Android News - Page 82 of 375 - CNX Software

February 20, 2019May 10, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Tanix TX6 Allwinner H6 TV Box Gets Android 9.0 Firmware

The first Android 9.0 TV boxes appeared a few months ago in some Rockchip RK3328 based models, Amlogic also showcased Android 9 Pie in S905X2 / S905Y2 TV box reference platforms, but so far I don’t think I had heard about Android 9.0 for Allwinner processors. But GeekBuying and Aliexpress are now listing Wechip / Tanix TX6 Allwinner H6 TV box previously launched with Android 7.1, with Android 9.0 Pie instead for $39 and up. Here’s a reminder of Tanix TX6 hardware specifications: SoC – AllWinner H6 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor up to 1.5 GHz with Mali-T720MP2 GPU System Memory – 4GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, micro SD card slot up to 128GB Video Output – 1x HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60hz with HDR support Audio I/F – HDMI, coaxial S/PDIF Video Playback H.265/HEVC Main/Main10 profile @ level 5.2 high-tier up to 4K @ 60fps / 6K […]

February 18, 2019February 19, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Geniatech DB3399Pro RK3399Pro Development Board Comes with 8 USB Interfaces

Rockchip RK3399Pro is an upcoming processor based on Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor, but adding RK1808 NPU block for AI workloads. We’ve already seen a few development boards based on the processor, including Rockchip’s own evaluation board – which mortals can’t buy -, Khadas Edge 1S, Pine64 RockPro64-AI, and Toybrick RK3399Pro Board. Apart from a demo with Rockchip RK3399Pro EVB, I have not seen any of the SBCs in the wild yet. But we have even more choices now, as Geniatech, better known for their Amlogic TV boxes, has been entering the embedded mainboard market in recent years, and added DB3399Pro development board to their offering. Geniatech DB3399Pro specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399Pro hexa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A72 @ 1.8 GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 GHz, Arm Mali-T864 GPU, RK1808 NPU System Memory – 3GB LPDDR3 (option 6GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (option 16G/32GB), SD card socket, SATA (where?) Video […]

February 16, 2019May 11, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Xiaomi Mi A2 Review with Android 9.0 Pie

I had been using Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One smartphone since the end of 2017, and was mostly satisfied with it thanks to regular (monthly) firmware update, although I was a bit disappointed by the camera overtime. Eventually I had a serious issue with Mi A1’s eMMC flash, and stopped using it at the end of last year, or roughly after one year of service, since the phone became unusable, unbearably slow. Xiaomi Mi A2 and A2 Lite where released last summer, and having seen Mi A2 was getting an Android 9.0 firmware in Q4 2018, I asked GearBest whether they could send a sample to review the latest Xiaomi Android One phone. They accepted, and I posted the first part of the review in early December. However, at this time, I did not get the update, since it was not released in Thailand, but soon enough Xiaomi Mi A2 […]

February 13, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 164 Comments

ODROID-N2 Amlogic S922X SBC Coming in April for $63 and Up

Due to RAM supply issues, Hardkernel canceled RK3399 based ODROID-N1 board last year, and decided to replace it with ODROID-N2 using a “newer SoC .. with faster CPU/GPU cores and native DDR4 support”, but they did not provide any details about the processor, and we speculated it could be the upcoming Amlogic S922X processor. Hardkernel has now formally unveiled ODROID-N2, the first Amlogic S922X SBC to be announced, with 2 to 4GB DDR4 RAM, 4x USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0a video output up to 4K 60p and more. ODROID-N2 SBC specifications: SoC – Amlogic S922X hexa-core big.LITTLE processor with 4x Arm Cortex A73 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, 2x Arm Cortex A53 cores @ 1.9 GHz, Arm Mali-G52 GPU @ 846MHz; 12nm manufacturing process System Memory – 2GB or 4GB DDR4 RAM @ 1320 MHz Storage – 8MB SPI flash, eMMC flash module socket, micro SD card […]

