Mediatek Releases Android SDK with APIs for HotKnot, Video & Image Processing, Multi-SIM, etc…

Mediatek seems motivated in getting involved with maker and open source communities. Thanks to its works on Android One with Google, the company recently released the Linux kernel source for MT6582 processor, and with a separate endeavour, launched Mediatek Labs bringing LinkIt ONE platform for IoT and wearables to market, as well as a preview release of an Android SDK for its mobile processors. Features of the SDK includes: Set of libraries for MediaTek feature APIs with full API documentation. x86 MediaTek emulator based on a reference implementation of an Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) device powered by a MediaTek chip, adding capabilities to test and debug telephony and multi-SIM features, a vibrator indicator and a hot-swappable SD card. Customized version of the DDMS (Dalvik Debug Monitor Server), which adds support for testing telephony features, such as plugging and unplugging a headset, sending telephony commands to test call and SMS features, etc… […]

Mediatek Releases Linux Source Code for Android One Smartphones

Android One is a program by Google aiming at bringing low cost smartphones to the emerging markets with firmware updates to the latest Android version guaranteed for two years. Three phones part of Android One program have recently been announced for the Indian market: Micromax Canvas A1, Karbonn Sparkle V, and Spice Dream Uno, and Android One phones will be available in Indonesia, the Philippines and South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) by the year of the year. The three phones currently available sell for $100, which based on the specs (quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB flash, 4.5″ display) is not exactly an aggressive pricing compared to what is already available from Aliexpress, but the main advantage here is clearly Google support with promised firmware updates, and currently Android 4.4.4. All these phones appear to be powered by Mediatek MT6582, and company decided to release the Linux […]

Mediatek MT6795 Octa Core ARM Cortex A53 Processor to Launch in Q4 2014

Mediatek had already announced two 64-bit ARM SoCs with MT6732 and MT6752 boasting respectively four and eight Cortex A53 cores for mainstream and premium smartphones. There are now reports that the company will launch an eight core 64-bit LTE SoC with HMP architecture. Since HMP (Heterogeneous Multi-Processing) is only used for big.LITTLE processing, and Mediatek does not have an history of making their own custom ARM cores, we can safely assume the processor will feature four Cortex A53 little core, and four Cortex A57 big cores. [Update: finally it’s eight ARM Cortex A53 cores, no HMP here]. What we know about MT6795 so far: Processor – 64-bit Octa core ARM Cortex A53 cores @ 2.2 GHz GPU- Imagination Technology G6200 @ 700 MHz Memory I/F – 2x LPDDR3 @ 933 MHz (PoP) Camera I/F – 20MP@30fps using a dual ISP Display – Up to WQXGA (2560×1600) Video Decoding – 4K2K […]

iNew V8 Smartphone Features Mediatek MT6591T Hexa Core Processor, and a Rotating Camera

In case you find four cores are not quite enough, but eight cores are just too many, Mediatek added MT6591 hexa core processor to its roadmap, and the first phones are starting to be up for pre-order. iNew V8 is an hexa core smartphone with a 5.5″ display, 1GB RAM, 16 GB flash, and an interesting camera that can rotate by up to 210 degrees, and can be used both as a rear and front facing camera. So no more low quality selfies at 2MP, and welcome to 13MP selfies with flash! 🙂 iNew V8 Specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT6591T hexa Cortex A7 processor @ 1.5GHz with Mali-450 MP GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 16 GB flash + micro SD slot (up to 16? or 32GB) Display – 5.5″ IPS capacitive touchscreen (5 points) with 1280×720 resolution. Cellular Network – 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz; 3G: WCDMA 850/2100MHz. Dual […]

Techniques to Get more Space for Apps in Android

Many devices now have a single internal partition for apps and data on the internal NAND / eMMC flash, but some companies are still providing firmware with the flash partitioned with an “internal storage” partition for apps and systems, and another partition either called “phone storage” or “internal SD card” to order to store data. In the first case, no problem, but in the second, you may have issues where you have plenty of total space, but the device keeps telling you there is no space, leading to error messages such “email service has stopped”,  app updates which can not complete, and app update downloads occurring in loops and draining the battery. I’ve experienced this issue with my phone (ThL W200) which features a mere 0.91 GB internal storage out of an 8GB NAND flash. Internal storage was 0.91 GB (94% full), phone storage 5.73 GB(3% full), and my micro […]

ACT M302 Android 4.3 Smartphone with Mediatek MT6592 Octa Core SoC Sells for $136

Android smartphones get better and cheaper all the time, but I would not have thought possible to get a 5″ FullHD smartphone with Mediatek MT6592 Octa core processor, 2GB RAM, and 16GB flash to be sold for less than $150. And that’s exactly what BuyinCoins is doing with ACT M302 for just $136. Let’s have a look at the hardware specs: SoC – Mediatek MT6592 octa core Cortex A7 @ 1.7GHz with Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB flash + microSD card slot Display – 5.0″ touch screen display, 1920×1080 resolution. Cellular networking – 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, 3G: WCDMA 850/2100MHz. Dual SIM Card Dual Standby Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Camera – 5.0MP front camera, 13.0 MP rear camera USB – 1x USB port Audio – 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speaker and microphone Misc – Home, return, menu, power, and vol +/- buttons Battery – […]

Xiaomi Unveils $130 Redmi Note Octa-core Android Smartphone

Xiaomi Redmi Note is an Android smartphone boasting a 5.5″ display, Mediatek MT6592 Octa-core clocked at 1.4 or 1.7 GHz, 1 to 2 GB RAM, and 8 GB Flash that is now available for pre-order in China for just 799 CNY or 999 CNY (~$130 and ~$160) depending on the versions.  The only differences between the two versions are Mediatek CPU frequency (1.4 vs 1.7 GHz), and the RAM capacity (1 vs 2 GB). Xiaomi is a Chinese manufacturer, but they’ve recently started to sell phone overseas, so a similar phone may be soon available in more countries. Let’s check out the complete specifications: SoC- Mediatek MT6592 octa-core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.4 or 1.7 GHz with ARM Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1 or 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND Flash + micro SD card up to 32GB Display – 5.5″ IPS display with 1280×720 resolution Cellular […]

Mediatek MT6589 Linux Source Code, CyanogenMod 11 Image for Wiko Stairway Smartphone

Mediatek and their customers have still not gotten into the habit of complying with the GPL license, and releasing the relevant source code such as the Linux kernel. There appears to be at least one smartphone, Wiko Stairway, where the Linux kernel has been released, and chrmhoffmann, a members of XDA developers forums, has even released on unofficial CyanogenMod 11 ROM (Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat) for the device. There are three source repositories for the Linux kernel, “android device“, and Android. I’ve only looked into the kernel which is version 3.4.5. Mediatek has apparently messed up the Linux kernel quite a bit, and you’ll have to do some funny things to build the kernel, and all Mediatek options in menuconfig are in a sub-section called “Mediatek Properitary Configuration” (sic.), and it’s not possible to simply go to System Type menu to change the processor type for instance. Let’s get the […]

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