Zidoo X9S is getting some competition with Eweat R9 TV boxes based on the same Realtek RTD1295 processor with built-in SATA, Gigabit Ethernet, 4K VP9 and H.265, HDR, and USB 3.0. The company has three R9 models, and they sent me to top of the line R9 Plus with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, a 3.5″ SATA bay, HDMI input, and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports for evaluation. I’ll start the first part of the review by checking out the hardware inside and out, before testing the firmware in the second part. Eweat R9 Plus Unboxing The device ships in a large package with a handle which can be convenient in brick and mortar shops since the whole package weights about 1.8 kilograms.The package then contains a smaller package will all accessories: a 12V/2.5A power supply, a “Quickly User Guide” (sic.), a HDMI cable, and an IR remote control taking two AAA […]
SDMC DV8219-LTE Android TV Box Comes with a Built-in 4G LTE Modem
Most users connect their TV boxes to the Internet through WiFi or Ethernet, but in some specific use case, such as digital signage in mass transport or in remote locations, it might be useful to get access to cellular networks. We’ve seen a few Android TV boxes with a built-in 3G modem in the past including CS918S and MBX-3G, but the former is based on the rather old Allwinner A31s processor, and the latter did not raise enough found on Indiegogo. But there’s nothing new, as SDMC DV8219-LTE is a more recent TV box powered by Amlogic S905X processor and running Android 6.0, equipped with a 4G LTE modem. SDMC DV8219-LTE TV box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with a Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 SDRAM (2GB as option) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (4 to 64GB as […]
Firefly-RK3399 Rockchip RK3399 Development Board Launched on Kickstarter for $139 and Up
Firefly-RK3399 is the first, and for now the only one, development board equipped with the latest Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core Cortex A72 & A53 processor. It’s just not available yet, but the board has now been launched on Kickstarter where it is offered for $139 to $199 depending on options. Firefly-RK3399 board specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core big.LITTLE processor with dual core ARM Cortex A72 up to 2.0 GHz and quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T860 MP4 GPU with OpenGL 1.1 to 3.1 support, OpenVG1.1, OpenCL and DX 11 support System Memory Standard – 2 GB DDR3 Plus devkit – 4 GB DDR3 Storage Standard – 16 GB eMMC flash, micro SD card, M.2 socket Plus devkit – 32 GB eMMC flash, micro SD card, M.2 socket Video Output & Display Interfaces 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 Hz 1x DisplayPort (DP) 1.2 interface up to […]
Hisense A2 Android Smartphone Coming Soon with AMOLED and E-Ink displays
Yotaphone popularized dual display smartphones with your standard color display on the front panel complemented with an always-on E-Ink display on the rear panel that consumes less power, and even shows the latest screen update (e.g. your plane ticket) when the battery is depleted. The latest model – Yotaphone 2 – was launched in 2014, but for whatever there has not been an update since, and companies appear to be clearing their stock with for example GearBest selling it for $119.99 shipped. However, even if the company never produces a Yotaphone 3, other have reproduced the design with the latest being Hisense A2 samrtphone whose specs have recently been published on TENAA (China equivalent of the FCC). Preliminary specifications for Hisense A2 smartphone: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor @ 1.4 GHz with Adreno 505 GPU System Memory – 4GB LPDDR3 Storage – 64GB internal storage + micro SD […]
Firefly-RK3399 Development Board Will Fly with Rockchip RK3399 Hexa-core Processor
ARM Cortex A72 class development boards are usually quite expensive, and cheaper boards like Mediatek X20 development board ($200) appears to be out of stock very often, and software support is limited to Android 6.0. But things look to improve soon, as T-Chip is about to release Firefly-RK3399 development board powered by Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core Cortex A72/A53 processor. Firefly-RK3399 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core bit.LITTLE processor with dual core Cortex A72 up to 2.0 GHz and quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T860MP4 GPU with OpenGL 1.1 to 3.0 support, OpenVG 1.1, OpenCL and DX 11. System Memory – 2 to 4 GB DDR3 Storage – 16 to 32 GB eMMC flash + micro SD card Video Output & Display Interfaces – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 Hz, eDP 1.2 interface, YUV interface, 1x MIPI DSI interface Video Decode – 4K VP9 and 10-bit H.265 […]
Vorke Z1 Amlogic S912 Android TV Box Comes with 3GB DDR4 Memory
DDR4 memory is coming to one more TV box. We first discovered it in Yundoo Y7 TV box powered by Amlogic S905X processor, but now Vorke, which started with Vorke V1 Intel Braswell mini PC and then V2 Ultra earlier this year, has now launched Vorke Z1 TV box with an octa-core Amlogic S912 processor combined with 3 GB DDR4 memory with higher bandwidth than your typical DDR3(L) memory. Vorke Z1 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S912 octo-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-820MP3 GPU System Memory – 3GB DDR4 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a with HDR and CEC support up to 4K @ 60 fps, and 3.5mm AV jack for composite output Audio Output – HDMI, AV jack (stereo audio), and optical S/PDIF Video codecs – VP9, 10-bit H.265 up to 4K […]
HF10 is a 2-in-1 Android 6.0 TV Box & Bluetooth Speaker Powered by Amlogic S905X Processor
We’ve previously seen CS668 TV box combining an Android TV box, a Bluetooth Speaker, and a power bank into a single device, but audio quality is likely to be mediocre on such as small device. Eny Technology HF10 is slightly different as it combines an Amlogic S905X Android TV box with a larger 10 Watt speaker with a class-D amplifier, and can also used as a Bluetooth speaker. HF10 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 (option: 2GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (Options: 16 and 32GB) + micro SD slot up to 32 GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 Hz Audio HDMI output 2.5″ 10W mono bass speaker with class-D amplifier Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port Misc […]
Sunvell T95P Android TV Box in a Plug Can Be Yours for $48
If you really liked Xiaomi Mi Box mini concept of an Android TV box in a plug, you may have been greatly disappointed once you found out about the Chinese only user interface, and the complete lack of USB ports or any other external interfaces apart from the HDMI port. There’s now a new device with a similar concept thanks to Sunvell T95P Android TV box in a plug, but with a multilingual firmware, one USB port, and a choice of UK, EU, and US prongs. Sunvell T95P Android plug specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with a penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot up to 32GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0 Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 (AP8189? module) USB – 1x USB 2.0 […]