PicUntu 4.5 Brings Ubuntu 13.04 to RK3188 mini PCs

At the beginning of the year, PicUntu had been released for Rk3066 HDMI TV sticks, but as quad core devices  based on RK3188 became popular, work started as soon as the source code was available, and a preliminary version of Linux ran on some RK3188 devices in June.  After 4 more months  of development an installer for PicUntu 4.5 has been released to allow users to run a customized version of Ubuntu 13.04 on RK3188 HDMI TV sticks or set-top boxes such as T428 or Rikomagic MK802 IV. The installation procedure appears to be easier than earlier version, as there’s only one installer file (247 MB), and you can complete the installation to the NAND flash of your device with just 4 clicks. PicUnutu runs xfce4 desktop environment,  supports more than 200 drivers,  multiple file systems (nfs, ntfs, cramfs, cifsutils, smb…), lots of different USB devices, serial devices, GPS devices, […]

Wizarm PVR MediaBox Features Samsung Exynos 5250 Processor

Wizarm is an high-end set-top box / PVR powered by Exynos 5250 dual cortex A15 processor, with 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC, lots of I/Os including USB 3.0 and SATA 3 support running Android 4.2, and soon Ubuntu as well. Although its main use is to handle and process media files, the device can be also used as a PC, gaming console, smart TV box, or even a development platform. Here are the specifications of the device: SoC – Samsung Exynos 5250 dual Cortex A15 up to 2GHz with Mali T-604 GPU System Memory – 2GB Storage – 16 GB eMMC. SDXC card slot, and SATA 3 connector for 2.5″ SSD or HDD I/O ports: SATA 3 USB – 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0 host ports Video – HDMI OUT, HDMI IN, DisplayPort Audio – LINE IN, LINE OUT, Optical out Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual Wi-Fi antenna)  Gigabit Ethernet […]

How to Root Rockchip Devices in Linux

Rooting methods for devices based on Rockchip RK3066 and Rk3188 are usually only provided for Windows, so if you run Linux as your main operating system, you would either need to find a Windows based devices, or run Windows in a virtual machine.  Luckily, Linux users may not have to switch to Windows anymore thanks to the instructions provided in one article that I’ll summarize below. The steps below are for Ubuntu / Debian based systems, but should be easily adaptable to other distributions. Set up ADB access to the device Install adb:

Edit/create /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules with the following line in order to let standard users connect to the device:

Make sure that the Linux user is part of group “plugdev”:

Reload of the USB access rules to get the latest one on:

Add your device USB Vendor ID to adb list. e.g.:

Restart the adb […]

SolidRun Announces Cubox-i Platform with Freescale i.MX6 for as low as $45

SolidRun has been providing tiny development platform such as Cubox and Cubox Pro featuring Marvell ARM compatible processors. However, the price of those platforms are well over $100, so the company decided to provide lower cost development platforms (Cubox-i) based on Freescale i.MX6 Solo/Dual Lite/Dual/Quad that sells for $45 and up. There are four versions: Cubox-i1 – Freescale i.MX6 Solo, 512 MB RAM, 10/100M Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module. Price: $44.99 Cubox-i2 – Freescale i.MX6 Duallite, 1GB RAM, 10/100M Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi Bluetooth module. Price: $69.99 Cubox-i2Ultra – Freescale i.MX6 Dual, 1GB RAM,  Gb Ethernet (470 Mbit real), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, SATA II. Price: $94.99 Cubox-i4Pro – Freescale i.MX6 Quad, 2GB RAM, Gb Ethernet (470 Mbit real), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, SATA II. Price: $119.99 The devices measure 55mm x 55mm x 42mm. The full specifications are better seen in the comparison table found in SolidRun website. The 4 models all boot […]

