ZTE Axon 7 Snapdragon 820 Smartphone To Support Google Daydream VR

Google announced Daydream virtual reality platform at Google I/O 2016 a few days ago, and now ZTE has announced the first phone compatible with Daydream, namely Axon 7 powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4 to 6 GB RAM, and 64 to 128 GB flash. Their will be three versions of the phone: basic, standard and premium editions with the following key features and hardware specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 820  quad core ARMv8 processor with two “Gold” cores up to 2.15 GHz, two “Silver” cores up to 1.6 GHz, Adreno 530 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan, and  Hexagon 680 DSP  @ up to 825 MHz System Memory and Storage 4GB RAM, 64GB flash, and micro SD slot up to 128GB OR 6GB RAM, 128GB flash, and micro SD slot up to 128GB Display – 5.5″ 2560 x 1440, WQHD AMOLED, 2.5D; Premium: […]

MeegoPad A02 Octa-Core Remix OS TV Stick Sells for $30 and Up (in China)

After tablets, mini PCs, laptops, and All-in-one PCs, Remix OS is getting on yet another form factor with MeegoPad A02 TV stick powered by Allwinner A83T octa-core Cortex A7 processor with 1 or 2GB RAM, 16 or 32 GB storage. MeegoPad A02 specifications: SoC – Allwinner A83T octa-core ARM Cortex-A7 @ 2.0 GHz with  PowerVR SGX544MP1 GPU System Memory – 1GB or 2GB DDR3L Storage – 16GB or 32GB eMMC flash, micro SD slot up to 128GB Video Output – HDMI up to 4K resolution Audio Output – HDMI, 3,5 mm headphone jack Connetivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Power button Power Supply – 5V/2A via micro USB Dimensions – 110 x 43 x 9.9 mm Weight – 50 grams The device runs Remix OS 2.0 based on Android 5.1 with desktop optimizations […]

Pebble 2 & Time 2 Smartwatches, and Pebble Core for Runners and Hackers Launched on Kickstarter

Pebble launched one of the first smartwatches in 2012, and is now one of the most famous name for wearables. The company has now launched another crowdfunding campaign for three wearables: Pebble 2 & Time 2 watches, and Pebble Core which can be either be used as a fitness tracker for runner, or by hardware hacker to play with IoT apps. Pebble 2 and Time 2 can receive notifications from your Android or iOS smartphone, include a built-in HRM for activity tracking, and a microphone for voice record and SMS, and are waterproof of up to 30 meters. To me the two key features of Pebble wearables are always-on displays, and long battery life, and the two new watches have a black & white (Pebble 2) or color (Time 2) always-on display, and up to one week of battery life for Pebble 2, and 10 days for Time 2. Pebble […]

Raspberry Pi 3 Repository Has Been Added to Android Open Source Project

Android has been ported to the Raspberry Pi boards in the past, but the images were not really usable because the implementation lacked 2D & 3D graphics support. The good news is that Raspberry Pi 3 is likely to officially support the latest version of Android soon, because rpi3 repository has been created in AOSP about 5 weeks ago. That’s all we know for now. Raspberry Pi 3 could then be part of the second wave of boards officially supported in Android “mainline”, as currently 96Boards Hikey is the only supported board in AOSP. However, If we go down in the git repo to android/device, we can also see MIPS Creator CI40, Aaeon Upboard, i.mx6ul picoimx board, Intel Edison and Minnowboard, and a few others. Some of the boards will run Brillo instead of Android however, or it could be a different project, so we’ll have to see what happens […]

OtterBox uniVERSE Modular Case System & Tapit Customizable Tactile Keyboard Case for Smartphones

Two innovative cases for smartphones have been introduced very recently: OtterBox uniVERSE modular case system which allows you to add various modules in a similar fashion to what Project Ara promises, and Tapit case adding a flexible keyboard on top of your smartphone case. OtterBox uniVERSE modular case system The company offers a protective case for your phone for $50 to $60, and you can add modules as needed from the following selection: Square Contactless & Chip Reader, $49.99 – To accept credit cards and contactless payments on the go olloclip 4-in-1 lens, $79.99 – Fisheye, wide-angle, 10x and 15x lens options SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive, $59.99 to $119.99 – 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of additional capacity Nite Ize Steelie Vent Mount Kit, $39.99 – Mount your smartphone to a vehicle vent for hands-free use Goal Zero Slide Battery, starting at $59.99 – Extra battery Manatee Works StingRay Barcode Scanner, […]

GOLE1 is a $79 Intel Atom x5 Windows 10 / Android 5.1 mini PC with a 5″ Touchscreen Display (Crowdfunding)

PiPo has been one of the first company to take advantage of Microsoft policy of providing a free license for Windows 10 for devices with smaller touchscreen displays with mini PCs such as PiPo X8 that includes a 7″ display, saving $25 to $35 on the Windows 10 license for such products without displays. Shenzhen Qianhai Gole Technology (Gole) has also been selling similar devices on their Aliexpress store, and the company is now taking to Indiegogo to launch their latest model, dubbed GOLE1, featuring a 5″ touchscreen display, and fitting in your pocket. Gole1 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz / 1.84 GHz with Intel Gen8 HD graphics (2W SDP) System Memory –  2 or 4 GB DDR3L Storage – 32 or 64 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot up to 64GB Display – 5″ capacitive touchscreen display with 1280×720 […]

HiPo S905X Amlogic S905X Android TV Box is Available for Pre-order for $40 and Up

Amlogic S905X processor adds a few features over Amlogic S905 such as 4K VP9 hardware video decoding and HDR support, but thanks to better integration including built-in 10/100M PHY and audio codec, as well as support for 2-layer PCB, products with the new processor could potentially also be slightly cheaper, all other hardware specs being equal. We can now get a first idea of the price as one company has listed HiPo S905X TV box for pre-order on Aliexpress for $39.99 with 1GB RAM/8GB flash (Type 1), and $49.99 with 2GB RAM/16GB flash (Type 2). HiPo S905X (preliminary) specifications – Type 1 & Type 2 models: SoC –  Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 1GB (Type 1) or 2 GB (Type 2) DDR3 Storage – 8GB (Type 1) or 16 GB (Type 2) eMMC flash + […]

$35 NanoPi M3 Octa Core 64-bit ARM Development Board is Powered by Samsung S5P6818 Processor

A few weeks after introducing NanoPC-T3 single board computer based on Samsung S5P6818 octa-core Cortex A53 processor, FriendlyARM is now launching a cost-down version called NanoPi M3 for just $35 with 1GB RAM, and booting from a micro SD card. NanoPi M3 board specifications: SoC – Samsung S5P6818 octa core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.4GHz with Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 1 GB 32-bit DDR3 Storage – 1x micro SD card slot Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8211E), 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth LE 4.0 (Ampak AP6212) with on-board chip antenna and IPX antenna connector Video Output / Display I/F – HDMI 1.4a up to 1080p60, LVDS, parallel RGB LCD Audio I/O – HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack, 7-pin I2S header Camera – 1x DVP interface USB – 2x USB 2.0 type A host ports; 1x micro USB 2.0 client port; 2x USB 2.0 host ports via 8-pin header Expansions […]