Neptune Pine SmartWatch Phone Powered by Snapdragon S4 Dual Core Processor

More and more companies are jumping on the smartwatch bandwagon. Neptune Computer, a Canadian based startup, has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Pine, a watchphone running Android 4.1.2, and featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core SoC. On the surface it looks very similar to SGPAX S5 smartwatch which also features a dual core processor (Mediatek MT6577), and a SIM card slot, and runs Android 4.0. Neptune Pine, however, comes with features and improvements which may make the 3 to 4 month “kickstarter wait” worth it: a larger 2.4″ detachable screen, larger internal storage, dual camera support, a larger battery providing up to 5 days in standby mode, and an IP67 rating that certifies the device to be dustproof and waterproof at depth of less than 1 meter. Neptune Pine specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Dual-Core Processor @ 1.2Ghz System Memory – 512 MB RAM Storage – […]

Olimex Announces 30 Euros A10-OLinuXino-LIME Development Board for December

The Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone Black and Cubieboard are probably the best selling ARM Linux boards in the sub $50 category, but they’ll soon be joined by Olimex A10-OLinuXino-LIME powered by AllWinner A10 ARM Cortex A8 SoC with 512MB RAM that will sell for 30 Euros (About $40) when it becomes available in December. Another version of the board based on AllWinner A20 dual core Cortex A7 SoC, called A20-OLinuXino-LIME will also be sold, adding Gigabit Ethernet, and scheduled for Q1 2014. Pricing has yet to be disclosed for the A20 version. A10-OLinuXino-LIME specifications: SoC – AllWinner A10 ARM Cortex-A8 @ 1GHz with Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 512MB DDR3 Storage – microSD card slot, SATA, and optional 4GB NAND Flash Video Output – HDMI 1080p USB –  USB-OTG + 2x USB Hosts Connectivity – 10/100Mbit Ethernet Expansions – 200 GPIOs on 0.05″ connectors Misc – Lipo battery management and connector, […]

Low Cost Rugged, Waterproof and Dustproof Smartphones Powered by Mediatek Processors

If you need a truly waterproof and dustproof smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, compliant with IP67 standard, is probably the most popular phone with this particular feature. However, the phone sells for nearly $600 on site like Amazon, and it may be nice to have some lower cost options. Today, I’ve come across two smartphones powered by Mediatek dual and quad core SoC that are both compliant with IP67 standard, and although their specs do not match the Galaxy S4 Active, the features found in these phones are still pretty good, and they can be purchased at a much lower price. The smartphones I’ll feature in this post are also rugged, which is not really the case for the Samsung device. IP67 standard? What does that mean in practice? The IP Code, Ingress Protection Rating, aka International Protection Rating, classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against the […]

Ugoos UG310 and UG320 Android STBs Based on Rockchip RK3188

In the last few months, there has been very little innovation or novelty in the Android set-top box and mini PC space, and the latest Ugood Android set-top boxes are yet other devices based on Rockchip RK3188 processor with 1 to 2GB RAM, and 8GB flash, as well as Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, and a 5MP camera. They only differ from the competition because of their casings. Both devices mostly share the same specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad core Cortex A9 @ 1.6Ghz with Mali-400MP4 GPU @ 500MHz? System Memory – 1GB DDR3 for UG320, 2GB DDR3 for UG310 Storage – 8GB flash + microSD card slot (Up to 32 GB) Video Output – HDMI and AV outputs Audio Output – HDMI, optical SPDIF, and AV (CVBS). Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and 10/100M Ethernet. Bluetooth 3.0 is available in UG320 only. USB: UG310 – 2x USB 2.0 host […]

CS918S Android STB Features AllWinner A31s Processor, a Retractable Webcam, Built-in 3G

K-R42-1, now better known as CS918, has been a fairly popular Android set-top box based on RK3188 due to its low price. There’s no a new model called CS918S with a similar casing, but replacing Rockchip RK3188, by AllWinner A31s, adding more flash (16GB), a retractable webcam, and an internal bay with an optional 3G/4G module. Here are the specs of this device: SoC – AllWinner A31s quad cortex cortex A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz + PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB NAND flash + microSD card slot Video Output – HDMI and CVBS (AV) Audio Output – HDMI, optical SPDIF, and AV Video Playback / Encoding 2160p (UHD) H.264 decoding 1080p video decoding for Mpeg1/2, Mpeg4 SP/ASP GMC, H.263, H.264, etc. 1080p@30fps or 720p@60fps encoding 3840×1080@30fps 3D decoding, BD/SBS/TAB/FP supported 3840×1080@30fps 3D encoding Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 (Realtek 8723), 10/100M Ethernet, […]

Rikomagic MK902 Quad Core Android TV Box Features a 5MP Camera

Rikomagic is mostly known for its Android HDMI TV dongles such as the MK802 series, but a new Android media player has recently been listed on its website. MK902 features a quad core Cortex A9 RK3188 processor, 2GB RAM, 8 to 16 GB flash depending on configuration, as well as a 5MP camera for video conferencing. MK902 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 Quad Core cortex A9 SoC @ 1.6 GHz with Mali 400-MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 8GB to 16GB NAND flash, and a micro SD card slot (Up to 32GB) Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with external antenna, Bluetooth 4.0, and 10/100M Ethernet Video Output – HDMI and AV output (composite). Audio Output – HDMI, AV output and optical SPDIF USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports Camera – 5MP webcam with microphone Power supply – 5V / 2.5A The device will come with […]

Linaro 13.10 Release with Linux Kernel 3.12 and Android 4.3

Linaro has just posted a blog entry to announced Linaro 13.10 was available for download. This is normally supposed to occur on the last Thursday of the month, but it’s possible the release occurred on scheduled, and the blog post was late, or it may have been delayed because of Linaro Connect US 2013. You can access a summary of the event together with slides and videos of the sessions and keynotes when available. This release includes the Linux Kernel 3.12-rc5 (staging), Kernel 3.10.14 (LSK), Android 4.3.1, and Ubuntu Linaro 13.10 (still based on Raring). Android has been ported and updated to 4.3.1 from AOSP, and the OS can now boot using UEFI. More work has been done on ARM 64-bit (aka ARMv8 or Aarch64) for Android, the Linux kernel, and tools such as uprobes, o-profile, and ftrace. Some new hardware platforms I may have missed before have popped up […]

Mediatek News – $100 Quad-core MT6582 Smartphone, and Eight-core MT6592 Smartphones Available For Pre-order

Daxian XY100S was the first decent quad core smartphone I’d seen selling for less than $100, but for some reasons the price has since then been increased and now sells for at least $125 from Chinese online sellers with decent feedback. The other problem with this phone was the use of TD-SCDMA which meant 3G was not usable in places like Europe. There’s now another quad core phone based on Mediatek MT6582 called W450 that sells for $99.99 on GeekBuying (promotion that will last for about 24 hours more), but you can also find it on Aliexpress for $110 up including shipping. The good news is that it’s using WCDMA 850/2100MHz so 3G will be accessible in most countries. W450 specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT6582 Quad Core Cortex A7 up to 1.3GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash + micro SD card […]

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