CNXSoft – Embedded Systems News

We’ve already seen the announcement of Samsung ARTIK 053 WiFi module with Tizen RT this morning, but it appears that Tizen RT (Real Time) is part of a Tizen 4.0 that will add support to IoT devices, as well as introduce changes from the developers’ perspective.

Samsung Electronics talked a bit more about Tizen Next (Tizen 4.0) at the Tizen Developer Conference (TDC) 2017 taking in place on May 16-17 in San Francisco. Few details are provided in the press released, but we could learn that “the Tizen 4.0 platform has been extended to Tizen RT (Real-Time) to involve high-end products such as TVs and mobile devices as well as low-end products such as thermostats, scales, bulbs, and more”. Tizen RT page explains that the real-time operating system is designed to run on Cortex M/R MCU with less than 2 MB RAM, less than 16 MB flash, and consists of a lightweight RTOS called TinyAra (based on NuttX), IoT protocols (IoTivity and LWM2M), and JerryScript/IoT.js.

Tizen 4.0 will also make it easy for developers used to Microsoft Visual studio and C# language, since the Microsoft .NET framework and Xamarin UI framework has been introduced into Tizen. The video animation below explains some of the benefits of Tizen 4.0 for developers and manufacturers.

Samsung also demonstrated the latest Samsung Z4 smartphone (still based on Tizen 3.0), and launched the Tizen Mobile Incentive Program for global application developers to offer a one million dollar prize every month when the app is sold and placed in the Top 100 on the Tizen Store from February to October 2017.

According to Tizen Roadmap, Tizen 4.0 M1 (Milestone 1) will be released next month with support for .NET framework 2.0 and Xamarin 2.5 with x86 emulation, but you’ll need to wait for Tizen M2 release in October to get support for ARM32 native .NET support, and other features getting out of preview such as the package manager, CLI, and the profiler. However, there have been three preview releases before that, you can play with Tizen .NET developer preview 3.

Tweet We’ve already seen the announcement of Samsung ARTIK 053 WiFi module with Tizen RT this morning, but it appears that Tizen RT (Real Time) is part of a Tizen...

Samsung has just introduced the latest member of its Artik family at IoT World 2017. ARTIK 053 is a WiFi module powered by an ARM Cortex R4 wireless micro-controller @ 320 MHz with hardware based security, GPIO, SPI, and I2C ports, and running Tizen RT real-time operating system.

Artik 053 module specifications:

• MCU – 32-bit ARM Cortex R4 @ 320MHz with 1280 KB RAM for general use, 128 KB RAM for global IPC data (likely Samsung Exynos i T200, or a variant without an ARM Cortex M0+ core)
• Storage – 8 MB flash
• Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi @ 2.4 GHz
• Expansion – 29 dedicated GPIO ports, 2x SPI, 4x UART (2-pin), 4x ADC, 1x JTAG, 2x I2C
• Security – AES/DES/TDES, SHA-1/SHA-2, PKA (Public Key Accelerator), PRNG/DTRNG (Random Number Generators), Secure key storage, Physical Unclonable Function (PUF)
• Power Supply – 5 to 12VDC input voltage
• Dimensions – 40 x 15 x 3 mm
• Certifications – FCC (U.S), IC (Canada), CE (EU), KC (Korea), SRRC (China)

The module runs Tizen RT operating system with WiFi and network middleware, support for LWM2M (Lightweight Machine to Machine) for device management, IoTivity, and JerryScript/IoT.js.

Tizen RT Block Diagram

You can develop on ARTIK 053 using ARTIK IDE, as well as open source tools like Eclipse Classic Desktop (CDT), gcc, and OpenOCD. A “Developer Reference Mobile App” working with Samsung ARTIK Cloud is also provided, and Samsung collaborated with VMWare to support Little IoT Agent (Liota) open source software development kit (SDK) developed by VMware on ARTIK 053.

ARTIK 053 starter kit – pictured below – will help you evaluation the module, and get started as soon as possible.

Artik 053 Module on Development Board

The ARTIK starter board includes Arduino-form factor interface headers, expanded GPIO headers with exposed SPI and UARTs, on-board reset and Arduino reset buttons, 2x test buttons and 2x LEDs, a micro USB connector for power and programming, a JTAG header (1.27mm pitch), and a power barrel.

ARTIK 053 sells for as low as $6.65 for 300 unit orders on Digikey, while the starter kit goes for $35 on either Mouser or Digikey. You’ll more more details, including software and hardware documentation, on Artik.io website.

Tweet Samsung has just introduced the latest member of its Artik family at IoT World 2017. ARTIK 053 is a WiFi module powered by an ARM Cortex R4 wireless micro-controller...

Samsung has just issued a press release announcing the Korean company had just started mass-production of the first SoC for Wearables using 14-nm FinFET process with their Exynos 7 Dual (7270) dual Cortex A53 processor. Exynos 7270 is also said to be the first such SoC to embed full connectivity and LTE modem integration.

