Android News - Page 215 of 364 - CNX Software

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Ugoos UT3S is an Update to UT3 Android & Ubuntu TV Box with a Fan

Many people like ARM based media player because most of them run Android providing access too many apps available via Google Play Store, a similar experience to what they got used with phones and tablets, and also because they are small, inexpensive, and fanless. However, the latest ARM processors such as Rockchip RK3288, can get really hot, so most of the time CPU frequency needs to be limited to avoid overheating and stability, which reduces performance. Which may be why, Ugoos decided to launch UT3S mini PC, an upgrade to UT3 mini PC with a mini Fan placed on top of a larger heatsink. Ugoos UT3S specifications and look remain very similar to the original model: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core CortexA17 @ 1.80 GHz + Mali-T764 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 /3.0, and OpenCL 1.1 System Memory – 2GB to 4GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB or […]

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Mouse Box is a ARM mini PC in a Mouse

Most people use a mouse with their PCs, and since electronics have become so small, a Polish start-up has decided to design a computer-in-a-mouse that can be used as a normal mouse and an ARM based mini PC. Only part of the specs have been disclosed so far: SoC – Quad core ARM Cortex processor @ 1.4 GHz System Memory – N/A Storage – 128GB flash (cloud storage optional) Video Output – Micro HDMI port Connectivity – Wi-Fi USB – 2 x USB 3.0 ports Sensors – Accelerometer, gyroscope Optional battery If the battery is optional, I’m not quite sure where the device gets its power, unless it works with MHL, or one of the USB 3.0 port is used for power. There’s no word about operating system support, but since it’s an ARM processor you should expect Android, and maybe Linux. Future development will include support for Wireless HDMI, […]

January 20, 2015February 26, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

MINIX NEO Z64 Windows 8.1 / Android Intel mini PC Should Sell Soon for $148 and Up

MINIX NEO Z64 mini PC powered by Intel Atom Z3735F was unveiled in September 2014, but as other Windows 8.1 Intel based mini PCs hit the market in late December, early January, some people suggested NEO Z64 may end up being vaporware… Fortunately, it appears those people might be wrong, as I’ve been informed of a cached page on DX.com selling the computer for $148.07 with Android 4.4.4 pre-installed. MINIX NEO Z64 specifications remain mostly the same as the ones published in September: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Burst freq up to 1.83 GHz) and Intel HD Graphics System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm stereo jack USB – 2x USB 2.0 Misc – Power […]

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

MBX-3G is an Android Media Player with a Built-in 3G Modem (Crowdfunding)

Most full sized TV box comes with both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, but if you live in remote area internet may not be easily available, except possibly via 3G or LTE. There are several ways to handle that. You could connect a 3G USB dongle to your box, but this assume the firmware on your box supports it, or you could gt one cheap of these cheap routers with a USB port, plug the 3G dongle into it, and connect your media player to the router via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. If you’d rather have a single device with an easier setup, MediaBox MBX-3G could be an interesting option. MediaBox MBX-3G specifications: SoC – Quad core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.6Ghz with quad core GPU (This looks like Rockchip RK3188) System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8 eMMC flash + microSD slot (up to 32GB) Video & Audio Output – […]

January 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Independent Dual Display Support on Firefly-RK3288 Development Board (Video)

From time to time, I’m being asked which platform can support dual independent displays, and although I noticed Mele A1000 (Allwinner A10) did support dual displays in Linux, I never really investigated how well it handles it, so I normally recommend to have a look at x86 platforms with AMD or Intel processor that specifically claim support for dual independent display. But today, I’ve noticed a developer working for T-Chip posted a nice demo on T-Firefly forums with two displays connected via HDMI and VGA. The demo shows Firefly-RK3288 development board running Android with two displays in three configurations: Display Mirroring – The same content is shown on both display. Especially useful for digital signage application, where one board can drive two displays with the same content Extended Desktop – The user interface is extended on both monitors. It’s like having a single large monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio […]

January 15, 2015January 15, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

Mediatek based Xiaomi Mi Box mini Android TV Box Sells for $32

Today (2015/01/15), Xiaomi has launched four new products: Mi Note and Mi Note Pro 5.5″ Android smartphones powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 and 810, Mi Headphones (audiophile-grade), as well as Mi Box mini. The latter is a tiny Android TV box powered by a quad core ARM Cortex-A7 processor, with 1GB RAM and 4GB Flash, and selling for just 199 RMB in China (~$32 US). Mi Box mini specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT8685A quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.3Ghz with Mali-450MP4 GPU (4 fragment + 2 vertex cores) System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC 4.5 flash Video & Audio Output – HDMI up to 1080p with Dolby and DTS pass-through Video Codecs – Support H.265 Connectivity – Dual band 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 Power Supply – Integrated into device. 100-240V input Dimensions – 38 x 38 x 38? mm Weight – 73 grams The […]

January 15, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Project Ara Modular Phone Update

The modular phone concept started with PhoneBloks, whose founders shortly got to work with Motorola Project Ara, and since Google bought parts of Motorola, the concept is now part a Google’s project. Project Ara Developers Conference 2015 has taken place yesterday in California, but if you’ve missed it, another one is planned in Singapore on January 21, and it will also be live-streamed. We’ve now got a bit more information, a neat video has been uploaded to YouTube showing how a battery, a (broken) display, speakers, and camera modules would slide into the phone, and a pilot project has started in Puerto Rico. Google has very recently shipped Spiral 2 developer hardware enable prototyping and development of modules for the Ara platform. The kit consists of: A board with the UniPro Switch in the Ara endoskeleton and multiple modules interfaces with UniPro Bridge ASICs (Tosbiba T6WM8XBG-0001) supporting multiple bridged and tunneled protocols; An […]

January 14, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Broadcom Unveils BCM725x SoCs for STBs and TV Sticks

Broadcom has recently announced two new SoCs, namely BCM7250 and BCM72502, respectively targeted at OTT streaming media player form factor and HDMI stick or dongle applications. Both feature Broadcom’s Brahma-B15 ARMv7-A cores, support 10-bit H.265, HDMI 2.0, MHL 2.0, and up to to 4×4 5G WiFi via BCM4366 WiSoC. Key features listed by Broadcom for both SoCs: High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)/H.265 compression 6000 DMIPS B15 ARMv7-A CPU 1.0 Gpix/s OpenGL ES 3.0 3D GPU Supports HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 or MHL 2.0 digital video output PCIe connectivity to Broadcom BCM4366 4×4 carrier-grade 5G WiFi 480/576p30 transcode 1080p60 10-Bit HD HEVC decode and 4Kp60 upscale High Performance DDR3/DDR4 system memory interface Supports Android, Chromium, DIAL, DLNA CVP2, Miracast protocols Supports Broadcom Trellis Multi-Application Framework and DTVKit software stack The company can also provide reference platforms with 2×2 and 4×4 5G WiFi connectivity options via a high-speed PCIe interface, and announced […]