Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on Debian 8 on Orange Pi mini 2 Board (Video)

Debian 8 on Orange Pi mini 2 Board (Video)

Yesterday, I wrote a quick start guide for Orange Pi PC / 2 / Plus showing how to install Linux distributions on the board, and build your own image. With the launch of the $15 Orange Pi PC, Xunlong Software has taken over 1,500 orders for the board on their Aliexpress store, and probably sold a few hundreds or thousands in China via Taobao. So the board got relatively popular in a short time, considering it’s only selling via these two channels. I tested my tutorial with Orange Pi mini 2 ($23), a very similar board also based on Allwinner H3, but just a little larger and with an extra USB hosty port, but apart from that it’s similar to Orange Pi PC, and software compatible. I had already wrote about my test results in the previous article, where I did not recommend using the board in Linux as a […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Acer Unveils “Revo Build” Modular Mini PC with Stackable Blocks

Acer Unveils “Revo Build” Modular Mini PC with Stackable Blocks

Acer Revo Build is a mini PC that looks similar to Intel NUC, and powered by Intel Celeron N3050, Celeron N3150, or Pentium N3700 Braswell processor with 32GB eMMC and 8GB RAM, that looks like that: Nice colors… but at first glance it’s just another mini PC with more a recent recent processor and more RAM than usual, until you notice a connector on the top corner of the device no the picture above. That connector is used to stack other blocks such as: 500GB to 1TB hard drive Graphics Block with AMD processor Audio Block with speakers and microphone Wireless charging block Projector block So eventually, your mini PC could look more like a mini tower… Acer Revo Build (M1-601) will ship with Windows 10, and features three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort video output, a headset jack and an SD card slot. The mini PC itself measures […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Linux 4.2 Release – Main Changes, ARM and MIPS Architectures

Linux 4.2 Release – Main Changes, ARM and MIPS Architectures

Linus Torvalds released Linux Kernel 4.2 last Sunday: So judging by how little happened this week, it wouldn’t have been a mistake to release 4.2 last week after all, but hey, there’s certainly a few fixes here, and it’s not like delaying 4.2 for a week should have caused any problems either. So here it is, and the merge window for 4.3 is now open. I already have a few pending early pull requests, but as usual I’ll start processing them tomorrow and give the release some time to actually sit. The shortlog from rc8 is tiny, and appended. The patch is pretty tiny too. Go get it, Linus Some notable changes made to Linux 4.2 include: File systems New features for F2FS including per file encryption CIFS support SMB 3.1.1 (experimental) Cryptography – Jitter Entropy Random Number Generator, Chacha20 stream cipher and Poly1305 authentication (RFC7539),New RSA implementation. See lwn.net […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Scaleway C1 Dedicated ARM Server Price Drops to 3 Euros Per Month

Scaleway C1 Dedicated ARM Server Price Drops to 3 Euros Per Month

Scaleaway launched their hosting services with dedicated ARM servers based on Marvell Armada 370/XP quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor this spring for 10 Euros per month, or 0.02 Euro per hour, and at the time, some people found it was not that attractive, as similarly priced plans provided by Linode or DigitalOcean with Intel server were also available, and it might have only been really compelling for people who specifically required an ARM server to play with. The company has now slashed its price, and it has become very attractive at 2.99 Euros (~$3.37 US) per month or 0.006 Euro per hour, excluding VAT. The server technical specifications and features are still the same: Server based on Marvell Armada 370/XP quad core ARMv7 processor Memory – 2 GB Memory Storage – 50 GB SSD Disk (extra space available for 1 Euro per 50GB) 1x Reserved public IPv4 200Mbit/s – Unmetered […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Study Shows Octa Core Processors Bring Little Over Quad Core Processors in Mobile Devices

Study Shows Octa Core Processors Bring Little Over Quad Core Processors in Mobile Devices

Silicon vendor are now launching 8-core and even 12-core processors for mobile devices, and I can see some advantages in terms of power consumption in processors leveraging big.LITTLE processing with low power ‘LITTLE’ cores running light tasks such as audio or video playback, while performance ‘big’ cores running much demanding tasks. However, some processors, such as RK3368, feature the same eight cores, and in real-use don’t bring that extra bit of performance or lower power consumption, except in very specific cases. So the only “advantage” of this type of processor is a marketing one, with keyword like “Octa-core”, “64-bit”, etc… Last year, I found out, that more powerful cores may be more important than many cores, when I tested Allwinner A80 processor with PVRMonitor to check CPU usage per core in real-time, and in Antutu, while Browsing the web or playing games, only a few cores were used most of […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on MeLE F10 BT is a $20 Bluetooth Air Mouse and Keyboard

MeLE F10 BT is a $20 Bluetooth Air Mouse and Keyboard

MeLE is mostly known as a manufacturer of Android TV boxes and air mice, and I use MeLE F10 Deluxe air mouse in all my Android mini PCs review, as even though it’s not perfect it does the job much better than an IR remote control, and is more convenient to use than a USB keyboard. The two MeLE air mouse I’ve purchased come with a 2.4GHz RF dongle that needs to be connected to a USB port of the device you want to control,  but now the company is now about to launch a Bluetooth model with MeLE F10 BT. MeLE F10 BT (RF01BL) specifications: Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 (CSR1011) IR support – Yes, including IR learning function. Buttons Life – About 100,000 presses Sensors – G-sensor, Gyroscope Keyboard – QWERTY keyboard Battery – 2x AAA batteries (>30 days in standby mode) Dimensions – 169x48x19 mm Beside Bluetooth connectivity, […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 66 Comments on Getting Started with Orange Pi PC, Pi 2 and Pi Plus Development Boards

Getting Started with Orange Pi PC, Pi 2 and Pi Plus Development Boards

I’ve recently received a kit based on Orange Pi mini 2 development board powered by Allwinner H3 quad core processor, but contrary to most other devices or boards I reviewed, this one what sent to me by one of my reader (thanks Jon!) as for various reasons he did not need to get it shipped to him. Today, I’ll start by showing off the kit I received, before writing a quick start guide showing how to install a Debian, and build your own Linux image. The instructions will work for all Orange Pi Allwinner H3 boards, including Orange Pi 2, Orange Pi Plus, and the recently launched Orange Pi PC, which has been rather popular thanks to its low $15 price tag. Orange Pi mini 2 Board Kit and CSI Camera This is what I got in the package… The board with a regulatory compliance and safety information sheet, as […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on LG Rolly is a Bluetooth Keyboard that Folds into a Stick

LG Rolly is a Bluetooth Keyboard that Folds into a Stick

There are already some flexible Bluetooth keyboards that you can roll into your bag or pocket after being done typing on your smartphone or tablet, but LG is about to launch Rolly Keyboard, a solid Bluetooth keyboard for mobile device that can be rolled into a stick, which should may be sturdier than flexible keyboards, and it can also hold a smartphone or tablet in upright position with a display of up to 10″ in size. LG’ latest keyboard (model KBB-700) is comprised of 17mm keys – a standard keyboard comes with 18mm keys – arranged into four rows, that can be folded into a stick as shown above. The company also claims the keyboard offers “satisfying tactile feedback not found on flexible silicone keyboards”. The keyboard is powered by two AAA batteries supposed to last about 3 months during typical use, and pairing over Bluetooth 3.0 occurs automatically to […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications