Develop Bugs

Universal - HDD

Hi all,
I am a newbie to this forum and have not yet bought my Universal. I am waiting for my next visit to the UK. Long story.
Anyway, the main point of this topic is that for me, one of the main things missing from the Universal is large mass storage capability (videos, photos, etc.).
I therefore intend to develop an interface to connect a hard drive to the Universal. I am a professional hardware and software developer BTW.
As far as I understand from this site, the current position is this;
The USB interface does not support host mode. (whether due to software or hardware...).
There is no expansion port as fitted to the XDAII etc. (if only, then this would be a no brainer).
The SDIO/MMC card socket is probably the most likely interface to use.
Can anyone confirm these assumptions?
I would like to develop this either as a docking station or a replacement back for the universal. However initially I suspect it will be connected by a cable.
If anyone has any more information, please let me know. I suspect that I will end up developing an MMC/SDIO to ATA/IDE or USB host interface. Alternatively I could just wait for CE-ATA drives and hopefully someone else will have written the drivers...

lkingscott said:
The USB interface does not support host mode. (whether due to software or hardware...).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just off the top of my head.
One USB host channel is used for the GSM/UMTS/GPS data transfer. The second one is
not used. The third is configured, but its purpose is unclear.
There is no expansion port as fitted to the XDAII etc. (if only, then this would be a no brainer).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They didn't wire even the serial port, so what
expansion port are you taking about
The SDIO/MMC card socket is probably the most likely interface to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have no other choice. USB and SDIO.
I will end up developing an MMC/SDIO to ATA/IDE or USB host interface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MMC/SDIO<->USB is the best, if you will solve the power problem.

If you read my post more carefully, you will see that is exactly what I say - I.e. the Exec/universal has NO expansion port as far as I am aware (unlike the XDAII which has one which can even support ATA style interface (Compactflash...))
USB2 host via SDIO/MMC will be unlikely as the MMC/SDIO interface is so slow and would probably require 2 separate interfaces plus micro although Atmel have some promising looking devices with integrated USB... However SDIO - ATA/IDE could be done relatively easily with a decent microcontroller.
Power is no big deal, as an external device it would have its own power - internal battery... but if I get as far as making it part of a docking station or replacenment back, then a bigger battery or even 2 batteries would be the way to go.

To bad this is all hot air. Time wise you don't have the time. What is the lifespan of the universal? 18 months to two years. No way in that window will you have time to develop a "Docking" station. Well not as commercial product anyway.

Pesimistic or what...
32G MMC & SD cards are supposed to be available next year.... Maybe that's why they didn't bother with expansion options...

I could confirm all of your assumptions. I have a Universal for a while now and one biggest thing I really wanted is, a Mass Storage, like an external HDD. I posted a while ago, my dream addition is a backpack/docking station that has extended battery, and a mass storage, or at least a USB host port or a CF slot.
Besides all interfaces you mentioned, don't forget the Universal also has wireless interface: BT and IrDA.
I read there is BT HDD outhere (4GB) but kind of expensive and not sure if its in production already.
If there is a way to hook up an external HDD, I will be among the first customers.
Btw, where did you hear about the 32GB SD Card?
Other thing I can think of, there is a device such as Cowon A2 that has a USB host function. It certainly can read from Universal SD Card if they are hooked up together, but Universal will not be able to access the Cowon A2 big harddrive. They mention that Cowon A2 can only read and copy from, and not copy to.

Since internal mass storage isn't an option, then external storage via wireless has to be a reasonable alternative. I don't know if bluetooth HDs exist, but there is certainly a wi-fi option from ASUS - see http://uk.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=12&l2=44
This takes a standard laptop 2.5" HD and can connect wirelessly to an existing network or it can act as an access point for direct connection with another device. It's not the fastest device in the world, but it works fine on a home network as a basic back up file server as well as a store for mp3s which can then be played by any other device on the network. I hope to get my XDA next month and see if it also can wirelessly play mp3s in this way.

sjdigital said:
Since internal mass storage isn't an option, then external storage via wireless has to be a reasonable alternative. I don't know if bluetooth HDs exist, but there is certainly a wi-fi option from ASUS - see http://uk.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=12&l2=44
This takes a standard laptop 2.5" HD and can connect wirelessly to an existing network or it can act as an access point for direct connection with another device. It's not the fastest device in the world, but it works fine on a home network as a basic back up file server as well as a store for mp3s which can then be played by any other device on the network. I hope to get my XDA next month and see if it also can wirelessly play mp3s in this way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2kg!!!!! :shock:
Who wants to carry that "portable" device? :lol:

I don't know where you get "2 kg" from? The thing weighs 200g according to the specification in the instructions (although whether that includes the HD itself I can't say!). It's certainly portable, if not pocketable, but the original post was about mass storage for music, videos, etc. and this device provides that very conveniently.

I found the weight there:
http://www.techfever.co.uk/products.asp?partno=4721&source=tempriser
but you're right, on the other website it says 200g:
http://www.techbuy.com.au/products/....5_Hard_Drive_Case_-_802.11g_Ethernet_USB.asp
but anyway, you need to use an external power source so for me it's not portable...

Yes, I have one and for sure it's nowhere near 2kg! It's a bit smaller than a video cassette (remember them?) and really is very handy. But as I said, portable rather than pocketable. But given the wireless capability of the XDA, the ASUS device is a realistic option for a semi-fixed file server that is accessible wirelessly. And it even has a built in ftp server so you can hook it up to your home network and acess it via the internet using your XDA or whatever. As I write this I'm listening to my mp3s which are stored on my ASUS and played back via a wireless media player. Neat, huh? And it's that capabilty that I want from an XDA but I want to wait until it has A2DP so that I can stream the audio to my hi-fi via bluetooth!!!

ASUS HDD
I have just bought an Asus WL-HDD hard drive case. I was hoping that it would be smaller than it is, the case is the most inefficient I have ever seen. However, it should do what I am looking for.
With a 60G Maxtor hard drive it weighs 315 grammes. Note that you also need a 5 volt supply - more wires, not exactly portable, however it's a good start.
After loads of pain getting to work properly, I have been playing with video streaming and it seems OK, even from an external hard drive plugged into its USB 1.1 port. Not bad, a 40 quid device that has all that and a host USB port and they couldn't get the USB port right on an Exec costing 10 times that...!!!
Now I have got the Asus going, there's other things it can do, like being an Access point and there's loads of tweaks out there from the open source community. Have a look at http://wl500g.info , you can even write your own software for it if you want.
BT would be useless as the max data rate is crap. There is no way that you could reliably stream video without lots of compression...
So, while the Asus product is not perfect, it does mean that I will not be bothering with the XDA add on. I will certainly now be buying an Exec and I now have the bug to start playing with WiFi embedded servers... As a start I think I will recase the Asus, including some LiIon batteries and built in card reader (it just hangs off the USB port). Not really a major development, but it will save carrying a power brick and a load of cables.

80211B
I have just noticed that the WiFi interface is 802.11b.
When I tried video streaming with the Asus WL-HDD, 802.11g would work fine, but 802.11b was just too slow. However I was streaming relatively high quality video.
Ho Hum. I think I'll still get one and try it. I suppose lower quality video can be used, but then some of the advantages of the high quality display are lost. Anyway, for my particular requirement I am more interested in still image display.
Lisa

Without trying to hijack this thread, yes, the WL-HDD isn't the fastest device around! But 11b wireless isn't the problem, even hard wired to my router it doesn't manage anything like 11b speeds. But I can happily play mp3s, and video files that aren't too high quality, that are stored on it. It can, for example, happily cope with playing video files generated from a consumer video camera. But are you actually streaming, or simply playing files stored on the device?
You've already found the wl500g forum where lots of info is available, you could also try www.macsat.com.

802.11b/g
I don't know what goes on with 802.11b or g, but the sustained data rates don't seem to be anywhere near 11 or 54Mbps.
Assuming a reasonable quality 500M MP4 or Divx video 2 hours long. That's around 5Gbits in 15000 secs, i.e. 333kbits/sec.
I have tried dfferent combinations of adapters, routers and pc cards and the results are always similar. Yet file copying times would indicate data rates nearer to those quoted.
Ho hum...

I normally have my WL-HDD connected by ethernet cable but I've just tried it wirelessly and data transfer is just over 5 Mbps. A long way short of 11b never mind 11g speeds. I can play a 30 minute 300MB MPEG movie on my laptop from a file on the WL-HDD. That's a data rate of about 1.3 Mbps. But I tried a 57MB avi file which is only 16 seconds long and it simply wouldn't play properly - it just stuttered along. But the data rate required for that is about 28 Mbps, which is clearly well beyond what the WL-HDD can manage.
But it should be able to cope with anything up to 5 Mbps, i.e. a one hour video file of about 2.2 GB (I think I've got my bits and Bytes, and Mega and Giga, right!)

WiFi 802.11g on your HTC Universal & Wizard
Check this guys!
http://www.pocketpcaddict.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5880
Salam!

Just tryed it, but my network is in the list as "Available" and I dont have a connection
Linksys WRT54GS in G-only mode...

Hi,
Engadget says Universal supports external HDD (read comments at http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/02/...l-questions-weve-got-htc-universal/1#comments )
Is there a way to get in touch with them?

I do not fully understand what everybody is trying to achieve here. I use Resco explorer and connect over Wifi to my home network. I get a shared drive and can use all the harddisk space in the world. Grant it will only work at home, but that is where I need the external space the most.

Portable NAS, charger and wifi access point/extender

This is not a Moto G accessory per se, but I think this product really enhances the usabilty of the MotoG and is worth checking out if you are looking for the following solutions:
Battery Charcher (8800 mwh cell)
Wifi access point from utp connection to a network
Wifi extender
Simple NAS functionality (no bittorrent clients etc.)
In my case, the choice was the EasyAcc Wi-stor Wizard, but there are several of the type of devi es available. Do you have such a device? If so, please share your experiences and likes/dislikes.
The product i chose arrived only today, and the features i have tested so far (storage access and wifi extender) are working great and were easy to set up.
The charging feature and utp to wifi hub feature i cannot comment on yet.
Lastly, i would only consider this device portable if you are using a decent sized bag; it is not something that can be comfortably carried in your (trouser) pocket unless you wear cargo pants

moto accs
any links we can follow up, experiences after this 1 month?
schermvlieger said:
This is not a Moto G accessory per se, but I think this product really enhances the usabilty of the MotoG and is worth checking out if you are looking for the following solutions:
Battery Charcher (8800 mwh cell)
Wifi access point from utp connection to a network
Wifi extender
Simple NAS functionality (no bittorrent clients etc.)
In my case, the choice was the EasyAcc Wi-stor Wizard, but there are several of the type of devi es available. Do you have such a device? If so, please share your experiences and likes/dislikes.
The product i chose arrived only today, and the features i have tested so far (storage access and wifi extender) are working great and were easy to set up.
The charging feature and utp to wifi hub feature i cannot comment on yet.
Lastly, i would only consider this device portable if you are using a decent sized bag; it is not something that can be comfortably carried in your (trouser) pocket unless you wear cargo pants
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I've had the RavPower WD01 WIFI Hub for quite a while and still love it. I wrote a review shortly after I got it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2173608 I hope you write a review of your unit. I look forward to reading it.

Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus - Windows 10 Mini PC | Intel x5-z8300

Introduction​
Tronsmart is a well known brand specialized in TV Boxes/Sticks, and this time they decided to release an Intel Cherry Trail (x5-z8300) based Mini PC (or TV Box/HTPC, choose the word that you prefer). Precisely this is an upgrade of their previous, and now discontinued, device named Tronsmart Ara X5, which shares almost the same hardware except WiFi Adapter & Antenna, Sound Card, and some minor components.
This is the Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus Mini PC
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Unboxing
Packaging comes with an HDMI Cable, a Power Supply (5V/3A), a Wi-Fi Antenna (pretty nice design), an English Quick Start Guide and the Mini PC (of course).
No Air Mouse/Keyboard is included, neither the device has an IR Receiver so it can be only powered on using the physical power button, located on the front side.
Device
Tronsmart has focused its attention on the design. Its chassis is plastic made (good quality) but if you are worried about heat dissipation, just take a look at my tests in the next paragraph.
It is just 11.5x11.0x2.5cm, pretty compact and it is also lightweight enough (probably because it is made of plastic).
There is a Matte Surface on the upper side where the Brand Logo and the White Power LED are located while all the rest is black-grey. This makes the device look Premium, and I find it pretty nice.
There are 2x Plastic Films already applied.
As you can see, there is a second Plastic Film. It is a fingerprint magnet so I recommend to remove it.
This is the Matte Surface without any Plastic Film applied.
It attracts dust pretty easily but it seems to have some kind of Oleophobic coating so, if you prefer dust (or if you live in a dust-free room) then remove both films, if you prefer fingerprints then remove only the first plastic film.
On the front side there are 2x Standard USB 2.0 ports, 1x Headphone/Microphone Jack (just like smartphones) and a physical Power Button.
USB Ports doesn’t have too much space between each other, so you might experience issues (like me) with the usage of not-so-small USB Stick or Accessories. Compact USB Sticks fit just fine.
On the left, there is just 1x Wi-Fi Antenna Connector because the Wi-Fi card is only 1x1 (TX/RX). The right side is completely clean.
The rear features 1x 5.5mm DC in, 1x LAN 10/100 port, 1x HDMI port, 1x Standard USB 3.0 port and 1x micro SD card slot.
Unfortunately also the rear USB Port doesn’t have too much available space, so I recommend you to use an HDMI Cable that has compact plugs or use an USB Extension.
On the lower side there is just a Reset Button that has been added to this upgraded version.
Testing
First of all, it boots pretty fast (ready in ~ 20 sec) considering that it doesn’t have a SSD but just an eMMC, usually just a bit faster than conventional HDDs. This is something that I have really appreciated because it means that the BIOS has been properly optimized.
On first boot, you’ll be asked to configure the OS with your own language, keyboard layout, Microsoft Account settings...similar to a clean installation of Windows 10.
After the whole configuration process, the desktop will be completely empty, without any third-party software installed except one (THD Controller) probably made to be used with Tronsmart’s Air Mouse/Keyboard (not included).
It comes with Windows 10 Home, properly Activated (no KMS or any other hack used). If yours isn’t activated, just reboot and be sure that it is connected to the internet otherwise it won’t be able to verify activation.
Unlike previous version, this one comes with a decent Wi-Fi card (Intel Dual Band AC-3160) that supports 2.4/5GHz Networks at a maximum speed of 433 Mbps.
Also, instead of the standard Realtek Sound Card that isn’t compatible yet with Linux, there is a C-Media HS-100B Sound Card that doesn’t create any kind of compatibility issue.
Intel VM-x has been enabled by default, useful if you plan to use any kind of Virtual Machine.
Benchmarks
Comparing some other Intel x5-z8300 devices, it seems that this is one of the fastest ones.​
I have used Passmark PerformanceTest, FutureMark 3DMark (Sky Diver) & PCMark 8 (Home, Creative & Work), GeekBench 3 Pro (64-bit) and CrystalDiskMark x64 to stress the device in the most complete way. I won’t test Games or Video Playback because there are already some related tests included in these Benchmark suites.
CrystalDiskMark - Internal eMMC is fast enough for daily tasks, better than HDDs, but worse than SSDs.
PassMark’s average score is pretty low, in every single test except Storage so this benchmark is probably poorly optimized to work on Atom CPUs.
GeekBench - CPU performance seems to be mediocre, but in line with other x5-z8300 CPUs. Focusing on temperatures, you can see that it doesn’t overheat at all under heavy usage. This means that Tronsmart did a good job regarding heat dissipation.
https://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/6011299
I managed to get the highest MultiCore score with this CPU. Well done Tronsmart!
Nothing to say about 3DMark Sky Diver test.
PCMark 8
Home: http://www.3dmark.com/pcm8/11585069
Creative: http://www.3dmark.com/pcm8/11592443
Work: http://www.3dmark.com/pcm8/11593416
PCMark tests are the most complete ones, and their score is pretty high. Especially the “Work” test score left me impressed. This means that this device can be used for daily tasks without any issue at all.
Summarazing all Benchmark Results, I can say that this is one of the fastest Intel Atom x5-z8300 Mini PC available on the market.
About Wi-Fi/LAN Networks tests, it highly depends on your router and internet connection so I can just say that i’m able to obtain the same performance that I get using my Workstation. No lags at all neither I have noticed any kind of performance drop.
Compatibility​
Linux doesn’t like a lot Cherry Trail CPUs, especially because their additional hardware is usually poorly designed or unsupported by the Linux Kernel. Tronsmart, on this upgraded version, decided to avoid all issues by introducing a different Wi-Fi card, that is now connected to the PCI-Ex bus (instead of the slow SDIO bus) and a different Sound Card, that is connected to the USB bus and is well supported by the Linux Kernel.
This is the Result
Everything is working on Linux. I have tested BBQLinux with Linux Kernel 4.1.6. I find it much faster than Windows, even if used from a USB Stick, so I really recommend it if you are familiar with the Linux Environment.
About Android, (Android-x86 6.0 Testing) it is a whole different story. It doesn’t support Intel Wi-Fi cards, neither it supports this Sound Card, so you’ll need to wait a new update if you plan to use Android on this device.
Conclusions​
Thanks to its well choosen hardware, this Mini PC makes every single task possible. This is a great upgrade to the previous Ara X5, I just don’t like that it can’t be turned on with a Remote Control. In my opinion, almost eveything else is perfect. LAN is limited to 100MBps, all USB Ports aren’t well designed and CPU isn’t extremely powerful, but it can be used without any issue as a Media Center or even as an Office Mini PC.
So, if you need a complete Mini PC that is able to handle basic daily tasks and that can be used without any issue for Multimedia stuff, then this is the right choice.
Official Specs
Rating: 8.8
Packaging and Accessories: 7.5
Design and Materials: 9
Performance and Heat Dissipation: 8.5
Software: 10
Price: 9 (based on Amazon.com price)
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/SPuNq
Official Website: http://www.tronsmart.com/products/tronsmart-ara-x5-plus
You can buy it on many online shops.​

