mini pc News - Page 82 of 137 - CNX Software

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

MXQ Pro Amlogic S905 Android TV Box Sells for $30 (Promo)

MXQ Pro TV box based on Amlogic S905 64-bit processor was launched at the end of last year for about $48. The price has come down after a few months, and GearBest is now selling NEXBOX MXQ Pro for as low as $28.99 (price will show when you add it to the cart), and if it goes back to $35, you should be able to use GBNB coupon to get it for $30.50 shipped. NEXBOX MXQ Pro specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0, AV Video Codec – 10-bit H.265 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 up to 4K @ 30 fps Audio – HDMI, AV, coaxial S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual band 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (No Bluetooth) USB […]

April 26, 2016April 27, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

MeLE PCG02U Ubuntu TV Stick is Now Available for $70

MeLE unveiled Start Cloud PCG02U Ubuntu TV stick powered by Intel Atom Z3735F processor with 1 to 2GB RAM and 32 GB flash a few weeks ago. The TV stick is a variation of PCG02 TV stick running Windows 10, but featuring an Ubuntu orange case, and running Ubuntu 14.04. The company has now launched the 2GB RAM version for $69.99 shipped on their Aliexpress store. MeLE PCG02U specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz / 1.83 GHz with Intel HD graphics Gen 7 (2W TDP) System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot up to 128 GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 with external antenna USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB port (for power only) Misc – Power button, Kensington […]

April 25, 2016December 26, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments

What’s the Best Android TV Box?

[Update December 26, 2017: I’ve posted a new version of this post entitled “What’s the Best Android TV Box (2017/2018 Edition)?“. I’ll leave the post below to have an historical perspective] I often get asked which TV box to buy, or what the best Android TV box is, and the answer is the TV box that fits your needs for the lowest price point possible. Considering there are around 2 millions apps for Android, they are multitudes of use cases, and you can’t provide a single answer for everybody. So I’ll provide a list of things to look for beside the processor, and three TV boxes that I think are worth considering, before providing alternatives for people who want cheaper devices. Things to Look for There are still a few things you may want to specifically look for before purchasing an Android TV box: History of regular firmware updates – […]

April 21, 2016April 22, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 28 Comments

NEXBOX A5 Android 6.0 TV Box Powered by Amlogic S905X Processor Supports HDR & 4K VP9 Videos

Amlogic S905X is a low cost version of Amlogic S905 with a lower operating frequency, built-in stereo DAC, integrated Ethernet PHY, 4K VP9 and HDR10 & HLG support, and NEXBOX A5 TV box will be one of the first devices with the processor. NEXBOX A5 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 (Option: 1GB) Storage – 16GB flash (8GB option) + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, and AV port (composite) Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF, AV port (stereo audio) Video Codecs – 4K VP9 @ 60 fps, 4K 10-bit H.265 @ 60 fps Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – Power button and LED. Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions […]

April 18, 2016April 18, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced Review

We’ve already taken Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced TV box apart in the unboxing and teardown post, and after changing the language to English, seen the performance is excellent thanks Mediatek MT8693 hexa-core processor, so I’ve done further experiments and tests with the device, and will report my findings in this review. Settings and Power Handling and Consumption Mibox 3 Enhanced boots reasonably fast I can get to the user interface within 30 seconds. We’ve already the main GITV user interface in previous posts, but I had not gone through the settings yet. There are eight main sections: Display Resolution settings – 3840×2160 @ 60/50/SMPTE24/30/24 Hz, 1080p @ 60/50 Hz, 720p @ 60/50 Hz, Scale and position – For overscan adjustment Sound Button sounds – On/Off Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format – PCM/Raw data (actually used for HDMI audio pass-through) System_update – MIUI TV firmware OTA update Device & Bluetooth – […]

April 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Mini PCs and Cloudbooks Powered by Intel Apollo Lake Pentium and Celeron Processors, Successors of Braswell SoCs, are Expected in H2 2016

Intel released a presentation entitled “Design Considerations and Reference Designs for Entry, Value and Mainstream PCs” at IDF 2016 Shenzhen, explaining the company vision about low power laptops and mini PCs. At the core of those devices will be “Apollo Lake” Pentium and Celeron Processors with 6 to 10W TDP replacing Braswell processors with better CPU and graphics performance, lower power consumption, and low overall BoM cost. Beside mini PCs, the processors will also find their way into what Intel calls Cloudbooks, some sort of laptops with 2 to 4GB RAM, 32 to 64GB storage, no hard drive, and displays whose size ranges from 11.6″ to 14″. So it looks like Cloudbooks may be the new Netbooks, with better performance and larger displays. Cost savings on the mainboard are achieved thanks to the integration of many features (Signal Processor, SD Card bridge chip, Spead Spectrum Clock…), low power consumption leading […]

April 16, 2016April 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Intel Compute Stick STK2mv64CC Powered by Core m5-6Y57 vPro Processor is Up for Pre-order for $485

Intel announced five new Computer Sticks at the beginning of the year, and so far 4 have been launched, and the Intel Core m3 have been benchmarked showing about to double the performance compared to the Cherry Trail versions, but the most powerful model based on Core m5 had yet to be launched. The news is that if you have some spare cash, you can now pre-order Intel Compute Stick STK2mv64CC based on Core m5-6Y57 vPro processor for $485 on Amazon US with shipping scheduled for May 12, 2016. That’s quite a steep price, so let’s see what you’d get for $500: SoC – Intel Core m5-6Y57 vPro dual core/four thread processor @ 1.1 GHz/2.8GHz with Intel HD Graphics 515 @ 300MHz/900Mhz (4.5 W TDP, configurable to 3.5W and 7W) System Memory – 4 GB DDR3L @ 1833MHz dual channel memory Storage – 64 GB eMMC + micro SDXC v3.0 slot with […]

April 15, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

$200 Kangaroo Mobile Desktop Pro mini PC Features a Larger Dock with 2.5″ SATA Slot, VGA, HDMI, and More

The original Kangaroo Mobile Desktop PC came with an Intel Atom x5-Z8500 processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB flash, as well as a small dock to add HDMI, two USB ports, and DC input. The company also launched an upgraded “Plus” version with 4GB RAM and 64GB flash a few months ago, but now they have introduced the Pro version with the same CPU “module”, but a larger dock, making the device over twice as thick by adding a 2.5″ SATA bay, Ethernet, VGA, etc… Kangaroo Mobile Desktop Pro specifications (bold highlights show difference with original model): SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8500 Processor @ 1.44 GHz (up to 2.24 GHz) with 2M Cache and Intel Gen8 Graphics System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC + micro SD slot + 2.5″ slot for SSD or HDD Video Output – HDMI and VGA Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack […]