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Towards the end of last month, we told you about a brand new budget microcomputer announced by chipset manufacturer VIA, costing a mere $49 when released.
The new APC – as it will be known – is a barebones board similar to that of the popular Raspberry Pi. Although it would seem that the APC is probably not as focused towards software programming, but instead towards users who are looking for a budget computer that can perhaps be connected to their HDTV and function as an internet-connected media centre.
VIA announced that the APC would be available in July this year, and yesterday the company started to take pre-orders for the device. However, just 24 hours later, the pre-order site displayed a message informing potential customers that it had already completely sold out of the first batch – just like the Raspberry Pi did.
The APC will support the Android operating system and will come with version 2.3 preinstalled; however it will be possible to update this to ICS if you wish. It has an 800 MHz CPU along with 512MB of DDR3 RAM and 2GB NAND flash storage. The integrated graphics are able to render 2D and 3D and has an output of up to 720p. When it comes to connections, the APC has a HDMI and VGA port, 4 USB 2.0 connections along with Audio port, Mic port and a microSD slot.
We’re certainly hoping that VIA will be making some more available ASAP. If you want to be informed as to when the next batch becomes available, head on over to VIA’s site and enter your email to be notified.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
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