CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 29, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

RebeccaBlackOS is a Linux Distribution Showcasing Wayland

nerdopolis, a developer and a Rebecca Black fan, has been maintaining a Linux distribution called RebeccaBlackOS that uses Wayland’s reference compositor Weston as the default for handling its graphical user interface, and automatically start “Friday” song as it boots. This distribution actually supports both Wayland and X, as even though QT, GTK, EFL (Enlightenment Foundation Libraries), Clutter, and SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) have all been compiled to support Wayland, many apps don’t work with Wayland, so Xwayland provides a way to run many, but not all, X apps in Wayland. You can try the latest 1.8 GB ISO image (24 May 2013), which is based on 32-bit Kubuntu 13.04, by transferring it to a USB flash drive via Unetbootin, or by using the ISO directly in VirtualBox (it will then use the framebuffer). I planned to try it before writing this post, by the “18 hours, 10 minutes remaining” message […]

May 29, 2013May 29, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

XBMC Linux Coming to AMLogic AML8726-MX Based Media Players

XBMC now works pretty well on several Android set-top boxes, but if XBMC is the only application you’re going to run on your device, you may prefer running XBMC in Linux to gain a bit in terms of performance. The only catch is that it’s not available yet, but J1nx posted a teaser video showing XBMC running in Geniatech ATV1200 set-top box. The demo above outputs at 720p, hardware video decoding appears to be working, the user interface is rendered at 30fps with a video played in the background, and CPU usage is about 10 to 20%. Under the hood, the box is running Linux 3.0.50, with Linaro 2013.02 armhf rootfs and BusyBox 1.21. An image is not available yet, and there’s no ETA.

May 29, 2013June 1, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments

$40 SunnyCube V7 Tablet Powered by WonderMedia WM8880 Dual Core SoC

There’s a war going on in China at this very moment, a war fought between Chinese tablet SoC manufacturers to get the cheapest dual core tablet on the market, and according to diverse reports, it seems VIA Wondermedia may have won a battle with WM8880 dual core SoC, as the upcoming SunnyCube V7 tablet will sell for 249 RMB (About $40 US), just 20 RMB (~$3) more than AllWinner A13 based tablets. The rest of the world should be able to get it for about $50 – $55 from websites such as Aliexpress, after paying for “free” shipping. SunnyCube V7 Specifications: SoC – VIA WM8880 Dual core Cortex A9 processor @ 1.5GHz + Mali-400 MP2 GPU System Memory – 512MB RAM Storage – 4GB Flash Display – 7-inch WVGA (800×480) display Video Playback – H.264, WMV, MPEG2/4, VP8 (up to 1080p) Camera – Front and rear cameras Battery – Unknown […]

May 28, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Aithon Motor Control Board Runs Chibios/RT RTOS

The Aithon board is a board powered by an STM32 Cortex M4 MCU destined at controlling motors and robotics applications. The board runs Chibios/RT, an open source RTOS, and a set of libraries are also provided to make programming the 2-channel motor driver, and other peripherals/sensors easier. Here are the specifications of the board: MCU – STMicroelectronics STM32F407 ARM Cortex-M4 @ 168 MHz, FPU, 512KB flash and 192KB RAM, up to 17 timers, an RTC, and 12-bit ADC I/O (All digital I/Os are 5V tolerant): 15 GPIO 8 ADC inputs and 8 PWM servo outputs Up to 3 USART (one shared with 1 I2C port + XBee) Up to 4 I2C (split between two independent buses) 1 SPI header 1 SWD header 1 12-bit DAC output (shared with SPI SCLK) USB – mini-USB (device) and standard USB (host) ports Expansion Headers: XBee socket Bluetooth header for optional Roving Networks RN42 […]

May 28, 2013May 28, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

The Smarter Phone is Upgradeable Just Like a PC

The “Smarter Phone“, which is just a concept right now, would allow users to easily upgrade or repair it by changing key modules. Your phone currently has a 5MP camera, and you’ll like to upgrade for a 12MP. No problem, just replace the camera module. We’re now in 2016. The quad core processor in your smartphone feels really slow, and memory is tight, so you’d like to replace it with the latest Exynos 7 20-core processor with extra-large.big.medium.little.tiny processing technology, and finally get 8GB RAM. You can do so by just updating the CPU module, and on and on. Basically, your smartphone would be just as upgradeable as your PC, which is probably timely since in a couple of years, your phone may become your PC. This concept designed by Bernat Lozano (Product Designer), and Rocío García (Architect & Product Designer), would help save consumers’ money, and reduce e-waste, as they […]

May 27, 2013May 27, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

$129 Wandboard Quad Board With Freescale i.MX 6Quad and 2GB RAM

When Wandboard launches their Wandboard Solo and Wandboard Dual boards, many people asked when there would be a quad core version. At the time, the company said they had no plan for a quad core version to keep costs low. If we are to believe a Wandboard Quad listing on mouser.com, they must have changed their mind of they now offer a Freescale i.MX6 Quad version with 2GB RAM, and SATA support, which will sell for $129 (as shown on Wandboard site) or $139 (mouser.com) once it becomes available. The Specifications are very similar to Wandboard Dual, except for the quad core processor, 2GB RAM, and working SATA connector: SoC – Freescale i.MX 6Quad quad core Cortex A9 processor @ 1.2 GHz + Vivante GC2000 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 2x micro SD card slot + SATA connector Video Output – HDMI Audio I/O – HDMI, S/PDIF […]

May 27, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

No.1 P7 mini Pad is a 7″ Android Phablet Powered by Mediatek MT6589

If you wanted a tablet with built-in 3G connectivity, and the ability to make calls last year, you could have bought one of Mediatek MT8377 based tablets. This year, you can get the same functionality, but upgrade to quad core, by getting a tablet, or should I say phablet, powered by Mediatek MT6589 such as “No.1 P7 mini Pad”. Many sites also promote it as an iPad mini clone, especially it has a lightning connector. No.1 P7 mini Pad specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT6589 quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz + PowerVR SGX544 GPU System Memory – 512MB, 1GB or 2GB DDR3 depending on exact model, and where you read. Storage – 4GB NAND Flash + internal micro SD card slot fitted with 8GB/16GB or 32GB microSD Display – 7″ IPS Capacitive touch screen (1280×800) Camera – 2.0MP front camera + 8.0MP rear camera Networks – 3G: GSM850/900/1800/1900MHz; […]

May 27, 2013May 27, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

UDOO QUAD vs BeagleBone Black vs Wandboard Dual vs ODROID-X2 vs Raspberry Pi

UDOO QUAD is a development board featuring both Freescale i.MX 6Quad and an Atmel SAM3 Cortex M3 MCU, that’s currently having a very successful campaign on Kickstarter, as the total amount pledged is now close to $500,000 US. UDOO decided to put a comparison table against four other ARM Linux boards they consider their main competitors: the BeagleBone Black for its numerous I/O options, Wandboard Dual, also a Freescale i.MX6 powered board, the ODROID X2 for its powerful Exynos 4412 processor, and Raspberry Pi model B which is ubiquitous. The Cubieboard board would also have been an interesting addition, but they did not include it. As you would have guessed the green parts in the tablet shows the winner for each features according to UDOO team. These 5 boards vary greatly in terms of price, and since this is not included in the table above, I’ll mention the price of […]