Planet Computer systems turned heads when it arrived on the scene virtually precisely 5 years in the past. The London-based {hardware} startup was banking on a little bit of nostalgia for the times of tactile cell keyboards, because it tried to tug the PDA kicking and screaming into the twenty first century with the Gemini. 2020’s Astro Slide 5G adopted in the same vein, spurring on a extremely profitable crowdfunding marketing campaign, regardless of being launched at first of the pandemic.
At this time, the agency hit MWC in Barcelona with, considerably mockingly, a non-mobile gadget. Planet is launching a line of ARM-powered Linux desktop PCs. The brand new XR line is being pushed because the “first-ever out-of-the-box Linux mini desktop expertise,” that means that the tip person has to do little to get the Ubuntu containers up and operating.
“The XR sequence is Planet’s first foray into the non-public pc market,” CEO Janko Mrsic-Flogel says in a launch tied to this morning’s information. “By productizing Linux right into a mini desktop PC, the XR is one other step in the direction of making a extra open and inclusive computing ecosystem.”
Picture Credit: Planet Computer systems
The road is launching with two techniques – the XR1 and XR2, fittingly. The previous incorporates a 4-core processor, coupled with 4GB or RAM and 32GB of storage. The latter will get you eight cores and a Mali-G610 GPU. RAM runs 4GB to 32GB and storage is obtainable from 32 to 256GB (you may get that as much as 2TB with add ons).
There isn’t any the identical built-in nostalgia current that you simply’ll discover in Planet’s cell gadgets. The addition of a shade touchscreen is definitely attention-grabbing, providing controls and particulars on system efficiency.
“Planet has at all times innovated with gadget type elements,” says Mrsic-Flogel, “and we’re particularly excited concerning the XR’s built-in shade touchscreen, which supplies Linux customers a brand new stage of management and confidence, in addition to the proper platform for builders to entry good Linux home equipment.”
Like its predecessor, the XR shall be made obtainable by way of Indiegogo. Those that get in early can decide up the XR1 at £399 ($477) or the XR2 for £499 ($596).
