Liliputing has just reported that a $89 dual core Cortex A9 mini PC may be available soon from a South African company/individual. The SoC would be clocked at 1.6Ghz, come with 1GB RAM, 4GB flash, and destroy all other low cost mini PC in terms of performance. Here are the announced specifications: Operation System – Android 4.0.4 ICS SoC – Dual ARM Cortex-A9 processor up to 1.6GHZ with Mali-400MP4 Quad-core GPU RAM – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB Nand Flash , microSD card slot (up to 32 GB) Connectivity – Built-in WiFi 802.11b/g/n USB – 1 x USB 2.0 Host, 1 X micro usb host Video out – HDMI Video Codecs – Mpeg1/2/4.H.264,VC-1,Divx,Xvid,RM8/9/10,VP6 Video Containers – MKV,TS,TP,M2TS,RM/RMVB,BD-ISO,AVI,MPG,VOB,DAT,ASF,TRP,FLV etc full formats Audio Codec – DTS,AC3,LPCM,FLAC,HE-AAC Audio Formats – MP3,OGG,WMA,WMAPRO Power – 90-230V, 50/60Hz input, max. power: 30W, Output: 5V/2A Dimensions – 10.1 x 3.8 x 1.3cm Weight – 38g The device […]
Exynos 4412 based Origen 4 Quad Development Board Soon Available for $199 USD
As I wrote a list of the Top 10 ARM Linux development boards, I discovered that Origen 4 Quad development board based on Exynos 4412 quad core Cortex A9 processor is currently in development and will replace the Origen board (Samsung Exynos 4212). This board appears to be similar to Hardkernel ODroid-X board, but pricing won’t be as aggressive as it will sell for $199 (vs $129 for the ODroid-X) in the base configuration. Here are the specifications for the base version (ORIGEN 4 Quad Package-C): CPU Board CPU : Samsung Exynos 4 Quad Cortex-A9 core 1.4 GHz DRAM : 1 GB (POP Type) PMIC : S5M8767A Base Board HDMI support Ethernet (10/100 Mbps), SDcard 2x USB 2.0 Host, 1x USB 2.0 Device Serial, JTAG Connector support (Sub Boards) External I/F MIPI CSI/DSI , Parallel, C2C Sub Boards Sound Board: Realtek : ALC-5631Q-A ORIGEN 4 Quad Package-B is based on […]
Over 20 Capes are Now Available for the Beaglebone
BeagleBoard.org has recently announced that over 20 plug-in boards (called Capes) are now available for the BeagleBone, an open hardware board powered by TI Sitara AM335x Cortex A8 processor. Capes allow to expand the abilities of the board via two 46-pin headers. Each cape has those 2 headers as well, and up to 4 capes can be stacked on a Beaglebone as long as the pins do not conflict… Here are some of the available capes: BeagleBone LCD7 Cape – Features a 7-inch TFT LCD screen with 4-wire resistive touch and five user buttons. BeagleBone Camera Cape – Allows you to add a camera via QuickLogic CSSP camera interface solution connected via the GPMC (General Purpose Memory Controller) bus of the Beaglebone. BeagleBone Weather Cape – Includes temperature, barometric pressure, humidity and ambient light sensors. BeagleBone DVI-D Cape – Provides a DVI-D interface, which can be handy since there is no […]
Zero Devices Z900 Android mini PC Unboxing and Review
Zero Devices Z900 HDMI Stick hardware is very similar to CX-01 as it has the same Telechips TCC8925 Cortex A5 processor, 512 MB RAM and 4GB Flash memory. The only key difference is the presence of a microSD card slot which is lacking on CX-01 mini PC. It ships in the same package as Zero Devices Z802 mini PC, and the only difference is the lack of marking to tell the device name. Let’s open the box and see what’s inside. The package contains from top left to bottom right: USB to mini USB cable to connect the power 5V/1A power supply Documentation in Chinese and English mini HDMI to HDMI cable (about 30 cm long) Z900 Android TV Stick Zero Devices Authenticity Card. The Authenticity Card is used to register your device on Zero Devices website and access a VIP area with access to support forums, a download section […]
Zero Devices Z802 mini PC Unboxing and Review
Yesterday, I received 2 mini PCs from Zero Devices: The AllWinner A10 based Z802 and the Telechips TCC8925 based Z900. Today, I’ll show the unboxing pictures of the Z802 and review the device, and I’ll take care of Z900 mini PC another day. Zero Devices Z802 is actually the same design as Rikomagic MK802, and was released about 2 weeks earlier, but fate made the media “gods” hype MK802 instead of Zero Device Z802. This mini PC features AllWinner A10 Cortex A8 processor clocked at up to 1.5 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB flash, built-in Wifi 802.11 b/g/n, a mini USB OTG port, USB 2.0 host port, a microSD card slot and an HDMI female connector. I received the device in the package pictured on the left. Once you open the box, you’ll see the Z802 on top, and once you pull off the cover, you’ll see quite a […]
Gertboard Expansion Board for Raspberry Pi is Now Available for $60
More expansion boards for the Raspeberry Pi are coming out. This time, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the “semi-official” Gertboard expansion board that has been designed by Gert van Loo, a member of the foundation, but is not an official Raspberry Pi Foundation product. This board expands the Raspberry Pi’s “GPIO” pins and allows you to interface with the outside world in several ways including: Drive motors to open doors, lift things, or power robotics Communicate with sensors such as temperature, gas, light.. sensors Switch devices on and off Control LEDs The boards is composed of the following key building blocks: 12x buffered I/O 3x push buttons 6x open collector drivers (50V, 0.5A) 48V, 4A motor controller 28-pin dual in line ATmega microcontroller 2-channel 8/10/12 bit Digital to Analogue converter 2-channel 10 bit Analogue to Digital converter The gertboard is sold unassembled with the bare PCB and all the components […]
Rikomagic To Sell an AllWinner A10 Android & Ubuntu Netbook
Rikomagic, the company that sells the MK802 mini PC, is planning to sell a netbook based on AllWinner A10 processor that runs both Android and Ubuntu operating systems. This device looks very much like the H6 netbook with a 10″ 1024×600 display, 1 GB RAM, 4 to 8 GB flash. an SD card slot, 3 USD ports, audio in/out and a front camera. Android currently runs in the internal flash, and Ubuntu can be booted from an SD card. In the video below, Andy Kirby of Rikomagic gives an overview of the netbook and shows a demo of Ubuntu Desktop running from an SD card. The Linux OS seems to run relatively smoothly as he shows pages rendered in Chromium.However, hardware acceleration (both OpenGL and VE) is missing, and Youtube video playback is very slow as it is rendering in software. Open Office is also a bit slow, but it’s […]
HardKernel ODroid-X Review with Android 4.0.4
Following my ODroid-X unboxing and first boot post, I planned to review ODroid-X board with both Android and Ubuntu. However, I found out that an Ubuntu image will only be released later this week, so I’ll focus on Android review for today, and try Ubuntu once it becomes available. The default firmware come with a few standards applications, and an ODROID app that: Provide links to developer resources Features a file explorer Has a WiFi section that show WiFi information such as signal strength and let you test the network performance Has a GPS section (useless for this board) Has a Sensor section, but there are none in ODROID-X. Has a camera section that let you show the camera input. It works with the module provided Has a others section with 3D compass test (not used for ODROID-X) The Dev Tools application is also installed. But there was not really […]