VIA launches $49 Android PC • Hacker News Board

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#91

Post by zrail » Wed, May 23, 2012, 5:04 AM UTC

guard-of-terra wrote: post #32

For some unknown reason all those sensor terminals, atms and other smart devices are powered by windows. Windows is an awful choice since it requires a huge pricey box with fans, since it shows its dialog messages over the interface, catches viruses and yet they stick to it. It makes me sad thinking about how much money do they waste on it and how MS is able by get their cut while making everyone lives and products w…

Windows has been available on embedded systems from almost the very beginning. Windows CE was not originally for tablets, it was for ATMs and the like.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#92

Post by eupharis » Wed, May 23, 2012, 5:40 AM UTC

What's more exciting than this computer itself is the potential it represents. If you read the actual product page [apc.io], a lot of it is devoted to just how small this new Neo-ITX form factor is.

For comparison's sake:

  Mass-market paperback - 19.8cm x 13cm
  Neo-ITX - 17cm x 8.5cm
  IPhone 4 -  11.5 cm x 5.86 cm 
  2.5inch SSD - 10 cm x 6.99 cm
  Raspberry Pi - 8.6cm x 5.4cm

So the Neo-ITX is a third bigger than an IPhone 4.[1] And the perfect size to nestle a normal SSD right on top.

Not very far down the road, we will be looking at a complete, very functional computer (harddrive, wireless internet, etc.) in a package about the size of a small book. All for 15 watts.

And what I love best: it will be so cheap and versatile. Because it will use modular, already popular hardware.

Remember the good old days of the desktop:

Swap out the HDD for a bigger one. Replace it easily if it fails. Swap out the whole motherboard if that fails. Keep using the same damn case and power adaptor for ten years.

And best: put in random, new PCI express cards that expand the capabilities of the computer, using it in ways the original designers hadn't foreseen. As happened in the past with:

  Ethernet
  Wireless Networking
  Exploding GPU power

[1] I initially used a deck of cards for comparison. But I couldn't visualize exactly how big a deck of cards is. But an iPhone...

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#93

Post by EwanToo » Wed, May 23, 2012, 6:02 AM UTC

angusgr wrote: post #71

EwanToo wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it's been very reliable for me. It ships with angstrom Linux, but it's trivial to install Ubuntu. I've got it hosted in a collocation rack now, so it had better stay reliable :-) I've written a short blog post about it http://www.ewanleith.com/blog/956/my-60-arm-server

Out of interest, what does it cost to host one of these in a colo rack? I was thinking about it as an alternative to my VPS. (Apologies if you said this in blog post already, it's currently unavailable.)

Sorry about that, the blog is hosted on linode, who had scheduled a reboot for tonight, which turned into a 2 hour outage...

The colo I picked only charges for electricity and excess bandwidth, which is why I picked them.

It cost £50 to install, and £12 a year in hosting costs for electricity and bandwidth, but the host I'm using says they'll have to introduce a minimum charge of about £5 per month if lots of people start doing it with these micro servers.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#94

Post by EwanToo » Wed, May 23, 2012, 6:12 AM UTC

zyb09 wrote: post #55

Could you run a server on this? Something like NodeJS with low casual traffic? Would that work on Android at all?

Yes you could, I've been experimenting with running a server on arm for a couple of months and its surprisingly capable.

Node works well on arm because of all the effort google make for v8 to run well in Android

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#95

Post by angusgr » Wed, May 23, 2012, 6:17 AM UTC

nl wrote: post #87

polshaw wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure but it is worth baring in mind the context-- that this is a $50 PC.

Exactly. ~$100 for a monitor (which can also be used with other computers) isn't expensive when we are talking about a $50 board.

Whether "it's expensive" depends entirely on the market. There are markets (developing countries, education) where tripling the total cost of the setup, compared to using a monitor you already have, is significant.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#96

Post by simula67 » Wed, May 23, 2012, 8:15 AM UTC

haberman wrote: post #39

I just want an ARM box that I can run headless in my closet and keep on all the time to use as a build bot. First I bought a SheevaPlug ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug ) but that fried itself before long. Next I bought an Efika MX Smarttop ( https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/11 ), which works ok, but doesn't always boot reliably (I boot it headless most of the time, so can never get to the bottom of…

What about a simple router? They costs loads less: I tried something like this here : http://simula67.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/how-to-create-a-dow...

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#97

Post by ars » Wed, May 23, 2012, 8:40 AM UTC

Kilimanjaro wrote: post #43

Add wi-fi, remove vga and ethernet, drop the usb towers and make it flatter, make an aluminum case and sell it for $99. You'll sell a million just the first couple of months.

Do not remove VGA. There are a TON of old VGA monitors (LCD as well) just sitting around, and this is a perfect machine to use with them.

Force people to use HDMI and most of them will have to buy a new monitor.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#98

Post by nl » Wed, May 23, 2012, 9:26 AM UTC

angusgr wrote: post #95

nl wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. ~$100 for a monitor (which can also be used with other computers) isn't expensive when we are talking about a $50 board.

Whether "it's expensive" depends entirely on the market. There are markets (developing countries, education) where tripling the total cost of the setup, compared to using a monitor you already have, is significant.

Yes, I get that. Hence the bit where I said Everyone has different levels for what "expensive" means.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#99

Post by noonespecial » Wed, May 23, 2012, 9:34 AM UTC

swah wrote: post #83

haberman wrote: post #39

I just want an ARM box that I can run headless in my closet and keep on all the time to use as a build bot. First I bought a SheevaPlug ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug ) but that fried itself before long. Next I bought an Efika MX Smarttop ( https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/11 ), which works ok, but doesn't always boot reliably (I boot it headless most of the time, so can never get to the bottom of…

If wifi routers had usb....