Vsmart V52D EZCast HDMI Dongle Supports Dual Band (2.4 / 5.0GHz) Wi-Fi

EZCast wireless adapters are now pretty common, allow you to display and stream documents, pictures, music, and videos from your smartphone or computer to your big screen TV, and sell for about $20, but the vast majority come with a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi module, which may be a problem if your environment is crowded with other 2.4GHz routers. Vsmart V52D fixes that, as it includes a dual band Wi-Fi module supporting both 2.4 and 5.0 GHz frequencies. The other part of the specifications remain the same: SoC – Action Semi AM8251 @ 600MHz (MIPS) System memory – 128 MB DDR3 RAM Storage – 128 MB NAND Flash Video output – HDMI 1.3 make Wi-Fi – Dual band 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi module Standards – Miracast (EZMirror), Airplay (EZ Air), DLNA, and EZCast Video Containers – MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, WMV, MKV, MOV, RM, RMVB Audio Formats – MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, AAC, […]

Tronsmart T2000 EZCast Pro Dongle Supports MHL, Split Screen, Improves Wi-Fi Performance

EZCast dongles, tiny HDMI streaming Wi-Fi stick with support for Airplay, Miracast, DLNA, and their own proprietary EZCast protocol first appeared about a year ago. I’ve reviewed a few including Tronsmart T1000 and MeLeCast S1, and found them to work relatively well, with some caveats, in Android. There’s now a new EZCast Pro wireless adapters that adds features such for four split screens display, conference control via web browser, and content broadcast to multiple screens, as well as improved wireless performance thanks to 2T2R Wi-Fi. Tronsmart T2000 is the first device I’ve heard of, that’s EZCast Pro capable. Tronsmart T2000 hardware specifications: SoC – Action Semi AM8251 @ 500MHz (MIPS) System memory – 256 MB DDR3 RAM Storage – 128 MB NAND Flash Video output – HDMI 1.2 / MHL 2.0 Wi-Fi – Single band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi 2T2R up to 300 Mbps Standards – Miracast, Airplay, DLNA, and EZCast […]

Quad Core Android Tablet for $47, Wintel Tablet for $65

When I think about $50 tablets, I think about 512MB RAM, 4GB flash, 800×480 resolution display and so on… But there’s currently a 7″ quad core Android tablet (eZee Tab 7Q11-L) that sells for $46.99 on BuyinCoins including shipping, which has some slightly better specs with 1GB RAM, 8GB flash, and a 1024×600 resolution touchscreen display. Here are the specifications listed on Buyincoins: SoC – Action Semi ATM7029B quad core Cortex A5 class processor @ 1.3Ghz with PowerVR SGX540 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash and micro SD slot up to 32GB. Display – 7″ multi-touch capacitive touch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution Video Output – micro HDMI Audio Output – 3.5mm audio jack, speaker Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional? Bluetooth (RTL8723AS-VT) Camera – 0.3MP front camera Sensors – Accelerometer, “automatic steering display screen”, G-sensor Misc – Volume +/-, power and home buttons […]

Mele Cast S1 EZCast / Miracast / DLNA / Airplay Dongle Review

EZCast is a Wi-Fi display protocol that allows you to display local and online media and office files from your Android/iOS smartphone or Mac/WIndows computer onto your TV. It requires an app and an hardware EZCast dongle to connect to your HDMI enabled TV. I’ve already reviewed two EZcast dongles: Tronmart T1000, and WiDiCast EC-E2.  Mele sent me their own version, Mele Cast S1, together with Mele X1000 Blu-ray Navigation Android TV box, which I’ll review another day. Today, I’ll go through Mele Cast S1 specs, show some pictures including a comparison with T1000, and try it with an Android smartphone. Mele Cast S1 Specifications Unsurprisingly the hardware specs are the same of the other EZCast dongles, and the only thing that changes is the enclosure. SoC – Action Semi AM8251 @ 600MHz (MIPS) System memory – 128 MB DDR3 RAM Storage – 128 MB NAND Flash Video output – […]

