Android News - Page 297 of 375 - CNX Software

July 25, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 53 Comments

Wandboard Quad Unboxing, Getting Started with Android and Linux (via The Yocto Project)

After my review of the Wandboard Dual in February, I’ve now received Wanboard Quad development board powered by Freescale i.MX6 Quad Cortex A9 processor, with 2 GB RAM, HDMI output, Gigabit Ethernet, and SATA. The board is available from several distributors including Mouser ($139), DigiKey ($144.38) and FutureElectronics ($125). I’ll start by showing some unboxing pictures of the board, as well as pictures of Wandboard Dual and Quad side-by-side. Then I’ll explain how to install Android and Linux on the board, build the images from source, run some benchmarks, and test different features. Wandboard Quad Unboxing Ive received the board via UPS in a large box that contained the package below. This is exactly the same as Wandboard Dual, except for the sticker. There’s just the board inside the package, and it would just look like Wandboard Dual with all connectors on the top, and the EDM module at the back, […]

July 25, 2013July 25, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Google Releases Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, Unveils New Nexus 7 Tablet

Yesterday was a big day for Google with several important announcements, including the Chromecast HDMI TV dongle, an updated version of Nexus 7 tablet, and the release of Android 4.3, still codenamed Jelly Bean. In this post, I’ll start with the hardware, and move to explain what’s new with Android 4.3, and where you can download source and images for your device. New Nexus 7 The new Nexus 7 tablet will run Android 4.3 on the following hardware: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor @ 1.5GHz with Adreno 320 GPU @ 400MHz System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB to 32GB of storage Display – 7″ IPS display (1920 x 1200) Connectivity – Dual band 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi (2.4G/5G), Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC Camera – 5MP rear camera and 1.2MP front camera Video Output – HDMI output (via SlimPort) Audio – Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone USB – […]

July 23, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Ubuntu Edge Smartphone PC Hits Indiegogo

Canonical has announced Ubuntu for Phones and Ubuntu for Tablets at the beginning of the year, with the goal of bringing Ubuntu operating system to mobile devices, and transform high-end devices into the new PC when they are connected to an HDMI display. It turns out mobile phone manufacturers may not be ready to take the risk launching a completely new high-end platform to the market, so Canonical decided to leverage the power of crowdfunding but launching an Indiegogo campaign for Ubuntu Edge, a smartphone with hardware specs like no others, capable of running both Android and Ubuntu, and fully replacing your PC when docked. Ubuntu Edge Preliminary/Targeted Specifications: SoC – “Fastest Multicore Processor Available” System Memory – At least 4 GB RAM Storage – 128 GB flash Display – 4.5″ display with the best balance of resolution (720p), dynamic range and color accuracy, covered with sapphire crystal glass (Unscratchable, […]

July 18, 2013July 18, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Nuvola NP-1 Android Media Player Powered by Nvidia Tegra 4

NanoTech Entertainment is preparing to launch Nuvola NP-1, and its commercial version Nuvola MP-C, an Android 4.2 set-top box powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 SoC with 2GB RAM and 16GB Flash, and capable of streaming 4K2K videos. The company also promised to upgrade the box to support HEVC (H.265). Novula NP-1 Specifications: SoC – Nvidia Tegra 4 quad core processor with 72-core GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB Flash Memory + microSD slot Connectivity 10/100/1000M Ethernet Dual Band 802.11n 2×2 Mimo Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Supported Video Formats – MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, OOG (H.264) Supported Audio Formats – AAC, FLAC, MP3, WAV Video Streaming Support – 4K UltraHD (3840×2160), HD (1920×1080), SD (720×480) USB – 1x USB 2.0, and 1x USB 3.0 Power Supply – 5V Dimensions – 90mm (w) x 100mm (l) x30mm (h) The device runs Android 4.2, comes with […]

July 17, 2013May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Waxberry Pi2 Development Board Based on Rockchip RK3066

The other days I announced CubieTech and Olimex were working on low cost Rockchip development boards, but it turns out there’s already one on the market called Waxberrry Pi2, or WB-RK3066, made by Waxberry, a Chinese company. Here are the specifications of this development board: SoC – Rockchip RK3066 dual core Cortex-A9 processor @ 1.6GHz with Mali-400 MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 8GB NAND Flash + micro SD card slot USB – Standard USB OTG + Micro USB OTG; Connectivity: 10/100M Ethernet; WIFI 802.11b/g/n (MediaTek MT5931) Bluetoothv2.1+EDR (MediaTek MT6622) Video Output – HDMI + AV Debugging – Serial port Misc – IR Sensor Dimensions – 72mm x72mm The board comes with a Mini HDMI cable, a 5V/2A power supply, a USB Data cable, and a USB-serial board for debug. There’s also a CD with the board schematics, Android 4.1.1 SDK and Linux Kernel 3.x source […]

July 16, 2013July 16, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Risun D05 is an Android TV Stick Powered by Rockchip RK3068 SoC

I’ve just discovered another dual core Rockchip SoC called RK3068, but it may not be new, as I can find some references as far back as September 2012. Amazingly, I can’t seem to find any announcement, and details are scarce. Very few products feature this chipset, but Risun D05, an Android mini PC, is one of them, so let’s have a closer look. Risun D05 specifications based on Alibaba listing: SoC- Rockchip RK3068 dual core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.6 GHz with dual core Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 4 GB NAND Flash, with option for 8GB or 16GB, + micro SD card slot (Up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI 1.4 male Video Codecs – MPEG 1, MPEG-2, MPEG 4,H.263, H.264, AVS, VC 1, RV, VP6 VP8, Sorenson Spark, MVC 1920x1080P 60FPS. Video Encoder – H.264,VP8,MVC(1080P) Audio Formats – MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, […]

July 15, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

$99 (and up) Compulab Utilite ARM based Computer Runs Ubuntu or Android

If you’re ready to tinker it’s possible to run Linux in one of the low cost ARM based set-top boxes or mini PCs currently available, although if you need Linux with 3D acceleration and video playback, your only realistic option is to go with solutions based on Freescale i.MX6. Compulab has been developing a mini desktop computer based on Freescale i.MX6 Solo, Dual or Quad that will run either Ubuntu or Android, so you don’t need to mess around to run Ubuntu on cheap ARM hardware. The device is expected to sell for $99 and up starting in August according to Fanlesstech. Compulab Utilite will have the following specifications: SoC – Freescale i.MX6 single / dual / quad core Cortex-A9 up to 1.2GHz, with Vivante GPU, and Video Processing Unit supporting multi-stream 1080p H.264, VC1, RV10, DivX HW decoding System Memory – Up to 4GB DDR3-1066 Storage – 1MB SPI […]

July 13, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Juice Extreme 2 Android TV Home Gateway Features 4 DVB Tuners for Multiscreen Support

Antik Technology, a Slovakia based company, has developed a Android set-top-box powered by STMicro StiH416 SoC. I wrote about the StiH416 development platform previously, and although it’s just a dual core Cortex A9 SoC, its video capabilities are impressive as it supports multiple simultaneous video decoding streams. The set-top box called Juice Extreme 2 leverages those capabilities with 4 DVB tuners (DVB-T or DVB-S2) that provide four different streams, and transcode them, to all video playback devices around your home such as TV, PC, tablet and smartphones, or record them to an internal SATA drive. JUICE EXTREME 2 key features: SoC – STMicro STiH416 (Orly) dual core Cortex A9 @ 1.2 GHz + ARM Mali 400MP4 GPU System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 1 GB Flash + internal SATA connector + SD card slot Video: Quadruple DVB Tunner CVBS/Y Pb Pr (3.5mm jack) Tuner board connector RF IN/OUT […]