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Getting Started with Raxda Rock – Building an Android 4.2 Image from Source

I’ve posted some pictures, and show some basics how to get started in my first post about Radxa Rock. Today, I’ll post my experience trying the instructions to build Android for Radxa Rock in Ubuntu 13.10. Many of the instructions are also valid for other RK3188 devices. The source code is currently located in a private git repository, and if you’re sure you want to get the Android source  code, you should send an e-mail to [email protected] to be granted access to their private repo. Within minutes, I’ve received an email with the subject “GitLab | Account was created for you” to register an account. You’ll then need to add an SSH key just like you’d do for Github. Assuming you’re already using a service like github, you should already have SSH key. Simply type cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub, copy the output, and go to git.linux-rockchip.org/profile/keys, login if needed, and click on […]

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FOSDEM 2014 Schedule and A Selection of Sessions

It’s soon time for FOSDEM 2014, a 2-day event where thousands members of the open source communities meet, share ideas and collaborate. Like the other years, it’s free to attend, and there’s no registration, and this year, FOSDEM 2014 will take place on February 1-2 in Brussels. There are 8 main tracks: Tracing and debugging Memory and storage IPv6 Mail Mathematics Hardware Miscellaneous Security FOSDEM 2013 had 7 tracks, but most topics changed with only Security and Miscellaneous tracks featured in the 2014 edition. There will also be four keynotes and devrooms for a total of 464 sessions (vs. 488 last year). Developers rooms that may particularly be of interest to readers of this blog are: Energy-efficient computing devroom – e.g. energy scavenging, battery life improvements, power measurements in embedded systems, open source power measurement tools and low power devices, etc… Internet of things devroom – 6LoPWAN, LTE in Linux, […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
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Building a Low Power Fanless Intel “Bay Trail-D” mini PC for $250

Yesterday, I wrote about MSI J1800i, a motherboard based on Intel Celeron J1800 “Bay Trail-D” processor with 10W TDP,  that is expected to sell for $60 by the end of the month. I’m sure some fully assembled fanless small form factor computers based on Bay Trail-D processor will eventually show up, but I’ve decided to find out what would be needed to build a complete fanless PC with this mini-ITX motherboard, and how much it would cost. First we’ll need a mini-ITX enclosure with a fanless PSU. I’ve found M350 Universal Mini-ITX enclosure (pictured above) coupled with picoPSU-80 80W picoPSU-90 90W 12V fanless power supply, and a 12V 60W AC-AC power adapter would probably fit the bill. The mini-ITX casing and power adapter are available from E-ITX.com, and the picoPSU power supply can be found on Amazon. I’ll also add a 1TB SATA HDD, and a 4GB SO-DIMM DDR3 memory […]

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eConais WiSmart EC19D is an 8x8mm Wi-Fi Module for the Internet of Things

eConais, a company specializing in ultra low power embedded Wi-Fi modules, has recently announced WiSmart EC19D Wi-Fi module which it claims to be “the world’s smallest, most easily integrated, and lowest standby power single chip 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi System In Package (SiP) modules for the Internet of Things”. This Wi-Fi module comes with the following features: Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n,Wi-Fi Direct, WPS, Wi-Fi Client Mode, Wi-Fi SoftAP Mode Security – WPA/WPA2 support ProbMe Configuration – Proprietary configuration method which enables any Wi-Fi device to configure the EC19D module without the need of any application Protocol – TCP/UDP sockets, HTTPS/SSL, DHCP Client/Server MCU I/F – Serial Cloud Service Support (Xively) Concurrent DLNA Renderer & Server (Q1 2014) OTA FW Upgrade (Q1 2014) Dimensions – 8x8mm Certifications – FCC, IC, and EC There’s no data about standby power consumption, so it’s difficult to verify the company claim, however at 8x8mm, it could well […]

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CES 2014 Keynotes and Linux Conference Australia 2014 Videos

