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April 23, 2015May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

TBS 2980 Matrix 2 AllWinner A80 Android TV Box Will Support USB Tuners

TBS launched their Matrix 2910 media player based on Freescale i.MX6 Quad processor in 2013, and what made the platform especially interesting was support for the company’s USB DVB tuners in their Android and Ubuntu images. The company has now unveiled its successor with TBS 2980 Matrix 2 powered by Allwinner A80 octa core processor that will also support USB DVB-T2, DVB-C & DVB-S2 tuners. TBS Matrix 2 specifications: SoC – AllWinner A80 4x Cortex 15, 4x Cortex A7 big.LITTLE processor with PowerVR GC6230 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI + AV port Audio – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – IR receiver, reset button Power Supply – 5V/3A Dimensions – 101 x 101 […]

April 22, 2015April 24, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Various Ways to Control a mini PC without IR Receiver for HTPC Use

Low cost Intel Bay Trail mini PCs such as Pipo X7, MeegoPad T01, MeLE PCG03, etc… almost all share one thing in common: they lack an IR receiver, and for people who’d like to use their box as a dedicated HTPC running Kodi for example, this could be a problem as connecting a keyboard might not the best of solutions. Since I’ve been asked about this recently, I’ve decided to dig into the issue to see what options could be available, and I also hope to trigger a discussion in comments to discover other interesting solutions. RF Air Mouse I’m using MeLE F10 Deluxe air mouse during my reviews, and such device can be used with HTPC. You just need to connect a tiny USB RF dongle to one of the USB ports of your mini PC, and you’d ready to go with having to configure anything. In Kodi, you […]

April 19, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

Pipo X8 is a Windows 8.1 Mini PC with a 7″ Touchscreen

When it first launched, Pipo X7 was a $90 mini PC running Windows 8.1 with Bing tablet version, but Microsoft did not approve since that version is reserved for products with a 7″ screen or smaller, and now Pipo X7 sells for around $120 because it includes a $25 license for Windows 8.1 with Bing NTE (for mini PC). So in their cost saving efforts, Pipo decided to add a cheap 7″ 1024×600 touch screen display to their new Pipo X8 mini PC also powered by Intel Atom Z3736F or Z3735F Pipo X8 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Bay Trail Z3736F up to 2.16 GHz or Atom Z3735F up to 1.83Mhz with Intel HD graphics. System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB or 64GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Display – 7″ 1024×600 touch screen with 5-points. Video & Audio Output – HDMI up to 1080p […]

April 14, 2015April 14, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

AtHome Video Streamer App Transforms Android TV Boxes into IP Security Cameras

Some Android mini PCs come with cameras, for example Measy U2C or CS928, but depending on firmware support, most will also take a USB webcam, and the obvious application is for video conferencing with Skype or Google Hangout. But I’ve just found out an app called “AtHome Video Streamer” can transform any Android device with camera support into as IP camera for security or monitoring. The app will show with the name AVS, and it should detect your camera automatically, and show a live feed. I installed the app in Zidoo X9 TV box to which I connected a UVC USB camera in order to monitor… my chameleon plush / pillow. X9 camera support might need to be improved, as I lost access to the webcam a few times. You don’t have many options in AVS app, except Dimming the screen, and change the streamer name, username and/or password. So […]

April 8, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

VX2 Celeron J1800 / J1900 mini PCs with 500GB Hard Drive Sell for $180 and Up (Promo)

CSQ CSW9 is an Intel Celeron J900 based mini PC with a 500GB HDD that normally sells for a little over $200 on Aliexpress once shipping is included. But today, as I found a list of Geekbuying Coupons via Google+, I noticed the device was listed on Geekbuying as VX2, and both Celeron J1800 and J1900 versions were available for respectively $179.99 and $189.99 after applying MYMVECMY coupon, which looks like a decent deals since a 500GB 2.5″ SATA drive costs about $45. Specifications listed on Geekbuying are mostly the same as for CSQ CSW9 except some difference highlighted in bold or stricken-through when removed: SoC – Intel Celeron J1800 dual core processor @ 2.41 GHz (base) / 2.58 GHz (burst), or J1900 Quad core processor @ 2.0 GHz (base) / 2.41 GHz (Burst) with Intel HD graphics (10W TDP) System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L 1066/1333 MHz Storage – […]

April 8, 2015April 9, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 32 Comments

Rockchip RK3368 64-bit ARM Android Boxes Are Coming Soon

Yesterday, Rockchip had an event for their Atom x3-C3230RK SoCs (previously known as Sofia) developed in collaboration with Intel, and upcoming Android 5.1 tablets and smartphones based on the new platform, as well as progress with their first 64-bit ARM SoC (RK3368) that is now integrated into Android TV boxes, albeit still in development. Padnews wrote a summary of the event, but in this post I’ll focus on Rockchip RK3368 hardware. One of the first product will be X6 TV box. Padnews did not have a readable picture with the specs, but Eric of Geekbuying also went to the event, and kindly provided a clear picture with the specs (Mali-600MP is however not the GPU used in RK3368): SoC – Rockchip RK3368 octa core Cortex A53 processor with PowerVR G6110 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.x/2.0/3.x, OpenGL 3.2, DirectX 9.3, OpenCL 1.2 EP, and Renderscript System Memory – 1 […]

April 6, 2015April 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Intel Compute Stick is up for Pre-order for $110 and Up (USA Only)

Intel Compute Stick is finally available for pre-order on US based online merchants such as Amazon and Newegg with prices starting at $109.99 and up excluding shipping and two versions with either Linux or Windows 8.1. Both versions of the device share most of the specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F Quad-Core “Bay Trail” processor @ 1.33 GHz (1.83 GHz burst frequency) and Intel HD Graphcis System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 (Windows) or 1 GB DDR3 (Linux) Storage – 32 GB eMMC (Windows) or 8 GB eMMC (Linux) + micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4a Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Power button Power Supply – 5V/2A via micro USB port. Dimensions and Weight – N/A The Windows 8.1 model is codenamed BOXSTCK1A32WFCR, comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB […]

April 2, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 30 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Box Mini Unboxing

Xiaomi Mi Box Mini is probably the smallest Android media player available so far. It integrates a 100-240V power supply, and only features a single HDMI output port, no micro SD slot, and no USB ports. Although the device is primarily targeting the Chinese market, with a Chinese user interface and CCC certification only, several Chinese e-retailers have started to offer it for $50 or less. GearBest sells it for $42.98 with coupon MIBOX, and they’ve sent me a sample for review. Today, I’ll post some pictures of the device, before doing a review, including trying to switch to a user interface in English. Mi Box Mini Unboxing I’ve received the package via DHL, and for once I did not have pay custom duty or other tax. On the back of the package, they listed some key features in Chinese, such as H.265 1080p video playback, quad core processor, hexa […]