[HH] Via Android PC

[Tom Metro]

Watch Out, Raspberry Pi; Via Announces The APC 8750, A $50 Android PC
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/watch_out_raspberry_pi_announces_apc_8750_50_android_pc

  Yesterday, [Via] announced its Pi-like "APC 8750" board, a $50
  Android-powered PC complete with processor, memory and a host of I/O
  ports.

  [See article or vendors site, http://apc.io/, for photo. Larger than
  an RPi, but has a PC-like complement of ports.]

  The Via APC fits into any mini-ATX or micro-ATX case even though it's
  based on a new "Neo-ATX" form factor, measuring in at just 17cm by
  8.5cm. This particular Android 2.3 Gingerbread variant has been
  optimized for keyboard and mouse input. The mini-PC sports 4 USB 2.0
  ports and HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, micro SD and audio/mic connections for
  all your interfacing needs.

  Hardware-wise, the APC rocks an 800MHz VIA processor along with a
  memory combo of 512MB of DDR3 and 2GB of NAND. The system is capable
  of pumping out 720p graphics via its HDMI port; that, combined with
  the Ethernet connectivity, may just make the APC 8750 an attractive
  little $50 media streamer for Netflix lovers and HTPC enthusiasts on a
  budget. The Raspberry Pi, however, can stream a full 1080p feed and
  comes with its own power supply -- something the APC 8750 lacks.


So what's this useful for? If it did 1080p playback, and ran Android,
yes, it'd be a possible Google TV alternative. But at 720p, even if you
don't have much HD content, it's already obsolete.

Could be a great NAS controller, but no SATA port, and until someone
ports a more mainstream Linux distribution to it (or FreeBSD), that'll
be an uphill battle (more trouble than the $50 you saved by not buying a
Freescale board).

Only one Ethernet port, so not a router. (Though it has 4 USB 2.0 ports.)

I'm not sure how appealing Android will be for those looking to do other
embedded things with it, either.

The sales pitch on the vendor's site seems to be aiming it to be a
consumer oriented nettop:

  ...we started with an awareness that the purpose of a computer is to
  connect to the Internet. It is the Internet that now defines
  computing. When you begin here, magic happens.

  Expensive, overpowered CPUs and bloated software are no longer
  relevant. With this awareness, we were able to drop power consumption
  to the point of making an energy-saving light-bulb jealous.

Looks to me like a way for Via to get some more life out of their
lagging CPUs. (The specs don't identify the actual CPU part, so I'm
guessing it is one of their x86 compatible parts with integrated graphics.)

Anyway, I'm sure Federico will order one. :-)

 -Tom