Reserved

Thanks for you detailed review, very cool!
I got a Tronsmart X5 plus too, perform well. And I also had Tronsmart Android TV box MXIII plus and S95 telos, all good quality.

Added Official Website & Store links.
Updated Driver Packs coming soon.
Full-Working Android-x86 WIP.

v UPDATES about Android-x86 v
It seems that there is a conflict with the USB Audio Card. The Kernel recognizes it, but also recognizes (of course this is a bug) the standard Intel SST Sound Card with Realtek Chip, i don't know why. This is probably something standard that has been enabled on Atom CPUs. Also, the WiFi Driver gets loaded correctly (support is here), but it doesn't work. This is another bug that needs to be fixed. Everything else is working.
I'll keep you updated.
Android-x86 - Issues:
- Sound Card recognized but in conflict with the Intel SST Driver
- WiFi (unknown issue for now)
- Power Button doesn't work at all

Android x86 (Lollipop): http://www.fosshub.com/Android-x86.html/android-x86_64-5.1-rc1.img
All is working except Sound Card and Power Button.
Do not try Marshmallow build yet because it is more buggy than this one.

+5,super job.i must doe sothing with tablet arxhos 97 b titanium,sugestens?danks for rewiuv

Hi Alberto,
First of all thanks for these informations. I have also one Transmart Ara X5 Plus device. And I would like to install android firmware on it. And I downloded Android-x86 64-bit ISO file 8.1-R2 version from your link. I think i could load this firmware from a different PC via USB cable. Am I right? Do I find an installation manual from somewhere? And I think I should use a USB flashing tool software for PC. Could I use MXIII Android TV Box USB flashing Tool software and installation instruction? Is it same prosedure?
Thanks for your support by now.

digiman22003 said:
Hi Alberto,
First of all thanks for these informations. I have also one Transmart Ara X5 Plus device. And I would like to install android firmware on it. And I downloded Android-x86 64-bit ISO file 8.1-R2 version from your link. I think i could load this firmware from a different PC via USB cable. Am I right? Do I find an installation manual from somewhere? And I think I should use a USB flashing tool software for PC. Could I use MXIII Android TV Box USB flashing Tool software and installation instruction? Is it same prosedure?
Thanks for your support by now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, Android-x86 is treated like Windows Installation Disks, you can use "Rufus" on Windows, or an image writer like "dd" on Linux, to create a bootable USB stick to install the OS.

Alberto96 said:
No, Android-x86 is treated like Windows Installation Disks, you can use "Rufus" on Windows, or an image writer like "dd" on Linux, to create a bootable USB stick to install the OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything works? Is there a guide on how to do it?

