Category: Android

Build an Android Superbook with DisplayLink adapter

Uranus Zhou Android, Phone 11 Comments

About Superbook A couple of days ago, I saw an interesting Kickstarter project called Superbook. The Superbook is a shell that turns your Android smartphone into a laptop. It’s created by the Andromium team, backers have pledged more than eight hundred thousand dollars for this project. You should take a look at their Kickstarter project page: http://getsuperbook.com/ After reading the introduction of Superbook, I think it is kind of familiar with LapDock 100, which is launched by Motorola couple of years ago. While LapDock is designed for Motorola smartphones like ME865 or Atrix. If you want to use LapDock for other devices, then your device must be capable of USB Host/OTG and HDMI output function, also you need to prepare kinds of converter adapters/cables. The main features of Superbook includes: Support all Android smartphone with USB OTG function; 11.6” HD Display with 1366x768 resolution; 10 hours of battery, charge your phone when connected; Support Raspberry Pi and other MiniPC type devices; Multi-Touch trackpad & keyboard, also include an extra USB port; Access all data in Android phone (familiar with LapDock and ASUS PadFone Station). Your Android phone will switch to Andromium OS UI after it is connected to Superbook, Andromium OS also supports running multiple Android App in different windows, which really looks like Remix OS. After looking at Superbook’s technical details, I know it does not depend on smartphone’s HDMI or MHL video output function. Superbook is based on DisplayLink’s Android video output function, you can refer to DisplayLink for Android web page for more details. Now it seems that the biggest different between Superbook and Motorola Lapdock is: a DisplayLink USB graphic adapter is integrated into Superbook’s USB hub. USB graphic adapter starts working after it is connected to Android phone with USB OTG port, then Superbook can […]

Enable real 1080p support for MK809IV TV dongle

Uranus Zhou Android, Life 15 Comments

I purchased a MK809IV Android TV dongle for my living room TV last year, the fact proves that this is a wise decision. This TV dongle is made in China. It runs smoothly after I installed numbers of Android TV apps. Also, this TV dongle device is not affected by Chinese government’s prohibitions for internet TV box like device at all. The MK809IV dongle use Rockchip RK3188-T as its main processor, it has 2GB RAM and 8GB ROM space, which runs Android 4.4 operating system, and its wireless chipset supports 802.11 b/g/n and 2.4 GHz (kind of sad, because my router supports 802.11c 5GHz WiFi). The TV dongle is also called MK809IV red slider version in some website: As you can see, the main HDMI port is on the left, and there are Reset hole, MicroSD card slot, Micro USB power/OTG port from left to right at the bottom of TV dongle, there is also a standard USB port and a Micro USB host port on the right, the red slider in front is a movable wireless antenna. Since there are several different kinds of made in China MK809 Android TV dongle devices in the market, and I really can not find any manufacturer information on its package, so if you have any issue about this kind of device, maybe you can only contact the retailer. Recently I find a problem about this TV dongle is although I have select 1920x1080 video output resolution in Android settings, and the TV also shows input video resolution is 1080p, however, the screen resolution I see in some Android apps like AnTuTu Benchmark and XBMC media center is still 1280x720. Then I find out this problem is already reported by other MK809IV users, you can check out the details by watching this YouTube […]