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 Lattice and Mediatek Announce superMHL Smartphone Reference Designs Supporting 4K over USB-C

Lattice and Mediatek Announce superMHL Smartphone Reference Designs Supporting 4K over USB-C

Two standards are competing to bring 4K video output @ 60 Hz and 8K over USB type C connectors: DisplayPort 1.4 and superMHL. Lattice, who purchased Silicon Image last year, and Mediatek have collaborated to provide reference designs supporting superMHL and based on Helio X20 deca-core processor combined with Lattice components. Lattice SiI8348 MHL transmitter would handle 4K 60 fps video and MHL power, while Sil7033 USB type-C port controller would also handle USB 3.1 data transfer up to 10 Gbps, USB-C power delivery (PD), MHL Alt-mode on USB-C. Lattice also leverage their SiI7013 mobile USB Typer-C port controller, SiI9396 mobile superMHL/MHL to HDMI bridge, and other chips to offer accessories such as USB-C to HDMI adapters, MHL cables, USB-C charger, and USB-C dock with multiple USB ports and HDMI output. Anandtech notes that one the main problem with USB type C connector is likely to be the cable, as many […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Cleo35 Touchscreen Display for Arduino UNO Comes with Tutorials and Example Projects (Crowdfunding)

Cleo35 Touchscreen Display for Arduino UNO Comes with Tutorials and Example Projects (Crowdfunding)

There are already various options to add a (touscheen) display to Arduino board with software support including TFTLibrary for Arduino,  and recently I tried Nextion serial touchscreen displays that are supported by a WYSIWYG editor, but the latter is only supported in Windows and not exactly user-friendly, and I found the few provided tutorials would only work with a specific resolution incompatible with the displays I had been sent. So I gave up on the idea of interfacing the display with Arduino or ESP8266 as it would be too time-consuming. FTDI CleO project might be faster and easier to get started, as their CleO35 touchscreen display for Arduino UNO will come with a 20 chapter tutorial covering over 80 topics, and 20 projects to get started. Some of the key features and specs of Cleo35 display include: MCU – FTDI FT903 32-bit FT32 core @ 100MHz with 256kB on-chip Flash […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments on Rippl-TV V2 Android 5.1 TV Box Features an Android TV-like Launcher, Supports Widevine L1 DRM

Rippl-TV V2 Android 5.1 TV Box Features an Android TV-like Launcher, Supports Widevine L1 DRM

The maker of Rippl-TV media player are back with Rippl-TV V2 featuring Amlogic S905 quad core Cortex A53 processor coupled with 1GB RAM and 8GB flash, but the most interesting part of this device is probably on the software side with support for two launchers: Rippl-TV and an Android TV-like launcher, as well as support for Winevine L1 DRM allowing for HD playback of online video services such as Netflix, and Google Cast. [Update: While the company confirmed support for L1 DRM, a trusted third party has claimed that L1 DRM is currently buggy on Amlogic S905… Update 2: The company replied and there’s still a bug with Netflix TV app] Rippl-TV V2 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 processor up to 2.0 GHz with penta core ARM Mali-450 GPU up to 750Mhz+ System Memory –  1GB DDR3 Storage –  8GB eMMC flash + micro SD […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Linux 4.5 Released – Main Changes, ARM and MIPS Architectures

Linux 4.5 Released – Main Changes, ARM and MIPS Architectures

Linus Torvalds released Linux Kernel 4.5 on Sunday: So this is later on a Sunday than my usual schedule, because I just couldn’t make up my mind whether I should do another rc8 or not, and kept just waffling about it. In the end, I obviously decided not to,but it could have gone either way. We did have one nasty regression that got fixed yesterday, and the networking pull early in the week was larger than I would have wished for. But the block  layer should be all good now, and David went through all his networking commits an extra time just to make me feel comfy about it, so in the end I didn’t see any point to making the release cycle any longer than usual. And on the whole, everything here is pretty small. The diffstat looks a bit larger for an xfs fix, because that fix has […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 39 Comments on SPMC 16.1.1 (Kodi 16.1 Android’s Fork) Adds Bluray 3D ISO Playback, HD Audio Pass-through, and Other Improvements

