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April 26, 2016April 26, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

MK808B Pro Android TV Stick Mini Review

MK808B PRO is the first Amlogic S905 TV stick readily available for sale, and GeekBuying sent me a sample for review. I’ve already checked out the hardware, and the lack of heatsink is a worry, so we’ll see how it performs in this mini review, where I’ll focus mainly on potential pitfalls, rather than do a throrough review as usual, since I’ve already tested so many Android TV boxes powered by Amlogic S905 processor First Boot, Settings, and First Impressions I’ve connected MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse RF dongle to the USB port, and Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless gamepad dongle to the mini USB port via the provided USB OTG adapter, and the provided HDMI cable to the AUX port of my AV receiver and nothing else, except the power adapter to the other mini USB port. Boot time typically takes about one minute that it’s not a speed […]

April 5, 2016April 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

MK808B Pro Amlogic S905 Android TV Stick Unboxing and Teardown

MK808B Pro TV stick is the successor of the popular MK808B Plus and before that MK808B Android TV dongles with an upgrade to Amlogic S905 processor with 4K support. GeekBuying sent me a sample for evaluation, so I’ll start by checking the hardware before testing the device thoroughly in the full review. MK808B Pro Unboxing I received the stick in a package larger than I expected, but apparently about the same as the previous models (which I had not reviewed). But that’s because of the included accessories: a 5V/2A power supply, a USB cable, a mini USB OTG adapter, a mini HDMI to HDMI cable, and a user’s manual. Apart from the markings “MK808B PRO” and “4K Ultra HD”, the device looks the same as the older models. A mini USB port for power, and a USB 2.0 host port can be found on one end, with a micro SD […]

March 26, 2016March 26, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

$35 MK808B PRO 4K HDMI TV Stick is Powered by Amlogic S905 Processor

MK808 family of Android TV sticks has been relatively popular starting with MK808 & MK808B based on Rockchip RK3066 dual core processor, followed by MK808B Plus with Amlogic S805 quad core processor, and now MK808B PRO has been launched with the same form factor but featuring an Amlogic S905 64-bit processor combined with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. MK808B PRO specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with quad core Mali-450MP GPU up to 750MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND + micro SD card slot up to 32 GB Video & Audio Output – mini HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz Video Codecs – 4K H.265 @ 60 fps, H..264 @ 30 fps Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 2x mini USB port (one OTG, one for power only) Power […]

February 3, 2015February 3, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Android 5.0 Lollipop SDK for Amlogic Processors and Image for MK808B Plus

Amlogic has just released Android 5.0 SDK for Amlogic S805, S802, and S812 processors on their OpenLinux website, but before you get too excited, this is only available people who have signed an SLA with the company, or somehow got a username/password to their git server. Although most people can’t access the SDK, it still means that popular Amlogic S8xx devices are likely to be upgraded to Android 5.0 in the weeks or months ahead. The company has not released any Android 5.0 SDK for older AML-8726M? processors however, so apart from WeTek Play, I would not expect any other Amlogic single or dual core devices to get a Lollipop treat. If you own a MK808B Plus TV dongle, you don’t even need to wait, as WeTek ported Android 5.0, more exactly CyanogenMod 12, to the cheap HDMI TV Stick for evaluation, and since finally they don’t intend to design […]

November 18, 2014December 9, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 37 Comments

MK808B Plus Android HDMI TV Stick Based on Amlogic S805 Sells for $36

You can get a cheap an decent H.265 capable Android TV box for less than $50 with MXQ S85, but MK808B Plus may be the cheapest H.265 capable player on the market, as the Amlogic S805 based Android TV stick sells for just $35.99 on Aliexpress including shipping (promotion valid for 6 days). [Update: Apparently the seller “changed his mind”, and nobody could actually buy for $35.99, so the best option is with GeekBuying for $39.99, also a promotion for the first 1,000 pieces or 10 days whichever comes first] [Update Dec 9, 2014: Promotion for $29.99 on Gearbest with MK808BCN coupon valid until January 9, 2015]. MK808B Plus specifications: SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.5GHz with quad core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, […]

October 7, 2014October 7, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

MatchStick’s Firefox OS Firmware Ported to MK808B mini PC

MatchStick is an HDMI Stick running Firefox OS and designed to stream online video, mirroring browsers, etc.. which makes it very similar to a Chromecast, even using the same DIAL protocol. The hardware is based on Rockchip RK3066, and Mozilla released an SDK for the device. Since there are quite a few Rockchip RK3066 TV sticks out there, BalintBanyasz announced he ported MatchStick’s firmware to MK808B (with RK903 Wi-Fi module), and has now provided the firmware and instructions on Freaktab. The firmware is based on Linux kernel 3.0.36+ used in Android 4.2.2. Once you’ve flash the firmware (matchstick-flingone-b2g2.0-201409281739-mk808b.img.7z) to MK808B, and installed MatchStick app / add-on in your Android device or Firefox Browser (iOS app coming) soon, you can “fling” a YouTube video from your phone / browser to your TV through MK808B as follows: Open MatchStick app on your phone in order to detect the hotspot (MatchStickXXXX) created by […]

July 27, 2014July 27, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Testing VolksPC’s MicroXwin Android & Debian Distribution in MK808 mini PC

Earlier this week, I wrote about VolksPC mini PC running Debian and Android simultaneously, and the developers decided to send me a unit for testing. The hardware I received is the popular MK808 mini PC based on Rockchip RK3066 with 1Gb RAM, and 8 GB RAM, but loaded with MicroXwin unified distribution. MicroXwin is an implementation of Windows X that’s not using a client/server protocol, for instead communicates directly with the drivers for better performance, especially on low-end hardware. I connected MK808 to my HDMI TV, added a USB hub to connect a USB keyboard as well as Mele Air Mouse, and powered up the device. The boot to Debian takes about 30 seconds, and 50 seconds for Android. As you boot it will enter in Debian with XFCE desktop environment, and you’ll notice two files, namely the Quick Start Guide and Release Notes that explain how to get started […]

May 15, 2013May 15, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

DealExtreme 50% Discount on Mini PCs, Class 10 SD Cards, RF Remote Controls and More

DealExtreme has started a promotion that is taking place on May, 15-20 offering 50% discount on selected products. I’ve gone through the list, and found several RK3066 Android mini PCs all priced between $23 and $27, as well as some other items that may be of interest to readers of this blog. [Update: Sorry, in just a couple of hours, all items listed below are already sold out] Android Mini PCs: MK808 – $25.00 – One of the most used Android mini PC. Powered by Rockchip RK3066 with 1GB RAM, 8GB Flash. The version in DX runs Android 4.1.1, but a beta Android 4.2.2 firmware is also available. MK808B – $23.50 – Same as MK808, but with Bluetooth, and somehow it’s cheaper… Rikomagic MK802 IIIS – $27.10 – Rockchip RK3066 powered mini PC with 1GB RAM and 8GB Flash. Contrary to the previous 2 that feature a HDMI female connector, […]