MK808 Dual Core Android 4.1 Jelly Bean mini PC for $49.99 + FS @ geekbuying.com
 

Limited time sale.

http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MK...07415.html

Highlights:
Android 4.1 Jell Bean OS, Google Play Store pre-installed;
1.2Ghz Rockchip RK3066 Dual Core CPU, Quad core Mali-400 GPU;
1GB RAM /8GB storage;
Support skype live chat
Built in dual wifi antenna in this android device，which makes it more faster than other android tv boxes;
Support external SD card capacity:1GB-32GB ; Hard Disk: 1GB ~ 5TB(factory tested)
Muliti-language supported

This post can and should be edited by users like you :)
 

Don't buy this for xbmc. There's no hw decode support yet. There are workaround but it's not 100% at this point.

Listed on Amazon [amazon.com] too for $57 + SSS (FULFILLMENT BY AMAZON)

I have not received mine MK802 with Xmas guarantee arrival yet which ordered a month ago from geekbuying.com

Interesting concept, I've never heard of these. Does anyone have one they'd care to comment on?

I think they need some spell checking, though:

its just the many other possible way to utilize a TV. imo, a hdmi + laptop will always be the easiest way for full access. isnt that one of the purpose of a laptop?

That's what we do now, but I'll have to admit, the idea of not having to plug it in and such is attractive, but that's mostly laziness on my part...... was tempted to get that WIDI Netgear adapter from Dell a couple of weeks ago, but again, that was mostly laziness at not wanting to setup my laptop near the tv with an HDMI connection....

I think this is similar to the "PC on a stick" devices? Basically they provide some PC like capabilities in a small form factor. Meaning web surfing and running various apps that work on the OS, in this case looks like Android. A guy at work ordered one, waiting to see what he thinks. Another guy has one plugged into the USB port on his projector, which he uses to surf the web and display some Android apps.

Having a full functioning media PC connected to my TV and projector, I don't see myself downgrading to one of these. But they are interesting and can fill a niche for some persons, particularly persons needing portability.

Cheapest laptop would be $200 netbook.. You could own four of these at $49 each before spending that same amount on a laptop.

A laptop is easier to run about anything you want. The android sticks do have minor bugs from what I have read. A lot of people say the sticks work very well. Some people do not want something as large as a laptop near their tv if they don't have to. So these tiny android sticks work well for hiding behind tv's.

i think its more of a hassle to even get these lil gadgets to run the way you want it and because they are so basic with limited capabilities, one can easily get bored of it. i once thought wow cool a new toy, but i know in the end ill still hook my laptop up. for the lazy part, there arent really more work. i usually already have the 1$ hdmi cable hooked up to the side. only thing is the laptop and power cord for it. not a prob at all since i turn the laptop on while i walk to the tv and by the time the TV loads up the laptop is ready to go. to make it more convenient, use the logitech k400 kb + touchpad and you dont have to leave your couch for a while :D

like many others i was tempted to get those media box like apple and roku but i thought it over and realize it would be a waste of money.

I have one of these and it works great with my Vulkano Placeshifter that I have set up elsewhere as well as XBMC which just came out for Android. I would highly recommend these android sticks, however the WIFI is sometimes spotty. I fixed that with a USB Ethernet Adapter and custom ROM with the drivers for it and it works great.

That was true a few years ago with devices like the WDTV and other "media only" gadgets. However, this device is literally a decently spec'd PC on it's own, with the ability to run any Android app (of which there are literally a million) including some pretty cool games, and other function-specific things that you could do with a laptop but will probably find out that it's worth the effort of getting this to do it for you.

One neat thing I am setting up is a IP camera network for baby monitor, outdoor security, etc. There are free/cheap apps and devices that enable you to create a security tool that would cost thousands of dollars to do on its own. You can repurpose old phones (bonus if you put cyanogenmod on them) and get a really high quality HD security system (with battery backup) for pretty cheap. Another cool thing is Skype video chat since you can plug in an external camera/mic and set up your big screen for teleconferencing (try doing that with a mother******** roku).

how does one install XBMC on this (I never used anderiod before)

must I have a wireless keyboard or can this support a wired keyboard and mouse for set up?
im guessing there is no way to use my harmony remote with this - correct?

Looks like it only has one usb, so you wouldnt be able to plug a wired mouse and keyboard in at the same time.

Looks like if you can get xbmc on it you can program Harmony to work with xbmc.

If you can get xbmc on it, you can get a xbmc remote app on your phone or tablet and control it from there, thats how I control the pc hooked to my tv with xbmc on it.

I didnt see a xbmc app in the play store though?

is it still laggy on xbmc not the play back but navigating in the menu with android on stick.

Cant you use a USB hub to plugin multiple devices?

A basic 5 or 6 year old laptop would be faster and far more flexible than an android stick. Those don't cost $200. Pretty much any old piece of crap with a decent gpu that can decode 1080p in hardware would stomp this into the ground and do everything you'd want, while this will do some stuff and if you mess around with it long enough, it might do most things.

Look at the recent android stick threads. Lots of bugs, lots of stuff that doesn't work. A lot of people don't think they work very well, lots of people feel like they wasted money on it.

So that eliminates people in finland with 300 square foot apartments. If you cant find room for a small netbook or laptop next to your tv, perhaps streaming video isn't your biggest concern?


Which is why so many people complain about the lousy wifi performance on these. If there is anything in your house that'll screw up wifi throughput, its when the signal has to try and penetrate a television. You really do NOT want to hide it behind a tv, but to run an extension hdmi cable and mount the stick where it'll have line of sight to your router.

My take is that these are still very immature and might be better in six months. This one looks like its got some chops, nice cpu and gpu...better than the slower single core models. But I'm 99% sure they slapped that jelly bean on it and a bunch of stuff doesn't work right out of the box.

http://www.xbmcandroid.com/ has a diy step by step xbmc set up but I am worried about it being flaky per above post

Best to make sure that xbmc supports hardware accelerated decoding on this platform before going through all of that trouble. Doesn't work on many android SOC gpu's. Without that, you can't play HD content of any kind, its too slow.

Just go to freaktab.com and look for custom firmware or xbmc

I want to try one of these but I'm afraid of buying something so sketchy to begin with and getting it from China.(I have no problems ordering from China for cables or adapters but this tech is a little too new for the risk)

http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MK...13213.html

With bluetooth it is only $5 more

I have a feeling the Ouya will be a lot better option then one of these once they are released and you start seeing some custom ROMS and such coming out. Still, can't say I'm against paying 50 bucks to mess around with another gadget, thx OP.

