Android Mini PC: The Next Tech Revolution?

After a Christmas delay, I'm back with another article! Thanks for reading my previous article on The Gingerbread Problem.

With streaming devices like the Roku, Apple TV, and Google TV set top boxes highly available, it seems that consumers have a lot of choice when it comes to consuming media. These devices allow users to stream and rent video from many different services but have very limited app selection, can be expensive, and each have their own drawbacks and limitations.

But what if I told you that was about to change? That there is a growing market in the tech industry just around the corner that can very well shape the landscape the way tablets did?

A device that has all the internals that a Android phone/tablet has but with no screen. What it does have is a HDMI output that allows it to connect to your existing HD television. All while running on the latest version of Android with a dual core processor and smaller than any set top box on the market.

The asking price?

A mere $60 USD.

This is an Android Mini PC. A device that makes your dumb HDTV into a Smart HDTV. A device capable of vast media playback and support for over 700,000 Android applications. An Android device without the screen.

A device filled with endless possibilities.

Now this article isn’t meant to say who had the idea first or to be an exact retelling of history. It is meant to be an outline of the product that is an Android mini PC.

Android Mini PCs are a relatively new product. The concept is simple. A small device with good internal specifications, running the latest Android, and an HDMI output for the screen. This allows a user to have access to the best Android has to offer on their big screen television. Imagine checking your E-mail, using over 700,000 apps in the Google Play Store, watching videos, listening to music, or browsing the web all from the comfort of your couch.


In order to interact with the device, since there is no touch screen, you need a USB keyboard for text input and a USB mouse for touch input. There are Air Mouse controllers that can duplicate a touch like input with a built in keyboard as well as the standard keyboard and trackpad combos. These input devices work rather well and most certainly make up for the lack of a touch screen.

But where did these devices come from? How well do they work? And which one is best?

The answer is not so simple.

.

It begins with the Raspberry Pi. In 2006, Eben Upton and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory, including Rob Mullins, Jack Lang and Alan Mycroft, became concerned about the year-on-year decline in the numbers and skills levels of the A Level students applying to read Computer Science in each academic year. They wanted to create a teaching tool that would allow children to be able to apply all the aspects of Computer Science.

The Pi a single-board computer developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of stimulating the teaching of basic computer science in schools. It is based on a system on a chip architecture that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic systems into a single chip. There is composite and HDMI out on the board, so you can hook it up to an old analogue TV or to a digital TV.

The device was ahead of its time as it met numerous obstacles due to current tech capabilities in the mid 2000s. Designs were drawn up and scratched and it seemed that the product may never see its way into student hands. Towards the end of 2011, the device was finally demoed and development took off.

The idea was there. A miniature PC that plugs into your existing television.

FXI Technologies saw this opportunity and introduced the Cotton Candy in November of 2011.

The device would not start shipping until just recently in December of 2012 but the same initial  idea was there. The difference this time was in the size. It was made to fit the size of about the standard USB flash drive. The portability of the device was exciting as it allowed you to move it easily from room to room. Being able to put in in your pocket or purse and take it anywhere showed the direction of where these devices would move next.

It was at this point that this device showed how similar it was to a smartphone. The Cotton Candy was using a Samsung Exynos Dual Core 4210 processor, 1GB of Ram, and a quad-core GPU with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in. It was basically a smartphone stripped of all the characteristics of a smartphone. There was no touch screen for input, cameras, or battery. The only output was to your television via HDMI with a keyboard and mouse being your inputs. FXI also announced that the Cotton Candy would run either Ubuntu or Android.

Android would give these devices a new calling. Using Android, already proven to run on similar hardware, would allow these devices to move from an all purpose PC to a device similar to your phone or tablet and just as familiar. Being a Free and Open Source OS would lower costs for manufacturers and allow them modify it for the purpose of their own product.

The idea was there, the concept was proven, and running on the force that is Google’s Android.
As American manufacturers began development and Kickstarter projects began to trickle in, something unexpected occurred. Something that leapfrogged all projects as delays were announced one after another. Something that hit a much lower price point than the future asking price of the $199 Cotton Candy.

That something, for better or worse, was the Chinese Market.

Soon after these devices were put into development, we began hearing news trickling in about similar devices being developed in China. In May 2012, Rikomagic beat all competitors to the market with the Rikomagic MK802.



The MK802 had a 1.5 GHz Allwinner A10 single core processor, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB storage and Android 4.0 software. The asking price was a mere $74 USD from third parties. Even though it sacrificed a Dual Core Processor and Bluetooth, it was a great start and great accomplishment as Android Mini PCs had finally hit consumers hands. The product worked and worked rather well. Performance was one area where it suffered due to a slower processor but the product was proven viable.

Soon after many other companies began to release their own product in the similar style and vein of the MK802. Soon enough the market was saturated and filled with clones and knockoffs. Some better and some way worse. Then customer complaints started to roll in. Stability, lack of support, and overheating affected many of these devices. Without a proper customer service, due to being imported Chinese products, many flocked to forums to state their displeasure. What began as venting due to a sub par product turned into a goldmine of information on Android Mini PCs. Hands on posts and reviews by users showed not only which products to buy but which to avoid. Even now most of the information on some of these devices can only be found in forums as they have not really hit the mainstream market yet.


These companies weren't really concerned as much with support as their job was to release products and sell them. Just as fast as these single core devices released they were replaced.

Enter The Dual Core MK808

The Dual Core MK808 was another step in the right direction. The RK3066 Dual Core processor is comparable to the Samsung Exynos 4210 found in the Galaxy Note. Performance was better but the some of the same issues persisted. While not as common, weak WiFi signal and overheating would continue to be an issue. The prospect of a dual core processor resulting in improved performance made the MK808 one of, if not the, most popular Android Mini PCs to date. New versions or designs would try to alleviate these issues by using air pockets/vents and a dual WiFi antenna.

At this point, we are at a standstill for these devices. The MK808B adds Bluetooth and promises better stability but it seems that quad core devices are just around the corner. Also important to note is that price for current models have never been lower. There are many options based on the RK3066 Dual Core processor and one should do their research when buying their devices. Which leads into my next article...


The Uhost 2 Review

I finally decided to purchase one of these devices and settled on the Uhost 2 over the MK808B. The U2 has Bluetooth as well, 2 USB ports as opposed to one, better cooling system, and impressions show great stability and performance. I also wanted to shed some light on a less popular device but a possibly better overall device.

Smallart also offers a branded air mouse (Umouse 2) for this device with buttons like home, back, menu, and voice search. (Unfortunately not yet available)

These devices are a great addition to any living room. Any HDTV becomes a smart TV running the latest Android. You can browse the Web, check email, and have access to over 700,000 Android Apps. Performance has reached a more than acceptable level and price has never been better. This area of Android will continue to grow and I expect more well known manufacturers to try their hand at a mini PC.

Any questions please feel free to leave comments and on my Reddit thread.


* Used Geekbuying.com for my purchase and paid via PayPal. Came in about 2 weeks but they offer express shipping which I recommend.

The Gingerbread Problem

Android is becoming an unstoppable force in mobile phones all over the world. Over 1.3 million devices are being activated on a daily basis and shows no signs of slowing down.

But what if I told you that over 50% of active devices are running a version of the Android OS that is 2 years old? Considered ancient by technology standards.

That 50% of devices are two major software revisions behind and one behind that completely changes that way we view Android?

What if I told you that you can get a new iPhone (4S or 5) but it won't come with Siri, a better camera app, an enhanced notification center, and better performance?

This is a problem that new Android users are facing today if they don't look into what they are buying. While Gingerbread isn't as prevalent in phones in stores today, being stuck on a phone that won't be upgraded will result in the same problem .

But let's take a step back and see how and why this happened.

