News - Tango PC packs an AMD Kabini APU into a phone-sized chassis

[HEXUS]

Project has now shot past double its $100k crowdfunding goal on Indiegogo.

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[MaverickWill]

"Windows 7 trial version"...

That's an awfully fancy way of saying "No OS included".

[CK_1985]

Like this idea, think it looks very cute. However, unless you're going to take advantage of the multiple docking stations idea why not just get a NUC or similar?

Also, I've said it before but this trend towards tiny PCs would be so much more exciting if thunderbolt had taken off properly - then you could have a dock with an external GPU at your desk for 'proper' gaming, and then pop the unit out and stick it into the dock under the TV for casual gaming/media duties. Much more versatile!

[Firejack]

Ok I'm calling shenanigans here.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on Computers at home and office, and not to mention HTPCs and gaming consoles,

You can buy a laptop for the same price and use it anywhere you like without needing a docking port!!

all you need is just one Tango PC which you can carry just like a smart phone.

How is this like carrying a Smartphone?! I can check my Email, the weather, football scores on my smartphone while travelling around. The TangoPC can not. No one is going to carry around something all day that is useless unless plugged in to a docking port.

That TangoPC reads like a load of marketing twaddle for me. Conveniently ignoring comparisons with a laptop which is a much better and cheaper option.

[jimbouk]

Cracking idea with great potential. Flexible for businesses giving hot desking and work from home potential for reasonable costs. Useful for a family where kids want their own computers but you don't want to give them a complete setup in their room. Education establishments with a dock in each classroom for projection.

Great idea but very much 1st gen. If I didn't have more computers than rooms it would be a tempting setup for a secondary PC and media PC duties (though not replacing the main gaming PC despite the claims).

As CK_1985 points out, there's so much potential with thunderbolt to add proper expansion rather than just ports. And a laptop docking case would be a good option as well.

Using the docking station as a cooling solution is clever, but I imagine would limit flexibility of dock design. Rev 2 either needs an open standard or a large manufacturer behind or or this will just become one of those niche ideas that comes and goes.

[Hicks12]

I think its good but one key thing is missing (or I am blind... if so then please correct me!), you cannot use the system without the dock... now this has limited uses simply because you either take a dock with you at all times (bit large) or you must ensure that a dock is going to be at the place you're going to which for me is useless but I can see the appeal for businesses and schools.

What they need to do is let it work on its own with limited connectivity i.e 2 usb and 1 hdmi port job done and then have a standard power connection (maybe wait for USB 3.1 for 100w power supplies?) then you're golden.

[Odeas]

Alternatively get a windows based tablet with HDMI output (simple solution!) something like the Asus ME400C for £250 and useable on the go or spend more for better specs.

I understand they wanted the 'PC' to be small but to remove most of the components to do so and put it in an external dock seems a bit silly and its useless without it's dock.

The main 'pc' part will cost around £250ish if I convert +VAT and each 'inexpensive' dock around £65 and its hardly small when you fit the two together and you'd need at least 2 docks for the system to make sense so about £380 total raising by £65 for each additional dock.

I can see the point for some people but as CK_1985 said, an NUC would work even better if you wanted this kind of thing, be useable in any place you can plug in and not just where you've already got a dock.

An Intel NUC (i3 3217U 1.8ghz, 3xUSB 2.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt) + 4GB ram & 32Gb SSD would be about £265.
It's only 116.6 x 112 x 39 mm (WxHxD) so not much bigger than the 'PC' nevermind with the dock.

You'd have the additional cables to carry unless you worked on the same theory as the tango and got an extra hdmi & power cable for each place you want permanent connectivity but would cost a fraction of the dock's cost.

[scaryjim]

Using the docking station as a cooling solution is clever, but I imagine would limit flexibility of dock design. Rev 2 either needs an open standard or a large manufacturer behind or or this will just become one of those niche ideas that comes and goes.

It's all part of AMD's configurable TDP solution though - they have tablet APUs that will change TDP limit based on whether they're docked or not. This looks very much proof of concept so I'm a little surprised that they've managed to get so much funding, tbh.

Without an interface on the device itself it does look a little undercooked IMO though - what they really need is a range of docks (desktop/laptop/tablet), with the TDP automatically reconfigured based on which dock is in use. That way it could be an 8" tablet running at 1GHz, a 13" laptop runing at up to 1.5GHz, or a desktop running at the full 2GHz, all with the same base hardware/storage/OS install, but different usage patterns and power available.

Hey, guys - I've just had this great kickstarter idea

[DanceswithUnix]

Is it 2001 again?

http://archive.arstechnica.com/revie...spresso-1.html

[kingpotnoodle]

Looks like a good idea until you realise it's essentially a tablet without it's killer feature - the screen. If you get a tablet you use it *whilst* moving not just at either end... dockable PCs which are useless in transit but no more powerful than a tablet aren't really anything very useful. It's not that much smaller and lighter than a 7" tablet and it's not that pocketable.

To make sense their intended dockable PC usage model it would need to be more powerful than a 7" tablet can ever manage to be, which means bigger, which means less portable, which means this model will never catch on.

[davidcrofter]

Looks like a good idea until you realise it's essentially a tablet without it's killer feature - the screen. If you get a tablet you use it *whilst* moving not just at either end... dockable PCs which are useless in transit but no more powerful than a tablet aren't really anything very useful. It's not that much smaller and lighter than a 7" tablet and it's not that pocketable.

To make sense their intended dockable PC usage model it would need to be more powerful than a 7" tablet can ever manage to be, which means bigger, which means less portable, which means this model will never catch on.

Exactly plus unless you can guarantee a free dock at the other end of your journey then you would be as worthwhile carrying a brick in your pocket ...

Also when you take into account the cost of a monitor, docks and a keyboard and mouse (plus custom charges & VAT) then it starts to look even less appealing to the average user.

Only way I could see it be appealing if you were thinking of replacing a low powered desktop pc and an HTPC with this and a couple of docks.

[MustardCutter]

I don't see how this is advantageous to a phone, small tablet or laptop. Especially as it appears to be pointless without the dock. Maybe I missed the point?

[theleader]

I would be more interested in a PC display card built around an AMD APU chip!

[Fraz]

I will happily eat my smartphone if this takes off.

[kingpotnoodle]

Only way I could see it be appealing if you were thinking of replacing a low powered desktop pc and an HTPC with this and a couple of docks.

Yeah pretty much the only usage I could think of that made any sense. I have 3 TVs in my house, I could have 3 docks and 1 PC... whether its any better or cheaper than a server and 3 low cost Plex or XBMC clients is debatable though. Especially given that most modern TVs have some built in streaming capability for free. LG Smarts can use a Plex server for example.

The Tango would make a bit more sense if it had a basic HDMI and USB on the cartridge and not just in the dock, at least then it could be used without one in a pinch. If someone built a NUC case with small battery it'd do the same sleep thing as the Tango but be easier to connect anywhere.

Oh no wait, NUC with battery... sounds familiar... oh yeah its a netbook without the most useful bits...

[HalloweenJack]

I see the usual intel fanboys have arrived.....