Lol whut? Can't say I know how geekbuying's reputation is but I wouldn't be worried about manufacturing coming from China.

I hear EVO IC has said before that McBub is a good Chinese retailer if someone cares to order from them for $2 more.

http://www.mcbub.com/item/--US-St...ck-153856/

I am not sure you really will need much more flexibility for such a cheap device. It's a mini-pc. Software will eventually mature for them.


And there are those that say they work fine for their application.



Or people who want to keep their nice homes looking clean and sleek verses having an old laptop with wires everywhere. All of my TV's are wall mounted with all wiring hidden. Why would I want to add random wires if I can simply plug a dongle into the unit?



I not so sure that a TV is going to block the signal of a properly set up home network, although I would like to see these come with the option of a hard wire.


I'll agree with you that they need to mature. But for less than $50, these could be fun to play with and start to get a feel of what the potential capabilities are for the next generation.

The concept and value is good but the device quality is poor. My MK802+ reboot couple of times when playing a video. The power supply quality is very poor and also USB connector has become loose only used a few times.

Yes I have one plugged into mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-MK8...484d219c62

Better deal?

I have one plugged into mine, but I'm not able to run both my keyboard and an external hard drive as it requires more power than the USB port can output. Works fine for a keyboard and mouse though.

I ordered a tablet from them and CS (via email and chat) is kindly

A 5-6 yes old basic laptop wouldn't have a GPU. 1080p flash or silver light is out of the question. So you are dead wrong.

Also, 5-6 yes old laptop doesn't have HDMI and have high power draw. Leaving it on 24/7 is out of the question.

Buy a powered USB hub.

I'm in. been wanting to try one of these out for a while. Was hoping Santa would brgin one, but I guess I wasn't very good last year.

Doubt Santa knows these even existed.

i bought a single core one from evo's post few months ago. it is pretty darn slow for just normal web browsing. watching streaming movies is okay once you let it buffer. i would want for dual or quad core ones to get cheaper before jumping aboard. caveat: i have not used this to it's extent at this point, i'm sure there are more features that might make these price points worthwhile (e.g. streaming movies from computer, etc.).

Android 4.2 with multiple user support would make this a pretty good deal. I'll wait until they start shipping with that.

I think the A10 chip is a single core, just a heads up.

Look for the quad core I.MX6 sticks to be announced at CES in a few days (Jan 8-11). Should cost under $85, perhaps as low as $50ish.

Why worry? It's 5 star review on the site, lol.

Thre is a very poor wifi on the MK808. Also i have seen it for less ($35 with FS). I bought 2 of them.. and the horrible UG802 (one of those), Both have terrible Wifi - But if you are using it beside your router then it's acceptable, but you'd be better off connecting it via ethernet.

Already selling the tablet versions on Chinese retail sites. Lots of higher end dual core tablets and quad cores coming out. Figure a few more months and those chips will be in android sticks. Of course Ouya will also be out with its high end Tegra 3 as well.

http://www.mcbub.com/item/Zenithi...te-153415/

Isn't this similar to the Logitech Revue Google TV Companion Box.. I have seen refurbished/used versions of that for $50-$75 on ebay... That includes the full keyboard remote with trackpad... I guess we need to buy a wireless keyboard for this one separately...

I have one of these (same dual core model). Picked it up in December for around $55 on Amazon if I recall after seeing a deal on one of the single core ones for $30.

It's a pretty solid little unit. My suggestion though is if you're going to get one to also get an HDMI M->F extender. It's a bit bigger than it looks and unless your HDMI ports are very well spaced out on your receiver/TV you're probably not going to be able to plug it in with other devices. It also gives you the added bonus of tucking it away somewhere.

I was surprised at how well it picks up USB devices. I plugged in my Logitech Trackman which uses one of their Unifying Receivers and it had no issues. If you want more USB ports you can hook a hub to the lone port. It'll work.

My only gripe with it is that the Play Store doesn't seem to search for Paid Apps. It supports the download/install/run but you can't search for them (they're hidden from the search screen). You can just open a browser though and find a link to the app you're looking for and it will bring it up in the Play Store. Could just be my problem but I'm not sure. Wifi works well and the skin isn't terrible and actually kind of makes sense (you can put something like Apex/Nova on it if you don't want it).

It runs very quickly. I use mine as a little security monitor for all of my IP Cameras. It's hooked into a spare port on my projector and when I want to see what's on it (I use TinyCamm) I just hit the PIP button and it pops up in the bottom corner and doesn't bother my game/movie.

I'm not sure about XBMC Beta App performance on it as I have my own HTPC for that task but I played with Netflix for a while and it worked without a problem. I guess the only test would be to see if it can play HD/Bluray content. It worked with Youtube as well as MXPlayer but I didn't have any super large files to stream to it at the time.

Also, you may want to purchase/install something like Droidmote onto it (it's a paid app so you may have to side load/URL search it). It will let you control it with your other Android devices so you won't need a mouse.

Bought one from a previous slickdeal, WIFI does not work and would only dispaly at 720p. Buyer beware.

Don't worry about that guy, he is trying a little too hard to threadcrap. Android 4+ does support USB-Ethernet devices, so if you get one of those (around $10) and a hub, you can have a wired network plus still plug a kb/m receiver in.

wow. all this is VERY promising for future versions for me personally. I want to wait for all the bugs to be worked out. I primarily want it for XBMC. I need to have a hard wired connection too.. mostly for streaming HD 720p .mkvs that have DTS soundtracks. Can finally say goodbye to WD TV live box, which isn't bad, but this will be way better!

your better off buying a no-name tablet with HDMI. This has no bluetooth, no mic and not well developed.

what about view videos on a portable drive plugged in via USB? does this support it?

i bit. hopefully this picks up my USB DAC. It is useless to me if it doesn't.

Should work, but if it's a very large (2tb+) portable hard drive (that gets power from just USB), it might draw too much power. If that does happen though, you could use a powered USB hub to give it enough juice. That probably won't be an issue at all, but I read that that could potentially be a problem, so I figured I'd share.

As for externally powered external hard drives (those that have a wall plug for power), they work fine. I use a 500gb drive to play movies through my MK808, and it works great for that.

