Tiny Computer Mother boards

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Variscite are making computer boards for use by PC makers that are extremely small for their computing power. The 2 Euro coin shown in the picture is about the size of our 50 cent piece.

The DART-4460 features a 1.5 GHz dual core 'ARM' processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of Flash Hard Drive. It's a complete system with WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI out, SD card support and USB ports. This unit has been optimised for Android / Linux and would be capable or running Firefox, Chrome, Libreoffice and VLC media player. Power requirement is about a tenth of a Watt so it could be sourced from the HDMI outlet which connects to the Monitor or TV. Keyboard, mice and cameras can be run from WiFi or USB ports.

Mint 15 Live or Install DVD

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With Microsoft's continual change of Desktop layout's a look at the alternatives could be worthwhile. Linux Mint 15 would be a good choice for those familiar with XP, as it keeps to the basic XP layout. It is a free download and has an installation time of around 15 Minutes. I tested this distribution on an entry level single core Toshiba laptop that came with Windows 7 preinstalled, that I considered to be too slow to be usable. Boot time over 2 minutes compared to Mint's 35 seconds. Mint was ready to go on broadband Ethernet, and wireless with just knowing the wireless password. A laser printer and Multifunction printer scanner installed themselves without any intervention. Firefox with flash, Thunerbird E-mail, Libreoffice 4, VLC media player and DVD burner software was already provided on the distribution. I added Cheese camera and Skype applications which immediately worked. Virus checkers are not required. The only drawback is for iTune users as this is not supported.

Android desktop computers are coming soon

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Motherboards that have been optimized for Android are starting to proliferate in the Chinese factories. These are ARM based (phone chipset) boards with a ssd drive of only 4G, which is ample for Android. They are clearly intended for use as a cheap Desktop computer, probably under $100 with a suitable case. Android is capable of running all Multimedia (videos, pictures and music) via VLC or XBMC. There are many online and offline office suites with Libreoffice almost ready for Android with 'Nightly builds' for testing. Web surfing and e-mail are well supported already. Keyboard and mouse are via USB or wireless. User files are stored with USB flash drives or external hard drives. There are other USB ports, rs232 ports and General IO ports that can be run from header connecters that are mounted on the motherboard. Dimensions are approx. 4" x 3".

Libreoffice 4.0

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Libreoffice has just released version 4 of their Free Office suite. This has similar functionality as Microsofts Office 2013. The Menu  structure has not changed since version 2 making it easier to remember how the different sections work. Installation is extremely easy as there is no registration requirements. It is available for Windows (XP and later), Macs and Linux.

HP's new "Chromebook" Laptop

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HP has now entered into the Google chromebook laptop era with a 14" device at around US $320. This comes with all the usual ports and a 16Gb Flash drive. Samsung, Acer, Asus, and Lenovo also market 12" versions of these. Originally designed for consumer use they are being picked up by the educational and business sector as a reliable cheap laptop that is mostly used online, although offline applications are being added daily. These computers would serve most customers needs without the worry of updates and viruses. These are compatible with HP's range of E-Printers and other manufacturers of "cloud ready" printers and scanners. Reliable sources say that approximately 10% of manufacturing in Laptops are Chromebooks which are expected to rise considerably over the coming year. Google Docs is the preferred Office suite, but Quickoffice or Microsofts Office 365 have been reported to work without any problems. An offline Mediaplayer is included for viewing films and pictures or playing music.

QR Codes

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QR codes or 'Quick Response codes' can hold up to 3000 characters of text. These are normally used by mobile phones for displaying data, holding an e-mail or web address. Using a QR application and holding the camera to focus on the code it will automatically decode the information and display it if its text or open a browser if the data is a web address and display the contents. The picture shown holds an item of text from our blogsite. Try it with your smartphone but remember to get a free QR code reader from your app store first.

Using Google extras

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Google is more than a search engine. In the latest Chrome and Firefox browsers it can be used to view PDF, JPG and PNG files, play Flash videos, use as a file manager, create and edit Documents, Install apps on mobile devices, watch the latest news for NZ and the world. Looking at the black menu bar there are several headings that can be clicked on. 'PLAY' is used for installing applications on Phones and Tablets. 'DRIVE' opens the application for creating and editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The only requirement to use these is a free gmail account. Make sure a hard to break password is used. The file manager is invoked by entering 'file:///' in the address bar.