How to Root Kimdecent T21 mini PC and other Nufront NS115 Android Devices

The guys at androidpc.es have acquired a Kimdecent T21 mini PC (aka GV-21) based on the dual core Nufront NS115 processor, and posted instructions to root Kimdecent T21 in Spanish (and now in English) before writing a full review which should be posted next week. Here are the English instructions below: Download Moborobo and install it. Moborobo need to install unsigned drivers. By default, Windows 8 is not too happy with unsigned drivers, and you’ll have to follow these instructions, if you use that OS. Download ROOT-T21 and uncompress it. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled in your mini PC (Settings –> Developer Options) Install Moborobo Daemon from Google Play. Start Moborobo in the PC Execute  ROOT_T21_GV-21_V01.bat inside ROOT-21  folder and follow the  instructions. Moborobo needs to reconnect with T21 via Wi-Fi when the ROOT programs requires it. Once the procedure is complete, you can download and install SuperSU, as well as the […]

AMLogic Releases U-Boot and Updated Linux Kernel Source Code

AMLogic released kernel 3.0.8 source code for AML8726-MX a few months ago, and yesterday they provided an updated tarballs with the kernel, and for the first time, AFAIK, released the source code for U-Boot. There are 4 new files apparently generated from the (internal) git repository in AMLogic: common-2012-11-20-git-b687495906.tar.gz  (108M) – This is the same kernel 3.0.8 release has last time, but with updated code. m1-kernel-android-2012-11-20-git-5d0f6b8e93.tar.gz (103M) – This looks like an older kernel 2.6 for AML8726-M1 only. uboot-master-2012-11-20-git-9b50e9a295.tar.gz (16M) – U-Boot 2010.06 possibly to use with the older 2.6 kernel. Only for M1 & M3 platforms. uboot-next-2012-11-20-git-b0e532795a.tar.gz (40M) – U-Boot 2011.03 for use with M3 and M6 platforms. I’ve already explained how to build the kernel in the previous post, so I’ll focus on U-Boot this time. Ubuntu 12.04 arm-linux-gnueabi- toolchain fails to build U-Boot (uboot-next), so you’ll have to install Sourcery toolchain instead: wget http://openlinux.amlogic.com/download/linux/ARM/gnutools/arm-2010q1-188-arm-none-eabi-i686-pc-linux-gnu.tar.bz2 tar xjvf arm-2010q1-188-arm-none-eabi-i686-pc-linux-gnu.tar.bz2 […]

Jolla Unveils Sailfish OS based on Meego and Sailfish SDK

Last July, a company called Jolly announced it would design, develop and sell smartphones based on the Meego operating system. This is now closer to reality as a demo has been showcased running on Nokia N950, except the operating system is now called Sailfish OS. Internally, Sailfish OS is built on top of the Mer project and Qt. The UI is built with QML and QtQuick and the standard QtMobility APIs are supported. For software development, you’ll need to use a special version of QtCreator. The development flow  looks very similar to what you would do to develop applications for Symbian or Harmattan phones. More precisely, the Sailfish SDK consists of QtCreator, a virtualised Mer Platform SDK and Sailfish components. Code is developed in Qt-Creator on the host device, then the code is passed to the virtualised Mer SDK where it compiles inside the Virtual Machine. If you want to […]

TQ Group TQMa6X Embedded Modules based on Freescale i.MX6 Processors

TQ Group has recently unveiled several TQMa6X embedded CPU modules that feature Freescale i.MX6 Solo, Dual and Quad processors, targeting screen, multi-touch, and multi-display applications as well as conventional controlling tasks. 3 modules are available: TQMa6S-AA – Single Cortex A9 / 1,2 GHz, 2 GB eMMC Flash, 512 MB DDR3, 64 kB EEPROM, -25°C…+85°C TQMa6D – Dual Cortex A9 / 1,2 GHz, 2 GB eMMC Flash, 512 MB DDR3, 64 kB EEPROM, -25°C…+85°C TQMa6Q – Quad Cortex A9 / 1,2 GHz, 2 GB eMMC Flash, 1 GB DDR3, 64 kB EEPROM, -25°C…+85°C TQMa6X modules share the following specifications: Processor – Freescale MCIMX6 Single/Dual/Quad Cortex A9 up to 1,2 GHz System Memory – Up to 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM Storage – Up to 64 GByte eMMC Flash, EEPROM: 0 / 64 kbit and up to 128 MB NOR-Flash. System interfaces: CAN – 2x FlexCAN ESAI (Enhanced Serial Audio Interface) Ethernet – 1x 10/100/1000 Mbit (IEEE […]

Low Cost Tablets (ZXC Z7) with Built-in 3G Powered by Mediatek MTK8377 Dual Core Processor

Many low cost tablets can only support 3G connectivity via an external 3G USB dongle, and if you are searching for one online, it can be a pain to find because of keyword stuffing. I’ve just discovered one easy way to filter the 3G tablets: Specify Mediatek MTK6575 (Single core Cortex A9) or MTK8377  (dual core Cortex A9) processors during the search as those platforms (always?) include a connectivity combo that provides GSM and 3G support. Media MTK8377 is still very new, but some preliminary tests show its Antutu score is 5626, which is not really wonderful, but still passable for an SoC clocked at 1.2 GHz. As a reference, I’ve seen AMLogic AML8726-MX dual Cortex A9 SoC @ 1.2 GHz having an Antutu score of 5900. The GPU used in MTK8377 is Imagination Technology PowerVR SGX531, which was released 6 years ago. That’s about all I know about the processor […]

Freescale i.MX6 Resources: Development Boards, Documentation, Source Code and Tools

Reader “Mark” recently left a comment saying the NDA on Freescale i.MX6 resources was lifted and documentation and source code were now available for the platform. So it’s time for me to look into it, and provide an overview of Freescale i.MX6 features, list available development platforms, and have a closer look at the documentation, source code and tools for the platform. Freescale i.MX6 Processors In 2011, Freescale initially announced 3 processors in the i.MX6 series for consumer, industrial and automotive markets, but added 2 lite SoC in 2012, and there are now 5 members in the family: Freescale i.MX6SoloLite – Single Cortex A9 processor up to 1 GHz with 256KB L2 Cache, 32-bit DDR3 and LPDDR2 memory support, and 2D graphics accelerator (Vivante GC355 + GC320) Freescale i.MX6Solo – Single Cortex A9 core up to 1 GHz with 512KB L2 Cache, 32-bit DDR3 and LPDDR2 memory support, and 2D & […]

$199 GIZMO EXPLORER KIT – Embedded Development Kit Based on AMD G-Series G-T40E APU

I’ve just stumbled upon a low cost and open source embedded development kit featuring AMD G-Series G-T40E dual core APU that comes with the following: The Gizmo Board – A compact (10×10 cm) development board for powered by an AMD G-Series APU. The Explorer Board – An expansion I/O board providing an alpha-numeric keypad, a micro-display, and a breadboard area for prototyping and customization. Sage SmartProbe JTAG Development Tool – The kit includes the SmartProbe hardware and 20 hours of trial time use. Ethernet & USB Cables – The USB cable lets you connect the SmartProbe to your PC. The Ethernet cable is for networking connectivity, which can be used to access the SmartProbe as well. USB wall charger Power Supplyand Cable – A universal power supply for the Gizmo board, with a U.S.-standard cord. 6x standoffs with nuts Alpha-numeric keypad – To connect to the explorer board Installation DVD […]

Kimdecent T21 Android 4.1 HDMI TV Stick Features Nufront NS115 Dual Core Cortex A9 Processor

After all the Rockchip RK3066 mini PCs (UG802, MK808, UG007…), and a few AMLogic AML8726-MX mini PCs (announced but yet to be available),  there’s a new dual core HDMI TV stick platform in town: Kimdecent T21 based on Nufront NS115 dual core cortex A9 processor with a dual core Mali-400 GPU. Apart from the new processor, the specifications are pretty standard: SoC – Nufront NS115 Cortex-A9 Dual-core @ 1.2GHz +  Mali400 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR III Storage – 4 GB NAND Flash + microSD card socket (Up to 32 GB) Connectivity – Wifi 802.11 b/g/n USB – 1x USB Host port + 1x micro USB (Host or OTG?) port Video Output – HDMI 1.4 (Up to 1080p) Video Formats – 3GP, MPEG4, AVI, RMVB, MKV, FLV… Video & Audio Codecs – H.264, MVC, SVC, MPEG-2/4, DivX, VC-1, RealVideo, AVS, VP8(WebM, WebP), Sorenson, MJPEG, MVC, AAC+, WMA, MP3, […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC