Want a cheap computer that runs Android on an ARM processor and isn’t a Raspberry Pi? Now you can have it. I’m talking about a new system, called AllWinner, that is now shipping out of China.
This tiny, inexpensive Android PC has impressive specifications. It uses an ARM A10 dual-core running at 1.5 GHz, a Mali 400 GPU and offers 512MB of RAM. This puts it about on par with last year’s best tablets and today’s best smartphones. It has HDMI output and claims 1080p capability. Only a review could verify this, but on paper it looks like a valid claim, as there are much less powerful ARM systems that can do the same.
You’ll only need to pay $74 dollars for the device if you buy it from Abi Express, the only retailer currently offering the device outside of Asian markets. The description is typical of a product made in China by a company that can’t pay for proper translation to English – there are plenty of typos – but it claims 802.11b/g/n wireless support and USB connectivity. Better still, the mini-PC comes with Android 4.0.
It’s worth pointing out that the mouse and keyboard support of Android isn’t great. It’s also difficult to see how a user would connect both without a USB hub, because this mini-PC only has one USB port and you’d need two to connect a USB mouse and keyboard.
Even so, the price is low enough that Android and alternative OS enthusiasts should check this computer out. It looks like a fun gadget to experiment with even if it’s unlikely to replace anyone’s desktop, HTPC or Roku.
Source: Ars Technica
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Its just stunning…. Think about the dual core 1.5 ghz processor at jst this price!!!! But the single usb port is a big issue but it may develop in near future… Hope so…
Those are amazing specs – but looking at the case design, it’s likely going to suffer from severe overheating issues. There’s no finned extrusion component. Just a plastic box to trap heat.
The PlugPC had the same problem in its initial prototype run. It was corrected on subsequent models, but the first batch was little more than overheating paperweight.
hey man, you just took away my words. I was going to say the same in my next comment. The structure would really suffer….
Great minds think alike Kyem! :-P
ya you r right… But hub may slow down the speed of the usb as the device has no boosting system… And I don’t think this device is providing usb3
“Single USB port”?? Do you understand how USB works? do you not own a USB hub?
I’m sure that was a nicer way to say that.
Who heck owns a USB hub? They’re just not cool, man.
never heard ofan usb hub?
made in china……………….a matter of concern…………..cannot be trusted
akash ubislate tablets would be a better choice it may not be a nano sized pc but surely the cheapest tab that can be trusted :D
You know most electronics are made in China, Thailand or Taiwan, right? If you don’t want to deal with made in China you can’t own a laptop or tablet or smartphone.
yes i know but buying things from a unknown brand that too online ,,,,had to think a thousand times before ordering……they themselves made their bad reputation…i didnt mean to abbuse their products
Matt is uninformed and not as tech savvy as he could be, but don’t tell him. He’ll just toss you a snide remark.
How about making a point instead of just trolling?
I think you made my point.
Point made.
Apologies mate, you are more talented & knowledgeable than I any day, and you deserve respect. From now on I will be a reader and follower. Instead I’ll use the knowledge rather than spouting off in your thread.
Best regards, cheers!
right now, I have 3 generic Chinese Android tabs. One running 2.3 the others with ICS. Sometimes, a little slow, but according to the Android forums , not ridiculously slow. The one on Gingerbread is a dedicated music system with WinAmp and Shoutcast Radio, the others on ICS we use as game machines and e book readers. All 3 together cost me a little more than a Kindle Fire. All work well, the oldest is over a year old and constatly in use.
Can’t be trusted my arse
man u r so lucky..i guess
i have one flash drive of 64 gb (couldnt use it a single time after i bought it,data gets written but cant be read after i reconnect it)
6-7 headphones (those didnt even last for 1 month also)
a chinese phone(nont wanna talk about that )
a video game that lasted but not for a year also..
and two corrupted memory cards..
ALL EYECATCHING GOODS ARE ALL AROUND THE MARKET NOW ITS NOT POSSIBLE TO TELL WHICH IS GOOD OR BAD JUST BY SEEING….
SO I DONT WANNA TRY MY LUCK AGAIN..
OO YES FORGOT TO MENTION 8 SETS OF RICE LIGHT ..WORKED FOR ONLY ONCE..
AND
AN HEATING IRON THAT BURNT THE FUSE OF OUR HOUSE WHEN I PLUGED IT TO THE OUTLET
AND THE WORST PART IS THEY HAVE NO WARRENTY
“a video game that lasted but not for a year also”?
Is it on a disc?
no no those came in cartidges…
It sais that it supports wireless mouse and keyboard so you can connect any bluetooth peripherial to it. Still, more usb ports would be better, but you can use an usb hub and maybe it will work.
but what does it do? where do I stick it in? What is supposed to come out? questions…questions…
It is a mini computer You connect it to your TV using a HDMI cable.
I am sure it will come with all the must haves, Office like tools, internet, music, video, from what I read it is said to be capable of playing high-definition video.
Do you think we will be able to install different operating systems?
Well, probably, though the number of operating systems that run on ARM hardware is slim.
So I would assume that Ubuntu or Lubuntu would work right? From what I have read people have had luck using it on some Android products.
I think this explains it.
Ubuntu for Android
http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android
Easy to integrate to your Android phone
Ubuntu for Android drops in cleanly alongside the rest of Android, so it is easy to integrate into current production roadmaps. The hardware requirements are straightforward and, with a broad range of ARM and x86 hardware supported, it can realistically be added to phones already in development.
“My comments are not showing up!”
I found “Ubuntu for Android”, it looks like we will be able to switch operating systems.