Given the apps available for Android, wouldn't this be a better solution for HTPC than the raspberry pi?

do you use XBMC or ?

I bought the iMito MX1 - it arrived here in 4 days after ordering. Using it right now to stream live tv -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/...01_s00_i00

I bought the one with controller (you don't have to, I just wanted it).

edit: Wi-fi works beautifully. Has Blutooth. 1080p streaming flawlessly. No buffering.

I used to have an older laptop hooked up to tv via HDMI, but I noticed that it was getting very hot after streaming video/live tv all day.

This thing is a set it and forget it type of deal. A nice addition to our Roku. Does not get hot. Tiny footprint.

The MX2 is the same as the MX1 except for the exterior housing.

The MX1 is going in Amazon for about $65 bucks.

Normally you can plug a usb Hub into these, then you'd have plenty of ports. I'm about to get a Cubieboard and it is like that along with the Rasberry PI. You can daisy chain 120 some usb devices to one usb bus. That is just a part of USB standards, not a particular device.

Currently I just use the built-in media player. From what I've ready, XBMC won't work well enough on the MK808 because it uses a Rockchip processor, which is closed-source. This means that Rockchip needs to either write the drivers for XBMC to work well, or open their source up so others can write the drivers.

However, there are plenty of apps that work just fine to play videos through a hard drive, so unless you realllllllly want XBMC, I wouldn't worry about it.


There are custom roms you can install on the MK808 (check Freaktab.com) that will let you output 1080p, and it also has tweaks for the wi-fi. Yes, the wi-fi does suck on this thing, but if you want a DIY-style project, there are a lot of ways you can improve it (software and hardware tweaks). You can take it apart, screw with the connections, add an external antenna, etc.. and there are plenty of tutorials online that you can follow.

Granted, the wi-fi on my still sucks, but I'm too lazy to care because I generally don't need wi-fi on it.


By far. For the Pi, you basically need to install the OS yourself or write your own software. This thing has a more powerful processor, and comes with Android already on it. Of note, I would definitely recommend installing a better rom than the one that it ships with (which will make it faster, update some features, and fix a lot of crashes).. but either way, I'd still recommend it over the Pi for an HTPC solution. The Pi is supposed to be good as a learning tool, so if you want to learn more about hardware or software that's also a good way to go.

I already tried the freaktab ROM and opened it up and connected a wire to the antenna but no luck

You can also try just removing one of the antennas or getting a better power supply.. supposedly, the power supply it ships with is too weak to power the wi-fi, so a better one might solve the problem.

I tried all of that lol wasted a lot of time researching

Yes, I have a usb hub attached because I have a keyboard and a mouse attached.

Wow. Can others comment on the power supply issue? My understanding is that you can use either an external power supply or the HDMI port itself to power the unit. Random rebooting would be a deal killer for me.

The HDMI port won't supply enough power.
The included 5v AC Adapter might have issues (because of low QC).
Best bet is to use your own 5v AC Wall adapter, rated at least 1-2A for best results.
You could get lucky, and your TV's USB port might provide enough power.
I have my HP Touchpad charger (5.3v @ 2A), and it's probably the best/highest quality AC Adapter you can get!

I have to agree that for the most part, these PC's on a stick aren't quite ready for the mass market. I'm willing to wait and buy one from a trusted retailer, if I have a problem, or I'm not happy with my purchase I won't have to jump through hoops returning it.

One criteria for purchasing from a retailer is reputation. I use WOT (web of trust) on my browser, and get a warning the site McBub.com has a poor rating based on user ratings. That's good enough for me. In fact I never heard of McBub until the site was being promoted here on SD's.

Got one of these a couple months ago. Wifi isn't very good, hdmi outputs natively at 720p and scales to 1080p(not true 1080p).

All these android sticks seem to be still maturing, imho I'd hold off to buy one until a later date. I wouldn't buy another one if I had the chance again.

I received one in late November. Gave it to my mother for Christmas so she could check e-mail/use social apps on her TV.

Price is pretty much what it was 2 months ago. Not sure why this thread is getting a lot of attention.

Since I set it up and tested it out (I'm such a good son;)), I can say:

WiFi was not a problem. Worked perfect, no drops, strong connection.

HDMI cable that came with it worked fine with two monitors I have, but did not work with my Vizio TV circa 2009. However, I replaced it with one from monoprice and it worked just fine.

Movies worked great, Netflix worked great, no problem generally with any apps.

What disappointed me was the lack of the abilility to play games on these. Only game I could play was Angry Birds; others I tried either didn't have a keyboard or joypad setup or a control method other than touch. I also had trouble with the gamepad apparently maxing out the available power causing the gamepad to work intermittently or causing a reset. I could fix that with a powered USB hub, but the lack of compatible games made it not worth it.

Anyone order from Geekbuying.com in USA?

Are they reliable place to order? I understand they're from Asia so shipping may take 2-3weeks or so.

But their facebook page shows a lot of customer's posting asking for status and not receiving their order since Last Oct/Nov/Dec.....

anyone with experience can help share their experience? Would like to order direct from them but don't want to get burned...ty

is there anyway to use one of these to pause/record live TV, maybe onto a connected USB hard drive?

i'd love to get rid of my huge silverstone box.

Like someone else said an older laptop typically does not have hdmi ports. You can use dvi or display ports laptops but you need affordable converters. An old laptop with only vga would require seperate audio cables making more of mess plus converting to hdmi would probably be pricey. Who wants to trust a laptop running all the time? It's not something you can setup to only turn on when the TV turns on. Yes an old laptop is fine if you are using this for yourself on a single tv. But if you want multiple tv's that a neatly hung on the wall or members of your family that are not tech savy you better keep it all simple. The Android sticks would be nice for this but they are still too buggy from what I'm reading.


Yes there are a lot of people complaining but every person has a different set of requirements they expect from these android sticks.


I prefer to buy a $10 usb to ethernet adapter. Wifi is a big problem in these android sticks but there are hacks to help.

Yes these are not tested as throughly as you might expect. But I think they are great little tinker gadgets. I think it's possible you can use an android stick and be very pleased with the performance If your lucky. But I think not having the hardware accelerated decoding for xbmc kills the slickness of the android sticks.

