- Android 4.0.4 ICS(4.1.1 Jelly Bean upgradable); Rockchip Dual Core Cortex A9 CPU; a Quad Core Mali 400 GPU
- Support external 3G Dongle (not included), makes you have access to 3G networking
- Supportbluetooth function,makes you connect other bluetooth devices through this function.
- Support XBMC Video play, the latest HTML5, Flash11
- SupportRJ-45 Ethernet wired networking &WIFI 802.1b/g/n
Bought two of these on Newegg because its $99 there. I was confident that this box was going to trump the Midnight. I was wrong and highly disappointed. Sure, it's pretty fast in Android, but that's all you're going to get. There's not a single build of XBMC that works on this box (I've tried EVERY one) unless you like watching standard def content. 720 stutters just a little too much to watch and you can forget about 1080p. The wifi is good in this though, no streaming problems but who needs streaming when it doesnt have the balls to decode the video? And it's too expensive for the features. There's a ton of Rockchip boxes on the market much cheaper than this. Heck the MK808 runs better than this box and is half the price!
I really wanted to love it. I've bought a ton of Midnights and when I saw this and the positive reviews I was excited to get one. If anybody says this box runs XBMC then they obviously aren't using XBMC with HD content otherwise they would change their review to reflect the choppiness. It's unbearable.
If you're looking for a straight Android box to do Android stuff, this is not a bad box. Maybe too expensive, but not bad. If you're a power user looking for something to run XBMC and can handle custom ROMs there's still not a brand better than G-box. Even Pivos Xios is better than this thing and the xios is slower than molasses.. at least IT can play HD content though.
I'm not giving it one star, because it does run Android well and wifi is good. It's only rebooted on it's own a couple of times but I think it was because I was pushing it too hard.For it's meager price, this has taken the place of an HTPC that cost me over $1000, and I'm not missing it at all.
I'm using this Minix with a Seagate 4TB external hard drive, a Microsoft Arc Keyboard, and a Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse.
Android isn't exactly optimized for keyboard/mouse input, but it works great. All the things I was worried about not working well with a mouse are smooth as butter. It's a little bit weird getting used to the different functions of the mouse buttons (left click is normal, long press on left click for menu options, and right click is just like the back button on the menu bar), but after you get used to it, it works well.
At this point, I'm willing to say that Android is a better OS than Windows 8 for an HTPC, and possibly for desktops in general. Aside from needing certain applications that are available on Windows and not Android, I don't think you can go wrong. This system, for it's humble specs, is more responsive than my brand new Samsung Ultrabook (i5-3317u, Samsung 840 Pro SSD). Apps open quicker, and the interaction is generally more pleasing.
That's not to say it's without drawbacks. As is always the case with Android, not everything works right, and not all the time. The biggest drawback of this system, is that it acts like a tablet. Sometimes, the touchscreen keyboard pops up, and you have to hit back to get rid of it. But guess what? My ultrabook does that too (even though I've selected the option to get rid of it several times, it insists).
XBMC for Android is available, but is still in beta testing. To complain about it not working right now, is to complain about a product that has yet to hit the market. It will be added to the Google Play store when it's ready for mainstream use. That problem with it right now, on this device, is that it isn't utilizing hardware based video decoding, and without that... HD video is just too much for this little system to handle. This should be fixed before the app is put on the market.
The good part is that the built-in "Video" app handles full HD (1080p) videos just fine. I have an entire library of 1080p MP4 videos that me and my friends have been enjoying all night, with far less interruptions than I ever had on my Windows HTPCs.
This system may not be ready for mainstream use. In other words, it's not moron-proof. You may need to know your way around electronics in order to get this working the way you want it to. If you're scared of that, stick to something you can handle... like a DVD player.
But if you're tech savvy enough to know what this is... you should know enough to make it work. It's silent, small, super-efficient... and kinda fun, even if only to know that you're doing on a $100 PC what most can only get done on a $400+ PC.
I'm not saying this is the best Android based mini PC out there... this is the first one I've used, but it's more than worth the money. I think it's funny that this system has great reviews on NewEgg and poor reviews on Amazon (maybe that's enough to tell you that this product is for the techies out there).Came with Android 4.1.1 installed.
3 USB ports, can be used for Wireless keyboard/mouse/airmouse dongle, webcam, storage, etc..
10/100 Ethernet port important for streaming video reliably.
Installed latest Skype from Play Store, works perfectly with Logitech webcam (standard "UVC" class webcams only).
XBMC for Android 12.0 RC appears to work perfectly, plugins make it extra nice.
Great performance, connectivity doesn't seem to get hot either. Some niggling issues with Minix launcher.
I like using a microsoft Bluetrack mobile mouse, but will experiment with the iPazzport airmouse/keyboard combo.
The supplied remote is small and cheap but the buttons can be learned by another IR remote if necessary. It is
not a good replacement, however, for a good mouse.
Support and user forums are almost non-existent, but Android HTPC enthusiasts should be very happy with
the purchase of this device. An ideal price, bundled with a better air mouse remote, might be US$100-.
If the manufacturers managed to offer a similar model with a 3.5" SATA drive bay, for DVDR or large media
drive, this would be the "bees knees"!-
.....if you want to spend 5 times as much.
this thing does everything I want it to plays 1080p content on my TV, plays high bit rate mp3's on my multiroom receiver no complaints at all. I have a 320GB, 2.5" ext drive on one usb port, and the receiver for my candyboard on the other. some people have complained about poor wifi reception but I'm using the wired port so I can't comment. I wish I had a little more tech info, like the bit rate over the spdif cable but it sounds good to me.
it replaces an HTPC that literally did cost 5X as much plus I'm not using a microsoft product anymore so that's always a plus in my book...
I think this would be a steal at double the price!!
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Since I haven't been able to use the product since it's was DOA I can say I don't really see much QA going on. Device is already pretty scratched up in places for being brand new. Not really happy with the quality of the product not to mention it was dead when I got it...
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