14 DAY TRIAL // One might not expect a mobile platform to be used for anything besides smartphones and tablets, and maybe certain laptops, but NVIDIA's Tegra 2 SoC ended up as the basis for a certain Compulab desktop PC.
Tegra 2 is the system-on-chip made by NVIDIA based on the ARM architecture and which has been showing up in various smartphones and, especially, tablets.
In fact, most of the slates revealed at the 2011 MWC (Mobile World Congress) trade show used this hardware as the central component.
It seems, however, that there is a certain company that spent its creativity on the making of a different sort of Tegra 2 electronic.
Basically, Compulab has put together the Trim Slice, a so-called ultra-compact desktop PC unveiled some time ago and now caught on video by ARMdevices.
It measures just 130 mm x 95 mm x 15 mm, which is the equivalent of or 5.1 x 3.7 x 0.6 inches, meaning that, for a 'desktop,' it will be remarkably easy to move around.
The Tegra 2 alone ensures that everything up to playback of videos in 1,080p quality is possible, while complementary features provide the rest of the features that any PC is expected to possess.
That said, there is 1 GB of RAM (random access memory) and either a 32 GB SSD (solid state drive) or (on a somewhat larger model) a 2.5-inch HDD.
Furthermore, Compulab threw in a a microSD card slot, meaning that, along with the SSD or HDD, the OS (operating system) will be possible to load on either the built-in storage or a memory card.
Speaking of OS, Ubuntu will be loaded onto the system at launch, but the outfit wants to support Android 3.0 by the time that happens. Other specs include the obligatory WiFi, plus dual-link DVI and HDMI.
April 2011 is the earliest time frame for the availability, with prices set at $300 for the HDD version and $250 for the one with a SSD.