No, tablets and Android sticks are very different products with very different uses. Most Android sticks are designed to be hooked to a TV and used to watch video. They don't need a screen, but they do need an HDMI port, USB port or ports, and low power. Most tablets are missing some of those features, like full sized USB. Most tablets have other features that are a completely worthless extravagance for an Android stick. For instance, there's no need for a capacitance touch screen.

For just running 1080p video, the 2nd generation single-core Allwinner powered sticks do just fine. Though I'd recommend staying away from the original version of the MK802, it tended to overheat and didn't have enough RAM. The MK802 ii is a fine pick and only about $35 from a number of Amazon vendors.

Many have asked about XBMC. No, it doesn't work, not really. The XBMC developers have fallen way behind in developing for a number of ARM chipsets. XBMC has no hardware video acceleration on either this Rockchip or the Allwinner, meaning it cannot do high definition video. XBMC has always been a bit of a pig, now it is being completely outstripped by the competition. The XBMC guys are blaming the chip vendors, but the truth tends to point towards the XBMC devs. There are a number of Android video players on both the Allwinner and Rockchip that perform flawless hardware video acceleration at resolutions up to and over 1080p.

Even the single core allwinner sticks can play full 1080p using MX Player, Mobo Player, and a few other players. Single core is enough for 1080p. For games you might want more, but if you're at home, you probably already have a device better suited for games. I don't really see the point in spending $85 to $100 + on a quad-core stick that will only be better for games.

I bought this and mine DOES NOT WORK>....

Only $6 here, and confirmed to work with Android.

http://www.monoprice.com/products...1&format=2

How are you going to feed live tv to the android stick? XBMC with Navix/freecable/ceton/silicondust? XBMC has some pvr functionality or plug-in's that provide pvr functions.

Log into the Play store from a desktop computer. You can review all the apps and remotely install them to any device on your account. You can even review the apps you have already installed on any specific Android device.

Using a desktop computer is often the fastest way to review and install apps, either for sticks like this or for Android phones and tablets.

Not in a stick, not yet, but that level of functionality is certainly not far off. All a stick would need is an HDMI pass through and the ability to process the incoming data. Given that the incoming video will just be data, it can be done without any digitization. In fact, it is being done, kind of.

The Vizio CoStar is powered by a dual-core ARM chip not much different from the one powering this stick. It has HDMI pass through and can overlay video in real time. That means it is processing the live video, it is capable of recording that video. It doesn't currently record video, it has the capability to do so. The lack of that feature is probably a marketing decision, so as not to piss off the MPAA.

The Chinese vendors who make these sticks don't really care about pissing off the MPAA. A stick that records high def video is going to happen, probably sooner rather than later.

I would like to avoid having a hub and a separate cart for Ethernet. One of the TV's I am thinking of using this on is so thin, I have very little room for anything other than the dongle sized unit this is. I am sure one will be out in the near future with a Ethernet plug built in.

One has a little more breathing room and one would be no problem as it's a much small, corner mounted unit.

The first one I would be buying for would be for a projector though. Best case though would be one that has an audio out port of some kind.

I do plan on waiting a month or two before I jump in and buy the first one to play with.

I got one from dealextreme for $52 a couple months ago. Works fine. Pair it with the Logitech k400. Pretty much converts a non-smart TV into a full featured Android smart TV. Works great for Netflix, web browsing, e-mails, etc. I haven't tried to play games on it. But some jellybean features are missing. I can't get into the settings to change the background. Weird.

Put the stick at the end of an HDMI extension cable and shove the stick, the USB ethernet, and all the wiring in a piece of furniture. The TV will just have one more cable running in parallel with the existing power / cable TV cables.

can I just get an HDMI for my Rezound, and watch 1080P with my super good Verizon 4G, then use google apps... watch movies I download from "Utorrent android" ?? I have a lappie with HDMI and use it as my media hub.

How does this thing handle audio, via the HDMI out ? Unless you are using silent apps, I really do not foresee myself hooking this up to my HDTV if just to provide the audio.

Keep in mind that my intention is to use something like this as a cheap net browser, e-mail, etc. - with audio, of course.

I have plenty of cheaper, older 15"- 17" LCD PC monitors - None of them have an HDMI port, but all of them have at least DVI. I suppose I could use a USB-based sound solution, e.g., USB sound card, but that is assuming the USB sound card will be recognized, and thru a powered USB hub, of course. USB ethernet dongle sounds more plausible since Wi-Fi performance from many user reviews already sounds iffy, but the kinks have not been fully worked out if that is a common but early consensus.

These things are kind of cool. I will be looking to pick one up later this year when I see a decent deal from newegg. I would prefer to buy from a trusted seller. Thanks OP for making me aware of the device :)

"More faster" eh?

Audio is via the HDMI connection (HDMI handles both audio and video, whereas DVI and VGA just do video).

USB ethernet dongle is a good idea as well. I think there's also some WiFi adapters that should work with this thing (hopefully better than the built-in WiFi), but if you're thinking of doing either of these, test the WiFi for yourself first. Most people have issues, but not everyone does.

Click and hold on the home screen, should be an option there. If not, just choose a picture and click and hold, then choose 'set as background' (might be in the menu, depending on the app). If that doesn't work, there's a settings menu somewhere that should do it. If you're not already, try running the custom rom from freaktab, that definitely lets you change it if you can't figure out a good way to do it with the stock firmware.

That's a much better idea. I have the place to do it in two for the applications.

So did I just waste my money on this one? http://slickdeals.net/f/5770560-U...ealExtreme

from what i've read, android 4.1 should support USB audio. the raspberry pi should have also, but I've had issues getting my USB DAC to work on that. Hopefully this will fill the niche that I was hoping the raspberry pi would.

I bought one of those Foxconn nettop for xbmc and internet and could not be happier. Yes it cost more, but i can do so much. I Velcro it to the TV and have a 3tb connect to it via usb 3. Those Lenovo remote are great. It is only 7w on standby and about 20 or so when in use, according to spec. If you have a higher budget, i think it is a very good setup.

Quickly buy these up! It's not like quadcores are coming out at CES! Buy buy buy!

Don't listen to this guy. Waste time and money hacking together a shitty ARM stick that really doesn't work that well. Buy buy buy!

how much was the foxconn nettop? link / model #?

i just want something simple that just does XBMC 1080p streaming. All my movies are on my main PC.

I might end up going the nettop route.

I ordered last time, its almost 40 day.not received yet.

