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HummingBoard is a Raspberry Pi rival that lets you swap out its processor
You'd think the world of hobbyist mini computers would be full, considering that you've got a choice of Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone and even Intel's NUC. That hasn't deterred SolidRun, which is releasing the HummingBoard as a more powerful alternative to the Raspberry Pi. Built on the same platform, the HummingBoard promises faster silicon (1GHz ARM v7 vs. 700MHz ARM v6) while fitting into the same third-party cases as its education-centric rival. It also lets you switch out the CPU and memory module, should you need some more grunt further down the road. The base unit with 512MB RAM will set you back $45 plus $10 for a power adapter, while the top-spec model with 1GB RAM and a faster chip is priced at $100.
SolidRun's $45 CuBox-i mini PC runs both Linux and Android
Mini computers exist thanks in no small part to Moore's Law, but one running Linux and Jelly Bean is pretty unique. Developer SolidRun isn't new to the tiny PC scene, but since it released the original CuBox in 2011, it's stayed relatively quiet. That silence breaks with the four CuBox-i models that are up for pre-order right now. The 2-inch cube computers range in price from the $44.99 CuBox-i1 base model to a fully kitted out $119.99 CuBox-i4Pro. That $120 gets you a quad-core processor with each core running at 1 GHz, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, built-in WiFI and Bluetooth (a spec sheet with all features across all models is after the break). Regardless of price, each model features SATA support, HDMI 1.4 and optical audio ports, which could make a CuBox-i running the latest version of XBMC the perfect workaround to a bulky HTPC.
