Wow awesome. A few years ago I would film the HD video conferencing solutions that required $15 thousand setups (Lifesize, Sony Ipela, Cisco Telepresence..), now TI is showing HD video-conferencing that works on your next ARM Powered smartphone or tablet. Just connect your smartphone to your HDTV, use WiFi is available, but even over 3G and LTE, with just 512kbit/s you can do 720p video-conferencing on SIP or Skype, and with 1mbit/s upload or more you can even do 1080p video-conferencing using the latest OMAP4460 platform. This also can support up to 8 simultaneous videos. Sorry, but I am pretty much amazed. Soon enough, HD video-conferencing using just cheap ARM Powered devices will be a piece of cake.
Category: Smartphones
HD Video Conferencing on Texas Instruments OMAP4430
Posted by – May 31, 2011
Category: Tablets, Smartphones, Set-top-boxes, Exclusive videos, Texas Instruments, Computex, Android
Full Netflix support on Texas Instruments OMAP4430
Posted by – May 31, 2011
Texas Instruments supports the full required security features to support Netflix HD on an ARM Powered device. They are the first to showcase it.
MHL now in several phones at Computex 2011
Posted by – May 31, 2011
Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) is now presented in several of the newest coolest smartphones and Tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Sensation, HTC Flyer, Samsung Infuse, HTC Evo 3D, HTC Evo View 4G and more are going to be released soon.
Asus Memo, worlds first 7″ Honeycomb, they make it 3D even
Posted by – May 31, 2011
Check out this awesome 7″ Honeycomb UI, they had to put a 1280×800 7″ screen to support the current Honeycomb software, that’s the first time I see such high pixel density in a 7″ screen. Honeycomb will be further customized for 7″ and smaller screens, as they will resize icons so they get to be big enough for smaller screens, and all kinds of other screen size optimizations that Google and their partners are working on. The Asus Mimic is a cool Bluetooth headset basically, but feels more like an external mobile phone. You can dial on your tablet and talk in the bluetooth phone. I really like the idea of improving the Bluetooth accessories to function with 7″ tablets that thus can stay in the jacket pocket when you receive calls or when you dial numbers. For some reason, Asus does not want to release this product with a normal 2D screen, they want to wait and ship it with this 3D parallax barrier 7″ IPS screen. Let’s hope that does not add too much cost, thickness and weight and other worse screen quality artifacts to this otherwise pretty awesome 1280×800 7″ screen experience.
Asus Padfone, put the phone in behind the tablet
Posted by – May 31, 2011
This is Asus new announcement. Put their phone in a slot behind the tablet. I have tried to ask some of their representatives if this means only the phone has a processor, or if both the phone and the tablet have the same Qualcomme Dual-core processor, some have told me it’s got two processors, but someone else told me they both share the same processor. Logically there is a HDMI output and a USB Host connector in there. Dos this make sense to you? Or does it make more sense to put your phone in the pocket and the tablet wherever else you want to have it and a full power ARM SoC in each. Maybe it’s just Asus who doesn’t really want to charge double the price for this combination but prefers to try to provide the processor-less tablet as a $200-$300 accessory. This may be their Atrix dock.
Nokia/Microsoft to use ST-Ericsson U8500 ARM Cortex-A9 in Windows Phone 8
Posted by – May 20, 2011
Forbes reports from Carlo Bozotti, the Chief Executive of European semiconductor maker STMicroelectronics, that Nokia will use the ST-Ericsson U8500 dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 with Mali-400 in at least some of its upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices to be released as soon as Nokia and Microsoft are able to make them ready. Here’s a video I filmed with ST-Ericsson showing this processor platform:
The move marks a major shift for Windows Phone devices, which up to now have used chips from wireless technology giant Qualcomm. Even the HTC Trophy, which Verizon Wireless announced today — making it the latest Windows Phone to launch in the U.S. — has a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
The uniformity is the result of Microsoft’s precise design guidelines for Windows Phone manufacturers. In the run-up to its big Windows Phone launch in the fall of 2010, Microsoft asked handset makers including HTC, LG, Samsung and Dell to utilize the same chipsets, display size and number of camera megapixels to give users a consistent experience across devices.
