ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop – A $219 Windows on Arm Developer Kit

ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop

The “Snapdragon QC710 Developer Kit” for Windows 10 on Arm app development was unveiled last May, and it’s now available for $219 on Microsoft Store as the “ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop”. The developer kit can also be purchased at a discount for $197.10 by students, parents(!), teachers, and members of the military. I suppose this applies only to the US military and showing your Taliban membership card may not work. The developer kit looks like a standard mini PC and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Compute Platform (SC7180), 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, HDMI output, 10/100M Ethernet and WiFi 5, and several USB ports. ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop specifications: SoC –  Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Compute Platform (SC7180) with octa-core Qualcomm Kryo 468 (2x Cortex-A76, 6x Cortex-A55) CPU @ up to 2.4 GHz, Adreno 618 GPU System Memory – 4GB Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card […]

Linux 5.15 LTS release – Main Changes, Arm, RISC-V and MIPS architectures

Linux 5.15

Linus Torvalds released Linux 5.15, an LTS version, this past Sunday: It’s been calm, and I have no excuse to add an extra rc, so here we are, with v5.15 pushed out, and the merge window starting tomorrow. Which is going to be a bit inconvenient for me, since I also have some conference travel coming up. But it’s only a couple of days and I’ll have my laptop with me. Sometimes the release timing works out, and sometimes it doesn’t.. Anyway, the last week of 5.15 was mainly networking and gpu fixes, with some random sprinkling of other things (a few btrfs reverts, some kvm updates, minor other fixes here and there – a few architecture fixes, couple of tracing, small driver fixes etc). Full shortlog appended. This release may have started out with some -Werror pain, but it calmed down fairly quickly and on the whole 5.15 was […]

Fairphone 4 repairable Android smartphone comes with a 5-year warranty

Fairphone 4

The Fairphone is a socially responsible repairable, modular Android smartphone that aims to last longer than most other phones. The latest iteration is the Fairphone 4, which follows the Fairphone 3 released in August 2019. The Fairphone 4 runs Android 11 on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G octa-core processor coupled with up to 8GB RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display. The smartphone comes with a 5-year warranty by default, and software updates are guaranteed until at least 2025. Fairphone 4 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G (SM7225) octa-core Kryo 570 processor with 2x Cortex-A77 cores @ 2.2GHz, 6x Cortex-A55 cores @ 1.8GHz, Adreno 619 GPU System Memory & Storage options 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storeage, MicroSD card socket up to 2TB 8GB RAM, 256GB internal storage, MicroSD card socket up to 2TB Display – 6.3-inch Full HD+ (2340×1080) IPS touchscreen display with Gorilla Glass 5 Cameras Primary […]

Geniatech GTW410 – An ultra compact IoT gateway based on Snapdragon 410E SoC

Geniatech GTW410

After writing about Azulle Ally Snapdragon 450 mini PC, I was reminded there are other small form factor Snapdragon devices such as Geniatech GTW410 based on the earlier Snapdragon 410E quad-core processor. While the GTW410 is marketed as an “Embedded IoT Gateway”, it could also serve as an entry-level industrial mini PC with up to 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, as well as HDMI, Ethernet, and USB ports. Geniatech GTW410 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 410E (APQ8016) quad-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Adreno 306 GPU System Memory – 1 or 2 GB LPDDR3 @ 533MHz Storage – 8 or 16 GB eMMC 5.0 flash + micro SD 3.0 (UHS-I) slot Video Output – HDMI 1.3 up to 1080p @ 30 Hz Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Integrated 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS with on-board antenna, optional Zigbee USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB […]

$150 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 mini PC runs Android 10

Snapdragon 450 mini PC

Azulle Ally is an Android 10 mini PC powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core Cortex-A53 processor coupled with 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. Equipped with an HDMI port, wired and wireless networking, as well as a pair of USB 3.0 ports, the small-form factor computer is mostly designed for businesses and applications such as digital signage, IoT, edge computing, wayfinding machines,  and more. Azulle Ally mini PC specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core Arm Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz with Adreno 506 GPU with OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 2.0 Full, DirectX 12, Hexagon 546 DSP, and 1080p60 video decoder/1080p90 video encoder for H.265, H.265, VP8, and (decode-only) VP9 System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash Video Output – Micro HDMI 1.4 port up to 1080p60 Connectivity Ethernet RJ45 port Dual-band 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 LE USB – 2x […]

AYN Odin – A Dockable portable game console offered with Snapdragon 845 or Dimensity 900 (Crowdfunding)

AYN Odin game console

AYN Odin is a 6-inch portable game console powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 or MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor and offered with an optional dock with an HDMI port to connect it to a large screen, various ports for controllers, and even a 2.5-inch SATA bay. It offers a much more powerful experience, a larger display, a more recent Android 10/11 OS, and better multiplayer abilities than the Amlogic S905D3 powered Powkiddy A20 portable game console we have just covered. Three models of the Odin are offered with the Lite, Base, and Pro model differing in terms of processors, and/or storage and memory: SoC Odin Lite – MediaTek Dimensity 900 octa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A78 cores @ 2.4 GHz, 6x Cortex-A55 cores @ 2.0 GHz, Mali-G68 MC4 GPU Odin Base/Pro – Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor with 4x Kryo Gold (Cortex A75) cores @ 2.8 GHz, 4x Kryo Silver (Cortex A55) […]

Linux 5.14 Release – Main changes, Arm, MIPS, and RISC-V architectures

Linux 5.14 release

Linus Torvalds has just announced Linux 5.14 release which happens to almost coincide with the anniversary of the initial announcement of the “small” project on August 25, 1991, about 30 years ago. Here’s Linux 5.14’s announcement: So I realize you must all still be busy with all the galas and fancy balls and all the other 30th anniversary events, but at some point you must be getting tired of the constant glitz, the fireworks, and the champagne. That ball gown or tailcoat isn’t the most comfortable thing, either. The celebrations will go on for a few more weeks yet, but you all may just need a breather from them. And when that happens, I have just the thing for you – a new kernel release to test and enjoy. Because 5.14 is out there, just waiting for you to kick the tires and remind yourself what all the festivities are […]

Qualcomm QRB5165 system-on-module is made for robotics applications

Open-Q 5165RB SOM

Lantronix Open-Q 5165RB is a tiny System-on-Module (SoM) based on the same Qualcomm QRB5165 octa-core IoT processor we’ve just seen in Qualcomm Flight RB5 5G Platform high-end drone reference design. The ultra-compact (50x29mm) module comes with 8GB LPDDR5, 128GB UFS flash, multiple MIPI camera and display ports, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, and various I/Os. Lantronix Open-Q 5165RB module specifications: SoC – Qualcomm QRB5165 SoC built on 7nm technology with Octa-core CPU with 1x Kryo Gold prime @ 2.84 GHz, 3x Kryo Gold @ 2.42 GHz, 4x Kryo Silver @ 1.81 GHz Hexagon 698 DSP with quad Hexagon Vector eXtensions Adreno™ 650 GPU @ up to  587 MHz Spectra 480 Image Signal Processor Adreno 665 Video Processing unit  – Decode up to 4K240/8K60, Encode up to 4K120/8K30, Concurrent 4K60 decode & 4K30 encode for wireless display NPU230 Neural Processing unit SPU240 Secure Processing unit Up to 15 TOPS of combined […]