Hardware Category - Page 1048 of 1116 - CNX Software

May 18, 2013May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

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 […]

May 15, 2013May 15, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

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 […]

May 15, 2013May 15, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Microchip Unveils 2 Arduino Compatible Boards, and a Prototype-Friendly PIC32 MCU

Microchip Technology has announced several new tools, expanding its Arduino compatible chipKIT platform ecosystem, based on Microchip’s 32-bit PIC32 microcontrollers (MCUs) available in low pin count SOIC or SPDIP packages. Digilent’s chipKIT DP32 board features basic I/O and interface components, including a prototyping aera, user buttons, and a potentiometer. The board (part # TDGL019) costs $23.9, and should be available on May 17 at microchipDIRECT. The chipKIT Fubarino Mini board, from a partnership between FUBAR Labs and Schmalz Haus, provides another option for Arduino-compatible development with 32-bit PIC32 MCUs, using a smaller form factor. The board is supposed to be available today for $19.95 on microchipDIRECT, but I could not find it yet. If you don’t want/need a development board, the company also provides PIC32MX250F128B MCU in PDIP package (28-pin) preprogrammed with chipKIT USB Bootloader. This MCU, clocked up to 40Mhz, includes 128 KB Flash and 32 KB RAM, as well […]

May 15, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi Camera Module Is Now Available, How-to Use It

About one year after showing the first image from the camera module prototype, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the Camera board is now available for purchase on RS Component or Element14. Navigating either of these sites is a nightmare, but, if you’re lucky, you should eventually find the camera board for around $25 before taxes and shipping. “Raspicam” features the following hardware specifications: Omnivision 5647 sensor in a fixed-focus module 5MPixel sensor Still picture resolution: 2592 x 1944 Max video resolution: 1080p Max frame rate: 30fps Size: 20 x 25 x 10mm Connection by flat ribbon cable to 15-pin MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI) connector S5 on Raspberry Pi computer board The first thing you’ll have to do with the camera is to connect it to the CSI connector on your Raspberry Pi, just behind the Ethernet connector on model B. James explains it very clearly in the video below. […]

May 14, 2013May 19, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments

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 […]

May 13, 2013May 15, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 34 Comments

Mele F10 Fly Mouse Review and Hands-on Video

Up to now, I always connected USB keyboard and mouse to Android mini PCs I tested. It works but it’s not always fun to use. Mele F10 Fly mouse is a dual sided 2.4GHz remote control with one side being somewhat of a standard remote, while the other side is a QWERTY keyboard. A gyroscope is also integrated in to the remote, which allows it to be used as a “magic” remote and mouse the mouse pointer. I’ve bought one on DealExtreme for $25.20, and I’ll do a short review about the remote today, even though it’s not exactly a new device. Mele F10 Unboxing I’ve received the F10 in a slightly damaged package. This happens often as to save on costs packages are often sent in bubble mailers, but all items I’ve received have usually worked fine. The other sides of the package indicate Mele F10 can be used […]

May 13, 2013May 13, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Energy Micro Launches EFM32 Wonder Gecko Cortex M4 MCUs and Starter Kit

After having announced EFM32 Wonder Gecko MCU family in February, Energy Micro has just officially launched their new family of high performance, low power MCUs. These micro-controllers come with an ARM Cortex-M4 CPU with floating-point unit (FPU) and DSP instruction set that helps reduce the processing time of your application in active mode. All MCUs come with 32KB SRAM, and between 64 to 256KB flash. Energy Micro expects their new chips to be used in applications such as gas metering, energy metering, water metering, smart metering, alarm and security systems, health and fitness applications, and industrial and home automation. One key advantage of this new MCU family is the implementation of TSMC’s eLL (Extreme Low Leakage) technology that dramatically reduces power consumption at high temperatures. There top of range MCUs (EFM32WG995FXXX) feature the following specifications: ARM Cortex-M4 CPU platform @ up to 48 MHz with DSP instruction support and floating-point […]

May 13, 2013May 13, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Notion Ink Adam II Android Tablet Features a Secondary Notification Display

We’ve previously seen a smartphone with dual display with the Yota phone featuring both a standard LCD display on one side and an E-ink display on the other. Notion Ink Adam II brings dual display capabilities to tablet, but instead of featuring an E-Ink display on the other side, it comes with an STN Black & White display on the side of the device to show you notifications. Here are the specs of this Android 4.2.2 tablet : SoC – TI OMAP4470 dual-core Cortex-A9 @ 1.5 GHz CPU + PowerVR SGX544 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Displays 10.1″, 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display Secondary STN (black and white LCD display) for notifications Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi + Bluetooth Camera – 2MP cameras on the front and back Video Output – HDMI Battery – 6000mAh (Up to 10 hours battery life) The secondary display will certainly help prolonging battery […]