Remix OS Mini PC

Longtime Puppy fan and active Forum contributor cthisbear, posted this:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=100300

Actually, I had a few months away from Quirky development, and also wasn't reading the Puppy Forum, except for occasional glances. Today though, had a good read, and found the post from cthisbear.

Which linked to here:
http://www.slashgear.com/jide-tries-again-remix-mini-does-android-pc-15393174/

And the Kickstarter project:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1123481999/remix-mini-the-worlds-first-true-android-pc

I'll be in that! $40 plus $15 postage to Australia, for the 2G RAM model. That's a good price.

I really want to play with Remix OS. I like Android, on my phone anyway. Remix promises to give me a desktop experience, and I can use all the Android apps, some of which I have got to like very much -- such as SafeInCloud, that I reported on recently:
http://bkhome.org/news/201505/safeincloud-password-manager-mini-review.html

I have been experimenting with Bluetooth mice and keyboards with my phone:
http://bkhome.org/news/201505/computing-on-the-go-the-complete-kit.html

...which has been a good experience, and I am excited to find out how much more enhanced the experience will be with Remix OS.

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Comments

I wonder if the Remix developers have considered the concept of "convergence". I mean, what Ubuntu Phone is trying to do.

It seems to me that Remix is already there. It could be setup to run as normal Android on a phone, but when switched over to an external monitor, then the Remix desktop UI can kick in.
There is no need for both running together, that is more difficult.

What they need to make this idea of convergence a reality is a phone that supports MHL 3.0, as described here:
http://andromiumos.blogspot.com.au/

Oh yeah, I reported on Andromium OS recently:
http://bkhome.org/news/201505/andromium-os-on-android.html

Unfortunately, the Andromium OS developers did not get Kickstarter funding for their proposed dock. I notice also from blog posts and versions releases, that the project is flagging, though perhaps they are working furiously behind-the-scenes.

What is required is a phone that supports simultaneous USB-OTG, charging, and lag-free video-out to a TV.

...it's that last one that is awkward. The MHL 3.0 standard looks like it will do the job, but from what I have seen, very few Chinese phones support MHL, of whatever version.

I found that the LeTV S1 Pro supports MHL 3.0:
http://www.gizchina.com/2015/04/14/letv-s1-s1-pro-and-max-complete-specifications-tables/

...curious that their bigger LeTV Max only has MHL 2.0.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAtrG6NGO4y77sp3AjdyE7rb7SElW9myA

Running SeaMonkey in Quirky April, I installed the Download Youtube Videos as MP4 extension. It places a "download" icon just below the video window, works great.

So, I downloaded all those videos, to watch off-line.

They give a good overall idea of the concepts, however although voice-over is English, the screens are in Chinese. It would have been much better if it was all English, but I did get the basic ideas.

A big question is, why would you run a "mini PC" with Remix OS, instead of Linux, or even Windows 8/10?

Jason, from Jide, gives two main reasons. Firstly, there are 1.5 million apps in the Google Play Store. Secondly, a new generation has grown up using Android phones.

I personally am very intrigued. I am thinking how my phone can work nicely with the mini-PC, using wi-fi to share and sync, and run the same apps on both.

...in fact, this may end up being just as good as "convergence".

Now down to 37 days to go, only 8 days in, and over US$666,000 raised. I wonder if they will set a new record for Kickstarter?

I was wondering how far off the Kickstarter record this is. I checked, there have been 114 projects that got over $1 million, the highest getting $20 million.

See the ten highest here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstarter

Tags: light