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PCs - PC Components

The Windows 10-Powered Raspberry Pi 2

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The Windows 10-Powered Raspberry Pi 2

The popular micro PC from the Raspberry Pi Foundation gets another major upgrade-- the Raspberry Pi 2 retains the low costs of the original, but gets a 6-fold increase in processing performance and twice the memory.

The original Raspberry Pi got a first update last year with the Model B+, a version featuring a 40-pin GPIO, 4 USB ports and more sensors, connectors and expansion boards.

The Pi 2 is even more capable specs-wise, having a 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU and 1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM (up from 512MB). In fact, it is powerful enough to run Windows 10-- and Microsoft will offer a compatible version of the OS to developers sometime in the future.

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The PC in a Mouse-Box

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The PC in a Mouse-Box

We have seen various PCs in in miniature and sometimes unusual forms, but the Polish team behind the Mouse-Box might have beat them all by squeezing all the necessary PC components into a mouse-chassis.

Touted as the ultimate combination of micro-PC and input device, the Mouse-Box runs on a 1.4GHz quad-core ARM processor and connects to displays via either micro HDMI port or "wireless image transfer module" compatible with any monitor armed with HDMI/VGA/DVI ports. It also includes 128GB built-in storage, wifi connectivity, a pair of USB ports and wireless charging via inductive charging mouse pad.

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Hannspree Claims "Smallest Computer"

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Hannspree Claims

Hannspree launches the pocket-size Micro-PC-- an HDMI-enabled PC on a stick (the smallest around, at least according to the company) complete with Windows 8.1 and touchscreen functionality for touch-ready displays.

Available as either a stick or as part of an All-in-One (AIO) PC bundle with a selection of HannsG touch monitors, the Hannspree Micro-PC carries a quad-core Intel Atom CPU, Intel HD Graphics (clocked at either 311Mhz or 646MHz in burst frequency mode), 2GB DDR3 RAM and 64GB storage inside a casing 11cm long and 40g heavy.

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Cooler Master, CoolChip Team Up in Cooling

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Cooler Master, CoolChip Team Up in Cooling

PC component maker Cooler Master announces a partnership with thermal management solution developer CoolChip Technologies at CES 2015-- one bringing CoolChip's kinetic cooling technology to consumer PCs.

Kinetic cooling involves what essentially amounts to a rotating heatsink. According to CoolChip the rotation sucks air into middle before quickly expelling it in all directions through the fins, with a thin (a few microns) cushion of air separating the rotating heatsink from the base plate connected to the CPU.

According to CoolChip the technology delivers a 50% improvement in cooling within a 2x smaller form factor and "significantly lower" noise levels.

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Intel Intros Compute Stick at CES

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Intel Intros Compute Stick at CES

Intel quietly announces its take on the micro PC concept at CES 2015-- the Compute Stick, a Google Chromecast-size device one can plug in any HDTV or monitor running on either Windows 8.1 or Linux.

Described as a "new generation compute-on-a-stick device," the Compute Stick carries a quad-core Atom CPU, 32GB storage, 2GB RAM, USB port and microSD slot (the lower-cost Linux version features 8GB storage and 1GB RAM). Connectivity comes through wifi and Bluetooth 4.0.

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CyberPower Shows Off Modular Fang Trinity

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CyberPower Shows Off Modular Fang Trinity

It takes a lot for a gaming PC to turn heads at CES 2015, yet CyberPower manages to do exactly that with the Fang Trinity, a concept PC with components divided between a set of sealed metal pods connected to a central trunk.

Of course, the concept is technically not too new-- last year's CES saw the Christine, a Razer modular PC featuring components slotted in similar fashion into a central backbone. However the Fang Trinity is a simpler take on the modular idea, since (as the name might suggest) it divides components between three pods. One pod carries the motherboard and cooler, another the PSU and storage drives, and the final pod holds a video card and 3 SSDs.

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Samsung Intros Curved AIO PC, "Lightest" Laptop

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Samsung Intros Curved AIO PC,

Samsung shows off its latest PC offerings ahead of CES 2015-- the ATIV One 7 Curved, reportedly the first All-in-One (AIO) PC with a curved display around, and the ATIV Book 9. the lightest laptop from the company yet.

The ATIV One 7 Curved features a 27-inch 300-nit 1920x1080 resolution LED display, and packs a 2.2GHz Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, integrated graphics, 1TB flash storage and a pair of 10W speakers. Windows 8.1 handles OS duties, while media capabilities include Dolby audio and AptX wireless technology.

At CES Samsung also caters for customers wanting the curved monitor but not the PC-- the company launches the ultra-wide SE790C (in 29- and 34-inch sizes), the 32-inch SE590C, the SE510C (24- or 27-inch) and the TV-ready 27-inch TD590C curved monitors.

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IEC, USB-IF Team Up in USB Standards

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IEC, USB-IF Team Up in USB Standards

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announce a collaboration in the data delivery and device charging capabilities of current USB specifications.

The announcement covers USB Power Delivery (Rev. 2.0, v1.0), USB 3.1 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps), and USB Type-C Cable and connector specifications.

Of particular interest is the enhanced Power Delivery specification. It increases power levels to up to 100W, adds bi-directional power capabilities (allows either host or device to either provide or consume power), optimises power management across multiple peripherals and provides "intelligent and flexible" power management, all over a single cable.

Such capabilities are to make part of the USB 3.1 standard within the new USB Type-C connector and cable.

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An Optical Link for Light-Based Computers

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An Optical Link for Light-Based Computers

Stanford University researchers devise an algorithm to design and build a prism-like silicon structure able to bend light at right angles-- an "optical link" for the building of the super-fast light-based computers of the future.

As the researchers put it, the optical link is a tiny slice of silicon etched with a barcode-style pattern. Much like a tiny prism the link splits light into 2 different wavelengths (or colours) at right angles to the input, forming a "T" shape.

Allowing the creation of such a structure is the algorithm, which automated the design process behind such a "previously unimaginable" nanoscale structure, one taking advantage of the differences in the speed of light as it passes from from air and silicon.

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