Android News - Page 193 of 364 - CNX Software

August 27, 2015August 27, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Rockchip’s Light Work OS Makes Android Look Like Windows

Android is not exactly great to use as a desktop PC, so there’s been various attempts to improve this for Android boxes, tablets, and laptops for example with Remix OS, bringing a more desktop-like user experience. Rockchip showcased multi-window supports in some tablets a while ago, and now they have “Light Work OS”, an operating system based on Android 5.1 that feature a start menu and multiple windows support. PiPo even decided to use a background image with Windows logo in their PiPo X9 tablet powered by Rockchip RK3288. The problem with Android used as a mini PC goes much further than the lack start menu or window mode, but copy/paste can be a pain, and things you take for granted on desktop, simply may not be available in Android apps: some graphics elements may not be clickable, some website features may not work properly (I’m thinking WordPress editing here..), […]

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 72 Comments

Orange Pi PC Allwinner H3 Board Is Now Available for $15

Orange Pi 2 is a board powered by Allwinner H3 quad core processor that sells for $25. Shenzhen Xunlong Software has now launched a lower cost version with Orange Pi PC, still based on Allwinner H3 SoC, but getting ridiculously cheap at $15 + shipping ($3.43 in my case). Orange Pi PC specifications: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core Cortex A7 @ 1.6 GHz (likely 1.2 GHz instead) with an ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU up to 600 MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – micro SD card slot (up to 64GB) Video Output – HDMI with CEC and HDCP support, AV port Audio I/O – HDMI, AV port, on-board microphone Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port Camera – CSI Interface Expansions – 40-pin Raspberry Pi compatible header with 28 GPIOs, UART, I2C, SPI, PWM, CAN, I2S, SPDIF, LRADC, ADC, LINE-IN, […]

August 25, 2015October 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

WeTek Core Android 5.1 TV Box to Support Netflix in HD, OpenELEC, Lubuntu and More

Last year, WeTek launched WeTek Play Android TV receiver with DVB-T2, DVB-S2 or ATSC tuners, and in my review of the DVB-S2 version I found out it was a rather capable device despite the low hardware specifications. The company is about to launch WeTek Core, a media player powered by Amlogic S812-H processor, running Android 5.1.1, as well as supporting Netflix up to 1080p. something most other Android media players can’t handle. WeTek Core preliminary specifications: SoC – Amlogic S812-H quad core processor @ 2.0GHz with an Octa-core Mali-450MP gpu System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash, micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K @ 30Hz + AV Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n & 802.11ac (TBC), and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – Power button and LED Power Supply […]

August 22, 2015August 25, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Tronfy MX4 Telos Android 5.1 TV Box Unboxing and Teardown

I’ve recently reviewed Mygica ATV1900AC TV box powered by Amlogic S812 with 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC running Android Lollipop, a device with some high quality components, and a RF remote with voice command and search function that sells for $180. Tinydeal, a Hong Kong-based online shopping site specialized in electronic goods, sent me Tronfy MX4 Telos with very similar specifications including support for 802.11ac and Gigabit Ethernet, but selling instead for nearly half price at $98.99 including shipping. The firmware is also based on Lollipop, and runs Android 5.1.1 instead of Android 5.0.2, and it will be interesting to find out how the cheaper product fare against the higher-end one. Tronfy MX4 (MXIV) Telos Specifications Since it’s the first time I come across this box, I’ll list the specifications first: SoC – Amlogic S812 quad core cortex A9r4 @ 2 GHz with Mali-450MP6 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 […]

August 20, 2015August 29, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Mygica ATV1900AC Android 5.0 Mini PC Review

4K TV boxes based on Amlogic S812 processor have been around for about 9 months, and I already reviewed MINIX NEO X8-H Plus and CX-S806 mini PCs, but Mygica ATV1900AC is one of the first to support Android Lollipop, so I though it would be interesting to see the progress made compared to devices that run Android KitKat. I’ve already taken apart the TV Box, and found some interesting Toshiba eMMC flash and Realtek 802.11ac WiFi chips on the board, but today, I’ll test the firmware including stability, features and performance in this review. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions I’ve connected all ports of the device using the four USB host port with a webcam, hard drive, an RF dongle for a wireless gamepad, the RF dongle for the included remote, as well as inserting an HDMI cable, an optical audio cable S/PDIF, an Ethernet cable to Gigabit switch, […]

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

MinnowBoard Turbot SBC Gets an Intel Atom E3826 Dual Core Processor, FCC & CE Certification

MinnowBoard MAX launched las year as a low cost board based on Intel Bay Trail-I single or dual core processor, and was mostly targeting developers of embedded systems and hobbyists, but could not be used by OEMs as it lacked FCC & CE certifications. ADI Engineering designed a MinnowBoard compatible board named MinnowBoard Turbot with a faster Intel Atom E3826 dual core processor, FCC & CE certifications, and various other hardware modifications bringing improved HDMI, a better voltage regulator, and populating several connectors. MinnowBoard Turbot specifications: SoC – Intel Atom E3826 dual-core processor @ 1.46 GHz (7W TDP) System Memory – 2GB DDR3L 1333 MT/s (Soldered) – Options: 1GB, or 4GB DDR3L Storage – 1x Micro SD card slot, 1x SATA2 3Gb/sec, 8 MB SPI Flash for firmware (Tianocore UEFI, Coreboot / SeaBIOS) Video & Audio Output – micro HDMI connector Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet RJ-45 connector USB – 1x […]

August 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

NextDrive Plug Adds Wireless Storage or a Surveillance Webcam to Your Smartphone (Crowdfunding)

There are several wireless storage options on the market that allows you to add storage to your smartphone, such as WiFi USB flash drives, wireless SD card readers, or WiFi HDD enclosures. These inexpensive solutions are are quite portable since they come with a battery, so it’s like your have your own portable NAS or Cloud storage in your pocket. The Next Drive plug is a tiny computer with a single USB port and WiFi connection, that will add wireless connectivity to your USB device such as hard drives, including USB RAID arrays, but also others like USB webcams. Next Drive technical specifications: Processor – ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz System Memory – 128MB DDR3 Storage – 16MB NOR flash for firmware only Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port USB Output – 5V @ 2.1A Support File Systems – FAT, FAT32, […]

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Google OnHub 802.11ac WiFi Router Also Supports Bluetooth 4.0, Zigbee/Thread, and Automatic Firmware Upgrades

Google has just announced OnHub, a $200 router designed in cooperation with TP-Link which the company claims will be “fast, secure, and easy to use”. It should indeed be fast as it’s a Class AC1900 router capable of 600 Mbps with 802.11n and 1300 Mbps with 802.11ac. Router are gateways between home networks and the Internet, but most of them aren’t updated automatically, leaving them vulnerable to attacks, while OnHub should get its firmware regularly updated over-the-air and include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), making it more secure. Finally, Android and iOS apps are available to easily manage the router. OnHub (TGR1900) router specifications: WiSoC – Qualcomm Atheros IPQ8064 dual core Krait processor @ 1.4 GHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3L Storage – 4GB eMMC, 8MB NOR flash Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n 3×3 with smart antenna 802.11 a/n/ac 3×3 with smart antenna AUX wireless (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 1×1) – I don’t understand […]