Worth Reading?
+5 [5 votes]
Loading ...This newest version of the Linutop ups the processor to a 500MHz Geode, it also has a half gig of RAM and a gig of flash storage. Even better yet, there is a VESA mounting bracket built into the thing so you can mount it to your favorite LCD monitor.
This thing would be perfect for kiosks or for low-end computing or for just surfing the internet. The low power requirements (8 watts) and low weight (20 ounces) make it perfect for taking with you on the go, or even in third world countries where electricity might not exactly be “abundant”.
It measures in at 14×3.5×14 centimeters, has 4 USB ports, headphone and mic jacks, an Ethernet port, VGA adapter and line out as well as a +12V power plug, which I believe means you could feasibly stick it in your car if you wanted to. When you purchase it, the 1GB of flash has an Xubuntu LiveCD installed on it however you could run a persistent installation off of a USB flash drive if you wanted to or even run PXE Boot for running it as a Thin Client further expanding the uses of this amazing PC. The only downside is the fairly outrageous price of $410.
[via linuxdevices]
So, let me get this right - we have laptops , Complete Systems with integrated displays available for around 399-499 USD based on Linux - and we have this company who come up with a Mac Mini ripoff - and want to sell it for more.
What is with these guys - do they have any business/marketting sense - or all these just experiments, poised for failure?
*grin* - marketing was mispelt.
Yeah, the price tag on this thing is rather un-inspiring. Now, if you could get one of these for say $100, I’d be all over that as they’d be awesome for a lab of thin-clients. Also these aren’t really Mac Mini ripoffs because they target different markets and are designed for different things. The Mac Mini is really trying to be a starter computer for the technically inept that just want to browse the internet, sort of something you might buy for grandma. How well they’ve met that goal is debatable, as the only real selling point it has over say an iMac is the price tag is about half to a quarter the cost.
This thing on the other hand is quite clearly aimed at the thin-client and/or embedded market. It’s the perfect thing to strap to the back of a monitor to make an instant kiosk, or to deploy in a lab for a simple low cost thin-client. It probably also has strong appeal for the DIY computer crowd, as it doesn’t require an active-cooling system and its got a very small physical footprint.
Just how exactly do you access the power button when the system is taped to the back of the monitor … :-) Also it is a Mac-mini ripoff … just running a different flavor of Unix .. with a pretty Shell.