bluetooth News - Page 48 of 65 - CNX Software

June 10, 2016August 9, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Bluetooth 5 Promises Four times the Range, Twice the Speed of Bluetooth 4.0 LE Transmissions

The Bluetooth SIG is about to officially unveil Bluetooth 5 on June 16 during a media event in London. One change on the marketing side is that they dropped the point number, so it won’t be called Bluetooth 5.0 like in Bluetooth 4.0, but just Bluetooth 5. The decision has been made allegedly to “simplifying marketing, and communicating user benefits more effectively”. On the technical side, Bluetooth 5 will double the speed and quadruple the range of low energy Bluetooth transmissions compared to Bluetooth 4.x, which could be important for IoT applications where nodes are connected throughout the house. Bluetooth 5 will also allow connectionless services to add location-relevant information and navigation. The specifications have not been publicly released yet, and made they will be on June 16. Eventually, you’ll be able to download them on Bluetooth “adopted specifications” page. Via XDA developers Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in […]

June 2, 2016June 7, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Fitness Tracker Adds an OLED Display, Promises 20-day Battery Life

I’m not a big fan of fitness trackers without display that require you to monitor your daily progress on your smartphone, and that’s probably why when Xiaomi released their first fitness band I was not quite as interested, but now the Chinese company has released Mi Band 2 with an OLED display, an heart rate monitor, IP67 ingress protection rating, and a 20-day of battery life for just 149 RMB ($23). Mi Band 2 key features: Fitness, heart rate and sleep tracker OLED display, view time, step count, heart rate 20-day battery, IP67 water resistant ADI accelerometer and optical heart rate sensor Anodized 0.05mm ultra-thin button Upgraded pedometer algorithm Hypoallergenic silicone band 2nd gen Bluetooth 4.0 for faster, stable connections It’s still good to be able to gather your fitness data over time, and you can do so with Mi Fit app for Android or iOS. The downside with an […]

June 1, 2016July 16, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

You can now buy BBC micro:bit board for $19

BBC recently distributed micro:bit boards to UK schools to get student interested in electronics and help them learn more about this subject, but so far it was not for sale to the general public, but this has now changed since the British broadcaster now launched the board for 13 GBP (~$19) via Element14/Farnell and others distributors. The board is powered by Nordi Semi nRF51822 SoC with ARM Cortex M0 micro-controller and Bluetooth LE connectivity, features motion sensors, plenty of LEDS, a few buttons, a micro USB connector for power & programming, as well as a header for LiPo batteries. There are various ways to program the board either interpreted languages such as Python or JavScript, or graphical drag and drop programs such as Microsoft Block Editor. All technical details and example projects available on Micro:bit official website. Beside the board only, several kits are being offered included micro:bit Go with […]

May 26, 2016July 7, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

Updating Star Cloud PCG02U to Ubuntu 16.04 with WiFi and HDMI Audio Support

I completed my review of PCG02U Ubuntu TV stick a few days ago, and I was quite satisfied with the device, but since Ubuntu 16.04 was released last month, I thought it might be fun to upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu. I’m go through the complete steps including building a new kernel for HDMI audio, and the drivers for WiFi, but you should be able to install Ubuntu 16.04 for Bay Trail and Cherry Trail processor with the image made by Linuxium and a USB stick. Star Cloud PCG02U OS Support and Warranty Before I go through the instructions, you may want to read the conditions on MeLE’s Aliexpress PCG02U page. They meant Ubuntu 14.04 instead of 14.0.4, but the important part is that if something goes wrong trying alternative OS, you may lose your warranty. Upgrade Ubuntu 14.04 to Ubuntu 16.04 Upgrading from one LTS version to […]

May 26, 2016May 26, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Shenzhen Alpha M009 Smartwatch is Powered by Mediatek MT2503 SoC with Integrated Bluetooth, GSM Modem, and GPS

