UBports has ported Ubuntu Touch to the Fairphone 2 smartphone. The Fairphone 2 is designed to be ethical, repairable, upgradeable, and controlled by the user. The Fairphone 2 has a Snapdragon 801 processor, 2mp front camera, 8mp back camera, 5″ 1080p display, 32GB of storage, 2gb of ram, MicroSD and Micro-USB.
Category: MWC
Sentio Superbook Lapdock using DisplayLink
Posted by – May 8, 2017
Sentio is the new company name making Andromium OS “Android Continuum” and their SuperBook Lapdock project that has collected $2.9 Million on Kickstarter. This DisplayLink Powered Lapdock is a laptop dock that can connect to any Android phone that has USB OTG, it can connect over USB Type C or Micro USB and offers a desktop experience with trackpad and Keyboard. The lapdock relies on Andromium OS to provide this desktop experience. It is not confirmed yet (as far as I know) how many apps will be supported to run as multi-window, they are not changing the Android firmware, they run Andromium OS as just an app. The display is 11.6″ (HD or FullHD) and offers 8 hours of battery life. The Price is to be $100 dollars and up after they start shipping to their backers on Kickstarter.
GPU for ARM Cortex-M, Think Silicon NEMA, 0.1mm2 @ 28nm
Posted by – May 8, 2017
Think Silicon NEMA GPU Series and NEMA dc are claimed to be the world’s smallest 2D/2.5D/3D GPU and display controller. They have been specifically designed for area constrained wearable devices, embedded systems and IoT platforms where power consumption and battery life is crucial while still maintaining vibrant graphics and fluid smartphone performance-like user interface performance. The NEMA GPU Series is what Think Silicon claims to be the only GPU which works with SoCs sporting a 32-bit MCU such as the ARM Cortex-M by utilizing the MCU by just 3-4%. Think Silicon’s GPU for Embedded silicon footprint can be of 0.1mm2 @ 28nm, has leakage power GPU consumption of 0.07mW. Implementing Think Silicon’s patented compression technologies (TSFBc and TSTXc) limits memory power consumption to just 0.03mW (in DDR-less systems). With Think Silicon’s proprietary graphics API NEMA|GFX and the GUI Developer Toolkit NEMA|GUI, developers can use these tools provided by Think Silicon to create their individual Graphical User Interface in a fraction of time. Tools and the GPU Bitstream (NEMA|Bits) are available for free to download at http://think-silicon.com
Cavium ARM Servers M-CORD with NFV, SDN and MEC
Posted by – May 4, 2017
Cavium shows a rack of ThunderX ARMv8 servers running the complete virtualized mobile network with Multi-access Edge services live demo. These servers have 96 64-bit ARM cores in each server in dual socket configuration. ARM servers provide much better ecosystems in terms of diversified hardware solutions with scalable and great TCO and performance all running on industry standard kernel distros and virtualization software platforms.
Aiptek Pico Projectors: i70 (smallest), AN100 (smart), i120 (HDMI input), iBeamBlock (x86 stackable)
Posted by – March 17, 2017
Aiptek demonstrates how they are the world leader in TI DLP pico projectors offering a whole range of innovative portable, pocket and pico projectors including the following for their latest range of pico projectors: i70 world’s smallest bright mirroring projector, AN100 an affordable compact 100lumen Android Smart projector, i120 with dual HDMI (input and output), iBeamBlock with pogopins for x86 computer module, tablet touch module, powerback and the 400lumen 720p TI DLP TRP pixel projector. P800 Boombox projector with 360 degree boombox speaker 8 Speakers (40 Watt), 5″ touchscreen Smart Android projector with 4 hour battery at 800lumen 1280×800 for an all-in-one outdoor cinema device running on the Samsung Exynos 5260 Hexacore dual ARM Cortex-A15 and quad ARM Cortex-A7 with Mali-T624 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB Flash and MicroSD card slot. AN500VT is world’s first mobile interactive projector with an ir camera to be used with an IR stick to be able to interact with the projector directly on the wall. Aiptek i400 projects 720p with short-throw 400lumen, wireless and USB projection using their USB based codec for easy display mirroring from Windows/Mac computer or from iOS/Android. Aiptek is looking forward when it might be possible for them to also make 1080p and soon after 4K Projectors once the TI DLP 4K solution can be made to fit into a compact size which should be by late 2018. Aiptek iBeamBlock will have a 500lumen 1080p 0.33″ TI DLP module to come. Also driving the LED light from OSRAM, also looking into using up to 2000lumen laser source. Aiptek has been making and shipping the largest amount of TI DLP Pico projectors since 2008 you can watch a whole range of Aiptek videos that I have filmed since 2008 here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Charbax/search?query=Aiptek
ARM Cordio-N NB-IoT as ARM shipped 100 Billion chips
Posted by – March 14, 2017
ARM announces that 100 Billion ARM Processors have shipped. And in this video, ARM talks about their acquisition of Swedish Mistbase and British NextG-Com to enable ARM’s new Cordio-N NB-IoT narrowband IoT communications standard.
