Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft), Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Samsung Unveils Exynos 5 Octa 5422 and Exynos 5 Hexa 5260 SoCs

As expected, Samsung announced the Exynos 5 Hexa 5260 hexa-core processor and, the not-quite-expected Exynos 5 Octa 5422 octa-core processor at Mobile World Congress, both of which feature ARM’s big.LITTLE processing technology, and ARM Mali-T628 GPU. Still no news about their 64-bit processor. Exynos 5260 will feature two ARM Cortex A15 cores up to 1.7GHz, and four Cortex A7 cores up to 1.3GHz, with full support for HMP/GTS. Contrary to initial reports the new processor is not based on Mali-T624 (as shown in Antutu), but according to Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa page, it will instead use Mali-T628 just like in Exynos 5420 and 5422. This processor could end up with the best price/power consumption/peak performance combo, as few application are able to use more than 2 cores. The SoC also features an embedded Display Port (eDP) interface, and with a memory bandwidth up to 12.8GB/s, supports supports WQXGA (2560×1600) resolution. […]

February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Rikomagic MK902 LE (Linux Edition) mini PC Comes Preloaded with PicUntu 4.5

Rikomagic has been selling MK802III LE and MK802IV LE dual and quad core HDMI TV sticks based on RK3066 and RK3188 running Linux (PicUntu) for a little over half a year. The company has now announced a full size box with MK902 LE powered by Rockchip RK3188 with 2GB RAM and up to 16 GB Flash. The specifications appear to be the same as MK902 Android TV box: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad core ARM Cortex-A9 processor with Mali-400MP4 System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB or 16GB NAND Flash + microSD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI, AV out Audio – HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF Connectivity – 802.11n WiFi, 10/100M Ethernet Camera – 5MP USB – 4x USB host ports The device is sold with HDMI and AV cables, a power adapter, and a user’s manual. The 8GB version costs £94.99 (~$158), and the 16GB version […]

February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Compulab Fit-PC4 Fanless mini PC Powered by AMD GX-420CA Quad Core G-Series SoC

CompuLab has just announced fit-PC4, a miniature fanless PC based on AMD GX-420CA G-Series SoC with four “Jaguar” cores clocked 2.0GHz,and Radeon HD 8400E graphics, and supporting up to 16 GB RAM, and storage via SATA, mSATA or a micro SD card. This if for the Pro version, but there’s also a Value version powered by A4-1250 APU. Fit-PC4 specifications: SoC / APU fit-PC4 Pro – AMD GX-420CA quad core processor @ 2.0 GHz with AMD Radeon HD 8400E Quad-core (25W TDP) fit-PC4 Value – AMD A4-1250 dual core APU @ 1.0 GHz with amd Radeon HD 8210 (8W TDP) System Memory – Up to 16 GB DDR3/DDR3L/DDR3U (2 SODIMM) Storage – Internal 2.5” HDD/SSD + mSATA + micro-SD Display – 2x HDMI 1.4a up to 1920 x 1200 + CEC support Audio – S/PDIF 7.1 input/output + stereo line-out / MIC in Connectivity 2x Gbit Ethernet (Intel i211 Ethernet controllers) […]

February 26, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Seiki Digital 4K TVs Sell for as Low as $500

A couple of month ago, I bought a 39″ Full HD Panasonic TV that I’m currently using as my computer screen for about $400. But this morning, I’ve found out you can now buy Seiki Digital SE39UY04 39″ 4K TV on Amazon for just $100 more, which is amazingly cheap. These are the key features listed on Amazon: 3840 x 2160 Panel Resolution, 4K up scaling, Thin Bezel Aspect Ratio: 16:9, Refresh Rate: 120Hz, Component & HDMI Support: 480I, 576I, 480P, 576P, 720P, 1080I, 1080P, 4k2k 30Hz (only HDMI) Video Connections: 1 Analog & Digital TV Tuner, 1 Component Video Input, Component Video (Y, Cb, Cr/Y, Pb, Pr): One VGA Input (15 pin, D-Sub) Audio Connections: 1 Stereo Mini Phono Jack Input (3.5 mm) (VGA Audio), 1 RCA Input (R & L), 1 Headphone: Stereo Mini (3.5 mm), 1 RCA Output (R & L) 3 HDMI Input, 2 USB Input (JPEG […]

