All-in-one PC by stefan @ 2012-12-19
Brando Workshop has now available a dual-core Android mini-PC which connects directly to the HDMI port of our TV and offers decent performances in multimedia applications, but also in games. The product can be powered by the adapter that came with the device, but also from a spare USB port from the back of our TV.
At first I would like to thank Brando Workshop for sending a sample of their Jesurun Dual-Core Android 4.1 Thumb PC for testing and reviewing.
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Operating System: Android 4.1
Processor Frequency: Dual Core A9 RK3066 1.6GHz
GPU: Mali-400
Memory: DDR3 1GB
Storage: 8GB
Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth: v3.1
Memory Card Type: micro SD(HC), up to 32GB
External HDD: Up to 500GB
Audio Formats: DTS, AC3, LPCM, FLAC, HE-AAC
Video Formats: MKV, TS, TP, M2TS, RM/RMVB, BD-ISO, AVI, MPG, VOB, DAT, ASF, TRP, FLV
Video Codecs: MPEG-1
Picture Formats: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
Subtitle Formats: MicroDVD [.sub]
Output Resolution: 1080P
HDMI: 1.4
USB: USB2.0
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse: 2.4GHz
Video Output: HDMI
Audio Output: HDMI
Language: Multi-language
Dimension: 97 x 39 x 9mm (approx.)
Weight: 38g
Jesurun Dual-Core Bluetooth Android 4.1 Thumb PC
AC Adapter (100~240V, 50/60Hz 0.5A, 5V/2A
HDMI Extension Short Cable
The Android HDMI mini-PC we've got from Brando is shipped in a small cardboard enclosure, with the OS well known emblem, along with the product name placed on the top:
On the lateral we'll locate another pictogram, telling us that the product has a 2-core CPU and a 4-core GPU:
The box is not sealed and can be opened really easy; we will uncover the main product, which is also covered with a thin film for additional protection:
The mini-PC looks like a large USB flash drive, with a stylish aluminum chassis; on one of the sides we will find one Android TV logo, but also pictograms of the supported technologies:
On its buttom we'll get to see one microUSB port for power and a regular USB port for connecting peripherals and/or storage devices:
The left side comes with a secondary microUSB port for connecting the device to our computer (through it we can also supply power to the device, but it is not enough when plugging in storage devices), along with a microSD card slot:
The back side of the device is plain:
On the front we'll find the HDMI port, along with a small "Reset" button orifice:
The device also comes with accessories comprised of a power adapter, one HDMI extender cable, a microUSB to USB adapter cable, along with a regular USB cable:
The shipped power adapter is rated on the output 5V, 2000mA; it is not mandatory to use this adapter, but we can also use a spare USB port in the back of our LCD TV to power the product:
The mini-PC also ships with a guide with instructions:
The mini-PC comes with two launchers, one being the standard ICS and the other more centered to Media Center use; we will first cover the standard launcher and then go back to the other one. On the desktop we can spot the analog clock widget along with another one which allows us to turn on/off WiFi or Bluetooth functions. Through the regular Android 4.1 stock apps, we can also find eHomeMediaCenter and a proprietary Explorer application:
Besides them, we can also see Chrome preinstalled, Google Maps, Movie Studio and two Settings icons that are used by the other launcher:
Going to the Settings menu, we can spot the regular Wireless and Network section, through which we can configure the connectivity options. Ethernet is present, even if the interface is not available as hardware:
Some interface options remain available from the mobile phones and tablets:
The USB menu has only one option available and is named "Connect to PC":
Some options regarding sound can be customized in the next menu:
The Display Menu contains options regarding the wallpaper setting and font size:
Further, we can adjust the screen scale, set the output interface or the HDMI mode:
Here are the resolutions that we can set from the interface:
The Storage menu will inform us how many space we have left to install applications or store different other multimedia content. As we can see, we have quite a lot of NAND flash available for the apps:
The Apps tab will show the currently installed applications and how much storage they occupy:
The Location services options can be customized from the next tab:
The same thing goes for the Security tab and Language & Input tabs:
From the Backup & Reset menu, we'll be able to revert the device to the factory settings; however, we will not lose the apps that are built into the firmware itself:
Next, we have the self-explanatory Date & Time and Accessibility menus:
The Developer options menu has quite a few options that we can set and is more complex compared to the Toucan SX:
Finally, we have the About Device menu, where we can find out the model code name, Android version number, kernel build and build number:
Now let's go back to the eHomeMediaCenter application we mentioned earlier. What can we do with it you may ask? Well, with it it is possible to set up a Media Server or play media content from the compatible devices on our network:
The Media Server section allows us to add folders that would be broadcasted inside the network:
The Media Player tab will detect the DLNA devices which will able to serve content to the mini-PC:
The software also comes with some options that we can customize:
The preinstalled Explorer application is really easy to use and with it we can explore the internal file system, along with the installed SD card, USB devices or network computers:
As we said earlier, the device allows us to choose from two different launchers; here is the intro screen of the first one where we can choose what multimedia content we should proceed to view next like video, music or photos, or launch one of the preinstalled applications; the bottom buttons are just redirects at those websites:
Here are some snapshots from the Video and Music and Apps:
The launcher also comes with the Setting menu, from which we can customize the options that were also available inside the standard interface:
The System Information icon will show us details regarding the Version, Storage and Network:
We can also modify different other settings from the Settings menu:
As before, to test out the performances of the mini-PC, we have installed some freeware benchmark applications from the Google Play Store in the internal memory (did not transfer them to the Sdcard). Afterwards, the applications were ran one-by-one, and we recorded the final results; the obtained scores were also compared with the dual-core Samsung Galaxy S2 mobile phone and the previously tested Toucan SX, for observing the performance differences. For an unknown reason, Mobile GPU Mark refused to run on our Rockchip-based mini-PC so we have replaced the suite with GLBenchmark 2.5, the Egypt test.
The Jesurun mini-PC has arrived with the OS unrooted but we succeeded to perform the root procedure after carefully searching a modified version of SuperOneClick. Right from the beginning, the dual-core mini-PC seemed noticeable faster compared to the iconBIT Toucan SX and the installed applications have loaded right away. The additional launcher seemed too bulky for us and we have decided to use the standard ICS one instead while conducting the testing.
Most of the video players ran without a hitch and BSPlayer ran from the start in hardware mode, which allowed flawless 1080P playback. XBMC for Android is still no go, the video playback is not optimal, even if the menu navigation is flawless.
We have also tried to run Angry Birds and found out that it can be played with no issues with the mouse, but also a more 3D complex game, Death Rally Free, which ran good but would require a better controller.
Since the mini-PC is equipped with a single USB port, we would recommend acquiring an active USB hub if we are aiming to connect to it a wired USB keyboard, mouse and maybe also an USB HDD.
The product is decently priced at $70 and it can be bought from the Brando Workshop online store.
I would like to thank again to Brando Workshop for making this review possible!