“Easy to integrate to your Android phone
Ubuntu for Android drops in cleanly alongside the rest of Android, so it is easy to integrate into current production roadmaps. The hardware requirements are straightforward and, with a broad range of ARM and x86 hardware supported, it can realistically be added to phones already in development.”
Are there any plans for a full review?
Not at this time.
Why two USBs for a keyboard and mouse? Wireless desktop kit – one wireless USB receiver and both keyboard and mouse are connected. Seems the obvious solution for a device so small you’ll probably velcro it to the back of the TV anyway… ;-)
This was my immediate thought as well. I use a netbook with one of these kits in my family room now… NP. Easy solution and they are cheap these days… any word on bluetooth?
this is really something.. O.o
At $74 it’s worth a go. Design/USB port/Branding aside. Would make a great stocking filler for the tech-head with everything.
Methinks I might give one a go.
Its a fascinating device, and I’d love to see some additional discussion of possible uses. Smart-home wiring, robotics projects, etc. Any other ideas
this is cool but i am looking forward for a dual core type of this mini computer and a gig of ram….i had read that the chinese manufacturers are and will be releasing inexpensive dualcore tablets with ips display running on Amlogic and Rockchip SOCs
check out also the mele A2000..setop-box
I am new to this.How to use this?
I am new to this.. Please tell me how to use this?
You hook it up to your HDMI supported TV or Monitor. As you read above you will need a combo wireless Mouse and keyboard.
one usb port then buy an adaptor with more than one port
One USB port is sufficient to connect the receiveer for a wireless keyboard and mouse combo, seems pretty straight forward to me.
Any one else thinking about hooking up a USB splitter, large external hard drive then using this as a DVR?
It’s a good idea but I have my doubts that it would work well.
1 USB is fine. Many now have only 1 for 2 devices, which is all you really would need it for. Also, a USB Hub is fine to use, you can get really tiny ones.
Awesome device, sadly aliexpress.com stock has been sold out…
Anyone know other provider?
Greetings
I don’t know of any other provider.
Could you use a micro-usb bluetooth dongle to connect both a bluetooth keyboard and a bluetooth mouse at the same time?
Yes that would be one work-around.
You write (ok…blog…not really a writer, but sort of) for a tech site and you don’t know there are USB keyboard/mouse devices that have one receiver for both, meaning you just need 1 USB port to connect both?
The Allwinner A10 is a single core Cortex A8 processor, not a dual core processor.
It’s used in low end tablets usually at 1 or 1.2 GHz.
Hmm. Sorry. Looks like I referenced Ars Technica for the tech specs and not the product page.
This is pretty good but only one usb port? Very cheap for its features!
How the heck does it work??? There’s no screen? I don’t get it?
It’s just a computer, you need to plug it in to a monitor.
Wohoo!! I LOVE Raspberry PI! And now you’re showing me THIS?!! I LOVE IT!!!
VIA has a mini-computer out now as well, I hear. You should check that too.
It does need a source of power, no? cable and plug bigger than device + cable to plug it into a monitor + need to have a keyboard and mouse. All starting to look a bit bigger.
Ca it run Ubuntu? How?
Yes. It needs those things. As far as Ubuntu goes, I believe there are some ARM variants of Ubuntu available online. You would presumably need to make a bootable flash drive and connect it. But I’m not sure how about the details. Linux isn’t really my thing.
lets not forget that many keyboards also have a USB port or two on them as well. still the single port was worth mentioning for the minority of people who would actually need 2 ports with their current hardware setup.
Here is the new reply:
”How about making a point instead of just trolling?”
Matt Smith ——2012-05-22 22:03:38 Visit: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/74-android-mini-computer-hits-the-market-
You deserve props for being damn good with tech knowledge. Appreciate the follow-up, would you prefer ” snappy remark” in lieu of ”snide”? Point taken.
amazing stuff for colg students with low budgets like me …lolz….
Holy moley. That’s amazing. As someone born in the mmmmmmm pre-1980′s… what is being made now even sci-fi had not thought of it!
nice
Its a good idea
let me just point out this little device is UNDER $100…if you are seriously crying about not enough USB ports or not enough RAM or the processor sucks, i suggest you try making your own version of a MINI Computer. I bet you can create something with your specifications, keeping the same relative size, for under $100. If you are successful, congratulations! You just outdid this chinese company. However, since you are still whining about a product designed to be tiny and COMPARABLE (keep in mind the size) and super portable; did you complain when Apple wanted to make iPods smaller and suckier? No, you went out the next day to buy a Nano for your kids/friends. So do everyone a favor and stop bashing this product that you havent even tried, and keep your mind open…It might be the next thing Apple want to dominate in or a turning point in our computer technology-(think 20 years from now when all you have to do is carry one of these bad boys in your pocket instead of a laptop in a case…convenient eh?)-dont chop a tree down before you know what kind it is; it may be better for you to educate yourself before making any incorrect or rash decisions that could influence other people around you. That’s how the Nazi party was started
OH!! and for those that really need to ask “wheres the screen?” etc. etc. I BEG YOU PLEASE READ!!! WE ALL WENT TO SCHOOL AT ONE POINT, AND YOU CLICKED ON THIS ARTICLE TO CHECK IT OUT, READ THE ARTICLE, THERE IS MORE INFORMATION THERE THAN YOU THINK.
Android supports plenty of mice, and keyboards, as well as USB hubs. I use hubs, keyboards & mice on my a500 Acer tablet all the time. A retailer that offers these and ships internationally is dealextreme.com Enjoy.
Size as an USB Flash drive. How it works?
seobkk.com