Brillo Android based OS for IoT Projects Supports ARM, Intel and MIPS Platforms

You’d think there are already enough lightweight operating systems that could provide a good enough platform for IoT and embedded projects, but Google decided to make their own Brillo operating system for IoT, based on Android, most probably to leverage the existing Android tools, and make it easier for app developers to move to the Internet of Things space. Brillo ‘s hardware requirements are pretty low as the operating system can run on devices with  32MB of RAM, and 128MB of storage. Google will provide a complete ecosystem with an embedded OS, core services, and a developer kit with tools to build, test, and debug. Just like in Android, three architectures will be be officially supports, starting with the following hardware platforms: ARM – TechNexion Pico-i.MX6UL system-on-module based on Freescale i.MX6 UltraLite and Broadcom BCM4339 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.0 wireless module, combined with PICO-DWARF baseboard. MIPS – Upcoming MIPS Creator […]

ARM TechCon 2015 Schedule – IoT, Servers, 64-bit ARM, Power Usage Optimization, and More

The ARM Technology Conference (ARM TechCon) will take place on November 10 – 12, 2015, in Santa Clara Convention Center, and just like every year, there will be a free exposition for companies to showcase their latest innovation and/or products, as well as a technical conference with sessions and workshops sorted into various tracks: Automotive/Embedded Vision Embedded IoT Mobile/Connectivity Networking Infrastructure/Servers Tools & Implementation Wearables/Sensors ARM Training Day Sponsored Vendor Training Special Event General Event Software Developers Workshop You can find the complete schedule on ARM TechCon website. Although I won’t attend, I’ve created my own virtual schedule with some of the sessions I found interesting. Tuesday – November 10 8:30 – 9:20 – ARM Vision for Thermal Management and Energy Aware Scheduling on Linux by Ian Rickards (ARM), Charles Garcia-Tobin (ARM), Bobby Batacharia (ARM) This talk will cover the history and where are we going, for ARM’s Power Software (IPA, […]

Nvidia Shield Android TV vs Apple TV vs Roku 3 vs Fire TV vs Nexus Player – Video Capabilities and Features Comparison

Since Nvidia released the Shield Android TV box, I’ve heard several people saying Nvidia raised the bar and even disrupted the TV box market by bringing a powerful HTPC and gaming console to the market for just $199. The company has now released OTA 2.0 firmware that improves HTPC capabilities, including under Kodi and Plex, and the box supports for 10-bit HEVC, H.264, and VP9 @ 4K, and audio pass-through for HD audio codecs such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master. As part of the release announcement, Nvidia also compared the Shield TV media capabilities to the ones of other US centric media players, namely Apple TV (2015), Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV (2015), and Nexus Player. Since it comes from Nvidia, it was also going to show the Shield TV in a good light, but I’m very surprised to see that Apple, Amazon, Google, and Roku would ship a […]

Pixel C is an Nvidia Tegra X1 Android 6.0 Tablet & Laptop with a 2560×1800 Display

Google has already announced their latest Nexus 5X & 6P smartphones, as well as ChromeCast 2.0 & Audio, but the most exciting product announcement might be the Pixel C tablet boasting an Nvidia Tegra X1 processor with 3GB RAM, 32 to 64GB storage, and a 10.2″ touchscreen display with a cool 2560×1800 resolution. The tablet can easily be converted into a laptop thanks to an optional magnetically attached Bluetooth keyboard. Google Pixel C preliminary specifications: SoC – NVIDIA Tegra X1 octa-core processor with 4x Cortex A57 cores, 4x Cortex A53 cores, and a 256-core Maxwell GPU System Memory – 3GB LPDDR3 Storage – 32 or 64 GB internal storage Display – 10.2″ capacitive touchscreen with 2560×1800 resolution; 500 nit brightness Audio – Stereo speakers, four microphones Camera – Rear and front-facing cameras USB – USB Type C connector Battery – Yes… Dimensions & weight – No idea… Nvidia mentions that […]

ChromeCast 2.0 and ChromeCast Audio Announced for $35

Google released the original ChromeCast in 2013. The $35 device allows users to stream online video from your smartphone to your big TV, and since then Google and the community has brought various improvement to make more with the device, and thousands of apps can be installed in the little device. Google has now released a new ChromeCast, as well as ChromeCast Audio to stream audio to speakers. The hardware has been upgraded but the complete specifications are not available, but we do know ChromeCast 2.0 support 802.11 b/g/n and 802.11ac for higher quality 1080p video streaming, and Marvell tweeted about the new ChromeCast devices, so it’s likely another Marvell SoC has been used, maybe Armada 1500 Plus (88DE3108) [Update: ChromeCast 2.0 is based on Armada 1500 Mini Plus (88DE3006) dual core Cortex A7 processor] The new ChromeCast still works with iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets, Mac and Windows […]

Google Officially Unveils Nexus 5X & 6P Android 6.0 Smartphones

Google released Android 6.0 “Marshmallow” SDK and final preview last month, and the first stable Android 6.0 release is expected on the first week of October on recent Nexus devices, including the latest Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P just announced by Google. Here are the specs of the two phones: LG Nexus 5X Specifications SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (MSM8992) dual core Cortex-A57 @ 1.82 GHz  and quad core Cortex-A53 @ 1.44 GHz with Adreno 418 GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 16 or 32GB storage, no micro SD slot Display – 5.2″ capacitive touchscreen (1920×1080 resolution), Gorilla Glass 3 with fingerprint and smudge-resistant oleophobic coating Audio – Front facing speaker, 3 microphones with noise cancellation, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, NFC Cellular Connectivity All versions – GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; single nano SIM card North America – […]

Google OnHub 802.11ac WiFi Router Also Supports Bluetooth 4.0, Zigbee/Thread, and Automatic Firmware Upgrades

Google has just announced OnHub, a $200 router designed in cooperation with TP-Link which the company claims will be “fast, secure, and easy to use”.  It should indeed be fast as it’s a Class AC1900 router capable of 600 Mbps with 802.11n and 1300 Mbps with 802.11ac. Router are gateways between home networks and the Internet, but most of them aren’t updated automatically, leaving them vulnerable to attacks, while OnHub should get its firmware regularly updated over-the-air and include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), making it more secure. Finally, Android and iOS apps are available to easily manage the router. OnHub (TGR1900) router specifications: WiSoC – Qualcomm Atheros IPQ8064 dual core Krait processor @ 1.4 GHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3L Storage – 4GB eMMC, 8MB NOR flash Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n 3×3 with smart antenna 802.11 a/n/ac 3×3 with smart antenna AUX wireless (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 1×1) – I don’t understand […]

Android M Preview Images & SDK and Key Changes

Google formally announced Android M (Marshmallow?) at Google I/O, and released preview images for Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and the Nexus player. If you don’t own any of these devices, you can also run Android M in the emulator using the preview SDK. So what’s new in Android M? Google reports over 100 changes, but here are some of the highlights of improvements and new features: User Control of Permissions – With Android M, apps can trigger requests for permissions at runtime, and let users choose whether to allow it. For example, if your flashlight app suddenly request access to your contact list, a window may pop up and you are free to decline it. Users will also have easy access to manage all their app permissions in settings. Doze improves Battery Life – Android M will use motion detection to learn if a device has been used […]

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