VIA Technologies announced their Neo-ITX form factor Android PC last month with the promise to ship it sometime in July. In setting a course that aligns nicely with that release date, the company just started taking pre-orders but it appears their initial allotment has already been spoken for.
Known as the APC, the super small PCB measures just 6.7-inches by 3.3-inches. The kit sells for $49 which isn't a bad price given the potential this system has. Your hard-earned money buys you an ARM11 SoC from Wondermedia, the WM8750, with an operating frequency of 800MHz that will power Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Other hardware includes 512MB of onboard DDR3 memory, 2GB of built-in flash storage for the operating system, a BIOS chip, Ethernet controller, audio controller, VGA-out connection, HDMI port, four USB 2.0 ports and a microSD card slot for general storage.
Power can be supplied in one of two ways: through an internal 4-pin 12v connector like the ones on a modern computer power supply or externally through a 12v plug. In keeping with its size, the system consumes a tiny amount of power - around 4 watts at idle and 13.5 watts under full system load.
As of writing, VIA's pre-order website says that they are completely sold out but offers the opportunity to take your email address for notification when the APC is available again. Based on this, it seems that demand is pretty high for the $49 Android barebones computer. Units are expected to start shipping early next month.