Category: Windows 8

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on AMD Unveils AMD G-Series SoCs For Embedded Applications

AMD Unveils AMD G-Series SoCs For Embedded Applications

In 2011, AMD launched the G-Series APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit) that combines the CPU and GPU into one chipset which then connects to a controller hub to handle I/Os, and recently the company announced AMD G-Series SoC at Design West 2013. The new solution combines a “Jaguar” CPU, a Radeon HD8000 series GPU and a controller hub into one and only SoC, further integrating functions. Both AMD G-Series APU and SoC target embedded systems such as industrial control and automation, digital signage, electronic gaming systems, SMB storage, IP-TV, medical and network appliances, set-top boxes and more. AMD claims G-Series SOCs offer up to 113 percent improved CPU performance compared to G-Series APU, and up to a 125 percent advantage compared to the Intel Atom (Dhyrstone, EEMBC CoreMark). The platform also includes support for DirectX 11.1, OpenGL 4.2x and OpenCL 1.2 yielding up to a 20 percent graphics improvement over G-Series […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on $55 AX-14 DLNA, WiDi & Miracast Dongle Works with Android / iOS Devices, and Windows 7/8 PC

$55 AX-14 DLNA, WiDi & Miracast Dongle Works with Android / iOS Devices, and Windows 7/8 PC

Miracast is a new standard allowing you to play videos or mirror your Android device display on a TV via Wi-Fi direct. All you need is a Wi-Fi device that can be connected to the HDMI and USB (for power) ports of your TV, and decode common video codecs. There are not many devices available on the market, but I’ve just found out about AX-14, a Wi-Di and Miracast HDMI adapter that lets you connect your Windows 7 or 8 to your TV via Wi-Di, or your Android / iOS via Miracast. The device also supports DLNA. The hardware specs are said to be as follows: Processor – MIPS24Kc processor (RTD1185PA) @ 500MHz System Memory – 256 MB DDR3 SDRAM Storage – 128 MB NAND Flash Video and Audio engine with HW acceleration Video Codecs & Formats – MPEG-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 SP/ASP( Xvid), MPEG-4 AVC(H.264), AVS, VP6, Motion JPEG, H.263 , H.264, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on AllWinner Announces A31s Processor for Phablets, Hints about Ubuntu Devices

AllWinner Announces A31s Processor for Phablets, Hints about Ubuntu Devices

AllWinner is currently a Mobile World Congress 2013, and Charbax had the chance to interview Eva, manager at AllWinner, and learn more about new processors, and future plans by the company. They spent some time discussing about AllWinner A31 and AllWinner A20 quad and dual Cortex A7 processors, but since we’ve know about those for a while I’ll skip this part. The most interesting part is about AllWinner A31s, a cost down version of A31, specifically designed for phablets (smartphones with 5″ to 7″ screens). Like AllWinner A31, AllWinner A31s is also a quad core Cortex A7 processor with PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU (8 shader engines) and the following specifications: CPU – ARM Cortex-A7 Quad-Core with 256KB L1-Cache/1MB L2-Cache GPU – POWERVR SGX 544MP2 with 8 logic cores. OpenGL ES2.0, Open CL1.x and DX 9_3 compliant. Memory 32-bit Dual-Channel LPDDR2/DDR3/DDR3L Controller, 8-bit NAND FLASH Controller with 64-bit ECC Video UHD H.264 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on $199 Gizmo Explorer Kit Powered by AMD G-Series APU is Now Officially Available

$199 Gizmo Explorer Kit Powered by AMD G-Series APU is Now Officially Available

Back in November, I came across the Gizmo Explorer Kit, an embedded development platform based on AMD G-Series G-T40E dual core APU that includes the development board itself (Gizmo Board), two expansion I/O boards, Sage SmartProbe JTAG development tool, some accessories such as cables and power supply, and a DVD with the documentation and SDK. Today, Sage Electronic, Texas Multicore Technologies, and Viosoft officially launched GizmoSphere community that aims at “fostering innovation and development for x86-based embedded Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), and driving and enabling technology projects of interest to independent developers with a focus on stimulating and encouraging innovation for existing and new applications that leverage APUs”. To help with this initiative, they also produce the Gizmo Board, and corresponding Gizmo Explorer Kit, a development board that boots with coreboot, and can run a variety of operating systems such as Android, Linux, Windows, and other RTOS. You can refer to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Panasonic Unveils 20″ Tablet With 4K Resolution

