PiPo K1 is a Windows 10 Bay Trail Keyboard PC

Once upon a time keyboard computers were very popular, and some companies have tried to bring keyboard computers back to market in the last few years with limited success. PiPo is giving it a try too with PiPo K1 keyboard PC powered by an Intel Atom Bay Trail processor. PiPO K1 preliminary specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Bay trail processor (likely Z3735F or Z3736F) System Memory – 2GB Storage – 32 or 64 eMMC + micro SD port Keyboard – QWERTY with multi-touch touchpad Video Output – HDMI and VGA Audio – Stereo speakers Connectivity – Ethernet and WiFi USB – 2x USB host ports Misc – Power button Battery – Maybe… Power – TBD The keyboard should be pre-installed with Windows 10, and the touchpad support gestures like pinch and zoom. There may also be a battery to be able to use the keyboard from the sofa while connected to […]

EzeeCube Linux Media Hub Unboxing and Teardown

EzeeCube is a Linux based Kodi Media Hub powered by Freescale i.MX6Quad processor with one internal 1TB hard drive and up to 8TB extra storage via four stackable 2TB hard drive module, as well as an option for a Blu-Ray player module. Beside playing video, it’s also designed to store your pictures and videos like a cloud service such as dropbox, but without privacy concerns since data is only stored in your own EzeeCube. The company launched an Indiegogo campaign in Q2 2014 which ended up being pretty successful having raised over $160,000, and as they are now shipping rewards to backers, I’ve also been sent a unit. Today, I’ll check out the hardware, and will review the unit probably sometimes next month. EzeeCube Unboxing The device came in a cardboard package with some EzeeCube branding, and some features like Freescale quad core processor, a 2TB hard drive (which finally […]

Xiaomi Introduces Mi TV Bar TV Box Speakers Powered by Mstar 6A928 Processor

Xiaomi has introduced a few new products yesterday including Mi TV 3 60″ 4K UHD television,  a cheap Bluetooth voice remote, as well as Ninebot Mini self-balancing two-wheel scooter. But the company has also launched a product that looks like the offspring of a sound bar and a TV box with MI TV Bar, featuring Mstar 6A928 quad core Cortex A17 processor with 2GB RAM and running Android 5.1 Lollipop as well as built-in speakers with Dolby Audio technology. It’s actually designed to be the smart system for Mi TV 3, as Xiaomi found out that while TVs may last 10 years, the “smart” part in smart TV may need an update every couple of years. Mi TV Bar specifications: SoC – Mstar 6A928 quad-core ARM Cortex A17 processor @  1.4GHz with Mali-760 MP4  4 + 4 core GPU System Memory – 2GB  DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC 5.0 flash […]

Review of WeTek Core Android Lollipop Media Player

EThe first devices based on Amlogic S812 processors started shipping by the end of 2014, but in the third quarter of 2015, there’s been a few new device released as some companies ported Android 5.x Lollipop to the platform. I reviewed two of these. Mygica ATV1900AC had potential but the number of bugs was disappointing, while Tronfy MXIV Telos was almost a disaster. Today, I’m going to report my test results with WeTek Core Android 5.1 TV box, also powered by Amlogic S812, more exactly S812-H, which includes DTS and Dolby licenses. I’ve already listed the specs, and torn down WeTek Core in two previous posts, so I’ll focus on the firmware in this review. Initial Setup and OTA Firmware Update First of all, I’d like to mention that I got an early WeTek Core sample, and while the hardware is frozen, the firmware is still being developed before the […]

$48 MXQ Pro TV Box Features Amlogic S905 Processor with Support for 4K, 10-bit HEVC Videos

Amlogic S905 is the only low cost SoC on the market that can offer a future proof TV Box with HDMI 2.0 output compliant with HDCP 2.2, 10-bit HEVC video playback up to 2160p60, and DTS & Dolby audio pass-through. I had also been told the SoC was cheap, going for $4.50 per unit in largish quantities, and now MXQ Pro, one of the first Amlogic S905 TV Box, is available for pre-order for just $55 on GeekBuying. MXQ Pro specifications: SoC –  Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with  penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0, AV Video Codec – 4K@60 Hz video decoding 10-bit HEVC and AVS+ codec support; H.264 up to 4K 30 Hz Audio – HDMI, AV, coaxial S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth […]

MeLE PCG03 Plus mini PC Gets Cherry Trail x5-Z8300 Processor

Beside MeLE PCG02 TV stick with Ethernet, MeLE also showcased an upgraded version of its MeLE PCG03 mini PC with MeLE PCG03 Plus replacing Atom Z3735F processor with a more recent Intel Atom “Cherry Trail” x5-Z8300 processor. MeLE PCG03 Plus specifications show they’ve only changed the processor: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz (Bust freq: 1.84 GHz) with Intel HD Gen8 graphics System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L Storage – 32 GB eMMC + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4, and VGA Audio I/F – HDMI, 3.5mm earphone jack Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 3x USB 2.0 host Misc – Power Button, power LED, Kensington security lock Power Supply – 12V/1A Dimensions – 150 x 120 x 40 mm There should be some performance improvements over the previous model, but nothing phenomenal. MeLE PCG03 […]

MeLE PCG02 Intel TV Stick Features an Ethernet Port

I’ve previously reviewed MeLE PCG01 TV stick powered by Intel Atom Z3735F, and found it to be well designed, without overheating issues, so that this Intel TV stick performed just as well as as bigger mini PCs. NotebookItalia found out that the company is now about to launch a new version at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2015. MeLE PCG02 is still based on the same Bay Trail processor, but it interestingly comes with an Ethernet port rarely found on TV sticks. Apart from the extra Ethernet port taking the place of one USB port, the specifications are pretty similar: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F  “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Bust freq: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD graphics Gen 7 (2W TDP) System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, […]

Zidoo X6 Pro Unboxing and Teardown

There are so many Rockchip RK3368 TV boxes on the market that it’s difficult for products to stand out. But Zidoo X6 Pro might be one of these products bringing a little more, as beside frequent firmware updates, Zidoo’s RK3368 TV box may be the first to officially run Kodi 15.x, while most others manufacturers have decided to stick with Kodi 14.2 in their latest firmware, and the company also released Kodi source code modifications for 7.1 audio pass-through, 3D MVC support, and hardware video decoding in compliance with Kodi’s GPL license. As usual, I’ll start by taking some pictures of the device and board, before writing a full review in the next few days. Zidoo X6 Pro Unboxing I got the following package via DHL, which somehow decided to take my picture as I received the parcel… The package includes some of the key features of the device include […]