Want to turn a TV into a Ubuntu computer? The very orange MeLE PCG02U just might be what you’re looking for. This tiny stick computer costs only $70, meaning you can add a desktop to any TV for very little money. It’s the first Ubuntu device from Mele, a Chinese manufacturer that until now has focused on Android and Windows devices.
Of course, $70 doesn’t go far, so you can’t expect premium performance. This fanless PC stick features an Intel BayTrail Z3735F processor, which is outdated and not exactly zippy. There’s only 2GB of memory and 32GB of internal storage, so don’t expect to multitask much or store your video collection. Even compared to the Intel Compute Stick, there’s not a lot of power to be found.
But the Compute Stick costs $160 in its cheapest Windows 10 configuration, so that’s not entirely a fair comparison. And there are some features offered by Mele that Intel doesn’t bother with: an external antenna for Wi-Fi 802.11n/g/b connections, and a 10/100 ethernet port for wired connections.
Unfortunately, there are other downsides. There’s only one USB port, meaning plugging a separate keyboard and mouse in at once is impossible. Even worse: the USB port is 2.0, not 3.0, so file transfers to external drives will be really slow.
But maybe the weirdest thing here is the choice of operating system. Ubuntu 16.04 just came out last week, and is a long-term support release. Why is this computer shipping with the two-year-old Ubuntu 14.04? Users can easily upgrade, sure, but it seems like an oversight given the timing.
Overall, the Mele isn’t a powerhouse, but at $70, it doesn’t need to be. We’re sure many Linux users will be excited to see more devices shipping with their OS of choice, and a few other potential buyers might want something they can quickly install media center software on. For those people, this could be an interesting little buy.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.