Panasonic Unveils 20″ Tablet With 4K Resolution

For those of you in need of high resolution tablet, Panasonic has unveiled a 20″ tablet powered by an Intel Core i5 processor running Windows 8 Pro with 3840 x 2560 resolution. This tablet is mainly targeted at professionals, and Panasonic has demos for 3 use cases at CES 2013: car dealers, designers and architects, and photographers. The specifications of Panasonic tablet are as follows, but may slightly change once the product is officially available: Processor – Intel Corei5 3427U vPro 1.8 Ghz CPU GPU – NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Memory – 4GB memory (16GB max) Storage – 128GB SSD  + 1x micro SD card (SDXC) Display – 20-inch IPS-alpha display panel with 3840 x 2560 (230ppi) resolution (15:10 aspect ratio) Connectivity – IEEE802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0 wireless 1x USB 2.0 High resolution digital pen (Anoto live pen) Camera – HD 720p front camera Battery life – Up to 2 hours Dimensions […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Qualcomm CES 2013 Keynote Was (Mostly) a Waste of Time

Qualcomm CES 2013 Keynote Was (Mostly) a Waste of Time

Don’t get me wrong Qualcomm makes awesome processors, but as a blogger I already had a fairly negative opinion of Qualcomm when it comes to press releases about their new processors since they usually do not release any details. Yet I was naively thinking I could learn about Qualcomm upcoming products at their keynote, and I was (mostly) completely wrong. If you haven’t watched it yet and want to enjoy a 1h30 show, go watch the on-demand video, where you’ll see current Windows RT products based on Qualcomm, upcoming movies (Pacific Rim and Star Trek), Big Bird, Nascar and Maroon 5. However, if you want to learn about Qualcomm and be fed with geeky stuffs, don’t waste your time. I’ve still been able to extra a little bit of useful information, and got some more info from other sites, and amazingly Qualcomm’s own press releases. Unless you’re high after smoking […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Intel Unveils Atom Z2420 Processor for Entry Level Android Smartphones

Intel Unveils Atom Z2420 Processor for Entry Level Android Smartphones

Today was Intel & Qualcomm turns to have their keynotes. One of Intel announcements is the Atom Z2420 1.2 GHz processor (codenamed Lexington) that comes with PowerVR SGX540 GPU, 1080p video decoder & encoder, and features hyper-threading technology. This processor manufactured with 32nm process technology targets low cost smartphones for emerging markets. Here are the key specifications of Intel Atom Z2420: Process technology – 32nm HKMG Co-Pop Package – 12x12mm, 617 balls, 0.4mm pitch, LPDDR2 PoP package Intel Atom Architecture – 512KN Intel Smart Cache, Enhanced Deeper Sleep, C6/Low Power Audio State, Smart Idle Technology and Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) 3D Graphics Engine – PowerVR Sgx540 with 2000 MPPS peak fil rate, 40 MTSm with support for Open VG 1.1, OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 Hardware Accelerated Video – 1080p30 video encode and decode Display Controller – Supports up to 4 DSI lanes at 800 Mbps per lane Memory Interface […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on AllWinner Publishes A31 and A20 Processors Details

AllWinner Publishes A31 and A20 Processors Details

Several tablets based on AllWinner A31 quad core processor have been announced this week,  such as Onda V972, but we did not really have full details on the processor. We now know more since AllWinner added product pages for two new (sun6i architecture. [Edit: A20 is actually sun7i…]) processors: AllWinner A31 and AllWinner A20. AllWinner A31 Specifications AllWinner A31 is a quad core Cortex A7 processor with PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU (8 shader engines). CPU – ARM Cortex-A7 Quad-Core with 256KB L1-Cache/1MB L2-Cache GPU – POWER VR SGX 544 with Eight logic cores. Open GL ES2.0, Open CL1.x and DX 9_3 compliant. Memory – Dual-Channel LPDDR2/DDR3/DDR3L Controller, Dual-Channel NAND FLASH Controller and 64-bit ECC Video UHD H.264 4K ×2K @30fps video decoding Full HD video decoding BD Directory, BD ISO and BD m2ts video decoding H.264 High Profile 1080P@60fps encoding 3840×1080@30fps 3D decoding Complies with RTSP, HTTP, HLS, RTMP, MMS streaming […]