Android Mini PCs, Yay or Nay?

balkieb2002

kenyard wrote: »

controller or whatever might be, as there is only one usb slot on the one i have.

As been mentioned can you not just use a USB hub as that way you'll have at least 3-4 free usb slots for mouse/keyboard/controller/hd etc

Chet T16 wrote: »

I just installed these emulators on my UG802 and they seem to be running fine.

Trying to control mario kart 64 from my dinovo mini isn't going so well...

Cheers for the links. I have a UG802 in the post so handy to know.
Any other good applications you have installed? Have you changed the default launcher as the default one doesn't look great.

Does the N64 work ok? Work as good as a PC Emu like Project64?

kenyard

my issue with the ug802 is wireless its very poor. as an emulator it should be fine though.

i looked into possible other launchers. there are others available. i hafnt done anything about that just yet. also was hard to find info on. i just read a post somewhere of someone using one other than default.
the default has 2-3 links to chinese releated stuff which is kinda annoying.

Chet T16

balkieb2002 wrote: »

Cheers for the links. I have a UG802 in the post so handy to know.
Any other good applications you have installed? Have you changed the default launcher as the default one doesn't look great.

Does the N64 work ok? Work as good as a PC Emu like Project64?

I'm using the Finless ROM which is on v1.4 with 1.5 due soon. That has the stock launcher and a few other tweaks.

Streaming movies and youtube suffer from terrible audio sync issues which make them unusable but netflix works well.

I never used any other N64 emulator so i can't comment but after mapping a few of the keyboard buttons i was able to do a few laps on mario kart with no problems at all, even speeding up the game clock works fine.

I think i'm the only one who doesn't have wifi issues with the UG802, i find it far better than my old MK802 (mk1)

Stoner

TPD wrote: »

Hi Stoner, I was wondering if you'd been playing about with the device. How'd you find it?

I'm heading to the states tomorrow, thinking of picking one up (placed a bid already) when I'm there. Basically just want it for an easy interface for web browsing and watching shows from a usb hard drive for the parents.

Sorry I missed this, I never got one, my friend left it a bit late and for a period of time the units went up to $999 each, they are back to previous values now though.

I've yet to reorder, it's turning into a watch this space thread, I know as soon as I buy one a hex core unit will arrive for half the amount :eek:

pasta-solo

pasta-solo wrote: »

hi, looking for some advice if anyone has one of these. I'm looking to use one for console emulation - how do they hold up? Particularly the MK802 II? Or any other model ye could recommend?

Mainly looking to play old NES/SNES/Megadrive, maybe even N64, Psone if possible! anyone have expereince with this?

I just bought a UG802, i'll report back on its performance as soon as I've tried it out.

TPD

Stoner wrote: »

Sorry I missed this, I never got one, my friend left it a bit late and for a period of time the units went up to $999 each, they are back to previous values now though.

I've yet to reorder, it's turning into a watch this space thread, I know as soon as I buy one a hex core unit will arrive for half the amount :eek:

I've mine back with me from america, played with it for a few minutes last night. They have included a quite tacky launcher, which I think I'll be getting rid of. The remote control doesn't feel very nice either. Think I'll set XBMC to run at launch and just use that.

Stoner

ordered this yesterday,
http://www.futeko.com/products/MP00041.php

if I'll let you know too how i get on with it.

Do-more

Stoner wrote: »

ordered this yesterday,
http://www.futeko.com/products/MP00041.php

if I'll let you know too how i get on with it.

Did you order the air mouse for it as well?

Stoner

Do-more wrote: »

Did you order the air mouse for it as well?

No just the box, it has a remote ill try that, I have a Nexus 7 and android phone that I'll try using as a keyboard, I already use the phone as a keyboard for my win 7 pc, it works over WiFi I could never get a decent remote keyboard to work for me anyway.

Do-more

Stoner wrote: »

No just the box, it has a remote ill try that, I have a Nexus 7 and android phone that I'll try using as a keyboard, I already use the phone as a keyboard for my win 7 pc, it works over WiFi I could never get a decent remote keyboard to work for me anyway.

You'll be grand so, you can probably use droidmote from the N7 or phone and have full swipe control.

