Android

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Google Announces Pixel and Pixel XL Smartphones for $649 and Up

Google Announces Pixel and Pixel XL Smartphones for $649 and Up

Google used to collaborate with smartphone manufacturers for their Nexus devices, but the company is now promoting their own Pixel brand, and has just launched Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, and running Android 7.0 Nougat operating system. Both smartphones share most of the same specifications, but XL has a larger screen, a bigger battery, and a higher price tag: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (MSM8996 pro AB) Quad core Kryo processor with two cores at up to 2.15GHz, two cores at up to 1.6GHz, Adreno 530 GPU System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32 or 128 GB storage Display Pixel – 5.0″ FHD (1920×1080) AMOLED display; 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Pixel XL – 5.5″ QHD (2560×1440) AMOLED display; 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Camera 12.3 MP rear camera (IMX378 sensor) with laser and phase detection auto focus (LDAF + PDAF), f/2.0 aperture […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Rikomagic MK22 Octa-core Android TV Box Review – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

Rikomagic MK22 Octa-core Android TV Box Review – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

Rikomagic became a much better known company when they launched MK802 TV stick in 2012, and over the years they’ve kept introducing new products, and I’ve just received a review sample of their latest Rikomagic MK22 octa-core Android TV box powered by Amlogic S912 processor. I’ve posted photos of the device and its accessories, and check out the hardware design in the first part of the review, before testing Android 6.0 firmware in the second part in a few weeks. Rikomagic MK22 Unboxing I received MK22 in its black and white retail package. The back of the package details the main features, and the hardware specifications. Instead of printing a user’s manual that anybody will hardly read, the company instead printed a QR Core to MK22 user’s manual download link. The TV box ships with a 5V/2.5A power supply, an HDMI cable, and an IR remote control that looks the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Silicon Labs Introduces $29 Thunderboard React Bluetooth 4.2 LE IoT Board and $69 Derby Car Kit

Silicon Labs Introduces $29 Thunderboard React Bluetooth 4.2 LE IoT Board and $69 Derby Car Kit

Earlier this summer, Silicon labs launched ThunderBoard React, a Bluetooth 4.2 LE compliant board with sensors and expansion headers for IoT applications based on the company’s BGM111 Bluetooth Smart Module, and to make it much more fun to work with the company has released a Derby Car kit controlled by the board. ThunderBoard React specifications: Bluetooth Module – BGM111 Bluetooth 4.2 compliant module with integrated Tx and Rx antenna, and Cortex M4 MCU @ 38.4 MHz with 32 kB RAM and 256 kB Flash Extra Storage – Footprint for 8Mb external flash storage Sensors – Si7021 relative humidity and temperature, Si1133 UV index and ambient light sensor, Invensense MPU-6500 6-axis gyro/accelerometer, Si7201 hall effect position sensor Expansion – 12 breakout pina to connect to BGM111 GPIOs Debugging – 10-pin mini Simplicity debug connector Misc – 2x momentary buttons, 2x LEDs, power selection switch Power Supply – CR2032 coin cell battery […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 28 Comments on Review of R-Box Pro OTT TV Box with 3GB RAM – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

Review of R-Box Pro OTT TV Box with 3GB RAM – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

R-Box Pro is just another Amlogic S912 TV box, except it comes with up to 3GB RAM, against 2GB for most other models on the market. Kingnovel sent me a sample with 3GB RAM to check it out, and today I’ll start by taking photos of the devices, and perform a teardown mostly to find out how the 3GB memory design is implemented. R-Box Pro Unboxing The retail package is minimal black box with “OTT TV Box Amlogic S912” and “R-Box Pro” markings and Kodi logo. A sticker on the side will also indicate whether you have received to 2GB or 3GB RAM version. The device ships with an IR remote control with learning function, a 5V/2.5A power supply, an HDMI cable, and a user’s manual in English. The day I received the sample the top cover looked to have many scratches, but after removing the plastic film on the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments on Xiaomi Mi Pad Tablet with Tegra K1 Processor, 64GB Flash Sells for $120 (Promo)

