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.
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We have seen dozens of 8 inch tablets this year, but the category gets a new spin with the Iaiwai MiniPad AW920. Iaiwai, the Hong Kong based electronic technology company, manages to pack in a slew of ports and slot in a well-designed, compact model. Iaiwai AW920 also happens to be the first 8 inch tablet entering into the market with Android4.1. However, as most of other peer 8 inch tablets have already received a Jellybean update, this cannot be taken as an advantage.
1. Specs and Design
Iaiwai has really taken its time to bring AW920 to the market without hitting it in a rush. And the extra time shows through in the solid build and exquisite design of this tablet. The most stunning part of the design has to be the colorful metal back cover, which helps the device stand out from its competitions.
The MiniPad’s core has a familiar ring to the Chinese tablet fans: a 1.6 GHz dual-core Rockchip RK3066 processor, 1GB of memory, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, an 8-inch XGA display, and a multi-touch touchscreen. Except its popular pop-up video play function, the Jelly Bean operation system is largely unchanged from version4.0.
A few other things caught my eye: AW920 has a 0.3MP front-facing and a 2MP rear-facing camera, stronger than most other 8 inch tablets which only have a front-facing camera.
Also notable is this tablet’s impressive complement of ports and slots. Along the top edge (when holding the tablet in portrait orientation), you have a Micro-HDMI port, charging connector, and micro USB port, headphone jack. On its left edge you will have a TF card slot that supports cards up to 32GB, a very useful feature for a tablet with only 8GB built-in storage. The tablet's stereo speakers are on its back cover, right near those ports and slots.
All of the buttons are located on the right edge, including the power/standby button and two volume buttons. With Jelly Bean, the permanent status bar on the bottom of the screen already has the back button, the home button as well as the menu button, that's why the MiniPad isn’t flooded with physical buttons.
AW920 measures 9.3mm thick, noticeably slimmer than the 9.65mm thick Cube U9GT3 and 9.5mm thick Ployer MOMO8. It weighs 418g, lighter in comparison to most other similar-sized tablets with a metal back cover.
I found the AW920's display to be a pleasure to view looking straight ahead, color saturation and brightness are really quite good. With the definition being XGA on an 8 inch display, the image also looks pretty sharp.
However, the viewing angle is one of the tablet’s greatest weaknesses, looking from the angle below or right, image fainting becomes noticeable. (Vertical rather than portrait orientation)
2. Operating System and Software
Android4.1 looks and feels like ICS. There's not a whole lot that's clearly different on the outside. At the bottom of the screen, you'll find a permanent control bar that includes virtual back and home buttons, as well as an icon that brings up a list of open apps, which can be closed with a swipe to the right.
Meanwhile, tapping the lower right part of the screen (with the clock, Wi-Fi, and battery indicators) brings up the notifications box, which includes quick controls for turning on/off Wi-Fi, quiet, and screen rotation lock, among other features, plus you can access the brightness setting on the fly and tap into the full Settings menu.
The only thing that clearly separates Jelly Bean from ICS is the Pop-up play function, which allows users to watch videos while browsing the web, reading E-books or even playing games.
In addition to the original jellybean UI, Iaiwai has also designed the uniqueYUI cloud desktop, and offers a batch of new functions, such as a digital administration center, which allows your MiniPad to get access to other internet devices, including your PC, a voice control app which eliminates the need of typing under certain circumstances.
What is most amazing is that it is easy to switch from one desktop to the other by just touching the icon on the home screen. For people more accustomed to the sloppiness of the original ICS UI, the customized YUI desktop will also be an ease to learn.
3. Hardware Capability
Like many other 8-inch tablets coming out this year, AW920 is powered by the peppy Rockchip RK3066 Dual core 1.6G processor (GPU: [email protected]) and 1GB DDR3 RAM @1033MHZ. Although it does not blow anybody out of the water, especially as many tablets are coming out with more powerful quad-core processors and 2GB RAM, it still provides plenty of power to run the device smoothly over a wide variety of applications.
According to numerous benchmark tests, the Minipad performed better than almost all android devices with other dual core processor, the monstrous Mali-400 MP4 that also powers the incomparable Samsung Exynos 4410 really assist in crushing the other competitions.
Through my own personal experience with AW920, the power of RK3066 doesn’t only show in benchmark scores, whether playing video games or browsing the internet, AW920 never disappoints. Fluency and touch control acuteness can be fully guaranteed, the G-sensor is very responsive, too.
When it comes to video playback, AW920 is even more powerful, the RK3066 processor easily supports all format of videos to at least 1080P through hardware decoding. Watching online videos through both applications and webpages with the AW920 is also more pleasurable than most other android devices.
4. Internet and Connectivity
With many Chinese tablets falling short on WIFI connectivity, one may easily make the presumption that MiniPad’s connectivity also disappoint. However, this is nowhere near the truth. AW920’s wifi connectivity is as good as that of Samsung Galaxy tab, streets ahead of the peer competitions such as Cube U9GT3 and MOMO8. The metal back cover which is widely criticized for blocking the connections for U9GT3, is no obstacle for MiniPad at all. Even with a wall between the device and the WIFI router, a circumstance where Cube U9GT3's data reception fails, the MiniPad holds its ground, providing smooth online video streaming and web-browsing.
Only a stock Jelly Bean Browser comes preinstalled on AW920, offering the popular up-tabbed browsing and supporting Adobe Flash 11. Dolphin and Chrome can also be installed to your personal preference, well, it’s android, remember!
5. Camera
As is mentioned earlier, AW920 has both a 0.3mp front-facing camera which is designed for online video chatting and a 2mp rear-facing camera which could be used for taking pictures. As expected, neither camera brings any pleasant surprises. Images taken by the rear camera are far from being sharp, the front-facing camera cannot even provide clear facial images during online video chatting.
6. Battery Life
The AW920 features a 4500mAh Li-Polymer battery, the same with Cube U9GT3. Before discussing the MiniPad’s battery life, I have to throw some stones at the low efficiency of its charging. Fortunately, AW920 can be charged while it is shutdown. During its charging, the indicator lamp will light up in red, the light will automatically extinguish when the charging is complete. Unfortunately, charging while shutdown doesn’t mean high efficiency, at least not for AW920, a complete battery charge can take up to 6 hours with a 5V-2Ah charger.
Like its 8 inch peer, the Cube Cherry, AW920’s battery life does not disappoint, it can offer 6 and half hours of 720P video playing with 50% of screen brightness and full volume on a charge. The MiniPad does not have to be charged more than once a day if there isn't any intense use.
7. Specific Applications
Unlike other Chinese tablet makers who don’t have their own applications, Iaiwai has shown much more R&D capability. Aw920 comes preinstalled with several applications specifically designed for Minipads.
Intelligent Home:
The Intelligent Home app, which has already been seen on the 7 inch Iaiwai AW900, aims to create a more comfortable lifestyle. Lighting, air conditioning and other electric appliances can be controlled via the internet with an Iaiwai tablet. And Iaiwai has set up two test rooms in Shenzhen, China to demonstrate the idea of intelligent home. Imagine turning on your air-conditioner 10 minutes before you get home, or showing just taken photos on your television to family, or turning off all the lighting in your house without leaving your bed....You cannot help but fall in love with this concept.
Voice Search
Iaiwai has taken the famous Google Voice search to a whole new level. With the touch of the voice search icon, located at the bottom of the YUI desktop, you can tell the MiniPad the application you wish to launch. This can save you a lot of time if your tablet is overflowed with applications.
Voice search also works in the Iaiwai Minipad Free Market, where users have the choice of tens of thousands of free applications, you tell the market app what you want, and the search results will be shown within one second.
8. Verdict
Like many of its 8 inch rivalries, Iaiwai AW920 is priced at 127 USD, a very modest pricing for a quite well-known brand. The advantages and disadvantages of this product are all quite obvious. Even with such a low price, I still cannot help but worry about the market prospects of this tablet.
We liked:
Well–designed and solidly built model, sanded metal back cover and lively back colors
A slew of useful ports and slots
Front-facing and rear-facing cameras
YUI desktop and specific applications
We disliked:
TFT display with poor viewing angles (mainly below and right angle)
Only 8 GB built-in storage
Low efficiency in charging
Poor image quality of the rear-facing camera
iaiwai aw920
Hello,
I read the review about the iaiwai AW920. I bought one but what I miss is an Windows USB driver for running the App I made.
Do you know how to find this driver on the iaiwai AW 920 ? Other wise I can't use the divice.
Thanks Peter
Disappointment
I bought this tablet in January '13 and for the first month it seemed great except that I could never figure out how to remove the newsfeed and weather box on the homepage that are in Chinese. Then the disappointments set in. The battery wouldn't hold a charge, the system kept locking up. Removing the majority of the apps I'd downloaded made it run a little smoother, but the charging is still an issue. It might have been a good tablet for the price range, but I wish I'd saved a little longer and gotten a Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire. Works okay as an E-reader with the BN app and the Kindle app, but not good for much else and the battery life isn't long enough to even be truly effective for that.The best thing about this tablet is the pretty turquoise back.
