NSZ-GU1, Sony’s Next Google TV Box will be an HDMI TV Stick

Since 2010, Sony has been working on Google TV device, and last year they announced Sony NSZ-GS7, a Google TV 2.0 set-top box. This year, nothing have been announced yet, but a few pictures of a new device have shown up in the FCC site. Sony NSZ-GU1 will be some sort of HDMI TV stick that you insert into your TV, except it looks more like a small set-top box has been glued onto an HDMI TV dongle. Here are the specifications derived from the FCC fillings and pictures: SoC- Marvel 88DE3108-A1 dual core processor (Marvell Armada 1500). System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash (Toshiba THGBM5G5, If I’ve read correctly) Video I/O – HDMI output (MHL) 720p/60, micro HDMI input  720p/60 Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi (AzureWave AW-NH390), Bluetooth 3.0 USB – 1x micro USB port (for power only?) Misc – IR Blaster Power – 5V via […]

Preliminary Reverse-Engineered VPU Driver (CedarX) for AllWinner A10 Plays H.264 Videos

Allwinner framework for their Video Processing Unit (VPU) in their Cortex A8 processors (A10, A13, etc..) is called CedarX. It relies on a binary blob that is working just fine for Android, but not so well for Linux. So several developers started to reverse-engineer CedarX a while back, to fix issues with Linux, and provide an open source driver. Yesterday, they upload a video to show the development progress, and show Big Buck Bunny 1080p H.264 playback using libvdpau-sunxi open source driver with mplayer, and without any binary blobs.  The video resize function are not been implemented yet, which is why we can only see the left corner of video, but nevertheless it shows an open source hardware video decoder is on the way. That means once the Lima driver for Mali-400 GPU, and libvdpau-sunxi driver for AllWinner VPU are implemented (which may still take a while), AllWinner A10 SoC […]

Pressy Adds a Physical Button to Your Phone via the Headphone Jack

As smartphones manufacturers are mostly getting rid off physical buttons on smartphones, Pressy is looking to add a smart one (think Morse code) via your headphone jack. It allows you do common tasks, such as turning on your flashlight, taking a quick photo, or calling your girl (or man), by the click, or a few clicks, of a button. This little add-on has already proved to be popular with some, as the developers have already raised $100,000 via Kickstarter for their $17 toy. There’s does not seem to be anything special inside the button/jack, and all the “magic” occur with the app (Available for Android only at the moment), which let you configure action based on short/long key presses like you would do with Morse code. If you want to use you headphone, simply remove Pressy, insert it in its optional key chain, and place your headphone to use them as […]

iPazzPort NC-812-19A Rockchip RK3066 mini PC Temporary Discounted to About $30

I’ve just been informed about a special offer (for 2 more days) on Aliexpress for a mini PC based on Rockchip RK3066 called iPazzPort NC-812-19A, but it looks very much like CX803-II. You can get a dual core HDMI TV stick with 1GB RAM, 4GB Flash and an external antenna for about $30 including shipping here or here. Here are the specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3066 @ 1.6 GHz + Mali-400 MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 4GB NAND flash + micro SD slot (up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Connectivity – Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n USB – 2x micro USB port (OTG + power) + 1x USB host port Power – 5V Dimensions – 101.2 x 48 x 9.5 mm Weight – 36g The device is said to come with a USB cable, and a user’s manual (No power supply). Aliexpress listings do not […]

Broadlink SP1 Wi-Fi Smart Socket Can Be Turned On/Off by Android or iOS Devices

Broadlink SP1 is a smart socket with Wi-Fi connectivity that you can control remotely with your Android or iOS mobile device through a specific app in order to turn on and off lights, water heater, and other electrical appliances. This type of product already exists for example with Belkin Wemo, but Broadlink SP1 is cheaper as it sells for $32.90 including shipping, against $49.99 + shipping for Belkin Wemo Switch. So let’s have a closer look. For this type of device there aren’t that many technical specifications, but they are very important as you need to make sure it matches your electrical grid specs, equipment power rating, and socket type: Material – ABS Power Plug – Three flat-pin plug (Australia type) Voltage – 90~245V @ 50-60 Hz Output Current – 10A Output Power – 2200W Dimensions – 8.9 cm x 7.7 cm x 5.8 cm Temperature Range – -10’C to […]

RK2928 Miracast Adapter (MOCREO M1) Is Now Available for $26

Rockchip (via Charbax) has been teasing us with their upcoming RK2928 miracast adapter since the Hong Kong Electronics Fair in April 2013. It appears a device is finally available on DealExtreme with MOCREO M1 (iPush) for $25.90 including shipping. It’s using the same casing as the other iPush or Ezcast (MSD03) HDMI sticks, but the guts of the device are different: Processor – Rockchip RK2928 single core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.0 GHz System Memory – 256MB DDR3 Storage – 16 MB Serial Flash Connectivity – Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n Video Output – HDMI V1.4 Multi-screen protocol – DLNA / Airplay / Miracast Video Format – RMVB / WMV / ASF / AVI / 3GP / MPG / MKV / MP4 / MOV / MPEG2 / MPEG4 Audio decoding – MP3 / OGG / WAV / APE / CDA / MIDI / WMA / AAC; Power adapter: 5V / 1A (Micro USB) […]

$25 Flutter is a Wireless Arduino compatible Board with Up to 1 km Range

There are already several ways to add wireless connectivity to your hardware project. For short ranges, we can use protocols such as Bluetooth (e.g. RFDuino, BLEDuino projects, or Bluetooth USB dongle), for much longer ranges 3G/4G connectivity may be required, and achievable via a 3G/4G USB dongle, or SparqEE CELLv1.0 project for example. But what if you want something in the middle with a range closer to 1km? Flutter boards using the 915MHz band (US only) can provide such range, and are software compatible with the Arduino. There are two version of the board: Flutter Basic – Board with an low-profile integrated antenna. It features micro USB for power, an LED, and a button, as well as several digital and analog I/O. Flutter Pro – Board with external antenna (and probably longer range). It comes with all features found in Flutter Basic, and adds battery charging, an additional button, and […]

iWave Systems Introduces RainboW-G16M µMXM SoM Powered by Freescale Vybrid ARM Cortex A5 / M4 SoC

iWave Systems has unveiled new microMXM system-on-modules powered by Freescale Vybrid dual core ARM Cortex-A5 @ 500Mhz and Cortex-M4 @ 167 Mhz SoC. Rainbow-G16M modules target applications that can leverage the Cortex M4 MCU for real-time tasks, and the Cortex A5 core for application processing such as industrial process control & kiosks , smart grid, medical / healthcare devices, smart connected devices, and battery operated handheld devices. Here are the module specifications: SoC – Vybrid VF6x Series Controller with ARM Cortex A5 core @ 500Mhz, and Cortex M4 core @ 167 MHz System Memory – 256 MB DDR3 (Expandable upto 1GB) Storage 256MB NAND Flash (Expandable up to 2GB) QSPI Flash (Optional) EEPROM (Optional) On Board peripherals support: On module 10/100 Ethernet PHY JTAG Header for processor (Optional) Open SDA Header (Optional) DIP Switch for boot settings (Optional) 314-pin MXM PCB Edge Connector Interfaces: 10/100 Ethernet PHY interface 2nd RMII […]

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