Android

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on The First Jolla Phone Running SailFish OS is Now Available for Pre-order

The First Jolla Phone Running SailFish OS is Now Available for Pre-order

After a teaser tweet in July 2012, Jolla officially announced Sailfish OS in November 2012, and today, they’ll announce the first Jolla Smartphone, which is available for pre-order. Key features of the Jolla smartphone: SoC – Dual core processor Storage – 16GB Flash + microSD Display – 4.5” Estrade display Camera – 8MP auto-focus rear camera Network – 4G Battery – User-replaceable battery The device will run gesture based Sailfish OS, and you’ll be able to run Android apps. For a closer look, have a look at the teaser video. One caveat if that the smartphone should only be available at the end of 2013, and, at the beginning at least, only in Europe. The phone will cost 399 Euros including (24%) VAT, but you can pre-order today via 3 options: 100 Euros voucher – Jolla phone + other half (apparently a customizable shell) + priority pre-order status 40 Euros […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on Review of Kimdecent CS868 mini PC Powered by AllWinner A31

Review of Kimdecent CS868 mini PC Powered by AllWinner A31

Kimdecent sells some cheap RK3188 mini PCs such as QC802 for $76, but instead of sending me yet another RK3188 device, they agreed to send CS868, an HDMI TV dongle powered by AllWinner A31 quad core processor, so that I could review it. This mini PC comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB Flash, the latter being larger than the 8GB flash found in most other devices, and is available for $95 on Kimdecent Aliexpress store. More details about the specifications are available on Unuiga U28 post since the hardware is the same. In theory, AllWinner A31 has a much slower CPU than Rockchip RK3188, but its PowerVR 544MP2 GPU should outperform the Mali-400 MP4 found it the Rockchip processor, and A31 supports 4K2K video decoding. In this post, I’ll show some unboxing picture, give my first impressions, test Wi-Fi performance, video playback capabilities, and run some benchmarks. CS868 Unboxing Pictures […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on N70-A and N70-B AllWinner A20 and A31 Based Android Netbooks with 13.3″ Display

N70-A and N70-B AllWinner A20 and A31 Based Android Netbooks with 13.3″ Display

Last year, H6 Android Netbook featured AllWinner A10 Cortex A8 processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB Flash, and came with a 10.1″ display with 1024×600 resolution, and people who tried did not seem very satisfied with their purchase. This year however, we should get more better hardware thanks to devices like N70-A and N70-B, respectively powered by AllWinner A20 with 1GB RAM, and AllWinner A31 with 2GB RAM, that both come with a 13.3″ display (1280×800). There’s also N101-A model powered by AllWinner A20, but it comes with a 10.1″ display with 1024×600 resolution.  All models are available with 8, 16 or 32GB flash, feature Wi-Fi 802.11n and Ethernet connectivity, a 0.3MP front camera, an SD card reader, 2 USB ports, 1 HDMI output, as well as mic IN and headphone jacks. For some reasons, AllWinner A20 models runs Android 4.2.2, but AllWinner A31 still runs Android 4.1.2. You should be able […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on My Attempt at Adding Multiple Users Support to Android 4.2 HDMI TV Sticks

My Attempt at Adding Multiple Users Support to Android 4.2 HDMI TV Sticks

A few day ago, I noticed MoDaCo posted instructions to enable multiple users support on Nexus 4 smartphone via Liliputing’s Lilbits. They indicate that it may also work on other Android 4.2 devices, so with more and more Android mini PCs and set-top box running the latest version of Android, but lacking. multiple user support, I decided to give it a try on Tronsmart T428. My little experiment did not end up being that successful despite the picture below. But who knows, maybe some of my clever readers will find a solution. The instructions below may “work” on any rooted Android 4.2 devices including smartphones, mini PCs, media players, etc… You’ll need to install 2 apks: Xposed Framework – Scroll down on this page, then download and install XposedInstaller_2.1.4.apk. Finally run the installer, and reboot. MoDaCo Toolkit Xposed module – A link on this page will let you download com.modaco.toolkit.apk. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 31 Comments on Installing Android Studio IDE in Ubuntu – Hello World Application

