This Bay Trail-powered PC is no bigger than a USB flash drive

[Shawn Knight]

Intel’s Atom SoC has enabled a new breed of tiny computers although one Chinese vendor has taken it to the extreme. Shenzhen Apec Electronics is now offering an Atom-powered PC that’s roughly the size of a Chromecast dongle.

The APM-D01 measures 3.9" x 1.5" x 0.38" (100 x 38 x 9.6 mm) and tips the scales at just 1.6 oz (46 g). Systems are available with your choice of quad-core Atom Z3735F or Z3735G. Both 22-nanometer chips are clocked at 1.33GHz and can burst up to 1.83GHz – the difference is in maximum memory capacity and memory bandwidth.

Both tiny PCs include one HDMI output, one micro SD card slot, two micro USB 2.0 ports, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. Systems are available with your choice of 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. There’s another port on the end of the PC stick which I assume is for the AC power adapter as no other I/O port is listed in the specs.

The system is capable of running Android, Windows 8.1 and Linux meaning might make for a decent HTPC or a light-duty desktop machine. That is, of course, if you’re about to get your hands on one.

As The Tech Report notes, the device is listed for sale on Alibaba but it’s only available in quantities of 500 at a time. Perhaps that’ll change at some point in the near future, however.

My only concern with a system this small is whether or not heat would be an issue.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/58480-bay-trail-powered-pc-no-bigger-than-usb.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Can you install a R9 295x2 in it if feel like a bit of light gaming? XD

 

[cliffordcooley]

No wonder our operating system is degrading! Devices like this is pulling the quality needed down.

 

[Kibaruk]

As an idea this is great, it lacks in the punch though, you didnt put the memory specs but I assume it comes with a gig?

I could find a couple of uses to one of these although the heat factor also makes me wonder.

 

[captaincranky]

I'm having a difficult time channeling my technical self on this one. What exactly is this good for?

I suppose this is a knee jerk reaction, but it sounds like they made at least 500 too many of them.

 

[andrewyoung]

I'm having a difficult time channeling my technical self on this one. What exactly is this good for?

I suppose this is a knee jerk reaction, but it sounds like they made at least 500 too many of them.

that is what I was thinking too.

 

[Guest]

Pocket-sized computer that can plug into any hdmi-ready tv? sounds like it would be useful for traveling, if for no other reason than watching streaming media. it would get past hulu's paywall on mobile devices. there's probably some way to pair a tablet or phone through bluetooth to use as an input device.

 

[captaincranky]

Pocket-sized computer that can plug into any hdmi-ready tv? sounds like it would be useful for traveling, if for no other reason than watching streaming media. it would get past hulu's paywall on mobile devices. there's probably some way to pair a tablet or phone through bluetooth to use as an input device.

This is starting to be reminiscent of needing an iPhone with you, to make your iWatch work.

 

[Overheten]

Can you install a R9 295x2 in it if feel like a bit of light gaming? XD

I was thinking the same thing. But you know- you can always get a board fabricated with the correct buses.

I am now wondering how much longer until we get USB 6 or higher that will allow us to just plug extra CPUS into a box- boom! Faster computer.

Don't laugh.. Someone will make one.

 

[Radient]

This is cool a x86 usb computer unless their talking about rt than complete fail.

 

[Guest]

It has the same internals as:
http://www.amazon.com/WinBook-Winbook-Tw801/dp/B00NC0EAAG

you can run older AAA games on it:

and anything a windows PC could do.

I don't see why there is so much flaming in here.