CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 13, 2014January 13, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Tegra K1 based Devices Could be Just as Fast as Mid Range Intel Core i5 Laptops

Some benchmark results comparing Nvidia Tegra K1 reference tablet to Intel based laptops show the latest ARM SoC matches and even outperforms many Intel devices, at least when it comes to 3D performance thanks to the 192-core Kepler GPU found in Tegra K1. In T-Rex HD Offscreen test in GFXBench 2.7.5, Tegra K1 is hown to be about 4 times faster than Tegra 4, over twice as fast as Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, and interestingly it outperforms some Intel laptop such as Acer Aspire V5-573G powered by an Intel Core i5 4200U processor with HD Graphics 4200 GPU. It’s still twice as slow as a machine with an Intel Core i7-4000MQ and Geforce GT 740M. CPU performance will probably be equivalent to some Intel Core i3 machine however, at least for the quad core ARM Cortex 15 version, but that still probably means it’s very likely we’ll find computers and laptops […]

January 13, 2014January 13, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Raxda Rock Development Board Unboxing, Quick Start Guide, and Benchmarks

Radxa Rock is an Android & Linux development board based on Rockchip RK3188 with 2GB RAM, 8GB NAND Flash, several I/Os that’s been available in beta version to a small number of developers in September 2013, with general availability starting at the very end of December 2013. Radxa team has sent me a board for me to try out. I’ll start with some unboxing pictures, write a Quick Start Guide for the first boot with Android 4.2.2, and run some benchmarks on the board. In another post, I’ll try some of the instructions to build Android and Ubuntu for the platform. Radxa Rock Unboxing Pictures & Video I’ve received the board in the following package via Fedex. Beside the board, we’ve got a Wi-Fi antenna, a USB power cable, and a plastic casing. Checkout Radxa Rock unboxing video below, if you want to find out exactly what’s you get when […]

January 13, 2014January 13, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

CES 2014 Keynotes and Linux Conference Australia 2014 Videos

The Consumer Electronics Show and LinuxConf Australia are completely different events, the former targets consumers and takes place in the US, and the latter is for Linux users, developers & systems administrators, and occurs in Australia. However, both happened at the same time this year, and video recording for CES 2014 keynotes, and LinuxConf Australia 2014 (LCA 2014) sessions for both events are now available. CES 2014 Keynote videos While the event took place, it was quite difficult, and sometimes just impossible, to find videos of the keynotes, either live or recordings, and I could only watch Intel, Nvidia, Samsung, and Sony keynotes at the time. I’ve been informed that at least some of CES 2014 keynote videos are now available online. I can access 9 videos from Intel, Yahoo, Audi, Cisco, Sony, etc… Thanks to Csilie for the link. Linux Conference Australia 2014 LCA 2014 took place on […]

January 10, 2014May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 51 Comments

A80 OptimusBoard Features AllWinner Octa-Core big.LITTLE SoC

Allwinner is currently at CES 2014 showcasing their latest Octa-core A80 SoC, and corresponding development board, the A80 OptimusBoard. Apart from the picture below, there were very little details for the initial announcement, but we now know, the board comes with 2 GB RAM, 8 GB NAND flash, and other features of the board, as well as the company behind the GPU in AllWinner A80. A80 OptimusBoard specifications: SoC – AllWinner Ultra Core A80 4x Cortex 15, 4x Cortex A7 big.LITTLE processor with an unnamed Imagination Technologies PowerVR GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND Flash Video Output – HDMI 1.4a Connectivity – Dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and Ethernet (GMAC) USB – 1x USB 3.0 OTG HIC, 2x USB 2.0 host ports Audio codec – AC100 Codec Camera I/F – 12MP MIPI CSI Debugging – UART and JTAG Expansion – 32-pin GPIO header Misc […]

January 10, 2014January 11, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

NETGEAR NeoMediacast Android HDMI Dongle (NTV300D) Features Wi-Fi 802.11ac Module

NETGEAR has announced a new HDMI dongle called NeoMediacast, but also known as NTV300D model, running Android 4.2.2, with functionalities very similar to all the HDMI TV sticks / mini PCs originating from Chinese manufacturers we’ve seen for nearly 2 years. AFAIK, NETGEAR is the first relatively well-known global company to unveil an Android HDMI TV stick for the consumer market. [Update: see comments for details how it will reach the comsumer]Key features published for NTV300D by the company: Android 4.2+ supported with RDK support in the future 1080p/60 full HD, H.264/MPEG4 video decode Supports HDMI 1.4 and HDCP 2.1 Miracast-enabled Wi-Fi 802.11ac 1×1 AC 450 Mbps, Bluetooth 4.0 USB powered Micro SD slot for playback/storage Micro USB (OTG) for secondary storage Misc – Infrared Port, status LED DRM support for Microsoft PlayReady, Google Widevine and Adobe RTMPe Remote control unit – RF4CE or Bluetooth supported So there’s now information […]

January 10, 2014May 10, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 35 Comments

Rockchip RK3288 vs RK3188 Performance Comparison

We were expecting some new processors at CES 2014, but this CES turned out to be mostly disappointing, and the vast majority of reporters present at the conference, do not seem interested in covering Chinese SoC vendors. Some information however surfaced on several foreign languages blogs and news sites about Rockchip RK3288. First, RK3288 is indeed based on ARM Cortex A12 as initially announced, and not some mysterious ARM Cortex A17 cores, but somebody at Rockchip likely made an embarrassing mistake, and Edward Weinert reported it was corrected at Rockchip booth with pieces of paper as shown below. So Rockchip RK3288 has four of these Cortex A12 core, a 4L2K H.265 / HEVC video decoder, and an high-end Mali T764 T624 GPU supporting OpenGL ES3.0 and OpenCL 1.1 that vastly outperforms Mali-400 MP4 found in RK3188, and is even significantly faster than Adreno 330 GPU found in Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 […]

January 9, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

100W USB Power Delivery Solutions Coming Later This Year

Beside 5Gbps, USB 3.0 specifications promised the capability to deliver 100 Watt (20V, 5A) of power to charge laptops, monitors, and other relatively power hungry devices directly via USB. The USB IF is currently showcasing a prototype based on DisplayLink docking station capable of both charging a laptop and connecting to a display via the same USB “power delivery” cable, and is expecting retail products to become available by the end of the year. 100 Watt are only achievable for a full USB port, although micro USB power delivery is also possible but at lower power. The dock combines ROHM BD-92101 USB power delivery chipset with USB Graphics and docking chipset solutions from DisplayLink according to that press release. The main advantage of this system is that you don’t need to carry your power adapter without, you’ll just need to bring your laptop, and plug it into a compatible USB […]

January 9, 2014January 9, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

OLEDCOMM LiFi System Transforms Your LED Light Bulbs into Wireless Access Points

Oledcomm, a French startup, has designed a system based on LiFi, part of IEEE 802.15 standard, that quickly modulates your existing LED lights and deliver wireless networks in a similar manner as Wi-Fi, and delivers up to 1Gbit/s bandwidth. The modulation is fast enough so that it’s invisible to the human eye, and all your need is a LiFi enabled router that will power and transmit data to your LED lights, as well as device with a LiFi receiver, such as a LiFi enabled smartphone. Transmission is somehow bidirectional. Charbax filmed a demo by the company at CES 2014, and he seems to be in a state of disbelief during the interview, just as I did. The company did not want to provide technical details, as they are still looking for investors, but this appears to be real. In the video, they mention up to 10MB/s throughput, lower than the […]