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December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

Year 2018 in Review, Top 10 Posts, and Some Stats

That’s it, we’ve already reached the last day of 2018, and it’s time to have a look back at what happened during the past year. On the mini PC front, Gemini Lake based mini PCs took over from Apollo Lake with some performance improvements, but I expected the price point to be a bit lower than it is today. Apart from further developments with regards to mobile processors, it feels 2018 was an off-year for processors, such as the ones found in TV boxes and development boards, with mostly more of the same. Allwinner and Rockchip did not release any really interesting processor, and Amlogic only launched S905X2 and S905Y2 which are mostly evolutions of their previous generation with an OpenGL 3.x capable GPU and USB 3.0. Rockchip RK3399 stood out this year, as despite being launched in 2016, it suddenly became popular again with many RK3399 SBCs coming to […]

December 30, 2018December 30, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

LAPSCREEN Ultralight Ultrathin 12.5″ Display Works with USB-C, HDMI, WiFi, and More

If you want to add an extra screen to your laptop, we’ve previously covered DUO add-on display, a full HD 12.5″ display that can be placed on the left or the right of the display, and it was launched via a crowdfunding campaign that ended up being popular with over $800,000 raised from more than 4,000 backers. The display is however 1.2 cm thick and weights 680 grams, which does not seem too bad until you hear about LAPSCREEN. Developed over several years by Mr. Black (Michél Haese), LAPSCREEN is also a 12.5″ display with Full HD resolution, but it only weights 200 to 300 grams depending on whether you select the non-touch or touch version, and comes with a 4 to 8 mm thickness. Such displays enable what Michél calls the “portable office”, so you’d have your laptop for example, and if you ever needed four extra screens as […]

December 24, 2018December 24, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

$100 Laptop Shell to Support Smartphones, USB Type-C PC Sticks, and SBCs (Crowdfunding)

Launched in 2011, Motorola Lapdock turned the company’s Atrix 4G smartphone into an Android laptop, but it did not end up being a commercial success so the company stopped manufacturing the laptop shell a few years ago. It is still used by hobbyist for example to create their own DIY Raspberry Pi laptop, and in recent years, with phoned getting much more powerful and desktop support for Android improving, lookalikes have been launched such as NextDock or Mirabook. A new option will soon be available, as Charbax known for his armdevices.net website and YouTube channel has just launched an Indiegogo campaign for a $100 Lapdock. Two models will be available with Lapdock 11.6″, and Lapdock 14.1″ referring to their size, but sadly no other specifications were provided for the display. We still know they’ll work with Samsung Dex / Linux on Dex modes, Huawei PC mode, and basically any device […]

June 8, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

SMOS DeX Station is a $40 DeX Pad Alternative for Samsung Galaxy S8, S9, & Note 8, and Other USB Type C Phones

DeX is the “Desktop Experience” on some premium Samsung Galaxy phones that allow you to run apps on an HDMI display or TV through Samsung Dex Pad that sells for $75 and up. But if you want to save some money, there’s an DeX Pad alternative with SMOS DeX Station going for $39.99 on Amazon, which should also work with other phones with a USB type C port, but obviously without Samsung DeX mode. The dock includes a USB type C port to connect your phone, as well as USB 3.0 type A ports for keyboard and mouse, or optional mass storage device, HDMI output port up to 4K @ 60 Hz according to the specifications, and a USB type C charging port. The dock ships with a 60cm USB type C cable, and a 1.5m HDMI cable. Amazon reviews are mixed with people really happy about their purchase, but […]

April 20, 2017April 20, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Phablet: Up to 8GB RAM, Up to 256 GB Storage, Bezel-free 6.4″ Display, $1,095

Yesterday, Xiaomi introduced Mi 6 smartphone, in what looked like to be their premium model, but it turns out they have a more powerful (and expensive) model with Mi MIX 2 Phablet/Smartphone boasting the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, but equipped with up to 8GB RAM, 256 GB flash, and a 6.4″ display with 2560×1440 resolution and virtually without any bezels. Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 preliminary specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snpadragon 835 octa-core Kryo 280 processor with 4x cores @ 2.45 GHz, 4x cores @ 1.9 GHz, Adreno 540 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 full, Vulkan, DX12, Hexagon 682 DSP System Memory – 4, 6 or 8 GB LPDDR4X dual channel memory Storage – 128 or 256 GB UFS 2.0 flash; NO micro SD card Display – 6.4″ capacitive touch AMOLED display with 2560×1440 resolution Audio – Speakers; microphone; 3.5mm audio jack Cellular Connectivity 2G – […]

April 17, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Mirabook is Laptop Dock for Smartphones, Development Boards (Crowdfunding)

Motorola Lapdock may have been ahead of its time, as laptop docks for smartphone are back in vogue with products like NexDock, and Apple could soon launch their own iPhone laptop dock. Another option is Miraxess Mirabook laptop dock with a 13.3″ display, and a battery lasting up to 24 hours, that works for smartphones, development boards, and HDMI TV sticks thanks to its USB type C port. Mirabook specifications: Display – 13.3″ IPS display with 1920×1080 resolution (non-touch, except if they raise $2 millions…) Audio – Speakers, 3.5mm audio jack Video Output – HDMI port Storage – SD card slot QWERTY keyboard & multi-touch trackpad USB Integrated USB type C cable to connect to phone, board or HDMI TV stick USB type C port to charge the Mirabook battery 2x USB type A host port Battery – TBD capacity good for 24 hours while charging your phone Dimensions – […]

March 30, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ Smartphones Launched with Infinity Screen, Samsung DeX Desktop Mode, Bixby Assistant

Samsung has finally launched their latest Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 processor, 5.8″ and 6.2″ screens , and some of the most interesting features include the “infinity screen” with ultra thin bezels, Samsung DeX allowing for a desktop experience on a large monitor when the phone is docked, as well as Bixby assistant. Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ specifications: SoC (one or the other depending on markets) Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor with four Kryo 280 cores @ 2.3 GHz, four Kryo 280 cores @ 1.7 Ghz;; Adreno 540 GPU; 10nm process Samsung Exynos 8895 octa-core processor with four M2+ cores @ 2.35 GHz, four Cortex A53 cores @ 1.9 GHz, ARM Mali-G71 GPU; 10nm process System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 64GB UFS 2.0 flash; micro SD up to 256 GB Display Galaxy S8 – 5.8” quad HD+ (2960×1440), (570ppi) Galaxy S8+ […]