The Consumer Electronics Show and LinuxConf Australia are completely different events, the former targets consumers and takes place in the US, and the latter is for Linux users, developers & systems administrators, and occurs in Australia. However, both happened at the same time this year, and video recording for CES 2014 keynotes, and LinuxConf Australia 2014 (LCA 2014) sessions for both events are now available. CES 2014 Keynote videos While the event took place, it was quite difficult, and sometimes just impossible, to find videos of the keynotes, either live or recordings, and I could only watch Intel, Nvidia, Samsung, and Sony keynotes at the time. I’ve been informed that at least some of CES 2014 keynote videos are now available online. I can access 9 videos from Intel, Yahoo, Audi, Cisco, Sony, etc… Thanks to Csilie for the link.   Linux Conference Australia 2014 LCA 2014 took place on […]

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Skyworth Announces K100 Smart TV, GS100 and GS300 Set-Top Boxes with “Google services for Smart TV” Powered by Marvell ARMADA 1500 Plus

What do company executives do when a product is not selling as expected? They organize a board meeting, deliberate for hours, and come up with a brilliant idea like “Let’s change the name!”. If I count correctly, this year would have been the release of products based on Google TV 4.0, but the company decided to scrap it, and this year, we have devices with “Google services for Smart TV” thanks to Skyworth K100 Smart TV, as well as GS100 and GS300 set-top boxes, all powered by Marvell ARMADA 1500 Plus SoC. Marvell published a press release yesterday detailing the news: Continuing its leadership in the Smart Home ecosystem, Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL) today announced a partnership with Skyworth, a global TV maker, to deploy Smart TVs and set-top boxes with Google services for Smart TV. The new offerings are powered by Marvell’s ARMADA® 1500 Plus (88DE3108) system-on-chip (SoC) platform, a […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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Asus Transformer Book Duet Hybrid Laptop / Tablet Runs Android and Windows Simultaneously

During CES 2014 pre-opening keynote, Intel showcased a laptop capable of instantaneously switch between Windows and Android by the press of a button, and separately, AMD also announced dual OS support with Android and Windows 8 running simultaneously on a computer thanks to a version of Bluestacks optimized for AMD APUs.  So we can expect several hybrid laptop + tablet computers, let’s call it a “lapblet”, running Windows 8 and Android this year, and one of them is Asus Transformer Book Duet. Transformer Book Duet (TD300) Specifications: Processor – Intel Core i7 processor GPU – Intel HD graphics System Memory – 4GB DDR3L 1600 RAM Storage: Tablet – 128GB SSD + Up to 64GB Micro SD card Dock – Up to 1TB HDD Display – 13.3-inch Full HD IPS multi-touch display Connectivity – 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR, and 10/100M Ethernet Camera – Front-facing HD camera with a built-in […]

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Freescale Announces WaRP (Wearables Reference Platform) Powered by Freescale i.MX 6SoloLite

We’ve seen more and more wearable products recently, be it smartwaches, smart rings, fitness bands, etc.., and we can expect several announcements at CES 2014 for wearables. Freescale has just launched their Wearable Reference Platform (WaRP), comprised of the WaRPboard, a tiny board based on Freescale i.MX 6SoloLite running Android, and a daughter board with KL16 Cortex M0+ MCU and several sensors. The main chips and corresponding features on the board are as follows: Freescale i.MX 6SoloLite Cortex A9 processor @ 1GHz with 2D graphics Vivante GC355 and  GC320 GPUs. KL16 Sub-Family General Purpose Cortex M0+ MCU. Xtrinsic FXOS8700CQ, 6-Axis Sensor with Integrated Linear Accelerometer and Magnetometer. Xtrinsic MMA955xL Intelligent Motion-Sensing Platform. It cane be programmed to provide freefall detection, tilt and 3-D orientation detection, tap and double tap detection, dead reckoning, shock, vibration and sudden motion detection and power management. The company expect WaRP to be used in devices such as […]

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