Android Category - Page 327 of 456 - CNX Software

April 10, 2014April 10, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

How to Root Amlogic S802 Android TV Boxes

I’ve received a Tronsmart Vega S89 Elite, and after publishing some pictures, I’m now testing the device. The firmware does not come rooted however, which can be a problem for screenshots, bluetooth gamepads, and a few other apps requiring root access. Geekbuying has published a guide to root the Vega S89, which should also work with other Amlogic S802 Android TV boxes, and devices. The instructions below require a PC or Virtual Machine running Windows XP/7/8. We need to make sure sure USB debugging is enabled in your Android device, and the developer options were not enabled in my firmware (with a Windows Metro like UI), so here are the first steps to follows: Go to Settings->Other->More Settings to access the default Android settings Go to “About Media” and click 7 times on “Build number” to enable the “Developer Options” Go to the “Developer Options” and make sure “USB Debugging” […]

April 9, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Tronsmart Vega S89 (Elite) Android 4.4 Media Player Unboxing

Last review, I wrote an unboxing post about M8, an Android TV Box powered by Amlogic S802 quad core Cortex A9r4 processor with a Mali-450MP6 GPU. I’m still waiting for the firmware to test this device. In the meantime, Geekbuying sent me Tronsmart Vega S89 (Click for full specs), another Android Kitkat TV box powered by S802. There are actually two versions: Tronsmart Vega S89 (16 GB Flash, dual band Wi-Fi), and Tronsmart Vega S89 Elite (8GB Flash, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi) which is the model I received. I’ll write an unboxing post today with the device and the board, and test the firmware in the next few days. Tronsmart Vega S89 (Elite) Unboxing Geekbuying sent me the sample via DHL which I received in the package below. There are quite a few accessories included with the board. From left to right: IR remote control (2x AAA batteries not included), HDMI […]

April 9, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 26 Comments

Rockchip RK3288 based Android Mini PCs and TV Boxes Are Starting to Show Up (Wholesale)

Rockchip RK3288 based devices should be available soon. At the end of last month, I read Pipo was about to introduce RK3288 Tablets at the Hong Kong electronics fair this month, and yesterday I’ve been informed some RK3288 mini PCs and TV Boxes had started to appear on Alibaba. RK3288 HDMI TV Dongle (D368) D368 mini PC is said to come with the following specs according to a product page on Alibaba: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core ARM Cortex-A17 with Mali-T7xx 3D GPU (OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 /3.0,and OpenCL 1.1) System Memory – 2GB DDR3 (Optional:1GB) Storage – 8GB NAND Flash (Options: 4GB and 16GB), micro SD card (up to 32GB) Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4a (Resolution 4K and 1080p60 support) Connectivity – Dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and 802.11ac, optional Bluetooth 4.0. Video Codecs Decode – H.265, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4,H.263, H.264, AVS, VC-1, RV, VP6/VP8, Sorenson Spark, MVC […]

April 9, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

$249 Nitrogen6 MAX Development Board Features Freescale i.MX6 Quad, 4GB RAM, mPCIe Connector, and More

There are now many low cost development boards based on Freescale i.MX6 ARM Cortex A9 processors with Wandboard, Sabre Lite, UDOO, Nitrogen6X among others, all selling for less than $200. Boundary devices, the company behind Nitrogen6X board, has made a new version called Nitrogen6 MAX that maxes out the RAM to 4GB, adds a full mPCIE slot, a dual channel LVDS connector, and 4GB on-board eMMC. Nitrogen6 MAX specifications: SoC – Freescale i.MX 6Q quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor at 1GHz with Vivante GC2000 3D GPU System Memory – 4GB 64-bit DDR3 @ 532MHz Storage – 4GB eMMC, SATA connector, two micro SDHC card slots, 2MB Serial Flash Connectivity – 10/100/1G Ethernet, TiWi 802.11 b/g/n WiFi + Bluetooth BLE module Display Output – HDMI, 2x LVDS, Parallell RGB Audio I/O – HDMI, Analog (headphone/mic) audio and 2W amplified audio Camera I/F – Parallel camera port with OV5642 Interface, MIPI […]

