Rikomagic has spun a mini-PC version of its quad-core Cortex-A9 Rockchip
RK3188-based MK802 stick computers that run Android or Ubuntu, starting
at $105.
The same week that Rockchip launched a new quad-core Cortex-A17 RK3288 system-on-chip, one of its earliest and most successful customers has eeked out some more life from the Cortex-A9 based RK3188. Rikomagic was one of the first and most successful of the wave of low-cost Android-ready, media player oriented HDMI stick computers that began to appear at the beginning of this decade. Now, it has launched a larger, more I/O rich miniPC alternative to its Android-based MK802IV. There’s also a very similar Ubuntu Linux-based MK802IV LE.
Both models ship with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and either 8GB or 16GB of
flash, plus microSD expansion. A Fast Ethernet port and WiFi are
include, along with an optional antenna, but only the Android-based
MK902 model lists Bluetooth.
Four USB host ports are provided, along with HDMI, AV out, and optical S/PDIF ports. The LE model comes with caveats, however, saying Linux support for the HDMI and optical ports are “coming soon.” A 5-megapixel camera and mic are listed for the Android-based model only.
As Liliputing notes in its MK902 coverage, Rikomagic’s earlier Ubuntu models worked fine except for the main focus of the devices: multimedia. There’s still no Linux support for the Mali-400 GPU or video accelerator, although the former is said to be coming soon. That limits its effectiveness as a streamer-first device. Liliputing also suggests that if you don’t mind the installation hassles you can save yourself some money by buying the Android version and then replacing it with Ubuntu or PicUntu.
Specifications listed for the MK902 and MK902 LE include:
The same week that Rockchip launched a new quad-core Cortex-A17 RK3288 system-on-chip, one of its earliest and most successful customers has eeked out some more life from the Cortex-A9 based RK3188. Rikomagic was one of the first and most successful of the wave of low-cost Android-ready, media player oriented HDMI stick computers that began to appear at the beginning of this decade. Now, it has launched a larger, more I/O rich miniPC alternative to its Android-based MK802IV. There’s also a very similar Ubuntu Linux-based MK802IV LE.
The “MK902″ is available in the 8GB version for $105 at Aliexpress
or Geekbuying. The Ubuntu-based MK902 LE mini-PC goes for 90 Pounds
(8GB) or 95 Pounds (16GB), or about $150 and $158.50, respectively, at
Cloudsto Electronics. The LE model ships with Ubuntu 13.04 or the
Rockchip optimized PicUntu 4.5 variant.
Four USB host ports are provided, along with HDMI, AV out, and optical S/PDIF ports. The LE model comes with caveats, however, saying Linux support for the HDMI and optical ports are “coming soon.” A 5-megapixel camera and mic are listed for the Android-based model only.
As Liliputing notes in its MK902 coverage, Rikomagic’s earlier Ubuntu models worked fine except for the main focus of the devices: multimedia. There’s still no Linux support for the Mali-400 GPU or video accelerator, although the former is said to be coming soon. That limits its effectiveness as a streamer-first device. Liliputing also suggests that if you don’t mind the installation hassles you can save yourself some money by buying the Android version and then replacing it with Ubuntu or PicUntu.
Specifications listed for the MK902 and MK902 LE include:
- Processor — Rockchip RK3188 (4x Cortex-A9 cores @ 1.6GHz); Mali-400 GPU (LE Linux support coming soon)
- Memory:
- 2GB DDR3 RAM
- 8GB flash; 16GB optional
- MicroSD slot (up to 32GB)
- Video format support (on MK902) — RM/RMVB, MPEG, MKV, AVI, MP4, MOV, FLV, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, Xvid, TS, RealVideo, VP6, VP8 up to 1080P, and Flash 11.1
- Audio support (on MK902) — AAC-LC/HEAAC/HE-AACv2, AC3, AMR-NB, DTS, MP3, OGG, RA_COOK, WMA, WMA, LPCM/PCM/ADPCM, FLA
- Wireless — 802.11b/g/n (supports optional external antenna); Bluetooth (not listed for LE model); supports 3G USB dongle
- Networking — 10/100 Ethernet
- Other I/O:
- 4x USB host
- HDMI out (LE Linux support coming soon)
- AV out
- Optical S/PDIF out (LE Linux support coming soon)
- Other features — 5-megapixel camera and mic (neither listed for LE model)
- Power — 5V, 2.5A DC-in (5V USB <2A on LE model)
- Operating system — Android 4.2; supports Linux; LE model ships with PicUntu 4.5 or Ubuntu 13.04
No comments:
Post a Comment