Author: Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Rockchip Introduces RK30xx Dual Core Cortex A9 Processors for Low Cost Tablets

Rockchip Introduces RK30xx Dual Core Cortex A9 Processors for Low Cost Tablets

Rockchip announced their next generation mobile processor at Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain. The Rockchip RK30xx series (RK3018?) features a dual core Cortex A9 clocked up to 1.4 GHz coupled with an ARM Mali-400 GPU and targets low cost Android 4.0 tablets. The Rockchip RK30xx platform features: Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor with up to 1.4GHz speed, implemented with Artisan Processor Optimization Pack (POP) Quad-core ARM Mali-400 MP GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 and OpenVG 1.1 Full memory support, including DDRIII, DDRII, and LPDDRII High performance dedicated 2D processor 1080P multi-format video decoder 1080P video encoding for H.264 and vp8  Stereoscopic 3D H.264 MVC video codec  Embedded HDMI 1.4a, supporting 3D display Embedded 60bit/s ECC, supporting MLC NAND, E-MMC, i-NAND and booting Support of dual panel display and dual camera Rockchip also said the complete BSP is already available for the chip. This company does not usually release BSP publicly […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on How to Install Windows 8 in Linux with QEMU

How to Install Windows 8 in Linux with QEMU

Microsoft has just released Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Here’s a method to install Windows 8 in Linux using KVM and Qemu. You can use this beta version of Windows 8 until the 15th of January 2013, after which it will be unusable. Here are the requirements to install Windows 8: 1 GHz Processor or greater 1 GB RAM 20 GB free storage for the 64-bit version Before you start, make sure your processor supports Intel Virtualization Technology (VT) or AMD’s AMD V CPU virtualization extensions. Type this command to check vmx or svm flags:

If this is the case, you can install KVM. Type the following command for RPM-based distributions such as Fedora:

or the following command for Debian or Ubuntu:

Then download the ISO image of Windows 8 on Microsoft website (64-bit version) :

Create a 20 GB virtual hard drive to install Windows 8: […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Free Electrons Releases Embedded Linux Training Materials

Free Electrons Releases Embedded Linux Training Materials

Free Electrons, a technology company offering embedded Linux consulting services as well as embedded Linux training, has released their training materials for Linux and system development for embedded systems including their Lab sessions. The training materials are available in their git repository in LaTeX format. If you want the latest documentation in PDF, you’ll need to build it by following those steps: Install the required packages:

Get the embedded Linux slides source:

Build the training materials:

The last three commands will generate the PDF files respectively: full-sysdev-labs.pdf – Embedded Linux Training Lab Book (58 pages) with instructions for the IGEPv2 board based on on TI DM3730 or OMAP3530. full-kernel-labs.pdf – Linux kernel and driver development training Lab Book (37 pages) full-sysdev-slides.pdf – Embedded Linux system development presentation slides (506 pages) Free Electrons also have slightly older version of full-kernel-labs.pdf and full-sysdev-slides.pdf available for download as PDF so […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Archos Announces 129 USD Android 4.0 Child Pad Tablet

Archos Announces 129 USD Android 4.0 Child Pad Tablet

Archos announced the Child Pad, an Android 4.0 (ICS) Tablet with a 7″ capacitive touchscreen featuring an unnamed 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor (possibly a Rockchip RK2918) with 1GB of RAM, 4 GB internal storage and an SD slot for up to 32GB. This tablet aimed at kids includes access to the Kids App Store – powered by AppsLib – with 14 categories and over 10,000 apps including games, entertainment, communication, multimedia, books, comics and sports. As you can see in the picture above, the user interface has been customized to be “kid-friendly” with colored icons, home screen folders with direct access to games, entertainment, learning and puzzles.  The device will come pre-loaded with 28 “kids’ apps” including Angry Birds, Pig Rush and Flight Frenzy. Archos has also designed the Child Pad to comply with CIPA (pronounced like SIPA?) and COPPA US regulations in order to “ensuring a safe tablet […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on B2G (Boot to Gecko) Video Demo at MWC 2012