SPMC 16.1.1 (Kodi 16.1 Android’s Fork) Adds Bluray 3D ISO Playback, HD Audio Pass-through, and Other Improvements

You may remember SPMC (Semper Media Center), a fork of Kodi/XBMC, was released a few years ago to fix some issues with Rockchip processors that would not make it to Kodi mainline code. Koying, the project’s developer, has now forked Kodi 16.1 to add some bug fixes and experimental features, and released SPMC 16.1.1. Changelog compared to Kodi 16.1: Based on Kodi 16.1 HD Audio pass-through (Nvidia Shield AndroidTV + some Amlogic devices such as Minix U1 & Wetek Core at least) Autostart at boot (xbmc.autostart=true in xbmc_env.properties) GUI size setting (Allows 4K GUI on Nvidia Shield) Only give codec priority to Mediacodec (Surface) for 4K Only stop video on minimize for Mediacodec (Surface) “System” screensaver to enable daydream; all other screensavers disable daydream Get removable storage names from system Basic Bluray 3D iso playback (experimental; amlogic) Android TV recommendations and voice search (experimental) SSL enabled MySql Stop video playback […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments on K3 Wintel Windows 10 Keyboard PC Review

K3 Wintel Windows 10 Keyboard PC Review

GeekBuying sent me K3 Wintel keyboard computer since I was interesting in testing a device in this form factor, and at the time I listed the specifications, and took a few pictures of the device and its internals. I’ve now completed the review, and found it to perform very well for a Bay Trail computer. K3 Wintel Key Computer Setup & System Info But the initial part of the review did not start so well, as I was asked for a license key for the device as went through the initial setup right after selecting my languages and regional settings. GeekBuying clearly states the mini computer comes with a “Licensed Windows 10”, and I could not find any on the device or the user’s guide, which appears to be a near-exact copy of a Windows 10 Lenovo tablet PC user’s guide… So I contacted GeekBuying, and after a few days, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments on Rockchip RK3188-T TV Sticks with 2GB RAM Are Now Selling for About $30 Shipped

Rockchip RK3188-T TV Sticks with 2GB RAM Are Now Selling for About $30 Shipped

It’s fun to report about the latest gadgets, but sometimes it can be a good idea to look back at older devices to find if there are any good deals out there. TV boxes and sticks based Rockchip RK3188 quad core Cortex A9 processors were clearly the most popular in 2013 and early 2014, and in many respects their performance is still quite similar to the one of recent 64-bit platforms barring new features such as H.265 and 4K video capabilities. The good news is that you can now get RK3188-T TV sticks such as CX919 or MK809IV with 2 GB RAM for about $30 shipped. CX919 and MK809IV are very similar specifications, except CX919 comes with an external antenna [Update: MK809IV also has a retractable antenna, see red slider on picture above]: SoC – Rockchip RK3188-T quad core Cortex A9 @ 1.4Ghz + Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on $100 Chuwi Ilife V5S Autonomous Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Offers an Alternative to iRobot Roomba

$100 Chuwi Ilife V5S Autonomous Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Offers an Alternative to iRobot Roomba

iRobot Roomba autonomous vacuum cleaners have been around since 2002, with the robots automatically cleaning the floor, detecting walls and edges, going around table and chair feet, etc… The company also produced iCreate 2 programmable robot for educators, students and developers who wants to learn about robotics, and works with Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards. I had seen similar cleaners from Chinese vendors in the past, with prices starting at $30, but they looked basically useless based on the specs, but yesterday I discovered Chuwi Ilife V5S robotic vacuum cleaner and mop that seems pretty decent, and even can go back to its charging station automatically. Chuwi Ilife V5S key features and specifications: Anti-collision System, drop avoidance induction 50db low noise design; 850pa strong suction Sensors – 10 IR sensor on sides and bottom, OBS (Optical backscatter point sensor) sensors, 1 set wall sensor. (Note: OBS is based on IR, […]