Linaro 13.08 Release With Linux Kernel 3.11 and Android 4.3

Linaro 13.08 has been released with Linux Kernel 3.11-rc6 (stating), Kernel 3.10.9 (LSK – beta), and Android 4.3. This month is the first release based on Android 4.3, which was only pushed to AOSP at the end of last month. I can also see work on new SoCs/hardware this month with Texas Instruments Keystone II ARM Cortex A15+DSP SoC and Fujitsu AA9 board (Which processor?, I could not find out). A lot of work also appears to have gone in OpenEmbedded, further optimizations have gone into NEON optimized AES encryption in OpenSSL, and more. It’s also the first time I can see a Ubuntu Raring engineering build image for HighBank (Calxeda Energycore). Here are the highlights of this release: Android Engineering Android stack was tuned to achieve 100% CTS pass result on Android 4.3 Analyzing the UEFI EDK II boot loader for Android completed, implementation of fastboot application and USB […]

$59 Iteaduino Plus ARM Linux Board Features Raspberry Pi and Arduino Compatible Headers

Iteaduino Plus is a development platform designed by ITEAD studio, a Shenzhen based company, powered by AllWinner A10 with 1GB RAM, a micro SD card slot, expansion header, etc… Overall features are very similar to the Cubieboard, but the platform is comprised of a baseboard and a CPU module. The baseboard features a 26-pin GPIO header compatible with the one on the Raspberry Pi, and you can add an expansion board to connect Arduino Shields. Iteaduino Plus specifications: SoC – AllWinner A10 Cortex A8 @ 1GHz with Mali400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 @480MHz Storage –  1x micro SD slot, 1x SATA Video Output – HDMI Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet USB – 2x USB Host, 1x USB OTG Audio – 3.5mm Audio in and out jacks Expansion headers (see pin assignment) 2x 2×36-pin (Total 144, but not all used) – I2C, SPI, RGB/LVDS, CSI/TS, FM-IN, ADC, CVBS, VGA, SPDIF-OUT, […]

GizmoSphere vs Minnowboard – AMD and Intel x86 Embedded Boards Comparison

The Gizmo Explorer Kit is an embedded kit based on a development board powered by AMD G-Series G-T40E dual core APU that’s available since the beginning of the year. The Minnowboard is another new x86 embedded board, but this time based on Intel Atom E640 processor. Both cost $199, so a side-by-side comparison might be useful,and GizmoSphere team released a comparison table for both board, and is offering free shipping for the week with “Sharkweek2013”. Let’s have a look. The company only provided the table in image format, so I’ll reproduce it “as is” below, and see if there may be some correction or addition afterwards, the table has been designed by one of the competitors. The parts in yellow are supposed to highlight advantages of the GizmoShpere against the Minnowboard, but they conveniently “forgot” to highlight advantages of the Minnowboard. [Update 13/08/2013 – Gizmo guys have updated their table […]

WeWi SOL Ubuntu Laptop is Powered by an Intel Atom Processor and Solar Energy

WeWi Telecommunications has designed a solaptop (Solar-powered laptop) with 4 foldable solar panels in order to recharge the battery. WeWi SOL is powered by Intel Atom D2500, with 4GB RAM, features a 13.3″ display, and runs Ubuntu. It will be sold for only $300 to $400. WeWi SOL specifications: CPU – Intel Atom D2500 @ 1.86 GHz Dual Core, Intel 945GSE + ICH7M GPU – Built-In Intel GMA3600 Graphics, 1080p HD Video System Memory – 2 to 4GB DDRIII SDRAM (Kingston) Storage – 2.5” SATA HDD 320GB (Seagate) + Card reader (SD/MS/MMC) Display – 13.3″ LCD, WXGA, 1366 x 768 Video Output – HDMI Audio – Realtek ALC661 HD Audio, built-in stereo speakers, internal mic + 3.5mm headphone jack Connectivity: 10/100M Ethernet 3G/4G World/multimode LTE Modem GPS (gpsOne Gen8A) WiFi – MIMO 802.11b/gn (2.4/5GHz) Bluetooth – Integrated Digital Core BT4.0 USB – 3x USB 2.0 Camera – 3MP Battery Operating Time […]

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