Oval Elephant are now taking pre-orders on the dual core ATV1200 set top box @ US$99.99. Due to ship in 2 weeks time they say. I will probably go for it but will wait to see some user feedback on it first.

pasta-solo

I've been playing with a UG802 with Finless Rom 1.4a and found it quite good for console emulation, with even n64 and PSone running very well. Had great fun playing perfect dark on it, looks better than n64 and very little stuttering. Snes, mega drive etc all running well too. Delighted with it!

I have a powered USB hub which supplies power to unit as well as mouse, keyboard, controller and a flash drive too!

Tango One

Stoner wrote: »

ordered this yesterday,
http://www.futeko.com/products/MP00041.php

if I'll let you know too how i get on with it.

Hi Stoner did it arrive yet, might go for the same as yourself

Stoner

Tango One wrote: »

Hi Stoner did it arrive yet, might go for the same as yourself

hi guys, i cancelled the order, they wrote back saying that the add was wrong and that there was 2GB of internal flash not 4GB, but that they offered me an 8GB micro SD card in its place, but i just cancelled instead. I went for an Andriod 4.1 MK808 Dual Core Rk3066 A9 Mini PC WiFi TV Box and an Mele F10 Air Fly Mouse.

I have not received it yet, I got the F10 mouse though and I'm happy with it I like the build of it and it works on my W7 PC.

Regarding the MK808, i understand that the code has not been released but i still like the fact that it is dual core, its a thumb size, so no wired lan, but apart from that it should be good.

I'll keep you posted, sorry for letting you guys hanging on this, i've just been busy and i've had some messing around on this, as its my third attempt to get one, but this is the kit i'll have when the MK808 arrives.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Andriod-4-1-MK808-Dual-Core-Rk3066-A9-Mini-PC-WiFi-TV-Box-Mele-F10-Air-Fly-Mouse-/320999157106?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Internet_TV_Media_Streamers&hash=item4abd0a6d72#ht_8216wt_950

BeanFlicker

TPD wrote: »

I have one of these which I'm hoping will work:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboards/wireless-touch-keyboard-k400

Very handy design, sadly missing some media buttons which would have made it perfect.

Hi TPD,

How do you find the logitech wireless keyboard with the Android pc? Thinking of getting one,

Cheers

BeanFlicker

Tango One wrote: »

Hi Stoner did it arrive yet, might go for the same as yourself

I got one yesterday Tango, will report back tomorrow when I get it set up properly.

With regards to Futeko, great customer service and item was shipped on Tuesday and received it yesterday using Parcel Motel so free delivery also

TPD

BeanFlicker wrote: »

Hi TPD,

How do you find the logitech wireless keyboard with the Android pc? Thinking of getting one,

Cheers

I only used the logitech keyboard on it a short while. It's definitely better than the included remote, but the touchpad isn't great for moving the cursor. The interface is really designed to be dragged and swiped which isn't too easy with the touchpad. Regular wireless keyboard and mouse would be better, or something wiimote-like with a keyboard.

Tango One

BeanFlicker wrote: »

I got one yesterday Tango, will report back tomorrow when I get it set up properly.

With regards to Futeko, great customer service and item was shipped on Tuesday and received it yesterday using Parcel Motel so free delivery also

Looking forward to hearing what's it like cheers

BeanFlicker

Tango One wrote: »

Looking forward to hearing what's it like cheers

So far so good.

The box is a lot smaller than I thought. It's a little bit wider than an ATV2 but thinner, 3 usb ports, ethernet port, hdmi and micro-sd port so it's very compact and looks well. The remote that comes with it is only good for turning on/off tbh & you'd spent all day trying to navigate sites etc. I'm using a spare keyboard & mouse and works perfectly but might get this.

It comes with ICS 4.04 and Flash 10.2 installed. I had to select Play Store UK (o2) as there isn't an option for Ireland. You can download the BBC iPlayer app but can't use unfortunately so will look into unblock-us.com.

Streamed the football on it today trying both flash and sopcast and it worked really well, same with youtube, 1channel etc, no lag and played seamlessly .

Having issue's with RTE player tho, keeps giving me error #1065, not sure if this has got to do with flash 10.2 so tried to update to Flash 11.1 on adobe archive's, it downloads but won't let me install. Tried removing flash 10.2, only gives me option to disable and have tried various removers so it's still a work in progress.

Haven't had a chance to put xbmc on it yet but will update when I do over the coming days.

Same goes for emulators but will update on that also.

If there's anything you want me to check on it, let me know and I can report back

ThunbergsAreGo

Got an A22, but no charging lead it seems, anyone here have a working one? instructions are diabolical

Tango One

How video playback such as mkv etc BeanFlicker?

Stoner

so far so good with the mk808 execellent on netflix and google play, got 3200 score on quadrant,noticed a few lines on the 3D test. played 1.2GB MKV from my NAS over wireless N, but struggled on a 4GB MKV, i have no micro SD in it, only has 4GB NAND flash, not the 8 advertised, wrote to them about that, currently coping the large mkv to the device to see how it runs locally, hadaitle trouble with google play but that neded a time and date fix plus a restart to address. very happy with the mele flymouse. will keep you posted, sound is very good too. slight stretching on the video that will get fixed i`m sure.

Peregrine

Stoner wrote: »

so far so good with the mk808 execellent on netflix and google play, got 3200 score on quadrant,noticed a few lines on the 3D test. played 1.2GB MKV from my NAS over wireless N, but struggled on a 4GB MKV, i have no micro SD in it, only has 4GB NAND flash, not the 8 advertised, wrote to them about that, currently coping the large mkv to the device to see how it runs locally, hadaitle trouble with google play but that neded a time and date fix plus a restart to address. very happy with the mele flymouse. will keep you posted, sound is very good too. slight stretching on the video that will get fixed i`m sure.

I think mine is only 4GB too, not the advertised 8GB
But I found out that you don't need a MicroSD to expand, any flash drive will do. I have my Kingston 16GB inserted through the USB OTG port and it works fine. In theory, you should be able to plug in Hard drives as well

griffdaddy

I wish my MK808 would hurry up from McBub, it's taking ages. I ordered on the 11th of October. Are there any a/v sync issues or anything with it? I'm mainly planning to use it to play flac audio and mkv video through my a/v receiver.

Stoner

griffdaddy wrote: »

I wish my MK808 would hurry up from McBub, it's taking ages. I ordered on the 11th of October. Are there any a/v sync issues or anything with it? I'm mainly planning to use it to play flac audio and mkv video through my a/v receiver.

I only have it it for 20 hours I've had no sync issues, I'm using wireless n, it struggles on mkv above 1.2GB on WiFi, I need to try an 8 or even 4GB locally off usb or micro SD, out of the country again today but I'll try it tonight, got a reply back on the missing NAND memory, I have to video it for them tonight.

balkieb2002

griffdaddy wrote: »

I wish my MK808 would hurry up from McBub, it's taking ages. I ordered on the 11th of October. Are there any a/v sync issues or anything with it? I'm mainly planning to use it to play flac audio and mkv video through my a/v receiver.

Ordering from McBub can mean quite a long wait.

Ordered UG802 (and a tablet + extras) end of September, was dispatched intially around 10th October and finally left China at the begining of this month, then got stopped by customs so it's been a long journey but according to customs I should have it delivered tomorrow!!

Looking forward to having a play with it at the weekend.

eamonnq

Got myself a Uhost and so far it seems to be an excellent piece of kit.

Connected to wifi with no problems, plays any video I threw at it and installed a few apps from the playstore.

Have not had much time to play around with it yet, but so far so good.

Want to see can I install Gmote or Droidmote type app on my phone to use with it too.

Stoner

I have the MK808 for some time now, two of my friends have checked it out and both have ordered the identical set up, its fast, responsive does not run very hot and I've had zero Wifi issues. I dont think I'll get anywhere looking for more NAND memory I have a feeling that have devided the 8 GB up around the unit

BeanFlicker

Stoner wrote: »

I have the MK808 for some time now, two of my friends have checked it out and both have ordered the identical set up, its fast, responsive does not run very hot and I've had zero Wifi issues. I dont think I'll get anywhere looking for more NAND memory I have a feeling that have devided the 8 GB up around the unit

Hi Stoner,

Few quick questions:

1) What flash player do you have installed on the MK808?
2) What play store region you set to?
3) Have you got rte player up and running?

Cheers

BeanFlicker

Tango One wrote: »

How video playback such as mkv etc BeanFlicker?

Will check that out for you at the weekend Tango, been a manic week.