Exynos 7270 specifications:

• CPU – Dual-core ARM Cortex^–A53 processor  @ up to 1.0 GHz
• GPU – ARM Mali-T720
• Memory – LPDDR3 support
• Storage – eMMC 5.0, SD card interfaces
• Display – Up to 960×540 (qHD) resolution
• Camera – Up to 5MP pixel sensor support
• Multimedia – HD ([email protected]) video with HEVC, H.264, VP8 Codec
• LTE Modem – LTE Category 4 non-CA
• Connectivity – WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, FM Radio
• GNSS – GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
• PMIC – Integrated in SiP-ePoP package
• Package – SiP-ePoP, 10x10mm (SiP: System-in-Package; ePoP: embedded Package-on-Package)

The SoC will be packaged inside a SiP-ePOP package with DRAM, eMMC, and a power management IC, which will allow for a much smaller board, and more space for the battery for example, which combined with the more power efficient 14-nm FinFET process should allow for longer battery life for wearables.

Samsung Galaxy Gear S3 Running Tizen OS on Exynos 7 Dual Processor

Samsung can also provide a reference platform with display, NFC, audio codec, diverse sensors and a sensor hub to help companies getting started with their product design.

More information can be found on Exynos 7 Dual product page.

Tweet Samsung has just issued a press release announcing the Korean company had just started mass-production of the first SoC for Wearables using 14-nm FinFET process with their Exynos 7...

Back in 2013, we saw a Tizen 2.0 tablet prototype by Systena, but for whatever reason, it never came to market. Over three years later, a Russian company called DIGMA is about to launch the first Tizen tablet that you should be able to buy (provided you are based in Russia) with DIGMA Plane 8501 3G tablet running Tizen 3.0.

DIGMA Plane 8501 3G specifications:

• SoC – Spreadtrum SC7731(G) quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Mali 400MP2 GPU
• System Memory – 1GB RAM
• Storage – 8GB flash + micro SD slot up to 32 GB
• Display – 8″ IPS touchscreen display with 1280×800 resolution
• Cellular Connectivity – 3G connectivity with dual SIM card support
• Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS
• Camera – 2MP rear camera with LED flash, 0.3MP front camera
• USB – micro USB port
• Battery – 3,800 mAh battery good for about 8 hours
• Dimensions – 209.8 x 120 x 8.8 mm
• Weight – 365 grams

This entry-level tablet runs Tizen 3.0 operating system with a new “architecture designed for the Internet of Things”, and targets both businesses and governmental organizations requiring data security and device stability.

There’s no availability nor pricing information for the tablet, but like most devices running an alternative mobile OS, there’s already an Android version selling for 6260 to 6790 Rubles (~$100), so the Tizen tablet should likely be in that price range too.

Via Tizen Experts

Tweet Back in 2013, we saw a Tizen 2.0 tablet prototype by Systena, but for whatever reason, it never came to market. Over three years later, a Russian company called...

Tizen has converged all Tizen SDK for mobile, wearables, and TV to Tizen Studio since the beginning of the month, and released Tizen Studio 1.0 for developers interested in developing app for Tizen smartphones, TVs and/or smartwatches such as the latest Samsung Gear S3.

So instead, you’ll now be able to select the targets platform and profiles within Tizen Studio. Some of the key changes made to the development environment in Tizen Studio 1.0 include:

1. Launching tools: Installer, Uninstaller, and Package Manager
2. Developing tools: IDE perspective theme, Project Wizard, Certificate Manager, and Menu and tool icons
3. UI tools: UI Builder, Component Designer, and EDC Editor
4. Testing tools: Emulator
5. Testing tools: Dynamic Analyzer for memory and CPU profiling
6. Other improvements in Tizen application development environment

Dynamic Analyzer in Tizen Studio 1.0

Tizen Studio is available for the 32-bit and 64-bit version of Windows,  and Ubuntu, as well as for Mac OS with one version with the graphics IDE, and a smaller command line interface only version.

You can find a few more details about Tizen Studio on a Samsung newsroom post.

Tweet Tizen has converged all Tizen SDK for mobile, wearables, and TV to Tizen Studio since the beginning of the month, and released Tizen Studio 1.0 for developers interested in...

After Samsung Z1, and Samsung Z3, Samsung defied “mathematical incrementation wisdom”, and launched Samsung Z2 Tizen smartphone, which happens to be the very first Tizen phone supporting 4G networks.

Tizen Z2 is definitely an entry level smartphone as the specification show:

• SoC – Spreadtrum SC9830i quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.5 GHz with Mali 400MP2 GPU
• System Memory – 1GB RAM
• Storage – 8GB flash + micro SD slot up to 128GB
• Display – 4″ WVGA TFT display
• Cellular Connectivity – 4G LTE Cat.4
• Camera – 5MP rear camera with LED flash, 0.3MP front camera
• Battery – 1,500 mAh battery

The device caters to the Indian market with Samsung’s ‘Make for India’ features such as the “Ultra Data Saving mode, S bike mode and the new My Money Transfer”. The phone also includes a preview version of Jio services to access music and videos on demand.