Beelink GS1 TV Box Review: a Beauty and a Beast

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The GS1 is the latest release of Beelink, a brand well-known for making quality TV Boxes and mini PCs. Equipped with an Allwinner H6 SoC., it is also Beelink’s first product that supports 6K video decoding. But how does it really perform in our daily life and how does it fare against the more hyped Beelink A1 and Jide Remix IO? We will try to answer these two questions in this review.
Main Specs of the Beelink GS1
Operating System: Android 7.1
Processor: Allwinner Quad-Core Processor (4*[email protected], Mali-720MP2 GPU)
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Storage: 16GB eMMc Internal Storage, TF Card support (up to 128GB)
HDMI: HDMI 2.0a output up to [email protected] + HDMI 3D video formats
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1
Internet Access: dual-band WiFi 2.4G / 5.8G, 1000M Gigabit Ethernet
Ports: Ethernet port*1, SPDIF Port*1, DC port*1, Micro SD card slot*1, USB 3.0 Port*1, USB 2.0 Port*1, HDMI*1.
Dimension: 96mm*96mm*16mm (L x W x H)
Weight: 190g
Chassis: Black, ABS Plastic
Retail Package: TV box*1, Remote control*1, HDMI cable*1, Power adapter*1, User manual*1
Retail Package
The GS1 arrives with very beautiful and compact packaging which also feels very high-tech.
Inside the packaging you will find a GS1 TV box, a remote, an HDMI cable, a power adapter and an English user manual.
Design
Measured at 96mm*96mm*16mm, the GS1 isn’t the smallest TV Box we have ever reviewed, that crown still belongs to the Beelink A1 (77mm*77mm*17mm).
However it still has a much smaller footprint than the likes of Jide Remix IO and the Zidoo X9s (187mm*127mm*27mm).
While lacking in size, this device still offers a slew of ports and slots. On the back side of the box you will find a SPDIF audio port, an RJ45 Ethernet jack, an HDMI 2.0 port, a USB 2.0 Port and a DC port.
On the left side of the device, you will find a USB 3.0 port, and a Micro SD card slot which supports cards up to 128GB.
An IR receiver and an LED indicator are hosted on the front side, but they are almost invisible, only when you boot the device you will see the LED light up in blue. The tiny casing is made of white ABS plastic, which gives the device an elegant and premium look. A huge “6” (which indicates 6K video decoding) and a “Beelink logo” sit comfortably on the top side of the device.
There are some vents on the bottom side to keep the box from overheating. The 4 rubber feet are short, but still do a very good job at protecting the box from scratches.
The build quality of the GS1 is extremely good, even though the device is thin and with a plastic shell, it still feels quite sturdy.
The supplied remote is the same as the one that comes with the A1. Although with a predictably lightweight, plastic finish and limited mouse pointer functionality, it feels very well-built, and the box responds quickly to its commands and the infra-red range are acceptably long and broad.
Setting it up
Setting up the Beelink GS1 is extremely easy. Connecting it to a TV set (or projector) via HDMI, plugging in the charger and you are good to go.
System & Apps
The Beelink GS1 ships with Android 7.1 Nougat, with a tailor-made Beelink skin on top. The launcher has everything laid out beautifully and is very easy to navigate. The date and time is located at the top left with the temperature widget below. In the center of the screen you have a link to the media center, internet browser and Google Play Store, There are also shortcuts to “clear memory”, app drawer, and settings laying below. To the right is an area where users can pin their most commonly used apps. Finally at the bottom left you have shortcuts to power, volume, at the bottom right you have shortcuts to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.
The navigation bar at the very bottom is defaulted to be hidden, but you can bring it up with a mouse. It has many virtual keys, including a back key, a home key, a recent apps key, a screenshot key, a volume- key, a volume+ key, a hide-bar key and a power key.
The GS1 doesn’t come loaded with bloatware, but there are some preinstalled apps. Besides the stock Google Play Store, Android Web Browser, Calculator and Gallery, you can also find Beelink’s very own App Store, Bee Files Explorer, Media Center and Bee Music in the app drawer.
As a TV box, the GS1 is designed mainly for media consumption, and you can find a great number of media playback apps in Google Play, including YouTube, Netflix, Kodi and Hulu. The GS1 has no problem streaming 4K videos smoothly on YouTube, and I rarely notice any hiccups playing local videos with the stock video player.
I complained about Beelink’s stock video player while reviewing the A1, but the one preinstalled on the GS1 works really fine, not only is it loaded with useful features, it is also very responsive to the remote control.
The PiP (Picture in Picture) function allows you to watch a video and do other things at the same time, but it did take me a while to figure out how to return to full-screen mode.
Running on Android 7.1 Nougat means the GS1 can also handle tasks such as E-Mails, Web-browsing, social networking and even gaming.
Like the A1 and other high-end Android-based TV boxes, the GS1 supports OTA (Over-the-Air) firmware upgrades. Beelink is known for its excellent support for its products, the A1 I had reviewed received 5 updates within just 1 month, and I am expecting nothing less from my GS1.
Performance
The Beelink GS1 is powered by an Allwinner H6 processor, which contains 4 cores of Cortex-A53 CPU and two cores of Mali-720MP GPU. There’s also 2GB RAM under the hood to handle multi-tasking. You’d probably think that the GS1 is no match for the A1 in terms of performance as the latter comes with 4GB RAM, but the benchmarks tell a different story.
In Antutu V6 benchmark test, the GS1 scored 44,207, putting it in front of the A1 (33,992) and other competitions such as the Jide Remix IO (32,981), the Zidoo X9s (33,990) and Jide Remix Mini (23,919).
In Geekbench 4 CPU test, the GS1 notched 681 in single-core, 1,703 in multi-core, and 1,247 in computing.
In the PCMark 8 Work 2.0 test, the GS1 snatched 3,393, which is on par with the scores of many entry-level smartphones. The GS1 may not be able to compete with flagship Android smartphones and tablets, but it is quite powerful by the TV box standard.
As for the real-world performance, like many other Android-based TV boxes, the GS1 is pretty smooth when we set the HDMI output at 1080P resolution. In fact it handled most tasks faster than the A1. At 4K, the GS1 was still generally smooth and responsive, but there could be stutters every now and then. The slowdown in speed became the most noticeable while opening image-heavy webpages in the stock browser, as my unit failed to finish loading a few webpages in 4K.
The GS1 is also better at decoding videos than RK33X8 powered TV boxes such as the A1 and Jide Remix IO. In the Antutu Video Tester Benchmark, the GS1 scored 952 , compatible with almost all of the video formats included in the test. The GS1 also naturally supports 6K H.265 video decoding. Although it doesn’t make much sense to play 6K videos on a device which only supports 4K output, 6K playback is a useful feature whenever you are faced with 6K clips and no other options.
Limited by the 2GB RAM, multi-tasking was challenging for the GS1. There was normally slightly more than 1GB available RAM after startup. Not many apps could stay in the background simultaneously (the OS will kill apps automatically to free memories for apps running on the screen). Also, the box became slow and less responsive when playing videos in PiP mode. For example, it took a lot longer to launch new applications. I found myself clicking the memory cleanup shortcut on the homescreen quite often, which I never felt that much compelled to do when using the Beelink A1.
Generally speaking, the Beelink GS1 performs quite well as a media playback device. In fact it is faster than the A1 when handling most tasks. The RAM is somewhat a letdown, and prevents the box from reaching its full potential as an HTPC, but it is not really a deal-breaker, as most people wouldn’t need their TV boxes to run too many applications in the background.
Connectivity
The GS1 offers a slew of connectivity options. It supports 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band Wi-Fi. Although without an exposed antenna, the GS1 still has very solid reception, it could pick up more Wi-Fi hotspots than the Remix Mini and Remix IO when the three boxes were placed right next to one another. The RJ-45 Ethernet jack can also come in handy when you want more stable connection via a network cable. There’s also Bluetooth 4.1 on board to take care of local data transfer and connecting with audio and input devices. I connected the GS1 with a pair of Bang & Olufsen Beoplay S3 speakers and they worked fine together. If Bluetooth audio transfer doesn’t offer satisfying sound, the SPDIF port supports direct wired connection with most soundbars and speakers designed for TV.
The HDMI 2.0 port on the GS1 can output videos up to [email protected], and should support most TV sets, monitors and projectors. The 2 USB ports support external USB storages of up to 4TB. The Micro SD card slot had no problem reading my 128GB Transcend card.
Verdict
I loved my experience with the Beelink GS1, although slightly let down by Beelink’s choice of putting only 2GB RAM inside of the box. Still, it has found itself as a permanent resident of my living room. It’s also great to be able to carry around a cheap and small device that can be plugged into any HDMI monitor and play all of my favorite movies and TV shows. I am certainly looking forward to what Beelink has to offer in its future products.

