mini pc

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Measy U4K – AllWinner A31 Powered Mini PC for 4K2K Video Playback

Measy U4K – AllWinner A31 Powered Mini PC for 4K2K Video Playback

Apart from CS868, I had not seen other HDMI TV sticks based on AllWinner A31, the main reason being the performance to price ratio, with RK3188 devices cheaper than AllWinner A31 ones, and benchmarks such as Antutu showing better score for RK3188. 2D/3D performance is about the same as RK3188 (based on Antutu benchmark), despite A31’s PowerVR SGX544 MP2 GPU. So the only remaining advantage of A31 over RK3188 is 4K2K (UHD) video playback, which is probably why Measy called their A31 mini PC “Measy U4K”. Measy U4K Specifications: SoC –  Allwinner A31 quad-core cortex A7 @ 1.0GHz + PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB dual channel 64-bit DDR3 Storage – 8GB Nand dual channel 16-bit Flash + micro SD card slot (Up to 32 GB) Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (Ralink8188) + Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x micro USB OTG for power, and 1x USB 2.0 host Video Output […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Geniatech Releases ATV510B Source Code, Teases Dual and Quad Core ATV130 and ATV180 mini PCs

Geniatech Releases ATV510B Source Code, Teases Dual and Quad Core ATV130 and ATV180 mini PCs

XBMCHUB (not affiliated with XBMC) reports that Geniatech has released the Android and Linux source code for ATV510B, one of Geniatech set-top boxes based on AML8726-M3 Cortex A9 processor. ATV510B is the design used by devices such as Pivos XIOS DS, Jynxbox Android HD, Sumvision Cyclone Nano M3, and MyGica ATV510B Enjoy TV Nano 3, among others. Pivos has made U-boot, Linux and XBMC source code available in github for a little while now, but this new release is a pretty large file (2.39 GB) called xbmcandroid_com-ics-base-M3-20121212.tar.bz2 that includes Android 4.0 source including the kernel and the bootloader. This source code should work with “stvmc” hardware, as found in build.prop’s ro.product.name or ro.product.device keys. I haven’t looked into details, but here’s the content of the root directory of the archive: On a separate note, Geniatech also showed the picture below on their Facebook page, with 2 new Android TV Sticks: […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments on Rockchip RK3188 Linux Source Code is Now Available

Rockchip RK3188 Linux Source Code is Now Available

Good news! I’ve just read Rockchip RK3188 Linux source code has just been released via Rikomagic, and Alok Sinha, the main maintainer of RK3066 source code, has already imported into github, and we should soon see a PicUntu image for RK3188 mini PCs. Let’s have a look:

[Update: you may have to run “sudo apt-get install libc6-i386” before running make_kernel_ruikemei.sh below, as mkkrnlimg is a 32-bit binary] Usually, I immediately look into arch/arm/configs, but this time, there’s a “funny” script called make_kernel_ruikemei.sh, and .config already have some CONFIG_RK3188, so let’s run it:

After just over a minute, success!:

This kernel image is for Android only, and there’s a little work to modify it as a “pure” Linux kernel, so that it can be used to boot PicUnutu for RK3188. Let’s go back to arch/arm/configs, and we’ll find several RK3188 configs: rk3168_86v_defconfig rk3188_dongle_defconfig rk3188_ds1006h_defconfig rk3188_ds1006h_v1_0_defconfig rk3188_hotdog_defconfig rk3188_LR097_defconfig rk3188_magicwand_defconfig […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on Geniatech PT115m and PT115e USB DVB-T Sticks Let You Watch Digital TV on Tablets and mini PCs

Geniatech PT115m and PT115e USB DVB-T Sticks Let You Watch Digital TV on Tablets and mini PCs

Last month, I wrote about Geniatech WiTV, a device with a DVB-T or ISBT tuner acting as a Wi-Fi access point that let you watch TV on any Wi-Fi enabled devices. I’ve just discovered Geniatech PT115m (microUSB) and PT115e (USB), tinier and probably cheaper products, which allow you to watch free-to-air channel (DVB-T) by connecting them to the USB or microUSB port of your tablet or mini PC. Both devices have the following key features and specifications: Geniatech HiDTV app for Android Watch DVB-T TV on Android tablet, with support for Electronic Program Guide, HDTV (1080i), and Automatic Station Searching Digital Personal Video Recording Input Terminal – VHF/UHF,  Receive Frequency – TV 48.25 ~ 863.25 MHz DVB-T Compliant,  2K to 8K FFT Size, Punctured Codes: 1/2, 2/3, 3/4 4/5, 5/6 and 7/8, Bandwidth: 6/7/8 MHz Stream capture – PES & TS Video Format – mpg-II Main Profile & Main Level/H.264 Mpeg4 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on Kimdecent QC802 Review