Installing Android Studio IDE in Ubuntu – Hello World Application

Google I/O started yesterday, and Google released an early access preview version of Android Studio, a new IDE based on IntelliJ IDEA with drag-and-drop GUI layout editor, Gradle-based build system, Lint tools, the ability to preview how apps look on different screen sizes, and more. This may eventually replace the Eclipse + ADT Plugin combination currently used, so I’ve decided to give it a try in Ubuntu 13.04 64-bit, but it’s also available for Windows and Mac OS X. First, head over to Android Studio Installation instructions, and download Android Studio for you operating system via your Browser (You’ll have to accept an EULA), then open a terminal to extract it:

Now let’s start Android Studio:

And I did press enter to continue, but Android Studio complained about JAVA_HOME no being defined. Let’s just install Sun Oracle JAVA JDK since this is the recommended method. I’ve used the  […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on How to Play Games in Android mini PCs / STBs With a PS3 Bluetooth Controller

How to Play Games in Android mini PCs / STBs With a PS3 Bluetooth Controller

Android mini PCs ( HDMI TV dongles) are great to make your TV smart, and you may expect to be able to play Android games on your TV easily. The reality is that the keyboard and mouse, or remote controls used with those devices, are not suitable for games, and most games do not play at all. Of course, OUYA and GameStick projects will take care of this, as well as the recently available Project SHIELD ($349) , but if you already have one of those mini PCs, you may not want to spend the money for another device. Luckily there’s a solution, and with some efforts, you can play many games, but not all, with a PS3 Bluetooth controller connected to your Android mini PC or Set-Top Box. I decided to give it a try by buying “GOIGAME Rechargeable Bluetooth Wireless DoubleShock III Controller for PS3” for $16.60, which […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments on DealExtreme 5015 Discount on Mini PCs, Class 10 SD Cards, RF Remote Controls and More

DealExtreme 50% Discount on Mini PCs, Class 10 SD Cards, RF Remote Controls and More

DealExtreme has started a promotion that is taking place on May, 15-20 offering 50% discount on selected products. I’ve gone through the list, and found several RK3066 Android mini PCs all priced between $23 and $27, as well as some other items that may be of interest to readers of this blog. [Update: Sorry, in just a couple of hours, all items listed below are already sold out] Android Mini PCs: MK808 – $25.00 – One of the most used Android mini PC. Powered by Rockchip RK3066 with 1GB RAM, 8GB Flash. The version in DX runs Android 4.1.1, but a beta Android 4.2.2 firmware is also available. MK808B –  $23.50 – Same as MK808, but with Bluetooth, and somehow it’s cheaper… Rikomagic MK802 IIIS – $27.10 – Rockchip RK3066 powered mini PC with 1GB RAM and 8GB Flash. Contrary to the previous 2 that feature a HDMI female connector, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments on Tronsmart T428 mini PC Review

Tronsmart T428 mini PC Review

Geekbuying was kind enough to send me another RK3188 mini PCs for review. Tronsmart T428 is very similar to MK908 I reviewed earlier, with 2GB RAM and 8GB flash, but the latest device runs Android 4.2.2, its Wi-Fi module supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, and T428 can also be used as a Miracast Display. Geekbuying sells for the device for $96.99 including shipping, but before to buy the device I strongly recommend you read the review. I’ll post some unboxing pictures first, then carry on with my first impressions, video playback capabilities, Wi-Fi performance and some benchmarks. Tronsmart T428 Unboxing I received the device is in the package below. T428 comes with a short HDMI cable, a 5V/2A power supply, and a USB to microUSB cable for power. A close look at this mini PC shows the casing is made of plastic and metal (on the lengths), comes with […]