Google Mini PC with Android 4.0

[GreyGeek]

One word: SLOW.

Definitely under powered.

EDIT: maybe not:

It was my WiFi connection, just re-setted my router now it works much better, if you internet connections sucks the pages / etc load very slowly, still testing BTW does very good media playback to watch videos etc's was able to play a bunch of videos formats without any issues no stutter or any lag in videos tested with 720p videos no issues will also test with 1080p content.
geekyranjit in reply to abhishek jain 6 hours ago

[HalationEffect]

Man, the appalling spelling errors on the packaging and manual really don't improve one's confidence in the quality of the device... apparently it runs Andriod, lol. And on the back of the box it states that the GPU runs at a whopping 500Hz!

Speaking of which, claiming that the Cortex-A8 SoC is 1.5GHz because it's comprised of a 1Ghz CPU + a 500Mhz GPU is one of the most egregious examples of deceptive marketing I've seen in a while.

On the other hand, the inclusion of the cables and adaptor is a nice touch. Overall it seems like a fairly nice little device, but I'm not sure how high the annoyance level would be using a keyboard and mouse to interact with an OS that's so heavily geared towards a touch interface.

[Frank616]

Amazing what can be crammed into such a tiny package....

I don't foresee a use for myself, but it still amazes me.

Frank.

[SteveRiley]

I'm not sure how high the annoyance level would be using a keyboard and mouse to interact with an OS that's so heavily geared towards a touch interface.

I'm waiting for youtube-dl to grab the video over the interminably slow hotel Internet connection (anyone ever stay at a hotel with non-sucky Internet access? Sheesh!). I've installed Android-X86 on my netbook a couple times just for giggles. It is truly painful to use without a touchscreen.

[SteveRiley]

The existence of this itty bitty PC reminded me of the times I've spent wandering the electronics shops in Taiwan and Hong Kong (*). Often ensconced under freeway ramps or crammed into tiny spaces above train stations, these shops overflow with every conceivable bit of electronic gadgetry you could possibly imagine. I could very easily imagine seeing one of these for sale in such a place.

The performance I observed on his video roughly matches my G2 phone, which I've flashed with a good-quality Android 4.0 build and clocked at 1.1 GHz. Android apps are all Java, which I read somewhere is about 100 times slower than C. The dude on the video mentioned a total cost of 4,300 INR, which is about 77 USD. That makes it uncompetitive with a Raspberry Pi, especially considering how much faster the Pi's hardware is and also that it can run "regular" Linux with compiled applications.

(*) Exception to tiny-space rule: Sai Yeung Choi Street in Hong Kong's Mong Kok neighborhood -- in Kowloon, across Victoria Harbor. After dark the street is closed to vehicle traffic and it morphs into the absolute coolest place on the planet.



Then, of course, there's Lan Kwai Fong on the island, which is equally vibrant but for entirely different reasons.

[HalationEffect]

OK, considering that I self-identify as both a geek *and* a foodie, I'm now officially extremely envious!

[GreyGeek]

Cool pics. As a hardware nut I'd go stark raving crazy in a place like that. There would be boxes of stuff being taken/shipped home and I'd return broke as a church mouse. Come to think about it, that's what I did at RadioShack stores when they sold components, kits and such tools. My wife begged me not to go into one with our checkbook! Heathkit was another weakness of mine. I ended up building almost everything Heathkit sold, including the CW-60 ham radio transmitter/receiver, and a 24" console color TV. My tool box included their grid-dip meters, baluns of all kinds, solder and gun, copper clad boards to etch printed circuits, lots of IC chips that I used to create digital timers, displays, an analog computer, etc... Using that CW-60 into a 15' cubical quad antenna I got a 5/9/9 signal report from Japan. Those quads are like laser beams.

[SteveRiley]

I've enjoyed some truly amazing concoctions served from my hole-in-the-wall noodle shops in Mong Kok. Blows my mind every time.

Jerry, you'd find even more budget-busting opportunities in one of the non-descript buildings with about 6 of 13 floors devoted to ultra high-end audio gear. All imported completely legit, of course

[GreyGeek]

Darn, now I need a napkin to wipe the drool off my shirt!

[woodsmoke]

Two things.
a) It never occurred to me that I have HDMI slots on my t.v. and that i could use it there, that is just tres kewl.

b) Did anone notice that there is an "airplane mode' when he first shows the the screeny at 4:38?

woodsmoke

[SteveRiley]

OK, so VMworld is keeping me very busy (and, *hic*, a bit sauced) so it's difficult to follow everything on KFN in excruciating detail. But some of you seemed intrigued by my Hong Kong adventures.

If you ever find yourself on Sai Yeung Choi St in Hong Kong, you must stop at Yau Shing Commercial Centre. It's the place to buy music players, headphones, digital cameras, LCD TVs bigger than Texas, and audio gear across the spectrum including high-end belt-drive turntables and high-zoot tube amplifiers. Address is #51; ride the lift to the top (16/f) and walk your way down the stairs from floor to floor. Note: all prices are slightly higher than the big name retail establishments; be prepared to negotiate. You should be able talk the Yau Shing guys down about 15% to 20%.

In 2007 I purchased a gray-market digital camera from whatever place occupied the sixth floor at the time. Intended for the Japanese market, it somehow got "diverted" to HK. Paid 22% less than their posted price, which was 35% less than typical US mail-order price. All of the stores at Yau Shing promise easy shipping to US addresses for large things that you can't fly home with, like the aforementioned TVs. Given the volume of product I've seen move through these stores, I have no reason to doubt their claims.

[GreyGeek]

Two things.
a) It never occurred to me that I have HDMI slots on my t.v. and that i could use it there, that is just tres kewl.

....

Nothing like using your 26" LCD HD TV as a display, especially when your screen appears to shrink when you use bigger print on your laptop display.

[woodsmoke]

GG
lol, yes

SR, I think, if am not mismembering, that I purchased my Cannon FTQL in that place back in the early 70s.

Loved HongKong, went to Kowloon side also to check out a "raw jewl merchant" and ended up at the wall that seperated the communist side frrom free HK.

woodsmoke