Android was a relative newcomer that was pretty much in beta up until Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in late 2011. The iPhone took the country by storm in 2007 and changed the way we view cell phones. At the same time, Google was planning their own Android project as a free and open source alternative to Apple's closed iOS. Many users liked the openness and freedom that Android provided and it created some much needed competition in the Smartphone category.  But that meant that Android was behind. Way behind. So behind that there was 4 revisions to the Android OS from its debut in September 2008 to October 2009. By comparison, Apple only updates its iOS once a year.

This meant that Android was relatively new and was constantly changing. Consumers weren't ready to jump into an unproven system when Apple was quickly becoming the new standard. The T-Mobile G1 was a good start but it specs were very lacking. It wasn't until Motorola and Verizon debuted the Motorola Droid to the masses with a very well done iDon't viral campaign that Android was pushed to the forefront of technology. Now the question was whether to get a iPhone, Blackberry(at the time), or a Droid. This new brand pushed Android forward to a point where it wasn't just a beta project in development but a viable alternative.

At this point, Android is starting to gain momentum and, as we know now, Android has become an unstoppable juggernaut. Gingerbread 2.3 was released in December of 2010, 6 months after the release of a new and soon to be the biggest brand in Android history: The Samsung Galaxy S Series. The series was a great start and boost for Android that many people were already looking forward to the successor. That successor came in October of 2011 as the Samsung Galaxy SII launching with Gingerbread 2.3.6. Both of these phones are responsible for selling over 30 million devices and creating a glut of devices on Gingerbread. The peak of Android was here. And at the top of the peak, was a Gingerbread cookie.

Devices were selling left and right and Google knew that the future of Android was bright. But they weren't content. iOS still showed that Android still had a long way to go in terms of UI, smoothness, and stability. Google released Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in November of 2011, considered the biggest update in Android history, one month after the release of the Galaxy SII. While each Android version was a revision based on a previous version, Android 4.0 changed everything you knew about Android. It improved on just about everything that Android had to offer. The list of changes and updates was staggering. The biggest change was to how everything looked. The new Holo theme that covered everything from the home screen, to apps, to settings gave Android a new life and pushed the operating system to new heights.

The biggest and best update Android ever had was also the one that would create the Gingerbread Problem.

Android 4.0 changed a lot of things in the Android OS. Some of those things were in the structure of the OS, how everything connected to each other, and what was needed to run the OS. Ice Cream Sandwich was considerably different from Gingerbread and that meant that some phones wouldn't be able to support the new update. Whether it was due to low specifications, technical difficulties, or considerable work involved in the update process, it soon became clear that certain phones would be stuck on Gingerbread for the foreseeable future.

It didn't help that at this point Over The Air updates were slowing down and becoming very frustrating. Consumers who bought a new phone with a older version were left asking questions on when their phone will be updated. While Apple updated the iPhone through iTunes as it was their only device, Google had now left that up to the manufacturers and carriers due to the sheer number of devices being released. While Google focused on building and releasing the Android source code, it was up to the manufacturers to determine which devices was worth the time and effort to release an OTA.

Jumping ahead (and back) for a moment, Google soon realized that they needed to show off what Android was capable of and create a proper developer phone. On January 5, 2010, in a collaboration with HTC, Google released the Google Nexus One. The Nexus One was packed with high end specs, Stock Android, and provided developers with a standard to develop apps. The Nexus program also promised immediate and direct updates from Google as soon as possible. The program continued with the Samsung Nexus S and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It was at this point that Google realized how carriers can have a negative effect on Android updates. The Nexus S 4G showed that variants on different carriers would take longer to update due to the differences from the GSM version and the carrier's duty to rollout the update. The Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus took even longer to release an update which frustrated many users.

This combination of factors leads into the Gingerbread problem affecting Android today. Lower end devices on Gingerbread aren't able to receive 4.0 due to the inability to run the version properly. Manufacturers are content with releasing a new phone on a higher version than updating a phone that didn't sell well. The time and effort needed is just not profitable. Carriers must also test and approve the update which results in longer wait times.

