Android Stick
 

Anybody seen these? Turn your HDTV into a smart TV.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...Aandroid+stick

They're all over the place like a rash. Now with Android 4.1, dual 1.6GHz processor. Wi-fi.

After tiring of the Raspberry Pi, I'm thinking of getting one of these to play with, maybe learn to write apps under Android. Maybe can get USB DAC to work with it, after singular lack of success with RPi.

Looks like the Justop K9 one has USB and SDHC connectors. Think I'll get a wireless mini keyboard/mouse to go with it

I wasn't aware of this option, but it appears that Amazon sells something similar here.

Amazon.com: Android 4.0 HDMI Mini PC Smart internet TV adaptor/dongle - RK3066 Dual Core 1.6Ghz CPU, WiFi N, HD 1080P UG802: Computers & Accessories

I would imagine an A9 dual core cortex might rather outdo the Pi in the performance department..

Search ebay for hd media player,, plenty of this at ebay... I have not tried one yet but ill try when funds allow, some has spdif optical outs, usb 2.0 usb3.0, ,, could be a great as a digital source

I had a single core android on a stick. I sold it about as soon as I got it. I kept my rc11 keyboard / airmouse - excellent device.

It was painfully slow... It replaced an apple tv... (jailbroken) ... that was just a pain in the ****.

I've got a media pc hooked up to my htr via hdmi. (best choice so far )

Newegg has an "Avatar APC 8750 v2 WM8750 Processor (ARMv6) ARM1176JZF @800Mhz Motherboard/CPU Combo" for $60. HDMI and VGA output, 4 USB ports, ethernet, and onboard sound of some sort. Although, for around the same price there's various ITX boards with much more powerful processors.

But the Cubieboard is around the same price and includes S/PDIF and SATA, although at the moment they are sold out:

I have the MK808. They are a mixed bag. A lot of potential but bad implementation. The software part was a disaster when I first bought it in the fall of 2012. Now it's getting a better with the help of the Android community. The "Finless Bob ROM" supports USB sound cards and I was able to run ODAC from it with a powered USB hub. 1080p video isn't quite there yet but it will soon be. There is a problem with the wifi on these sticks so they are not quite a media center solution at this point but surely getting there.

The best thing to do for now is monitor online forums like ArmTVTech and follow the development effort. Linux and XBMC are already running with some limits on these, there will be major tipping point when they overtake the market but it's just not here yet.

I think the RK3066 chip is very capable but I will wait for more stable hardware implementation. I would like features like self-powered full-size USB ports, built-in Bluetooth and wifi antennas so I'm looking more towards the TV-box size. More reputable companies like Xiaomi are coming out with such products and also there should be some great Development Boards with A15 chips soon.

QST, the Ham Radio magazine had a little article on the Cubieboard in the April issue. Another one was the Klastor UG802 which is supposed to plug into the USB port of HDTV - -being hacked by hams.