Saw this online today and was wondering if anyone else thinks it could actually end up being a hit for serious android users who are into gaming. Here's a link to the product page on the manufacturers website. It shows off it containing some pretty good specs too such as, USB OTG, HDMI output, lot's of hardware buttons, pre-rooted, Jellybean 4.1.1, Cloud gaming app, etc.
Here are pics from the link above:
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S7300 Specifications
Games support Millions of Android games, 9 kinds of Simulator games (PS1, N64, Arcade CP1/CP2/Neo-Geo, GBA, SFC, MD, FC), Game cloud
Games control 5 point capacitive touch, Perfect button controls (Android buttons mapping, Visual control of 360 degree, Double LR buttons, Two sticks), G-sensor control
Color
Black, White
Size
Length: 9.50inches
Width: 4.77inches
Depth: 0.56inches
Weight: 0.90pounds
Storage
8GB
Chip
Amlogic MX (Cortex A9 CPU, ARM mali400 GPU), Dual core, 1.5GHz
DDR
1GB DDR3
OS
Android 4.1
Network
3 ways: Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), External connection to Ethernet and 3G
Screen
7.0-inch (diagonal) LCD, 1024*600 pixel
Touch System
5 point Capacitive Touch Screen
Sensor
3 Axis Gravity Sensor
Buttons
Direction key, ABXY, Double LR buttons, Two sticks, Select, Start, Volumn, Reset, Power
Camera
0.3M Front Camera
Speaker
Stereo Double Speaker
Video
Support RMVB, AVI, MPEG-4, ASP, DIVX, WMV, F4V, FLV etc. (Support extension of the third-party applications)
Audio
Support MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG etc. (Support extension of the third-party applications)
E-book
Support PDF, TXT, CHM, UMD, HTML etc. (Support extension of the third-party applications)
Pictures
Support JPG, BMP, PNG etc., browsing and slide show
Battery
Built-in rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
Charging via 5V 2A DC power adapter or USB to computer system
I/O
USB2.0 High Speed
OTG Connector (External connection to bluetooth keyboard mouse, USB flash disk and hard disk)
3.5-mm stereo headphone mini jack
Micro TF Card Slot, Max 32GB
TV-out
HDMI Dual-screen display, Up to 1080P
Languages
Multilanguage support
Operate Environment
Windows 98SE/ME; Windows2000; Windows XP or above
In the box Device S7300 , User's Manual, USB cable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THOUGHTS!?!?
Update: This area on the website shows other android-based knockoffs.
This device seems really cool. Wouldn't mind owning one of them if it performs well.
VengeMobile said:
This device seems really cool. Wouldn't mind owning one of them if it performs well.
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Click to collapse
Agreed- if it performs well, it would probably be similar to the xperia play, except with a dozen more hardware buttons that can probably all be custom mapped too!
This device is awsome.
I had a play with one recently.. pretty impressed with the build quality and it seemed fairly slick/smooth in operation. Didn't have enough of a WOW factor to make me buy one though - that and the fact that the wife was with me moaning on about how I've already got a PSP that I don't play etc.. LOL!
pangster said:
I had a play with one recently.. pretty impressed with the build quality and it seemed fairly slick/smooth in operation. Didn't have enough of a WOW factor to make me buy one though - that and the fact that the wife was with me moaning on about how I've already got a PSP that I don't play etc.. LOL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which one did you try? I'm curious bc if it's an older model hopefully this one will be even more slick
mcmb03 said:
which one did you try? I'm curious bc if it's an older model hopefully this one will be even more slick
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Thats a good question!!... until i clicked on the above link i hadnt realised they did more than one version!! I had never heard of this manufacturer until about 2 weeks ago..
I'm back in the UK now.. but for anyone else local i saw it in the small Android shop on 2F Amoy Plaza, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
I might even have a picture of it somewhere to see if that can shed any light on it..
Wonder what the battery life is like?
Sent from my Amazon Gindle Fireoid
Actually looks good
skydragon team
guitarman2010 said:
Wonder what the battery life is like?
Sent from my Amazon Gindle Fireoid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, definitely a deal-breaker there!
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.
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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
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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.
Click to expand...
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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.
With a tight budget of around $100 and a need of a good tablet for use, you may think about Chuwi Hi8 as a good choice. At a reasonable price, Chuwi offers users a 2GB RAM 32GB ROM, 1920 x 1200 pixel screen dual booting system tablet. This review will provide a close look at Hi8 to see why it is a worth buying item. The review is supported by Sam from Gearbest.com.