Earlier this year, however, Microsoft indicated it planned to open up Windows Phone development to other chipmakers. It now appears that ST-Ericsson, a joint venture between Geneva-based STMicroelectronics and Swedish telecom equipment and services supplier Ericsson, has been admitted to the Windows Phone ecosystem.
Another crazy rumor from Eldar Murtazin (who has been right before..) has been suggesting that Microsoft may be in talks to try buy Nokia’s Mobile Phone business flat out, probably for a bunch of tens of billions of dollars. Can you believe that?
My opinion is that Microsoft knows the ARM Powered mobile device space is where the future of technology is at, so short of yet releasing a Windroid fork of Linux based Android (that could launch Bing, own apps store etc..), Microsoft is probably going to do everything that they can to try to remain relevant in the smartphone and tablet space. Even if that might mean a $40 Billion buy-out of Nokia. Should the Finnish Nokia owners sell out to Redmond?
Related articles
- Nokia Windows Phone 8 powered by ST-Ericsson dual-core chip (slashgear.com)
- Nokia building Windows Phones with dual-core ST-Ericsson chips (winrumors.com)
- Nokia To Use ST-Ericsson Chips For Windows Phone 8 Handsets (blogs.forbes.com)
- Nokia’s Windows Phones will feature dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500, says STMicroelectronics chief (engadget.com)
Shenzhen Behind the Scenes 4: Walking around the Shenzhen smartphone market
Posted by – April 22, 2011
There are about 5 huge malls on and around the Shenzhen Electronics street on Shenzhen Hua Qiang Bei, with up to 7 floors in each of these mall buildings that take an hour to walk through each floor if you want to look carefully and ask each booth about prices and what they have. Full of all kinds of electronics. This video features walking a bit around some parts of the Smartphone and Feature phone market in Shenzhen, see a bit of how the athmosphere is there. This is where I found my $87 Android Smartphone and my $120 Android powered iphone-copy.
Also watch my other videos in my series “Shenzhen Behind the Scenes“:
1: Hongda Factory tour
2: utopiacn, Apad Android Tablet maker
3: Richtechie.com, Freescale i.MX51/53 PCB designer
4: Walking around the Shenzhen smartphone market
5: 3Gnet Factory Tour
Nokia copy phone at the Shenzhen Electronics Market
Posted by – April 22, 2011
Look into what the new Nokia logo with Microsoft software might look like, or not.
Goolge copy phones at the Shenzhen Electronics Market
Posted by – April 22, 2011
This is what the secret new Android Ice Cream Sandwich might look like, or not.
Shenzhen Behind the Scenes 5: 3Gnet Factory Tour
Posted by – April 22, 2011
Check out how they manufacture and test phones at the 3Gnet Shenzhen headquarters.
Also watch my other videos in my series “Shenzhen Behind the Scenes“:
1: Hongda Factory tour
2: utopiacn, Apad Android Tablet maker
3: Richtechie.com, Freescale i.MX51/53 PCB designer
4: Walking around the Shenzhen smartphone market
5: 3Gnet Factory Tour
Shenzhen Honesty Electronics shows their Mediatek based Android smartphones
Posted by – April 17, 2011
Here are some Mediatek MTK6516 based cheap Android smartphones, some look like Droid X, others look like HTC Desire, Sony Ericsson X10 and more. They list the prices here for bulk orders with resistive and capacitive.
JSR MSM7227 Android Smartphone
Posted by – April 17, 2011
JSR is making an MSM7227 based Android Smartphone.
Review: $120 Hero H2000 MTK6516 Android Froyo Powered iphone4-copy
Posted by – April 13, 2011
I actually found this being sold at 780 renminbi ($120) at the Shenzhen Electronics Market the day after I bought it. So the price for this is actually as low as that. Also see my video review of the similar but even cheaper $87 FG8 3.5″ capacitive MTK6515 HTC Desire clone. And my video interview with Karasnn.com the probable manufacturer of this $120 MTK6516 Hero H2000 smartphone.
