SolidRun's New Mini PC Can Run Linux and Android

SolidRun made headlines a couple of years back with the CuBox, a small form factor PC measuring 2 × 2 × 2 inches and runs on a Marvell Armada 510 ARMv7 processor (800 MHz) and 1 GB of DDR3. The single-board machine made quite a splash given its low price of $135. Now, SolidRun is doing us one better with a mini computer priced under $50.

 

"We want to enable everybody to do whatever their imagination drives them to do with our mini-computers. Our team had to work very hard to pack in such a rich and high-end set of features and still keep the cost at levels that make this product a no brainer choice for everyday projects," said Kossay Omary, CEO of SolidRun. "The i.MX6 System-on-Chip series provides the perfect scalability for balancing power, performance and price."

The CuBox-i series actually boasts four separate machines, the cheapest of which sells for just $45 and packs Freescale'si.MX6 Solo SoC. This features a single core CPU clocked at 1 GHz backed by GC880 3D GPU. It also boasts 512 MB of DDR3, support for HDMI, Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, microSD, and microUSB. It measures the same size as the original CuBox, so it's 2 x 2 x 2 inches, and can run the latest version of Linux as well as Android 4.2.2.

Other higher priced options in the CuBox-i series include up to quad-core CPUs, as much as 2 GB of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, microUSB, OpenGL|ES 2.0 GPU with OpenCL, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth, eSata 3 Gbps, and a built-in clock. Pricing on the higher end models goes up as far as $120.

Follow Jane McEntegart @JaneMcEntegart. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

  • jhansonxi
    The GPU driver has the typical binary blob but there is progress being made with open source drivers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_hardware_and_FOSS#Vivante
    Reply
  • schultzter
    How about some links to the products?
    Reply
  • Spooderman
    11501151 said:
    How about some links to the products?

    You could click the source link.
    Reply
  • squirrelboy
    "Linux and Android"
    should have been
    "linux, including android"
    also: "the latest version of Linux" is like saying the latest version of phone.
    Does the author have ANY idea what Linux is?
    Reply
  • schultzter
    11501232 said:
    You could click the source link.

    Ah! Up at the top!!! I was expecting some links in the story.

    Reply
  • balister
    Perfect little machine for web browsing.
    Reply
  • kr00lplatinum
    Is this powerful enough to be a dedicated Emulation Station?
    Reply
  • rwinches
    Link to new CuBox i site
    http://cubox-i.com/
    It boots from the micro SD and if you order an SD card it will have JB installed 4.2.2
    The ethernet GB port is limited by the bus to 470 Mbps
    eSATA is nice though
    Reply
  • Spac3nerd
    11501994 said:
    "Linux and Android"
    should have been
    "linux, including android"
    also: "the latest version of Linux" is like saying the latest version of phone.
    Does the author have ANY idea what Linux is?

    "There is no system but GNU, and Linux is one of its kernels"

    Reply