Not really. If they exist, they are going to cost a lot more than this.

that deal is single core, this deal is dual core

it turn any dumb TV into a Smart TV,

in for 1 for my Sony KV-1200u and will sue them for false advertising if it doesn't work

Can I use this on it? Its a mini keyboard. Not sure the firmware will work.

FAVI Entertainment Wireless Keyboard (Built-in TouchPad/Laser Pointer) - Black
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UE52ME

Expecting my MK802 III in the mail tomorrow. Almost exact same specs, paid ~65 from Amazon the other day. Excited to play around with it.

For comparison purposes, here are the specs for the iMito MX1. Lower price now that MX2 is out (same specs, different housing)

"iMito MX1 TV Box: Bluetooth Built in; Aluminum Case; Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean; 1.6Ghz Dual Core cotex A9 Rockchip RK3066 CPU; Quad core Mali-400 GPU; 1GB DDR3 RAM 8GB storage ROM; Support external SD card capacity 1GB-32GB(factory tested); Multi language supported.

2.4G OEM Mini Wireless Keyboard: 2.4GHz Remote Controller 92 keys for Android Google TV Box; Built-in high sensitive smart touchpad with 360-degree flip design & DPI adjustable functions; GFSK modulation; 78channel; sperfect for PC, Pad, Andriod TV Box, Google TV Box, Xbox360, PS3, HTPC/IPTV, etc."

Built-in 3D Accelerator. Support 3D gaming;supports 1080P video (1920*1080)
Wifi 802.11 b/g/n; Support XBMC; Google Play Store pre-installed
Email: Gmail, POP3/SMTP/IMAP4. Emailing is easier than ever before when there is network connection.
Video: Watch online video by connect to internet. local video playing: Video Decoding:Mpeg1/2/4.H.264,VC-1,Divx,Xvid,RM8/9/10,VP6,Video Formats: MKV,TS,TP,M2TS,RM/RMVB,BD-ISO,AVI,MPG,VOB,DAT,ASF,TRP,FLV etc full formats
Audio: Audio recoding:DTS,AC3,LPCM,FLAC,HE-AAC; Audio Formats: MP3,OGG,WMA,WMAPRO

Try replacing the internal antenna... They might have forgotten to install it in the factory..
Cool product at a ok price if you are a dev.... software is the biggest issue I guess.... for most android devices....

You should worry about that guy plenty. Rear projection sets have a big mirror in them. CRT sets have a big metal tube frame. LCD sets have solid panels and connectors with frequently questionable shielding. Stupidest thing you can do is stick something behind any tv set and expect good signal. According to many of the android stick threads, moving the stick from behind the tv made the wifi better.

You might want to take a shot at figuring out the difference between threadcrapping and someone giving out good free information.

I have 3 old laptops ranging from 3-5 years old. Every one has an hdmi port. I can go out and buy any old laptop with a decent gpu and an hdmi port for next to nothing, especially if the screen is broken. You can also buy older small form factor atom/ion boxes for next to nothing and those are WAY more powerful and flexible than this is going to be.

The problem is that you made it sound like these are great and a plug and play option for many people. They aren't. Not yet. I'm not interested in supporting my purchasing decision, just making sure everyone gets good information. Saying these work great and few problems sort of flies in the face of every single thread on these.

For others reading, don't bother with our discussion here...go read 3-4 of the android stick threads. Overheating, wifi sucks, software doesn't work, weird quirky things, etc. Every single thread is full of them.

Now if that was your original opinion, I'd have had no issue with it. Its a tinker toy you're going to have to mess with a lot, buy a few extra wifi plugs, a mouse, keyboards, etc. $50 turns into $100 pretty quick. Shoot, I can buy a lenovo small form factor with a dual celeron and integrated graphics that'll play anything you throw at it for under $199...and with devices like the wd tv's, apple tv's, google tv's...they're WAY more polished and functional than this and don't cost much more.

Basically this is the cheapest chinatab you can buy, only it doesn't have a screen. Pretty much every caveat that applies to those applies to these.

tempting, but never had luck with any electronics shipped from china - always received half broken crap

Can anyone who has one already comment on the status of hdmi-cec? I can't find any information on the internet.

I got the Foxconn nettop with AMD E-350. There was a deal few months ago with free hd.

http://slickdeals.net/f/5081198-F...SSD-165-AR

There are newer models, which i have not kept up with. These are barebones, so you will need hd, memory, and OS. If you can, wait for a deal with hd, you'll be 1/3 done. The memory are about 20-25 for 4gb (so-dimm). You can have any OS (will need external dvd drive to install OS. you can do it with out it, but you will have to jump through a few more hoops). Works with 64bit too. It has no fan so no noise to worry about and thin and small enough to have it in the back of you tv without a blocking anything. get a lenovo portable keyboard when it is onsale (i really like the design)

xbmc runs 1080p fine. I have heard that other programs may not. You can use it for other light task as well, (torrent, video streaming [ hulu, The Daily Show] etc.) It consumes very little power so you will not feel quilty leaving it on. Tried plex (server) on it the other and of course it was not able to handle it. stick with xbmc for your movie.

I hope this helps.

Despite the mixed comments on this I've decided to try one out. I don't have cable, and although I live in the SF Bay area and get lots of HD channels over the air, I have computers hooked up to all of my TVs for streaming. With a few improvements, this seems like a decent full blown PC replacement, so I'd like to get familiar with it. Thanks for the deal!

I'm also in the SF Bay Area, and I bought the MK808 from a previous deal, shipped from China, got it within 2 weeks:

Pros:
-1080p
-Custom rom available (I have not yet installed: http://www.freaktab.com/showthrea...inless+1.6)
-Works well with XBMC

Cons:
-Bad wifi (possible solutions: move router closer or usb ethernet adapter)
-External HDD will require powered USB hub

It does work fairly well for my use, which is just to stream movies/music. I have tried Skype with my webcam (Microsoft Lifecam VX-5000) that works perfectly. There are other newer versions now with bluetooth and quad core. Given what I use it for, it's perfectly fine especially to replace a media pc. Works well with the Logitech K400 wireless keyboard, but don't expect multitouch like your Android phone.

Oh and from the link above for Finless 1.6 custom rom, Bob the developer stated because people need to pull the plug to turn this off, that sometimes brick the device. The custom rom has a software poweroff button before unplugging to minimize bricking of the device. I'll find sometime to install Finless but got a sick baby on my hands.

