Mediatek MT2502 “Aster” SoC for wearables and IoT was released in 2014 with an ARM7 MCU, built-in Bluetooth, PMIC, and GSM/GPRS modem, and support for external WiFi and GPS chips. The upcoming MT2503 integrates functionality even further as GPS is now embedded inside the SoC, and Shenzhen Alpha Telecom Technology demonstrated their M009 smartwatch based on the latest Mediatek SoC at CES Asia 2016 in Shanghai. M009 smartwatch specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT2503 ARM7 processor with GSM/GPRS modem, Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR 2.1, GPS (MT3333), PMIC Display – 1.22″ or 1.3″ 240×240 resolution TFT display Cellular Connectivity – SIM card Sensors – HRM, pressure sensor Misc – 2x buttons Dimensions – 36 x 32 x 11 mm There will be two version of the processor MT2503A and MT2503D with the former supporting external serial flash. If you’d like to integrate a ready to use module in your design, ATS Link provides […]
Linux 4.6 Release – Main Changes, ARM and MIPS Architectures
Linus Torvalds released Linux Kernel 4.6 earlier today: It’s just as well I didn’t cut the rc cycle short, since the last week ended up getting a few more fixes than expected, but nothing in there feels all that odd or out of line. So 4.6 is out there at the normal schedule, and that obviously also means that I’ll start doing merge window pull requests for 4.7 starting tomorrow. Since rc7, there’s been small noise all over, with driver fixes being the bulk of it, but there is minor noise all over (perf tooling, networking, filesystems, documentation, some small arch fixes..) The appended shortlog will give you a feel for what’s been going on during the last week. The 4.6 kernel on the whole was a fairly big release – more commits than we’ve had in a while. But it all felt fairly calm despite that. Linux 4.5 added […]
Bluboo Xwatch Android Wear Smart Watch is Now Pre-selling for $99
Bluboo Xwatch is a smartwatch based on Mediatek MT2601 SoC that runs Android Wear. So far, we only knew the factory price would be around $80, but the watch has now showed up on several website such as GearBest and GeekBuying and is pre-selling for as low as $99.99 according to Bluboo, which would likely make it the cheapest Android Wear watch on the market today. The specifications have not changed much since the first announcement, but there are lots of differing specs across the sites: SoC – Mediatek MT2601 dual core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with ARM Mali-400 MP GPU System Memory – 512MB RAM Storage – 4GB flash Display – 1.3″ round muti-touch display with 360×360 resolution Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0, GPS Sensors – Gyroscope, barometer, heart rate monitor, altimeter, compass Battery – 400 to 480mAh polymer battery (80 hours standby time) Dimensions – 5.4 x 4.5 x […]
Mediatek Unveils MT2523 SiP for GPS Enabled, Bluetooth LE Wearables
Silicon manufacturers are starting to launch ever more integrated solutions specifically designed for wearables, and after Samsung S3FBP5A bio-processor unveiled a few days ago, MediaTek has launched MT2623 ARM Cortex M4 System-in-Package (SiP) with GPS, Bluetooth LE, and a MIPI DSI interface. Other details are sparse but here’s what the company disclosed for MT2523: MCU core – ARM Cortex M4 GPU – 2D accelerator supporting true colors, per-pixel alpha channel, anti-aliasing fonts, and 1-bit index color to save memory. Connectivity – Dual-mode Bluetooth Low Energy and GPS Display – MIPI DSI and serial interfaces Integrated PMU Battery Life – More than a week (typical) The SiP’s printed circuit board area is said to be 41% percent smaller than competitors’ solutions. MT2523 will be available to manufacturers in H1 2016, and found in active and fitness smartwatches a little later. Thanks to Nanik for the tip. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software […]
Omate Rise is a $199 3G and WiFi Smartwatch Powered by Mediatek MT2601 SoC (Crowdfunding)
Most smartwatches sold on the western markets are designed to be smartphone’s companions, and only come with Bluetooth LE connectivity, while we’ve seen many smartwatches (aka watchphones) with SIM card slot originating from China in the past, including the lower end No.1 D3 smartwatch which I reviewed recently. But this may be changing, as Omate is going to launch a new smartwatch called Omate Rise that will include 3G connectivity via a micro SIM card slot, as well as WiFi, Bluetooth Smart, and GPS. Omate Rise specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT2601 dual core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with ARM Mali-400 MP GPU System Memory – 512MB RAM Storage – 4GB flash Display – 1.3″ round muti-touch color display with 360×360 resolution (Innolux) Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.1 LE (A2DP profile), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS Cellular Connectivity – 3.5G HSDPA (2100/1900 MHz), GPRS / EDGE /GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); micro SIM card […]
Bluboo Xwatch is an Android Wear Smartwatch Powered by Mediatek MT2601 SoC
So far, we’ve only seen Android Wear devices by large companies such as Motorola, LG, or Huawei, simply because you have to sign an agreement with Google in order to be allowed to load Android Wear on your device. Last year, a startup launched their own “Android Wear” watch on Indiegogo, but when Google found out the campaign got pull out since it was not going to happen. But the situation may have changed since then, as I’ve been contacted by Bluboo, which should be brand from Shenzhen Huihua Exploit Technology Co., Ltd, about their upcoming Bluboo Xwatch sports smartwatch running Android Wear, and the company confirmed they were “working with a third-party company to help them get this agreement”. I’m guessing/hoping the third party company might be Mediatek themselves. Bluboo Xwatch preliminary specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT2601 dual core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with ARM Mali-400 MP GPU […]
$55 UWatch UX Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch Syncs with iOS and Android Devices
Last time I checked about heart rate monitor, they required a chest strap to monitor ones heart rate, which I found cumbersome. It’s been while though, and I’ve now been informed that a low cost Bluetooth strapless heart rate monitor watch was available for $59.99 on GeekBuying. This type of product should provide a much more accurate evaluation of your daily calories burn rate than typical fitness bands based on an accelerometer and gyro sensor, but I’m not quite sure how they compare to the old models with a chest strap. Uwatch UX specifications and features: SoC – Mediatek Aster MT2501 ARM7 processor @ 108 MHz (A lower end version of MT2502 used in LinkIt One Devkit) System Memory – 32MB RAM Storage – 24MB NOR flash Heart rate monitor – Built-in photoelectric heart rate sensor Other sensors – magnetometer, 3-axis gravity and acceleration sensor Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 and […]
Mediatek LinkIt Assist 2502 Open Source Hardware Board Targets Wearables and IoT Applications
After LinkIt ONE, Mediatek Labs has introduced a new IoT development kit based on their Aster M2502 ARM7 processor with LinkIt Assist 2502 comprised of AcSiP MT2502A IoT SiP Core module, a 802.11b/g/n module, a GNSS module, and an exchangeable 240×240 16-bit color capacitive touch LCM Board. The AcSiP module can also be purchased separately, so you could use LinkIt Assist 2502 board for early development, because moving to your custom hardware based on AcSiP MT2502A module. LinkIt Assist 2502A specifications: MCU – AcSiP AI2502S05 module with MT2502A (Aster) ARM7 EJ-STM processor @ 260MHz, 4MB RAM, 16MB flash Display – 240×240 LCD module; 16-bit color depth; transflective; based on ST7789S driver IC. Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n via AcSiP CW01S module based on MT5931 SoC Bluetooth 2.1 SPP and 4.0 GATT dual mode (part of MT2502A) GPS via AcSiP CW03S module based on MT3332 chip supporting GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou. GSM […]