PopMetal Rockchip RK3288 Development Board Features Multiple Display Interfaces (HDMI, VGA ,eDP, LVDS, MIPI), GPS and NFC Connectivity

Up to now, we’ve had mainly two development boards based on Rockchip RK3288 Cortex A17 processor: Firefly-RK3288 is a low cost development board powered by Rockchip RK3288 processor selling for as low as $140 shipped, and Radxa Rock 2, a more professional and expansive solution with dual Ethernet, 3G modem and so on. A third RK3288 board has now surfaced which offers a middle ground between Firefly and Radxa boards. PopMetal development board comes with 2GB RAM, 8GB eMMC, 5 video outputs / display interfaces namely HDMI, VGA, embedded DisplayPort (eDP), LVDS, and MIPI DSI, as well as the usual Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity, complemented with GPS and NFC. PopMetal technical specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core ARM Cortex-A17 processor @ 1.8Ghz with ARM Mali-T764 GPU with support for OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.0, OpenVG 1.1, OpenCL 1.1, DirectX 11 System memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB eMMC, […]

PiPo X7 is an Intel Atom Bay Trail Powered “TV Box” Running Windows 8.1 with Bing

PiPo, a Chinese manufacturer better known for its tablets, has just listed PiPo X7 “Intel TV Box” on their website. This mini PC is powered by an Intel Atom Bay Trail-T processor with 2GB RAM, an unspecified amount of internal store, and running Windows 8.1 with Bing. PiPo X7 specifications:  SoC – Intel Atom Bay Trail Z3735F up to 1.83 GHz or Z3736F up to 2.16 GHz with Intel HD graphics up to 646 MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3L Storage – Internal Storage (Capacity unknown) + micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI Audio Output – HDMI and audio jack Connectivity – Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 188 x 129 x 25.6 mm Weight 440g PiPo’s computer only comes with a power adapter. I always thought Windows 8.1 with Bing was a free […]

Android 4.4 and Ubuntu 14.10 Tested on Ugoos UM3 mini PC (Rockchip RK3288)

A few days ago I posted pictures of Ugoos UM3, a cute mini PC powered by Rockchip RK3288 quad core Cortex A17 processor, with 2GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, a few USB ports, and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac connectivity. There are so many Rockchip RK3288 based TV boxes and sticks on the market, that it has become difficult to differentiate, so Ugoos has decided to support not only Android 4.4 like all their competitors, but also Ubuntu 14.10, and they’ve provided an alpha release of dual boot Android / Ubuntu images for Ugoos UT3 and UM3 models. Yesterday, I flashed the latest Android/Ubuntu firmware for UM3, and tested the image, so today I can report my findings. First of all, I’d like to point out that I received an earlier sample with various flaws that I reported to Ugoos, and they’ve already committed to fixes: 5V/2A power adapter is not powerful […]

Hardkernel ODROID-C1 is a $35 Development Board Powered by Amlogic S805 Quad Core Processor

Amlogic S805 is a quad core Cortex A5 processor which has found it way into low cost devices such as MK808B Plus TV Stick which can be purchased for as low as $30, or full-sized TV box such as MXQ S85 or MINIX NEO X6. All this low cost devices are nice, but the full source code is not available in your want to adapt them to your need. Luckily, Amlogic releases both an Android SDK, and a buildroot for Linux with GPU and Video Processing Unit (VPU) support, so Hardkernel decided to go ahead, designed a board, and has just launched ODROID-C1 quad core development board for just $35, or the exact price of a Raspberry Pi Model B+, but with much greater specs. ODROID-C1 specifications: SoC- Amlogic S805 quad core Cortex-A5 processor with a Mali-450MP2 GPU (2x fragment cores + 2x vertex shader cores) System Memory – 1GB […]

How To Upgrade Firmware on Ugoos UM3 mini PC

Ugoos released two new dual boot Android / Ubuntu images for Ugoos UT3 and UM3, which reduces the size of the system by 300MB, includes LibreOffice, replaces Firefox by Chromium + PepperFlash plugin, and fixes various bugs: ut3_dualboot_v0.2.rar – For UT3 full sized TV box UM3_dualboot_v0.2.rar – For UM3 mini TV box The firmware update procedure for Rockchip RK3288 is well-known, and Ugoos even includes a word file with flashing instructions in Microsoft Windows with the firmware images. However, it still took me about one hour to find out how to do with Ugoos UM3, so I thought I’d write a post in case others encounter the same issue. I flash the firmware in Ubuntu, so instead of using Android Tool, I flashed it with upgrade_tool command line utility I got from Orion R28 SDK, but you can also download Linux_Upgrade_Tool_v1.2.tar.gz directly. First let’s enter recovery mode. The procedure is […]

Kairos T-Band is a Smart Watchband for Your “Dumb” Watch (Crowdfunding)

Kairos introduced a high-end mechanical smartwatch with a semi-transparent OLED display a few months ago. They’ve now launched an Indiegogo campaign to sell several models for $500 to $1,000+, but they’ve also introduced T-Band, a smart watchband with an integrated display that you can fit to your existing (mechanical) watch, in order to receive notifications, answer phone calls, get directions, and even start your car. There are three models of smartband all running Kairos OS on an ARM Cortex M4 MCU @ 168 MHz with Bluetooth Classic / Low Energy: T-Band ND (No Display) Alerts user of notifications via a vibrator and LED indicator, and tracks fitness / sleep, as well as health data. Sensors – 9-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, optical sensor, and GSR (Galvanic Skin Sensor) which detects skin temperature and sweat. Audio – Digital MEMS MIC for text to speech capabilities (requires 3rd party app) Battery – 200 mAh […]

Polaroid Socialmatic Android Camera Prints Photos on The Go

Polaroid used to make instant cameras allowing you could take a picture, and print it immediately. As digital photography became more and more popular, this type of cameras mostly disappeared, but Polaroid is giving it another go with Socialmatic camera running Android, that can print regular pictures and even selfies thanks to its rear and frontal cameras, using its embedded ZINK Zero Ink printer. Polaroid Socialmatic specifications: SoC – Unnamed ARM processor System Memory – N/A Storage – 4GB Internal Storage + micro SD card slot Cameras – 14MP frontal camera with LED flash, 2MP rear camera Display – 4.5″ Touchscreen LCD with Mood Assistant A.I. Audio – Stereo Speakers Connectivity – GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth Remote Printing Capabilities, 2″x3″ Zink Instant Filters USB – Micro USB port for charging and file transfer? Battery – Rechargeable lithium-ion battery Dimensions – 13.2 cm x 13.2 cm x 3.0 cm Since the […]

Arduino UNO R3 Clones Now Cost Less than $5

An original Arduino UNO R3 costs about nearly $25, and I remember clones would cost about $10 on Aliexpress, but today I’ve been informed about VISduino, an Arduino UNO R3 clone, with some cost optimizations such as cheaper components and connectors, which sells for just 15.50 CNY (~$2.50 US) on Taobao, and $4.90 on Electrodragon. But double checking on Aliexpress, I could find another popular Arduino UNO R3 clone for $4.58 including shipping, but no USB cable. Both boards cut costs by replacing ATmega16U2 by CH340 USB to serial chip, and replacing the ATMEGA328P-PU MCU (DIP) by an SMT version of the Atmel MCU such as ATMEGA328P-AU (QFP). Other changes on VISduino include: Replaced USB B-type connector by a micro USB port Added extra through holes side-by-side with the Arduino headers for easier debugging. Extra 2×4 pin holes with TX, RX, VCC, GND, and I2C pins You may have to install […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC