Android

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Android 5.0 Binary and Source Code Release for Minnowboard MAX

Android 5.0 Binary and Source Code Release for Minnowboard MAX

Yet another development board gets a Lollipop update with Minnowboard MAX powered by Intel Atom E3815 or E3825 Bay Trail-I processor. Intel’s android-5.0.1_r1-ia0 release uses a 64 bit kernel and a 32 bit userspace, and supports all on-board peripherals such as Ethernet, HDMI (digital Audio + Video), USB host, SATA, I2C+SPI, GPIO, PWM and UART. New features and improvements features for this release include: Digital audio support using HDMI and USB. Linux console on serial port for debugging purposes. Android can be installed on SDCard, USB Stick or SSD. Android Runtime (ART). Material Design UI. Bluetooth 4.0 support using an external USB dongle. SELinux runs in enforcing mode. User data is encrypted by default. Bug fix – GPIO support The image is intended for developers interested in working with Android 5.0 on MinnowBoard MAX, but it does not have all the components to meet Android Compatibility requirements. If you own […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Beam Android Projector Fits into Any Light Socket (Crowdfunding)

Beam Android Projector Fits into Any Light Socket (Crowdfunding)

Four years ago, Seco showcased a prototype of a light bulb integrating a picoprojector and running Android, so you could fit it on the socket on your ceiling or compatible lamp. Now a company is planning to launch an Android projector that fits into E27, E26, or Bayonet light sockets called Beam. Beam projector specifications: SoC – Dual core processor @ 1.3GHz System Memory – N/A (1GB?) Storage – 8GB storage Projector LED pico projector; Currently 854×480 resolution, but it may be upgraded before the product ships ANSI 100 lumens 20,000 projection hours Max projection size – 120″ widescreen Throw ratop – 1.6:1 meaning at 1.8m, the project size will be 1.1m. Lamp function: 12 LED lights Audio – 2W stereo speakers Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 Light socket – E26, E27, or Bayonet via included adapter Power Supply – 110VAC to 240VAC Dimensions – N/A The version […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Toucan-0700 HMI Panel Runs Linux or Android on Freescale i.MX6 Processors

Toucan-0700 HMI Panel Runs Linux or Android on Freescale i.MX6 Processors

TechNexion Toucan-0700 is an HMI (Human Machine Interface) panel based on Freescale i.MX6 modules and a baseboard following EDM standard for system-on-modules. The 7″ panel PC features the same EDM1-CF-IMX6 SoM used in Wandboard development boards, and runs various Linux distributions, as well as Android 4.3 or 4.4. Toucan-0700 specifications: SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Solo/Duallite Cortex A9 processor with Vivante GPUs (i.MX6 Dual/Quad on request) System Memory – 512MB (Solo), 1GB (Duallite) Storage – 4GB eMMC + micro SD slot Display – 7″ LCD display with LED backlight, 1024×600 resolution;  16M colors;  500 cd/m²; 4 points touchscreen Video Output – HDMI 1.4 for external display Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet with POE function 802.3at, and optional WiFi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 (Broadcom BCM4330) USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x USB OTG 3.0 connector, 2x internal pin headers Serial – 1x RS-232 (galvanic isolated), 1x RS-232/422/485 (galvanic isolated), 2x […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on pcDuino3B Development Board Adds Gigabit Ethernet Support

pcDuino3B Development Board Adds Gigabit Ethernet Support

pcDuino3 development board features Allwinner A20 dual core Cortex A7 SoC with support for SATA, HDMI, LVDS, Wi-Fi, Fast Ethernet, and Arduino compatible headers. Linksprite has now an updated version of the board that adds Gigabit Ethernet, while leaving the rest of the specs unmodified. pcDuino3B (aka pcDuino V3B) specifications: SoC – AllWinner A20 dual core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.0 GHz, with Mali 400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DRAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash, SATA connector, and microSD card slot (up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI 1.4 with HDCP support, LVDS header Audio Out –  3.5mm analog audio interface, I2S stereo digital audio interface Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi USB – 1x USB host, 1x USB OTG Expansion Headers – Arduino UNO extension interface with 14xGPIO, 2xPWM, 6xADC, 1xUART, 1xSPI, 1xI2C. Camera – MIPI camera support Misc – IR receiver Power – 5V, 2000mA, support […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 650 and 652 ARM Cortex A72 / A53 Processors

Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 650 and 652 ARM Cortex A72 / A53 Processors

[Update: Title updated to reflect the new names of the processors. Snapdragon 618 is now Snapdragon 650, and 620 is now 652 to reflect the better Cortex A72 cores used in those processors] Qualcomm has announced four new processors including Snapdragon 415 and 425 octa-core Cortex A53 processor, as well a Snapdragon 618 and 620 big.LITTLE processor with the latest Cortex A72 cores coupled with four Cortex A53 little cores. Snapdragon 618 is the hexa-core version with 2 Cortex A72 cores, while Snapdragon 620 comes with eight cores including 4 Cortex A72, but apart from the difference in number of cores, both share the same technical specifications: CPU Snapdragon 618 – 64-bit dual-core ARM Cortex A72 @ 1.8GHz  and quad-core Cortex A53 @ 1.2GHz Snapdragon 620 – 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex A72 @ 1.8GHz  and quad-core Cortex A53 @ 1.2GHz GPU – Next generation Qualcomm Adreno GPU with support for […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on HPH NT-V6 Firmware V1.4.4 (Rockchip RK3288) Fixes Ethernet Performance, Adds Smartphone App

HPH NT-V6 Firmware V1.4.4 (Rockchip RK3288) Fixes Ethernet Performance, Adds Smartphone App

When I first started to review Rockchip RK3288 based TV boxes I noticed several had critical issues with Ethernet including Nagrace HPH NT-V6 and Kingnovel K-R6. The main cons of the Nagrace media player included: XBMC has too many issues: VC1 not supported, H.265 support only partial, audio/video sync issue, some MPEG-2 and XVID videos are skipping frames, some of the 4K videos I used could play properly, etc… Some MPEG-2 file won’t play smooth in either XBMC or MX Player Potential Ethernet issues, confirmed with my Gigabit switch (D-Link DSG-1005A) and 10/100Mbps D-Link router (configured as a switch). Since then SPMC and Kodi must have improved video playback issues, but as late as last month I still got feedback from one person (Mr. B.) complaining about Ethernet on HPH NT-V6, but he finally got an email with a new firmware that is said to fix the Ethernet issues and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Olimex Announces Availability of TI AM3352 and Rockchip RK3188 SoM and Evaluation Boards

Olimex Announces Availability of TI AM3352 and Rockchip RK3188 SoM and Evaluation Boards

Olimex showcased prototypes for both Texas Instruments Sitara AM3352 and Rockchip RK3188 system-on-modules and evaluation boards in May 2014. However, development and production took a bit longer than expected, and the company has just announced availability of the platforms now. Rockchip RK3188 CPU Modules and Kit RK3188-SOM-EVB kit specifications: RK3188-SOM-4GB System-on-Module with the following key features: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad core Cortex A9 processor @ 1.6GHz with Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB Flash + micro SD slot Debugging – 4-pin UART connector Misc – Reset and Recovery buttons, 3x status LEDs Dimensions – 55.88 x 81.28 mm Video Output – HDMI output + LCD output Connectivity – 10/100Mbps Ethernet USB – 4x USB Hosts, 1x micro USB OTG Expansion Connectors LCD connector for LCD-OLinuXino-XX LCDs 2x UEXT connectors 2x 40 pin GPIO connectors Misc – RTC with backup battery Power Supply – 6-16 V via […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Android 5.0 Lollipop Image for Wandboard Development Boards

Android 5.0 Lollipop Image for Wandboard Development Boards

Wandboard Solo, Dual and Quad are development boards powered by Freescale i.MX6 Solo, Dual, and Quad, that have been launched in 2013. I can remember running Android 4.1.2 and Ubuntu on both Wandboard Dual and Wandboard Quad. Fast forward to 2015, the board is still supported, and Android 5.0 Lollipop beta has been released for the three boards, making these one of the few hardware platforms supporting Android Jelly Bean, KitKat, and Lollipop. You can try it out by downloading the image, and flashing it to a micro SD card (8GB or more) as follows: Linux

Where X is the letter for your micro card which can be found with lsblk command Windows – Download wandboard-lp-5.0.0-20150213-sdcard-boot.img.xz, extract it, and flash to the the micro SD with Win32DiskImager. Insert the micro SD into the micro SD slot on the CPU board, and enjoy! At least in theory… If you have […]