mini pc News - Page 65 of 138 - CNX Software

December 17, 2017December 17, 2017 by Ian W MORRISON (Linuxium) - 25 Comments

Zotac ZBOX PI225 Review – SSD-Like Mini PC Tested with Windows 10 & Ubuntu

What makes the Zotac ZBOX PI225 so interesting is that this is the first true ‘card’ form-factor mini PC. It is a mini PC that looks like a SSD. Whilst Intel replaced the ‘stick’ form-factor with a similar ‘card’ form-factor for their next generation mini PCs they also required a ‘dock’ in order to use them. The difference with the PI225 however is that it actually is a standalone mini PC and includes all the necessary input/output ports. Intrigued by this new form-factor I decided to purchase one and the following is my review of its performance and capabilities. The Zotac ZBOX PI225 is a fanless device which features an Apollo Lake N3350 SoC with 32GB of storage pre-installed with Windows 10 Home, 4GB RAM, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, two USB Type-C ports, a micro SD card reader and a power connector. Importantly it comes with all the accessories you […]

December 12, 2017December 13, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

F6 / GOLE 10 Mini PC Tablet Review- Part 1: Specs, Unboxing and Teardown

Mini PCs and tablets are normally distinct product category, but in recent years we’ve seen mini PCs fitted with touchscreen displays, which are somewhat like industrial panel PCs with mostly consumer grade, and with the display placed at an angle. PiPo has designed several of those with models such as PiPo X8 or PiPo X9S. Shenzhen Qianhai GOLE Technology (aka GOLE) is another company manufacturing “mini PC tablets”, but when I reviewed their first GOLE1 model, I did not find it very useful because a 5″ display is quite inconvenient with Windows 10, and even for Android as if you may not always keep it close like a phone, except for some very specific applications. The company has now launched another model called GOLE 10 (aka F6), still based on an Atom x5 processor, but that should be more useful thanks its 10.1″ touchscreen display with 1920×1200 resolution. I’ve received […]

December 8, 2017April 5, 2024 by Ian W MORRISON (Linuxium) - 13 Comments

Azulle Byte3 Mini PC Review – Windows 10, Linux Support, Benchmarks, and Video Playback

The Azulle Byte3 is a fanless Apollo Lake device featuring both M.2 slot and a SATA connector, as well as supporting HDMI and VGA. It includes USB (both 2.0 and 3.0 including a Type-C port) as well as Gigabit Ethernet: It features an Apollo Lake N3450 SoC and comes with 32GB of storage plus an option of either 4GB or 8GB of RAM and a further option of either with or without Windows 10 Pro meaning Linux users can save around USD 20. Azulle provided me with a device for review and it came in a presentation box complete with a power adapter, and remote control together with a quick guide pamphlet. Whilst the power adapter includes an interchangeable plug it only came with one suitable for the US. Looking at the detail specifications: it is important to realize that the Type-C USB is USB 3.0 which […]

November 27, 2017November 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Sub $20 TV Box, and 14% Discount on TV Boxes and Mini PCs (Promo)

Black Friday is over, but companies still offer discounts for Cyber Monday, and GearBest has some specific deals for TV boxes and mini PCs. If you are after the cheapest TV box model around, Sunvell T95D based on Rockchip RK3229 with 1GB RAM and 8GB RAM is sold for $18.99 with coupon Bfriday303. But they also have other models sold at a discount: Zidoo X10 Media Center based on Realtek RTD1295 with 2GB/16GB configuration, HDMI input, and 3.5″ SATA bay – $164.99 shipped with coupon Bfriday289 Mecool M8S PRO W TV Box (S905W / 2GB / 16GB) – $25.99 shipped with coupon Bfriday284 Xiaomi Mi Box (International) – $66.99 shipped You can also use GBTBMP coupon on any TV box or (Intel) mini PC to get a 14% discount on any model, but bear in mind this is limited to China warehouse, and if the product is already discounted, the […]

November 20, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ECS LIVA Q Could Be The World’s Smallest 4K mini PC

Taiwan based ECS announced several Apollo Lake mini PCs in the past such as Liva Z /ZE based on Intel Celeron N3350/N3450 or Pentium N4200 processor. The company has now launched a new Apollo Lake model. LIVE Q is powered by either Intel Pentium N4200 quad core processor, or Intel Celeron N3350 dual core processor, fitted with 2 to 4GB RAM, and the company claims it’s the world’s smallest “4K pocket computer”. ECS LIVA Q specifications: SoC Intel Apollo Lake Pentium N4200 quad core processor @ 1.1 / 2.5 GHz with 18EU Intel HD graphics; 6W TDP Intel Apollo Lake Celeron N3350 dual core processor @ 1.1 / 2.4 GHz with 12EU Intel HD graphics; 6W TDP Memory – 2GB/4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32 or 64GB eMMC flash, micro SD slot up to 128GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 Hz Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, Intel […]

November 20, 2017November 20, 2017 by Ian W MORRISON (Linuxium) - 8 Comments

BBen MN10 TV Stick Review – Windows 10, Ubuntu 17.04, Benchmarks, and Kodi

The BBEN MN10 is the second Apollo Lake device to be released in the stick form-factor and on paper looks to have a lot to offer: It features an Apollo Lake N3350 SoC, an unusual 3GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and is cooled by a ‘mute’ fan. The devices comes in a plain box with a power adapter, and a leaflet style manual. It also included a three-pin UK power adapter, as this was advertised as the ‘BBen MN10 Mini PC – UK PLUG BLACK’. Looking at the detail specifications: We can immediately see discrepancies as the device does not have a ‘RJ45 Port Speed: 1000M LAN’ port, and was not supplied with ‘1 x HDMI Cable’ nor ‘1 x Remote Control’. Powering on the device and the ‘mute’ fan is also a miss-representation as it starts immediately and is noticeably noisy. It also runs at full speed regardless […]

November 10, 2017November 10, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Ugoos UM4 TV Box/Dongle Runs Android 7.1.2 with Some Uncommon Features

Ugoos UM3 was launched in 2014 with Android 4.4 on Rockchip RK3288 processor, and could be described a a tiny TV box, or large TV stick. That form factor must have had some success, and they later launched AM2 model powered by Amlogic S905 plus Android 6.0. The company has now just launched Ugoos UM4 with the same form factor but with Rockchip RK3328 processor running Android 7.1.2. Ugoos likes to add some software features often not found on other devices, and that would normally require hacking the firmware, or purchasing apps. Ugoos UM4 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3328 quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR4 memory Storage – 16 GB eMMC flash (8GB optional) + micro SD card slot up to 32 GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a female port up to 4k @ 60 fps with CEC and HDR […]

November 7, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

$100 CA98 TV Stick is Powered by Intel Celeron N3350 Processor

We’ve already seen Apollo Lake TV sticks such as MeegoPad T11, ECDREAM A9, or BBen MN10. Linuxium reviewed ECDREAM A9 model on this blog, and found out that Windows 10 (pre-installed), and Ubuntu 17.04 operating systems ran reasonably well with two main downsides: the relatively slow eMMC flash, and the noisy fan. Another issue is the size, as with 58mm width, it looks more an hybrid between a mini PC and a TV stick, than an actual TV stick. Another Apollo Lake TV/PC stick is now available with CA98 (aka CSA98) found on Aliexpress for $100, as well as on Shenzhen Indo Technology’s Alibaba page. CA98 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N3350 dual core processor @ 1.1 GHz / 2.4 GHz, 12 EU Intel HD graphics 500 @ 200 MHz / 650 MHz; 6W TDP System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash (optional 16, 64 or 128GB) […]