Earlier this year Chinese device maker Mele launched a Windows PC stick called the Mele PCG01, featuring an Intel Atom processor, an external antenna, and a fanless design.
It’s basically the company’s answer to the Intel Compute Stick.
Now Mele has a new model called the PCG02, and it has one major feature the Intel Compute Stick does not: an Ethernet port. Mele says the PCG02 should be available by the end of November.
At launch, the PCG02 will ship with an Intel Atom Z3735F Bay Trail processor. But Mele plans to offer a version with a faster Cherry Trail processor by the end of the year.
Other specs are pretty much the same as for the PCG01, including:
- 2GB of RAM
- 32GB of eMMC storage
- microSD card slot for up to 128GB of removable storage
- USB and micro USB ports
- HDMI 1.4 connector
- 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0
The system supports 10/100M Ethernet connections, so it’s not super-speedy, but it could offer a reliable way to connect to the internet if you’re using the Mele PCG02 in a place that has spotty WiFi.
What would be the technical, financial, etc. reasons for not going for GbE?
Man, I feel like we’ve been waiting forever for the first round of Cherry Trail sticks to launch. What’s the holdup?
On topic, an ethernet port is a nice feature, especially considering the poor wifi performance of some stick computers; but does anyone else worry about additional strain on the HDMI port? If the ethernet port were located closer to the base It wouldn’t be an issue, but, as it stands, if anything were to snag on or jerk the cable that could be all she wrote for the stick. It could even damage the HDMI port…
…or maybe I’m worrying for nothing. I dunno.
Dum de dum. Lah de lah… Waiting for Disqus to load… There we go. Now I forgot what I wanted to say. Never mind 🙁
Can’t wait for the Cherry Trail version. It will be the best PC stick on the market. It should run faster and cooler, which is important in a form factor like this.
I hope they got cooling right in this device. I bought a MeeGoPad last year and it lasted almost a week before deep-frying itself.