February 12, 2019February 12, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Estone MJ-100 10.1″ Rugged Tablet is Equipped with Rockchip RK3399 Processor, a Barcode Scanner

Launched several years ago, Rockchip RK3399 is now a mature platform found in Chromebooks, some laptops, SBCs, and various other products. Estone Technology offers something a little different with MJ-100 rugged tablet with a 10.1″ display, IP65 waterproof rating, MIL-STD-810G shock & drop resistance, as well as ESD protection. The Android 7.1 tablet also comes with up to 4GB RAM, up to 256GB flash storage, 4G LTE connectivity, GPS / GLONASS support, and some unique features like sealed IO ports, an optional 1D/2D barcode reader, or an optional medical grade power supply. Estone MJ-100 rugged tablet specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 big.LITTLE hexacore processor with 2x Arm Cortex A72 cores @ 1.8 GHz, 4x Cortex A53 core @ 1.8 GHz, Arm Mali-T860MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR4 RAM (Optional: 4GB) Storage – 64GB, 128GB or 256 GB of eMMC 5.1 flash, micro SD/SDXC/SDGC/SD3.0 card slot up to 64GB Display […]

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Nitrogen8M_Mini is the First NXP i.MX8 8M Mini SBC

Having just written about one of the first NXP i.MX 8M Mini systems-on-module, let’s stay with NXP’s latest 14-nm processor as Boundary Devices have been working on a variant of their Nitrogen8M SBC based on MXP i.MX 8M Mini processor and aptly called Nitrogen8M_Mini. The board is also known as the less human-friendly Nit8MQ_Mini_2r8e SBC, and comes with the following specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Mini with 4x Cortex A53 cores, 1x Cortex-M4F real-time core, Vivante GCNanoUltra 3D GPU, Vivante GC320 2D GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR4 (Optional 4GB version) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, expandable up to 128GB, UHS SD card slot Display – 4-lane MIPI DSI interface up to 1080p Video Encode / Decode – 1080p H.264, VP8/1080p60 H.265, H.264, VP8, VP9 Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack, analog MIC jack, 2W audio amplifier, L&R speaker headers Camera Interface – 1x 4-lane MIPI-CSI interface Connectivity Gigabit Ethernet […]

February 9, 2019May 10, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 49 Comments

Wechip R69 Allwinner H3 TV Box goes for $19 Shipped

A few years ago, it was relatively easy to purchase sub $20 TV boxes with some patience, but with the increase in RAM and flash prices, it’s been more difficult to find those ultra-cheap TV boxes. It turns out there’s such a deal now on Aliexpress where Wechip R69 TV box is sold for just $18.99 shipped. Now with an Allwinner H3 processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB flash, I would not necessarily recommend such device for your media needs, but they can be useful for some specific use cases like a simple digital signage, or even to run Linux with some efforts. Wechip R69 also looks to be similar to Sunvell R69 TV box that is officially supported by RetroOrangePi, but with the pin-to-pin compatible Allwinner H2 processor, so it could make an inexpensive retro gaming console as well. Wechip R69 specifications: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad-core Cortex A7 processor […]

February 8, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Adiantum Enables Faster File Encryption in Devices without AES Crypto Accelerator

File Encryption is enabled – even required – by default in most Android devices, as it protects your data would you lose your phone, or have it stolen. Encryption in Android leverages the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and most modern 64-bit processors – like the ones based on Armv8 – come with a crypto accelerator that boosts performance several folds compared to a software only solution. But there are also many low end devices, for example based on Arm Cortex-A7, that lack crypto extensions, and enabling AES encryption would make the devices even slower than they already are. So in order to provide file encryption on entry-level hardware without comprising too much on performance, Google has developed Adiantum encryption optimized to run on targets without crypto accelerator. As explained in a Google Security blog post, Adiantum uses the ChaCha stream cipher – as used in HTTPS – in a length-preserving […]