Will also update on xbmc & emulators then

Tango One

BeanFlicker wrote: »

Will check that out for you at the weekend Tango, been a manic week.

Will also update on xbmc & emulators then

Cheers I went and order one in the end

Monty Burnz

I'd like to buy one of these yokes, but I don't think I need it - I've got a 1-year old Samsung Smart TV, so I can already plug in a hard drive or USB stick and work away off that. What else is it useful for?

Can anyone persuade me that I need on of these things?

balkieb2002

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I'd like to buy one of these yokes, but I don't think I need it - I've got a 1-year old Samsung Smart TV, so I can already plug in a hard drive or USB stick and work away off that. What else is it useful for?

Can anyone persuade me that I need on of these things?

I bought one of these and I don't actually really need it but got it for cheap enough and always handy in case you near a tv without smart capabilities.

Up to you to convince yourself if you want one or not!

Peregrine

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I'd like to buy one of these yokes, but I don't think I need it - I've got a 1-year old Samsung Smart TV, so I can already plug in a hard drive or USB stick and work away off that. What else is it useful for?

Can anyone persuade me that I need on of these things?

Well you don't have the Play Store on your Smart TV The apps you can get on this is just amazing. Being an Android, you can totally customize it too.
There's no doubt this is faster than Smarts.
Can you browse the web freely on it? Like not stuck to an old stock browser.

griffdaddy

If anyone has any wifi problems with their MK808 let me know. Mine was practically useless out of the box, but I fixed it with a pretty simple hardware mod (Anyone can do it)

Chet T16

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I'd like to buy one of these yokes, but I don't think I need it - I've got a 1-year old Samsung Smart TV, so I can already plug in a hard drive or USB stick and work away off that. What else is it useful for?

Can anyone persuade me that I need on of these things?

I have a UG802 and a UE55D7000 (and two UE32ES5500's)

For things like netflix, rte player and streaming HD stuff from a network drive the samsung tv beats it hands down.

For full web access and games you'll want one of these with a decent control setup

Chet T16

Nimrod 7 wrote: »

Well you don't have the Play Store on your Smart TV The apps you can get on this is just amazing. Being an Android, you can totally customize it too.
There's no doubt this is faster than Smarts.
Can you browse the web freely on it? Like not stuck to an old stock browser.

I think my samsung tv has a 600mhz arm processor but its dedicated to running only the tv software so browsing the menus in netflix is much smoother on it compared to the UG802

briN_s

griffdaddy wrote: »

If anyone has any wifi problems with their MK808 let me know. Mine was practically useless out of the box, but I fixed it with a pretty simple hardware mod (Anyone can do it)

Just plugged mine in yesterday, WiFi not a patch of what my laptop signal reception is like, but just moved the router closer. Would be interested to hear of any easy mods to boost signal

Dazza

Hey guys.
Im looking to buy the MK808.
Wheres the cheapest?
I want to plug it into an oldish tv(No HDMI port) just the Yellow white and red wire holes(see here
What adapter will I need to connect it to this.
Also if its powered by usb will it work with an apple charger?
Thanks in advance

balkieb2002

Finally got to test my UG802 last night and quite happy with it so far. Installed a custom rom on it which makes it look and work a lot better.
As mentioned wifi is a bit hit and miss though I did read about a hardware mod that i'll be willing to try.

Very happy with the air mouse and keyboard I bought with it though, makes it very handy for couch surfing.

Forgot to mention, I'm glad my TV had a USB service port as supplied cable is well short of reaching the plug socket.
It looks like a standard mini-usb port so do I need to use provided plug/cable?

Dazza

Would this work connecting to an old tv?
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/3-RCA-S-Video-Composite-AV-to-HDMI-Converter-Adapter-/130635702682?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item1e6a7ea19a#ht_2950wt_1168

Do-more

Dazza wrote: »

Would this work connecting to an old tv?
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/3-RCA-S-Video-Composite-AV-to-HDMI-Converter-Adapter-/130635702682?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item1e6a7ea19a#ht_2950wt_1168

I'm no expert but I'd imagine you only need something cheaper like this.



[Edit] Just read the DX forum and this won't work either you need some sort of black box like you linked to, to process the signal from digital to analogue, but I don't think the box you linked to will do you either as it seems to be analogue to digital rather than the other way around.

BeanFlicker

Tango One wrote: »

Cheers I went and order one in the end

You won't be disappointed.

Checked out an .mkv file from a usb stick, and works perfectly

Chet T16

You'll need a hdmi to composite converter which may well cost as much as the MK808!

Dazza

Chet T16 wrote: »

You'll need a hdmi to composite converter which may well cost as much as the MK808!

Will this work? http://www.amazon.co.uk/KanaaN-HDMI-Composite-S-Video-Converter/dp/B005ZCUA26/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353862579&sr=8-1
What controller do ye use? Or would a spare usb mouse work ok?

Chet T16

This looks the cheapest
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-HDMI-DVI-1080P-to-AV-CVBS-Composite-Converter-Support-PAL-NTSC-480i-576i-/170894118789?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item27ca154f85

I use a dinovo mini with mine but any usb mouse/keyboard will work.

Peregrine

Dazza, that's really a bad idea. Not only is that going to be expensive, you won't get HD picture. It's really like turning your TV into one of these

Mine included the MicroUSB cable, a power plug and an international plug so I can plug into the Irish sockets here

Dazza

Nimrod 7 wrote: »

Dazza, that's really a bad idea. Not only is that going to be expensive, you won't get HD picture. It's really like turning your TV into one of these

Mine included the MicroUSB cable, a power plug and an international plug so I can plug into the Irish sockets here

im not bothered about hd just ok quality. Why would the quality be so bad. Sky looks great on the tv currently with the red white and yellow connectors

Chet T16

Compared to proper HD, you don't get a great picture from anything composite.

It will be as good as, or slightly better than, the sky

Zascar

Hey Guys, great thread, I'm currently considering an Android Mini PC. Right now I have my laptop connected to a projector in my bedroom. I use it to stream movies off my main pc via the wireless network, and also browse the web. However I was thinking of replacing the laptop with one of these Android Mini PC's. The think is I'm getting the impression that although they just 'not quite there yet'. Am I right or wrong do you think?

The one that looks the best to me is the MyGica EnjoyTV 510B - has anyone ordered it yet? Will these mini pc's stream movies off my network (Shared network folders) ok or do I need to do anything to it? I'm not quite sure what xmbc is exactly to be honest, but will I need it to simply stream an avi file, or can these do it out of the box?

I'd plan to use it with a wireless keyboard and mouse. I was thinking something like one of these:
http://www.verbatim.com/prod/accessories/keyboards/mini-wireless-slim/
http://www.shopping.com/Gear-Head-Gear-Head-Wireless-Mini-Keyboard-Mouse-KB3750W/info
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/2-4GHZ-Slim-Wireless-Keyboard-And-Optical-Mouse-Set-Combo-With-Mini-USB-Receiver-/200852248430?pt=UK_Computing_Keyboard_Mouse_Bundles&hash=item2ec3ba176e

Chet T16

Zascar wrote: »

Hey Guys, great thread, I'm currently considering an Android Mini PC. Right now I have my laptop connected to a projector in my bedroom. I use it to stream movies off my main pc via the wireless network, and also browse the web. However I was thinking of replacing the laptop with one of these Android Mini PC's. The think is I'm getting the impression that although they just 'not quite there yet'. Am I right or wrong do you think?

The one that looks the best to me is the MyGica EnjoyTV 510B - has anyone ordered it yet? Will these mini pc's stream movies off my network (Shared network folders) ok or do I need to do anything to it? I'm not quite sure what xmbc is exactly to be honest, but will I need it to simply stream an avi file, or can these do it out of the box?

I'd plan to use it with a wireless keyboard and mouse. I was thinking something like one of these:
http://www.verbatim.com/prod/accessories/keyboards/mini-wireless-slim/
http://www.shopping.com/Gear-Head-Gear-Head-Wireless-Mini-Keyboard-Mouse-KB3750W/info
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/2-4GHZ-Slim-Wireless-Keyboard-And-Optical-Mouse-Set-Combo-With-Mini-USB-Receiver-/200852248430?pt=UK_Computing_Keyboard_Mouse_Bundles&hash=item2ec3ba176e

^Thats my opinion.

If you want to play movies from the network i'd recommend a dedicated media player. For serious web browsing the android things work but using a wndows machine with proper browser and standard extensions etc is so much nicer...

Depends on what you want