Android News - Page 110 of 375 - CNX Software

December 26, 2017December 26, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router Combo Runs Android 7.1 on Amlogic S905X Processor

There are so many Amlogic S905X/S912 TV boxes on the market that offer the same features, I’ve long stopped reporting on all new models, unless they have very specific features, or are made by some of the most popular companies. SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router appear to be a difference beast – as its name implies -, as it’;s both an Android 7.1 TV box, and an Android WiFi router thanks to three Ethernet ports. SATXTREM TV box & router specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-450MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (Options: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB) + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, AV port (composite) Video Codecs – 4K 10-bit H.265 up to 60 fps, VP9 up to 60 fps, […]

December 23, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Haven Open Source App Transforms Your Old Android Smartphone into a Smart Security Camera

About two years ago, I wrote a post asking what to do with old devices instead of throwing them away. My own proposals included giving them away, reselling them on eBay, recycling them for other purpose like servers or download clients, or scavenging some parts. Other people also comments what they did with theirs, for example setting up a Linux cluster with old TV boxes. Another way to recycling an old (Android) smartphone – albeit you could always buy an inexpensive one – is to install and run Haven, an open source app that transforms your phone into some sort of smart security camera, but instead of only using the camera from the phone, the app also logs audio events using its microphone (array), as well as data reported by sensors. One of you first reaction might be: “cool! somebody may an app that would allow hackers or government to […]

December 22, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

PiPO P10 Phoenix OS 2-in-1 Laptop is Powered by Rockchip RK3399 Processor

Phoenix OS is an operating system based on Android 7.1 with desktop optimizations, and is one of the last few options if you plan to run Android on x86 platforms as other projects such as Remix OS have stopped providing images, at least for the consumer market. The operating system also work on Arm platforms, but it is not open source – except for a Linux kernel release a few months ago -, manufacturers partners with the company to port the OS to their hardware. PiPO P10 2-in-1 laptop is one of those devices, and thanks to Rockchip RK3399 processor should offer decent performance. PiPO P10 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa core processor with 2x Cortex A72 cores, 4x Cortex A53 cores, Mali-860MP4 GPU System Memory – 4GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 32 or 64GB storage, 1x micro SD slot Display – 10.1″ capacitive touch display with 2560×1600 […]

December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

H96 Mini TV Box with HDMI Input Sold for $40 (Promo)

H96 Mini is a TV Box powered by Amlogic T962E quad core Cortex A53 processor that supports both HDMI output and input. When I first covered the device, it was not very clear what was possible with the HDMI input port on this particular device, and I’ve just got a confusing answer from GearBest, which implies video recording may not be working yet, or may it is… The device was first launched for about $55 in October, and the good news is that you can now purchase it for $39.99 with coupon AH96MS. The bad news is that price is only available during daily flash sale, where 30 units are offered at 10:00 UTC until December 25, so you’d have to be right in time to get the deal. Maybe with the 30 units available per day, it will be easier than some other flash sales with a lower number. […]

December 18, 2017November 15, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

How to Use Khadas VIM2 Board with VTV Expansion DTV Board as a Live TV Streaming Server

Khadas VIM2 is the first and only Amlogic S912 based hobbyist development board on the market, which makes it interesting by itself, but the company also added some interesting features such as an SPI flash for network boot, Wake-on-LAN support, and more. Last month the company sent me a sample of the Khadas VIM2 Basic (2GB RAM/16GB flash) together with VTV Extension DTV Board featuring a DVB-T2/C and DVB-S2 tuner. I’ve already checkout the hardware and shown how to assemble the kit, so for the second part of the review it seemed like a good idea to use the board as a Live TV streaming server broadcasting satellite, cable or terrestrial TV to devices connected to the local network. At first I wanted to use Linux operating system, because I could have run other Linux server services, but SuperDVB, the company that makes and supports the tuner board, only have […]

December 14, 2017December 15, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments

More Low Cost ARM Linux NAS Platforms Coming Soon: Popcorn Hour Transformer (XL), ODROID-HC2

Last summer, Hardkernel launched ODROID-HC1 Home Cloud 1 taking a single 2.5″ hard drive, and based on a modified version of their popular Exynos 5422 powered ODROID-XU4 board where they removed HDMI, and added a SATA interface (via USB 3.0), but based on the initial announcement, we also knew the Korean company was working on ODROID-HC2 supporting 3.5″ drives instead. The device is not available yet, but guys at Armbian got an early unit, so we should not be waiting too long. Hardkernel will also have some competition for their ODROID-HC1 NAS, as Cloud Media (and Pine64?) are working on Rockchip RK3328 based Popcorn Hour Transformer & Transformer XL with support for 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives respectively. Hardkernel ODROID-HC2 ODROID-HC2 preliminary specifications: SoC – Samsung Exynos 5422 octa-core processor with 4x ARM Cortex-A15 @ 2.0 GHz, 4x ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1.4GHz, and Mali-T628 MP6 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.0 / […]

December 13, 2017May 20, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

HiMedia Q10 Pro 4K TV Box Review – Part 2: Full Blu-ray Navigation & Playback

HiMedia Q10 Pro is an Android TV box powered by HiSilicon Hi3798CV200 SoC that was launched in March 2016, but the company recently provided a firmware update with support for Full Blu-ray navigation, and asked me to review that part. I received the device last month, posted the first part of the review with HiMedia Q10 Pro unboxing, and also explained how to install a 3.5″ SATA drive at the time. I’ve now acquired a few Blu-ray RIPs in order to test 4K Blu-ray video playback and navigation specifically. Initial Setup, Firmware Update, and Copying 4K Blu-ray Videos to the Hard Drive I connected the TV box to Onkyo TX-NR636 AV-Receiver, itself connected to LG 42UB820T 4K UHD television. If you’ve ever owned an HiMedia TV box the Android launcher should be familiar. If you want more details about the launcher, and user interface, checkout my HiMedia Q30 review. It’s […]

December 7, 2017December 13, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

Rockchip RK3288 To Be Phased Out Soon? GPD XD+ Android Console To Get Mediatek MT8176 SoC, 4GB RAM Upgrade

[Update: I have now seen an email exchange with ASUS replying that Rockchip RK3288 will still be in production for 5 years, so GPD claims that manufacturing will stop for RK3288 may be incorrect, or misunderstood Update 2: Rockchip has now confirmed RK3288 will not be phased out. So I’m guessing there may have been info lost in translation with GPD simply not manufacturing their own RK3288 board anymore] Rockchip RK3288 32-bit Arm processor was first spotted in a company presentation in the summer of 2013, before being announced – with some confusion (Cortex A12 vs A17) – at CES 2014 in January. The quad core Cortex A17 processor had then its moments of glory with inclusion in products such as Chromebooks (2015), and ASUS Tinker board SBC earlier this year. Another product based on the processor is GPD XD Android game console, but according to a report on reddit, […]