Chinese device maker Tronsmart has introduced another Android TV stick with a quad-core Rockchip RK3188 ARM Cortex-A9 processor. It’s called the Tronsmart MK908, and Geekbuying says it’s expected to be available soon for about $90.
Update: The MK908 is now available for $90.
On paper the new stick looks a lot like the Tronsmart T428 that went on sale this week for $99. But the MK908 has a different case (which is a lot like the one found on the relatively popular MK808 Android TV stick).
But the specs are pretty much the same.
Both models feature RK3188 quad-core processors, 2GB of RAM, up to 16GB of storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI output, a microSD card slot, and micro USB and full-sized USB ports.
Geekbuying says that right now the MK908 runs Android 4.1, but an Android 4.2 software update is expected by the end of the month.
This sort of Android TV stick is designed to be plugged into a television, allowing you to run Android apps on a TV. For less than $100, that lets you turn pretty much any TV into a smart TV which can stream video from Netflix or YouTube, run the XBMC media center application, surf the web, or play games.
This particular model doesn’t come with a remote control, so you’ll need to connect a mouse, keyboard, or remote to the USB port. Or you can use an app like DroidMote that lets you remote control one Android device with another, turning your phone or tablet into a remote control for your TV.
Geekbuying also points out that the MK908 comes pre-rooted, which is good for folks that like to tinker, and less good for folks concerned about security.
Update: It’s official. The MK908 is one of the most powerful Android TV sticks to date… and it also has decent WiFi reception. Check out my video below for more details.
very expensive.
MK908 in aliexpress some product much cheaper
Can you install ubuntu 13.04 on this?
What’s the difference between the Tronsmart MK908 and Tronsmart T428 other than US$10 lower cost? Specs look identical to me.
This one has an OTG USB port, which is actually very useful.
The Tronsmart T428 also claims an OTC micro USB port. Can’t verify this until my unit arrives (probably in the coming week.)
Question:
Does it support hw accel in XBMC android?
It will be neat if can put Linux on it. It would be a super sever with 4 cores and 2GB RAM.
And cheap… I think the the same (or slightly edited) version of lipuntu for rk3066 would work on this
junk on the video with no sound
Will this also have a microsd card as the “internal storage”?
Yes, 32 GB maximum (as usual)
What I meant was that on top of the micro sd card storage expansion, does the board have a micro sd card as internal storage?
I believe the 8 GB storage is on-board, not on-card.
Well, good to know that if the Ouya doesn’t pan out, by the end of this year there’ll be something cheaper and equally powerful.
Also, if having administrator access on hardware you own is “less good for folks concerned about security”, I do hope you’re warning your security-conscious readers away from Windows, OS X, and virtually every desktop Linux distro. After all, almost every single device running one of those ships “pre-rooted”.
The difference is that in this case an operating system that doesn’t normally include root has had a security vulnerability exploited to add root capabilities… By a company you’ve probably never dealt with before.
I haven’t seen any indication that any of the Chinese devices I’ve tested to date have included any malware, but shipping an android device with root enabled means that android has been modified in a way that Google hadn’t really intended… And that means its possible that other changes have been made that you may not be aware of.
What proof do you have that Tronsmart’s version of Android “has had a security vulnerability exploited”? All they need to do is include /bin/su when they image their devices, and include a superuser access control app so the user doesn’t need to install one from Google Play. No vulnerabilities required, unless you consider Android being an open source, intentionally customizable OS as being a vulnerability itself.
If altering Android files during a factory install is a “security vulnerability exploited”, then every single manufacturer and carrier who’s shipped a non-Nexus device has exploited that vulnerability as well, in ways that remove control from the user such as including non-removable third-party apps… remember Carrier IQ?
This need to paint having greater control of your device as having less control over it seems pathological among mainstream news sources that cover Android.
Man, I just ordered the Tronsmart T428, then saw this. Trying to change the order, but Geekbuying.com is horrible in terms of customer service, no email or chat response.
Actually, the MK908 is also cheaper $89, compared to the T428 which is $100,and an additional OTG mini USB. Wish they can fix this :'(
Me, too. I expect it to arrive the first week of May. As noted in an earlier comment, I don’t see much difference between the MK908 and T428 other than the price.
Well, I got a reply on Friday, and gave me a choice between T428 or the MK908. I went ahead and stuck with the T428,they shipped it via DHL, and now it arrived to the U. S.. Hopefully it will arrive on Monday, as they been updating the shipment through the weekend.
The reason why I chose to go with T428, is first 5Ghz,and the AnTuTu Benchmark showed 1800~, compared to this which is around 1200
According to GeekBuying’s test, the T428 gets 18,706. See the screen capture at https://android-minipc.azurewebsites.net/#QuadCore.
That’s what I was referring to
MK808 out shell.
How it is with output. Apparently T428 has streched 720p to 1080p and not real 1080p. Is it same with this device, or its real 1080p this time?
Anything like that can be fixed with a config file tweak or something