$65 Cheerlink B712 and B716 Android Media Players Powered by Actions Semi ATM7029

Actions Semi ATM7029 is a quad core ARM Cortex A5 class SoC usually found in low cost Android tablets. A manufacturer, which might be Egotronics, has decided to make Android STBs with the processor, and B712 and B716 are now sold for about $65 on dx.com under the brand Cheerlink. This price should make them one of the cheapest full size quad core Android TV boxes on the market, albeit with much lower performance compared to devices based on Rockchip RK3188 or AllWinner A31. Cheerlink B712/B716 specifications: SoC – Actions Semi ATM7029 Quad Core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.2 GHz with Vivante GC1000 Plus GPU System Memory – 1GB SDRAM DDR3 (512MB as an option) Storage – 4 GB NAND Flash (8GB/16GB as options) + microSD slot up to 32GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4A, AV (3.5mm jack) Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi USB – 2x […]

What to Expect from AllWinner, Rockchip, Mediatek, and Other Silicon Vendors at CES 2014

CES 2014 is coming soon, and it will take place on 7 – 10 January, 2014, and we can expect some interesting SoC news. Samsung suggested they will unveil their 64-bit ARM SoC (Exynos 6?) at CES 2014, Nvidia will hold a press conference to “showcase new NVIDIA Tegra mobile technologies, gaming innovations, and advanced automotive display technologies”, and Qualcomm has been quiet for now. However, several Chinese SoC vendors, namely AllWinner, Rockchip, and Mediatek, have already announced what they will showcase at CES 2014, albeit with few details. AllWinner at CES 2014 Allwinner announced will showcase their OptimusBoard based on their Ultra Octa-Core A80 SoC, as well as 4G tablets powered by Allwinner A31/A31s, and dual-SIM phablets sporting A23 dual-core. Allwinner A80 is an Octacore processor featuring four ARM Cortex A7 cores, and four Cortex A15 cores @ 2.0GHz together with an unnamed GPU offering 2x more performance over previous […]

iPush Hi768 HDMI/AV Wi-Fi Display Dongle Supports DLNA, and Airplay for $22

Now EZCast dongles are my preferred type of Wi-Fi display dongle, although there are not perfect, they support Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac OS, and beside the proprietary EZCast protocol, they also support Miracast, Airplay, and DLNA. However, they cost between $30 to $40, and if all you are after is a cheap DLNA and Airplay adapter, you could get iPush Hi768 for $21.99 including shipping. This device also features an AV output (composite + stereo audio) to mirror your phone on your old TV. Here are the specifications as listed on Pandawill and some other sources: SoC –  ACTIONS SEMI ATV6003 @ 500MHz System Memory – 64M or 128M DDR2 Storage – 16MB NOR flash Video Output – HDMI, AV/CVBS Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (Built-in Realtek 8188 SDIO WiFi Module) Protocol – DLNA and Airplay. Power Supply – 5V/0.5A via micro USB port Dimensions – 76 x 36 […]

Ainol Novo9 FireWire Ⅱ Tablet Features Actions Semi ATM7039 Quad core Cortex-A9r4 SoC

Ainol Novo9 FireWire II (aka Spark II?) is a new Android Jelly Bean tablet powered by ATM7039, a new quad core processor from Actions Semiconductor, that is said to feature Cortex A9r4 cores, just like AMLogic M802, that allow higher frequencies, and lower power consumption compared to Cortex A9r3 cores used in SoCs such as Rockchip RK3188. I’ll check the tablet specifications first, and then have a closer look at the new SoC. Ainol Novo9 FireWire II Tablet Ainol Novo9 Firewire II / Spark II Specifications: SoC- Actions Semi ATM7039 Quad Core ARM Cortex A9 up to 1.5/1.6 GHz with PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU System memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB + micro SD card slot (up to 32GB) Display – 9.7″ IPS capacitive touchscreen, 2048×1536 resolution Connectivity – Built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, built-in Bluetooth 4.0, and 3G via external USB dongle Video Output – HDMI Audio I/O – 3.5mm audio jack, […]