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Official Android 4.4 Firmware for RK3188T HDMI TV Sticks Released

At the very end of last year, a beta Android 4.4.2 firmware for Rockchip RK3188 mini PCs was released, and yesterday, GeekBuying announced an official Android 4.4.2 firmware for Rockchip RK3188T (notice the T) mini PCs with AP6210 Wi-Fi modules,with bug fixes from the beta version. This should work with device such as MK908II and MK809III. There are at least two caveats however. First, I understand it will only work on RK3188T, not RK3188, and hopefully an official RK3188 mini PC firmware will be released soon, but since manufacturers may have changed from RK3188 to RK3188T for the same model during manufacturing, you have to make sure which version you are using. You can do so by installing CheckRK3188 app on your device, and check if you have the slower RK3188T SoC, or the older, but faster RK3188. The second issue is that Google Apps (Play store, gmail) are not pre-installed. You […]

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Revolutionary ARM Cortex A104 Leverages the Human Brain and Assets, To Make Smartphones and Tablets Obsolete by 2020

The mobile devices we use everyday, such a smartphones and tablets, are all designed around one application processor that’s connected to memories, sensors, a display, some communication modules, and so on. But thanks to the work by ARM, and their Cortex A104, the way we do mobile computing maybe be dramatically transformed in a few years, and mobile devices may completely disappear from the market place. Who is this smartphone killer? Meet ARM Cortex A104 which can connect to the human brain via neurobionic interfaces, and leverage “assets” such as the eyes, ears, and vocal cords. A display won’t be needed as graphics will be rendered directly in the brain via ARM ImaginationTM Engine, which also handles traditional 2D/3D graphics processing. There will most likely be at least two display modes. If you close your eyes, the system will switch to immersive mode, where everything you see is rendered by […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC
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$30 CoreWind Tech WiFiG25 SoM Features Atmel SAM9G25 ARM9 Processor and a Wi-Fi Module

After their Aria G25 clone, called CORE9G25, CoreWind Tech has now launched a new SoM, WiFiG25, also powered by Atmel SAM9G25 ARM9 processor, but this time with a WiFi Module based on Realtek RTL8188, and up to 256 MB RAM, 256 MB Flash. Here are the specs of this system-on-module: CPU – Atmel AT91SAM9G25 ARM9 @ 400Mhz System Memory – 128 or 256 MB DDR2 Storage – 256MB NAND Flash, micro SD card slot Connectivity – WiFi Module with internal antenna 2x20Pin 2.54mm expand interface (through holes) with access to 2x USB host ports, 3x UART, 1x I2C, 1x SPI, 6x PWM, 27x GPIOs, and 4x 10-bit ADC Line level – TTL 3.3V Misc – User LED Power supply – 5V Dimensions – Size: 50.80 x 30 mm Weight – 5g Temperature range –  Commercial: 0 to 70 °C, or industrial: -20 to 85 °C The company provide Linux 3.6.9 for the […]

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Texas Instruments Tiva C Series Connected LaunchPad Unboxing and Quick Start Guide

Texas Instruments Tiva C Series TM4C1294 Connected LaunchPad is an evaluation kit for the Internet of things with a Cortex-M4 MCU (Tiva TM4C1294), an Ethernet port, and USB interfaces for power and debugging. At $19.99 including shipping via Fedex, it’s one of the cheapest ways to get devices online. I’ve purchased one via TI e-Store, and already received it. I’ll post some pictures of the kit, go through the Quick Start Guide, and provides links to resources to go further. EK-TM4C1294XL Connected LaunchPad Unboxing I’ve received the kit in the package below with feature a QR Code linking to http://www.ti.com/launchpad, as well basic specifications (refer to my previous post for specs), list of tools (Code composer studio, Tivaware, Keil, IAR…) and package content. In the box we’ve got the board itself, a retractable Ethernet cable, a USB to micro USB cable for power and debugging, and Connect LaunchPad Quick Start […]

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Linaro 14.03 Release with Linux Kernel 3.14 and Android 4.4.2

