ECS (Elitegroup Computer Systems) is a Taiwanese company that has been offering mini PCs for several years now. Last year they announced their ‘pocket-sized’ model the LIVA Q. Originally featuring Apollo Lake SoCs it has now been upgraded and renamed as the LIVA Q2 and offers a choice of Gemini Lake SoCs. The distinguishing feature of the LIVA Q series however is the form-factor. Compared with Intel Compute ‘stick’ PCs and Intel NUC ‘mini’ PCs the LIVA Q2 is a ‘micro’ PC. This micro PC is like a minimalist mini PC that includes just the minimum number of useful ports namely a couple of USB ports (3.1 and 2.0) on one side, a micro SD card slot on another and finally an HDMI (2.0) and gigabit Ethernet at the rear. The resultant micro PC is beautifully small consisting of a 70mm (2.76″) square case by 33.4mm (1.31”) tall which can […]
Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X Mini PC Review with Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.10
Pepper Jobs is a new company led by Ken Wong who was formerly MINIX’s product director and defined many innovative products such as NEO-X series Android media hubs and NEO-Z series Intel-based mini PCs. The first Pepper Jobs designed and released mini PC is the GLK-UC2X targeting small business, 4K home theater, and living room use with an emphasis on low power and great savings on electricity bills. The GLK-UC2X contains an Intel Celeron N4100 Processor Gemini Lake SOC which is a quad-core processor bursting up to 2.40 GHz together with the Intel UHD Graphics 600 processor that is capable of 4K support at 60Hz. It physically consists of an approximately 139mm (5.5″) square case about 33mm (1.3”) tall with a side panel that includes the power button, a couple of USB ports, a Type C USB port and a micro SD card slot with the rest of the ports […]
Zotac Pico PI470 Amber Lake Mini PC is Powered by Intel Core i7-8500Y Processor
Intel announced Core-Y series “Amber Lake” processors last August. The new 5W SoC are designed for laptops and 2-in-1 hybrids with built-in Gigabit WiFi, and optional LTE cellular connectivity. But that does not mean they cannot be used in other form factors, and Zotac is showcasing their tiny ZBOX Pico PI470 mini PC powered by Intel Core i7-8500Y dual core / quad thread processor at CES 2019. Zotac Pico PI470 specifications: SoC – Intel Core i7-8500Y dual core quad thread Amber Lake-Y processor clocked at 1.5 GHz (base) / 4.2 GHz (turbo) with 4MB cache, Intel HD Graphics 615; 5W TDP System Memory – 4GB LPDDR3 memory Storage – 32GB eMMC storage, micro SD/SDHC/SDXC card reader Video Output – HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 Audio – HDMI audio output, 3.5mm headphone jack Networking & Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5 USB – 3x USB 3.0 ports including 1x […]
PIPO X3 Windows Mini PC / PoS Integrates a Thermal Printer
PIPO has launched several Windows 10 mini PC with a built-in touchscreen display suitable for PoS (Point of Sale) applications. You just had to connect your own thermal printer and/or barcode scanner. It now appears the company has taken their Atom x5 based PIPO X12 model and redesigned a case around the main board to integrate a thermal printer to print receipts. Meet PIPO X3. PIPO X3 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8350 “Cherry Trail” quad-core processor @ 1.44 GHz / 1.92 GHz (Turbo) with Intel HD graphics 400 System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 32 GB flash, and micro SD slot up to 64GB Display – 8.9″ PLS display with 1920×1200 resolution Video Output – HDMI 1.4a output Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack, built-in stereo speaker. Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet ports, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.0 with external antenna USB – 3x USB […]
ZOTAC PI225-GK Ultrathin Mini PC Gets a Gemini Lake Upgrade for $230
Zotac PI225 mini PC was launched last year with an Intel Celeron N3350 dual core “Apollo Lake” processors, and its main feature was its form factor, as the computer is about the size and thickness of a standard 2.5″ SSD. Linuxium reviewed Zotac ultrathin mini PC with both Windows 10 and Ubuntu, and found out Turbo mode was disabled by default in BIOS in order to keep temperature in check. So the form factor did cost some performance to the system compared to similar specced but thicker computers. The company showcased the similar Pi226 mini PC at CES 2018 last January with a faster Celeron N4000 dual core Gemini Lake processor, and finally it’s now available as Pico Pi225-GK (ZBOX-PI225-GK-W2B) on Tiger Direct and some other resellers for about $230 plus shipping. Pico Pi225-GK specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N4000 dual core “Gemini Lake” processor @ 1.1 / 2.6 GHz […]
$100 Laptop Shell to Support Smartphones, USB Type-C PC Sticks, and SBCs (Crowdfunding)
Launched in 2011, Motorola Lapdock turned the company’s Atrix 4G smartphone into an Android laptop, but it did not end up being a commercial success so the company stopped manufacturing the laptop shell a few years ago. It is still used by hobbyist for example to create their own DIY Raspberry Pi laptop, and in recent years, with phoned getting much more powerful and desktop support for Android improving, lookalikes have been launched such as NextDock or Mirabook. A new option will soon be available, as Charbax known for his armdevices.net website and YouTube channel has just launched an Indiegogo campaign for a $100 Lapdock. Two models will be available with Lapdock 11.6″, and Lapdock 14.1″ referring to their size, but sadly no other specifications were provided for the display. We still know they’ll work with Samsung Dex / Linux on Dex modes, Huawei PC mode, and basically any device […]
VIA ALTA DS 3 Edge AI system Features Snapdragon 820E Processor
VIA has recently introduced ALTA DS 3 Edge AI system, a mini PC for the retail market powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820E processor, and targeting intelligent digital signage, kiosk, and access control devices that require real-time image and video capture, processing, and display capabilities. VIA Alta DS 3 Edge AI system specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 820E quad core 64-bit Kryo CPU processor @ up to 2.15 GHz, Adreno 530 GPU @ 624 MHz supporting OpenGL ES 3.1/GEP, GL4.4, DX11.3/4, OpenCL 2.0, Renderscript-Next System Memory – 4GB POP LPDDR4 RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash memory, M.2 slot for M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (PCIe 1 Lane), SD card slot Video Output – 2x HDMI ports: one HDMI 2.0 port and one HDMI 1.4 port via dual DSI to HDMI converter Video Playback – H.264, H.265 (HEVC 8/10-bit) video decoding up to 4K@60fps Audio – WCD9335 Audio Codec; 3.5mm Line OUT […]
Alfawise T1 Gemini Lake Mini PC Offered for $150 (Promo)
Gemini Lake mini PCs have been around for a while, but not quite at the price most expected, that is roughly the same as Apollo Lake, possibly due to shortages of Intel’s entry level processors. So for example, I had yet to see any Gemini Lake computers for under $150, with with Black Friday taking place now, GearBest decided to offer Alfawise T1 mini PC powered by an Intel Celeron N4100 quad core processor for just $149.99 with coupon GBJEAN. Alfawise T1 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N4100 quad core Gemini Lake processor up to 2.4 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 6W TDP System Memory – 4GB DDR4 Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, 2.5″ SATA bay, M.2 SSD slot, micro SD card Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.0 ports up to 4K @ 60 Hz Audio – Via HDMI, built-in microphone, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual […]