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January 20, 2014January 20, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Review of Beelink A9 RK3188 Android Media Player

Beelink A9 is an Android TV Box powered by Rockchip RK3188 SoC with 2GB RAM, and 8GB RAM (See full specs). The hardware is pretty standard, but the company released Android 4.4 SDK for the device, so when Beelink / Nexteon told me they wanted to send me one for review, I accepted. I won’t test the Android SDK today, but I’ll just show the pictures of the device, and run my usual series of tests for review. The shipped sample is not running Android 4.4 (beta), but Android 4.2.2. Unboxing Pictures I’ve received this Android media player in the no brand package below. I’m not sure if Beelink will sell directly to individuals, so you’ll likely to received some different if you order Tronsmart A928 or Zero Devices Z6C which are based on the same platform. There are quite a few accessories in the package: The box itself, a […]

December 13, 2013December 13, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Tronsmart T1000 Mirror2TV Review with Android and Windows XP

Tronsmart T1000 Mirror2TV is an EZcast HDMI dongle that connects to your TV, supports Miracast, DLNA, and Airplay, and sells for just $30 including shipping. I’ve just received a sample from Geekbuying, and I’ll post some pictures first, followed by a review with ThL W200 Android 4.2 smartphone, and Acer Aspire One D255 netbook running Windows XP. Tronsmart T1000 Unboxing Pictures The package shows it is a Wi-Fi display adapter supporting Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Beside the dongle, there’s just a user’s manual (that I did not read, shame on me), and a funny USB wit a microUSB plug at one end, and a Wi-Fi module, and USB plug to connect to your TV or a power adapter at the other end. Since the Wi-Fi module is outside the dongle is much smaller than Android HDMI TV Sticks for example. Another advantage might be better Wi-Fi reception, as if […]

December 6, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Tronsmart T1000 Mirror2TV EZCast, Miracast, Airplay, DLNA HDMI Dongle Sells for $29.99

There has already been several dongles released to the mark that support Miracast, Airplay, and DLNA, either a subset, or a combination of the standards. One of the cheapest is iPush that now sells in the low $20, but there are different models, and one of them is only supporting DLNA. A couple of months later, EZCast was released with support for DLNA, as well as Miracast and Airplay (with some limitations), and their own EZCast support. EZCast is supported on several hardware dongles that often sell for about $35 to $45, and although it’s not outrageously expensive, you can get full single or dual core Android HDMI TV for this price. I’ve just come across a new product called Tronsmart T1000 Mirror2TV sold for $29.99 including shipping by GeekBuying, and a couple of sellers on Aliexpress, that appears to be another EZCast dongle with support for Miracast, Airplay, and DLNA. […]

June 15, 2013May 25, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 50 Comments

Ubuntu 12.04 Now Boots on Rockchip RK3188 mini PCs (T428, MK908, Rikomagic MK802 IV…)

After the release of the RK3188 Linux kernel source code last week, Ian Morrison (Linuxium) has managed to boot Ubuntu 12.04 with XFCE desktop on Tronsmart T428. However, as Tronsmart refused to release their source code, further Linux development is likely to happen on Rikomagic MK802 IV, because Rikomagic released the code for their device, so development work will be easier. AFAIK, this is the first time Linux boots natively on RK3188 devices, so it’s still early stage (no Wi-Fi, Bt or graphics acceleration), but if you still want to give it a try here are the instructions (for T428):] Create a SDCARD with an Ubuntu 12.04 root file system on it and ensure it is labeled as “linuxroot” (Visit Slatedroid for details) Flash your RK3188 minipc with rooted stock 4.1.1 ROM. (May not be needed if you ROM is already rooted) Boot Android, and install Android Terminal Flash t428-3.0.36-linuxium-test+-kernel.img […]

May 17, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

My Attempt at Adding Multiple Users Support to Android 4.2 HDMI TV Sticks

A few day ago, I noticed MoDaCo posted instructions to enable multiple users support on Nexus 4 smartphone via Liliputing’s Lilbits. They indicate that it may also work on other Android 4.2 devices, so with more and more Android mini PCs and set-top box running the latest version of Android, but lacking. multiple user support, I decided to give it a try on Tronsmart T428. My little experiment did not end up being that successful despite the picture below. But who knows, maybe some of my clever readers will find a solution. The instructions below may “work” on any rooted Android 4.2 devices including smartphones, mini PCs, media players, etc… You’ll need to install 2 apks: Xposed Framework – Scroll down on this page, then download and install XposedInstaller_2.1.4.apk. Finally run the installer, and reboot. MoDaCo Toolkit Xposed module – A link on this page will let you download com.modaco.toolkit.apk. […]

May 17, 2013May 17, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

New Tronmart Prometheus Firmware Fixes XBMC Audio/Video Sync, Adds DLNA and Smartphone Control App

A new firmware is now available for Tronsmart Prometheus with the following key changes: New Android 4.2 XBMC audio/video sync bug fix DLNA support Smartphone control function Internal storage for apps increased to 2GB In order to use the smartphone control function, you need to download and install RC_Client.apk into your Android smartphone or tablet, and run this app to control your Prometheus. I haven’t tried myself, and they did not provide detail, so I don’t know whether functionalities are similar to DroidMote. To update your device if It’s already running the previous Android 4.2 beta firmware: Download and extract Tronsmart Prometheus new stock firmware.zip. It would be really nice if they could just provide version numbers for firmware releases. Open the download folder, copy the 5 files in the root folder of an SD card, and insert it into your device. Use a paper clip to press and hold […]

May 14, 2013May 19, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments

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 […]

May 11, 2013August 5, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 50 Comments

List of RK3188 mini PCs / HDMI TV Dongles

The first HDMI TV stick based on Rockchip RK3188 that I noticed was CloudnetGo CR9, and since then many more similar products have hit the market. I did not write about most of them as “it’s just more of the same” most of the time, but listed some in CloudnetGo CR9 post’s comment section. Today, I’ll provide a (non-exhaustive) list of devices, in no particular order, with a summary of the hardware specifications. I won’t mention Android versions since all of them already run Jelly Bean (Android 4.1 or 4.2). Retail price information, which I got from Aliexpress, Geekbuying, W2COMP, and some other sites, is provided for reference, and includes shipping unless otherwise stated. CloudnetGo CR9 – 2GB RAM, 8/16 GB Flash, HDMI male, 1x USB, 1x microUSB – Price Unknown – See review Tronsmart T428 – 2GB RAM, 8GB Flash, HDMI male, 1x USB, 1x microUSB – $99 Rikomagic MK802 […]