Android on a VIA x86 Board in Action

VIA have released this video showing Android running on an EITX-3002 Em-ITX board. Great resolution for video playback!

VIA's x86 embedded boards support Android

The embedded market just got a new option, with VIA announcing support for Google's Android operating system, starting with the EITX-3002 Em-ITX board. The Android operating system has become the most-used smartphone operating system and it also features on various tablet PCs, most of which run ARM processors. This new support for VIA's x86 platform opens the door for Android to be found on embedded computing devices like entertainment systems in vehicles and information kiosks.



"Key advantages for Android on x86 include leverage of Android development resources and existing apps, rich I/O flexibility, greater CPU performance as well as higher display resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080. In addition VIA has released SMART ETK, an Embedded Tool Kit which allows monitoring and control of peripheral devices through the Android OS, allowing for greater environmental control of kiosk and other installed environments."

Find more information here.

Computing on a silver platter

Here's an image of the VIA ARTiGO I hadn't seen before ...

Just add RAM, storage and power

At USD$89 the new VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX board is an alluringly inexpensive way to build a PC that is well set up for multimedia use. BIOSLEVEL.com have reviewed the new board with pleasing results.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen a Via chip outperform a competitor from Intel, but the VE-900's 1.4GHz Nano X2 processor accomplishes this without breaking a sweat or needing overclocked. Paired with 8GB of RAM, I found the performance from the VE-900 to rival that of desktop systems from only a few years ago, all while using a fraction of the power."

With the right packaging and marketing an astute start-up could revitalise the desktop market with and affordable small form factor PC based on the VE-900.

Desktop computer with power and finesse

At 5.7" x 3.9" x 2" (14.6 cm x 9.9 cm x 5.2 cm) the VIA ARTiGO is the smallest fully featured PC on the market, available in a handy kit form that's great for entry level enthusiasts and still enticing enough for a seasoned PC builder.

The new A1150 edition comes with a 1.0GHz dual core VIA Eden X2 processor and it supports HD video playback and Gigabit Ethernet, making it an itsy bitsy solution for the family room, and quiet and small enough to be unobtrusive but really handy as a media solution in a bedroom.

But why focus on the multimedia aspects so much? The thing is, this setup ticks all the boxes for a desktop for the vast majority of people. Why on earth would you have a hefty beige or silver box whirring away taking up desk or foot space when you can have this literally sitting under the profile of most LCD monitors?! Crazy!

"VIA redefines dual core low power compact computing, bringing all the features of a regular desktop PC into a form factor that needs to be seen to be believed," said Epan Wu, Head of the VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. "VIA has a long history in creating leading edge form factor systems, and the VIA ARTiGO A1150 pushes the bounds for ultra-compact desktop computing.”

More at the official Press Release.

VIA launches new dual-core Mini-ITX

One of the things that the original VIA Mini-ITX board was touted for was a lounge room media PC and this latest Mini-ITX board is designed with that purpose in mind. The VE-900 is the first VIA Mini-ITX board to feature the dual-core Nano processor, the 1.4GHz VIA Nano X2 dual core.

The feature set of this board also includes 1080p video support care of the VX900 media system processor and there's HD audio as well.

"The VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard, measuring 17cm, x 17cm, pairs a 1.4 GHz VIA Nano™ X2 CPU with the VIA VX900 MSP. In addition to enabling support for up to 8GB of DDR3 system memory, the VIA VX900 MSP features the latest ChromotionHD 2.0 video engine, boasting comprehensive hardware acceleration for the latest VC1, H.264, MPEG-2 and WMV9 HD formats at screen resolutions of up to 1080p without incurring a heavy CPU load. Display connectivity support includes onboard HDMI and VGA."

The board is available " ... worldwide at incredibly competitive pricing."

Dual core brought to Em-ITX form factor

I always appreciate the write up of new VIA embedded boards done by LinuxForDevices.com. They are very thorough. Here are the highlights of the new EITX-3002 board:

"As far as we're aware, Via has never publicized TDPs for either of these CPUs, though it has naturally made all the usual noises about low-power operation. The company does, however, reveal that the overall EITX-3002 uses 24.86 Watts with the Eden X2, and 27.67 Watts with the Nano X2. Both processors are supported by the VX900H chipset and a single SODIMM slot that accepts up to 4GB of RAM, Via says. Persistent storage is catered for by SATA ports and a CFast expansion slot, adds the company."

This board has a lot of output options, including support for dual displays.