What’s in the box?
1* Tablet
1* Charger
1* USB Cable
1* OTG Cable
1* Earphone
1* User Manual
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Hardware
Chuwi Hi8 relies on a quad-core Intel Atom Z3736F clocked at up to 2.16Ghz and a 7th-gen Intel HD GPU to run these operating systems and their respective apps. For multitasking, the tablet comes with 2GB of RAM (which are detected as such in Windows 8.1 with Bing, but only seen as 1.87GB on Android). As far as storage is concerned, Win8.1 will show 14GB of ROM, out of the 32GB featured by the tablet, and 6.78GB in Android. That surely doesn’t sound like much, but microSD cards of up to 64GB can be used to expand that.
For an 8-inch display, Chuwi Hi8 has a pretty impressive resolution, especially considering the price. A 1920×1200 IPS MagicColor Panel was used, and the pixel density of 283PPI should make everything look crystal clear.
To stay connected, this tablet relies on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, as well as USB OTG. In fact, an USB OTG cable is provided in the box, along with the charger and the data cable. The 4,000mAh battery shouldn’t take long to charge, provided that the charger is rated at 5V/2A. According to the manufacturer, that capacity should be just enough for up to 5 hours of video playback. In any case, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to carry a power bank with you, while on the go.
Windows
At the time of this review the tablet ships with Windows 8.1 Bing and includes one free year of Office 365. What’s not certain is once Windows 10 is released will Chuwi start to ship them out with Windows 10 and will office still be included?
Like all 32GB dual boots you have limited space, Windows has just 10GB of free storage so once the Windows updates start rolling and then the upgrade to Windows 10 you’ll likely to have much less than this. This is why I personally think all dual boots should have at least 64GB eMMC’s for storage.
Performance in Windows is fine, Windows, apps, folders all load up quickly, the tablet boots up quick and IE11 is as fluid as it ever is. The only degraded performance from the slower eMMC drive is large application install times and loading. It’s a bit slower than usual from an eMMC.
Android
The Chuwi Hi8 comes with Android 4.4.4 stock and Play Store is working out of the box. There are some bloatware applications, but all of them can be removed bar one, the Chuwi App store. You’ll to root the tablet in order to remove it.
The rom is quick and I encountered no slow down or stutters. You have a small 6.67GB free user space on the internal storage. Not much at all to play with once you start to download large games.
Switching Operating System
Windows and Android side by side, it’s just a matter of touching the Android icon in Windows and you’ll boot over to Android. The same goes for Android, just select Windows from the drop down menu. The system will reset and then boot over to the other OS. If you shut down in Android, it will boot in Android.. same for Windows. If you want to choose which OS on boot, you can hold volume key down and press power to start.
Benchmarks
The Chuwi Hi8 get 33950 scores at Antutu benchmark, It is amazing result in price.
The Chuwi Hi8 is definitely not the most powerful device out there, but it’s really cheap and it actually offers rather solid specifications. If you’re interested in the dual boot aspect, then this is one of the few such offerings you’ll find in the market. Either way, you can purchase the Chuwi Hi8 from GearBest now for $99.99 and get free ship world wide.
Source: ChinaReview.mobi
Bad experience
I have bought chuwi hi8 via DealExtreme at a very hugh price 109€ and it is the worst tablet i ever tried. The machive overheats all the time. If you restore windows you lose the O.S. swaping app. Youtube on android is limited to 720p. The ambedded video on android crashes 40% of the time. And the Multi user options on android does not exist.
If you brighten the screen on windows via energy saving, windows crashes all the time and becomes unusable, The audio works via WDM compatibility.
See why i write this post on my videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKd-rPahPHo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRp7Fgyim9k
And finally the RMA is very difficult.
mine is came with already windows 10. charging is faster when you turn off the tablet. have excel word etc on mobile version. so far its ok. didnt have many problem.
ariefbudianto said:
mine is came with already windows 10. charging is faster when you turn off the tablet. have excel word etc on mobile version. so far its ok. didnt have many problem.
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How is tablet holding so far? I was thinking about getting it but I'm unsure because of seeing mixed reviews.
MY LOVE FOR ANYTHING ANDROID!