April 8, 2014April 8, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

PIPO X1 (Beta) Android TV Dongle Powered by Rockchip RK3188 Sells for $40

PIPO X1 is an HDMI TV Stick running Android 4.2 with more or less the same specs (2GB RAM, 8 GB Flash) as many other competiting products, but with a price much lower at $39.99 including shipping. The company however mentions the product is still in beta version, which may explain why it’s so cheap… Let’s have a look anyway. Pipo X1 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad core Cortex A9 @ 1.6GHz + Mali 400MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB + micro SD slot (up to 32GB) Video & Audio Output – HDMI Connectivity – Buil-int 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – USB 2.0 host + micro USB (for power) Dimensions – 100 x 40 x 8mm Weight – 30g The device ships with a micro USB cable. That means you’ll need to provide your own 5V/2A power adapter. The company also highlights […]

April 4, 2014April 25, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 34 Comments

M8 Android TV Box Powered by AMLogic S802 (Unboxing)

Shenzhen Tomato Technology has send me a sample of their M8 Android TV Box based on the latest quad core AMLogic S802 processor which is said to run Android 4.4 Kitkat. In this post I’ll go through the specs, and show some pictures of the device, and internals. Later, I’ll write a full review with XBMC 13, which I’ve been told is pre-installed. I’ll also receive Tronsmart Vega S89 next week for unboxing and review. M8 Specifications M8 has more or less the same specs as other S802 Android TV boxes: SoC – AMLogic S802 quad core Cortex A9r4 processor @ 2GHz with Mali‐450MP6 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash + SD card slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual band Wi‐Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth Video Output – HDMI 1.4b, AV. HDMI supports 1080p, 4K2K 30fps Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Video Codecs and […]

April 4, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

MYIR MYD-AM335X Development Boards & MYC-AM335X CPU Modules

MYIR has recently introduced MYD-AM335X development boards and MYC-AM335X CPU modules powered by Texas Instruments Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex A8 SoCs, (AM3352, AM3354, AM3356, AM3357, AM3358, and AM3359) that come with 512 MB RAM, 512 MB Flash, and a Gigabit Ethernet PHY. The boards and modules target home automation, industrial automation, enterprise/educational tablets, portable navigation devices and networking applications. MYC-AM335X CPU Modules MYC-AM335X CoM specifications: SoC – Texas Instruments AM3352, AM3354, AM3356, AM3357, AM3358, AM3359 ARM Cortex-A8 up to 1GHz with SGX530 GPU (AM3354/AM3358/AM3359 only) System Memory – 512MB DDR3 SDRAM Storage – 512MB NAND Flash Connectivity – On-board Gigabit Ethernet PHY Headers: 2x 2.0mm pitch 60-pin expansion connectors to connect the SoM to a baseboard with the following signals: 2x USB2.0 OTG ports, 6x Serial ports, 2x I2C, 1x SPI, 7x ADC, 2x PWM, 3x SDIO 1x 2.0mm pitch 26-pin expansion interface 1x 2.54mm pitch 10-pin expansion interface Misc – […]

April 4, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

New ARM Set-Top Box SoCs – Sigma Designs SMP8734 / SMP8756, STMicro STiH312 / StiH412, and Entropic EN7310 (Videos)

Broadcom and STMicro has the two companies that dominate the set-top box SoC market with respectively 44.7% and 34% market share by revenue in 2012, followed by Ali, a distant third at 6.9%. Other companies include Entropic, who has acquired Trident Systems, (4.4%) and Sigma Designs (1.4%) which has suffered in recent years. MIPS was the predominant architecture in the STB SoC market, but with the advent of Android, most companies have announced ARM based STB SoC for better compatibility with Android apps. TV Connect 2014, an event gathering stokeholder involved in Connected TV such as STB manufacturers, content providers, and SoC vendors, took place on March 18-20 in London, and Charbax, armdevices.net, interviewed three companies who promoted their latest ARM based STB SoCs: Sigma Designs with their SMP5734 & SMP8756/58 SoCs featuring single or dual cores Cortex A9 and a Mali-400 GPU STMicro with their STiH312 Cannes and STiH412 Monaco […]