Asus Zenfone Go TV Android Smartphone Includes a DVB-T2 & ISDB-T TV Tuner

Asus has introduced Zenfone Go TV Android 5.1 mid-range smartphone that only stands out thanks to its built-in digital TV tuner supporting DVB-T2 and ISDB-T standards letting you watch terrestrial digital TV on the go without needing Internet connection. Asus Zenfone Go TV (ZB551KL) specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8928) quad core Cortex A7 processor @  1.4GHz with  Adreno 305 GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 16GB/32GB eMMC Flash, MicroSD card slot up to 64 GB Display – 5.5″ TFT display with capacitive touch panel; 1280×720 resolution, Gorilla Glass 3; 450nits brightness Tuner – SONY SMT-EW100 Digital TV (DTV) tuner supporting  DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-T2 Lite, ISDB-T, ISDB-Tmm Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi; Bluetooth V4.0+EDR +A2DP; GPS, GLONASS, AGPS & BDS Cellular Connectivity Dual Micro SIM card with Sual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) support Network Standard – WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/TDD-LTE/FDD-LTE Data Rate – LTE Cat4 – UL 50 / DL […]

Moly PcPhone Runs Windows 10 Continuum on Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Processor, Costs Less than $400

Mobile and PC convergence is slowly happening both on Ubuntu with devices like BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet, and various Windows 10 Continuum smartphones. The most affordable offering is likely to come from mainland China vendors, such as Moly PcPhone 6″ smartphone based on Qualcomm 617 octa-core Cortex A53 processor with 3GB RAM, and running Windows 10 Continuum. Moly PcPhone specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Octa core Coretex A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with Adreno 405 GPU System Memory – 3 GB RAM Storage – 32 GB flash + micreo SD slot up to 200 GB Display – 6″ Full HD (1920×1080) LTPS display; Gorilla Glass 3 Cellular Connectivity Dual SIM Dual Standby, Adaptive SIM Slot 2G GSM: Band 2/3/5/8 3G WCDMA: Band 1/6/8/9/19 4G FDD-LTE: Band 1/2/3/4/7/8/9/19/26/28B 4G TDD-LTE: Band 38/40/41 Wireless Connectivity – Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC Camera – 13MP auto-focus rear camera […]

Intel Cancels Low Cost Atom Broxton & SoFia SoCs

Intel has recently announced it would lay off 11% of its workforce, and has now decided to kill plans for Atom Broxton, successor of Intel Cherry Trail processor, as well as low cost SoFia smartphone SoCs. That’s not really surprising as Intel was reported to have very small margins, or even to subsidy, low cost Intel based smartphones, and mini PCs. Rockchip/Intel Sofia SoC has never been popular with only a handful of smartphones and tablets launched in the last year. Nevertheless, we’ve had it good with $70 Bay Trail TV sticks, and $85 Cherry Trail mini PCs, and Intel is still manufacturing and selling those parts. But in the future, it might not be possible to buy sub $100 mini PCs or tablets with the latest Intel processors, as the company is now focusing on higher margin processors with Intel Core M and Apollo Lake (succeeding Braswell). More details […]

Watch Live TV on the Go on your Smartphone or Tablet with a $38 Portable WiFi Digital TV Tuner Box

Companies have showcased products letting users watch DVB-T or ISDB-T channels since 2013, with products such as Geniatech WiTV, Tivizen USB dongles, or Geniatech PT115m/PT115e USB DVB-T Sticks. The only problem is that those devices never seem to become available, but I’ve now found that they’ve become easier to purchase since 2014 & 2015, with for example a “DTV Link” WiFi tuner box selling for $45.99 on Buyincoins, and compatible with SianoTV app for Android or iOS.“DTV Link” WiFi TV tuner box specifications & features: Digital TV Standards – DVB-T & ISDB-T Oneseg Codecs – H.264/MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, 7 to 10 meters max range. Battery – 600mAh rechargeable battery good for about 3 hours of TV viewing Dimension – 69 x 54 x 21mm Weight – 52g The device ships with a USB Charging Cable, and user’s manual in a bubble bag (no retail package). […]

Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition Smartphone is Up for Sale for $370

Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition, the first high-end smartphone running Ubuntu operating system, is now available on jd.com for $369.99, and Russian people can order it here. However, one of the key selling point of using an Ubuntu phone would be desktop and mobile use, the so-called “convergence”, but since there’s no MHL or HDMI output, and the USB-C port does not carry the video signals on this phone, that feature will be missing. Meizu Pro 5 Ubuntu Edition smartphone specifications as listed on JD.com: SoC – Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (7420) octa core processor with four Cortex A57 cores @ 2.1GHz, four Cortex A53 cores @ 1.5Ghz, and a Mali-T760 MP8 GPU System Memory – 3GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32 GB UFS 2.0 storage + micro SD slot up to 128GB Display  – 5.7″’AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 1920×1080 resolution. Gorilla Glass 3. Camera – 21MP rear camera with autofocus and […]

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS “Xenial Xerus” Release

Ubuntu 16.04 Long Term Support (LTS) release of the popular Linux distribution is scheduled for later today. The release codenamed Xenial Xerus will feature ‘snap’ package format, LXD pure-container hypervisor, and be the very first release with support for converge with IoT, phone, desktop and server versions running on the same base. Some of the key changes listed by Canonical include: Introduces “snaps” for new robust, secure app format which can still be used along ‘deb’ packages Introduces LXD pure-container hypervisor with OpenStack Mitaka Supports IBM Z and LinuxONE systems with flat pricing Steps towards converged Ubuntu across IoT, Phone, Desktop and Server Introduces ZFS and CephFS for large-scale cloud storage Ubuntu 16.04 will also run updated version of packages with Linux 4.4, Python 3.5, OpenSSH 2.0, PHP 7.0, MySQL 5.7, etc.. More details about the changes can be found on Xenial Xerus release notes. I’ve also noticed the system […]

ARM Cortex A72 is Getting into Sub $200 Android Smartphones Thanks to Mediatek Helio X20 SoC

Flagship Android smartphones now ship with processors featuring Cortex A72 cores,  or custom variants from Samsung or Qualcomm, and normally cost several hundred dollars. Some new smartphones recently announced with MediaTek Helio X20 deca-core processor lower the price barrier in the $250 to $400 range, but at least two upcoming models will bring the cost below $200: Doogee P7 ($169.99), and Vernee Apollo Lite ($199.99). So let’s see what we’ve got for those prices. Doogee P7 Doogee P7 (preliminary) Specifications: SoC – Mediatek Helio X20 (MT6797) deca-core processor with 2x Cortex A72 cores @ 2.5 GHz, 4x Cortex A53 cores @ 2.0 GHz, and 4x Cortex A53 cores @ 1.4 GHz and ARM Mali-T880MP GPU @ 850 Mhz System Memory – 3GB RAM Storage – 16 GB storage and micro SD slot up to 64GB (shared with dual SIM slot) Display – 5.5″ capacitive touchscreen, 1920×1080 resolution; 160K colors Cellular […]

$99 OLO 3D Printer Works with Your Smartphone (Crowdfunding)

3D printers for the home usually cost between few hundred dollars to several thousands depending on the model, but OLO 3D Inc. has created a $99 3D printer that prints objects using your smartphone screen and photopolymers (aka daylight resins) that harden with light. The printer itself is divided into two main zones: the bottom printing chamber where you’ll pour the liquid resin, and the top with the motor and four AA batteries that power the device. You’ll first need to install OLO 3D Android or iOS app in your phone, load a 3D object either from a library, created with 3D software, or scanned with apps such as Autodesk 123D Catch, set your phone in airplane mode with WiFi disabled, connect it to the power adapter, place it in a bed at the bottom of OLO printer, and tap on print. Now place the printer bed and printing chamber, […]

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