Tag: Obscure

The obscure little PC that wanted to be a big NAS — super compact Maiyunda M1 doesn’t cost that much, offers up to 40TB SSD storage, runs Windows and has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date April 24, 2024
No Comments on The obscure little PC that wanted to be a big NAS — super compact Maiyunda M1 doesn’t cost that much, offers up to 40TB SSD storage, runs Windows and has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports

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At first glance, the Maiyunda M1 doesn’t look all that special. It’s a mini PC with a large on/off button on the front, alongside a TF card slot, a USB 3.0 port, and two USB 2.0 ports. On the rear, there are HDMI 2.0 and DP ports to allow the device to drive two screens simultaneously (4K/60Hz). There are also four 2.5GbE RJ45 ports plus two additional USB 2.0 slots.

With dimensions of just 165 x 147.5 x 59mm, not including the 52mm leg pads, the M1 with its all-aluminum shell looks like any mini PC, and even its manufacturer describes it as “unassuming”.

But the Maiyunda M1 has something that sets it apart from the competition – four quick release NVMe SSD slots on the front (behind a fascia) so you can add additional drives without having to open the enclosure. The M1 can also hold an internal 2280 NVMe SSD, bringing the total amount of available storage to 40TB.

Choice of processors

At the heart of the M1 is either an Intel N100 or Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N processor and the device comes with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM upgradeable to 32GB.

The manufacturer claims the M1 can handle temperatures of 0°C to +70°C and withstand humidity levels of 5%-85%.

Although it runs Windows, the creators say it supports a variety of other systems, including Linux, Proxmox VE, ESXI, Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Unraid, and OMV (OpenMediaVault).

The M1 is currently only available in China sadly, where it retails for a very reasonable 1380 CNY (about $190) on Taobao. There’s no information yet on the price differences between the various configuration options.

Maiyunda M1 Front

(Image credit: Maiyunda)

Maiyunda M1 Rear

(Image credit: Maiyunda)

Obscure $10 billion chip firm you never heard of finally delivers crucial tech for AI future — Astera Labs showcased its Aries 6 PCIe retimer board as it targets future Nvidia HGX boards

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Astera Labs, a relatively unknown semiconductor company with a $10 billion market value, recently showed off its new Aries 6 PCIe retimer board, which it is now sampling to leading AI and cloud infrastructure providers.

Due to the high-speed data transfer within the PCIe interface, the signals can suffer from degradation, especially over longer distances or due to interference. A PCIe retimer helps maintain the data signal integrity over the PCIe interface by cleaning, reshaping, and retransmitting the data signals.

The Aries 6 retimers, the first in Astera Labs’ PCIe 6.x portfolio, offer robust, low power, and efficient PCIe 6.x and CXL 3.x connectivity, squarely aimed at catering to the networking requirements of next-generation GPUs, accelerators, CPUs, and CXL memory controllers.

3x the reach

Based on Intel‘s Retimer Supplemental Specification, the new Aries 6 retimers build upon the company’s widely deployed PCIe 5.0 retimer portfolio and reportedly extend reach distance by three times the standard rate.

Casey Morrison, Chief Product Officer, Astera Labs, said, “PCIe 6.x technology’s superior bandwidth is required to handle data-intensive workloads and to maximize utilization of AI accelerators, but the faster speeds introduce new signal integrity issues in hyperscale platforms. Aries Smart DSP Retimers have set the gold standard for addressing critical PCIe/CXL connectivity challenges with a solid track record of robust performance and seamless interoperability. We’re proud that our third generation of Aries Retimers with support for PCIe 6.x, PCIe 5.x, and CXL 3.x have now been sampled to leading AI and cloud platform providers.”

ServeTheHome took a first look at Astera Labs’s new portfolio at Nvidia GTC 2024 (see the photograph above) and observed that the “Aries 6 was linked at PCIe Gen6 x16 speeds at 10-11W of power consumption. That is a big deal since it is lower than Broadcom is claiming with its new retimers.“

Many major AI firms are excited about the imminent arrival of Astera Labs’ new generation Aries Smart DSP Retimers. Raghu Nambiar, Corporate Vice President, Data Center Ecosystems and Solutions, AMD, said, “Our close collaboration with Astera Labs on PCIe technologies ensures our customers’ platforms continue to meet the higher bandwidth connectivity requirements of next-generation AI and HPC workloads,” while Brian Kelleher, Senior Vice President of GPU Engineering, Nvidia, added, “Astera Labs’ new Aries Smart DSP Retimers with support for PCIe 6.2 will help enable higher bandwidth to optimize utilization of our next-generation computing platforms.”

Forget the PlayStation Portal, this console modder turned an obscure PS1 controller into a pocket-size handheld

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date April 10, 2024
No Comments on Forget the PlayStation Portal, this console modder turned an obscure PS1 controller into a pocket-size handheld

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Console modder Hairo Satoh has posted a video to Instagram that appears to show a working PlayStation gaming handheld constructed from an obscure PS1 controller.

As explained by IGN, this isn’t the first time that Satoh has tinkered with gaming tech. His Instagram profile is filled with photos or videos showing off interesting creations ranging from a custom Tamagotchi mobile phone to an incredibly bizarre looking Game Boy Advance SP with two folding displays.

