mini pc News - Page 116 of 138 - CNX Software

July 3, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

How to Use an Android TV Box as a Wi-Fi Access Point

Today, I’ve come across another potential use case for Android TV boxes with Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Let’s say you are in a room with Ethernet, but there’s no Wi-Fi signal or the signal is too weak, and want to use your smartphone to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. If you don’t have one of these small (openWRT) Wi-Fi router with you, but instead brought an Android mini PC, you can configure the “Portable Hotspot” function to transform it into a secure Wi-Fi access point. Assuming you’ve connect an Ethernet cable, and powered the device, first make sure Ethernet is enabled\, and Wi-Fi is disabled in the Settings menu. To click on Settings->More.. in the Wireless & Networks section, and select “Tethering & portable hotspot” or simply “Portable hotspot” depending on your firmware. In the next menu, click on Portable Wi-Fi hotspot to enabled it, then “Set up Wi-Fi Hospot” […]

June 27, 2014June 28, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Shuttle Fanless mini PCs Powered by Intel Celeron J1900 Quad Core Bay Trail SoC Sell for $200 and Up

A little while ago, Bay Trail-D (Desktop) motherboards started to show up for about $60 to $70, and I estimated a complete system with RAM, enclosure, and 1TB storage would cost around $250. Thanks to Shuttle XS35V4 and XS36V4, you can now buy such quad core system pre-assembled for well under $300, or just around $200 for a barebone system without RAM or storage. Shuttle XS35V4 / XS36V4 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J1900 Quad core processor (Bay Trail-D) @ with Intel 7th generation graphics. System Memory – 1x DDR3L SO-DIMM, up to 8GB DDR3 1333 MHz Storage – 1x 2.5″ SATA HDD / SSD bay, 1x SD card reader. XS35V4 only: optical drive. Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet (Realtek RTL8411), 802.11b/g/n WLAN support (1T1R), Audio – Realtek ALC269, 2.1 channel High Definition Audio Front panel Power button Power & HDD LEDs SD Card reader 1x USB 2.0 port XS36V4 only […]

June 24, 2014June 24, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

MK918 Android TV Box Powered by Rockchip RK3188T Sells for $50

MK918, also known as K-R42-1, CS918, or MK888, is an Android TV box powered by Rockchip RK3188T with 2GB RAM, and 8GB Flash. This is a pretty standard device, and I already featured it, but GeekBuying is selling the device for $49.99 as part of their second anniversary, which looks to be good deal, but it turns out some Aliexpress sellers are also doing promotions for about the same price ($50+). The promotion on GeekBuying will last about on more day, and around 50 units are available, and on Aliexpress promotions runs between 1 and 3 more days. The usual price seems to be between $60 and $70, but I guess some companies may get rid off old stocks with products based on Amlogic S802 already there, and Rockchip RK3288 and AllWinner A80 products soon to hit the market. Let’s remind ourselves of the complete specs: SoC – Rockchip RK3188T […]

June 21, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Mozilla Netcast is ChromeCast-like Device Powered by Firefox OS

According to Gigaom, Mozilla has been working on an HDMI TV dongle that might be codenamed Netcast with ChromeCast like video streaming and screen mirroring functionalities, and that runs Firefox OS with an open bootloader. There aren’t any hardware details available for the device, but we more or less know how it will work. As you are using your Firefox browser or another Firefox OS, you can simply click a “Casting button” to watch YouTube videos, mirror the screen or so on. I also understand it will be compatible with ChromeCast apps. Gigaom got hold of an engineering sample and gave it a try run Firefox browser in Android (Nexus 7), and playing a YouTube video on the TV using Netcast. It’s also working with Google Music, Plex, but some other apps are not working just yet. Mozilla’s media casting device has not been officially announced yet, so we don’t […]

June 18, 2014June 18, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

CS918T Quad core Android TV Box with HD Webcam Sells for $60

CS918T is an Android TV Box powered by Rockchip RK3188 quad core SoC with the usual 2GB RAM, 8GB Flash, and various ports such as HDMI, USB, Ethernet, etc… that also features a 2MP webcam, and sells for just $59.99 including shipping on Aliexpress. The box does not appear to be related to CS918 / KR-42-1 that was popular a few months ago. CS918T technical specs: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 Quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.6GHz with Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND Flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI up to 1080p60, AV output Audio I/O – HDMI, AV, and microphone Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth 3.0 USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB OTG Camera – Built-in 2MP webcam Misc – Power and reset buttons, IR receiver. Power Supply […]

June 18, 2014May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

$99 PCDuino3S is an AllWinner A20 Based Mini PC with a Steel Enclosure

LinkSprite has recently showcased PCDuino3S, a Linux / Android mini PC powered by AllWinner A20 dual core SoC, and with features similar to PCDuino3 development board. Possible applications include media player and thin client terminal for desktop visualization. PCDuino3S technical specifications: SoC – AllWinner A20 Dual Core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1 GHz + Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DRAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash, internal microSD card slot for up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 with HDCP support Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports 1x micro USB OTG port Misc – 2x LEDs, power button Power supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 12.7 x 6.35 x 2 cm The company provides images for Ubuntu 12.04 and Android 4.2. It should be software compatible with PCDuino3, but based on the “enclosure opening” video below, and the […]

June 18, 2014June 20, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 76 Comments

Giveaway Week – Measy U2C Android TV Dongle

Measy U2C, aka B12, will be the prize for day 3 of Giveaway week. It’s an HDMI & AV TV dongle powered by Rockchip RK3066 SoC with 1GB RAM, 8GB flash that happens to feature a 2MP camera for video conferencing as well. It’s running Android 4.1.x Jelly Bean. When I reviewed Measy U2C at the beginning of last year, I had some issues with USB mouse and keyboard support, the firmware could have been more stable, and the Antutu scores seem a bit on the low side, but Wi-Fi and video playback were both very good. It has received one or two firmware update since then, which may have fixed some of the bugs. The last firmware update must have been in April or May 2013, so it has not been a device greatly supported. To enter the draw simply leave a comment below. Other rules are as follows: […]

June 3, 2014June 3, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Zotac Unveils ZBOX Series-C Fanless AMD and Intel mini PCs for $150 and Up

Zotac has announced four new fanless mini PCs part of their new ZBOX C-Series family with low power AMD A6-1450 APU and Intel Celeron “Bay Trail” N2930 SoC, as well as two more power models with Core i3/i7 processors, all of which in the same form factor and with price starting at $150. All models come with HDMI & DisplayPort outputs, a 2.5″ SATA bay, a 3-in-1 card reader, 802.11ac Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0, as well as Gigabit Ethernet. The base models are barebone, but there are also “PLUS” models with 4GB RAM and a 64GB SSD. Here are the key features of the 4 models (Prices are for barebone and PLUS models): ZBOX CA320 nano series SoC – AMD A6-1450 APU @ 1.0 GHz (quad-core) with AMD Radeon HD 8250 – 8 W TDP DDR3-1066 memory SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface 2 USB 3.0 ports, 5 USB 2.0 ports Price […]