Ubuntu Core, Snapcraft.io IoT package support/update, Dragonboard 410c, Raspberry Pi and more
Posted by – March 7, 2017
Canonical shows some of the latest development boards where Ubuntu Core is supported, includes the 96Boards Qualcomm Dragonboard 410c, Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi Nano expecting to ship on a coin sized board. Also shipping on Samsung Artik, NXP i.MX6/i.MX7/i.MX8 and on Intel powered development boards also. Canonical also promotes their http://build.snapcraft.io platform to package any app for every Linux desktop, server, cloud or device, and deliver updates directly.
MotoMods on Indiegogo and Hackathons for the ultimate Moto Z modular Smartphone platform
Posted by – March 5, 2017
The Lenovo Moto Z MotoMods ecosystem team got 700 submitions, launching 35 of those campaigns for ideas for new MotoMods on Transform the Smartphone challenge on Indiegogo with ideas ranging from barcode scanners, Edge Light LED lights for notifications wireless charging, sliding physical keyboard and many more ideas for new MotoMods that can be made for the Moto Z ecosystem. Motorola organized a Hackathon in San Francisco and one New York You can also see my video of the Moto Z and its MotoMods here and my 32-minute interview with the Motorola team about the Moto Z and its MotoMods ecosystem here
Voice control powered by NXP i.MX ARM Processors in Amazon Echo, Google Home and more
Posted by – March 5, 2017
NXP Semiconductors has on display the Amazon Echo, for which they are partners. An NXP representative explains the different applications for which NXP provides solutions, and how voice recognition can be run on multi-core ARM processors for power-efficient computing. The IMX 6, 7 and 8 series cover the full range from low-power to high-performance solutions, with applications for the 8 being consumer high-performance video and audio, automotive, and heavy industrial usage. NXP supplies everything from the CPU to the I/O to the software. The Kindle series use IMX 6 and 7 processors, for example. NXP talks about the upcoming i.MX8 Quad max, i.MX8M for multimedia and another i.MX8 coming for the embedded world.
549€ Avegant Glyph, dual 720p DLP headmounted personal mobile theatre
Posted by – March 5, 2017
The Avegant Glyph is a VR headset with a 720p DLP resolution display in each eye. The Avegant Glyph offers cinematic experience similar to a real movie theater. The displays use DLP technology to project an image onto your eye for the best viewing experience. The Glyph works over HDMI with supported devices. There is a built headset for sound. The price is 549€.
Nokia Android Phones are finally coming, 139€ Nokia 3 , 229€ Nokia 5, 189€ Nokia 6
Posted by – March 5, 2017
Nokia branded Android smartphones are being launched by ex-Nokia employees having formed a new company HMD Global. Nokia Android phones are aimed at providing highest possible specs at budget prices running stock Android 7.0. The Nokia 5 and 6 features a unibody Aluminum design while the Nokia 3 features a polycarbonate design.
The Nokia 6 is the most fully featured device offered featuring a featuring FHD 5.5″, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. The front camera is 8-megapixel and the back camera is 16mp. The Arte Black version of the Nokia 6 features 4gb of ram and 64gb of storage. The Arte Black version will sell for 299 euros. The Standard Nokia 6 will retail 229 euros.
The Nokia 5 has is similar to the Nokia 6 but has a curved edge display. The Nokia 5 has a 5.5″ (720p) display, Snapdragon 430 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and microSD. The Nokia 5 will sell for 189 Euros.
The Nokia 3 features a 5″ (720p) display, an MTK 6737 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and Microsd support. The Nokia 3 will sell for a price of 139 Euros.
HP Elite x3 with Lapdock with 1D and 2D barcode scanner
Posted by – March 5, 2017
HP Elite x3 and Lapdock was my “Best of MWC 2016” as you can see in my video from last year, the HP Elite X3 can be docked into a Lapdock or desktop dock via USB Type C connectivity and be used in Windows Continuum mode offering functionality similar to a full computer. The Lapdock offers a full hd 12.5″ screen and full laptop keyboard.
