Intel Compute Stick STK2mv64CC Powered by Core m5-6Y57 vPro Processor is Up for Pre-order for $485

Intel announced five new Computer Sticks at the beginning of the year, and so far 4 have been launched, and the Intel Core m3 have been benchmarked showing about to double the performance compared to the Cherry Trail versions, but the most powerful model based on Core m5 had yet to be launched. The news is that if you have some spare cash, you can now pre-order Intel Compute Stick STK2mv64CC based on Core m5-6Y57 vPro processor for $485 on Amazon US with shipping scheduled for May 12, 2016. That’s quite a steep price, so let’s see what you’d get for $500: SoC – Intel Core m5-6Y57 vPro dual core/four thread processor @ 1.1 GHz/2.8GHz with Intel HD Graphics 515 @ 300MHz/900Mhz (4.5 W TDP, configurable to 3.5W and 7W) System Memory – 4 GB DDR3L @ 1833MHz dual channel memory Storage – 64 GB eMMC + micro SDXC v3.0 slot with […]

$200 Kangaroo Mobile Desktop Pro mini PC Features a Larger Dock with 2.5″ SATA Slot, VGA, HDMI, and More

The original Kangaroo Mobile Desktop PC came with an Intel Atom x5-Z8500 processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB flash, as well as a small dock to add HDMI, two USB ports, and DC input. The company also launched an upgraded “Plus” version with 4GB RAM and 64GB flash a few months ago, but now they have introduced the Pro version with the same CPU “module”, but a larger dock, making the device over twice as thick by adding a 2.5″ SATA bay, Ethernet, VGA, etc… Kangaroo Mobile Desktop Pro specifications (bold highlights show difference with original model): SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8500 Processor @ 1.44 GHz (up to 2.24 GHz) with 2M Cache and Intel Gen8 Graphics System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC + micro SD slot + 2.5″ slot for SSD or HDD Video Output – HDMI and VGA Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack […]

Intel Showcases Core m Compute Stick Prototype with RealSense Camera at IDF 2016 Shenzhen

Intel appears to be all-in with their Realsense technology at IDF 2016 Shenzhen, as together with RealSense Robotic Development Kit, the company is showcasing an Intel Core m “Skylake” TV Stick, based on similar hardware as STK2MV64CC Compute Stick with a Core m3 or m5 vPro processor, but adding a Realsense F200 3D depth camera and an array of microphones. The full specifications are not available, but we do know the stick also comes with one USB 3.0 ports, and a yellow USB 2.0 port which should be always-on, a micro USB port for power, and a micro HDMI port to connect the your TV. The stick is supposed to be placed on top of your TV so you’d then be able to control the user interface, play games, etc… using gestures, with potentially other applications made possible thanks to 3D depth sensing such as Windows Hello which allows you […]

NEXBOX T11 Cherry Trail Mini PC Includes a 2.5″ SATA Bay, Supports HDMI and VGA Output

It’s always possible to connect a USB hard drive to a mini PC, but it’s not quite as neat as having an internal drive, and it may not pass the wife test. NEXBOX T11 mini PC powered by Intel Atom x5-Z8300 processor addresses this issue by including a 2.5″ SATA bay on the bottom for the case of a SSD or HDD with up to 2 TB capacity. NEXBOX T11 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz/1.84 GHz (turbo) with Intel Gen8 HD graphics System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 32 GB flash, 2.5″ SATA drive support, and micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI and VGA Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet port, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x micro USB OTG […]

Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced / Pro (Mediatek MT8693) Benchmarks and System Info

Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced is the first TV Box I’ve tested with a processor featuring ARM Cortex A72 cores, so I’m very eager to see how its performs, and I’m expecting it to be quite faster than Rockchip RK3288, but still not quite matching Nvidia Tegra X1 processor found in Nvidia Shield Android TV box. But first let’s check the system information with CPU-Z app. First, it looks like CPU-Z does not detect big.LITTLE processor very well, as it detect a six core ARM Cortex-A72, instead of a six core processor with two Cortex A72, and four Cortex A53 cores. The clock speed ranges between 507 MHz and 1.57 GHz, but that’s likely the number for the Cortex A53 core, as the marketing materials report the Cortex A53 cores run at up to 1.6 GHz, and the Cortex A72 cores up to 2.0 GHz. Antutu info reports the frequency […]

How to Change Language to English and Install Apps Remotely on Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced

Just like other Xiaomi TV boxes the latest Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced (aka MiBox 3 Pro) comes with a Chinese only user interface, but a similar method as used for Xiaomi Mi Box Mini to change English and remotely install apps. I’ve gone through this and taken pictures and screenshots to show how to change the language. I had connected the HDMI cable, a USB hard drive, as well as a USB keyboard and RF dongle for my airmouse and gamepad to the device, and after powering up the device, you are know some text in Chinese, you can press OK, and you’ll soon be presented with a list of WiFi access points. Select one, and you’ll be asked to input the password for the network. However, in my case I had no connect button, and pressing OK on the remote did not work at all. It turns out […]

MeLE StarCloud PCG61U Ubuntu Mini PC is Powered by Intel Braswell Celeron Processor

So far, most Chinese manufactures of Intel based mini PCs simply ignored Linux distributions, with Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 the only game in town. However, a few days ago, we found out about MeLE PCG02-U TV stick running Ubuntu on Intel Atom Z3735F processor, but the company appears to now taking Ubuntu more seriously as they are now promoting two other Ubuntu products with PCG01-U TV stick, and MeLE StarCloud PCG61U Braswell mini PC at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. The product is not finalized, but the main specifications are already known: SoC – Intel Braswell Celeron processor @ 1.6 to 2.08 GHz with 12 EU Gen8 Graphics, likely Celeron N3150 processor (6W TDP) System Memory – 2, 4 or 8 GB DDR3L Storage – 32, 64 or 128 GB internal storage, or HDD/SSD slot, SD card slot Video Output – HDMI & VGA Audio – HDMI, microphone and […]

Zidoo X1 II 4K Android TV Box (Rockchip RK3229) Review

After skipping MXQ-4K TV box review due to severe issues with video playback, Zidoo X1 II is actually the first device powered by Rockchip RK3229 processor that I’ve fully tested. I’ve already taken pictures of the box, and opened it up to check the board in Zidoo X1 II unboxing and teardown post,  and confirmed 4K videos could play pretty well from my USB hard drive using Zidoo Media Center after disabling Media Scanner process. So today, I’ll review other parts of the firmware, as well as video playback with ZDMC 16.0, Zidoo’s fork of Kodi 16.0. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions The device only has two USB ports, and I used one for a USB hard drive, and the other for RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse,  a USB keyboard, and the RF dongle for Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad via a USB hub. I also […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC