(Review from the gadgeteer) Source:http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/02/18/desk-genie-non-slip-charging-desk-stand-review/
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When it came to my gadget list, the one thing I was missing was something to place my Blackberry on when I’m at work. I have used desk stands for devices in the past, but they generally start getting in the way and eventually end up in my desk drawers!
Now, normally I would just arrive at the office and stick my Blackberry on charge, or simply leave it in its pouch and check it every now and then for any recent messages, e-mails or calls. Well, that’s just no good I hear you say! So, I was very pleased when I was sent the Desk Genie from Mobile Fun to review.
In short, it’s a mobile device desk stand, however it’s not just a gadget for your device to sit and look pretty on, oh no! It also doubles up as a device charger, a memory card reader, (with slots available for a host of memory cards) and it’s also a USB hub!
And, as Julie mentioned in her spotlight gadget post of the Desk Genie back in December, what makes this little gadget rather unique is the way that it holds your device in place, but we’ll take a look at that in more detail soon.
Specifications
Front plate is designed with a ‘non-slip’ rubber material
Holds your handset or accessories very firmly
Sleek and Stylish design
Integrated ’8 in 1′ memory card reader
Integrate USB Hub with 2 x USB ports
Fully compliant with USB 2.0 (480Mbps)
Backwards compatible with USB 1.1 (1.5 or 12Mbps)
Plug and Play
Supports: Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / Mac OSX and Linux
Dimensions: 59 x 102 x 106mm
Weight: 95g
What’s in the box?
The device arrived in plain packaging, so I wasn’t sure what it was until I actually opened it. However, everything inside the box was packaged well.
1 x Desk Genie
1 x 90cm Mini USB cable
1 x Charger Output Cable
8 x Handset Connectors
1 x Easy to read User Manual
The Desk Genie, USB cables, connectors and instructions
The collection of connectors that you get the box will fit a massive range of devices, including iPhone/iPod, Blackberry, Samsung, LG, Nokia, Panasonic, Palm, Sagem, Ericsson, Toshiba and so on.
In Use
So, I prepared a space on my desk (not that the Desk Genie needs a lot of space however as it’s nice and compact), then plugged in the cables to the laptop and my Blackberry. The first thing I noticed was a blue LED power indicator on the front of the unit, which means it’s drawing power from the laptop. Nice touch!
The front of the unit showing the LED Power Indicator
And the rear, showing the mini USB and power ports
The obvious feature to any Gadgeteer is the Desk Genie’s ability to hold any device in position (landscape or portrait), very securely and at a great viewing angle, so you can easily read e-mails, watch videos or play a game. It does this with tremendous ease by using a special rubber material on the front plate. Although the material feels tacky to the touch, it leaves no residue whatsoever on the device. Although, I must admit I was just a little apprehensive about putting my brand new 8300 onto it at first!
Desk Genie showing the stylish desgin, angle and USB ports
However, once I saw how well it held the device in place, I was seriously impressed! It sticks like glue, but as I mentioned, it leaves no residue at all on the device. It even managed to hold the phone in place when it was vibrating!
My Blackberry 8300 securely in place
Once the adhesive properties of the rubber begin to wear off, or begins to collect dust and doesn’t appear to be as sticky as it was, you simply dab clean water(don't use alcohol) over the rubber, then wipe with a clean cloth and the pad becomes tacky again, just like new! However, I’ve been using it for almost two weeks now and it’s still as sticky as it was when I got it out of the box, so you’ll not have to clean it that often.
Sitting nicely on my desk at work!
And of course, the Desk Genie is flexible enough to be used anywhere, not just on your desk in the office. If you want to use it stand alone, maybe next to your bed or even in the kitchen, you can purchase a USB Mains adaptor (5V DC – not supplied) and charge your device wherever you like!
Plus, it’s small enough to fit into my gear bag, so I can take it to another office if I’m traveling around. Bonus!
I think the the only downside was the length of the output cable which connects from the desk stand to your device. With it being only 20cm in length, you’ll probably have to detatch your device from the desk stand first if you want to use it for any reason.
Extra Features
As I mentioned earlier, the Desk Genie incorporates a card reader on one side of it’s base, with 2 x USB ports on the opposite side. There are 4 slots for memory cards (M2 / Micro SD / MS & MS Pro Duo / SD, Mini SD, MMC & RS MMC).
It’s quite straight forward for anyone to use, as long as you’re connected to your PC/Laptop, just pop in a flash card into the appropriate slot and and it’s ready to use. And, unlike a lot of card readers on the market, this reader allows you to insert MicroSD and M2 memory cards without using adapters.
The built in card reader slots - very handy!
The USB ports are useful too, especially if your laptop lacks available ports. I found it rather handy to have my iPod Shuffle dock plugged into the side, as the nearest available port was on the left side of my monitor and not exactly the best place to plug my iPod dock into. At least using the Desk Genie, the cables are kept tidy and I can keep the iPod close to my other gadgets.
And the other side, showing the two USB ports
So, in conclusion, the Desk Genie isn’t just your average device desk stand, it’s much more!
And, as it retails at a price of just £14.99 ($23)it’s outstanding value, especially for what you get. It’s well made, incorporates a host of features and it’s one of those gadgets that actually looks stylish, without trying hard.
You can buy it here if you live in the EUR area.
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/desk-genie-non-slip-charging-desk-stand-p22432.htm
You can buy it here if you live in outside of the EUR area.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Desk-Genie-Non-Slip-Dock-Cradle-Samsung-Galaxy-S-i9000-/400132683510?pt=UK_Mobiles_Accessories_RL&hash=item5d29c436f6#ht_4822wt_1139
Heres the Desk Genie in action with the HTC Desire and HTC HD2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmAldeTah7M
That actually looks pretty cool. The UK manufacturer is sold out but there are some on eBay.
Related
After read some posts in here I decided to buy a silicon case.
I bought a silicon case with unbreakable screen cover from this website:
http://pdaden.com/shop/catalog/
product_16662_Soft_Jacket_Set_for_
O2_XDAII_Qtek_2020_with_unbreakable_screen_cover_cat_473.html
(please remove those new line before paste URL on your address bar)
I spend $ 26.95 = 14.24 pounds for it.
It was shipped from Hong Kong and took over two weeks to london.
Almost everything is as good as I expected:
I chose black colour because looks smaller;
I can put it into my pocket now, which was impossible with leather case;
Comfort feeling in hand;
Unbrakable screen cover is nice and clear maybe it reduced reflection.
Both Belt Clip and Belt clip button can be removed so that it has a smooth back;
Provided a nice hand strap but I would never use it;
It has many holes for SD card slot, sound volume slider, head phone socket, reset 'button', camera and camera mirror, antenna connector and data cable connector.
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However I got problems...
After happiness is headache.
The first issue is how to operate the XDA2 without touching screen.
I set record button to start menu then I can use joystick to load a program.
Today can also be selected by joystick in WM2003SE but not for WM2003.
Installed a software AltTab so I can use red phone button to close window.
I also installed the Contacts Button so I can use joystick to select contact items and redefine joystick in phone.
however I cannot dial a number which is not in contacts without opening screen cover.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS, joystick does not properly work any more!
The manufacture claim that the case has 'Accur-Touch keypad cover'. This feature perfectly works with other buttons but joystick. Because joystick is not a button. I cannot use arrow anymore. Under silicon cover, pressing four arrow keys becomes pressing down button. This is a really bad design.
Thank mamaich and Des for developed tools to hack volume slider. So I don't have to use joystick any more. But this still very inconvenient.
The best solution may be cutting anonther hole on it.
The second issue is cannot be placed on cradle.
Because silicon cover is thick and sticky.
The hole for connector only can be used for recharging.
I hope I could have a data cable not a cradle.
Other solution is using bluetooth ActiveSync.
I am still looking for a perfect bluetooth stack for XDA2.
So currently I have to remove unbreakable cover and pull XDA2 out.
I worry about if I do this too many times the flexiable cover will be loose.
i have the same case
about the actionbutten then it's good enough for my needs
not goog enough to play tetris or something but good enough for me
when i want to call or mess with programs i open the lid
i have no problems with the minijack connector when using the case
i dont use the cradle unless i have to do a full restore and bluetooth is too slow for that
i use the org ms bluetooth stack along with bluetooth tools and it's working perfectly for sync with my pc
i'm happy enough with it
i sync with BT and charge with the connector on the cable
i open when i need to do screen operations
flywhc said:
The second issue is cannot be placed on cradle.
Because silicon cover is thick and sticky.
The hole for connector only can be used for recharging.
I hope I could have a data cable not a cradle.
Other solution is using bluetooth ActiveSync.
I am still looking for a perfect bluetooth stack for XDA2.
So currently I have to remove unbreakable cover and pull XDA2 out.
I worry about if I do this too many times the flexiable cover will be loose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why not buy a xda2s cradle as its bigger than the xda2. i can get you a price if you want PM me
unfortunately the silicon case easily stick a dust on it...but its washable...
no probs with the sync...just buy the usb sync cable from the same store...
my wife love to used with it... :lol: but i love my clear case and the innopocket hard case...
btw i just cut the sync connector cover...its annoying while inserting the sync cable...and i just put some not too expensive screen protector to the unbreakable cover...
I just order one, and I am thinking tu cut the rear part to use it with my backpack....
Yes!!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=239589#239589
http://www.todopocketpc.com/foro/showthread.php?t=93783
hey mates
been a while since i last posted here. after my xda2, i've been using a mio a701. i was then given budget for a new office phone so what the heck i tried out the n95. here's a review after a month's worth of use:
1) battery - if you're a heavy user of bluetooth, wifi, internet, etc...then chances are you're going to charge this almost every night. the bat was okay and i think it could hold it's own for around 2-3 days. i did try out the media player and after like 2 hours of use the battery went down to almost half (from a full charge). i just ordered 2 extra batteries from ebay...good thing their cheap at 2.00usd each.
2) camera - one of the reasons i got this unit. excellent quality given that it's using carl-z optics. the 5 megapixel is quite good and the flash does work wonders. thing is, the camera can also drain the battery if used continuously. yup, the battery is the number one gripe for the n95. however, i was able to buy this little accessory while in hong kong:
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yup, it's a zoom lense. the package comes with a crystal case and from there you attach the lense holder at the back. you have to be careful before you stick it in. the surface comes with a special adhesive. you have to be careful you put the holder in the right position else you risk having an off-centered lense. once attached, the zoom lense slides into the grooves and there you go. i tested it myself and i must say i was impressed with the telescopic feature. you can then remove the zoom lense and keep it in the padded pouch. i was also able to buy a tripod which clamps the phone in place. regular camera tripods allow you to screw the cam on the holder. for the nokia, the tripod has a padded clamp which holds the unit in place.
3) speed - around 9 years ago i was using a nokia 8850 before i switched to ppc units. i'm still getting used to the fact that i have to use the keypad...and no more stylus for me to pull out. other than that the speed of the unit is quite good. applications start out fast. i tried opening several applications at once and it was able to cope without slowing down.
4) media player - i loaded my mp3s on the micro-sd...paired the unit with my r-35 itech headset and there you go...the a2dp works great. i also shut off the bt app and tried out the stereo speakers. although we're not talking b&o quality here the sound is quite good. i think the speakers have been set so as to prevent the speakers from blowing out. in other words, i cranked up the volume to the max and it showed no signs of distortion. it was loud enough to be heard but of course i would expect that the sound would be drowned out when you're in public (like in a bus or a crowd).
5) sliders - the dual slide system...in my opinion...is not as handy. sure it's an added feature..but when you slide it to the right the screen goes on landscape and simply opens up to the animated menu. this is the same menu which pops out when you press the right bigger button while in portrait mode. from there, you have press the central select button to activate the media player.
6) tv-out - the unit can be plugged into the tv and use the screen to display whatever you want. in this case i also loaded a 3gp file of the movie "happy feet"...and to be honest i was quite impressed. it was like having a mini-dvd player. you can also use the tv to display photos or whatever
7) gps - one of the reasons why i bought this unit....but i wasn't as impressed. if you're a hard core navigation user, then better stick to using ppc gps applications. here in thailand i've been using gps to get around as i'm not a native of this country. i've been using powermap v7 for my mio and i was always happy with it. for the n95, the application is called "maps". you then have to install "maploader" into your pc to enable you to download all the maps you need. the pro for this is the maps are free. the con is that you have to pay for navigation services. although the maps application can provide navigation, it will not give you voice directions. you have to pay for this feature...and it comes in plans. it's not a 1-time payment deal...when you pay it can be for 1 year, 2 years, etc.
paying involves connecting to the internet via your gprs /wifi or whatever method you use. although i'm honest in saying that i'm fortunate the company pays for my phone bill, if you're a regualr plan user this can be a burden.
another thing about the gps is that the antenna is on the bottom of the phone. you would have to tilt the unit around 45 degrees in order to get a signal. i would recommend that you switch to landsape mode so as to allow the antenna direct access to the sky.
getting a signal is okay if the sky is clear. while inside the car, i saw some delays and difficulties in getting a satelite signal. i bought an extra gps-receiver and that boosted the connection speed. although there are symbian gps applications like route66 or tomtom, unfortunately the maps are still limited.
don't get me wrong, i like the n95. however, i'm also keeping my mio as i use it for gps applications. overall it's a good phone and i see myself keeping this for quite some time. i was thinking of getting the ameo...but the size factor is what's keeping me from doing so.
cheers
Ok, I have my Fuze running through the in-dash screen and I use it for GPS, internet, etc. However, I want to mount the phone so it's very clean and seamless but yet I still need access to the keyboard and screen for navigation. Has anyone done this succesfully, and if so, can you post pictures? I'd like a nice cradle that I can just plug it into and it will hook up my TV-out cable, my charger, etc. I'd like the charger to be hard wired too so it's not using my lighter socket.
2nd part of this question, does anyone recommend any certain software to make automotive usage any easier or more streamlined?
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Not possible unless you can figure out a way to get usb hosting working on the phone. I have been looking into this myself as have many others and at the moment it is not possible. Even if usb hosting were to be enabled, you still would have to make a driver for it to work on that screen and would need to use more than your tv out cables to control the phone. Only way I know of is to run an actual car pc and use mymobiler to control your phone.
I think you read my post wrong. I already have everything working through that screen. I just need a place to mount the phone where it's handy and I can still use the keyboard. As it is now, it just sits on the passenger seat with a wire draping up into my dash.
After posting this, I was thinking if I could mount a bluetooth trackball device into my center console if it would act as a mouse (and somehow give me a mouse cursor?) then I could do everything with it and put the phone in the center console, out of sight. Have people been able to get a BT mouse to work with the phone?
i've done this with a number of HTC phones using a bluetooth mouse/keyboard and my Pioneer f700bt. The Think Outside Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard is the ideal one for WM phones. Logitech v270 or v470 mouses have been known to work. As far as mounting it before I had my Pioneer screen, I attached my phone to my visor by strapping the holster of a car PDA mount to the visor using a velcro strap (see picture below). This way the touchscreen is still usable/accessible, but the keyboard on the phone probably wouldn't be. Also, if you check out the forums at www.mp3car.com, there are a lot of pictures and info of people using WM phones as carputers and integrating them into their cars. I believe there is one that had a mount in their glove box. You also may want to think about a vertical standing screw down PDA mount that you could attach to your console and still use the Fuze's keyboard.
I believe someone at mp3car.com was working on a front end software for mobile phones as carputers, you may want to look into it there. Some of the SPB software is handy for quick access when I used mine in the car.
check out what this guy did with his Dell Axm and his car, which you could apply a lot to the Fuze: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/gen...1v-aximizer-carputer-video-demonstration.html Pretty amazing.
Thanks, what mouse did you use?
I've been on mp3car.com for years and I spent the entire day on today. I felt the integration of WM phones was severaly lacking on this forum, I must have missed the posts.
Either way, if I can get a nice BT k/b and mouse then I think I'm going to mount a cradle inside the center console so it's all hidden and just have the k/b mouse mounted somewhere. Maybe even a custom center console, who knows. I hope all of this will be compatible with the TP2 also, I'll be switching over to that when AT&T decided to carry it.
I used the Logitech v270 with my HTC Wizard and P4300 running WM6.1 and it worked with both. I haven't tested it with the Fuze yet though. I think it would be fine. There are some generic drivers floating around various forums on here for bluetooth mice to work with WM. Whenever you decide what to do, I'd be interested in seeing the finished project!
you may want to check out this site for mounts for the Fuze:
http://www.ram-mount.com/Products/CellPhoneMounts/tabid/142/Default.aspx
just enter your phone as AT&T> Tilt and it will give you a ton of mounts that you may be able to use to position your keyboard and screen on the Fuze to be more accessible. The cupholder one may work for your setup.
sub'd for later, been trying to find hptuners for wm and this could work wonders
question
Awesome setup you have.
I have been wanting to setup a car PC myself. My original thoughts were to make a Windows XP box (located in trunk or dash) wired to a touchscreen on the console like you have. I had never considered just using my phone. This Pioneer screen that you have; how does it interface with your Fuze (USB/Bluetooth)? Are you just getting the display or is it a touchscreen that you can use to navigate on the device? Do you have the Fuze running your car audio?
Bracketron
They have a wealth of mounts that will keep you from destroying the sensitive fuze in a customized storage. I use this personally, and it works great during GPS navigation.
http://www.bracketron.com/index.php?catid=5&pid=40
Check out brodit they have exactly what your looking for.
Mounts for the device whit the keyboard out and hard wiring charging options.
norok said:
Awesome setup you have.
I have been wanting to setup a car PC myself. My original thoughts were to make a Windows XP box (located in trunk or dash) wired to a touchscreen on the console like you have. I had never considered just using my phone. This Pioneer screen that you have; how does it interface with your Fuze (USB/Bluetooth)? Are you just getting the display or is it a touchscreen that you can use to navigate on the device? Do you have the Fuze running your car audio?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also interested in your setup. How do you have your phone running as carputer?
I used my Android tablet for Guitar Chord music at gigs. I rigged it up with velcro, wood and several adapters to make a pretty solid and adjustable stand that attached to my mic stand.
Just wondered if anyone had any clever ideas on how to mount the Surface Pro to a mic stand?
Are there any cases, car mounts etc... that could be tweaked?
I could always go back to velcro and wood but with the kickstand taking up a big chunk of the back, it wouldn't work quite as well.
bob_frapples said:
I used my Android tablet for Guitar Chord music at gigs. I rigged it up with velcro, wood and several adapters to make a pretty solid and adjustable stand that attached to my mic stand.
Just wondered if anyone had any clever ideas on how to mount the Surface Pro to a mic stand?
Are there any cases, car mounts etc... that could be tweaked?
I could always go back to velcro and wood but with the kickstand taking up a big chunk of the back, it wouldn't work quite as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested in responses too, although I'd use it for lyrics during practice. At home I use a 27" monitor which works great, but at band practice I don't have that handy
I thought about one of those old-school cast iron music stands. The issue is that I use Guitar Rig Pro 5 with Rig Kontrol, so the foot pedal has to be right under the stand.
