Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on $17 Sonoff S31 Wireless Smart Socket Includes Energy Monitoring Function

$17 Sonoff S31 Wireless Smart Socket Includes Energy Monitoring Function

ITEAD Studio has just launched another Sonoff Smart Home product with Sonoff S31 WiFi smart socket with energy monitoring. Just like Sonoff switches, light bulbs, and their other products, the device can be controlled using eWelink app for Android or iOS, and supports integration with Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. It should be noted that the company only provide a US plug version for now, and so far, there’s no Wiki link, so while it’s likely based on ESP8266 or ESP8285 like their other Sonoff devices, it may not be designed to be easily hackable, although I suspect the electronics may be similar to Sonoff POW switch (TBC). Sonoff S31 hardware specifications listed by ITEAD: Voltage Input – 90~264V AC, 50/60HZ Max. Current – 16A Max. Power – 4200W (Note package above reads max load: 220V/10A) Gang – 1x US type with ground Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi with support […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on UBPorts Ubuntu Touch Firmware to Add Android App Support using Anbox

UBPorts Ubuntu Touch Firmware to Add Android App Support using Anbox

Last spring, Canonical stopped working on mobile and convergence, and dropped any work on Unity, which explains why Ubuntu 17.10 is now running Gnome desktop environment by default. The company had to take this decision because there was little interest from manufacturers for such solution, and instead they refocused on the more profitable IoT and cloud markets. However, some members of the community still wanted to run Ubuntu on their phone, and that’s why UBPorts community decided to carry on development on their own and released their first stable Ubuntu Touch image for supported smartphones last summer. A phone running Ubuntu Touch is great, but you’d have a very limited set of app to play with, so the developers are now working on adding support for Android apps support. There are various ways to implement such features, but they went with Anbox, as it executes Android apps natively in a […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on What’s the Best Android TV Box (2017/2018 Edition)?

What’s the Best Android TV Box (2017/2018 Edition)?

Since I was often asked which TV box to buy, I wrote a guide entitled “What’s the best Android TV box?” in April 2016. Time has passed, new products have launched, I tested more devices, and got further reader feedback, so it’s time for an update. There’s still no device that rules them all, and since everybody has different requirements and price points, what could the best Android TV box ever to one person, maybe be a piece of junk to another. Before purchasing a TV box, you should consider what you plan to do with it, and find the device with matches your needs and budget. So first, I’ll provide a list of things to look for – beside the SoC/RAM selection – before selecting three TV boxes that stand out (in no particular order), as well as alternatives worth looking at. Things to Look for The list is […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router Combo Runs Android 7.1 on Amlogic S905X Processor

SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router Combo Runs Android 7.1 on Amlogic S905X Processor

There are so many Amlogic S905X/S912 TV boxes on the market that offer the same features, I’ve long stopped reporting on all new models, unless they have very specific features, or are made by some of the most popular companies. SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router appear to be a difference beast – as its name implies -, as it’;s both an Android 7.1 TV box, and an Android WiFi router thanks to three Ethernet ports. SATXTREM TV box & router specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-450MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (Options: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB) + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, AV port (composite) Video Codecs – 4K 10-bit H.265 up to 60 fps, VP9 up to 60 fps, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Khronos Group Releases Neural Network Exchange Format (NNEF) 1.0 Specification

Khronos Group Releases Neural Network Exchange Format (NNEF) 1.0 Specification

The Khronos Group, the organization behind widely used standards for graphics, parallel computing, or vision processing such as OpenGL, Vulkan, or OpenCL, has recently published NNEF 1.0 (Neural Network Exchange Format) provisional specification for universal exchange of trained neural networks between training frameworks and inference engines. NNEF aims to reduce machine learning deployment fragmentation by enabling data scientists and engineers to easily transfer trained networks from their chosen training framework into various inference engines via a single standardized exchange format. NNEF encapsulates a complete description of the structure, operations and parameters of a trained neural network, independent of the training tools used to produce it and the inference engine used to execute it. The new format has already been tested with tools such as TensorFlow, Caffe2, Theano, Chainer, MXNet, and PyTorch. Khronos has also released open source tools to manipulate NNEF files, including a NNEF syntax parser/validator, and example exporters, which can […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Haven Open Source App Transforms Your Old Android Smartphone into a Smart Security Camera

Haven Open Source App Transforms Your Old Android Smartphone into a Smart Security Camera

About two years ago, I wrote a post asking what to do with old devices instead of throwing them away. My own proposals included giving them away, reselling them on eBay, recycling them for other purpose like servers or download clients, or scavenging some parts. Other people also comments what they did with theirs, for example setting up a Linux cluster with old TV boxes. Another way to recycling an old (Android) smartphone – albeit you could always buy an inexpensive one – is to install and run Haven, an open source app that transforms your phone into some sort of smart security camera, but instead of only using the camera from the phone, the app also logs audio events using its microphone (array), as well as data reported by sensors. One of you first reaction might be: “cool! somebody may an app that would allow hackers or government to […]

AAEON Intel Arc
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Renesas R-Car M3 Starter Kit is Designed for ADAS Applications

Renesas R-Car M3 Starter Kit is Designed for ADAS Applications

Most boards targeting the automotive market are impossible to purchase by individual, so last year I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered Renesas R-Car M2 Porter Linux automotive infotainment development board was available for sale on Digikey, and had good documentation on eLinux.org. The company has now introduced another automotive board, namely R-Car V3M starter kit, that’s not designed for infotainment, but instead for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) or even AD (Automated Driving) applications. Specifically, the board is supposed to “accelerate the development of New Car Assessment program (NCAP), front camera applications, surround view systems, and lidars” leveraging the company’s R-Car V3M image recognition SoC. Renesas R-Car V3M starter kit (V3MSK) specifications: SoC – Renesas R-Car V3M processor with two Cortex A53 64-bit cores @ up to 800 MHz, a dual lockstep Cortex-R7 32-bit core @ up to 800 MHz, IMP-X5-V3M image recognition engine System Memory – 448KB RAM on-chip; […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on PiPO P10 Phoenix OS 2-in-1 Laptop is Powered by Rockchip RK3399 Processor

PiPO P10 Phoenix OS 2-in-1 Laptop is Powered by Rockchip RK3399 Processor

Phoenix OS is an operating system based on Android 7.1 with desktop optimizations, and is one of the last few options if you plan to run Android on x86 platforms as other projects such as Remix OS have stopped providing images, at least for the consumer market. The operating system also work on Arm platforms, but it is not open source – except for a Linux kernel release a few months ago -, manufacturers partners with the company to port the OS to their hardware. PiPO P10 2-in-1 laptop is one of those devices, and thanks to Rockchip RK3399 processor should offer decent performance. PiPO P10 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa core processor with 2x Cortex A72 cores, 4x Cortex A53 cores, Mali-860MP4 GPU System Memory – 4GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 32 or 64GB storage, 1x micro SD slot Display – 10.1″ capacitive touch display with 2560×1600 […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC