Lilbits: A 1-bit camera for the PlayDate, and Sipeed is designing a RISC-V laptop and tablet, but not a smartphone

When Sipeed launched the Lichee Pi 4A dev board with a RISC-V processor earlier this year, the company also revealed that the system-on-a-module powering the board could be used in other form factors, and that a tablet, router, and cluster board were already under development. Sipeed also said it was developing a Lichee Phone that would feature a 6 inch display and the same RISC-V chip as the other products in the family.

Now there’s good news and bad news on that front. The bad news is that Sipeed has canceled development of the phone due to excess power consumption issues. The good news is that the company is developing a RISC-V laptop instead, and Sipeed is already showing off prototypes.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Weekly GNU-like mobile Linux update [LinMOB]

Perhaps the most disappointing, if unsurprising news in the latest mobile Linux roundup is that Sipeed has scrapped plans to develop a phone-like device using the same TH1520 RISC-V chip found in the company’s Lichee Pi 4A dev boardr, due to power consumption issues.

But the company is still working on a LicheePad tablet, as well as a previously undisclosed LicheeBook laptop with a RISC-V processor, 16GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, and a 1TB SSD. It’s expected to go on sale in August with a price somewhere between $400 and $700. 

#RISCV Laptop bring up! base on TH1520, 16GB DDR + 128GB eMMC + 1TB SSD , $400-700～
It will on store in Aug.
More than 5 RISCV Laptop and 2 RISCV Pad will come out! pic.twitter.com/uJny7KR8TC

— Sipeed (@SipeedIO) July 14, 2023

Samsung Develops Industry’s First GDDR7 DRAM [Samsung press release]

Samsung says its 32 Gbps GDDR7 DRAM brings 1.4X performance boost and 20% better power efficiency than 24 Gbps GDDR6. 16GB modules could ready for testing this year and could show up in high-performance devices next year.

How to Install a Custom Launcher like Wolf Launcher on Fire TV, Firestick, or Cube With the New “Forever Loop” Method [AFTVNews]

Part of the reason Amazon Fire TV devices are so cheap is that Amazon uses the home screen for ads and to direct you to its own apps and services. So the company tries to block you from using third-party launchers. Hackers continue to find workarounds.

Update to Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11 [Windows Blogs]

The latest Windows Subsystem for Android update for Windows Insiders brings better support for cameras, a hover taskbar when in fullscreen mode with F11, a local networking feature, and the option to change your default shared folder.

PD-Camera is a 1-bit camera for the PlayDate handheld [t0mg / GitHub]

The Playdate lis a modern handheld game console with a 1-bit black and white display. So it was just a matter of time before somebody developed a Game Boy Camera-like add-on for snapping similarly low-fi images. The camera snaps 320 x 240 pixel black and white photos and it’s designed to connect to the console magnetically (and with a USB-C cable). Design files and more info are available at GitHub. 

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