This latest creation, which Satoh describes as a “PS1 on the go,” appears to be built using the obscure Takara Roulette Controller. In addition to many of the usual PlayStation controller buttons, the Takara Roulette Controller, which was released exclusively in Japan, originally featured a prominent color spinner that was used to play the PS1 version of The Game of Life.

Satoh seems to have managed to replace this spinner with a small color display that shows a functional emulator, presumably alongside plenty of internal changes to run it. Combined with working controls, it seems to be a fully-fledged handheld video game console. He even posted some short clips showing the handheld in action, playing through the first few moments of PlayStation titles like Resident Evil 3 and Mega Man 8.

In another post he detailed some of the device’s specs, which includes USB-C charging, a memory card slot, left and right triggers, a volume wheel, and dual stereo speakers. It’s clear that the handheld is a personal project, but its apparent offline functionality does pose an interesting point of comparison to Sony’s latest official handheld, the PlayStation Portal.

While Satoh’s pocket-size custom creation seems like it would be perfect to take out and about, the PS Portal is a remote play device that requires a constant internet connection to use. While this limitation might be disappointing for some, we still think the PS Portal has plenty of merit. Our review praised its comfortable ergonomic design, not to mention the seamless performance when you’re connected to a high-speed internet connection.

Obscure Chinese tablet maker quietly unveiled a tablet with a sought-after feature no other tablet vendor dare launch — a 4K display that not even Apple, Google or Samsung can match

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Doogee has unveiled a low cost tablet with a surprising selling point. The Doogee T30 Max, a new and upgraded version of the firm’s T30 series tablet, sports a 12.4 inch IPS 4K Display. Yes, 4K.

That’s an impressive achievement for any tablet, let alone one retailing for $329 (or $296 when you apply the 10% off coupon code available on the website). For comparison, Apple‘s iPad Pro has a slightly larger screen (12.9 inch) and a resolution of 2732 x 2048 pixels or 2.7K. We recently reported on NEC’s LAVIE Tab T14 which we said had “probably the highest ever resolution on a tablet”, and even that only manages 3000 x 1876 (QHD+) and costs nearly $1,000.

Doogee T30 Max has an 87.5% high screen ratio, and is reasonably thin at just 7.9mm. For comparison again, the iPad Pro is 6.4mm thick.

Android 14

Doogee’s new tablet runs on Android 14 and is powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 Octa Core processor. This comprises two high performance Arm Cortex-A76 processors clocking up to 2.2GHz, and an Arm Mali G57-class GPU. The tablet comes with up to 20GB DDR4X RAM (8GB plus up to 12GB Extended RAM), and 512GB of storage (plus up to 2TB expansion).

The Doogee T30 Max features a 10800mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging.

There’s an AI dual camera setup (50MP+2MP) and a 20MP front shooter. It also supports face unlock and side fingerprint recognition.

In addition, the device has received TÜV SÜD blue light certification and conforms to High-Resolution Audio standards defined by the Japan Audio Association. It also supports a 4096 level active capacitive pen and a docking plug-in interface for a magnetic keyboard connection.

The Doogee T30 Max is encased in a nano injection molded one-piece shell with a leather texture rear and comes in black, khaki, and green. It’s available for pre order now with shipping expected to start on April 1 for all regions except the EU/UK, where buyers will have to wait until April 30th.

Obscure Chinese brand launches laptop that may have a better battery life than the MacBook Pro — Core Ultra 7 totting Megabook T16 Pro has record-breaking 99.9WHr battery, up to 22 hours on a single charge

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Tecno Mobile, while not widely known outside of China, does have a reputation for making high-quality devices at competitive prices. The company’s new 16 inch Megabook T16 Pro 2024 Ultra laptop, which was first revealed at this year’s MWC 2024, comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (a fresh release from December 2023), paired with Arc mobile GPU. If you don’t need all that power, there’s a version with an Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU.

Tecno Mobile says Megabook T16 Pro can deliver 65 watts of performance, and cooling is provided by the company’s proprietary “Ice Storm” advanced thermal management system.

The laptop comes with a choice of 32GB or 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1TB PCIE 4.0 SSD, with a 512GB option for those looking to spend less. The laptop’s 16-inch, 2.5k display offers a 16:10 ratio and delivers 100% of the sRGB color gamut, making it suitable for both work and entertainment.

Long battery life

Megabook T16 Pro has a 180° hinge, so you can lay the screen down flat, and a fingerprint reader for security. There’s a starry backlit keyboard and elevated touchpad, and it comes with Windows 11.

The highlight of the T16 Pro, however, is its battery, which has a capacity of 99.99Wh and comes with a 100W GaN super-fast charging (promising 50% charge in just 30 minutes). This battery reportedly allows users to work or play for up to 22 hours on a single charge, which is very impressive if true.

Apple says its MacBook Pro 16-inch 2023 can match that, but in tests Tom’s Hardware found it managed just under 19 hours – which is still fantastic, but maybe not as good as its new rival claims it can achieve. We’ll have to wait to find out.

Pricing and availability are currently unknown, but it’s expected to arrive some time in Q2.