Kimdecent QC802 Review

QC802 is one of the cheapest RK3188 mini PCs available on the market, as it sells for just $76 on Kimdecent aliexpress store ($73 after you get an Aliexpress coupon). AndroidPC.es got one sample, and posted a review in Spanish. I’ll post a summary in English of this review, but first let’s have quick look at the specs: SoC – Rockchip RK3188 quad core Cortex A9 @ 1.6 Ghz + Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB internal flash + micro SD slot (up to 32GB) Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 2.1 Video Output – HDMI (male) USB – 1x USB Host 2.0, 2x micro USB ports including one for power, one USB Host (or OTG?) So the specs are comparable to other devices. QC802 Unboxing Pictures The package contains the device itself, a 5V/2Apower supply, an HDMI cable, a micro USB to USB […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments on Smartvote SmartCandy is a Tiny RK3066 mini PC with an External Wi-Fi/USB Cable

Smartvote SmartCandy is a Tiny RK3066 mini PC with an External Wi-Fi/USB Cable

To date, the smallest mini PC I’ve even seen is probably CX-01 powered by Telechips TCC8925 Cortex A5 processor, but Smartvote, a Hong Kong based company, has designed an even smaller device based on Rockchip RK3066 called SmartCandy, a feat achieved by locating the Wi-Fi module and full USB ports in an external cable. SmartCandy specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3066 @ 1.6 GHz + Mali-400 MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB Storage – 8GB NAND Flash + microSD slot USB – 1x USB OTG Video Output – HDMI 1.4a Dimensions – 68 x 29 x 12mm That’s it, no Wi-Fi, no full USB ports. Luckily, it’s sold with an external cable / box that you can connect to the microUSB port to add: Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n USB – 1x or 3x USB port, depending on model Ethernet – With 3x USB port model only The device runs Android 4.1 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on $88.50 Jesurun NX003II Quad Core mini PC Comes with a Webcam and an External Wi-Fi Antenna

$88.50 Jesurun NX003II Quad Core mini PC Comes with a Webcam and an External Wi-Fi Antenna

Do you remember MK812, a dual core mini PC with a built-in camera, and an external high-gain Wi-Fi antenna? Well, I’ve just noticed a similar device called Jesurun NX003II on DealExtreme, but instead of the dual core processor (RK3066) and 1GB RAM, it comes with Rockchip RK3188 quad core Cortex A9 processor, 2GB RAM, and yes, the camera and external antenna are still there. Jesurun NX003II Specifications: SoC –  Rockchip RK3188 Quad core Cortex A9 @ 1.6Ghz with Mali-400 MP4 GPU System Memory –  2GB DDRIII Storage – 8GB NAND Flash + microSD card (up to 32GB) Connectivity: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n with external Antenna Bluetooth v2.1 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 (1080p, 3D support) Video Codecs – MPEG1/2/4, H.264, VC-1, Divx, Xvid, RM8/9/10, VP6 Audio Codecs – MP3, WM, WMA, WAV, OGG, AAC, MPEG Audio, PCM LPCM, M4A, AC3, DTS Camera – Built-in 2.0MP camera USB – USB OTG […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments on Wi-Fi Performance Comparison for Android Media Players and HDMI Sticks

Wi-Fi Performance Comparison for Android Media Players and HDMI Sticks

If you’re mainly using your Android mini PC or STB to stream videos over the web or your local network, Wi-Fi performance is actually more important than CPU performance, and I’ve recently had quite a few issues with Wi-Fi with both T428 (RK3188 / Broadcom Wi-Fi module) and CS868 (AllWinner A31 / Realtek Wi-Fi module), which were only fixed after upgrading my router firmware. So I’ve decided to re-test most of the mini PCs I own with the upgraded router firmware, and the number are highly confusing, and I found out there’s probably be no easy to way to estimate the overall Wi-Fi performance of any device, and it’s most probably highly dependent on the router used, and its firmware version. My router is TP-LINK WR940N, a 300 Mbps Wireless N router with three antennas. Since I bought it, I had never upgraded the firmware (3.9.18 Build 100104 Rel.36350n) from […]

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