It features a one gigahertz single core processor, one gigabyte of ddr3 ram (there are 512 megabyte versions available but this article concerns the higher ram one gigabyte model), a Mali 400 gpu (despite some sellers listing it as an AMD gpu it is actually the better quality Mali that is actually used), 802.11 b g and n wifi, micro sd card slot (supporting up to thirty two gigabytes of additional storage space) and two USB ports (one standard and one smaller usb port for USB On The Go devices).
Using the stick is easy enough, attach the hdmi cable between the stick and your tv, then plug a controller into the usb port (ideally a wireless keyboard and mouse, although you can buy some remote controls that will also work). After this you simply plug in the power lead and about a minute later the mk is up and running and ready for use.You will no doubt have heard that this is a perfect way to make a "dumb" tv into a "smart" one but just what does that mean in practice?
Well it means that your tv can now, thanks to the stick, do all the things that a high priced internet enabled smart tv can do and surprisingly, despite the fact that you can buy one of these for less than fifty pounds, it does so quite well. It's not without its problems however, and there are drawbacks. The biggest of which is the lack of a power button. Yes, that does mean you can only turn it on or off by connecting or disconnecting the power lead.
However while disconnecting the power suddenly can, in theory, damage the device (because it doesn't give time to close down the operating system first) you can in, reality, get round this by using a free app such as "real reboot" which will tell the device to reboot.
Using this, when the screen goes off and is about to restart (some tv's will also say "no signal") you pull the power and it has the same effect as performing a proper shutdown, meaning there is then no chance of it causing problems.
Another drawback is the small size of the unit. Because it generates heat this can build up and after three or four hours watching movies this could be a worry for some, although in practice it shouldn't be much of a problem unless you plan on say a twelve hour movie marathon or gaming session. Certainly after a good four hours of solid use it does get very warm but never to a point that it causes any problems and it's the price you pay for having a lot of power in this form factor.
But don't assume this Android stick is bad, there is a lot to like about the MK802. It runs all the expected apps that a decent smart tv would run (NetFlix, Ebay, Amazon for example) but also a lot more that they couldn't, which makes it a handy thing to have around.
Email, web browsing, streaming media from YouTube Netflix or Hulu, this will do all of these with ease but it will also play pretty much any file format you can think of thanks to the use of android apps such as VLC or the built in media player which easily copes with a wide range of tasks such as playing full hd 3D video for example.
It comes with Angry Birds Space installed, should you fancy playing a game or two, and will handle similar casual games (such as TileStorm HD) but the single core cpu is not going to be enough for serious gaming fans, so don't buy this expecting to play DeadSpace or Nova 3 any time soon although some people are running Dead Trigger quite well on it so some higher end games clearly are more ok with it than others.
Speaking of games, it runs the MAME emulator app (available free from the Play store) very well. You can use a wireless mouse or keyboard to control MAME, or use a usb joypad plugged into a usb hub, and I have to admit that playing your favourite arcade games on a big screen is definitely one of the perks of owning the MK802.
Of course another perk is that, being portable, you can take this with you. An Android computer that fits in your pocket isn't something you expect to find, at least not for a low price, but thanks to advances in technology (and mass production) it's here to stay.
Should you mess anything up on the 802 (which you won't unless, like me, you decide to poke around with system files) it's a breeze to put right. In less than five minutes you can re install the whole operating system using a Windows computer connected via usb, you can also simply install updates over the top of the existing operating system when they are released in the same way so that you keep everything intact (your apps and settings, for example) but still get the benefit of updated features from new firmware updates.
And that is one more good thing about the MK802 over similar devices, it is supported with updates whereas many android pc sticks are simply sold and then abandoned with no updates. Only this week an update added features such as a 3D video player and full 1080p output while fixing a few software bugs along the way.
The MK802 runs apps well, including some emulators, and plays a wide variety of decent Android games. It comes pre installed with the official Android app store as well as a very good media player that supports a surprisingly large number of video and audio formats and of course the aforementioned 3D video player.
If you fancy getting your hands on one you can do so here or if you want to know more, or get help with the MK802, you can always check the forum at the Rikomagic website.