Linaro 14.03 has just been released with Linux Kernel 3.14-rc7 (baseline), Linux Kernel 3.10.33 (LSK), and Android 4.4.2. This month, I could not find any major changes or updates, but work has been performed on big.LITTLE, Samsung Arndale / Arndale-octa, HiSilicon K3V2 and D01 boards and Broadcom Capri hardware, as well as ARMv8 models. Here are the highlights of this release: Linaro Stable Kernel (LSK) 3.10.33-2014.03 big.LITTLE support – ARM MP patch set, IKS (ARMv7 only). Interactive scheduler enhancements ARMv8 features – CPU frequency scaling, CPU topology, CPU suspend Power efficient workqueue support Android v3.10 patch set from AOSP GATOR ARMv8 4xA57 4xA53 FVP (Fixed Virtual Platform) and Versatile Express TC2 support Linux Linaro 3.14-rc7-2014.03 GATOR version 5.17 Android topic (linaro-android-3.14-merge) updated to get the recent code from AOSP uprobes v7 (new version) Updated big-LITTLE-pmu topic from ARM LT (Landing team) Updated basic Capri board support from Broadcom LT (bcm590xx […]

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Review of Mele X1000 Blu-Ray Android TV Box (Telechips TCC8935)

Mele X1000 is an Android media player based on Telechips TCC8935 dual core Cortex A9 that is said to support Blu-ray video playback. You can refer to Mele X1000 specs for more technical details, as well as my previous Mele X1000 Unboxing post for pictures of the device, as well as the PCB.  Today I’ll review Mele X1000, by showing off the user interface, and going through the different settings, test video playback including a Blu-ray ISO, wi-fi performance, and report whether all other features such as Bluetooth, USB mass storage, USB webcam, etc… work as expected. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions This media player comes with an infrared remote and corresponding AAA batteries, but during most the tests I’ve actually switched to Mele F10 RF remote (not included) as it’s just more convenient to navigate menus, and I’ve also test an Android Remote app compatible with the device, […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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ECS LIVA is a Complete Sub $200 mini PC based on Intel Bay Trail-M SoC

Many low cost Intel mini PCs sold on the market do not include storage and memory, and you have to add them yourself. On the contrary, ECS LIVA desktop computer powered by an Intel Bay Trail-M processor will work out of the box as it comes with 32GB eMMC and 2GB DDR3L, both soldered on board, and will sell for less $200 once it becomes available. Here are the currently available specifications of this small x86 computer: SoC – Unspecified Intel Bay Trail-M SoC. It should be on of the N2800, N2900 or N3500 series. System Memory – 2GB DDR3L Storage – 32GB eMMC Video Output – 1x HDMI, 1x VGA Audio – 2-ch audio combo jack (Realtek ALC282) Connectivity 1x Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek RTL8111G) IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 (AzureWave AW-NB136NF 2) USB – 1x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 Expansion – M.2 interface (NGFF) Thermal – […]

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Compulab CM-T54 Computer-on-Module Powered by Texas Instruments OMAP5432

CompuLab has introduced CM-T54 Computer-on-Module (CoM) powered by Texas Instruments OMAP5432 SoC with dual ARM Cortex-A15 CPU @ 1.5GHz coupled with Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX544 GPU. The module also features up to up to 4GB DDR3,  up-to 64GB eMMC, and provides Ethernet, SATA, USB 3.0 interfaces among others. Target applications include digital signage, industrial media players and IPTV. CM-T54 specifications: SoC – Texas Instruments OMAP5432 dual Cortex-A15 @ 1.5GHz with PowerVR SGX544 GPU, 2x Cortex M4 cores, IVA-HD video subsystem and TMS320DM64 32-bit DSP core System Memory – 512MB – 4GB DDR3-1066, single / dual-channel 32-bit data bus Storage – Up to 64GB eMMC flash, SATA II interface, 3.0 Gbps, Up to 3x MMC/SD/SDIO (3V levels) up to 32GB each. Display Parallel 24-bit display. Up to 1920×1080 @ 60Hz HDMI 1.4. Up to 1920×1080 @ 60Hz MIPI/DSI (4x lanes) @ 1Gbps Optional LVDS. Up to 1920×1080 @ 60Hz Support for […]

Boardcon EM3562 Rockchip RK3562 SBC with 8 analog camera inputs