Xiaomi Mi Pad Tablet with Tegra K1 Processor, 64GB Flash Sells for $120 (Promo)

Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9″ tablet powered by Nvidia Tegra K1 processor was launched in 2014 with either 16 or 64 GB flash, and on July on that year you could buy the version with 64GB storage would sell for $370 and up from sites like Aliexpress. A little over two years, the price has dramatically dropped, and there’s now a promotion for Xiaomi Mi Pad with 64GB storage for $119.99 on GearBest with MiPad64G or MP64GBCSMO coupon. Let’s refresh our memory with the specifications of the tablet: SoC – Nvidia Tegra K1 quad core Cortex A15 processor @ 2.2 GHz with Nvidia 192-core Kepler GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 64GB eMMC, extensible to 128GB via microSD card Display – 7.9” IPS display, 2048×1536 resolution; 326 PPI Camera – 8MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing camera Connectivity – 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, speaker […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Qualcomm is Finally Open for Business with Snapdragon 410E and 600E Processors for Embedded & IoT Applications

Qualcomm is Finally Open for Business with Snapdragon 410E and 600E Processors for Embedded & IoT Applications

Qualcomm processors are found in mobile devices and wearables selling in large quantities, some boards and modules from embedded systems companies such as Inforce Computing and Intrinsyc, as well as it own 96Boards compliant DragonBoard 410c and DragonBoard 600c development boards, but it’s hard to find them in many other products, and few crowdfunding campaign feature Snapdragon processors, as Qualcomm may not be willing to work with smaller companies and startups. The company has made some progress in that regards with their partnership with Allwinner to allow smaller Chinese companies to manufacture Snapdragon based Tablets, and their newly introduced Snapdragon 410E and 600E processors targeting embedded systems and IoT applications, available from Arrow Electronics without questions asked, and with long term availability for 10 years, i.e. until 2025 based on available of Snapdragon 410 mobile version. Snapdragon 410E (APQ 8016E) specifications: CPU – Quad ARM Cortex A53 @ up to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 51 Comments on Rockchip RK3399 Benchmarks Appear on GeekBench

Rockchip RK3399 Benchmarks Appear on GeekBench

Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor with ARM Cortex A72 and A53 cores and a Mali-T860MP GPU will soon be found in TV boxes, development boards, tablets, Chromebooks, virtual reality headset and more, and is widely expected to offer a significant performance boost against previous Rockchip processors, including RK3288, and outperform SoCs from competitors like Amlogic and Allwinner. We can have a first clue about the performance as Rockchip RK3399 boxes and one tablet are now showing up on GeekBench. The box is clocked at 1512 MHz, while the tablet is limited to 1416 MHz, but overall single-core score is about 1350 points, while multi-core score hovers around 2,550 points. I’m not that familiar with GeekBench so number don’t tell me anything. Let’s compare it against RK3288 which CPU-wise is the fastest processor I known of from Chinese silicon vendors targeting TV boxes. There’s a significant single-core performance boost (+73%), and lower […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Tbee Android TV Box Supports Voice Command and Gesture Control

Tbee Android TV Box Supports Voice Command and Gesture Control

The first thing you notice with Tbee TV box is the beehives inspired hexagonal enclosure, as we’ve already seen with T95Z Plus TV box, but the features that really stand out are voice command, and especially gesture control thanks to the built-in microphone and camera. Tbee TV box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S812 quad core Cortex A9r4 processor @ up to 1.99 GHz with octa-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB Storage –  8GB eMMC flash + SD card slot Video & Audio I/O – HDMI input, HDMI output Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – IR receiver, built-in HD ready camera and IR receiver Dimensions – 28.5 x 8.5 cm (full package) Weight – 860 grams (full package) The box ships with an air mouse with QWERTY keyboard and its RF dongle, a HDMI cable, […]