Bob,
What lyric Metro apps have you used? Music Match seems decent, but navigating is very tough without a way to limit the selection to just a playlist. Plus, like Guitar Tapp (nice app!) i'd want these lyrics saved locally. Alternatively, I could just put 'em all in a word doc (or whatever) and be done with it...
Do you use your Surface to play? Or do you have separate hardware? I've been using Rig Kontrol for several years and absolutely love it (although, if push came to shove, I'd jump ship and get a Line 6 500HD).
What other music apps have you had success (or failure) with?
Check this thingy out: http://www.mountguys.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MFX125-ST2-TAB001&CartID=1
It even specifically lists the Surface Pro as compatible. :good:
As eknutson said, why not a regular music stand with clips added to the sides? Would suggest one with non-metallic holder, since a metal holder would reduce wifi reception.
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e.mote said:
<snip/> Would suggest one with non-metallic holder, since a metal holder would reduce wifi reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DOH! Very good point, hadn't paid attention at ALL there. Yes indeed, your picture is the kind of stand I was thinking of =D
eknutson said:
DOH! Very good point, hadn't paid attention at ALL there. Yes indeed, your picture is the kind of stand I was thinking of =D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too am looking at the musical uses of the Surface RT for performance (guitar). Just not too happy with the development on that front. I also heard from a music production standpoint it will not be able to compete since MS did not spec the Hardware for it. It has 100 ms latency which wont cut it. Ipads will continue to dominate the music industry.
What Chord program are you using ?
guitar1969 said:
I too am looking at the musical uses of the Surface RT for performance (guitar). Just not too happy with the development on that front. I also heard from a music production standpoint it will not be able to compete since MS did not spec the Hardware for it. It has 100 ms latency which wont cut it. Ipads will continue to dominate the music industry.
What Chord program are you using ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went with a tablet that has the full Windows 8 for that reason. I wasn't sure how well the ARM chips (or even Atom to be honest) can hold up. Because of that I felt there'd be little interest from various companies for an actual production-quality music creation app for live guitar.
If you can afford it, the Line 6 HD series is the way to go, assuming you have a different PC to connect it to for setup (which can also be done strait on the pad, but obviously would be much simpler on an actual computer than on a tiny screen). The best part? It doesn't require a computer connection during performance (it's all on-board) and the modeling is second to none. The sound is nothing short of amazing...
As it is, I'm using NI's solution. For live / practice I don't even look at the computer because all the info I need is presented on the Rig Kontrol floor pedal unit (on/off for effects and switches, "Rig" number to let me see which amp/effects configuration I'm playing through).
I've been messing with GuitarTapp Pro (which is a modern, err RT, err, ah screw it: Metro! app) and like it quite a bit. I haven't played with it much, but what I have done has been very good. Saving the tabs locally is awesome. It does what most tab sites do - presents you with various tab submissions from around the web. You can go through them and save the one(s) you like the best locally for calling up on- or off-line later.
http://www.arkon.com/tablet-accessories/universal-tablet-car-mount.html
just pull the end off this and attach the same size fittings on each end.
eknutson said:
I went with a tablet that has the full Windows 8 for that reason. I wasn't sure how well the ARM chips (or even Atom to be honest) can hold up. Because of that I felt there'd be little interest from various companies for an actual production-quality music creation app for live guitar.
If you can afford it, the Line 6 HD series is the way to go, assuming you have a different PC to connect it to for setup (which can also be done strait on the pad, but obviously would be much simpler on an actual computer than on a tiny screen). The best part? It doesn't require a computer connection during performance (it's all on-board) and the modeling is second to none. The sound is nothing short of amazing...
As it is, I'm using NI's solution. For live / practice I don't even look at the computer because all the info I need is presented on the Rig Kontrol floor pedal unit (on/off for effects and switches, "Rig" number to let me see which amp/effects configuration I'm playing through).
I've been messing with GuitarTapp Pro (which is a modern, err RT, err, ah screw it: Metro! app) and like it quite a bit. I haven't played with it much, but what I have done has been very good. Saving the tabs locally is awesome. It does what most tab sites do - presents you with various tab submissions from around the web. You can go through them and save the one(s) you like the best locally for calling up on- or off-line later.
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Good call on the Surface PRO- I went the RT version as I needed something smaller and more battery - Music usage was secondary for me. I actually was able to plug in a USB guitar iterface to the RT and it worked but since I have no effects program for RT (Like guitarrig), couldn't do anything with it. I just bought a great little chord program called GuitarTapp that came out for Win8 and RT that manages my chord sheets and tab - check it out in the store
For guitar sounds, I actually run the Zoom G5 Modeler - Although not as well known as the Line 6 HD, sound quality and live usage is way better to most who have used both the G5 and HD 500 units. Its set up more like a real pedal board as far as turning individual stomps off and on. It is on most guitar forums, but check out some of the info on thegearpage.com. I am sure there are opinions on both sides but I find the HD a little to complex when tweaking and such and find the G5 is easier to dial in a good sound without too much fuss.
Glad to hear there are other musicians using these devices. Just hope the developers won't foget about it.
For the full review, updates and more information, visit my blog:
http://klonom.com/minix-neo-x6-review/
The Minix Neo X6 is an Android TV Box in the lower price segment running on Android KitKat 4.4.2. Here's a picture with the remote control:
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Specs:
-Android 4.4.2
-Amlogic S805 Quadcore with 1,5 GHz
-Mali-450 Quad GPU
-8 GB eMMC Memory
-1 GB DDR3L
-802.11n WiFi
-Bluetooth
-HDMI Output (1080p)
-RJ-45 Network
-Headphone jack
-2xUSB
-MicroSD-Card Slot
The device was kindly supplied by Antelife. You can order for about 100$ at Antelife.
First Impressions:
For those, who studied or learned something in the direction Informatics or electrical engineering: No, I am not reviewing the Linux system Minix here . But now to the actual review. The box is delivered in a mostly black box. The box contains beside the TV box itself an infrared remote control (2xAAA batteries, not incl.), a wall plug (5V, 2A), a manual (multilanguage), an HDMI cable and an USB-cable (male-male). For the latter I still could not find out the actual purpose, I guess for connecting external devices like HDDs. The included HDMI cable surprised me positively, since this is often not the case with other devices.
The unboxing in motion pictures:
I personally expect from a TV Box a fully featured media player, as well as the oppertunity to run small games and emulators. I do not own a smart tv, since its additonal functions are mostly already present in other devices (gaming consoles, HDMI sticks à la Chromecast, etc.). This box should be able to give a greater performance than a classical smart tv, like for example by the oppertunity to play old SNES games (more on that in the review video).
The box itself:
From the outside the box looks a bit similiar to the FireTV from Amazon. It is a rectangular, matt black box with rounded edges, while on the top side the letters of Minix are embedded. On the sides the connectors are placed including the infrared port. Also the external WiFi antenna can be found on the side. The housing looks valuable and nice after my opinion, kind of like the upper part is made from one cast part. The remote control is comparably slim and offers the following buttons: direction cross, OK, power, Vol+, Vol-, back, home, menu und settings.
For pictures check the blog post : http://klonom.com/minix-neo-x6-review-english/
First usage:
While booting the TV box shows a Minix boot animation. Afterwards you land in Stock Android 4.4.2 homescreen.
The first usage works flawlessly via the infrared remote control. The RC seems relatively strong, since the infrared port of the box does not require to be in direct visual line, the scattered signal seems to be enough. The box has installed many usefull apps for the media center usage out of the box, like for example AirDroid, XBMC, Netflix or Miracast. Also the Playstore is preinstalled. If a keyboard input is needed, an on-screen keyboard like you are used from normal Android pops up, which is controlled via the infrared remote control. Though this is ok for small inputs, for larger one this is quite annoying. For this purpose you can connect USB mouse and keyboard to the TV box. Android recognizes them without problems and you can comfortably surf from the couch. The two USB ports should be enough for the normal usage, although it still can be extended by using a hub.
Performance:
The Amlogic S805 SoC was unknown to me, why I could hardly predict the performance of the Minix Neo X6. To get a rough idea of it, I replaced the already installed version 4 of the Antutu benchmark with the newer version 5 and ran a benchmark test. The result were 17166 points. This means, that the box should be able to run the most of the average applications. While scrolling through the launcher no lags or similiar were noticable. Anyway, it happened a few times, that the system freezed after long usage and switching different apps. Here only a hard reboot by plugging out and in the wall plug helped. It seems the system has to be improved here a bit more.
Emulators:
Like already mentioned, one of the main application fields for an Android TV box are emulators for me personally. Although I already own a self built retro console which is based on a Raspberry Pi, it is not capable of running more hardware intensive consoles like the Playstation 1 or N64. But it would be great to play game classics on the TV, without connecting your Laptop or Desktop PC each time with the TV. This is the reason why I tried out PS1 (FPSE), N64 (SuperN64) and SNES (SNES 9x EX+). Because of legal reasons I have to emphasize, that downloading ROMs/ISOs is illegal and only self dumped games are valid. All three emulators worked smooth and without problems. Only the Playstation emulator freezed a couple of times for a few seconds, but I can not tell if this is an hardware issue, an emulator or a game issue. But this did not really influence the gameplay. As a controller I am using a bluetooth gamepad and I did not notice any connection problems. All in all the box fulfills my expectations to be useable as a small gaming stations for retro games.
Media-Center:
The box comes preinstalled with the Xbox Media Center (XBMC, nowerdays Kodi) in the “Minix Edition”. This skin looks nice and not too overloaded. I personally do not use the XBMC, so I can unfortunately not tell too much about. To at least test its functionality I transferred a 1080p video file into the library. The playback started immediately, without any lag. But after a few minutes, the video stopped randomly. It seems, the XBMC version is still a bit buggy. Anyhow, since XBMC save the last viewing point, I was able to resume from there.
Memory:
The box comes with 8GB of internal memory according to the product infos. But usable is just around 5.32GB, so definitely less. A “classical” division of phone memory and system memory like in Android phones does not exist. All availabe memory can be used for apps. The capacity obviously is not enough for a media center. The Minix Neo X6 officially supports MicroSD-cards up to 64GB, and external HDDs up to 2TB (MicroSD-card just tested with 32GB, external HDD not tested yet).
The Minix Neo X6 in Live-Pictures:
Summary:
Comparing to its price, the Minix Neo X6 offers good oppertunites. It is a small device which fits nicely beside a TV. It outruns a smart TV by performance and functionality, already simply because of having Android 4.4. Also the usage as a small gaming station is no problem. The WiFi receiption was constantly good during my test. But the device also has its downsides. The system seems partly immature, what can lead to system freezes from time to time. For example my SanDisk 32GB card was just recognized after a plugged it in for the third time. Hopefully Minix still improves it a bit. About “integrated” apps like the XBMC Minix Edition: There are enough stable alternatives in the Playstore. It also should be considered that the majority of Android apps a developed for touch, although a mouse is mostly a suitable replacement for it. Native Android games have to be remapped first, which is not for everybody. In general, I like the box for its price and its oppertunities.
good review, Available here in Australia, cheers
Good review, is this any good comparing with the tv stick ?
jiwa13 said:
Good review, is this any good comparing with the tv stick ?
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I am afraid I can not really answer this one, since I never tried an Android HDMI Stick. But I guess that these sticks are enough for streaming and web browsing, probably not for demanding games.