Here are the specs for this cool $120 Android Powered iphone4-copy:
Hero H2000
MTK6516 ARM9 460Mhz + 250Mhz DSP
Android 2.2 Froyo
2GB Flash storage, MicroSD expansion
3.5″ HVGA Capacitive touch screen
GSM/GPRS/EDGE Dual-SIM card slots (no 3G)
WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 3.5mm stereo heaphones, 2 Megapixel back-facing, 0.3Megapixel front-facing cameras
I bought one of my H2000 from Sinoteck for $149 (969 renminbi) at http://bysino.net a partner of http://dhgate.com (they were exhibitor at the Shenzhen Electronics Fair) and the other I bought for $131 (850 renminbi) on the Shenzhen electronics market, then finding it being sold for $120 (780 renminbi) the day after.
Rockchip RK2918 for Smartphones
Posted by – April 13, 2011
Rockchip is moving strongly into bringing high-end smartphone functionality into the $200-$300 mid-range smartphone pricing, with 3G support and more. They are also providing their RK2818 series for sub-$100 Android smartphones with ARM9 performance.
Chang Jiang Android Smartphones
Posted by – April 13, 2011
Chang Jiang make some of the Mediatek 6516 based Android phones available in the Shenzhen market.
Karasnn.com Hero Android MTK6516 Smartphones
Posted by – April 13, 2011
They seem to be the guys making my Hero H2000 Android 3.5″ capacitive $120 iPhone4-copy smartphone.
ZXD $79 Android Phone
Posted by – April 13, 2011
Cheap Android smartphones based on MediaTek MT6516 dual-sim GSM.
iida mobile makes Android Smartphones
Posted by – April 13, 2011
Here are some Android Mediatek 6516 smartphones, they have different designs, resistive and capacitive.
Best of Shenzhen: $87 Android 3.5″ capacitive phone, MTK6516 FG8
Posted by – April 11, 2011
Here’s my initial video- and photo-review of this $87 Android smartphone that I found at the Shenzhen electronics market. It’s based on the ARM9 Mediatek MTK6516 processor, with Dual-SIM (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) support, Android Froyo 2.2 installed (seems smooth!), AGPS, 2Megapixel Camera, Bluetooth A2DP, the screen is a great 3.5″ capacitive touch screen, seems super! You read this right, this one now sells on the Shenzhen market for only $87 (565 Chinese Renminbi).
Here are the specs for this Mediatek MTK6516 ARM9 Based so-called FG8 Android phone:
MTK6516 ARM9 460Mhz + 260Mhz DSP (that can do certain video playback and other UI acceleration)
3.5″ Capacitive HVGA 480×320 screen
256MB RAM
Froyo Android 2.2 supported
Dual-SIM Card slots GSM Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900MHz works worldwide on GSM/GPRS/EDGA (no 3G HSDPA data speeds though)
WiFi, FM, Bluetooth A2DP, AGPS, 2Mpix Camera, Microphone, MicroSD card slot (up to 32GB), Mp4 playback support claimed, 3-4 hours talk time and 200 hours standby time claimed (I haven’t tested yet).
Here are some pictures of this awesome product (click thumbnails for the bigger photos on Google Picasaweb):
Let me know in the comments what features you would like me to test in my next videos of this device. If you can find links for realiable-looking online Shenzhen exporters for where to order, post the links to export stores in the comments, so interested people can try to order with worldwide shipping.
Catwalk girls show Tablets and Smartphones in Shenzhen
Posted by – April 8, 2011
Special Show for Tablets and Smartphones indeed. These girls are walking the catwalk on funky music to show the collection of the latest Chinese tablets and smartphones being launched at the Shenzhen Electronics Fair. Fun! Now we just need subtitles. The first to recognize and list all the tablets and smartphones in this catwalk in the comments can win a donut.
