Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that you can fit a Tegra 2 in your pocket -- how else could we have these phones? -- but it's still impressive to see the dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and GeForce ULP chip find its way into a bona fide fanless nettop that sips just three watts under load. This Compulab Trim Slice isn't nearly as powerful as the AMD Fusion model we saw last week, but it sure is svelte, with a die-cast metal case just six-tenths of an inch thick despite cramming in a SATA SSD, 1GB of RAM and most every I/O port you could want. You're looking at four USB 2.0 sockets, SD and microSD slots, HDMI, DVI, RS-232, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth, a pair of 3.5mm audio jacks and S/PDIF out for sound, not to mention JTAG, UART and SPI interfaces for extending the system on your own terms -- and analog video-in, for crying out loud. Look for it in April, priced "higher than a streamer, but lower than a tablet." Sound about right? Find another picture and the full PR after the break, while you make up your mind.
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CompuLab is Introducing Trim-Slice – the first NVIDIA® TegraTM 2 based desktop
Haifa, Israel – 24-Jan-11 – CompuLab is introducing Trim-Slice – a miniature desktop computer powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2. With 0.6" thick all-metal housing, Trim-Slice is CompuLab's smallest and most energy-efficient computer to-date.
NVIDIA Tegra 2 integrates a 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and an ultra-low power GeForce GPU onto the same chip, making it the most powerful ARM based system-on-chip available today.
"Trim-Slice is designed to unleash the full potential of NVIDIA Tegra 2" said Irad Stavi, Director of Business Development at CompuLab. "Trim-Slice feeds the Tegra 2 with all the ingredients for supporting high performance CPU: 1 GB RAM, SATA SSD and dual SDHC for storage and GbE networking. Users can experience the outstanding multimedia capabilities of the Tegra 2 through full-HD HDMI, dual-head display and 5.1 channels digital audio."
"CompuLab demonstrated many times over its expertise in power-efficient system design." said Igor Vaisbein, Trim-Slice Project Manager at CompuLab. "The ultra-low power of NVIDIA Tegra 2 enabled designing Trim-Slice into a miniature form-factor with unprecedentedly low-power envelope while providing rich multimedia capabilities and PC-like user experience".
High performance, low-power, rich I/O and miniature rugged design, position Trim-Slice as an attractive solution for a variety of applications – media player, IPTV, infotainment system, signage, gaming or even desktop replacement to name a few.
Trim-Slice differs from most other ARM based solutions by being a commercially available open platform for software developers.
"The software eco-system on ARM is evolving quickly" said Mike Rapoport, Director of SW Development at CompuLab. "The open-source community and ISVs need an ARM development platform that is versatile, open and powerful. Trim-Slice meets that by incorporating PC-like performance, memory, storage, display, I/O and networking in an open platform that allows installation of any supported OS and application. CompuLab will offer more than one OS working on Trim-Slice out-of-the-box."
CompuLab will cooperate with ISVs that select Trim-Slice as a reference platform.
Specifications
CPU: NVIDIA® TegraTM 2 Dual Core ARM Cortex A9 1GHz with integrated ultra-low power GeForce GPU
Memory: 1 GB DDR2-800Storage :
Full size SD (SDHC)
Micro SD (SDHC)
SATA SSD (up to 64GB)Networking:1 GbE
WiFi 802.11n + BT
Display :HDMI 1.3 full-HD + DVI (dual head)
Audio: Stereo line-out, line-in, 5.1 digital S/PDIF
Video in: PAL/NTSC
I/O:
4 USB2 ports (480 MBps)
1 USB device
RS232 Serial port
Extension: JTAG, 2 UARTs, SPI
Housing: Fanless all-metal nickel-plated die-cast
Dimensions: 130mm x 95mm x 15mm – 5.1" x 3.7" x 0.6"
Power: 8-16V DC, 3W average
Availability
CompuLab expects to start accepting orders from Trim-Slice in April. "Trim-Slice pricing is yet to be finalized" said Mr. Stavi. "It will be priced higher than a streamer, but lower than a tablet".
Trim-Slice is guaranteed for long term availability of 5 years. It will be available in several configurations and will be offered to OEMs looking to re-brand the product.
About CompuLab
CompuLab is a leading designer and manufacturer of embedded computing products since 1992. CompuLab's fit-PC line of miniature, fanless PCs - introduced in 2007 – positioned CompuLab as an industry leader in the field of miniature, fanless industrial PCs. CompuLab headquarters are located in Haifa, Israel with offices in St. Petersburg, FL.