Google completely circumvented these problems with the release of the Nexus 4. As an unlocked GSM phone, Google has complete control of the updates for it. There is only one version of the phone available through Google's site and T-Mobile. T-Mobile has always supported the Android OS from the start and has allowed Google to completely support the phone under their carrier.

How can you avoid buying a phone that may be stuck on a older version? The answer is you get what you pay for. Avoid smaller brands and lower end phones. You want your phone to last you awhile until your next purchase. If you are on a contract that may mean 2 years from now. If you can't afford one, get the phone with the highest version of Android as it might be stuck on that version for a while. Buy the flagship phone. Even though everyone will mostly have the same phone, these will sell well and the manufacturer will support it to please its massive audience.

The following is a list of great phones just released on each carrier that will be heavily supported by the manufacturer and carrier.

AT&T                                                 Verizon                                           Sprint

HTC One X and X+                            Motorola Razr HD & Maxx            HTC EVO 4G LTE

Galaxy SIII                                          Galaxy SIII                                     Galaxy SIII

Galaxy Note II                                     HTC Droid DNA                           Galaxy Note II

Atrix HD or Optimus G                        Galaxy Note II                                LG Optimus G

T-Mobile

Nexus 4

Galaxy SIII

Galaxy Note II

HTC One S

While there is a chance that the manufacturer will update or support other phones, I believe this list is a good start for those concerned about support. The Nexus 4 is also a great Nexus device if you are on AT&T or T-Mobile. It already received two updates since its release in November as it is fully supported by Google.

Samsung has learned that the iPhone model of releasing one version of a phone can work to great success. With its launch on all 4 carriers simultaneously, the GSIII has been a huge success. Samsung then released the Note II creating another opportunity for a brand but not taking anything away from the GSIII. HTC has followed a similar route released the One X on AT&T and Sprint (as the EVO 4G LTE), the HTC One S on T-Mobile and finally the HTC Droid DNA on Verizon. Not only is this route easier to support but it gives consumers something to look forward to every year rather than a continuous barrage of Android devices, each better than the last, and not knowing which to settle on.

The Gingerbread problem will eventually fade but it's shame that over 50% of users won't be able to experience the best that Android has to offer. Google Now, Photosphere, new UI, and a better overall experience is unavailable to those users. They will have to wait for an upgrade that will possibly never come or will have to wait for their upgrade or purchase a phone outright.

Minor Updates, Posting Articles, Happy Holidays!

I will be releasing minor updates to Away SMS within this week. Just bug fixes.

I have decided to create some original Android articles based on current trends, news, events, and features. The first will be The Gingerbread Problem and I hope to post at least 2 a week. These are meant to be informative and to help users on understanding Android. I will write about things that interest me and that I feel are important. I hope you enjoy it.

- Gus
Happy Holidays!

Minor Update to Away Sms

There was an issue loading the menu. The menu was deactivated for the time being. Re tested on Galaxy Nexus and Samsung Galaxy SIII.

Away SMS Android Application is up!

After a long wait, Away SMS is live on the Google Play Store!
http://goo.gl/OBnxU

My application is Away SMS and it is an Android App that promotes safe driving and hands off usage. My app automatically sends a pre configured text message to the sender of an incoming text message. The text message can be edited and saved by the user. The app will also speak the number or contact name of the sender and the body of the incoming message. Toggle buttons are used to toggle the services on and off by the user.

My project is based on an App Inventor Tutorial called No Texting While Driving. While the app was very basic, it provided a good way to learn about the different services and capabilities that Android has to offer. I decided that I wanted to create the app using Java and the Android SDK. I wanted to see how it would translate to the proper Android Development environment and if it would have the same result.

The First In A While

Updating due to refocus on Android. Away SMS is completed via Java. Will publish on Google Play Store. Open Source. Links to repository will be posted.

- Gus