I have been using the Android OS for 5 years now. Back then, I made a switch to the HTC Hero (v1.5, Cupcake) from a Sony Walkman non-smartphone because I wanted to get out of the auto-restart problem that I was facing back then. I have never looked back since then, because of the seemingly limitless potential that the Android OS has due to the developers – the custom roms, Xposed modules, great apps. I've personally used Sony, LG, Samsung phones powered by Android, iPad powered by the iOS, Nokia phones powered by Windows over the past 5 years. Every OS has their own sweet spots. I'm also into the development of China phones such as Xiaomi, OPPO, MEIZU and Lenovo, mostly with reviews and posts from gizchina.com
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH AN ANDROID TV BOX
In Nov 2013, I purchased from Geekbuying, out of curiosity of what an Android TV box can do, a Tronsmart MK908II RK3188. The idea of having an Android TV box sounds like a cool idea. I could connect portable drives to watch videos, share crystal clear photographs with relatives, get connected to YouTube, monitor the stock market on a BIG SCREEN. However, I didn’t have a good experience with using the Tronsmart TV Box, not due to its processing speed or design, but because it didn’t have a good connection to the WIFI from the room where the box was supposed to be used at. I didn't bother getting a WIFI extender as I wanted to keep things simple. In the end, I gave it away to a relative of mine for better use.
SHOULD YOU BUY AN ANDROID TV BOX?
Smart TVs are common in most households. Major brands like LG, Samsung and Sony have USB ports inbuilt in TVs, support most common video file formats and subtitles and have Internet browsers, YouTube, . Recently, Sony has introduced their new line of Android TV too. So, why would one buy an Android TV box?
In my opinion, one should buy an Android TV box only if:
1. His/her television set is outdated, old and has no smart capabilities
This is up for debate though. Everyone has different uses for the same thing
REVIEW OF THE ZIDOO X1 ANDROID TV BOX
I would like to thank GeekBuying for the chance to review the ZIDOO X1, an Android TV box from Shenzhen, China.
1 Packaging Design:
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2 Inside the box:
The TV box has a plastic-y feel. It doesn't feel premium, as expected of a product at that price level. But with a silver top, it can easily assimilate into any modern home.
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There is a port for LAN, x2 USB ports for disk drives, x1 TF, x1 AV, x1 power DC, x1 HDMI port
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The controller's buttons are a bit hard to press. But other than that, I really like the APP SHORTCUT buttons indicated by the red, blue green colors on it. Other useful buttons
'Display' which can change the frequency and resolution (50Hz, 60Hz, 1080p, 720p)
'Recent App' to access other opened apps
'Back' button that I used really frequently throughout the tryout
'Menu' button that can access menus in most apps
The lack of an inbuilt air mouse makes it hard to navigate the screens.
The HDMI cable is about 2m long, good enough for most set-ups!
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3 Specifications:
Source: http://www.zidoo.tv/Product/spec/model/X1/target/AjLkU[ld]qhKb8=.html
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4 Zidoo RC App
An alternative to the controller provided is the Zidoo RC app. Install the app into an Android phone and be amazed at the choices available for use with the Zidoo X1.
(Screenshots from my LG G3 smartphone, connected to the Zidoo X1 by WIFI)
If you have ever used an Android TV box without a proper keyboard or mouse, you would have understood how painful it is to navigate the screen and type words. Well, with this Zidoo RC app, things become more manageable. There are number pads to enter numbers, a 'Send Text' feature (located at the top right of the app) which allows you to send words like, for example,"Girls Generation", to a YouTube app without clicking each character one by one from the onscreen keyboard. There is also a mouse function, which is buggy. It is not responsive sometimes and the cursor moves too fast when it does move, which render it less useful than intended.
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5 Look and Feel
Homescreen -- Simple with minimal informaton. An alternative is the Nova Launcher which will make the homescreen similar to the layout of an Android smartphone.
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File Manager -- Access music, video and photographs from this app
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KODI -- Play or stream music, video and photographs with this app. KODI is also available for use in tablets and smartphones and it works, in my opinion, more intuitively than in an Android TV box, mainly due to the lack of a touchscreen function. The second image is a screenshot of my attempt to use an LG G3 streamed (via UPnP) to the Zidoo X1. It took quite a while before the music started playing. Due to its slow streaming speed, I wouldn't recommend any layman to use it. There could be a workaround to improve the speed.
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Weather app -- Design isn't great, but works as intended. Notice that the word 'Thunderstorm' and its 's' are separated into 2 lines.
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6 Final Thoughts
If you have a Smart TV purchased within the past 4 or 5 years, there are probably few reasons why you should get an Android TV box.
If you do not fall into the above category, the Zidoo X1 will serve as a good upgrade to your current TV.
Get the Zidoo X1 at Geekbuying for US$59.99! (caa 21/7/2015)