Android

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on AllWinner Roadmap Until 2015: A23, A6X, A7X, A8X and A9X

AllWinner Roadmap Until 2015: A23, A6X, A7X, A8X and A9X

AllWinner has recently unveiled their products roadmap until 2015. They’ve got big.LITTLE cortex A7/A15 processors, as well as a processor for wearable planned for 2014, and a big.LITTLE Cortex A53/A57 processor, as well as another Octa-core bit.LITTLE processor (cores unknown) for 2015. There’s also a new processor for 2013, called A23, which is a cost down version of Allwinner A20 dual core Cortex A7. Let’s have a look at the different upcoming processors. AllWinner A23 – Dual core cortex A7 @ 1.5 Ghz with Mali-400MP2 GPU, and 40nm process. Planned for Q3 2013, and tablets will be available this month (More below) AllWinner A6X – Quad-core cortex A7/A15 (big.LITTLE) @ 2.0GHz with a GPU offering 1.7x more performance (compared to SGX544MP2 in A31?). Planned for Q2 2014. AllWinner WX – Quad-core processor for wearable devices (e.g. smartwatches). Q4 2014. AllWinner A8X (A80) – Octa-core cortex A7/A15 @ 2.0GHz with a […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on ARM Unveils Mali-T720 and Mali-T760 GPUs

ARM Unveils Mali-T720 and Mali-T760 GPUs

ARM has recently announced two new Mali GPUs: Mali-T760 for high-end smartphones and tablets, and Mali-T720 for entry-level devices, but with better performance and energy performance compared to previous cost-optimized Mali GPUs, as well as OpenGL ES 3.0 support. These new GPUs have already been licensed by companies such as MediaTek, Rockchip, Samsung and LG Electronics.   Mali-T760 GPU ARM lists the key benefits and features of the ARM Mali-T760 GPU as follows: An increase in energy efficiency and performance of approximately 400 percent over the ARM       Mali-T604 GPU; Scaling to 16 shader cores, which doubles the previous generation, plus an increase in both performance per shader core and overall performance; Reduction of internal and SoC bandwidth utilization, significantly reducing energy consumption, enabled by ARM Frame Buffer Compression (AFBC), and Smart Composition, delivering more than 50 percent reduction in total memory bandwidth utilization; Simplified implementation through reduced wire count and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on VIA Announces $99 Springboard Platform for Android and Linux Development

VIA Announces $99 Springboard Platform for Android and Linux Development

Back in May 2013, VIA unveiled VAB-600 Pico-ITX board powered by WonderMedia WM8950 with an ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 800 MHz and a Mali-400 GPU. At the time they provided a starter kit with a 7″ display. The company has now announced the VIA Springboard Platform based on VAB-600 that is available without Wi-Fi for $99 or with Wi-Fi for $129. Here are the items included in the kits: VAB-600 Pico-ITX board with WM8950, 1GB DDR3 SDRAM, 4GB eMMC Flash memory and microSD slot. See VAB-600 post for detailed specifications. VIA VAB-600-A I/O extender card: 1 x Line-Out jack 1 x Mic-In jack 2 x USB 2.0 A-type ports 1 x Suspend LED power indicator 1 x Power On/Off button 3 x board-to-board connectors 1 x USB board-to-board connector VIA VNT9271 Springboard USB WiFi module (Wi-Fi Kit only) – Supports IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards and 802.11e WiFi Multimedia (WMM). Based […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on Lenovo A10 Android Laptop is Powered by Rockchip RK3188

Lenovo A10 Android Laptop is Powered by Rockchip RK3188

Lenovo has recently announced the Lenovo A10, an Android 4.2 netbook featuring a 10″ touchscreen display, and powered by Rockchip RK3188 quad core ARM Cortex-A9 processor coupled with 2GB RAM, and up to 32GB storage. Here are the specifications of this laptop: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad-core Cortex A9 processor System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – Up to 32GB storage + microSD card slot Display – 10.1″, 1366 x 768 display with 10-point multitouch Video Output – HDMI port USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports Webcam – 0.3MP webcam Audio – Stereo speakers Battery – Up to 9 hours of video playback Dimensions – 17.3mm maximum thickness Weight – Less than 1kg The screen can be flipped around 300 degrees so that the device can be used in “laptop mode” or “stand mode”.  In “laptop mode”,  the company has designed a customized user interface, with an app launcher, task […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments on Wizarm PVR MediaBox Features Samsung Exynos 5250 Processor

