Piracy!
Piracy in the digital age – An essay about piracy in the digital age. Is it really that bad?
The WWW is not the internet!
A real geek should know the difference, do you? Learn the difference and stop being a n00b.
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CyanogenMod Android love for the Hardkernel Odroid U2
Posted on April 29, 2013 by Jingles | No Comments
Hardkernel’s Jelly Beans aren’t the freshest beans going around, still Android 4.1 isn’t exactly the most stale version of Android. More than 60.7% of android users are running Honeycomb, Android 3.x, API level 11 – 13, or earlier. The majority, 47.4%, of users are still running some version of Gingebread, Android 2.3.x API level 9 – 10.
By todays standards, given the speed at which technology and innovation moves, Honeycomb has crystallised, Gingerbread is stale and possibly starting to grow mould.
If you want some fresher jelly beans for your Odroud U2 Android computer then you are in luck, CyanogenMod has some fresh Android 4.2.2 love for your Odroid U2.
Although CM 10.1 for the Odroid U2 may be super fresh there are no stable builds for it yet, nor is there even an RC. The most stable build is a Monthly Snapshot build released on 11/04/2013. Another bigger problem is that CM 10.1 for the Odroid U2 has no Ethernet support.
If you want a fresher version than v4.1 of Android on your Odroid U2 and are feeling brave, or aren’t bothered by the lack of Ethernet support then give CM 10.1 a go.
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Notes on building your own Android HTPC
Posted on April 29, 2013 by Jingles | No Comments
A while ago I set out to try and build an Android based HTPC using Hardkernels Odroid U2 Android development platform and XBMC for Android. Well I finally got around to it, it is possible to roll your own Android HTPC. The best bit is it’s not hard at all, in fact it’s quite easy. Although it’s not exactly as cheap as some other solutions it is great value for what you get and it’s still relatively inexpensive compared to building a traditional HTPC which can easily cost more than twice as much.
Based on Samsungs 1.7GHz Exynos4412 Prime Cortex-A9 Quad-core processor, with a Mali-400 GPU, 2 GB of RAM and plenty of storage and connectivity options, the Odroid U2 is the perfect bit of kit for building an Android HTPC.
Although it’s quite easy to build an Android HTPC using Hardkerenels Odroid U2 there are a few things that should be noted if you want to build an Android HTPC based on Hardkernels Odroid U2.
Tags: Android > Android HTPC > DIY > Entertainment > Hardware > Home Theatre > HTPC
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Hardkernel Odroid-U2 Android HTPC
Posted on January 26, 2013 by Jingles | No Comments
They say good things come in small packages. And they do, things like my Hardkernel Odroid U2 which comes in a tiny package measuring 48 x 52 mm, about half the size of a credit card sans the heat sink. Even with the heat sink the unit is still tiny, measuring a midget like 59 x 57 x 60 mm.
Given it’s size the Odroid U2 packs a mighty impressive punch with it’s Samsung Exynos4412 Prime CPU, a Cortex-A9 Quad Core CPU clocked @ 1.7Ghz (68x faster than my first PC which was a 486 DX4 @ 100MHz), with 2 GB of ram (128x more RAM than my first PC), and a Mali-400 Quad Core GPU @ 440MHz. Storage options come in the form of a microSD card and an eMMC connector to which you can plugin an 8, 16, or 64 GB eMMC chip. I sprung for the 64GB eMMC module which alone gives me more than 75x more storage space than the 850 GB HDD in my first PC (the afore mentioned 486 DX4), which by today’s standards is positively infinitesimal.
The Odroid U2 is intended as an Android development platform for programmers that want to develop Android applications. But I have other plans in store for this pint sized beast. Instead I’m going to set it up as a streaming HTPC.
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Controlling your HTPC: Pt 2 – Smart devices, voice, and gesture control
Posted on January 15, 2013 by Jingles | No Comments
Yesterday in Part 1 I looked at controlling your HTPC with a good old keyboard and mouse as well as with a remote control. Today I’m going to share some of the more exotic and fun ways to control your HTPC
Smart phones and tablets
If you have a smart phone or tablet (namely an Android, Windows or other type of smart phone or tablet) then there is an app or two, or there or more for that will let you control your HTPC. Remote control apps are usually either free or inexpensive, i.e. cheaper than a dedicated remote control or a wireless keyboard and mouse.
Two highly recommended remote apps are Unified Remote and Ceton’s Companion app which will let you control WMC from your smart device. However there are smart phone apps for other media centre software solutions like XBMC and Media Portal, just run a search in your platforms app store for “ remote”.
The advantage of using smart phone/tablet apps to control your HTPC is that they let you use something you already have to control your media centre, they are relatively cheap or free, and are easy to use.
Smart phone apps are akin to single device remotes in that they only let you control one device, i.e. your HTPC or an application on your HTPC. There are solutions like ThinkFlood’s RedEye remote, iRule’s iRule hardware and software solutions, and AMAC’s plugin module for smart phones and tablets that can turn your smart device into a universal remote. Although the disadvantage is that you will have to purchase extra hardware which isn’t cheap, but then neither are some universal remote controls.
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Controlling your HTPC: Pt 1 – Keyboards, mice, and remotes
Posted on January 14, 2013 by Jingles | No Comments
A keyboard and mouse might seem like the most obvious way to control a HTPC but it’s not the only way of controlling your HTPC. When I say HTPC I mean a Windows Media Centre based HTPC, the methods mentioned hereafter may work in other OS’ like Linux however I have not tried all of these control methods in Windows let alone another OS like Linux. However these methods of control are known to work.
For everyday use a keyboard and mouse isn’t the best option. Most of the time you will just be pointing and clicking to change the channel/volume, for muting the sound, for selecting which recorded shows you want to watch, which shows you want to record etc… A keyboard and mouse is not only more cumbersome it requires more effort and isn’t as ergonomic or as comfortable to use as other options.
Having said that you will still most definitely need a keyboard and, unless you are some sort of keyboard ninja, a mouse because at some point you will have to use a keyboard and mouse for something else other than just pointing and clicking, like during the initial set up of your HTPC, for installing plugins or new applications, for Windows updates, for fixing any problems that you might encounter while the PC is booting i.e. to fix problems before you get into Windows or to change BIOS settings etc… Although you might not use a keyboard and mouse much they will come in extremely useful when need them.
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The Android HTPC Project Pt 2
Posted on January 7, 2013 by Jingles | No Comments
A few days ago I shared my thoughts about using Hardkernel’s ODROID-U2 for an Android based HTPC. I decided that it’s such a good idea that I’m going to try and build an Android based HTPC. The plan is to build an Android based HTPC that offers as many full fat HTPC features as possible. This HTPC is never going to be a full fat do everything in one box kind of solution like my last HTPC build was. This build will have it’s strengths as well as weakness which is what I’m going to cover.
I haven’t received the hardware yet, the web site advises that “Shipment Schedule : in 7 working days from your purchasing.”, so I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet but from what I already know this is what I think it’s strengths and weaknesses will be.
[Read more...]
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Android HTPC
Posted on January 3, 2013 by Jingles | No Comments
I was an Android user before Android was cool. My first real smart phone was a HTC Magic. It was the bees knees and I knew then that Android’s popularity was going to make like the Space Shuttle Challenger and explode. And that it has, it’s one of the best iOS challengers, and it’s rolling like Charlie Sheen and WINNING!
For the last 7 months of 2012 the Samsung Galaxy S3 has outsold the iPhone 4S and the iPhone5. Here in Australia 10 million of us have a smart phone, 44% of those are Android powered phones. UK market analyst firm Informa Telecoms and Media expects that in 2015 one out of every two mobile phones world wide will be powered by Android. If that’s not winning then I don’t know what is. Android keeps getting better and better.
What I like about Android most is that it is more open than iOS which means it’s hackable and because it’s hackable all sorts of cool things happen like CyanogenMod, and XBMC for Android. Then there are hardware solutions capable of running Android like the Mini Xplus TV Box, MK808, and development boards like VIAs APC, and the PandaBoard ES that are capable of running Android.
But the coolest hardware I have come across is Hardkernel’s ODROID-X2 and ODROID-U2 because hey are relatively cheap and powerful compared to other hardware like the PandaBoard ES.
After ogling Hardkernel’s ODROID-X2 and ODROID-U2 for a while and thinking about what I could do with one, I decided that it’s a perfect candidate for rolling a DIY Android based HTPC. [Read more...]
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Merry Xmass
Posted on December 16, 2012 by Jingles | No Comments
Kulture will be back in 2013 with more of the awesome stuff.
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Silent HTPC build guide: Pt VIII – Bonus tips, references, & resources
Posted on December 3, 2012 by Jingles | No Comments
Every part so far Pt I, Pt II, Pt III, Pt IV, Pt V, Pt VI, Pt VII, has covered all the kit that you need to build a sweet super quiet and silent HTPC. By now you should be able to choose the right parts to build your super quiet HTPC. In this last part, Pt VIII I’m going to dispense some bonus tips, references, and resources.
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Silent HTPC build guide: Pt VII – PSUs
Posted on December 2, 2012 by Jingles | No Comments
So a quick recap what we have covered so fa in Pt I it was about nailing down what you want from your HTPC, Pt II was about building vs buying, Pt III covered cases, Pt IV was all about fans, Pt V covered motherboards, CPUs, & CPU coolers, Pt VI was all about RAM, GPUs, & HDDs. Today in Pt VII it’s time to look at the one thing that is needed to make it all work, PSUs. Without a PSU to power your sweet new HTPC all of those parts are no more than expensive novelty paper weights.
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I'm Jingles, I'm like the Keith Miller of geeks, i.e. an all rounder, I'm a web scientist, an A+ certified (it means I'm not a “noob”) computer technician, and this is my blog. I'm your curator of all things awesome, cool and geeky on and off the net. More...
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