Hardware startup Infinitec is building a tiny Android computer housed in an HDMI dongle that is only 3.3 inches long. The product, which is called Pocket TV, was fully funded on Kickstarter within the first week of landing on the popular crowd-funding website.
The Pocket TV has a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. It has a male HDMI plug at one end, allowing it to be plugged directly into a television. It also comes with a built-in microSD slot, a USB 2.0 port, and WiFi. There are two remote controls available as accessories: a standard IR remote, and the more sophisticated Air Remote, which has a QWERTY thumb keyboard.
The final retail price for the Pocket TV will be $160, but users who back it on Kickstarter can get it for $110. Unlike some of the other products that we have seen in this space, Infinitec says that the Pocket TV will ship with Android 4 and the Google Play store. The company is marketing it as a mobile smart television platform that can handle 1080p video and casual games.
Earlier this year, we reported on the FXI Cotton Candy, a small computer with a similar form factor that became available for preorder in February. The Cotton Candy sells for $199, but has better specs than Infinitec’s system—twice as much RAM and a slightly faster CPU.
Inexpensive ARM computers are becoming increasingly popular among Linux enthusiasts and embedded computing hobbyists. The declining cost of components and other factors have made it easier for manufacturers to build such systems. The $35 Raspberry Pi computer remains the most affordable computer in this product category, but its availability is currently limited due to high demand.
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