Direct Insight debuts SODIMM-sized, ARM-based computer-on-a-module

Well, it may not exactly be the computer everyone's been pining for, but those that have dreamed of an ARM Cortex-A8-based computer on a SODIMM module now finally one to call their own. That comes in the form of Direct Insight's new TRITON-TX51, which outdoes the Nokia N900 with an 800MHz Cortex-A8 processor, along with Freescale's i.MX515 system-on-a-chip, 128MB DDR400 RAM, 128MB of NAND flash, and a touchscreen controller that can drive screens at resolutions up to 1,280 x 768. You'll also get some other things nice to have on a computer like a 10/100 ethernet controller and a USB 2.0 interface, and even a reasonably capable PowerVR graphics engine that can do OpenGL ES 2.0 and hardware 720p decoding for MPEG-4/H264 video. Look for this one to land sometime next month for €150 (or just over $220).

[michaspi Posted Dec 5th 2009 2:49PM]

Hey, maybe with that powerful of a processor, USB 2.0 will be faster than FireWire!

[ran Posted Dec 6th 2009 2:25PM]

@michaspi That doesn't even make sense.

[Information Central Posted Dec 6th 2009 11:28PM]

I think he's referring the inferior performance of USB 2 (compared to Firewire) and its high CPU overhead.

[nashith Posted Dec 5th 2009 4:16PM]

So why was N900 brought up with this? There is the Pre, iPhone, Driod all having the same core. Is it that Engadget thinks N900 is the best A8 implementation?

[Wwhat Posted Dec 5th 2009 4:57PM]

Perhaps they try to get through one single article a year without someone mentioning the freaking iphone, or perhaps the nokia is in the mind because engadget just did a podcast with some nokia guys.
Or perhaps they got advise from their doctors that their jawbones were starting to grow in shapes related to mentioning pixies and iphones and droid so much.

[Oli D Posted Dec 5th 2009 5:08PM]

Is this just a proof of concept, because, as much as it is nice to have a standard on these sorts of levels, using a sodimm makes little sense.

I can't think how this would be useful, cool yes, but just awkward if using it for a phone or something.

The day that a standard, mini motherboard is released for end users to build android tablets for themselves will be one i celebrate with the tenacity of a adolescent boy being palmed by sally green.

(no offence sally)

[Veacross Posted Dec 6th 2009 5:07AM]

I think this spawns a legitimate question, if you can make ram sized computers. Wouldn't it be possible to make a desktop sized cluster? I mean all you would need is a modified motherboard with a hub instead of a CPU and add the computers themselves like ram. At $200 a pop, its no different than what RAM was at about 3-5yrs ago.

[Rik Posted Dec 6th 2009 6:03AM]

Is it me or is ARM going to take over the world?

[Wwhat Posted Dec 6th 2009 8:11AM]

Since people disagree with me that it should have modern gigabit networking, how about they downscale that USB2 to USB1.1 for you people too? And reduce the clock to 166MHz while they are at it, call it the engadger-commenters-model.

[Wwhat Posted Dec 6th 2009 2:19PM]

Excuse me, I meant to say engadget-sunday-commenters-model.
Because I realize now it's a pattern, on sunday voting goes bizarre.

[Andrew Jones Posted Dec 6th 2009 1:42PM]

The iMX.51 doesn't have a PowerVR GPU... I believe it's something from ATI.

[Andrew Jones Posted Dec 6th 2009 1:43PM]

@Andrew Jones
Sorry.... Not ATI -> AMD :)

[Poem58 Posted Dec 6th 2009 11:48PM]

@Andrew Jones

Sorry Not ATI or AMD but Imagination Technologies
http://www.imgtec.com/PowerVR/powervr-graphics.asp

[Andrew Jones Posted Dec 7th 2009 3:29AM]

@Poem58

Um, It doesn't mention imx51 at the link..

The imx51 doesn't have a GPU from img - it's ATI/AMD. I have been developing on this platform and know this to be the case.

http://www.linleygroup.com/Newsletters/LinleyMobile/lm090114.html#1