MeLE F10 Lite is an Air Mouse with Keyboard using 2x AAA Batteries

MeLE has several models of air mouse, and they are great to use with Android mini PCs, and sometimes I also use these with my regular PC. I started with the original MeLE F10, but then switched to MeLE F10 Deluxe which provides a better pointer control. It’s not perfect as game mode only works with MeLE media devices, I could never make the IR learning function work, and the pointer tends to jump when I press the OK button, so I’m using the mouse button for clicks instead as it does not suffer from this issue. Nevertheless, MeLE F10 Deluxe is still the device I prefer to use during my mini PCs and boards’ reviews. Previous MeLE F10 air mice all comes with a built-in battery, but some people prefer to use standard batteries, and that’s just what the latest MeLE F10 Lite uses, with other features similar to […]

Calaos is an Open Source Home Automation Suite for Raspberry Pi, Allwinner A10/A20 and x86 Platforms

Calaos is a Linux based home automation software released under GPLv3 license that works on Raspberry Pi, some Allwinner platforms like Cubiebaord 1/2, Mele A1000(G)/A2000, as well as x86 / amd64 hardware platforms that allows you control switches & lights in the rooms of your home or office, control your music, and manage security cameras.. The developers have recently released Calaos v2.0, the first stable release, so it’s a good time to have a look. The software stack is comprised of 6 main components: Calaos Server – Daemon that exports the state of the house via a JSON protocol. It can currently manage the following hardware components and protocols: Wago’s PLC, with digital or analog I/O, DALI or DMX light bus IPX800 web relay board GCE Electronics Eco Devices used to monitor power consumption. Web API 1-Wire, X10 Zibase I/O GPIO (Linux based GPIO, for direct use of RaspberryPI GPIO […]

How To Install Ubuntu 15.04 on MeLE PCG03 Intel Mini PC

I’ve already spent some time to test MeLE PCG03 Bay Trail-T mini PC in Windows 8.1, including a detailed video and audio review in Kodi 14.1. Since I don’t have anything else to do with Windows on the machine, I’ve decided to install Ubuntu instead, completely wiping out Windows 8.1. Since you pay around $30 for the Windows license, MeLE PCG03 is not the ideal platform computer for this little exercise due to the extra cost, but it should also work with other Intel Atom Z3735F based computer that may not come with a license. At first I planed to go with Ubuntu 14.10 Mate ISO image, and it boots fine, but was curious to try from “scratch” with another ISO, so I went with Ubuntu 15.04 Alpha 2 (64-bit) image. I just went to the first link Google Search provided me and did not pay attention enough, and ended-up […]

Kodi 14 Video Playback on Intel Atom Z3735F Computers Running Windows 8.1

I’ve already written a short review of Mele PCG03 mini PC powered by Intel Atom Z3735F processor, with 2GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC flash, where I found out that almost it’s not the fastest device around, it’s still usable for most tasks, albeit you can quickly run out of space with only 32GB storage, so if you really plan to use it as an actual computer using applications such as email clients, web browser and office suites, an external USB hard drive, or connection to a NAS is probably a must, or you’ll probably have to run Disk Cleaner fairly often.  Mele PCG03 also have a valid Windows 8.1 license, and a VGA port, both of which are often missing on many other Bay Trail-T mini PCs. I’ve now installed Kodi 14.1 – downloaded directly from xbmc.org – on this low cost and low power computer, in order to go […]

MeLE PCG03 mini PC Review and Benchmarks with Windows 8.1 with Bing

MeLE PCG03 is an Intel Atom Z3735F mini PC with 2GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC. I’ve already posted some pictures of the device and board, and since Windows 8.1 with Bing NTE (with proper license) is installed, I’ll first test the device with Microsoft OS as a reference, before trying Ubuntu or/and Android. MeLE PCG03 Setup The computer comes only with a power adapter, so you’ll need to find an HDMI or/and VGA cable for your display(s), and a USB keyboard and mouse to get started. Optionally, you’ll also want an Ethernet cable, and since storage is limited an extra storage device be it a USB hard drive, flash drive, or SD card. Once all is connected you can press the power button on the left side to boot the device. The boot normally takes about 20 seconds, but the first time, you’ll go through the usual Windows 8.1 setup […]

MeLE PCG03 Windows 8.1 Fanless mini PC Unboxing

MeLE PCG03 was announced in October 2014 with an aggressive price tag of $49 for large orders for barebone systems, and was said to support Windows 8.1 or Android 4.4. MeLE is PCG03 now is now available with 2GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC, and with a properly licensed “Windows 8.1 with Bing NTE”, but no Android for $149 on Ebay, or Aliexpress, and it should eventually show up on MeLE Amazon store. The company sent me a sample for review, so I’ll start by listing the updated specifications, and taking pictures today, before running benchmarks, trying out Kodi, and trying Ubuntu in other posts. MeLE PCG03 Specifications The look of the device and available ports have slightly changed since the first prototype was revealed last year. SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Bust freq: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD graphics System Memory – […]

Mele PCG03 Intel Quad Core mini PC Sells for $49 and Up (Factory Price)

Mele is currently showcasing a mini PC powered by Intel Atom Z3735D quad core processor at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, and the company has started taking OEM orders for $49 (MOQ 1000) for the barebone model without memory. Mele PCG03 Specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735D “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Bust freq: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD graphics System Memory – Optional 1 or 2 GB DDR3 Storage – Optional 16, 32, or 64 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4, VGA and Composite (RCA), Audio I/F – HDMI, Stereo RCA, optical S/PDIF, and MIC and earphone jack. Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi USB – 2x USB 2.0 host Power Supply – N/A The box will run either Windows 8.1 or Android. I’m a little confused to what “barebone” means for this type of mini PC because the DDR3 […]

MeLE V10 Android TV Box Features an Internal SATA Bay, HDMI In, USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet

Like UyeSee T1H, MeLe V10 is a quad core Android TV box powered by Mstar 9810 with HDMI In, USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet, but adds an internal SATA bay supporting either 2.5″ or 3.5″ hard drives or SSDs. It also comes with better specs by default with 2GB RAM, and a 16 GB eMMC flash. MeLe V10 specifications: SoC – Mstar MSO9180 quad core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.5GHz with a quad (or octa-core ARM Mali-450 MP GPU @ System Memory – 2GB DDR3 @ 1866MHz? Storage – 16 GB eMMC flash, internal SATA bay for 2.5″ or 3.5″ hard drive or SSD up to 3TB, and an SD card slot Video I/O – HDMI 1.4a out up to 4K30, HDMI in, AV (CVBS) Audio I/O – HDMI in/out, optical S/PDIF, AV port Video Playback MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4, DivX, H.264, H.265/HVC, VC-1, H.263, Real Media, MVC… Up to 4K, 60Mbps (H.264) […]