No.1 D3 Smartwatch (Mediatek MT6261) Review

Since I’ve listed the specs and torn down No.1 D3 smartwatch, I’ve spent several days wearing the smartwatch / watchphone, and trying most of its features, so it’s time for a review. I’ll go through all screens of the user interface, include a video review, before providing a conclusion to this review Charging the watch take between 15 to 30 minutes, and you can turn it on by pressing the only button on the side of the watch for a few seconds. The first menu you are likely to see if the one with the phone functions including the Dialer, messaging, phonebook and call logs. You can use these in two ways: with a micro SIM card inserted into the watch, or/and via your smartphone connected over Bluetooth. I mostly used the watch connected to my smartphone, but both methods worked for me. When you receive a call, it’s not […]

MX HD23 Allwinner H3 Android Mini PC Includes an HD Camera

When Android TV boxes started to take off around 2013, a few model would include a camera and sit on top of the TV such as MK818. However I’ve seen less model in that form factor since then, until I came across MX HD23 Android TV Box powered by Allwinner H3 quad core processor and featuring a HD webcam for videoconferencing. Beside the camera, MX HD23 specifications are pretty standard: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2 GHz with quad core Mali-400MP2 @ 600 MHz System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB eMMC + micro SD slot up to 32GB Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Video Output – HDMI up to 4K2K @ 30Hz, 3.5mm AV jack Audio Output – HDMI, and 3.5mm stereo audio jack Camera – 2.0 MP front-facing camera with two microphones (up to 5 meter range) and swivel arm. […]

Kondor AX FPGA + ARM Networking Board Targets Base Stations, IoT Gateways and IP Cameras

Mikro Project, a company based in Zagreb, Croatia, has recently introduced Kondor AX “Advanced System Development Board” combining  Freescale i.MX6Solo processor with Lattice ECP5 FPGA, and targeting “low power applications at the network edge including HetNet (Heterogeneous Networks), Small Cells, Industrial IoT gateways and IP Cameras.” Kondor AX development board specifications: Category Lattice ECP5 LFE5UM-85F-BG756 FPGA Freescale i.MX6 Solo SoC Description 84.000 LUTs 207 Block RAMs 156 18×18 Multipliers 365 IO pins 4 SERDES channels (In/out) 400 MHz LPDDR3 Memory Support 4 PLLs, 4 DLLs ARM Cortex A9 @ 1 GHz 512 KB L2 cache GPU 3D – Vivante GC880 Video Decode: 1080p30 + D1 Video Encode: 1080p30 H.264 BP/ Dual 720p encode Programming options On-board USB JTAG interface 10-pin JTAG header Using i.MX6 processor Memory & Storage 512MB LPDDR3-1600 800 MHz Clock Rate 1x 32-bit channel 512 MB 32-bit DDR3 64Mbit SPI Flash 8GB eMMC Micro SD Card Connectivity  […]

Manifold mini PC Powered by Nvidia Tegra K1 Processor is Designed for Drones

DJI is known for their high-end drones such as Phantom 3 quadcopter, but the company has now launched Manifold mini PC powered by Nvidia Tegra K1 quad core Cortex A15 processor and running Ubuntu 14.04 in order to allow developers run their own applications performing complex computing tasks and advanced image processing “on the fly”. DJI Manifold specifications: SoC – Nvidia Tegra K1 quad core Cortex-A15 processor @ up to 2.2 GHz with 192-core Kepler GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3L Storage – 16GB eMMC 4.51 flash, micro SD slot Video Output – mini HDMI port Audio I/O – mini HDMI, combo audio jack for microphone and headphone Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet port USB – 2x USB 3.0 ports, 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB port (supports Force Recovery mode and Host mode) ,  and a non-standard USB 2.0 interface with the drone. Camera – Camera In and […]

$64 Allwinner V3 Action Cameras Support 4K Video Recording (or Not?)

Cheap_4K_camera

An “Allwinner V3 4K Ultra HD DV Sport Camera” just appeared in GeekBuying product feed which the company sells for $84.39, and searching for alternative sellers led me to Soocoo F60 4K action camera sold for $63.34 on GearBest. Both cameras look the same, and the price appears amazing cheap as 4K cameras such as GoPro Hero4 or Sony X1000V normally sell for $500 and more. But one of the tricks is that both “4K” cameras are likely based on Sunchip 4K camera design, which does support 4K video recording, but only at 15 fps. Soocoo F60 camera specifications: SoC – Allwinner V3  ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2GHz System Memory – N/A Storage – micro SD card up to 64GB Display – 2″ LCD Camera OmniVision OV4689 image sensor (4MP according to sensor page, but 16MP on camera description, probably achieved with extrapolation). 170-degree wide angle Recording time up […]

Samsung Introduces $250 SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit

Samsung has recently launched SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit including a SmartThings hub, a motions sensor, two multi-pupose sensors to detect when windows or doors are opened, and a smart outlet for home automation and monitoring via mobile devices. Some of SmartThings Hub technical specifications: Ethernet for connection to router Communication Protocol – ZigBee, Z-Wave, IP Range – 15 to 40 meters Power Supply – In-wall power adapter with about 10 hours of backup power from 4 included AA batteries Dimensions – 10.67 x 12.45 x 3.3 cm Weight – 218 grams Operating Temperature: 5 to 35°C (Indoor use only) They’ve decided not to include WiFi, or omitted in the product page, so it would have to be close to your router. The multi-purpose sensors, and motion sensor are powered by a pre-installed CR-2450 battery, while the smart outlet takes 100 to 220V (12A @ 120V max). All three devices communicate […]

Vigek IOT Core is a Tiny STM32 WiFi Board with a Camera Interface, GPIOs, PWM, and Analog Inputs

Vigek IOT Core packs an STM32 MCU, a Realtek WiFi module, and 8-bit camera interface into a 3.6×3.75 cm board. It also provides GPIO, PWM, and analog input to interface with external hardware such as sensors, and the project had a modest, yet successful, Kickstarter campaign in the summer. Vigek IOT Core specifications: MCU – STMicro STM32F103 ARM Cortex-M3 micro-controller @ up to 72MHz Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi @ 54Mbps I/Os Up to 8 GPIOs, configurable as up to 4 analog inputs, and up to 6 PWM outputs I/O voltage tolerance – 0~3.6V I/O output current – Up to 8mA Camera – 8-bit camera interface, optional 2.0MP camera with OV2640 sensor Power supply – 3.3V ~ 24V Power Consumption – 32mA in active mode (WIFI connected, camera not working) Dimensions – 36mm x 37.5mm While Vigtek IOT Core can be used without programming, simply using an Android app to control the […]

Orbbec Persee Android & Ubuntu Mini PC Comes with a 3D Camera and SDK (Crowdfunding)

Orbbec is a startup working on 3D cameras which can be used for gesture recognition, 3D scanning, research purpose, and more. The company has now embedded their Astra 3D sensor into an ARM based mini PC running Android and/or Ubuntu which they call Orbbec Persee. Persee hardware specifications: SoC – Quad core Cortex A17 processor up to 1.8GHz with a Mali-T7xx GPU @ 600 MHz (They did not name it, but it must be Rockchip RK3288) System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, 1x micro SD card slot up to 64GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0 Audio Input – 2x microphones Camera – Built-in Astra Pro 3D camera RGB image size – 1280×720 @ 30 fps (UVC support) Depth image size – 640×480 @ 30 fps (16-bit) Range – 0.4 to 8 meters Depth accuracy – 0.5 centimeters at 2 meters Field of view – […]

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