Jide Technology, the company known for creating the Android for PCs that Google should’ve made years ago, announced a new 2-in-1 tablet called the Remix Pro that comes with the Android “Marshmallow”-based Remix OS 3.0.
For many years, Android failed on PCs and notebooks because it didn’t have an interface for the larger display format. Google also didn’t seem to give this idea too much attention, possibly because it knew that if it did, it would’ve made Android a director competitor to Chrome OS.
Jide redesigned Android to have a better user interface for the desktop environment and to allow Android applications, whether optimized for phones or tablets, to work naturally in the Remix OS windows. This made Android, perhaps for the first time, an appealing solution for PCs. Earlier this year, Jide also partnered with the Android-x86 project so it could significantly expand the compatibility with other existing PCs.
Google recently announced that it has found a way to put the Android framework inside a container so that all Android applications can work inside Chrome OS, without any performance penalty and without developers having to significantly modify their apps to work on Chrome OS.
This makes the case for Remix OS more difficult going forward. However, so far the Chrome OS/Android integration is just a promise, and it remains to be seen how well Google executes on that idea.
In the meantime, Jide continues to launch new devices and create partnerships with other device makers to support Remix OS.
Remix Pro 2-in-1
The Remix Pro is Jide’s second-generation productivity tablet, as well as the first device to support the Android Marshmallow-based Remix OS 3.0. The Remix Pro is a high-resolution tablet with an eight-core Snapdragon processor, 3GB of RAM and dual-band Wi-Fi. It will be released on the Chinese market first, while its international availability will be confirmed at a later date.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Remix Pro |
|---|---|
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 8-core processor |
| GPU | Qualcomm® Adreno 510 GPU |
| Memory | 3GB LPDDR3 RAM |
| Storage | 32GB eMMC internal storage; microSD slot supports up to 256GB storage expansion |
| Screen | 12 Full-HD Retina IPS 10-point touch screen; 2160x1440p |
| Cameras | 5MP front/8MP rear |
| Connectivity | WLAN with 2.4Ghz/5Ghz duo frequency supports 802.11a/b/g /n/ac protocols, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi Direct |
| Dimensions & weight | 207mm x 289.5mm x 6.9mm; 640g |
| Power | Supports quick charge; 9,000 mAh |
Acer Aspire ES1-131
Acer is one of Jide’s first major partners, and together they will be working on porting Remix OS to the Intel-based Acer Aspire ES1-131 notebook. Jide believes that the work the two companies will do on porting the OS to this notebook will also improve Remix OS for other computers.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Acer Aspire ES1-131 |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Celeron N3150/4-core/1.60GHz |
| Memory | 4GB RAM |
| Storage | 500GB internal storage |
| Screen | 11.6” 1366 x 768 |
| Connectivity | Gigabit Ethernet; WLAN 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Dimensions & weight | 291mm x 211mm x 21.2mm; 1.25kg |
Remix OS PC Box OEM Solution
Jide also launched the second generation Remix OS PC box, which targets PC OEMs interested in selling their own Remix OS PCs. The key specifications can be seen in the table below:
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Remix OS PC box |
|---|---|
| CPU | Amlogic S905/4-core/64 Byte/ARM Cortex - A53/2GHz |
| Memory | 1GB/2GB DDR3 |
| Storage | 8GB/16GB eMMC; microSD slot (up to 128GB memory expansion) |
| Operating system | Remix OS 3.0 (based on Android 6.0); OTA support |
| Connectivity | 802.11.b/g/n 2.4G |
| Ports | Ethernet (100Mps); BT 4.0; 2x USB Type A; HDMI 2.0 supports up to 4K @60fps |
| Supported codecs & formats | MPEG/VMA/WAV/AAC/AMR/MIDI; JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG/WEBP |
| Video output | MPEG – 1/2/4, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MVC, VC-1, Motion JPEG/H.265 4Kx2K @60fps/H.264 4Kx2K @30fps/MVC, VP8 2160P@30fps |
AOC Mars All-In-One
There will be three all-in-one PCs running Remix OS, with screen sizes of 22-, 24-, and 32 inches, respectively. The company had already unveiled the 24" version at CES Asia 2016.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | AOC Mars All-in-One PC |
|---|---|
| CPU | Amlogic S905/4-core/64 Byte/ARM Cortex - A53/2GHz |
| GPU | 5-core/ARM Mali 450/750MHz |
| Memory | 2GB RAM |
| Storage | 16GB/64GB internal storage |
| Screen | 22”/24”/32” Full HD @60Hz |
| Connectivity | Ethernet; WiFi |
| Ports | 4 USB 2.0 (32” - 3 USB 2.0), 1 HDMI, Audio out, 2 built in speakers |
| Weight | 3.9kg |
Android-x86 Founder Joins Jide
Because the Remix OS and Android-x86 projects got so close recently, it seems Android-x86 project’s founder will be moving to work in-house at Jide Technologies as its x86 Technology Lead.
“2016 has been an incredibly exciting year for Jide Technology, highlighted by the launch of Remix OS for PC and the several quality partners that we have been fortunate to announce,” said Jide Technology CEO and co-founder Jeremy Chau. “When we first started out more than 2 years ago, no one quite got what we were trying to achieve. Now, companies and brands that we have always admired are reaching out to us. It’s a win-win situation as we continue to push the capabilities of Android PCs,” he added.
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware. You can follow him at @lucian_armasu.
