Kimdecent sells some cheap RK3188 mini PCs such as QC802 for $76, but instead of sending me yet another RK3188 device, they agreed to send CS868, an HDMI TV dongle powered by AllWinner A31 quad core processor, so that I could review it. This mini PC comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB Flash, the latter being larger than the 8GB flash found in most other devices, and is available for $95 on Kimdecent Aliexpress store. More details about the specifications are available on Unuiga U28 post since the hardware is the same. In theory, AllWinner A31 has a much slower CPU than Rockchip RK3188, but its PowerVR 544MP2 GPU should outperform the Mali-400 MP4 found it the Rockchip processor, and A31 supports 4K2K video decoding. In this post, I’ll show some unboxing picture, give my first impressions, test Wi-Fi performance, video playback capabilities, and run some benchmarks. CS868 Unboxing Pictures […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2 Android TV Box Review
Matricom sent me one of their latest G-Box Midnight MX2 media player based on AMLogic AML8726-M6, with 1GB RAM, 8 GB flash, running Android 4.2, and with full support for XBMC. This is an update of the G-Box Midnight based on AML8726-M3 which supports XBMC in Android, as well as XBMC Linux thanks to community builds. Specifications: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX Dual Core Cortex A9 CPU + dual core Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 8GB Flash + SD card slot (Up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI v1.4, composite (CVBS) and component (YUV) Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and SPDIF Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n internal Wifi + 10/100 Ethernet Port USB – 4x USB 2.0 Ports (1 might be OTG) IR sensor Power Supply – 5V/2A The hardware and software is very similar to Tronsmart Prometheus (See review), as both are based on AML8726-MX, run Android […]
Quick Review of YS-189 HDMI Switcher
Since I have quite a few devices with HDMI, and I got tired of getting behind the TV to plug or unplug the device, and sometimes I may want to cycle through them for testing, I bought an HDMI switch from Dealextreme for about $11. The device, called YS-189, features 1 HDMI output and 3 HDMI inputs so that you can connect 3 devices to one HDMI port of your TV. There’s also a 5V power jack, which is normally not needed, or so they say, and a small remote control (battery included!) with three buttons to switch between the inputs. First I’ll show a few pictures of the device, and talk about my experience connecting 3 Android mini PCs. Here’s the package with the black box and the remote. At the back there are more details about the device including specification and “user’s manual”. Now a picture of the […]
iben Gamepad Android Game Consoles Powered by AllWinner SoCs
Earlier this month, AllWinner exhibited many devices from their customers at the Hong Kong Fair, including an Android game console called iben GamePad. There are now more details about this gaming device, one of them being there are three models: Game Pad L1-B – Based on AllWinner A20 – $110 per unit for 500 pieces order. Available in May. Game Pad L1-C – Based on AllWinner A31 – $150 per unit for 500 pieces order. Available in May. Transformer Game Pad L2 – Same as L1-C except the actual gamepad is detachable, so you can just use it as a normal tablet when you don’t play. Available in June. Game Pad L1-C / L2 Specifications: SoC – AllWinner A31 Quad-Core ARM Cortex A7 CPU + PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB flash + microSD slot Display – 7″ touch screen (5pts), IPS display. Resolution: 1280×800 […]