Fortysomething Geek

This is suppose to be a super-charged Raspberry PI. It is billed as a "A Supercomputer For Everyone."
It comes in 16 and 64 core configuration. The 16 core hits 13 GHz and 26 gigaflops performance. It is a dual core ARM A9 SoC with either a 16 or 64 core "co-processor" RISC chips. You can also cluster these little babies. I was going to build a little Debian/Ubuntu mini box with this. However, for now, I think I rather go with an INTEL NUC.

I'm pretty much glad I didn't lose my money on this but I've lost my enthusiasm. For the time being, this is going ino the drawer. After being stood up for close to a year, you can see why I'm not so enthusiastic any more.




Links:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adapteva/parallella-a-supercomputer-for-everyone
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/09/99-raspberry-pi-sized-supercomputer-touted-in-kickstarter-project/

The MiiPC is a Kickstarter funded Android PC designed for families.  After a long wait, I finally got this in. Like with many Kickstarter projects, expect delays. It is now finally in my hands.



What is it?

It is a desktop PC running Android. It has a similar form-factor to the Ouya. The idea behind this is to empower parents to control their kid's computer activity with a simple computer. Apps and website usage can be controlled remotely by parents using their smartphones.

Spec-wise, MiiPC is SFF (small form factor) Android 4.22 Desktop PC measuring 4.7 x 4.7 x 3.1-inch.
It's powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell New Armada SoC with 1GB of RAM, 4 to 8 GB of flash storage, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. The system features  front SD card slot in front. In the back, it has two USB 2.0, HDMI, analog audio I/O, Ethernet and power.

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I am anticipating a few new items coming in this summer.
I'm pretty excited about some of the kickstarter projects I've backed.

First is the MiiPC
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2102024857/miipc-power-to-the-parents




and Parallela
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adapteva/parallella-a-supercomputer-for-everyone





I'm pretty certain the MiiPC and Parallela ARM based super computer will be coming this summer as promised. MiiPC has already sent out request for shipping. Furthermore, sites like engadgets have already done some hands-on look.

Kickstarter can be interesting and it can be suspense-fully risky. I am still waiting for feedback from ZionEyez. People are pretty much writing it off as a scam. Forbes even wrote a piece on them.

I'll report back if I actually get anything.