included. 

I've had a go with v1.9.8 and the kernel seems to work and is stable. If you install SetCPU on the tablet, it definitely scales up and down the CPU clock speeds available according to the performance options you set. 

But what it wasn't doing (so far - Relax v1.9.8) was go faster than the top speed you'd get anyway on a stock kernel.....but at least the existing scaling capability gives us a chance to further extend battery life by "idling" the CPU at low speeds when using it - for example - as an eReader.

What also appears to have come to light is that the stated clock speeds reported by the kernel are wrong due to an 'error' in the VIA source. (Inverted commas for any error that exaggerates performance. It may also simply be a ....dare I say it.....lie.)  

For example, "533MHz" is reported when the device is actually doing 387MHz...and that 387MHz represents a CPU overclocked by 14%. Look here for the details - posts #2 to 4.  

"projectgus" says his latest kernel does deliver a 14% genuine CPU overclock to 387MHz. If I read it right, this should be the kernel in LFD / Relax v1.9.9. 

So have a go!