Some have improved WiFi reception by running an HDMI extension cable to get the Android stick away from a TV. Having a TV between the stick and router can definitely block a lot of the signal. Even close proximity to some TVs has been reported to cause poor WiFI.

How far away? If 6 feet of distance doesn't work, then the TV is probably not not the issue. It's also worth mentioning that placing routers and WiFi devices higher in a room can provide better reception.

The cheapest way to get an HDMI extension cable is to convert a standard (male to male) HDMI cable into an extension by using an HDMI coupler. About $2 at Monoprice.

http://www.monoprice.com/products...1&format=2

I don't mean to threadcrap but if you plan on placing the device 'x' feet away, it loses its portability. I understand that TVs can cause interference as this is often the case with digital antennae. However, if it's going to be feets away at that point, why not consider a laptop?

I hope CES brings a new generation of Android USB sticks that function better

Even without an HDMI extension cable, the 3 or 4 cables that ship with most of these already exceed the mass of the stick itself and detracts from portability. If the sticks were half the tiny size they currently are, they would still need the same mess of cables. Adding one more doesn't impact portability much.

If adding one more cable sharply increases the WiFi functionality, most will be happy with the exchange. Portability has never seemed to be a big selling point of these devices anyway. The real selling points are price, size, power requirements, expandability, compatibility with most of the Android ecosystem, and hardware accelerated 1080p video playback.

Thanks for the thorough answer! I am looking to buy myself one of these devices but I am hoping this year's upcoming models fix some of the major issues

Many of the more recent devices don't have a lot of major issues. While the first generation sticks were hacker-only affairs, most of the glaring errors were fixed in the 2nd and 3rd generations of those devices. I have a 3rd generation single core model and it is very functional. The WiFi works. There are at least 3 video players that support hardware accelerated 1080p HD video (probably a lot more). A tremendous number of Android apps just work.

I do have some odd issues, but nothing that's a showstopper to using the device as a video player. Nothing that would be guaranteed to work better with a more powerful device. Evolutions of existing hardware and software are usually a lot more reliable than brand new designs. Revisions of older designs often have most of the bugs worked out, the new designs often don't. This can be especially true when the new designs come from tiny factories in China without much, if any quality control. They shove something on the market, when folks complain, they fix it in the next version.

The original MK802 overheated, had too little RAM, and had interference issues. The MK802+ doubled the RAM which greatly increased compatibility with many Android apps. The MK802 II kept the same processor as the previous two model, included the 1GB ram of the + model and also fixed the overheating and interference issues of the previous models. Now, after a number of revisions, the MK802 II single-core Allwinner (and the similarly updated Uhost models) both seem pretty solid.

TL DR - If you're looking for a device that is solidly reliable, that fixes the issues, look for evolutions of existing devices rather than brand new designs with more features. Especially hardware designed in China.

http://www.archos.com/products/ho...lang=en&#a

Storage • Flash memory: 8 GB*
• Expandable via micro SDHC Slot up to 32 GB
Operating system • ANDROID™ 4.1 “Jelly Bean”
CPU • 1.5 GHz Smart Multi Core processor
RAM • 1 GB
Interfaces • HD camera
• Micro USB port
• USB host port
• Mini HDMI output
• Ethernet
• Micro SD slot
Communication protocols • Wi Fi
Miscellaneous • LED notification
• Microphone
• Front camera

+ controller

and we're done. Nice run these chinese sticks had. Sucks for those that kept buying new models.

see above

You missed the part where the Archos is going to cost roughly 4 times more than many Android sticks. The price is $130. I wouldn't expect that price to drop much, soon. Did you see the size and complexity of that remote? There are substantial manufacturing costs. It's only dual core, there are already quad-core sticks at half that price. Archos has a marketing budget, they can't compete with Chinese sticks on price and they have to sell them profitably.

Now if Google releases a "Nexus Stick" and sells it at cost, the Chinese sticks are doomed.

But Archos? At 4 times the price? Not hardly.

Not a bad device if you can overlook the dreaded wifi and xmbc issues.

IM not saying the Archos stick is the answer but I do have a question. When comparing cost don't you have to look at more than just the surface price? I mean I have read comments from 10's of people who bought a first gen and had terrible problems, bought a second gen and had less problems but it was still unsatisfactory so now they are buying and hoping witha third gen. On the surface they only paid $50 or so each but together they have 3 incomplete devices and have paid more than $120.

There is a reason why no major mobile companies have released a Android stick yet. That's R&D. Most responsible, respectful companies pay high dollar so that they put out a product that is complete and does what's advertised. These Chinese companies are charging people to be test dummies. There is no reason a company should come out with 3 updated models in 3 months. I mean there not even hardware updates just design flaws. If you are going to sell something with a design flaw and then fix it you should be recalling the old ones and replacing them free of charge.

Do yourself a favor guys, just wait the 2 or 3 months for OUYA or a major mobile player to come out with a market ready device.

Many of us skipped the first and second generation, we knew they weren't ready, we knew they were "hacker models". We didn't spend $120, we spent $35.

I waited until I'd read some good reviews. The 3rd generation models had those good reviews, it's pretty solid. Not perfect, but solid.. Most apps run, 1080p video works, it doesn't overheat, it doesn't crash, no interference issues, the WiFi works, all for less than $35 shipped.

These Chinese companies tend to do their R&D on the fly. They don't fix existing products, but they do roll out fixes - in their revised version that has to be purchased again. Often, it takes a few versions to get it right, but they often do get it right, eventually. My experience is that the 3rd gen devices like the MK802 ii are ready for technically minded consumers, rather than the previous devices that were best suited to hackers.

Really, there's no guarantee that Archos' product or any other big-name device will be perfect. The tech landscape is littered with high profile products from big companies that never, ever worked as advertised. Being made by Archos or Logitech is no guarantee isn't not going to be a crappy device.

I hear you nothing is guaranteed. That said major companies don't make you pay for their mistake. For example I had one of the early HD Sony TVs, it was past it's warranty but Sony knew they had a design flaw and allowed me to get a free basic HD TV worth $900 or get a $2,000 model for $600. These Chinese places have been know to sell lemons and then not respond to emails. Complete opposite ways to do business

You get what you pay for. If your goal is to get the cheapest Android stick around then that's what you will get.

$50 stick + $15 keyboard + $30 usb HD webcam = $95 :lol:


$35 for a warranty, ethernet, way less hardware and software bugs, and shit just works out of the box? You have got to be kidding me. If the OP was a quad-core and way more advanced today I would agree with you.

There is a guarantee. It is called a return policy and warranty.

$130 MSRP. For what it does, that isn't much. Ethernet alone makes it worth it.

$200 just for a skype-only webcam:
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/pro...hd?crid=34

The HD webcam seals it. The keyboard/mouse/game controller is just icing.

Wired ethernet and webcam's are a plus for some folks, but not for others. How many will actually make use of that webcam? For the majority of buyers, it's probably a waste of their money. For those who need it, a webcam can be added to an android stick for under $10. Ethernet? Ethernet can be added to an Android stick for $6. http://www.monoprice.com/products...1&format=2 Only those the need those features need pay for them.

The Archos looks nice, I actually do like that massive, crazy looking remote, but they've added a bunch of nonessential features to justify the $130 price. Features that don't really add much to the bill of materials. At most, the CMOS webcam sensor costs them a dollar or two, Ethernet ports in quantity cost just pennies.

At a guess, a majority of buyers will never use the webcam or wired Ethernet port, they'll use the device to watch TV over WiFi, which they could do right now, today, for $100 less.

Why will people really pay that $100 extra? Marketing, they won't realize there are much cheaper alternatives. Ease of use - they hope. Perhaps they're not very technical, which is OK, but it doesn't mean the more technical among us should pay an extra $100 for the same functionality.

The Chinese Android sticks won't die, they'll just have to compete a little harder. How could they easily destroy the Archos on functionality? HDMI pass-through, that's how. HDMI is a digitial signal, once it's being passed through, it can be recorded. No Archos product will ever, ever, ever be able to record live cable TV streams. Unlike Archos and the rest, small Chinese stick makers don't have to gimp their technology in fear the MPAA will sue them. Even though the supreme court ruled that home copying was perfectly legal, no brand name manufacturer will risk it, the Chinse stick makers will.

I love how you skipped over having a return policy and warranty. And you assign zero value to the time it takes to hobble together a working solution with a chinese stick. :lol:

Just like everyone buys Chinese tablets over ipads and kindle fire's? Who needs all those expensive features getting in the way? Buy a $80 tablet and just add a $6 webcam, $10 BT dongle, etc. That is what you are suggesting with these chinese PC sticks when more complete solutions are coming like the archos.

Yes, chinese sticks will still exist; however, the majority of the population will choose a complete solution.

I didn't ignore it. I said the Chinese sticks were for more technical users. For those that aren't as technical, products like the Archos will be a better choice.

It's not apt to compare Chinese Android sticks to Chinese tablets. Portable devices require a much higher level of build quality to function for any length of time. Android sticks do not. In most cases, Android sticks will be permanently plugged into TVs. These Android sticks are super cheap, almost disposable at $35.

For folks with a bit of technical acumen, the more recent versions are fine products. In fact, compared to the name brand products that cost 4 times more, one might even call them Slick Deals. ;)

I bought this but not happy with WiFi Connection.

It has nothing to do with being "more technical." It has everything to do with Chinese sticks being beta quality on the best days. You recognize that build quality matters in tablets but give a pass to PC sticks with rampant wifi, overheating, etc issues? The OP is $50 not $35. Quad-cores are $100.

You are comparing these to "the name brand products that cost 4 times more" meaning these Chinese PC sticks have reached "generic" status. "Generic" implies the product actually works. This isn't like Insignia rebadging Samsung TV's. This is like Insignia making their own TV, it has serious functional issues, and you claiming it is just like a Samsung. So no, this is not a slick deal.

You clearly haven't bothered to read my posts. I don't actually recommend this $50 stick, I recommend the 3rd generation, $35, single core sticks like the MK802 ii.

You're just dead wrong about the quality. The 3rd generation sticks fixed the overheating problems. My 3rd gen stays at 85 to 90deg F even when playing 1080p video for hours. The 3rd generations sticks have adequate RAM, they have WiFi that works for most people. They reliably play hardware accelerated video with a number of players.

For me, for a lot of users, there is absolutely no benefit in paying 4 times more for a product with identical features or with features that we'll never use. I didn't recommend the 1st or 2nd generation sticks, they were hacker-only affairs.

I do recommend the 3rd gen for those with some technical ability, though not for users who want plug-and-play. As I posted above, non-technical users are probably better off paying 4 times more for a product that requires less hand holding.

My point is your price argument rapidly falls apart for anything more than $35. Even you recognize this.

You aren't making an apple to apple comparison with the archos device. Great that you assign zero value to everything beyond the bare hardware but most people would appreciate some better QA and polish. When you take out these features you are barely at 2x the price for the QA and polish instead of your exaggerated "4 times more." Archos won't be the only brand but just the start and those prices will hit <$60 pricing. You mentioned HDMI passthrough / MPAA because even you can see the inevitable worthlessness once actual OEM's start making these. The chinese sticks are going to have to do something (most likely add sketchy features) or chase spec advancements to stay relevant.

Yes, absolutely! The low $35 price is the core of my argument. It's so cheap it's almost disposable, yet it does most of what devices costing over $100 more and does it well. When that Archos finally ships, I won't be surprised if stable, 3rd generation Android sticks are down to $20.

You say these devices overheat and are crap. You are wrong. Some of these $35 devices that are fully functional, don't overheat, have working WiFi and can play 1080p video all day long without issue. They don't fall apart, they don't need a lot of support, they just work.

Further, they are nearly $100 cheaper than the name-brand versions like that Archos. For a lot of folks, those name brand devices will offer no more functionality. Most won't use the webcam, the mic, the wired Ethernet port. For most folks, those features will be as useful as a built-in pancake flipper. They'll be paying for something they're not using.

Yes, the Chinese sticks will have to keep up with the feature race to stay relevant. Exactly which tech products don't have to do this? They may even adopt features that the name brand companies are too scared to adopt. As I posted above, the US Supreme Court made it absolutely clear that home recording is legal. The MPAA didn't like that ruling and continues to sue companies that make home recording devices. That doesn't make those features "sketchy", it's only a testament to the terribly outsized power of certain lobbyists in the US. FWIW, the US consumer tech industry is many, many, many times larger than all the member companies of the MPAA. The tail is very much wagging the dog.

