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Kontron preps first Tegra 3-based Mini-ITX board, homebrew gets an ARMful
Believe it or not, there's a potentially cheaper (and more customizable) way to get NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 into your life than to spring for a Nexus 7. Kontron is readying a rare Mini-ITX motherboard, the KTT30, that combines the ARM-based chip with expandable RAM and a trio of mini PCI Express slots for expansion like a micro SATA drive or a 3G modem. The external ports are more the kind you'd find on a do-it-yourself x86 PC, too: full-size HDMI, USB and even Ethernet make a show at the back. The only hurdles are an unusually throttled back 900MHz processor speed and, quite simply, the lack of release details. Kontron hasn't promised more than a release "coming soon" -- with much more complete Tegra 3 devices now hitting the $199 mark, though, we can't see the KTT30 putting much strain on any budding hobbyist's wallet.
CUPP PunkThis hands-on (video)
It's not the first time we're run into CUPP Computing's unique ability to blend the x86 and ARM platforms into one device -- at least in prototype form -- and just before the start of Computex 2011 here in Taipei we got a chance to experience the company's latest iteration called PunkThis. The product is meant to replace your computer's 2.5-inch SATA hard drive with a board featuring a complete ARM-based system along with a mini-PCIe socket -- the latter capable of accommodating a physically smaller SATA SSD to handle the missing storage for the x86 host. PunkThis is built around a Texas Instruments DM3730 1GHz ARM CPU with 512 MB of RAM and includes a WiFi radio, as well as connectors and cables to interface the board with existing video, audio, and USB facilities on the host computer (no soldering required). The Asus Eee PC netbook we got to play with was running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) but was lacking WiFi support. It ran perfectly alongside Windows 7 which was powered by the existing Atom processor. Switching OS-es is just a hotkey away, and battery life is supposedly doubled when the main x86 CPU is shut down and the only the daughter board is operational. PunkThis also provides two microSD card slots -- one for system storage used by the ARM-based OS (Android in this case), the other for mass storage visible to both environments (shared space). Pricing is supposed to remain below $200 and availability is expected in 8 weeks. That's pretty hardcore, but with a name like PunkThis would you expect anything less? Feast your eyes on our gallery and peek after the break for our hands-on video along with the obligatory PR. %Gallery-124713%
Super Talent debuts CoreStore MV, super small, super fast mini PCIe SSD
Super Talent is living up to its name today with the release of the world's "smallest and fastest" mini PCIe SSD. When we last took a look at the company's mini PCIe offerings, they were rocking 40MBps reads and 15MBps writes, but with the release of the new CoreStore SSD line, these exceptional storage makers have destroyed those 2009 specs with speeds topping out at 350MBps and 80MBps. The speedy CoreStore MV measures a mere 30mm x 50.95mm, combines Marvell's latest controller with DDR ONFi 2 flash, and is compatible with netbooks, notebooks, and other devices sporting a second gen mini-PCIe slot. Those devices working a standard PCIe slot can expect 350MBps reads and 220MBps writes with MV's big brother, the CoreStore MP. Both drives come in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB and should be available starting next month at an undisclosed price -- though we figure true speed freaks will pay just about anything to get their fix. Jonesing for specs? Check out the source link below.
Samsung NC10 hacked to accommodate second mini PCI-e slot
Samsung's NC10 may be getting a tad long in the tooth in the world of netbooks, but it still has its share of fans out there, some of whom are intent on stretching the netbook to its limits. One such individual is Graeme of the SammyNetbook forums, who amazingly managed to add a second mini PCI-e slot to the netbook that he's used to add a Broadcom HD decoder card. Of course, that mod is somewhat eased by the fact that the NC10 actually has a space and the necessary wiring for a second slot, but Graeme still did have to put his soldering skills to use, and simply hope that the NC10's BIOS recognized the extra PCI-e device (it did). Feeling a little brave? Then hit up the link below for all the necessary details and some pics of the process.
Super Talent caters to Eee PC with new 16/32/64GB SSDs
Though not the first SSDs we've seen looking for homes specifically in netbooks, Super Talent is hoping to make an even bigger splash with its latest trio and their bite-sized prices. Merely days after causing us all to drool with a sub-$300 128GB drive, the firm has revealed a trifecta of mini PCIe SSDs designed "explicitly for the ASUS Eee PC." The units are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors, each with 40MB/sec maximum read speeds and 15MB/sec maximum write rates. The trio is expected to hit mass production next month, and they'll only cost you $53, $79 and $149 in order of mention.[Via jkOnTheRun]