SafeMotion smartwatch for personal alarm, safety for kids and the elderly
Posted by – March 5, 2017
SafeMotion provides mobility safeguarding assistance service for their consumer, here they are showing off their SmartWatch which works in entire Europe with multiple network provider without requiring to swapping the SIM card, instead, it chooses the best network available in the area. The watch allows user to generate SOS alerts which include calling up to 10 people automatically when the SOS button is pressed where user can add the company’s call center number in case if other people are not available, it also has feature of calendar, reminder, voice calling service and active GPS tracking facility which scans the user and generates an alert if the user goes outside of predefined area the monthly subscription for the service is USD 14.90 / month and price of smart watch is USD $249.
Oppo shows 5X lossless optical dual camera zoom
Posted by – March 5, 2017
Oppo showcases their technology that allows 5X zoom inside a smartphone body. The technique used involves a periscope-style structure that diverts light through a prism and onto a wide-angle lens, that allows for a claimed lossless 5X zoom. It is demonstrated on a prototype Oppo phone using a 6″ QHD with Oppo VOOC fast charging.
$799 Lenovo Yoga 520
Lenovo Yoga 520 is a 14″ or 15″ convertible laptop with a FHD display, Kaby Lake processors, and Nvidia GeForce 940MX GPU. There is room for both an SSD and HDD, with ram options up to 16 GB. There is also a fingerprint reader for security. There is an activie digitizer pen. Prices for the Yoga 520 series range from $799 and up depending on region and configuration also with the optional stylus pen input and an optional fingerprint sensor.
Qualcomm X50 modem for 5G New Radio
Posted by – March 5, 2017
The next step in cellular technology, 5G, is demonstrated here by Qualcomm. It is in the research phase, and the current application shown involves the broadcasting of RF power to a moving target at a frequency of 28GHz. A major limitation of 5G is the easy dissipation of the signal when faced with even minor obstructions, which Qualcomm aims to overcome by installing multiple towers and handing over users between them.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with Gigabit LTE
Posted by – March 4, 2017
Qualcomm demonstrates their X16 Cat16 Gigabit LTE modem integrated in the upcoming Sony Xperia XZ Premium using Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 which features 4×4 MIMO (multiple input multiple output). The phone uses 4 LTE antennaes instead of the usual 2 to boost throughput speeds to 1Gbps using carrier aggregation. The technology is expected to be more power efficient since the faster downloads would finish quicker, effectively lessening the time cellular data is used.
SD Card UHS-III with 624MB/s and microSD A2 (Application Performance Class 2)
Posted by – March 4, 2017
SD Card Association, the standard organization of SD cards, just released two new specification meeting new market needs.
The first is Application Performance Class 2 (A2) – a new performance class that consider Random & Sequential performance meeting the new need of storing and running applications from cards allowing means to consumers which cards to purchase in point of sale meeting their products needs. Coming after A1, introduced last November, A2 is a higher level of performance enabled by new features supported now by SD – like command Queuing and Cache.
The second enhancement of the standard is UHS-III. It is enhanced physical interface that enables byte rate of up to 624MB/s!
I am hoping that some device makers will implement devices with 2 or more microSD slots to increase the total available maximum capacity and even doubling the speed if a parallel access can be allowed.
Rockchip OP1 in Samsung Chromebook Plus
Rockchip made the OP1 the world’s most optimized Chromebook processor. OP1, also known as RK3399-C, Hexacore dual ARM Cortex-A72, quad ARM Cortex-A53 with Mali-T860MP4 GPU. Rockchip is the only chip maker which has been optimizing processors for Chromebooks over the past 3 years, with all the lessons they learned with the RK3288 quad-core ARM Cortex-A17 which shipped in several Chromebooks in 2015, they were able to improve on that, optimize every detail and in collaboration with Google and Samsung.
Sony Xperia Touch, projector turns any table or wall into a 23″ Android tablet
Posted by – March 2, 2017
Sony Xperia Touch is the world’s coolest Smart Android projector which turns any surface into a 23″ touch display using infrared, IR camera sensors, it also works projected onto a wall. Using a 1.6GHz Snapdragon 650 Hexacore dual ARM Cortex-A72 and quad ARM Cortex-A53, 3GB RAM, 32GB Flash. It uses USB Type-C and also has a Micro HDMI connector. It’s going to be released soon at about $1500. I have been waiting for a decade asking all the potential manufacturers when they would make this type of product. It’s going to be even nicer when this can get integrated into a pico projector the size of a Smartphone, or even integrated into a smartphone.
