VIA now offering unofficial Mozilla OS

VIA Embedded's APC range of computers was launched with the Android OS. They're soon to offer the unofficial version of the new Mozilla OS called Boot 2 Gecko.

The $79 APC rock and the $99 APC Paper are beautifully designed, embedded platforms, offering a quick way for developers to develop new software for operating system such as Android and Mozilla. More at Liliputing.com

The cardboard box PC is back

I thought this was old news but apparently it was new news for some people when it was spotted at the recent Computex trade show in Taiwan. It's VIA's APC Paper Rock, first announced in January this year, but not arriving until Q3 2013.

Tom's Hardware has done a short write-up on the upcoming embedded delight.

"VIA has revealed the APC Paper. The APC Paper is basically an APC Rock board in a cardboard and aluminum box, which opens up like a book to show off the APC Rock board. When closed, it measures 204 x 98 x 28 mm."

A Paper PC - sort of

APC, a subsidiary so far as I know of VIA's, has released a complete little PC that is reminiscent of the first case mods done by enthusiasts with Mini-ITX boards. The tiny PC, measuring 204 x 98 x 28mm (W x H x D), looks like a book but inside is actually a VIA WonderMedia board loaded with Android 4.0. Dubbed the Paper PC, it will cost you $99 and can be pre-ordered in March.

Which one is the Paper PC?

This is a classy and clever way to present this pocket rocket to enthusiasts. It's a design that sleek and able to be customized by creating your own book cover.

"Documents or books can be piled up on top of the computer, or it can be placed on a bookshelf. It’s a computer that you could sandwich between a variety of objects."

Item	Description
Model	Paper
Software	Android 4.0 (PC System)
Chip	VIA ARM Cortex-A9 @800Mhz Processor
Memory	DDR3 512MB Memory 4GB NAND Flash
Graphics	Built-in 2D/3D Graphic Resolution up to 1080p
Input and Output	HDMI USB 2.0 (x2) microUSB (OTG) Audio out / Mic in microSD Slot
Network	10/100 Ethernet
Debug	20-pin ARM-JTAG header
Expansion	Extra GPIO, SPI and I2C busses on a header
Size	204 x 98 x 28mm (W x H x D)
Case	Recycled pressed cardboard with high-grade aluminum

Boot Camp VIA Style

Forget the early morning starts and gruelling workouts, VIA's boot camp involves the APC board, Android and creative ideas.

In January 2013, registered participants in the VIA boot camp will turn up at VIA's headquarters in Taipei Taiwan for two days of one on one mentoring with experts from VIA on their APC board. Participants will be able to develop and prototype their designs and applications for the APC, even having access to a 3D printer while they're there. A couple of months later, in April 2013, the final results will be showcased at an event, also in Taipei.

The program kicks off at the VIA global headquarters in Xindian, New Taipei City over the weekend of January 19th and 20th, 2013. It will allow participants to form teams to take on the challenge of designing and building connected hardware devices using the APC platform. Industry experts will be on hand to assist and mentor teams as they work through their prototype builds. Participants will also have the opportunity to experiment with 3D printers for conceptualizing and prototyping. 

Event Schedule: The APC Boot Camp will kick off the weekend of January 19th and 20th, 2013, followed by regular progress meet-ups and a final showcase event April 14th, 2013.

To register your spot, visit VIA's APC website.

VIA APC Cycles Into Europe

The 'Bicycle for your mind', the ultra-cheap and compact VIA APC, now has a European distribution partner, making it an easy online order for DIY computer enthusiasts across the continent and the UK.

"We are pleased to announce that APC is now available for order across Europe through RS Components for £39.99. RS Components is the worldwide leading distributor of electronics and maintenance products, and is an ideal partner to provide quick and reliable service to customers looking to purchase an APC." - Source.

The little APC board is virtually a plug and play with Android package, allowing people to experiment and develop applications quickly and affordably, without the tie-down of a traditional desktop OS.

Newegg Update: The APC is now in Stock, at $60

Coming in some 10% more expensive than the original $49 price point, the VIA APC is now in stock on Newegg, making it easily accessible to DIY computing enthusiasts in the US.

Customer reviews thus far are very positive:

The VIA APC is now on sale at Newegg

The premier online portal for sales of computer parts in the US has started selling the VIA APC. Strangely labelled the "Avatar APC 8750 WM8750 Processor (ARMv6) - ARM1176JZF @800Mhz 6.69" x 3.35" Motherboard/CPU Combo" on the store, it is currently listed as 'Out of Stock' and has no price. So VIA have got Newegg to list the product, but there's no stock available. Mmm ...

VIA APC gets unboxed

Wondering what it would be like to get a VIA APC in the mail? Take a look:

The story behind the APC

Richard Brown, VP of Marketing at VIA, talks on TED TV about the development of computing and computer manufacturing in Greater China, and how 'the bicycle for your mind' came to be:

eProjects: First impressions of VIA APC good

Despite app downloads from Google Play not working (but third party app sites working fine) eProjects seem to be suitably impressed with their APC that has just arrived.

"First impression out of the box and first boot, so far so good, I did connect it to my Samsung monitor via the VGA interface, small mouse and keyboard, hooked up to my lab network, powered it (power supply is included) and it took Android less than 10 seconds to boot."

VIA's APC arrives in people's actual hands

Netbooknews have published a video interview of VIA's VP of Marketing, Richard Brown, talking them through the $49 APC board. Sitting in a Mini-ITX case you really get a good look at the size of the thing.

DIY computer enthusiasts will flock to APC

When VIA's $49 APC went on sale for pre-orders, it sold out in less than 24 hours. Indicating that supply is not that far away, VIA have launched technical documentation and a forum where hobbyists and developers can discuss their APC projects.

This is like a tailor-made computing DIY platform. VIA is not new to this game, with the Mini-ITX having been adopted by case modders as the platform of choice some 10 years ago. Perhaps by setting up their own forum and website, VIA hopes to retain the development to their own site, and I must say, they have done a cracking job on their presentation and the enthusiast language used.

Here's what has been added to the APC Library:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Kernel and Bootloader
• Board 2D/3D (DXF and STP)
• APC System Software (firmware image for re-installing)

Get your APC now ... oh no wait, they're sold out!

I got an email the other day from VIA announcing that pre-orders are now being accepted for their pocket rocket "bicycle for your mind" $49 Android PC (APC). I was a little busy with other things, thought I'd blog about that later this week and so today I followed the link and low and behold, all the pre-orders are sold out. It took less than 24 hours. Very impressive indeed.

I wonder when round two of sales will be?

VIA's PAC one of the 8 cheapest PCs in the world

Gizmodo has put together a list of the top 8 cheapest computers out there. Here's a summary:

Raspberry Pi ($25)
Aakash 2 ($40)
VIA APC 8750 ($49)
DataWind Ubislate 7 ($60)
Mele A1000 ($70)
MK802 ($74)
Intel NUC (>$100)
Aionol Novo 7 ($120)

With the pricing, VIA's solution comes in as a mid-range option, although it does require a chassis.