Continuum Brings Desktop Mode and Dual Display Support to Windows 10 Smartphones

I’m eagerly waiting for the day when Ubuntu convergence becomes reality, and I can run Ubuntu on a smartphone which I can also use as desktop PC. But Canonical is not the only company working on convergence and Microsoft has announced Continuum for Phones as part of Windows 10, that will bring desktop mode and support for dual independent displays to next-generation Windows 10 phones. To switch a Windows 10 smartphone to desktop mode, you’ll simply need to connect it to a desktop display, and Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and it will automatically switch to a standard Windows 10 desktop on the big screen where you’ll be able to run apps like Microsoft Office, and other Universal Windows apps, as if it was running on an actual PC or laptop. The dual screen feature will allow you to check your emails on Outlook on a TV, while your kids watch […]

Ubuntu 15.04 Released for PCs, Servers, IoT Gateways, the Cloud, and Phones

The road to convergence is a long one, and although you still can’t really use a smartphone as both a phone and your desktop computers, Ubuntu 15.04 “Vivid Vervet” releases brings us closer to this goal, as the Linux based operating systems now supports not only the traditional PCs and servers, but also the Cloud and IoT platforms thanks to Ubuntu Snappy, and phones such as BQ Aquarius E4.5 Ubuntu Edition. Most changes for Desktop users are under the hood with Upstart replaced by systemd, the Linux kernel is now up to version 3.19, and many packages have been upgraded to a newer version. You can download i386 (32-bit x86) and amd64 (64-bit x86) desktop or server ISO images, and for the first time Ubuntu Snappy for generic amd64 platform, as well as an ARMHF image made for BeagleBone Black, which AFAIK is the very first time Ubuntu formally releases […]

LeTV Smartphones Feature USB Type C connectors, Mediatek Helio X10 and Snapdragon 810 Processors

LeTV has launched three new smartphones namely LeTV S1, LeTV S1 Pro, LeTV Max with zero bezel on its sides, a new USB type C reversible connector, and powered by Mediatek Helio X10 octa core Cortex A53 processor (S1) and Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 big.LITTLE octa core Cortex A53 & A57 processor (S1 Pro & Max) combined with 3 to 4GB RAM, and up to 128GB internal storage. LeTV smartphones specifications: SoC S1 – Mediatek Helio X10 (MT6795) octa core Cortex A53 @ 2.2 Ghz with PowerVR G6200 GPU @ 700 MHz S1 Pro & Max – Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 quad core Cortex A53 + quad core Cortex A57 in big.LITTLE configuration with Adreno 430 GPU System Memory S1 – 3 GB  LPDDR3 S1 Pro & Max – 4 GB LPDDR4 Storage S1 – 16, 32 or 64 GB eMMC 5.0 S1 Pro – 32 or 64 GB eMMC 5.0 Max […]

WordPress Mobile Caching with Zencache PRO Cache Plugin

This post has nothing to do with embedded systems, but I’ll document some of the changes I made to the website in the last few days for better mobile support. Recently Google sent me a message recommending to “Fix mobile usability issues found on http://www.cnx-software.com” via Webmaster Tools, and a user recently complained about readability from his smartphone.  So I had to fix this issue. This involves WordPress cache plugins and WPtouch Mobile Plugin, the latter automatically generates a mobile version of the website as shown on the right in the screenshot above. In theory, it’s very easy, you simply install WPtouch Mobile plugin, and mobile user agents get served the mobile page while other get the desktop version. But when you mix it with a cache plugin, it can become more complicated, and desktop user may be served mobile pages, and mobile user may get desktop pages. The easiest […]

Iocean M6752 Smartphone Review

Last week I provides specs, took some pictures, and run Antutu benchmark on Iocean M6752, a 64-bit ARM smartphone powered by Mediatek MT6752 octa-core Cortex A53 processor with 3GB RAM, 16 GB eMMC, and a 5.5″ FullHD display. I’ve been using the device as my main smartphone for over a week, and I’m now ready to write a full review for the phone. General Impressions At first the material and color used on the back cover feels a little strange, but I quickly got used it, and the build quality seems pretty good, and the phone is very light. I must have made one or two calls during the week, and I mainly use my smartphone to check emails, run social network apps, browse the web, play some casual games like Candy Crush Saga, watch YouTube videos, and make Skype calls, and for these tasks I could not really fault […]

March 2015 Discounts – GearBest, GeekBuying, DX and WeTek Play

A few companies have started or planned discounts for April’s fool, Father’s day, and maybe even March Madness, the basketball tournament currently taking place in the US. GearBest launched their “March Markdowns” event occurring between March 16-31, and offering 81 discounted items, a spin the wheel game where players can win a One Plus One smartphone, two ZTE Blade S6 smartphones, as well as some other smaller items and discount points. They have deals for smartphones, watches, RC cars and quadcopters, mini PCs, and other accessories. Some interesting deals for Android media players include: MXQ S85 for $50.85. (Amlogic S805) MK808 Plus for $32.99. (Amlogic S805) Rikomagic MK12 for $89.99. (Amlogic S812) Ugoos UT3S (2GB RAM / 16GB flash) for $119.99. (Rockchip RK3288) You can also try to use GBCCN coupon to get 10% discount. This is however not cumulative. For example, Ugoos UT3S will sell for $116.80 with the […]

Neptune Suite Includes a Smartphone, Tablet, and HDMI Stick Powered by a Smartwatch (Crowdfunding)

The makers of Neptune Pine smartwatch have unsurprisingly decided to make another smartwatch which they called Neptune Hub. Why Hub? Because although this smartwatch can be used standalone, its quadcore processor can also control a smartphone, a tablet, and an HDMI stick, probably over Miracast. So they’ve taken the opposite view to other companies in the market which are using the smartphone as the brain of your smartwatch to some extends. Neptune Hub specifications: SoC – Quad-core processor @ 1.8GHz (probably Qualcomm) System Memory – N/A Storage – 64GB eMMC Display – 2.4″ capacitive touchscreen (36mm width) Cellular Connectivity – GSM/3G/LTE with nano SIM card slot Connectivity – 802.11 Wi-Fi, 60Hz WiGig 802.11ad, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS / A-GPS Audio – Microphone and speaker Sensors – Accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, digital compass, heart rate sensor, vibration motor Battery – 1,000 mAh Water resistant The watch will run Android 5.0 Lollipop, and […]

Iocean M6752 Octa-core Cortex A53 Android Smartphone Unboxing, First Boot, and Benchmarks

I’m quite interested in testing 64-bit ARM platform, but since mini PCs and development boards are not quite there yet, GearBest give me the opportunity to check out Iocean M6752 smartphone based on Mediatek MT6752 Octa core ARM Cortex 53 processor with 3GB RAM, 16GB flash, but running Antutu 4.4.4 (32-bit). Today, I’ll provide the complete specifications of the phone, take a few pictures, and run CPU-Z and Antutu benchmark, before writing a full review in one week or so. Iocean M6752 specifications The smartphone may have multiple versions with up 16 or 32GB storage, and 1, 2 or 3 GB RAM, but the one I received has the following specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT6752 Octa-core 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 processor @ 1.7 GHz, with ARM Mali-T760 MP2 GPU and H.265 UHD capable video processing unit. System Memory – 3GB RAM Storage – 16 GB eMMC + micro SD slot […]

Exit mobile version