A few years ago Chinese PC maker Gole released an odd little device called the Gole1 that blurred the lines between desktop and tablet computers by stuffing full-sized ports into a pocket-sized computer with a 5 inch display and a battery.

Now the company has introduced a new system called the HiGole F11APL which is basically a compact desktop computer with a built-in 11.6 inch touchscreen display. Like many of Gole’s products, it’s designed for commercial, retail, or industrial use. But it could also make an interesting companion device for home office, theater, or gaming setups.

Gole sells the HiGOLE F11APL for $229 through its Alibaba store, but Charbax from ARMDevices.net is working with Gole on an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that will let you pick one up for $99 and up.

The crowdfunding campaign refers to the computer as the Gole11, but it’s basically the same thing as the HiGole F11APL.

It’s a computer that measures 11.1″ x 7″ x 2.9″ and which has a wedge-shaped design so that the display on the top/front slopes downward. You could theoretically use it as an interactive display for  a variety of applications — although it’s likely going to make a better second-screen device than a primary computer.

Powered by a 6-watt Intel Celeron N3450 quad-core Apollo Lake processor, this thing’s not exactly a powerhouse. It also has just 4GB of RAM  and 64GB of eMMC storage.

But the Gole11 does have 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS touchscreen display, a microSD card reader for up to 256GB of removable storage, and Gigabit Ethernet support.

It also ships with Windows 10 and supports WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 and has a 3.5mm audio jack, HDMI 1.4 output, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and additional ports including RS232 and RS485. Like I said, this thing’s designed to be used for point-of-sales retail machines, digital signage or kiosks, or other applications where serial connections matter.

Note that the $99 price is only available to the first 30 early bird backers of the campaign. The price goes up after those rewards are sold out — and if the campaign doesn’t break the $100,000 mark by May 31st, then it will be canceled and backers will have their order refunded.

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10 replies on “Gole11 is a small, low-power desktop PC with an 11.6 inch display for $99 and up during crowdfunding”

  1. Wow! It comes with an RS-232 port! I need that! I hate having to use a big heavy old 15 inch laptop when I need an RS-232 port.

  2. I really like this form factor. What I’d really like is for a company to sell something like this as a Mini ITX case with a screen provided, and an internal controller for the panel and touchscreen.

  3. will this be good for gaming? what about space size?

    normally i wouldn’t be interested in chinsese products. but with the aerobox and this. i keep watch.

    i know they are grey areas. but ther eis no products like these two. this is cheaper than aerobox i think. but that depend sif this can support gaming.

    1. ……..uh.
      Yeah. Sure. It doesn’t forbid playing games on it.
      Look man this is supposed to be bolted to a stationary object and used to control machinery. It looks really awkward to use any other way. But I don’t even know if the people selling this even know or care about that.
      This is just weird. It’s not designed to be a consumer product, so what’s it doing on indiegogo?
      Stupid, Uneducated Speculation: Maybe somebody in China ordered a ton of these, then SARS-2 happened, whatever they were supposed to be used for got canceled or couldn’t pay for the stupid things, so now, possibly after changing hands a few times, these guys are trying to pawn them off on the public.

      1. A nice summary. Still its pretty cheap if you want a touch terminal on the end of a serial cable.

  4. Wow, deja vu huh Brad? As you said in your post, we had something like this come out about a half a decade ago. Was it something that people really bought back then? Was it a success to consider making another one?

    1. I’m writing with the help of the Gole1 , now. Its main property is many interfaces for such a little box . But , 5” screen is not enough . 7” will be much better for pocket gadjet . I’ll do it by myself. The company – is not Gole . It is – Pipo .

  5. In for 1. I don’t know exactly what I’ll be using it for, but it is a unique piece of hardware that should be fun to tinker with.

    1. Have fun! They will even deduct $20 if you plan to use Linux and don’t need Windows.

Comments are closed.