Minix may have just unveiled its first TV box with an Intel processor, but the company isn’t done with ARM-based processors.
The new Minix Neo X6 runs Google Android 4.4 KitKat and comes with the XBMC media center app pre-loaded, and it’s powered by an Amlogic S805 quad-core processor.
The Neo X6 should be available later this month for about $120.
Amlogic’s S805 chip is a low-power ARM Cortex-A5 processor with ARM Mali-450 graphics. While it’s not the speediest processor around, it should be able to handle 1080p HD video playback and supports hardware-accelerated H.264 and H.265 decoding and H.264 encoding.
Other features of the box include 1GB of RAM, 8GB of eMMC storage, a microSD card slot, HDMI output, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and 10/100 Ethernet. It has 2 USB 2.0 ports, a micro USB OTG port, and an IR sensor for a remote control.
I’m growing curious to know whether boxes like the Minix Neo X6 which ship with a slightly modified version of the smartphone/tablet version of Google Android will eventually be able to support Google’s upcoming Android TV software. I suspect Google will want to certify its Android TV hardware partners which could give companies like Minix some extra hoops to jump through if they want to use a version of Android that’s actually optimized for television screens.
As it is, I tend to find navigating touch-friendly apps like Netflix and YouTube on non-touch devices to be a bit tricky, even with a decent remote control with air mouse functionality.
via CNX Software and AndroidPC.es
I don’t understand why the Minix Neo X6 is coming out after we already have the Minix Neo X8 and Minix Neo X8-H. Shouldn’t the new one be named the Minix Neo X9 or use a different letter, in place of the ‘X’? It’s also supposedly much more affordable than the Minix Neo X8 and Minix Neo X8-H, making me question how the two devices compare.
Where does this device fit in? It seems like a downgrade fron the S802 devices but essentially same cost…
Gee, I wonder how Ubuntu would fare on this….
Buy a Neo X7. It uses an RK3188 quad code, and 2gb of ram. It sells for $100-120. Im not sure how the RK3188 compares to the S805, but one thing is for certain, the RK3188 has a headstart for Linux support.
RK3188 won’t support H.265 decoder, the NEO X6 use the Amlogic S805 chip, it will focus on the low-end market. but it’s also surprising to see that MINIX launch this device which focus on the low-end market. anyway, now you can get the NEO X6 from Geekbuying here:
https://www.geekbuying.com/item/MINIX-NEO-X6-Amlogic-S805-Quad-Core-1-5GHz-Android-4-4-Mini-TV-Box-HDMI-HDD-Player-1G-8G-WIFI-XBMC-H-265-Bluetooth-4-0—Black-333264.html
Why all of these “Can I turn this silk purse into a sow’s ear?” posts every time one of these devices is featured? Conventional Linux is all but dead.
Because people like to experiment with those devices.
You’re assuming everyone is just a mindless boob, and they only want to consume media, which is all Android is good for. A full-featured desktop OS is still very useful to alot of people. If you’re only into media consumption, then your ‘silk purse’ will suit you just fine. If you need to do any kind of work, the ‘sow’s ear’ will do much better. I travel with my Xubuntu powered box, so it gives me a full desktop PC on my hotel-room HDTV.
Man talk about sharp elbows.
Android has several applications to do edit documents and spread sheets and yes it can even print to a printer on your own network (unlike Chrome). Android has all kinds of app from telnet to game time wasting. Why does an OS have to be boring to be useful?
Not sure what you are looking for but Android usually has an app for that.
Like I said, android has its purpose. Consuming media. Word processing and spreadsheets are best left to proper operating systems. If i need a device like this to do such things, im going to choose an OS that facilitates that, NOT an os that emulates it.
If it is so dead then why is there a question like this at each and every article like this?
Yepp, you were spewing nonsense.