Shanghai startup gives users Windows PC for less than $80

Inexpensive palm-sized computers have been getting a lot of attention recently. Raspberry Pi is probably the company most credited with proving just how cheap computers could get while still being surprisingly capable. The Raspberry Pi started out as a $35 computer that could run custom builds of Linux, and people found all sorts of creative uses for it. Then, the company came out with a $5 computer that sold out in a day, but it was still a limited Linux machine.

A company from Shanghai now wants to produce a much more capable micro computer running Windows 10 at an affordable price point. The LattePanda started out at £45 or about $68 on Kickstarter, but that option quickly sold out. Now, the starting price is £53 or about $79. The company has already blown past its £100,000 goal with more than a month left in the crowdfunding campaign.

The LattePanda is not as inexpensive as a Raspberry Pi, but for less than $80, users get 2GB of DDR3L RAM, 32GB of storage and an Intel Atom quadcore processor. It also comes pre-installed with Windows 10, and like the Raspberry Pi, comes with an assortment of slots for RJ45 LAN, USB 2.0 and 3.0, audio, HDMI, microSD card, and Micro-USB. Considering the Raspberry Pi 2 has an ARM Cortex-A7 processor and no USB 3.0 or 1GB of DDR2 RAM, the price difference does not look that big.

What's compelling about these tiny machines is that they can be connected to a number of other devices and programmed to do many different things. LattePanda suggests users to use their computer to power robots, set up facial recognition for a home security camera or do data research using programs such as MATLAB. There aren't a lot of manufacturers in China currently producing these kinds of systems. Their use is limited and the ones running Linux require a bit of setting up. Now homes are becoming more automated, though, and a less expensive, tiny computer that can run Windows could be an asset for many consumers.

See a comparison table of selected mini PCs suppliers on GlobalSources.com