Rikomagic R1 Android Projector Review – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

Rikomagic R1 Android mini projector runs Android 4.4 on Rockchip RK3128 quad core processor, and the company sent me a sample for review, so today I’ll first do an unboxing, and partial teardown, before testing the projector in more details in the second part of the review. Rikomagic R1 Projector Unboxing The projector comes with a white package marked RKM R1. The bottom of the package indicated its unsurprisingly based on Texas Instruments DLP technology with a LED light, and is equipped with a touch panel and a battery. More importantly, there’s a QR code that links to R1 Setup Guide, which for once will be useful, as this device has some unique features. The projector ships with a 5V/2.5A power supply, an IR remote control, a HDMI cable, a tripod, and an adapter to make the interface between the projector box and the tripod. The top of the device […]

Rikomagic R1 mini Projector Runs Android 4.4 on Rockchip RK3128 Quad Core Processor

Rikomagic R1 may look like a Android TV box from some angles, but it’s actually a mini projector powered by Rockchip RK3128 quad core processor, with 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, with many of the port of featuring found on a TV box, plus a 854×480 DLP LED projector. Rikomagic R1 projector specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3128 quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU System memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB NAND flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Projector DLP technology with 0.3″ DMD + RGB LED with 1000 lumens (TBC), likely based on Texas Instruments DLP3000. Resolution – 854×480 (WVGA) Contrast ratio – 2000:1 Projection – Area – 30 to 120″; distance: 1 to 5 meters; ratio: 1.19:1 Keystone correction – automatic, vertical: -/+ 40 degrees Manual focus Video Input – HDMI 1.4 port Audio – 3.5mm earphone jack, built-in speaker(s) Connectivity – […]

Official Rockchip Github Account and Wiki Launched

Following the popularity of RK3066 and RK3188 processors in 2013, a community of developers for Rockchip Linux and Android development was created with corresponding linux-rockchip github account, mailing list and #linux-rockchip IRC channel, and now most of the information can be gathered from development board manufacturers like Firefly. However, I’ve just been pointed out to some VA-API driver for Rockchip RK32xx processor, on rockchip-linux (not linux-rockhip) github account, with the following tagline: An open source software for Rockchip SoCs, This site maintained by Rockchip The only person currently registered to this account, Jacob Chen (陈豪), is a software engineer working for Rockchip, so it does indeed look to be official. The github account also links to rockchip.wikidot.com with links to communication channels established by linux-rockchip community, and lots of entries about Linux, Android, U-boot, and so on, most of which are currently placeholders. So it still looks like work in […]

Eny EVR01 Android All-in-One Virtual Reality Headset Features Rockchip RK3126 Processor

I keep reading that in order to offer a pleasant user experience, virtual reality will require high resolution displays (4K or greater), and SoCs fast enough to handle all the extra data processing requirements, but some Chinese manufacturers are instead trying to enter the low end of the market with products such as Allwinner H8vr or HA544 which are way too weak to handle 3D graphics for VR applications in a satisfying manner, but could be good enough for watching 3D and VR video. Eny Technology has gone one step further (down) with EVR01 VR headset based on Rockchip RK3126 quad core Cortex A7 processor combined with a 5″ 1280×720 display. EVR01 AIO VR headset specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3126 quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.3 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 (Optional 512 MB) Storage – 8GB flash (Optional: 16GB) + micro SD slot up […]

HA544 Android Virtual Reality Headset Powered by Rockchip RK3188 Processor Sells for $155

Virtual reality headset have become more and more popular recently, from the basic Google Cardboard using your own smartphone, to models interfacing with a computer such as the $599 Oculus Rift or $700 HTC Vive. Chinese manufacturers have all launched a few standalone models running Android such as the high-end Deepoon M2 based on Samsung Exynos 7420, or the relatively inexpensive HA544 powered by Rockchip RK3188 quad core processor with 2GB RAM, and 8GB flash. HA544 virtual reality headset (aka VR HMD “Head-mount display”) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad core Corter A9 processor @ 1.6 GHz with Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash + micro SD slot Display – 5.5, 1920×1080 resolution Lenses 2x aspherical lens for myopia under 700 degrees Diameter – 42mm 90 degrees field of view (FOV) IPD (Interpupillary distance) & focus adjustment Connectivity – WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 with […]

Rockchip RK3188-T TV Sticks with 2GB RAM Are Now Selling for About $30 Shipped

It’s fun to report about the latest gadgets, but sometimes it can be a good idea to look back at older devices to find if there are any good deals out there. TV boxes and sticks based Rockchip RK3188 quad core Cortex A9 processors were clearly the most popular in 2013 and early 2014, and in many respects their performance is still quite similar to the one of recent 64-bit platforms barring new features such as H.265 and 4K video capabilities. The good news is that you can now get RK3188-T TV sticks such as CX919 or MK809IV with 2 GB RAM for about $30 shipped. CX919 and MK809IV are very similar specifications, except CX919 comes with an external antenna [Update: MK809IV also has a retractable antenna, see red slider on picture above]: SoC – Rockchip RK3188-T quad core Cortex A9 @ 1.4Ghz + Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB […]

Rockchip RK3128 TV Box Boards with 512MB RAM, 8GB Storage Sell for $15 and Up

Rockchip RK3036 dual core Cortex A7 processor was showcased by Rockchip at CES 2015 and said to enable $10 H.265 TV boxes, and yesterday I noticed some code made it to mainline Linux for Rockchip RK3036 Kylin board. While I have not been able to find any information about that board, or any other RK3036 boards or devices so far, I’ve been informed that RK3128 boards with 512MB RAM and 8GB storage were selling for $11.50 (75 CNY) for 1K orders, and around $15 (100 CNY) and up for samples. Specifications listed for the board shown above: SoC – Rockchip RK3128 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.3 GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 512MB to 1GB LPDDR2/DDR3 or DDR3L Storage – 4 to 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot Connectivity – Ethernet, and WiFi Video Output – HDMI 1.4 and composite RCA output Audio Output […]

Linux 4.3 Release – Main Changes, ARM and MIPS Architectures

Linus Torvalds released Linux Kernel 4.3 last week-end: So it *felt* like the last week of the rc series was busy, to the point where I got a bit worried about the release. But doing the actual numbers shows that that really was just my subjective feeling, probably due to the kernel summit and travel back home from Korea. It wasn’t actually a particularly busy week, it’s just that the pull requests were more noticeable in the last couple of days. We had a network update and a late fix for a x86 vm86 mode bug introduced by the vm86 cleanups, but other than that it’s just a collection of various small one-liners all over. Ok, the vm86 mode thing was a one-liner too, it was just slightly more nerve-wracking because it looked scarier than it was before people (Andy) figured out what was going on. The changes from rc7 […]