Most Android laptops on the market come with tiny 7″ to 11.6″ screens, and those with larger displays (e.g. 13.3″) are often crippled with a subpar processor. Hewlett Packard is about to change that thanks to the SlateBook 14, an Android laptop with a 14″ touchscreen display, and a quad core Tegra SoC which could either be Tegra 4 or Tegra K1. The product has not been launched officially, but NetbookItalia found about it via a promo video (embedded below), and we don’t know the full specs just yet: SoC- Nvidia Tegra quad core Cortex A15 (Tegra 4 or Tegra K1) System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB flash + micro SD card slot Display – 14″ touchscreen display, 1080p resolution Video Output – HDMI Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, beat audio stereo speakers Connectivity – 802.11 b/n/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth USB – 3x USB host ports HP laptop will […]
ZTE FunBox Android Game Console Powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 Sells for $146
Since about a year, we’ve seen several Android based game console such as the Ouya or PlayJam GameStick coming to market. These are sold below $100, but feature some older hardware specs that may not run the latest games at optimal speed. Mad Catz game console, powered by an Nvidia Tegra 4, provides a much smoother gaming experience, but cost $199.99. If you’d like the performance of the Mad Catz but at a lower price point, ZTE Funbox also powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 quad core Cortex A15 processor is currently available on Aliexpress for $145.99 including shipping. ZTE FunBox specifications: SoC – Nvidia Tegra 4 quad core ARM Cortex A15 @ 1.8 GHz with 72-core GeForce ULP GPU (74.8 GFLOPS) System Memory – 2GB DDR3L Storage – 8GB eMMC 4.5 up to 120MB/s Audio / Video Output – HDMI up to 1080p60 or 4K30 Connectivity – Ethernet, dual band […]
Amlogic STB SoCs Comparison – AML8726-MX, S802, S805, and S812
The second quarter of 2014 is promising to be an exciting time for Android TV boxes based on Chinese SoCs with lots of announcements. Devices powered by Amlogic S802 quad core SoC such as M8 and Vega S89 are already available, Rockchip RK3288 Android TV boxes are likely to sell in May, together with AllWinner A80 development board and tablets, and Android media players probably coming to market in June or July. But Amlogic S802 is not the only new quad core processor announced by Amlogic, with S805 and S812 soon to be featured in HDMI TV sticks and TV boxes. Amlogic IP/OTT STB SoC page has a comparison table for their four STB SoC. Let’s go through this table to see which processor may better match different end-users requirements. Multi-core CPU Dual Core ARM Cortex A9 Quad Core ARM Cortex A9 Quad Core ARM Cortex A9 Quad Core ARM […]
Linaro 14.04 Release with Linux Kernel 3.14 and Android 4.4.2
Linaro 14.04 has been released with Linux Kernel 3.14 (baseline), Linux Kernel 3.10.37 (LSK), and Android 4.4.2. More work has been done on ARMv8 support, and big.LITTLE for both the Linux kernel and Android, as well as work on member hardware platforms such as Origen, Arndale, Arndale Octa, Broadcom Capri, and Hisilicon D01 boards. GCC 4.8-2014.04 Linaro is said to include performance improvements. Linaro Android engineering builds for Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 have been setup, but I can’t quite find the images. They’ve also added the BeagleBone Black to member builds. Here are the highlights of this release: Linaro Stable Kernel (LSK) 3.10.37-2014.04 Updates to Android support (from Google and Linaro) Added Big endian for ARMv7 and ARMv8 Thermal framework DT support Huge pages and transparent huge pages for ARMv8 Tagged pointers for ARMv8 Non-coherent DMA for ARMv8 Other Features big.LITTLE support – ARM MP patch set, IKS (ARMv7 […]
Zeco CX5 is a Quad core Android 4.2 Video Projector with a Built-in Battery
There are many products based on Rockchip RK3188 quad core processor that can be used to watch videos on the big screen, such as Android TV boxes, and HDMI TV dongles. Zeco CX5 is an Android video projector that allows you to watch videos, play games, browse through your pictures on a screen as large 300″, and thanks to its 13,000 mAh built-in battery, you could even have your own mini outdoor cinema. Here are the specifications provided by the company: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad core processor @ 1.6 GHz with Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 4GB NAND flash, micro SD slot Projector Optical parameters – LED DLP, 0.45″ DMD, Shutter 3D, 750 ANSI Lumens, 2000:1 Contrast Ratio. Resolution: WXGA (1280 x 800). Lamp life: 30,000 hours Projection parameters – Fixed focus, 1.15:1 throw ratio, 1 to 7.5 m distance, 40 to 300″ size. Aspect […]
Xiaomi Unveils $64 Mi Box Pro TV Box Powered by Amlogic S802 SoC
Xiaomi, now just called Mi, has announced three new products today. Two 802.11ac Wi-Fi routers: Mi Wi-Fi Router for 699 CNY ($112), and Mi Wi-Fi mini for 129 CNY ($20), and one Android TV box called Mi Box Pro featuring Amlogic S802 quad core Cortex A9r4 processor with 2GB RAM, 4GB eMMC Flash, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi that will sell in China for just 399 CNY ($64). Mi Pro Box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S802 quad core Cortex A9r4 processor @ 2GHz with ARM Mali-450MP6 octa-core GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 4GB eMMC Flash + micro SD slot up to 64 GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI (Up to 4K30) and 3.5 mm AV Audio / Video Playback – MKV, AVI, MP3 and MOV up to 4K resolution. AC3, Dolby and DTS audio support Connectivity – Dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi up to 120 Mbps (vs 40 […]
Techniques to Get more Space for Apps in Android
Many devices now have a single internal partition for apps and data on the internal NAND / eMMC flash, but some companies are still providing firmware with the flash partitioned with an “internal storage” partition for apps and systems, and another partition either called “phone storage” or “internal SD card” to order to store data. In the first case, no problem, but in the second, you may have issues where you have plenty of total space, but the device keeps telling you there is no space, leading to error messages such “email service has stopped”, app updates which can not complete, and app update downloads occurring in loops and draining the battery. I’ve experienced this issue with my phone (ThL W200) which features a mere 0.91 GB internal storage out of an 8GB NAND flash. Internal storage was 0.91 GB (94% full), phone storage 5.73 GB(3% full), and my micro […]
Habey HIO Project ARM Board and HIO Wallpad PoE Automation Panel (Crowdfunding)
Habey has recently unveiled HIO Project, a $100 ARM Linux board designed for rapid prototyping powered by Freescale i.MX6 dual lite or quad, and shortly after, the company launched a Kickstarter project for HIO Wallpad, an in-wall Power-over-Ethernet touch controller for home or office automation embedding HIO Project boards. HIO Project Boards HIO Main Board (HIO-EMB-1200) specifications: Soc – Freescale i.MX6 Dual Lite or Quad ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1 GHz + Vivante GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4G iNAND flash, 1x micro SD socket Video Output – 1x HDMI Audio – 1x on-board audio codec with 1W Amplifier built-in to I/O expansion headers Connectivity – 1x GbE PHY to I/O expansion headers Expansion Connectors: 1x PCIe PHY to I/O expansion headers 8x 50-pin 1.27mm pitch female header for I/Os: 24bit Parallel Display Port, dual channel 24bit LVDS, MIPI DSI up to 24bit, MIPI CSI up […]