mini pc

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Top 10 Posts of 2013 and Stats on CNXSoft Blog

Top 10 Posts of 2013 and Stats on CNXSoft Blog

This is the last day of the year, and just like in 2012, I’ll look back on the main trends of this year,  post a list of the top 10 posts of 2013 on cnx-software.com, and add some fun stats about the site and my visitors. 2013 has been the year of quad core media players and mini PCs, especially those based on Rockchip RK3188, XBMC is now featured in many Android STBs, “big.LITTLE” and “Octa-core” have been the buzz words on the application processor front, Google has entered the HDMI TV sticks market with the ChromeCast, and is competing with Miracast / DLNA TV dongles, we’ve gotten more and more low cost Linux development boards, crowdfunding has almost gone mainstream, and the Internet of things has started to take off thanks to new technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy. I’ve compiled the list using data from Google Analytics, filtered […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments on Android 4.4.2 KitKat Beta Released for Rockchip RK3188 mini PCs

Android 4.4.2 KitKat Beta Released for Rockchip RK3188 mini PCs

I’ve just been informed that Android KitKat, version 4.4.2, is now available for Rockchip RK3188 powered mini PCs based on AP6210 Wi-Fi module. This is a beta version, but it’s known to work for MK908 II, CX-919, GM282, GK525, iMito QX2, and IPPLI Mars I2C HDMI TV dongles. Albeit MK908 is also based on AP6210 Wi-Fi module, it does not appear to work right now, and the “new” model of MK802 IV with AP6210 might work, but has not been tested. Devices based on AP6330 and other Wi-Fi modules, such as T428 mini PC, are not working with this firmware, and you’ll have to wait a few more days or weeks to get a compatible firmware. Android 4.4 will bring new features that can be interesting with mini PCs such as printing support, screen recording, and overall better graphics and streaming performance. So with the recent release of AndrOpen Office,  […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on TBS Matrix ARM mini PC Features Freescale i.MX6Q, Supports USB DVB Tuners

TBS Matrix ARM mini PC Features Freescale i.MX6Q, Supports USB DVB Tuners

TBS, a producer of digital TV tuners for PC, has decided to launch their own ARM mini PC called Matrix to interface with their USB DVB tuners. The board is based on Freescale i.MX6 Quad ARM Cortex A9 SoC with 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, and costs about $150. The company also claims to have XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend software running on the platform. Here are the specifications for this quad core ARM board / computer (Codename: TBS2910): SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Quad (MCIMX6Q5EYM10AC) quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.0 GHz with Vivante GC2000 3D GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR Storage – 16GB eMMC, SD card slot, micro SD card slot,  and SATA interface USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x USB OTG Video Output – HDMI Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet, and Wi-Fi  802.11n/b/g Expansion – 16-pin header for […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments on XBMC MX Linux v1.00 RC1 for AMLogic AML8726-MX Devices

XBMC MX Linux v1.00 RC1 for AMLogic AML8726-MX Devices

Developer “croniccorey” has recently announced the release of MX Linux v1.00 RC1, an XBMC Linux image for media players based on AMLogic AML8726-MX, on XDA Developers’ Forums. This release supports G18REF and MX2REF devices (See build.prop in Android) such as Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2, and a test image has also been released for g02refDongle devices such as Droid Stick A2. Checking the MTD layout Before starting the installation, you may want to check your flash partitions in order to avoid bricking your device: Install and run Terminal Emulator Run the command below to make sure your partition table is compatible with the image:

If your partition table is different, do not install the default image for MX2REF / G18REF. However, If you’ve got Matricom Android firmware version 1.1.6 or greater or WJB’s Linux builds from November 21 2013 onwards, the MTD layout will be different, and you’ll need to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments on International Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals for Chinese Gadgets

International Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals for Chinese Gadgets

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving in the US, and starts the Christmas shopping season with very deep discount. The next Monday is called Cyber Monday is supposed to be the day for Online deals. This is mainly a US “tradition”, but Chinese retailers have joined in to try to boost their end-f year sales, and the good thing is that their discount are available to (almost?) anyone around the world. DealExtreme has not started deals yet, but a lottery is taking place between the 21st of November and the 1st of December. People who have purchased from them can spin the wheel using their order number in order to win prizes ranging from $3 coupons to iPhone 5s phones. “Black Friday Shopping Carnival” with discounts up to 50% for consumers electronics, tablets, smartphones, etc.. will begin on Friday 29th. Pandawill will have Thanksgiving deals for twelve items on […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on How to Flash Rockchip RK3066 / RK3188 Firmware in Linux

How to Flash Rockchip RK3066 / RK3188 Firmware in Linux

Rockchip provides 2 tools to update the flash: RkBatchTool – Used to upgrade firmware with a single file RkAndroidTool – Used to flash the NAND flash with image corresponding to particular partition, e.g. system.img. kernel.img, boot.img. recovery.img. etc… One problem is that the company only provides these tools for Windows, so if you’re using a Linux based operating systems, you’d have to run a Windows XP or 7 virtual machine in VirtualBox or VMWare, which is an inconvenience, and requires a license in theory. To work around this issue, I’ve tried to use ReactOS, an open source operating systems compatible with Windows XP, but although the USB drivers appeared to install properly, RKAndroidTool failed to recognized my device (MK908). But a member of Mini PCs community informed me about a tool called RkFlashKit, written in Python and using GTK, that can flash firmware to Rockchip RK3066 and RK3188 devices in […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on PicUntu 4.5 Brings Ubuntu 13.04 to RK3188 mini PCs

PicUntu 4.5 Brings Ubuntu 13.04 to RK3188 mini PCs

At the beginning of the year, PicUntu had been released for Rk3066 HDMI TV sticks, but as quad core devices  based on RK3188 became popular, work started as soon as the source code was available, and a preliminary version of Linux ran on some RK3188 devices in June.  After 4 more months  of development an installer for PicUntu 4.5 has been released to allow users to run a customized version of Ubuntu 13.04 on RK3188 HDMI TV sticks or set-top boxes such as T428 or Rikomagic MK802 IV. The installation procedure appears to be easier than earlier version, as there’s only one installer file (247 MB), and you can complete the installation to the NAND flash of your device with just 4 clicks. PicUnutu runs xfce4 desktop environment,  supports more than 200 drivers,  multiple file systems (nfs, ntfs, cramfs, cifsutils, smb…), lots of different USB devices, serial devices, GPS devices, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on GOsingGO GSG-TB06 Android TV Stick Features an Ethernet Port

GOsingGO GSG-TB06 Android TV Stick Features an Ethernet Port

There’s a plethora of Android HDMI TV dongles, but all of them only provide Wi-Fi connectivity, and if you need better network performance you need to add Ethernet via an USB to Ethernet dongle. There’s now another solution, that may not be very new, with GOsingGO GSG-TB06 a mini PC based on AllWinner A10 that includes an Ethernet Port. Here are the specifications of the device: SoC – Allwinners A10 @  1.0GHz System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage -4 to 32 GB flash + micro SD card slot Video output – HDMI & AV USB – 1x USB 2.0, 1x micro USB for power Connectivity – Ethernet (RJ45) + Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (AR6103) Dimensions – 105L x 37W x 15.6Hmm The device comes with a USB power adapter, an RCA (AV) cable, and a user’s manual. The manufacturer says it’s running Android 4.1. The specs are not that great, but […]

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