Whether Google wants it or not, it seems people really want to put Android on PC's. If only Google helped that a bit by making Android more suited for PC's (from a user interface point of view).
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MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
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Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#12Sorry to go all tl;dr on you all but - how does this differ from the several dozen or so other Android mini-PC's out there? i.e. http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/NEOX5.html
There are also substantially more powerful ones around: https://www.miniand.com/products/GK802%20Android%20Mini%20PC
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#13Sorry to go all tl;dr on you all but - how does this differ from the several dozen or so other Android mini-PC's out there? i.e. http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/NEOX5.html
This is different than the NEO X5 or its peers because it's bigger, slower [1], costs the same amount, and you won't actually receive it for six months or a year.
It also has a custom piece of software. Which is really what is being sold here.
[1]The NEO X5 is somewhat coy about it's clock speed. But the CPU is a Rockchip 3066. Which is "up to 1.6 GHz." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockchip#RK30xx_series
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#14Whether Google wants it or not, it seems people really want to put Android on PC's. If only Google helped that a bit by making Android more suited for PC's (from a user interface point of view).
A more interesting question is why not ChromeOS ? Most of what you want to do in a 'lean back' sort of experience ChromeOS should be really good at, and you get cost effective on the peripherals. However, Android doesn't require the backend support that ties you to Google's cloud that ChromeOS does. So the interesting question for me is, when do we see something Firefox OSish for this kind of box?
> However, Android doesn't require the backend support that ties you to Google's cloud that ChromeOS does.
Well that's exactly it. If the Chromebook Pixel ran Android I might have been tempted to buy one. As it is I can't see myself shelling out that kind of cash for a machine that takes 30 seconds to boot Ubuntu.
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#15For comparison, here's a stick with double the RAM, double the cores, and double the flash for 30% less ($70): http://dealsprime.com/ugoos-ug007b-andriod-4-2-tv-stick-hdmi... . For literally a few $ more you can get the same spec in a set top case complete with Ethernet port, in a plethora of shapes and sizes. If these devices interest you, spend an hour reading http://www.cnx-software.com/ archives.
This computer only stands to highlight how completely abused Kickstarter is becoming: the project is little more than a schmoozy marketing gimmick to fund these guys to subcontract one of about a hundred different Chinese vendors to design and manufacture the boxes on their behalf. There's absolutely no reason to pay the premium, the market is already flooded with better alternatives.
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#16Am I the only one who thought this was somehow related to the Wii (and its Mii's) or otherwise related to Nintendo?
In other words, had the title been "MiiPC: $99" (without the "Android PC" part), I would have immediately assumed it had something to do with Nintendo.
They really should have avoided that name and/or spelling to ensure it wasn't mistaken for a Nintendo or related console. It would be different if it were a car or a vacuum cleaner -- but as a video game console, I think this is a bad name.
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#17This sort of thing leaves a sickening dread in my gut that kickstarter is really just a way to drag things down to the lowest common denominator.
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#18There is absolutely no motivation for pushing the price point lower. PCs are devices we expect to use for hours and hours and hours. A difference of $300 will make this into a real computer, most parents value their kids beyond such a petty price point.
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#19For comparison, here's a stick with double the RAM, double the cores, and double the flash for 30% less ($70): http://dealsprime.com/ugoos-ug007b-andriod-4-2-tv-stick-hdmi... . For literally a few $ more you can get the same spec in a set top case complete with Ethernet port, in a plethora of shapes and sizes. If these devices interest you, spend an hour reading http://www.cnx-software.com/ archives. This computer on…
The brief specs are only one part of the puzzle. The dongle, like many smartphones could most likely suffer from gimped flash interface and channels, low RAM speeds and slow USB (making accessing data on external HDDs painfully slow). Furthermore the thermal limits on continuous operation of the main chipset may be different (due to the difference in ventilation).
Re: MiiPC: $99 Family-Friendly Android PC
#20So you're telling me that these 3 guys, with 75 years of experience in the business including the ex-VP of eMachines, who sits on the boards of a bunch of companies, can't scrape together $50,000 to finish this thing?
What am I missing here? Is this just a publicity thing?