Last year, Rockchip RK3288 was always going to be popular, since it offered a massive performance upgrade compared to its predecessor (Rockchip RK3188) with Cortex A17 cores replacing Cortex A9 cores, and a Mali-T764 GPU replacing an aging Mali-400MP4 GPU, plus the addition of 4K video output and decoding, as well as H.265 video codec support. So many manufacturers got involved that I decided to write a list of RK3288 TV boxes and sticks. Rockchip RK3368, the company’s new “flagship” processor for 2015, is a bit less exciting despite providing eight 64-bit ARM cores, since Cortex A53 cores are significantly less powerful than the Cortex A17 cores found in RK3288, and the performance of the PowerVR G6110 GPU used in the processor is a bit of an unknown for now. RK3368 might still rank pretty well in benchmark since it comes with eight cores instead of four cores, but I’m […]
Cloudsto Embed+ RK3288 is a Rockchip RK3288 Board for Digital Signage and Point-of-Sale Applications
As Rikomagic launched their MK80LE (Linux Edition) mini PCs on Cloudsto a few days ago, I also noticed a new page entitled embed+ RK3288, which described what should be the first board sold by Rikomagic/Cloudsto. The Rockchip RK3288 based board can be used as an Android & Linux development board, but it appears to mainly target OEMs for applications such as digital signage, point-if-sale, and web kiosks. Rikomagic embed+ RK3288 specs: SoC – Rockchip 3288 quad core ARM Cortex A17 up to 1.8 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 /3.0, and OpenCL 1.1 System Memory – 2G DDR3 Storage – 8 to 32 GB eMMC flash. The daughterboard adds an SD card slot. Video / Display interfaces – HDMI 2.0, LCD interfaces (backlit, power, data) Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm earphone / audio output jack, and built-in microphone. Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi , and Bluetooth 4.0 (external). Gigabit LAN via a daughterboard. USB […]
Rikomagic MK80LE (Linux Edition) Octa-core Ubuntu mini PC
Allwinner A80 based Rikomagic MK80 Android TV box, now has a Linux sibling with Rikomagic MK80LE (Linux Edition) running Ubuntu 14.04, and allegedly supports 2D/3D graphics acceleration, and hardware video decoding. Two versions are available MK80LE with 2GB RAM & 16GB Flash, and MK80LE Plus with 4GB RAM & 32GB flash. The hardware specs are the same as the Android versions (and Tronsmart Draco AW80 Meta / Telos): SoC – AllWinner Ultra Core A80 4x Cortex 15 @ 2016 MHz, 4x Cortex A7 @ 1320 MHz big.LITTLE processor with Imagination Technologies PowerVR GC6230 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.0, Directx 9.3 System Memory – 2GB (MK80LE), or 4GB (MK80LE Plus) RAM Storage – 16 GB (MK80LE) or 32GB (MK80LE Plus) eMMC, external SATA port (via a USB 2.0 bridge), and micro SD slot up to 64GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 + AV port Audio Output – HDMI, AV […]
Rikomagic MK80, MK12, MK05, V5 Android TV Boxes and Sticks Are Now Available for Purchase
Rikomagic unveiled their MK80, MK12 and MK05 Android media players a few week ago, and somehow I missed (or ignored) their Rikomagic V5 TV stick, which looks very similar to Jesurun T034 / MK802 V powered with Rockchip RK3288 processor, and features an Ethernet port, but differs as full-sized USB ports are used instead of mix of micro and full-sized USB ports. All four devices, even five with MK80 Plus, are now available on Rikomagic’s Aliexpress store. MK80 and MK80 Plus are Android mini PCs powered by Allwinner A80 SoC, and are probably using the same Sunchip board as Tronsmart Draco AW80 Meta and Telos, The standard version comes with 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC, and the “Plus” version with 4GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC, and can be purchased respectively for $155.90 and $199.99 including shipping. MK12 is based on the new Amlogic S812 processor which adds HEVC/H.265 hardware video decoding […]
Rikomagic to Launch MK80 and MK12 TV Boxes based on Allwinner A80 and Amlogic S812 Processors
There’s a three processors fight right now in the Android mini PC market with Rockchip RK3288, Allwinner A80, and Amlogic S802/S812 SoCs. All have their own strength and weaknesses, and have about the same performance, but so far I like Rockchip RK3288 for 3D gaming, Amlogic S802 and S812 for video playback, and Allwinner A80 for its possibly better potential to run Linux desktop distributions (TBC). Rikomagic have already been selling Rikomagic MK902 II powered by Rockchip RK3288 processor for a little while, and they’ve now announced two new upcoming products: MK80 with Allwinnert A80, and MK12 with Amlogic S812. Rikomagic MK80 and MK80 Plus Preliminary and probably incomplete product specifications: SoC – AllWinner Ultra Core A80 4x Cortex 15 @ 2016 MHz, 4x Cortex A7 @ 1320 MHz big.LITTLE processor with Imagination Technologies PowerVR GC6230 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.0, Directx 9.3 System Memory – 2GB (MK80), […]
Rikomagic MK802 IIIS Dual Core HDMI TV Stick Sells for $14
Yet again, sellers are trying to get rid off their old stock, and today Rikomagic MK02 IIIS HDMI TV Stick powered by Rockchip RK3066 sells for $14.40 on Aliexpress for the next four hours, but if you miss it, you can also buy from another seller for $17.99. Both prices include worldwide shipping, and the sellers have good feedback. MK802 IIIS specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3066 dual core Cortex A9 @ 1.6Ghz + Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot (up to 32GB) Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 3.0 Video Output – HDMI (male) USB – 1x USB Host 2.0, 2x micro USB for power and OTG port The package includes the mini PC, a USB cable for power, an OTG adapter, a short male to female HDMI cable, and user’s manual. It’s said to run running Android […]
Rikomagic Announces MK902II LE Ubuntu Mini PC Powered by Rockchip RK3288 SoC
Rikomagic announced their MK902II mini PC based on Rockchip RK3288 in May, and which has started shipping recently for about $130. The company have now announced MK902II LE (Linux Edition) based on the same hardware, but instead of running Android 4.4, it’s running Xubuntu 14.04 with some virtualization technique that allows it to run x86 Linux programs such as Skype, and it can even support Wine to run Windows programs. MK902II LE specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 Quad Core Cortex A12/A17 up to 1.8GHz with ARM Mali-T764 GPU supporting OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.0, Open VG1.1, OpenCL, DirectX11 System Memory – 2GB (Dual channel 64 bit DRAM controller) Storage – 16GB Internal eMMC with Xubuntu 14.04 preinstalled + micro SD card slot Video Output- HDMI (1080p), and AV output Audio Output – HDMI, AV output, optical output, or external USB audio card (not included) Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. USB – […]
Easy and Safe Way to Try Linux on Popular Rockchip RK3188 mini PCs
Until recently, installing Linux on Rockchip R3188 based TV boxes or HDMI TV dongles meant you had to flash one or more binaries to your device using various type of tools for Linux or Windows. But thanks to various members of the community, it’s now as easy as flashing an image for the Raspberry Pi, as long as you own Minix Neo X7, PQ Labs iStick A350-SSD, Radxa Rock development board, or Rikomagic MK802IV (AP6210 or 8188EU Wi-Fi module versions) thanks to images provided by Ian Morrison on G+ mini PC community that can be booted from a (micro) SD card, which the added advantage that it won’t mess with your Android installation. You can do it whether you use a Windows or Linux PC, and it should also be possible on Mac OS X, but I don’t know the commands. Here are the steps to follow for MINIX NEO […]
