$150 Matrix Mini-PC Can Hop Between Android, Linux

March 13, 2014 by Dave Haynes

matrixpc

Here’s a possible alternative for the crowd using HDMI sticks and Raspberry Pi kits to restrict hardware costs on their digital signage networks: the Matrix Mini-PC.

The Chinese-made Matrix, from a company called TBS, is a single board mini-computer with an ARM A9 quad core processor and quad core graphics, and a set-up that allows the unit to run Android, Linux and other operating systems, a switch between operating systems pretty easily. Yeah, I know, Android is a spin on Linux, but it has its own big eco-system.

The units also have a slot that will take a TV tuner. In size, it is 135 x 90 x 45 mm, or for the metric-challenged, 5.5 by 3.5 by 1.5 inches. Ish.

The little puppies ship with a power adapter, and has 16GB of embedded storage. There’s an SD slot to add more storage.

A quick product search online suggests they are pricing out at about $150 USD. Reading through a few reviews, it looks like 1080P video playback is no issue.

Leave a comment