CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 11, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

MX4 TV Box Based on Rockchip RK3229 Processor Is Selling for $25 (Promo)

There are a few Rockchip RK3229 based Android TV boxes selling for around $30, which are mostly interesting to play high bitrate 4K 10-bit H.265 or 10-bit H.264 videos, and there’s currently a promotion that shaves about $5 off the normal price of MX4 TV Box, bringing the price down to $24.99 shipped. MX4 TV box specifications are basically the same as MQX-4K, even up to the location of connectors, but with a different wireless module: SoC – Rockchip RK3229 quad core ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash + SD card slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K2K @ 60 fps, and 3.5mm AV output (composite) Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and coaxial S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100Mbps Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi + Bluetooth 2.1 (Realtek RTL8703) USB – 4x USB 2.0 […]

June 10, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Imagination Solution to FCC Rules for WiFi Routers: Run OpenWrt / DD-WRT and the WiFi Driver in Separate Virtual Machines

About a year ago, discussions started about new rules from the FCC that could prevent routers from installing open source third party operating systems such as OpenWrt or DDWRT. Despite the FCC assurance that the rules were meant to prevent some users from illegally tweaking the RF settings, and that it would not have to impact installing of open source alternatives, the reality is that companies such as TP-Link ended up locking their routers up due to the new rules, while Linksys would only ensure OpenWrt/ DD-WRT compatibility on some of their routers, but not all. Companies are probably doing that due to the extra work that would be required to separate the RF settings which need to be locked, and the rest of the firmware. But Imagination Technology’s prpl security group has a solution for their MIPS Warrior P-Class processors using hardware virtualization. In order to show the concept […]

June 10, 2016May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

MeegoPad A02 Remix OS TV Stick Has Now Launched on Indiegogo for $39 and Up

MeegoPad A02 octa-core Remix OS first launched in China for as low as 199 CNY ($30), and the company has raised around 107,000 RMB (~$16,300 US) so far. In the meantime, they’ve also launched the product on Indiegogo for a ~25% markup for cheapest pledge as the 1GB RAM/16GB Flash is offered for $39 + shipping, instead of $30 + shipping in China. The specifications have not changed much (some features have been clarified), and there are still two models with different memory and storage capacities: SoC – Allwinner A83T octa-core ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1.6 GHz with PowerVR SGX544MP1 GPU System Memory / Storage 1GB DDR3L + 16 GB eMMC flash, and micro SD slot up to 128GB OR 2GB DDR3L + 32 GB eMMC flash, and micro SD slot up to 128GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p60 Audio Output – HDMI, 3,5 mm headphone jack Connetivity […]

June 10, 2016June 10, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Tango-Enabled Smartphone to Sell for $500 in Q3 2016

Project Tango uses computer vision to enable mobile devices to detect their position relative to the world using 3D maps of the world created in real-time using 3D depth cameras. Google and Lenovo had already announced a Tango phone would be launched later this year during CES 2016, and the companies have now officially introduced Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, the world’s first Tango-enabled smartphone, scheduled to start selling worldwide in September for $499 and up. Lenovo Phab Pro 2 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Tango Edition processor with 4x ARM Cortex A72 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, 4x ARM Cortex A53 cores, and Adreno 510 GPU System Memory – 4GB RAM Storage – 64GB flash Display – 6.4″ display with 2560×1440 (QHD) resolution Audio – Dolby Atmos / 5.1 audio capture via 3 microphones with 360 voice noise-cancelling (Note: How can you record 5.1 audio with only 3 […]

June 10, 2016August 9, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Bluetooth 5 Promises Four times the Range, Twice the Speed of Bluetooth 4.0 LE Transmissions

The Bluetooth SIG is about to officially unveil Bluetooth 5 on June 16 during a media event in London. One change on the marketing side is that they dropped the point number, so it won’t be called Bluetooth 5.0 like in Bluetooth 4.0, but just Bluetooth 5. The decision has been made allegedly to “simplifying marketing, and communicating user benefits more effectively”. On the technical side, Bluetooth 5 will double the speed and quadruple the range of low energy Bluetooth transmissions compared to Bluetooth 4.x, which could be important for IoT applications where nodes are connected throughout the house. Bluetooth 5 will also allow connectionless services to add location-relevant information and navigation. The specifications have not been publicly released yet, and made they will be on June 16. Eventually, you’ll be able to download them on Bluetooth “adopted specifications” page. Via XDA developers

June 9, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi 3 To Get ARM TrustZone Support with Linaro OP-TEE Port

If you ever wanted to experiment with ARM Trustzone, and IoT security, you’ll soon be able to do so with the Raspberry Pi 3 board thanks to a port of Linaro OP-TEE (Open Portable Trusted Environment Execution) by Sequitur Labs. Broadcom BCM2737 SoC found in Raspberry Pi 3 board already had TrustZone hardware for isolation and protection for sensitive material such as cryptographic keys, algorithms and data, but the upcoming software release will mean the feature can now be used, and it’s free for trial/evaluation, and education. Trustzone is also used for DRM (digital rights management), but in the case of Raspberry Pi 3 it will most likely used to teach how to secure the Internet of Things (IoT). The release is scheduled for July 11, with source code and documentation to be available in OP-TEE github account. All you’ll need to get started is a Raspberry Pi 3 board, […]

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments

Orange Pi PC Plus Quad Core Development Board with 1GB RAM, 8GB eMMC flash Sells for $20

Most low cost development boards do not include internal storage in order to decrease costs, and instead require their users to flash their preferred operating system on (micro) SD card. This makes it easy to get started, but many micro SD cards often suffer from poor random I/O performance, even for Class 10 or greater card, leading to a poor user experience compared to what you’d get with an eMMC flash. Shenzhen Xunlong has released yet another Allwinner H3 board, namely Orange Pi PC Plus, similar to Orange Pi PC but adding WiFi, and 8GB eMMC flash. Orange Pi PC Plus specifications with main change with Orange Pi PC highlighted in bold: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core Cortex A7 @ 1.3 GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU up to 600 MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI […]

June 9, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

KS2 Android SoundBar Features Amlogic S905 Processor, a DVB-T2 Tuner

I’ve tested several Android TV boxes with digital TV tuners this year, including K1 Plus S2 T2 and U4 Quad Hybrid, but the manufacturers of K1 Plus have decided to design an Android 5.1 soundbar powered by Amlogic S905 processor and including a DVB-T2 tuner to catch live TV channels. KS2 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB flash + micro SD card slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz; composite video output (RCA) Audio HDMI, Line IN, digital audio input Speakers 2x 15W 2.5″ speakers 1x 20W 3″ subwoofer 1x bass diagram Audio Range – 20 to 20 kHz Signal to noise ratio – >= 85 dB Effective output power: 50 watts Video Codecs – 10-bit H.265 up to 4K60, MPEG/VC-1/AVS+/H.265 […]