Linux-Rockchip Developers Community Up, Rockchip Development Boards Coming Soon?

Companies like Freescale and Texas Instruments provide good software support, and documentation, which is why they can be found in many embedded devices, because without documentation or source code low-level customization is nearly impossible or extremely time consuming. They also usually open most of the documentation and code, because they understand this can foster the use of their chips. On the other hand, Chinese-based SoC manufacturers focus on high-volume platforms such as tablets and smartphones, and usually management don’t understand the advantage to make documentation and GPL source code available, or even may consider it bad for business. Some individuals and small companies do not see it that way however, and they either want to access to the source code to improve existing mobiles devices, or use low cost Chinese SoCs to provide highly customizable hardware and software solutions. So source code and documentation have started to leak, and tools […]

Firmware Update for CS868 mini PC Version 2.06 (Android 4.1.1)

If you’ve got a Rockchip RK3188 mini PC, there’s usually no issue with finding firmware updates, or even custom ROMs. But if you’ve bought an AllWinner A31 mini PC, such as CS868, you may feel everybody dropped the ball, as the system is not stable, and it seemed there would never be any upgrade. I’ve recently been made aware that there’s some activity on a Chinese bulletin board, and a new firmware is available for CS868: V2.06-4.1.1-20130610. As the name implied, the firmware is based on Android 4.1.1, and has been release on the 10th of June 2013. Here’s the Changelog against V2.05: Add video color brightness, contrast and saturation settings Output to HDMI output by default Other systems optimization and the Changelog against V2.04 (22nd of May): Reduce DDR frequency to improve system stability. Fixed potential sound failure. Optimize USB OTG interface to fix issues with Air mice. Increase […]

Control your DSLR Camera via Wi-Fi using an Android mini PC and a Tablet

DSLR Controller is a paid Android app (beta) that uses your Canon EOS DSLR camera USB port in order to control it and access the camera live view with a tablet or smartphone. That may be useful, but it’s much better if you can roam a bit, and are not limited by the USB cable length. That’s why the application has been improved some time ago in order to use 2 Android devices, usually smartphones or tablets. One device is connected via USB to the DSLR camera, and act as a Wi-Fi access point, and the other device connects via Wi-Fi to allow full control of the camera. However, you don’t really need a screen on a Wi-Fi access point, so instead of using mobile devices, the developers decided to use an Android mini PC, specifically CX-919, which is just one of the many RK3188 mini PC available today, coupled […]

Linaro Connect Europe 2013 Sessions and Mini-Summit

Linaro Connect Europe 2013 (LCE13) is taking place in Dublin, Ireland on July 8 – 12, 2013. If you are not there, you can still follow the event remotely as the event schedule is available with tracks focused on Android, Builds and Baselines, Enterprise, Graphics and Multimedia, Linux Kernel, Network, Project Management Tools and Training, and the Testing and Validation mini-summit will also take place at the same time. There will be hacking and lab sessions each day (except on Friday) where you can expect to learn useful skills. I’ve selected 2 sessions per day that I think might be particularly interesting. Monday 10:00 – 10:45 – ARMv8 Status and Updates Current Status of v8 tree What’s merged? What’s features are next priorities? Platform Updates What members should know about adding new v8 platforms 12:00 – 13:00 – How to make Android more efficient for entry level products The main objective of […]

MINIX NEO X7 Quad Core Set-top Box Redesigned, Available Soon

When MINIX unveiled their RK3188 based MINIX NEO X7 at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair in April, they showcased a new enclosure design. Many people seemed to dislike the new “Lamborghini” casing, but the company listened to complains, and redesigned it to a more traditional casing, very similar to the one used for NEO X5. The company also disclosed the official specifications. SoC- Quad core Cortex A9 processor with quad core Mali-400 GPU (Rockchip RK3188) System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB NAND Flash + SD/MMC card reader (SD 3.0, MMC V4.41) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 / 5GHz) with external antenna 3G support via external USB dongle (not provided) 10/100M Ethernet (Supports hotspot sharing via Wi-Fi) Bluetooth V4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4a, full HD 1080p, 3D movie file format supported Audio Output/Input – HDMI 1.4a two channels, optical S/PDIF AC3 multi-channel, headphone and microphone jacks USB – […]

$87 NEO NS Goddess Dual Core Android Smartphone Powered by Qualcomm MSM8225

If you’re following the Chinese low cost smartphone space, you may only think about phones based on Mediatek or possibly Spreadtrum SoCs, but Qualcomm is now entering the arena with its dual core Cortex A5 MSM8225 SoC, and Android smartphones based on the platform such as NEO NS Goddess are available for less than $100, and in this case just $87. NEO NS Goddess specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Dual Core MSM8225 @ 1GHz with Andreno 203 GPU System Memory – 512MB RAM Storage – 512MB ROM + micro SD card slot (TBC) Display – 4.0″ 5-point capacitive touchscreen (800×480) Camera – 0.3MP front camera, 5.0MP back camera Connectivity – Wifi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS Network –  2G GSM 900/1800, 3G WCDMA 2100MHz (Dual SIM card) USB – 1x micro USB Audio – 1x earphone jack Sensor – G-sensor Support Battery – 1500mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery (up to 3 days) Dimensions – 124x64x11.6 […]

$130 Giada Q11 Android PC Features an LVDS Port, a mini PCIe slot, a Battery and 2.5″ HDD Support

Giada Q11 is an Android media player powered by AllWinner A10 with 1GB RAM and 8GB flash, which are pretty low specifications by today’s standard, so I would probably not recommend using at home. However, it comes with some pretty rare ports and features: an LVDS port, a mini PCIe slot (for 3G module only), a COM port, and a 2200 mAh battery capable of driving displays. Those extra features could make it a pretty good solution for specific applications such as high definition digital signage players. If your setup does not support networking, and you need to store media files in the device, a 2.5″ for SATA hard drive is also available. Giada Q11 Specifications: SoC – Allwinner A10 Cortex A8 processor @ 1GHz + ARM Mali-400 GPU System memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash, micro SD card slot (up to 32GB), and SATA II (2.5″ […]

Media Magic i5 is a 5″ Android Game Console Powered by Mediatek MT6589

Mediakek MT6589 processors are omni-present in the latest Chinese smartphones, and we can see new models based on the platform pop-up every week. But Mediatek SoC are almost exclusively used in smartphones and tablets, so MUCH Media Magic i5 Android Game Console proves it can also be used in other applications too, although one might argue a portable game console is just a tablet, or in this case a phablet, with some extra buttons… Magic Media i5 Specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT6589 quad core Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz + PowerVR SGX544MP  GPU System Memory – 1GB LPDDR2 RAM Storage – 4GB of storage memory Display – 5 “IPS display with 1280×720 resolution Battery – 3550 mAh Network – 3G-WCDMA module with dual sim Camera – Rear and front cameras USB – 2x microUSB ports Controls- Physical keys with shortcuts … The device runs Android 4.2 and is said to come […]