APC Paper, stored inside an aluminum case surrounded by a cardboard "book" cover (via VIA)
The ever-growing trend of micro-PCs continues to escalate since Raspberry Pi hit the market back in 2011. Companies such as FXI Technologies (Cotton Candy) and Rikomagic (MK802) have designed their iterations of the micro-PC into form factors the size of thumb-drives, and while they may not be that small, VIA Technologies has thrown their hat into the ‘tiny tech’ category with their release of the APC Rock and APC Paper. Ok so they’re not as small as a match book but they do pack a sizable punch for their relative size and one, interestingly enough, is made using recycled paper. That particular model from VIA is known as the ‘APC Paper’ and is not only the size of a paperback book, but looks like one as well (until you open it that is). You won’t find any mystery, sci-fi or horror stories inside, but you will find an ARM Cortex-A9 processor (clocked at a modest 800MHz), 512MB of DDR3 and 4GB NAND memory, on-board 2D/3D graphics (unknown but could be an ARM Mali-400?) capable of full 1080p resolution, a myriad of connection options (including HDMI, USB 2.0 (X 2), and MicroUSB) all housed inside of a case made from recycled pressed cardboard and aluminum. Running the show is the Android 4.0 OS, which has seemingly become the de facto system for micro devices (unless you swap it with Ubuntu).
APC Rock (via VIA)
VIA’s other release is actually an updated version of APC 8750 (Neo-ITX form factor) board and rebranded as the APC Rock. The on-board electronics include an ARM Cortex-A9 processor (same as Paper @ 800MHz), 512MB of DDR3 and 4GB of NAND memory (up from 2GB NAND on the 8750), the same 2D/3D on-board graphics as the APC Paper with full 1080p resolution (up from 720p for the 8750) and has all the connections found on the Paper except for an obscure VGA port for those still rocking an old-school CRT. Both boards will become available from APC’s website and should cost around $79 US for the Rock and $99 for the Paper respectively.
Cabe