Wizarm PVR MediaBox Features Samsung Exynos 5250 Processor

Wizarm is an high-end set-top box / PVR powered by Exynos 5250 dual cortex A15 processor, with 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC, lots of I/Os including USB 3.0 and SATA 3 support running Android 4.2, and soon Ubuntu as well. Although its main use is to handle and process media files, the device can be also used as a PC, gaming console, smart TV box, or even a development platform. Here are the specifications of the device: SoC – Samsung Exynos 5250 dual Cortex A15 up to 2GHz with Mali T-604 GPU System Memory – 2GB Storage – 16 GB eMMC. SDXC card slot, and SATA 3 connector for 2.5″ SSD or HDD I/O ports: SATA 3 USB – 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0 host ports Video – HDMI OUT, HDMI IN, DisplayPort Audio – LINE IN, LINE OUT, Optical out Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual Wi-Fi antenna)  Gigabit Ethernet […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on How to Root Rockchip Devices in Linux

How to Root Rockchip Devices in Linux

Rooting methods for devices based on Rockchip RK3066 and Rk3188 are usually only provided for Windows, so if you run Linux as your main operating system, you would either need to find a Windows based devices, or run Windows in a virtual machine.  Luckily, Linux users may not have to switch to Windows anymore thanks to the instructions provided in one article that I’ll summarize below. The steps below are for Ubuntu / Debian based systems, but should be easily adaptable to other distributions. Set up ADB access to the device Install adb:

Edit/create /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules with the following line in order to let standard users connect to the device:

Make sure that the Linux user is part of group “plugdev”:

Reload of the USB access rules to get the latest one on:

Add your device USB Vendor ID to adb list. e.g.:

Restart the adb […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on GOsingGO GSG-TB06 Android TV Stick Features an Ethernet Port

GOsingGO GSG-TB06 Android TV Stick Features an Ethernet Port

There’s a plethora of Android HDMI TV dongles, but all of them only provide Wi-Fi connectivity, and if you need better network performance you need to add Ethernet via an USB to Ethernet dongle. There’s now another solution, that may not be very new, with GOsingGO GSG-TB06 a mini PC based on AllWinner A10 that includes an Ethernet Port. Here are the specifications of the device: SoC – Allwinners A10 @  1.0GHz System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage -4 to 32 GB flash + micro SD card slot Video output – HDMI & AV USB – 1x USB 2.0, 1x micro USB for power Connectivity – Ethernet (RJ45) + Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (AR6103) Dimensions – 105L x 37W x 15.6Hmm The device comes with a USB power adapter, an RCA (AV) cable, and a user’s manual. The manufacturer says it’s running Android 4.1. The specs are not that great, but […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 36 Comments on Radxa Rock Development Boards with Rockchip RK3188 Are Available for Developers Now

Radxa Rock Development Boards with Rockchip RK3188 Are Available for Developers Now

As previously mentioned, work was in progress to design development boards based on Rockchip processors. Radxa Rock and Radxa Rock Lite, 2 boards powered by Rockchip RK3188, are now available to early developers, and the final versions will soon be broadly available. Here are the boards specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 ARM Cortex-A9 quad core @ 1.6Ghz + Mali-400 MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 @ 800Mhz (1GB DDR3 @ 800Mhz for Lite version) Storage – 8GB Nand Flash (4GB Nand Flash for Lite version) + micro-SD SDXC up to 128GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p@60hz, andAV output Connectivity: 10/100M Ethernet port WIFI 150Mbps 802.11b/g/n with antenna Bluetooth – Bluetooth 4.0 (Not in Lite version) Audio I/O – Audio S/PDIF, headphone jack USB – 2x USB 2.0  host port, micro USB OTG Debugging – Serial Console Misc – IR sensor, power key, recovery key, reset key, […]