B2G (Boot to Gecko) Video Demo at MWC 2012

B2G (Boot to Gecko) is an open source HTML5-based operating system targeting mobile devices by the Mozilla Foundation. This OS runs on top of Linux and uses Firefox as the web browser. You can get further details on my previous post “Mozilla Boot to Gecko (B2G) OS Is Coming to Your Smartphone“. As previously announced, Mozilla showcased B2G on a Samsung Galaxy S2 at Mobile World Congress 2012. Every apps are written in HTML5 including the camera application that uses HTML5 Media Capture and Canvas for real-time effects. Engadget was there and shot the video demo below. If you have a Samsung Galaxy S2, you can build and try it on your device. This is experimental, so there is always the risk of bricking your phone. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Microsoft Unveils Windows 8 Consumer Preview at MWC 2012

Microsoft Unveils Windows 8 Consumer Preview at MWC 2012

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced they would be releasing Windows 8 Consumer Preview at the end of February, and they have done so yesterday with an official announcement at Mobile World Congress 2012, in Barcelona, Spain. During the event, they showcased ARM tablets based on Nvidia Tegra 3, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 and Texas Instruments OMAP 4/5, as well as tablets, ultrabooks, laptops and touch PCs based on Intel meldfield and clove trail.  All those devices are reference platform for developers and not actual products although Microsoft expect manufacturers to use those reference designs to build their products. The Touch PC used a an interesting screen which could be positioned vertically (like a normal screen). horizontally (like a surface PC) and at an angle for use cases such as an architecture reading a plan or an artist drawing a painting. They also showcased a very large touchscreen that could be used by […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Texas Instruments Announces Ultra-Low Power MSP430 “Wolverine” MCU Series

Texas Instruments Announces Ultra-Low Power MSP430 “Wolverine” MCU Series

Texas Instruments announced a new series of its MSP430 MCUs codenamed “Wolverine” for its aggressive power-saving technology. The company claims this ultra-low-power MSP430 microcontroller platform offers at least 50 percent less power consumption than any other micro-controller in the industry with 360 nA RTC mode and less than 100 µA/MHz active power consumption. Since typical battery powered applications spend as much as 99.9 percent of their time in standby mode, Wolverine MCUs power consumption of 360 nA in standby mode would more than double the battery life. Here are the key power savings techniques and technology using the the Wolverine MCU (MSP430FR58xx): Ultra low leakage (ULL) process technology. TI developed ULL technology that offers a 10x improvement in leakage and optimized mixed signal capabilities. Power reduction are also achieved thanks to an improved 130 nm process technology and more than 30 power-optimized analog and digital components. Unified FRAM (Ferroelectric Random […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Boundary Devices Unveils Nitrogen6X Freescale i.MX6 Development Kit (aka i.MX6q Sabre Lite)

Boundary Devices Unveils Nitrogen6X Freescale i.MX6 Development Kit (aka i.MX6q Sabre Lite)

Arrow Electronics and Boundary Devices have launched the Nitrogen6X, a low cost development kit based on Freescale i.MX6 quad-core cortex A9 processor. Here are the technical specifications of the Nitrogen6X board: Quad-Core ARM Cortex A9 processor at 1GHz (i.mx6Quad) 1 GB of 64-bit wide DDR3 @ 532MHz Board Dimensions: 4.5″ x 3″ 2MB Serial Flash Three display ports (PRGB, LVDS, HDMI) Parallel camera port with OV5642 Interface Multi-stream-capable HD video engine delivering 1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode and 3-D video playback in HD Superior 3-D graphics performance with quad shaders for up to 200 Mt/s Separate 2-D and/or Vertex acceleration engines for an optimal user interface experience Serial ATA (SATA) Dual SDHC card slots PCI express port Analog (headphone/mic) Audio 10/100/1G Ethernet with Power over Ethernet support 2 RS-232 Serial ports 10-pin JTAG interface I2C/GPIO/SPI 3 High speed USB ports (2xHost, 1xOTG) CAN port TiWi 802.11 b/g/n WiFi+BT optional Supports Android […]