UNISOC Unveils Tiger T310 Quad Core Cortex-A75/A55 DynamIQ Processor for 4G Phones

UNISOC Tiger T310

UNISOC, a company born out of the merger between RDA Micro and Spreadtrum Communications, has recently introduced Tiger T310 processor for 4G smartphones. The quad core processor is somewhat unique as it comes with a single Cortex-A75 core coupled with three Cortex-A55 cores using dynamIQ technology. UNISOC Tiger T310 key features include: CPU – 1x Arm Cortex-A75 core @ up to 2.0 GHz, 3x Arm Cortex-A53 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz in dynamIQ configuration GPU – TBD Cellular Connectivity – TDD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, CDMA, GSM Camera – Dual and triple camera support Security – TEE, face unlocking Manufacturing Process – TSMC 12-nanometer process UNISOC Tiger T310 is said to deliver a 120% single-core performance improvement over the current mainstream 4-core processor, and a 20%  multi-core performance improvement. The processor’s battery life is said to be 20% better than mainstream 8-core processors, and 15% higher than mainstream 4-core processors […]

Snapdragon 730, 730G & 665 Mobile Platforms Target High and Mid Tier Devices

Snapdragon 730G

Qualcomm has announced three new processor / mobile platforms for high and mid-tier mobile devices. Qualcomm Snapdragon 730, 730G and 665 Mobile Platforms are designed to improve experiences in artificial intelligence (AI), gaming, camera, as well as general performance. Snapdragon 730 & 730G Both processors share many of the same features: Qualcomm Artificial Intelligence Engine AIE CPU – Octa-core Qualcomm Kryo 470 CPU @ up to 2.2 GHz AIE GPU – Qualcomm Adreno 618 GPU with support for OpenCL 2.0 FP, Vulkan 1.1, OpenGL ES 3.2, DX12 AIE DSP – Qualcomm Hexagon Vector eXtensions (HVX), Qualcomm Hexagon Tensor Accelerator, Qualcomm Hexagon 688 Processor, Qualcomm Hexagon Voice Assistant, Qualcomm All-Ways Aware technology Neural Processing: Qualcomm® Neural Processing SDK Display On-Device Display Snapdragon 730 – up to FHD+ (18:9), 2520×1080 resolution Snapdragon 730G – up to Quad HD+, HDR10, 3360×1440 External Display up to 4K resolution Camera Qualcomm Spectra 350 image signal […]

Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 855 Hardware Development Kit

Snapdragon 855 HDK

Snapdragon 855 processor is found in premium smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy S10 or Xiaomi Mi 9, but Snapdragon 855 Mobile Hardware Development Kit has now started to show up on Qualcomm developer website. Beside the octa-core processor, the platform comes with WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, GNSS, Gigabit Ethernet, multiple MIPI DSI and CSI interfaces, DisplayPort over USB-C and HDMI outputs and more. Snapdragon 855 HDK preliminary specifications: SoC –  Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Octa-core processor with 1x Kryo 485 Gold Prime core at up to 2.8 GHz, 3x Kryo 485 Gold cores at up to 2.4 GHz, and 4x Kryo 485 Silver low-power cores at up to 1.7 GHz, Adreno 640 GPU System Memory – TBD Storage – TBD flash, micro SD card slot Video Output 2x MIPI 4-lane DSI + touch panel 1x HDMI DisplayPort over USB 3.1 type-C port Camera Input – 3x MIPI 4-lane CSI with support […]

T-bao T15A 15.6″ Portable Display Works with Phones, Computers and Game Consoles

T-bao T15A Portable Display

In recent months we’ve seen several lightweight portable displays that works with phones or computers such as the 12.5″ ultra-lightweight LAPSCREEN display or TAIHE Gemini 15.6″ Full HD / 4K portable display. But AFAIK, the former is not available for purchase just yet, and the latter was launched via a crowdfunding campaign and shipping appears to be scheduled for May 2019. If you want something similar that ships today, T-bao T15A 15.6″ portable display may be an options. It comes with two USB-C ports one for power, one to connect USB-C devices like smartphones, and a mini HDMI port for laptops, computers, game consoles and so on. T-bao T15A display specifications: Screen – 15.6″ IPS display with 1920×1080 resolution, W-LED backlight, 178-degree viewing angle Ports 1x mini HDMI 2x USB type-C ports including one for host device input, one for power 1x micro USB port to connect keyboard and mouse […]

NexDock 2 Laptop Shell Gets a Full HD Display, a USB type-C Port (Crowdfunding)

NexDock 2

NexDock 14″ laptop shell was first introduced in 2016 to help people convert their smartphones or single board computers into a laptop with a display, a keyboard and battery. The crowdfunding campaign was successful with over $360,000 raised for the projects, and the first NexDock has been shipped to 2,600+ backers. The following year, the company – now called Nex Computer – announced plan to develop NexDock 2 with support for Intel Compute Cards. This did not quite work out as expected since Intel decided to stop further development of Compute Cards, but not all is lost as Nex Computer has now launched NexDock 2 with an aluminum body, a slightly smaller but higher resolution Full HD display, an edge to edge keyboard, and a USB type-C input port. NexDock 2 specifications: Display – 13.3” IPS LCD display with 1920×1080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio Video Input – Full-size HDMI input […]

eWelink Camera App Recycles Your Old Smartphone into a Remote Camera

Old devices often end up in drawers or shelves collecting dust, but as we’ve seen before there are better ways to recycle your unused gadgets, from giving it to friends or family to selling them on eBay, or re-purposing them for specific purpose. For example, we’ve previously covered Haven open source app that transforms smartphones into smart security cameras or baby monitors. eWelink, the default app used with Sonoff wireless switches, smart plugs and light-bulbs, now happens to support a similar feature. So if you’re using the stock firmware on your Sonoff device and control them with the Sonoff app, you don’t need an extra app to use your old smartphone(s) as IP camera(s). It looked easy enough to setup, so I gave it a try. First you need to download & install eWelink Camera app, only available as an apk at this time, in your old phone. Once the […]

Android Q Beta and Preview SDK Released

Android Q ART Performance

Google has just announced the first public release of Android Q dubbed “Beta 1”- for Pixel devices only – as well as the corresponding preview SDK for developers. Android Q is said to bring  additional privacy and security features for users, enhancements for foldables, new APIs for connectivity, new media codecs and camera capabilities, NNAPI extensions, Vulkan 1.1 support, faster app startup, and more. What’s new in Android Q Privacy protections improvements More control over location with multiple options to “allow all the time”, “allow only while the app is in use” (e.g. not while running in the background), and “deny” Users will be able to control apps’ access to the Photos and Videos or the Audio collections via new runtime permissions Android Q will prevent apps from launching an Activity while in the background, relying on high-priority notifications instead Access to non-resettable device identifiers, including device IMEI, serial number, […]

Maru 0.6 Combines LineageOS & Debian 9, Supports Wireless Desktop Streaming

Maru 0.6

Maru OS was first unveiled in 2016 as a smartphone operating system that relies on Android on the go, and Debian while connected to an HDMI display, and Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The downside was that it only works on Nexus 5 at the time, but Preetam D’Souza open sourced his solution, and more people joined the project to expand the number of supported hardware platforms. I had not heard about the project for a while, but Maru 0.6 Okinawa has just been released with the three main changes being the switch from Android 6.0.1 AOSP to a custom version of LineageOS based on Android 8.1.0 to support a broader range of devices, the upgrade from Debian 8 to Debian 9, and support for wireless desktop streaming meaning you don’t need a phone with HDMI / MHL support anymore. The reliance on AOSP meant Maru used to only work on […]