February 25, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Atmel Adds SAM D21, D10 and D11 MCUs to Its ARM Cortex M0+ SAM D Family

Atmel launched SAM D20 MCU family based on ARM Cortex M0+ last year, and at Embedded World 2014, the company has launched three new MCU families featuring ARM ultra low power core with SAM D10, SAM D11, and SAM D21 families and their corresponding Xplained PRO development boards. Atmel four SAM D families target different applications and price points: SAM D10 – The smallest member of the SAM D family in terms of memory, pin count, and features. SAM D11 – Adds full-speed USB not available on the SAM D10. SAM D20 – “Offers a rich set of peripherals, flexibility, and ease-of-use with low power consumption.” SAM D21 – Adds features such as full-speed USB, DMA, high-end timers/counters to D20 design. I’ve compared the four families in the table below: SAM D10 SAM D11 SAM D20 SAM D21 # MCU in Family 4 4 15 12 MCU Core ARM Cortex-M0+ […]

February 25, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Atmel Introduces ARM Cortex M0+ based SmartConnect Wi-Fi Modules and SmartConnect Zigbee SoCs

In order for the Internet of Things to take off, wireless connectivity solutions with ultra low power, lost cost, and small footprint are needed. Atmel seems to have made a step in the right direction by launching SmartConnect Wi-Fi modules and Zigbee SoCs featuring an ARM Cortex M0+ core. SmartConnect Wi-Fi does not appear to be a single chip solution, but instead Atmel has created a family of Wi-Fi modules integrating the company’s ultra-low power Wi-Fi SoChip with an ARM Cortex M0+ based MCU. These modules will enabled battery-powered Wi-Fi connectivity for IoT endpoints such as thermostats, and temperature sensors in a cost effective way. The company will provide a software solution with application and security protocols such as TLS, TCP/IP stack and an RTOS, all of which can be downloaded via Atmel Studio 6 Integrated Development Platform (IDP). SmartConnect ZigBee SAM R21 combines an ARM Cortex M0+ core with […]

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

$65 Cheerlink B712 and B716 Android Media Players Powered by Actions Semi ATM7029

Actions Semi ATM7029 is a quad core ARM Cortex A5 class SoC usually found in low cost Android tablets. A manufacturer, which might be Egotronics, has decided to make Android STBs with the processor, and B712 and B716 are now sold for about $65 on dx.com under the brand Cheerlink. This price should make them one of the cheapest full size quad core Android TV boxes on the market, albeit with much lower performance compared to devices based on Rockchip RK3188 or AllWinner A31. Cheerlink B712/B716 specifications: SoC – Actions Semi ATM7029 Quad Core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.2 GHz with Vivante GC1000 Plus GPU System Memory – 1GB SDRAM DDR3 (512MB as an option) Storage – 4 GB NAND Flash (8GB/16GB as options) + microSD slot up to 32GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4A, AV (3.5mm jack) Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi USB – 2x […]

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Samsung Galaxy S5 Features Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, an Heart Rate Monitor and a Finger Scanner

[Update: See comment below. There will be two version of the Samsung Galaxy S5. One with Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad core SoC @ 2.5 GHz, and the other with an Exynos Octacore processor @ 2.1 GHz] Samsung has unveiled the expect Galaxy S5 smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2014. It’s not based on any new Exynos processors however, as it appears to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, an update of Snapdragon 800 with a higher CPU clock (2.5 GHz), GPU clock (578 MHz) and support for eMMC 5.0. The phone is quite a major leap compared to Galaxy S4, but the company has added an heart rate monitor, a finger scanner as well as LTE-Advance, and 4K video recording. Samsung Galaxy S5 Specifications (Preliminary): SoC – 2.5GHz quad-core application processor. Turns out it should be Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974-AC) quad core Krait SoC with Adreno 330 GPU System Memory – […]