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InFocus's New Kangaroo: a Screenless $99 Windows 10 Portable PC (venturebeat.com)
An anonymous reader writes: InFocus today debuted the Kangaroo, a $99 Windows 10 portable PC that "goes anywhere and works with any screen." The term "mobile desktop" may seem like an oxymoron, but that really is the best description: Picture your typical desktop PC tower shrunk down to the size of a phablet sans screen; just like any desktop, you'll still need to connect a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
People keep doing this sort of thing. IBM had Metacard, there was Oqo, and wasn't there a Palm device which was viewed as mostly a media storage device?
Why not go ahead and add a touch screen (and a stylus) so that one can use it w/o needing to cable up?
I use a Toshiba Encore 2 Write 10 as my main system in pretty much this way, connecting when I don't wish to use the touch screen / stylus to a full-size keyboard and monitor (fortunately, Toshiba provided an adapter for the single USB port which affords two connections, one for charging, one for devices).
The functionality I'd really like to see is this sort of thing done as an iPhone / iPod Touch sized unit ---- Apple could take their laptop, make the trackpad a removable unit which was exactly the size of an iPhone/iPod Touch, and one could replace the trackpad w/ the portable device which would then function as a customizable trackpad and which would load the user directory and backup the portable device.
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
You should see my mobile basketball court. Well... it's just a ball really.
Does it run Linux ?
aaaaaaa
It's just like a NUC, or Compute Stick, or any of dozens of other micro PCs.
Wait, this one has a battery, but I'm not sure how much of a feature that is when you need an external monitor anyway. I guess it gets you through power hiccoughs?
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
Just get a picoprojector if you can't wait to be somewhere with a screen.
Since it's a Windows one, you could always access it with your phone or tablet over Teamviewer or other remote methods.
My parents have a tiny little box like this. Why? Because they are getting old and won't be looking at a 10" screen and fiddle with microscopic virtual buttons or cramped keyboards 2mm deep. Huge monitor, full size keyboard and mouse but in terms of computing power their needs are practically non-existant. Sure it could be a laptop, but the lid would be closed 99.9% of the time so why bother.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Does it run Linux ?
I second this question; I'm done with Windows and Microsoft in general, and would rather not have a computer at all anymore than ever have Orwellian Windows 10.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
If you want to run Linux, buy something ARM-based, like Banana Pi or Raspberry Pi 2. There are quite descent boards, and they are much cheaper than $99.
The $99 cost for this computer includes wifi, Bluetooth, a case, power supply, 4 hour battery, and 32 gig of storage. To similarly build up a Raspberry Pi would cost almost as much as this computer at $99.
Ken
Did you notice this is from Infocus? They are in the business of selling projectors, I think this is being viewed as a portable PowerPoint machine.
Ken
Anyone that wants a small computer to tuck in their projector bag for sales presentations.
Anyone that wants to setup a kiosk.
Anyone that wants to run Windows apps 'on' their iPad (includes software for iPad to act as keyboard/screen for this wifi/Bluetooth enabled computer).
Anyone that wants to embrace the idea of 'hot desks' in their office without buying scads of laptops.
Anyone that wants to put an inexpensive presentation system in a conference room (just add Bluetooth keyboard/mouse and connect to large flat panel/projector).
Ken
The GNU/Linux version is often more expensive, and I'm told this is for three reasons: lack of economies of scale, cost of handling returns from novices who end up buying the wrong thing, and the claim that the royalties paid by publishers of included trialware more than subsidize the royalty paid to Microsoft for Windows.
I see no indication the dock is not included in the $99 introductory offer, and the review I read on Venturebeat.com clearly indicates the dock is included...
Ken
Or, as I prefer, no OS at all? I don't want (or need) you to put an OS on my box. I can, and will, do that on my own. In fact, it's the first thing I do. If I want BSD then I'll put it on there. If I want Linux, I'll put that on there. If I want Windows, well... Let's not go that far, but you get the idea. I'm happy, capable, and willing to accept any risks and do my own software support, thanks. I don't need an OS installed, I can read the help files if needed. I don't need to have anything pre-configured, thanks, I'd prefer to customize it myself (and probably will) so you're not really saving me any time. I don't want "just works" out of the box. I want what I want to "just work" when I'm done with it.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."