Most of us are keen to see developers focus on improving the performance of our next gadgets, and if the explosion in smartphone development has taught us anything, it’s that the process of miniaturizing technology often leads to incredible advances.
The same can be said for full-scale PCs, with the likes of the Raspberry Pi breaking new ground a few years ago. But what about an all-in-one PC on a USB stick? Well that’s exactly what Japanese firm Mouse Computer has done. And it even has a fan in it.
Among all the myriad USB devices you have scattered around your house, we doubt any has a built-in fan, but it’s entirely necessary for the m-Stick, which packs a lot of punch for such a little device, and needs something to blow the sweat off its brow. Mouse Computer is hoping to pit the product against the likes of Intel’s Compute Stick and the MeegoPad, two alternative USB stick systems.
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Even if the fan does make this USB device a little bit noisier than its competitors, keeping the internal hardware cool is probably not a bad idea to extend its longevity. Internally, the m-Stick features an Intel Atom Z3735F quad core Bay Trail CPU alongside 2GB of 1333Mhz DDR3 memory, and 32GB of EMMC storage space, with the ability to expand via MicroSD. It’s also wirelessly compatible and comes pre-installed with a 32-bit copy of Windows 8.1.
In terms of connectivity, the drive supports Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11b/g/n WiFi and has expansion ports for USB 2.0 and HDMI-E connectors, along with a micro-USB port to power the whole thing.
Set for release towards the end of April, the Mouse Computer m-Stick is set to be priced at 20,800 Yen, or around $174 USD.
