Xadow GSM ＋ BLE VS LinkIt ONE
Here is a brief comparison between RePhone Core Module (Xadow Core Module) and LinkIt ONE. It seems that Xadow core module is the little brother of LinkIt ONE, both of them are built in the same processor Mediatek MT2502. The slimmer black guy is more than a inherit of the lovely green guy, but, ahhh… something more?
| Xadow GSM + BLE | LinkIt ONE | |
| Microcontroller | MT2502 | MT2502 |
| MCU Core | 32-bit ARM7EJ-STM RISC processor, 260MHZ | 32-bit ARM7EJ-STM RISC processor |
| RAM | 4 MB | 4 MB |
| Flash Memory | 16 MB | 16 MB |
| Power Supply | 3.3 ~ 4.2V(no SIM)/3.5 ~ 4.2V(with SIM) | 3.7~4.2V Li-battery |
| Power Consumption | 20mW/30mW/52mW @ standby(no radio)/standby(GSM)/standby(BT) | 0.3~3mA DC Current Per I/O Pin |
| Communications | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz |
| Communications | GPRS Class 12 modem | GPRS Class 12 modem |
| Communications | Bluetooth BR／EDR／BLE（Dual Mode） | Bluetooth BR／EDR／BLE（Dual Mode） |
| Communications | None | Wifi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Positioning | None | GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU |
| Connectors | 35 PIN Connector & 11 PIN Connector for Xadow Modules; JST 1.0 Connector for the battery | Pin-out similar to Arduino boards, compatible with Grove 4-pin interface |
| Interfaces | LCD, Audio, I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIOs etc | Digital I/O, Analog I/O, PWM, I2C, SPI, UART and power supply, Audio |
| Storage | None | SD Card, up to 32GB |
| Dimensions | 25.37mm × 20.30mm / 1” × 0.8” | 3.3 x 2.1 inches |
| Software | Arduino IDE，Eclipse IDE，Lua，JavaScript，Building RePhone Applications on Mac OS X，RePhone APIs for Arduino，RePhone Kit Create Source Code，RePhone SDK | Support Arduino‘s C－like language， Arduino Sketches，LinkIt ONE API，Windows XP，Vista7/8 ／10 and Apple Mac 10.09 and 10.10 |
The quite obvious difference between Xadow GSM + BLE and LinkIt ONE in HARDWARE is that Xadow GSM ＋ BLE has less connectivities and Storage, except those interfaces. If you don’t need any more functionalities for building up your project and take consider on the cost, Xadow Core module will be your preferable choice as it only integrates GSM/GPRS and BLE with an absolutely enhanting price － $19.
Beyond the core module, there are 8 chainable add-on modules to extend features and functionalities – Xadow 1.54’’ Touchscreen, Xadow Audio, Xadow GSM Breakout, Xadow LED 5×7, Xadow Basic Sensors, Xadow Duino, Xadow GPS v2 and Xadow NFC v2. You can use the plug-n-play FPC cable to connect all these modules easily and flexibly, reducing your cycle on building wearables, comunications and IoT projects. I will introduce Xadow GPS v2， Xadow Duino and the related kits in my next article. In terms of LinkIt ONE, its 8-in-1 features is fit for development and evaluation when building up prototypes.
Another obvious difference in software is that Xadow GSM ＋ BLE provides much more richful development environment for wide range of software engineers, like Arduino IDE, Eclipse IDE, Lua and Javascript.
In comparison with LinkIt ONE, RePhone provides a preferable way to prototype your wearables or Internet of Things(IoT) idea because of the designing of open source modular hardware. The RePhone modules can be inserted as standard embedded modules in your finished product especially portable devices, or as the control unit. Whether you are building a smart control communication device for your dog, Smart Cookers or DJ gesture-controlling device, Xadow GSM + BLE is your personal starting line. Post your voice via #rephone on Twitter
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