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AdvantageSix Promises a Tiny ARM-based Computer
oberondarksoul writes "Drobe, one of the leading RISC OS news websites, is reporting that AdvantageSix have displayed an in-development version of their forthcoming A9home system. Running on a 400MHz Samsung ARM9 processor, and measuring approximately 6.6x4x2 inches, this ought to be a cheap -- and reasonably powerful -- RISC OS-based alternative to small form factor PCs or the Mac mini."
1 inch = 2.54cm, so it's approx. 16.8x10.2x5.1cm in size.
Looking at the specs sheet and the expected price It really is not any competition for the Mac mini, so its expected to retail for around 499GBP+vat(17.5% on top of that) in the UK (if UKP means UK pound ?, ) which is already alot more than the price of the 1.42ghz g4 based mac mini , which comes with double the ram , double the harddrive .It will probably make a great ARM development machine but i don't think its trying to compete with SFF PCs and MacMinis.
-Comparing it to a macmini is really doing it a great dis-service
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
168x103x53mm
next to the keyboard mouse ports. there's a photo, I suggest looking at it. and specs listed too.
RTFA and all
168x103x53mm in a blue metal box
400MHz Samsung ARM9 processor
Embedded graphics processor
128M SDRAM
8M VRAM
10/100MBit network
40GB hard disc
4 x USB sockets
Microphone in
2 x PS/2
RS232 serial
5V power supply, 20W power
It runs RISC OS natively, which - although not nearly as popular as in its hayday - is still used by a fair number of people. Certainly they're more expensive than the average Intel, but they do have several advantages.
For instance, the entirety of the RISC OS is in ROM - this gives machines ludicrously good boot times, as well as making it virtually impossible to accidentally hose the system. It also has a familiar and easy to use GUI, using the middle-button for all menus - no menu bars cluttering up every window, and has features such as font anti-aliasing built in (since 1989).
And tomorrow the stock exchange will be the human race
There are loads of pictures and videos of the A9home - including comparisons to a 50 pence coin and a Mac Mini - on The Iconbar's show report:
http://www.iconbar.com/news/wakefield2005/report/
Another thing these are not at all cheap in developing countries. I'm from India. The A9Home costs 499 Pounds which translates to around 40,000 Indian Rs which is a lot for a desktop computer which doesn't have a monitor. We can get assembled PCs (with monitor, speakers etc) for around 25,000 Indian Rs
The A9home most cetainly does come with a keyboard and mouse. I suggest you check the specs of it before posting missinformation.
1) It's very pricy. ARM cpus are dirt cheap compared to power or x86 CPUs, the rest of the components are pretty standard. The build cost for this machine should be less that 100USD in reasonable sized runs.
2) It draws A LOT of power. I don't think that any ARM machine I've worked with draws close to 20W @ 5V.
On the whole though, I think this is a cool idea - when I worked on a 200Mhz Xscale ARM running Debian, it was perfectly fine for web surfing, etc. Perfect for Mom and Pop if they just wanted to surf & do email.
Damnit - I wanted my nick to be "WouldIPutMYRealNameOnSlashdot"
I think this is a common misconception about development countrys (aka 3rd world), barebones are around 300 U$S here, and they dont even include a processor or memory (not to name a monitor). Mac Mini is more than 650 U$S and we can get a PC with better specs and a 17 inch monitor for about 500 U$S. I dont understand why people think this would benefit 3rd world countries, its obvious that this kind of "gadgets" are for a very specific target and most of the people in this countries are not in that category.
no sig