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OpenELEC 3.0.0 on Raspberry Pi – Installation and Video Tests

Yesterday, OpenELEC developers announced the release of OpenELEC 3.0.0, a lightweight OS running XBMC Frodo 12.1 for several platforms including the Raspberry Pi (OpenELEC stands for Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center). When the Raspberry Pi was initially released, I did not feel like testing it as a media center, mainly because of codecs limitations. But over time, this has improved with the availability of MPEG-2 and VC-1 codecs (for a fee), and GPU accelerated support for free codecs such as VP6 and VP8, so today I’ve tested to give a try and install OpenELEC 3.0.0 on my Raspberry Pi. I’ll first give installation instructions, then test several types of videos container formats, and video / audio codecs, as well as give some quick impression about the performance and stability of OpenELEC on this low cost board. Installing OpenELEC on Raspberry Pi To install OpenELEC, I basically followed the instructions provided […]

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Zealz GK802 Is (Temporary?) Available for $69.99 on GeekBuying

Zealz GK802 is a mini PC based on Freescale i.MX6 Quad processor, with 1GB RAM, 8 to 16 GB internal memory (internal micro SD card). The main selling points of this HDMI dongle is that it’s the only currently available quad core processor (about to change), it’s hackable and unbrickable with easy access to the serial console, full support for Linux with hardware video decoding and 2D/3D acceleration (work in progress), and Freescale has released proper software and hardware development resources for the i.MX6 processor. As mentioned in my review of Hi802 mini PC, the downside is that Vivante GC2000 GPU performance is lower than the Mali-400 MP4 found in Rockchip RK3066 mini PC, and its price (usually above $90) is about double the price of Rockchip RK3066 mini PCs. We can’t do anything for Vivante GC2000 performance, but Roman found a coupon code “FVKIWVAG” on a Russian forum that […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
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Ubuntu 11.10 Image for Hi802 / GK802 is Now Available for Download

About 2 weeks ago, Jasbir released an Ubuntu 11.10 image and installation instructions for GK802 and Hi802 mini PCs based on Freescale i.MX6. I could only find time to give it try yesterday and today. I’ll provide the steps I followed to install the image, and my quick first impressions of the stability and performance of this image. Installation Instructions I mainly followed the instructions provided by Jasbir, and run GParted to increased the partition size on my micro SD card. The image is for a 8 GB micro SD, but those instructions should work on 4GB SD card and greater, as the rootfs partition is only 3GB large. Download the Ubuntu 11.10 image, uboot, as well as the kernel image and modules in a Linux PC:

Copy the image, uboot and the kernel to the micro SD card by typing the commands below:

Replace /dev/<sd_device> by your […]

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Z1 Android 2.2 Smart Watch Phone

There’s currently a lot of articles about Apple, Samsung, and Google smart watches rumors in the blogosphere. I’ve written about other smartwatches in the past with products such as the Pebble or Wime Nanowatch, but those are based on low-end hardware that do not run Android directly, but instead communicate with your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth. The only watch I know that runs (a customized version of) Android is the “I’m Watch“. You’ll need relatively deep pockets to purchase it as price starts at 249 Euros / $349 US and goes up to $19,999 if you purchase the version with white gold and diamonds. So I decided to have a look if there are lower cost Chinese Android smartwatches around. The Z1 Android Smart Watch Phone showed up everywhere in my searches. The product is not new, as Charbax first discovered it in January 2012 and it was […]

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DH108A Android 4.1 Media Player Powered by AllWinner A31

DH108A (aka K-A37) is the first AllWinner A31 Android set-top box I’ve ever come across. This full-sized media player comes with 2 GB RAM, 8 or 16 GB flash, and provides both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity. This Android 4.1.1 STB has the following specifications: SoC – AllWinner A31 quad core Cortex A7 + PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8 or 16GB NAND Flash  + microSD slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Connectivity: Ethernet – 10/100 Mbps (RJ45 port) WIFI – 802.11 b/g/n USB – 4x USB Host* ports  + 1 USB Device port (*Note: The specs on Alibaba indicate 4x USB OTG ports instead) Power supply – 5V/2A Weight – 110g Dimensions –  115x115x23 mm The device comes with a power adapter, a remote control, an HDMI cable, and a user manual. It may also be sold with a 2.4 GHz wireless mouse and keyboard […]

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How to Root Rockchip RK3188 mini PCs

CloudnetGo CR9 was the first Rockchip RK3188 mini PC I had ever seen reported, but since then others apparently based on the same board have started to show up including Tronsmart T428, Rikomagic MK802 IV, as well as Ugoos UG802B, UG007B and MK809 III. We’ll get a lot of choices, but most of time the firmware does not provide root access. I noticed AndroidPC.es published instructions to root those device in Spanish yesterday, but today, Geekbuying rooted the Ugoos devices with the same method used for RK3188 Tablets. You have to follow those 5 simple steps: Make sure USB Debugging is enabled on your mini PC (Settings -> Developer Options) Connect your RK3188 mini PC to a Windows PC via the USB port. Your PC should detect a new device, and try to install the driver. You can download the driver at https://www.dropbox.com/s/uqisjj4hqftlaxa/GEEKBUYING_Rockchip_Batch_Tool_v1.6.rar (password: GEEKBUYING.COM) After having installed the driver, download […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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iWave Systems Launches RainboW-G12M-Q7 SoMs Powered by TI Sitara AM389x/DM816x Processor

iWave Systems, an embedded systems company based in Bangalore, India, has unveiled new Qseven Modules powered by Texas Instruments Sitara AM389x/DM816x ARM Cortex-A8 microprocessor clocked up to 1.5 GHz. Rainbow-G12M-Q7 modules target applications such as Single-Board computers, network and communication processing, industrial automation, human machine interface (HMI), medical electronic devices, video surveillance systems and interactive Point-of-Service (PoS) kiosks. Here are the modules specifications: CPU – TI AM389x/DM8168 ARM Cortex-A8 based Sitara Processor operating up to 1.5 GHz Memory: 1GB DDR3 SDRAM 128 MB NAND Flash On-Board Micro SD slot  230-pin Qseven Edge Connector: 1x PCIe v2.0 1x HDMI 1.3 2x SATA LVDS channel 1 x USB 2.0 Host | 1x USB 2.0 device I2S Port SD/SDIO SPI & I2C ports  Expansion Connector: Gigabit Ethernet HD Video IN/OUT Ports Analog Video OUT Audio IN/OUT ports UART, GPIOs Form factor –  Qseven R1.20 compatible (70mm x 70mm) Temperature Range –  0 to […]

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$89 Compulab CM-iGT CoMs Feature AMD G-Series APUs

Compulab, an Israeli company specialized in embedded computing, has recently introduced computers-on-module based on AMD G-Series APUs that will sell for as low as $89 per unit (for 1k orders) depending on selected features and options. The module is available in commercial, extended and industrial grades, and supports up to 4GB RAM, and 32 GB Flash. Here are the specifications of these modules: CPU  – AMD G-Series Processor: G-T16R single-core @ 600MHz, G-T40E dual-core @ 1GHz or G-T56N dual-core @ 1.65GHz GPU – Integrated GPU Radeon HD 6250 supporting the following standards: DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.0, OpenCL Video Processing Unit – UVD 3 engine with native H.264, VC-1, MPEG2, and DivX, 1080p Blu-Ray playback support System Memory –  2GB – 4GB DDR3-1066, 64-bit Storage: On-board BIOS flash, 1MB, reprogrammable On-board SSD, up to 32GB, MLC, through SATA interface Interfaces: Display – Up to two DisplayPort interfaces, up to two HDMI […]

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