Zotac ZBOX 01520 Mini-PC Looks Like Bowling Ball
Here's an interesting ZBOX mini-PC.
In addition to its Steam Machine and Haswell-powered ZBOX nano ID67, Zotac also had on display this week during CES 2014 the ZBOX 01520, a bowling-ball-shaped mini-PC with a flat foundation to keep it from rolling off the desk. There are no markings on the front, and all inputs and outputs are shoved into the back where the square base extends upwards.
According to a spec sheet, this mini-PC packs an Intel Core i3-4010U "Haswell" dual core processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, Intel HD 4400 graphics, and two SO-DIMM slots for up to 16 GB of RAM. There's also a slot for adding a 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD, and an mSATA port that can also be used for storage.
Along with those specs, the ball-shaped PC provides four USB 3.0 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet and a 4-in-1 card reader. HDMI and DisplayPort round out this miniature desktop, pun intended.
As with most ZBOX models, there's a barebones version and a "plus" version. In this case, the Plus version also provides 4 GB of RAM and a 500 MB 2.5-inch hard drive for an additional cost. Sorry, the operating system is not included.
Currently, there's no information regarding availability and pricing, so stay tuned.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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fwupow I'm posting an answer apparently but I don't see a question. Well anyway for a Zotac Zbox (Zbox) (I say I says I said 'Zbox'), it's not very boxy. I think I'd prefer to see something that you could clip onto the bottom & back of your Monitor to provide front-facing USB / Audio etc ports and with rear-facing HDMI port. I mean the objective would be to have a super clean desktop and the almost invisible/undetectable presence of a PC.Reply -
fteoOpty64 Reply12434492 said:Doesn't this look EXACTLY like the nexus Q? Total design rip-off.
At least the Nexus Q uses the sphere as a volume control. This Zotac design is so stupid and does nothing!. Let me give them one idea. Put a projector inside the sphere and use a visor to close and open it for use. This way, this PC can at least show movies/presentation on a white wall or even a ceiling!.