Latin is there a reason why all of the mid to upper level Android devices come with at least dual core processors? Do you own a top flight Android device? If you follow Google and the Nexus line you will consistently hear about the true Android experience. A single core no longer provides this. I have read tons of comments about these 3Rd gen single core sticks and people are complaining about the Web browsing and lag scrolling from screen to screen. Plus the lack of ability to players advanced games. Remember the apps that come out are going to be more and more demanding.

Also when you really listen to the people who vouch for these things they usually don't have too much experience with Android and don't know what the true Android experience should be.

I'm on probably my 8th or 10th Android device, I've lost count. My current phone is the best, fastest Android phone on the market (IMHO), the Note II.

I know from good and bad Android experiences. Is a single core 3rd gen Chinese Android stick in any way comparable to a quad-core Exynos-powered Galaxy Note 2? No, Absolutely not.

As a tool for playing 1080p video is it equally functional? Yes, it Absolutely is, and at roughly 1/15th the cost of a Galaxy Note 2, it's a bargain. Which is my point. It's not an everything device, but for playing video, there's no difference. It does the job, it does the job well, and at a price nothing else can begin to touch.

Why get the Note 2 if price is more important than quality? There are a ton of lower level phones that could be had for less.

So how difficult it will be to use as game console? Like connecting ps3 controller and playing games at 1080p

I don't believe this one has Bluetooth so it wouldn't be too easy with a ps3 controller. They do have wireless controllers that should work with this though.

Because in this case, for this specific task, there is no difference in quality. Hardware accelerated 1080p video playback from a Galaxy Note 2 through an MHL cable looks identical to that from a $35 Android stick.

The Note 2 does a tremendous number of things better than this Android stick, playing 1080p video isn't one of them. That's my point, this isn't an everything device, but for playing video, the quality is identical and the price simply cannot be beat.

it is almost worth the extra $6 plus tax to get one of these in 2 days.

Wired Xbox 360 controllers work fine, as do a number of third party controllers. Though I really don't see the point in playing high-end 3D games on these sticks. Most gamers I know have many better ways to play FPS shooters and such when they're at home, and this is definitely an "at home" device.

That and many casual Android games are designed to use multi-touch, something that is best done on a touch screen. Multi-touch isn't even possible with most remotes or game controllers. Keep in mind that it takes a very fast Android processor to make games blown up to the size of a 40 inch TV look as good as those of a run of the mill PC or console. Even then, there isn't a large library of Android games designed for the faster, gamer friendly processors.

If you're away from home, Android phones and tablets are great ways to play games of all sorts. At home, they're great for casual games. Android devices attached to a TV? Stick or not, they're probably not going to deliver a great gaming experience, casual or hardcore, at least not yet.

(Now watch, as soon as I write this Google is probably planning a "Nexus Game" with an 8 core processor and a graphics chip as powerful as any current console to sell for $49 :))

These USB sticks are far better choice than PC or latops for several reasons:
1) no extra AC adapters lugging around,
2) no extra cables, can be plugged into the TV directly,
3) no extra antenas needed, can be controlled by phones directly to name a few.
4) Power savings

That's amazing that you could now watch videos on your TV but I thought the idea behind the sticks were to make dumb TVs smart. That's not really the case with a single core

Any idea which one is better? MX2 or MK808? Which site could you get the better one? Thanks.

i still have not received the MX2 that in4dealz sold last time. it's almost 6 weeks already. i shot them an email the past 3 days but no reply yet.

Of course a single-core stick makes a TV "smart". Clearly not as smart as you'd prefer, but smart nonetheless.

My dumb TV doesn't decode 1080p video all by itself. It needs some other piece of hardware do do that. A cable box, a BluRay player, a PVR. If I want to play videos that I've independently collected, none of those devices will do what this $35 stick will do.

Neither my TV, cable box, or bluray has a user accessible file system. None give me a way to display my own videos, to organize my own videos, to stream my own videos. Adding a $35 single-core MK802 ii gives it all of that ability, making the TV much smarter than it was before.

I have read tons of reviews and with the MX2 being identical to the MX1 (except the housing) I'd go with the MX series (either one).

The MK808 (on the geekbuying site) reads: Great News!! All of the MK808 sold by GeekBuying.com can support Real 1080P output, here is the newest firmware update instruction:

http://blog.geekbuying.com/index....e-release/

The MX1 already came with that built-in. The specs are very similar and the price point is what you may want to consider as well.

I can say I am very pleased with the MX1 but I would probably have been happy with the MK808 as well after updated all the firmware, etc.

Edit:

One concern I have about all of these tv sticks is the amount of time people say they are waiting for theirs. I don't know if the amount of time has to do with ordering directly from the site because they may be fulfilling the orders for Amazon 1st - As I stated in my post, 4 days after ordering, the unit was at my door. Also, I paid $90 or so for mine for getting the one with the remote.

Even ones without the remote (MX1) are still $15 more than the unit listed by the OP.

Read the reviews on Amazon for both units and make your selection that way. (evaluate the price point too) - I think this is an excellent price point and might get one for the other television in the house.

I wouldn't buy this. This has always been flloating around from 50-60 dollars. MX2 is also better as MK808 doesnt have bluetooth. The MK808 is also plagued with wifi issues rendering it completely useless without an ethernet adapter which is OK if you are using it near a router and have extra plugs.

Ordered from Amazon on friday, Got it in the mail today!

so can you browse the web and check email with this thing as long as I get a keyboard/mouse?

Beware geekbuying
 

I would be careful of buying from geekbuying.com. I ordered a camera from them that arrived broken, $45 return shipping later and I have no camera and they don't return any of my emails. Buyer beware!

Yes, I recommend the Logitech K400.

Also, FWIW, I bought this from geekbuy for $52 a while back and did receive my unit in a timely fashion. I rooted it and am going to install a custom rom whenever I get some time to mess with it.These are very handy little devices. Much better than messing with hooking a laptop up to your TV.

New lower price
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MK...07415.html

Has anyone been able to play silverlight/flash content at 720p/1080p smoothly on this thing? I'lve been looking for a solution, so far no luck- plays but extremely sluggish TIA

fortunately I have a nettop hooked up to my tv...but just wanted something basic and cheap I could give my parents for them to browse the web only... Just noticed your reply...thank you for that