real life experience
Hi,
Because of your review, which I liked, I bought this GS1.
And though the looks of it are good, performance and user experience are weak.
Installing Netflix through Google Playstore is not possible. And when you succeed to install it through Beelinks own Appmarket or sideloading it, you could not scroll through the movie list, at least, not up or down. After latest firmware update of 2018-01-12, the scrolling problem is solved. Its still not possible to install or update through Google Playstore though.
Also installing other apps in Goole Playstore fails. When searching for a app it just keeps searching.... I only managed to install apps by using my app library or scrolling through suggested apps. Apptoide just works fine by the way but is not the appstore I prefer, I just want to us Playstore.
The interface is a bit laggy and it is hard to see where you are - which is the active part on your screen. You have to use both cursor keys on your remote as well as the mouse function on it to be able to fully navigate.
I think the GS1 has a lot of potential but at the moment the firmware is just not good enough.

get playstore working after updating the firmware
redbrickbernie said:
Hi,
Because of your review, which I liked, I bought this GS1.
And though the looks of it are good, performance and user experience are weak.
Installing Netflix through Google Playstore is not possible. And when you succeed to install it through Beelinks own Appmarket or sideloading it, you could not scroll through the movie list, at least, not up or down. After latest firmware update of 2018-01-12, the scrolling problem is solved. Its still not possible to install or update through Google Playstore though.
Also installing other apps in Goole Playstore fails. When searching for a app it just keeps searching.... I only managed to install apps by using my app library or scrolling through suggested apps. Apptoide just works fine by the way but is not the appstore I prefer, I just want to us Playstore.
The interface is a bit laggy and it is hard to see where you are - which is the active part on your screen. You have to use both cursor keys on your remote as well as the mouse function on it to be able to fully navigate.
I think the GS1 has a lot of potential but at the moment the firmware is just not good enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just to report that to solve the google playstore issue after incremental update it is necessary to reset the box. once you do that, google playstore will work again. That was my experience.

GS1 very low quality netflix - DRM L1
I'm very disappointed! I bought and will not use because of this TVBOX (of 6k) not to run Netflix in FullHD. The quality is poor, especially on big TV. My intention was to use with Netflix on my old
52".
Only SD...480p max!!!
It would need to have DRM level 1 to Rum FullHD, but it only has level 3, ie, Netflix / Amazon only in SD
I'm already with the latest FW 106N0...
I hope Beelink solves this fast or I'll buy from another brand with DRM L1.

I was hoping to be able to use this device for powering a smart infoboard, however there's a huge flaw in the device and that is that screen rotation is completely disabled making it impractical for the use with portrait orientationed infoboards.
Found the explaination in the build.prop, "ro.sf.disablerotation=1". Too bad there's no root method available for this box as I can't change it without root or twrp/cwm recovery.

pitrus- said:
I was hoping to be able to use this device for powering a smart infoboard, however there's a huge flaw in the device and that is that screen rotation is completely disabled making it impractical for the use with portrait orientationed infoboards.
Found the explaination in the build.prop, "ro.sf.disablerotation=1". Too bad there's no root method available for this box as I can't change it without root or twrp/cwm recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This box should be pre rooted if I'm not mistaken.

Mine wasn't pre-rooted. However I contacted Bee-link about the problem, and they were kind enough to offer me a special version of the latest rom with support for portrait mode and it worked flawless using Kiosk Browser Lockdown-app from play-store. Must say I'm quite impressed by their respons. [emoji4]
Skickat från min ONEPLUS A3003 via Tapatalk

Hi,can you puth the link,I haw to, gs1 issue? Thanks

Can anyone post link to ACTUAL support for this box?
Beelink might as well be a criminal enterprise. My box now can't connect to google to sign in to play store.
Someone here should have warned wat a POS this box was.

Ratteler said:
Can anyone post link to ACTUAL support for this box?
Beelink might as well be a criminal enterprise. My box now can't connect to google to sign in to play store.
Someone here should have warned wat a POS this box was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try contacting them directly, they do have a working website.

And from my experience excellent support. I actually got them to send me a special rom with vertical screen support for this box, this was however about one year ago so thins might have changed.
Skickat från min GM1913 via Tapatalk

In-depth review of the ABOX A4: a fine TV box, but nothing more

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The good:
Fine crafted design.
Nice build quality.
Solid media playback performance.
Useful voice control functions.
Reasonable price.
The bad:
Poor support for mouse and keyboard.
Unstable overall performance.
Most icons in the app drawer look blurry, regardless of the output resolution.
The remote doesn’t always work with smartphone apps.
No dual-band Wi-Fi (ABOX promised to add 5GHz Wi-Fi in the next batch of the A4).
GooBang Doo is a Shenzhen-based company known for making quality TV boxes, mini-PCs and projectors. The ABOX A4 TV Box, which comes with an Amlogic quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and stock Android TV UI, is one of their latest offerings.
Main Features
OS: Android 7.1.2
CPU: Quad core Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64bit
GPU: Penta-Core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750MHz
RAM: 2GB DDR3
ROM: 16GB EMMC Flash, expandable with a Micro SD card
Bluetooth: V4.0
Power Supply: DC 5V 2A
Power Indicator (LED)：Blue(ON); RED(Standby status)
3D: Hardware 3D graphics acceleration
HDD file system FAT16/FAT32/NTFS
Support Subtitle: SRT/SMI/SUB/SSA/IDX+USB
High Definition video output: 4k*2k
LAN: Ethernet: 10/100M, standard RJ-45
Wireless: Support 802.11 a/b/g/n at 2.4GHz
Size: 105mm*105mm*20mm
Retail Package
The ABOX A4 comes with simple but beautiful packaging.
Besides the ABOX A4 TV box, we also found an HDMI cable, a power adapter, a remote and a user manual which is printed in English after unboxing.
Design and build
The ABOX A4 is a beauty, it is in fact one of the best-looking TV boxes I have ever tested. The design is simple and sophisticated at the same time. The jet black chassis gives the box a premium feel, and the ABOX LOGO sits comfortably on the top side of the device.
When you power on the A4, the LOGO will light up in sapphire blue, making the box look extremely high-end and futuristic.
The front side of the A4 is a digital display which shows the time, date and connection status when the device is powered on.
Despite its compact size, the A4 still offers many ports and slots. On the left side you will find 2 full size USB Type-A ports, both are of USB 2.0 standard. There is also a Micro SD card slot which supports cards up to 32GB.
On the back side of the device you will find a 3.5mm SPDIF audio port, RJ45 Ethernet jack, an HDMI 2.0 port, an AV port and a DC port.
There are some vents on the bottom side to keep the box from overheating. The 4 round rubber feet are quite short, but still do a very good job at protecting the box from scratches.
The build quality of the A4 is extremely solid, it feels sturdy and durable, and there are no ugly mold lines on the shell.
The supplied remote of the A4 looks far more premium than the remotes paired with Jide or Beelink TV Boxes. Although it is lightweight and made of plastic, it does have a metallic-alike finish on top to give it a high-end look. The remote also feels very well-built and robust in our hands, the buttons have reasonable travel and rebound fast.
Unlike most remotes that’s based on infra-red, The ABOX A4 remote is actually based on Bluetooth 4.0, and has a pretty long and broad control range. According to ABOX, you can use the remote to control the TV box from up to 15 meters away. In my own test, the remote has no problem sending voice commands to the box from 7-8 meters and a wall away. Also, the A4 responds quickly to the remote’s signal.
Setting up
Setting up the ABOX A4 is extremely easy. Connecting it to a TV set (or projector) via HDMI, plugging in the charger, loading two triple-A dry cells in the stock remote and you are good to go. There are some settings needed when you boot the A4 for the first time. Since it is running on Android TV UI, you are required to connect the device to the internet and login in your google account before you could use any of its functions.
System and Apps
As we mentioned earlier, the A4 runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box, with stock Android TV UI on top. The UI is simple and easy to navigate, with a voice control icon on the top of the screen, an array of shortcuts for recommended content, notifications, and two rows of shortcuts for favorite apps. There are also shortcuts to settings, Wi-Fi, and app drawer on the bottom. The UI even offers automatic previews of content from the homescreen.
The voice control function worked like a charm, I could use it to find, launch, and control content. For example, I can ask the A4 to “launch YouTube”, then to “search for the videos about the latest match of Rafael Nadal”, and to “play the first video” with only my thumb staying on the voice button on the remote.
The TV version Play Store has been preinstalled, you can find thousands of apps optimized for a TV screen in it. The A4 also allows you to install apps you can’t find in the Play Store with the built-in apk file installer.
There are a few other preinstalled applications as well, including YouTube (TV version), YT Kids, Netflix, MX Player and ES File Browser. Most of these apps are quite useful. But if you live a region where you don’t need or can’t even get access to Netflix or YouTube services, you can always uninstall them.
Unfortunately, most icons in the app drawer look quite blurry. I initially thought it was probably due to the output display resolution, but then I realized that’s not the case since the icons always looked blurry, regardless of resolution I was using.
The lockscreen of the A4, however, looks beautiful and artistic.
Running the Android TV UI means that the A4 is designed as a TV box, and it is supposed to be used as one as well. Mice and keyboards are still supported, since it is still Android underneath, but don’t expect the experience to anywhere near it is on a Jide Remix Mini. Some TV apps and the A4’s on-screen keyboard don’t even support a mouse at all. For example, when you use your wireless keyboard to type in the words in the search box in YouTube, you cannot just press enter and then expect to get your search results, it doesn’t work like that. You can’t even use your mouse to click the “search” button on your on-screen keyboard. The only way to get the results is for you to use your remote. While the TV apps aren’t always friendly towards a mouse and a keyboard. Normal apps don’t always support the remote. Needless to say that you can’t not ways use a remote to navigate in a smartphone app which was only built for tapping with your fingers. Also, when you are in a smartphone application such as a benchmark, you cannot always expect the A4 to instantly go back to the homescreen or to the last screen by pressing the home and back button on the remote, it simply doesn’t work. I constantly found myself switching between the mouse and remote when testing the A4. Fortunately, if you only use it as a TV box and only has TV apps installed, you won’t be faced with this problem.
Like many of the modern smart TV boxes and mini PCs, the A4 supports over-the-air (OTA) upgrade. And GooBang Doo is known to keep their devices updated.
Performance
The ABOX A4 is powered by an Amlogic quad-core processor, which contains 4 cores of Cortex-A53 CPU and 5 cores of Mali-450MP GPU. There’s also 2GB RAM under the hood to handle multi-tasking. It is definitely not the cutting-edge internal setup you normally find in flagship smartphones and tablets, but it is supposed to handle TV box tasks well.
As usual, we started the performance test by running some benchmark tests on the A4. The video playback performance of the A4 is great, and it has been certified by the Antutu Video Tester Benchmark with a decent score of 875.
Only 4 clips were rated “partially supported”, most of the video clips were smooth and without issues.
In the Antutu benchmark test however, the A4 for some reason couldn’t finish the Graphics test, resulting in 0 point in GPU score. The overall score was shown as 21,360, which is definitely not the result the A4’s hardware was supposed to be returned.
In Geekbench 4, the A4 was returned 498 in single core test, 1,388 in multi-core test and 919 in computing. Those scores were nowhere near the points a modern flagship smartphone could get, and not even impressive by TV box standards.
Using a relatively old GPU ends with a low score in 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited test. So don’t expect to play graphic-intense 3D games on the A4, it won’t be able to deliver the frame rate and responsiveness needed for an enjoyable gaming experience.
Fortunately, the benchmark scores didn’t entirely translate to real-life performances, as the A4 was fast and responsive with most of the TV box tasks I threw at it. Playing high-quality videos on YouTube and other online video apps was smooth, and it didn’t run into any problem playing any of the local video files stored in my portable drive. With that said, it did struggle with more demanding tasks such as compressing a zipped file, or loading image-heavy web pages. And there could be stutters and delays if you have too many apps running in the background.
Connectivity
The A4 offers quite a number of connectivity options. It supports 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-FI at 2.4GHz. Although without an exposed antenna, the A4 still has solid reception, The RJ-45 Ethernet jack can also come in handy when you want more stable connection via a network cable. As most high-end TV boxes support dual-band Wi-Fi now, it’s really a shame for ABOX not to follow the trend. I did personally write an Email to them explaining this issue, and they replied by saying that dual-band Wi-Fi will be added to their second batch of A4. There’s also Bluetooth 4.0 on board to take care of data transfer with your mobile phones and connecting with audio and input devices. I connected the A4 with my Harman Kardon Aura Studio and they worked fine together. If Bluetooth audio transfer doesn’t offer satisfying sound, the 3.5mm SPDIF audio jack can get most speakers plugged in.
The HDMI 2.0 port on the A4 can output videos up to [email protected], and should support most TV sets, monitors and projectors. The 2 USB ports support external USB storages, and they have no problem reading my 4TB portable drive. According to ABOX, the next batch of A4 will be equipped with a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port, instead of two USB 2.0 ports we have here. The Micro SD card slot, however, can only support cards with storage no bigger than 32GB. This is a real shame since all of the other TV boxes I tested in recent years have the ability to support Micro SD cards up to at least 128GB.
Verdict
Priced at $79.99, the A4 offers a beautifully crafted design, lots of connectivity options, a simple and user-friendly UI, a nice Bluetooth remote with useful voice control functions, and it handles everyday TV box tasks with ease. If ABOX could really add dual-band Wi-Fi and a USB 3.0 port on the device as promised, it will be an easy recommendation for those who need a new TV box. But if you are expecting an HTPC that is more capable of handling more complex tasks such as social-networking, web-browsing and editing, the A4’s lack of mouse and keyboard support may be a problem. If I am to sum it up by one sentence: the A4 is a designed as a media-playback device, and it works ideally as designed, but no more.

I just found a 25% discount code for this device on Amazon, and it should be valid till the end of 2018. The price after dicount is $59.99.
Claim code: ABOX2018
The purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/GooBang-Doo-Android-Innovative-Bluetooth/dp/B07CTBJC3W

No one interested in this?

Fantastic review
Really well written and relavant review.

I can't get past the initial sign in. After logging in to my Google account, The "Prove you're not a robot" (Captcha) is partially hidden and I can not type in the correct letters. I have tried many times.

jw_randall said:
I can't get past the initial sign in. After logging in to my Google account, The "Prove you're not a robot" (Captcha) is partially hidden and I can not type in the correct letters. I have tried many times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd