Planet Computers hits the desktop with a line of touchscreen Linux computers
Planet Computers turned heads when it arrived on the scene almost exactly five years ago. The London-based hardware startup was banking on a bit of nostalgia for the days of tactile mobile keyboards, as it attempted to drag the PDA kicking and screaming into the 21st century with the Gemini. 2020’s Astro Slide 5G followed in a similar vein, spurring on a highly successful crowdfunding campaign, in spite of being launched at the beginning of the pandemic.
Today, the firm hit MWC in Barcelona with, somewhat ironically, a non-mobile device. Planet is launching a line of ARM-powered Linux desktop PCs. The new XR line is being pushed as the “first-ever out-of-the-box Linux mini desktop experience,” meaning that the end user has to do little to get the Ubuntu boxes up and running.
Liliputing:
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PlanetPC XR is a Linux mini PC with a touchscreen display and ARM processor (crowdfunding)
Planet Computers makes smartphones that look like pocket computers thanks to their QWERTY keyboards that are (just barely) big enough for touch typing. And they function like pocket computers thanks to support for both Android and Linux software.
Now the UK-based company is branching out by launching a line of compact desktop computers. The PlanetPC XR series mini PCs feature ARM-based processors from Rockchip, color touchscreen displays on the front, and Ubuntu Linux software. They’re expected to ship in September, 2023 and they’re up for pre-order from the Planet Computers website or you can reserve one for a lower price by backing the PlanetPC XR Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
Linux Gizmos:
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Rockchip RK3588 based Mini-PCs feature touch screen display and dual GbE
Indiegogo recently featured two Mini-PCs integrating the Rockchip RK3568 multi-core processor. The PlanetPC XR series Mini-PCs can be configured with up to 32GB RAM, 256GB Flash, 2x GbE, Wi-Fi/BL connectivity, SSD support and both models run on Ubuntu 20.04.
The XR1 is described as an entry level Mini-PC integrating a Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 RK3568 processor clocked at 2.0GHz, an ARM G52 2EE GPU and a [email protected] NPU.
Phandroid:
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PlanetPC XR’s series of computers are a Linux-powered alternative to the Mac mini
Computers come in all shapes and sizes, where there are some who prefer having a PC with a large chassis for better cooling, the ability to fit larger motherboards and GPUs, while others might prefer something small that can just sit on their desk and don’t take up too much room.
Geeky Gadgets:
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PlanetPC XR touchscreen Linux mini PC
If you are in the market for a Linux mini PC you might be interested in a new Indiegogo crowd funding campaign launched by the team at Planets Computers based in the United Kingdom. Their latest creation features a 16 LED RGB light array and integrated HD color touchscreen together with microphone and stereo speakers.
Before pledging your funds however it might be worth your while checking out the previous projects by the company which still seem to be outstanding for some even years after funding was successfully raised. If you are still interested in risking your hard earned cash more details are available over on the official Indiegogo project page by following the link below.
CNX Software:
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PlanetPC XR1/XR2 Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 Mini PC comes with a touchscreen display for control (Crowdfunding)
PlanetPC XR1/XR2 are Arm Linux mini PCs based on Rockchip RK3568 or RK3588 processor respectively with a unique design featuring an integrated touchscreen display for control.
Planet Computers has designed several unique computing devices over the years such as the Cosmo Communicator 2-in-1 smartphone and computer or Astro Slide 5G transformer smartphone, and the British company has now come up with a mini PC preloaded with Ubuntu with a touchscreen screen interface, dual 4K/8K video output, dual Gigabit Ethernet and more.
Another one:
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This mini Linux-powered desktop PC has a built-in touchscreen for slick controls
Desktop PC launches don’t turn many heads today (unless, of course, they’re fire-breathing, RGB-laden, insanely expensive gaming PCs), but every now and then we come across one that catches our eye. In this instance, its Planet Computers’ new XR — a range of ARM-powered Linux-running desktop PCs announced at MWC 2023.
Pre-loaded with Ubuntu OS, it’s touted as the first out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop experience, with the aim of bringing the open-source benefits of Linux to the masses. With everything already pre-installed, it makes for a hassle-free introduction outside the world of Windows and macOS, on paper at least.
Linux Magazine:
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Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
Planet Computers has brought to market a new line of mini Linux desktop computers. The XR Series is powered by ARM multicore processors and run Ubuntu Linux 20.04
According to Janko Mrsic-Flogel, CEO of Planet Computers, “By productizing Linux into a mini desktop PC, the XR is another step toward creating a more open and inclusive computing ecosystem.”
The XR series will be launching with two different units: XR1 (four-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage) and XR2 (eight-core CPU, a Mali-G610 GPU, from 4GB to 32 GB of RAM, and from 32 GB to 256 GB of internal storage).