Category: Operating Systems

Operating Systems used in Embedded Devices

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 33 Comments on Xiaomi Mi WiFi 3 AC1200 Router Gets 128 MB Storage, Sells for $40 Shipped

Xiaomi Mi WiFi 3 AC1200 Router Gets 128 MB Storage, Sells for $40 Shipped

The first Xiaomi Mi WiFi router brought the cost of 802.11ac WiFi to the masses, and it is now selling for less than $30 including shipping, but the company has now launched Xiaomi Mi WiFi 3 router with some improvements, including a total of 4 antennas and more storage, and sold on e-retailer such as GearBest and GeekBuying for just under $40. Xiaomi Mi WiFi 3 router specifications: Wi-Fi SoC – Mediatek MT7620A @ 580MHz System Memory – 128 MB DDR2 Storage – 128 MB SLC NAND Flash Wi-Fi Protocols – IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Transmission Rate – 300Mbps max @ 2.4GHz 2X2  MIMO, 867 Mbps max @ 5GHz 2X2  MIMO Wireless Security – WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption, wireless access control (black and white list), SSID hiding 2.4 GHz Channels: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13 5 GHz Channels: 149,153,157,161,165 5 GHz DFS (dynamic frequency selection) channels: 36,40,44,48,52,56,60,64; 4x external antennas Ethernet – 2x 10/100M Ethernet (LAN), 1x 10/100M […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 39 Comments on Zidoo X9s Android 6.0 TV Box Features Realtek RTD1295 Processor with SATA 3.0, HDMI 2.0a Output and Input

Zidoo X9s Android 6.0 TV Box Features Realtek RTD1295 Processor with SATA 3.0, HDMI 2.0a Output and Input

Zidoo has been busy this year, after releasing Zidoo X5 and Zidoo X1 II in Q1 2016, the company is about to launch Zidoo X9s Android media recorder and player, successor of Zidoo X9, powered by Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor, and be one of the first TV box to run Android 6.0. Zidoo X9s preliminary specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC + micro SD slot + SATA 3.0 interface (external?) Video I/O – HDMI 2.0a output, AV output, and HDMI input (recording and streaming up to 1080p @ 60 Hz) Audio I/O – HDMI in and out, 1x S/PDIF output Video Playback – HDR, 10-bit HEVC/H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 fps, VP9 up to 4K @ 60 fps, BDISO/MKV, etc… automatic frame […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on MeLE PCG02U Intel Bay Trail TV Stick Runs Ubuntu, Costs $59

MeLE PCG02U Intel Bay Trail TV Stick Runs Ubuntu, Costs $59

Once I asked MeLE if they planned to sells Bay Trail Ubuntu mini PCs, and they did not really seem interested, but the company has now changes their mind, as they are about to launch PCG02U TV stick powered by Intel Atom Z3735F processor with 1GB RAM, and 32GB flash for $59, which is likely to be the factory price, not the retail price. MeLE PCG02U specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F  “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Bust freq: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD graphics Gen 7 (2W TDP) System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 with external antenna USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB port (for power only) Misc – Power button, Kensington lock Power Supply – 5V/2A […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on Rockchip RK3229 Video Playback Take 2 – 10-bit H.264 & H.265, Audio HD Pass-through with Zidoo X1 II

Rockchip RK3229 Video Playback Take 2 – 10-bit H.264 & H.265, Audio HD Pass-through with Zidoo X1 II

A few weeks ago I tried to play 4K videos in MXQ-4K TV box powered by Rockchip RK3229 processor. The device costs only about $30 including shipping, and it would have been if it could indeed play 10-bit H.265 and 10-bit H.264 videos for that price point, but sadly the results were catastrophic, and most of my 4K videos were unwatchable, either playing in slow motion, or with many slow downs and audio cuts. This happens in all players be it Kodi or Androids Video Player with the worst results occurring when playing from USB hard drive with network share video playback being a bit better. But I have now tested another Rockchip RK3229 based TV box – Zidoo X1 II – and the results are much better, so I also decided to show the results of HD audio pass-through over HDMI too. I played the videos from USB hard […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments on ARM Cortex A72 is Getting into Sub $200 Android Smartphones Thanks to Mediatek Helio X20 SoC

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 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on PULPino Open Source RISC-V MCU is Designed for IoT and Wearables

PULPino Open Source RISC-V MCU is Designed for IoT and Wearables

lowRISC is not the only open source processor project based on RISC-V instructions, as researchers at ETH Zurich university and the University of Bologna have developed PULPino open-source processor based on RISC-V instructions set, optimized for low power consumption, and targeting wearables and the IoT applications. PULPino is a single core processor derived from the PULP project (Parallel Ultra-Low-Power Platform) featuring a quad core RISC-V SoC with new RI5CY Signal Processing ISA extensions designed by the universities. The core has an IPC (instructions per cycle) close to 1, full support for the base integer instruction set (RV32I), compressed instructions (RV32C) and partial support for the multiplication instruction set extension (RV32M). PULPino also features peripherals such as I2S, I2C, SPI and UART. PULPino has already been taped out as an ASIC in UMC 65nm at the beginning of the year, but the RTL code be run on Xilinx Zynq-7010 powered Zedboard, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on $50 Roku Streaming Stick 2016 Edition (Model 3600) Is Faster and Smaller

$50 Roku Streaming Stick 2016 Edition (Model 3600) Is Faster and Smaller

Roku has introduced a updated version of their Roku Streaming Stick with a faster quad core processor, that’s supposed to he 8 times faster than the previous model, and with more processing power than Amazon Fire TV stick and ChromeCast. The company did not release all hardware specifications, but here’s what we know: Processor – Unnamed quad core processor Video Output – HDMI with 720p or 1080p resolution Audio Output – Digital stereo over HDMI, DTS Digital Surround pass-through over HDMI Connectivity – 802.11 (a/b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA, and WPA2 support Power Supply- 5.0V – 1.5A USB power adapter; 3W typical power consumption when streaming HD video Dimensions –  ~8.4 x 2.03 x 1.27 cm Weight – 17 grams The device runs the latest Roku OS 7.1, and ships with a point-anywhere RF remote, two AAA batteries for the remote, a USB power cable and power adapter, and a […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on MK808B Pro Amlogic S905 Android TV Stick Unboxing and Teardown

MK808B Pro Amlogic S905 Android TV Stick Unboxing and Teardown

MK808B Pro TV stick is the successor of the popular MK808B Plus and before that MK808B Android TV dongles with an upgrade to Amlogic S905 processor with 4K support. GeekBuying sent me a sample for evaluation, so I’ll start by checking the hardware before testing the device thoroughly in the full review. MK808B Pro Unboxing I received the stick in a package larger than I expected, but apparently about the same as the previous models (which I had not reviewed). But that’s because of the included accessories: a 5V/2A power supply, a USB cable, a mini USB OTG adapter, a mini HDMI to HDMI cable, and a user’s manual. Apart from the markings “MK808B PRO” and “4K Ultra HD”, the device looks the same as the older models. A mini USB port for power, and a USB 2.0 host port can be found on one end, with a micro SD […]