Samsung Z3 will be sold for 4,590 INR (~$68) in India starting on August 29th. More details may be found on Samsung Z2 product page.

Via Tizen Experts

Tweet After Samsung Z1, and Samsung Z3, Samsung defied “mathematical incrementation wisdom”, and launched Samsung Z2 Tizen smartphone, which happens to be the very first Tizen phone supporting 4G networks....

Samsung Artik IoT boards will finally start selling on February 22 via Digikey. With the many fascinating developments in the IoT space over the year, you’d be forgiven if you completely forgot about Samsung Artik boards. So let’s have a quick recap.

The Korean company previously announced three boards all supporting Bluetooth LE:

• Artik 1 – Ineda Systems Dual Core microAptiv MIPS32 processor with 1MB on-chip RAM, no GPU, and 4MB SPI flash
• Artik 5 – Dual core Exynos ARM processor @ 1GHz with ARM Mali 400 MP2 GPU, 512MB RAM and 4GB eMMC flash (both on-chip), with WiFi & Zigbee/Thread connectivity
• Artik 10 – Octa core Exynos processor with 4x ARM Cortex A15 @ 1.3GHz, 4x ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.0 GHz with ARM Mali-T628 GPU, 2GB LPDDR3 (on-chip), 16GB eMMC flash, and WiFi & Zigbee/Thread connectivity

Samsung also partnered with multiple companies working on:

• Operating Systems – Tizen, Nucleus Real Time OS (for Artik 1), Fedora Linux, and Snappy Ubuntu Core.
• Tools and Services
  • Arduino web-based development environment
  • Temboo for cloud connectivity and automatic code generation.
  • Medium One’s workflow tools for analytics and visualization
  • Sensory’s speaker-independent on-device TrulyHandsfree Voice Control technology
  • Soundhound’s contextual natural language and voice recognition engine
  • Vayyar’s 3D imaging sensor technology.
• Cloud – Microsoft Azure IoT Suite and IoT Hub;  Samsung SAMIIO + the Open Data Exchange platform
• Security – TEE support (Trusted Execution Environment) with Trustonic

You can find the SDK, documentation, and community forum on  Artik developer’s page.

Artik 5 Development Kit

Artik 1 and Artik 10 prices are not unavailable, 4 days from the launch… however Artik 5 kit is already sold for $99.99, and includes a baseboard, Artik 5 modules, three antennas for WiFi, Bluetooth and Zigbee, as well as a power supply and a USB cable.

Tweet Samsung Artik IoT boards will finally start selling on February 22 via Digikey. With the many fascinating developments in the IoT space over the year, you’d be forgiven if...

Samsung has announced that Gear S2 classic 3G smartwatch would be first device in the market to be equipped with a GSMA compliant eSIM (Embedded SIM) The round watch is also powered by a dual core processor coupled with 512MB RAM and 4GB flash to run Tizen based wearable platform.

Galaxy Gear S2 Classic 3G specifications:

• SoC – Dual core processor @ 1.0 GHz
• System Memory – 512MB
• Storage – 4GB RAM
• Display – 1.2” circular super AMOLED display, 360×360 resolution, 302ppi
• Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n/e, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, 3G/4G (HSPA+ voice and data networks)
• Audio Codec – MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
• Audio Format – MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG
• Sensors – Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, Barometer
• Dimension  – 44.0 x 46.9 x 13.4 (54g)
• Battery – 300mAh Li-ion; Wireless Charging;  2~3days on a charge
• IP Rating – IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant

The watch will run Tizen, and include a whole bunch of pre-installed apps including Contacts, Notifications, Messages, Email, Preset text, S Health, Nike+ Running
Maps & Navigation, Weather, Music Player, Gallery, and more others.

SIM Card Evolution – Edited from Understanding SIM Card Evolution (PDF)

This is all good, but what is an e-SIM? First it stands for embedded SIM, meaning it’s not simply the usual card that you can insert or remove from your phone, but it’s a chip soldered on the board. Does that mean you can’t change mobile operator? Actually you can because it supports remote provisioning. The concept was actually initiated for M2M / IoT application, as imagine you’ve got 100,000 “things” connected to cellular network, and for whatever reason you’d like to change mobile operator, you’d have to pay several people to replace all the SIM cards. With remote provisioning of eSIMs this can happen with one mouse click.

Back to the watch… Samsung Gear S2 classic 3G/4G will be available on March 11 onwards at a price that has yet to be disclosed.

Tweet Samsung has announced that Gear S2 classic 3G smartwatch would be first device in the market to be equipped with a GSMA compliant eSIM (Embedded SIM) The round watch...