Mediatek MT2502 “Aster” SoC for wearables and IoT was released in 2014 with an ARM7 MCU, built-in Bluetooth, PMIC, and GSM/GPRS modem, and support for external WiFi and GPS chips. The upcoming MT2503 integrates functionality even further as GPS is now embedded inside the SoC, and Shenzhen Alpha Telecom Technology demonstrated their M009 smartwatch based on the latest Mediatek SoC at CES Asia 2016 in Shanghai. M009 smartwatch specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT2503 ARM7 processor with GSM/GPRS modem, Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR 2.1, GPS (MT3333), PMIC Display – 1.22″ or 1.3″ 240×240 resolution TFT display Cellular Connectivity – SIM card Sensors – HRM, pressure sensor Misc – 2x buttons Dimensions – 36 x 32 x 11 mm There will be two version of the processor MT2503A and MT2503D with the former supporting external serial flash. If you’d like to integrate a ready to use module in your design, ATS Link provides […]

May 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

$49 STEVAL-WESU1 Wearable Sensor Unit Reference Design is Based on STMicro STM32 MCU

STMicroelectronics STEVEL-WESU1 is a wearable open source hardware reference design and development kit comprised of a board with STM32L1 ARM Cortex-M3 micro-controller, BlueNRG-MS Bluetooth LE chip, and sensors, a battery, and a watch band. STMicro “WESU” specifications and features: MCU – STMicro STM32L151VEY6 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 MCU @ 32 KHz to 32 MHz, 512KB flash, 80 KB SRAM Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE via BlueNRG-MS BLE network processor Sensors – 3D accelerometer + 3D gyroscope (LSM6DS3), 3-axis magnetometer (LIS3MDL), MEMS pressure sensor (LPS25HB) USB – 1x micro USB port for recharging Debugging – SWD connector for debugging and programming capability Power 100 mAh Li-Ion battery included, UN38.3 tested and certified STNS01 Li-Ion linear battery charger STC3115 Fuel gauge IC Watch strap with plastic housing included Certifications – FCC (FCC ID: S9N-WESU1), IC (IC: 8976C-WESU1), RoHS The kit can be controlled by ST WeSU app for Android and iOS, and developed using BlueST […]

April 29, 2016April 29, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

LimeSDR Open Source Hardware Software Defined Radio Goes for $199 and Up (Crowdfunding)

Canonical and Lime Micro showcased SoDeRa software defined radio (SDR) a couple of months ago, with a promise to launch a crowdfunding campaign later this year. They’ve fulfill their promise, and launched the open source SDR, renamed to LimeSDR, on Crowdsupply. LimeSDR board specifications: FPGA – Altera Cyclone IV EP4CE40F23 Altera FPGA compatible with EP4CE30F23 System Memory – 256 MB DDR2 SDRAM RF Lime Microsystems LMS7002M RF transceiver with continuous coverage of the frequency range between 100 kHz and 3.8 GHz; 61.44 MHz bandwidth 4 x TxOut and 6 x RxIn U.FL connectors Power Output (CW): up to 10 dBm Wi-Fi, GSM, UMTS, LTE, LoRa, Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID, Digital Broadcasting, configurable through apps. USB – 1x micro USB3 via CYUSB3014-BZXC Cypress Microcontroller for control, data transfer and power Misc – Status LEDs, RGB LEDs, 4x switches Power – USB or external power supply Dimensions – 100 mm x 60 mm The board […]

April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Zidoo X1 II 4K Android TV Box (Rockchip RK3229) Review

After skipping MXQ-4K TV box review due to severe issues with video playback, Zidoo X1 II is actually the first device powered by Rockchip RK3229 processor that I’ve fully tested. I’ve already taken pictures of the box, and opened it up to check the board in Zidoo X1 II unboxing and teardown post, and confirmed 4K videos could play pretty well from my USB hard drive using Zidoo Media Center after disabling Media Scanner process. So today, I’ll review other parts of the firmware, as well as video playback with ZDMC 16.0, Zidoo’s fork of Kodi 16.0. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions The device only has two USB ports, and I used one for a USB hard drive, and the other for RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse, a USB keyboard, and the RF dongle for Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad via a USB hub. I also […]