[seeteeyou]

It could be nice for a headless portable media server, just hook it up with DAC/amp like Hugo and then control foobar2000 from an Android/iOS device via Wi-Fi network
 

LAS VEGAS -- Computers for most are getting smaller, while at the same time creative professionals (and talented amateurs) require ever more storage space and graphics power for storing, editing, and rendering high-definition content.
 
A new PC venture named The Hive aims to fulfill both goals with a modular computer system called Amplicity. The Hive is a sister company to tablet-maker Fuhu, both of which were founded by John Hui, who previously founded eMachines and at one time owned the Packard Bell brand.
 
Amplicity starts with a very slim, small form factor PC, the company calls it a pocket PC, and grows from there. One version, called Amplicity by The Hive, is built around an Intel Core M processor inside a tiny chassis about the size of a phablet. A second version, called Amplicity Anywhere is aimed at what the company calls "the aspiring content creator," and uses an Intel Atom CPU.
 
The other big difference (besides a slightly thicker design for the prosumer version) is that you'll buy the Core M Amplicity PC outright, starting at around $300 to $400, while the Atom version is designed to be leased, starting at $99 in the US for a six-month term, after which you can return it, swap it for a new model, or change the configuration and accessories.
 
Both versions will be paired with a wide variety of accessories, starting with module cubes that the base units slide into, which can also contain additional hard drives, graphics cards, and even more powerful CPUs, although exact tech specs on the components and how everything will work together is still unclear.
 
Monitors, software packages, including creative software from Adobe, and even a motorized standing desk will also be available to buy or lease.
 
In person, the actual brushed metal Amplicity base unit looks impressive (it's being manufactured by Foxconn), and usage concepts shown off include everything from video editing to multi-monitor PC gaming. But, without price and ecosystem details on how the modular components will work, it's hard to say just how successful this inventive concept will be (to say nothing of actually benchmarking and testing the hardware).
 
Amplicity Anywhere is set to launch in the spring of 2015, with the Amplicity by The Hive line planned for the second half of the year.

 

LAS VEGAS — The pocket PC is set to make a return.
 
But these aren't the forgotten Pocket PCs of the last decade. These are fully-powered portable Windows workstations for consumers and professionals alike.
 
Los Angeles-based start-up firm The Hive is unveiling its new Amplicity portable smartphone-sized personal computers this week at the Consumer Electronics Show. The Windows-based products are about the size of a smartphone — just more than half an inch thick and rectangular at about 3-by-5 inches (4.8 inches).
 
The Amplicity Anywhere pocket PC, expected to be available this spring, is priced at $99 for the device and basic software. A higher-priced Amplicity product, starting at $399 and due later in the year, will come in different configurations to target professional users such as filmmakers, graphic artists and musicians and will boast more powerful cloud-based creative tools.
 
Since the portable products are like desktop PCs, they don't have a display but can connect to standard computer displays as well as new Hive-produced Amplicity curved 4K monitors, keyboards and computer mice.
 
Also planned: public connectivity kiosks with displays and workstations that could be set up in coffee shops and other gathering points.
 
Smartphones have given consumers and creatives alike a taste of portable computing, but they need more processing power and productivity tools, Hive co-founder Robb Fujioka says. The Amplicity portable PCs can serve as a next-gen hub that handle multiple operating systems and connect to different devices, he says.
 
Amplicity PCs have built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and can be purchased with on-board memory of 4 to 128 Gigabytes with another 128GB capacity achieved via SD Cards. Subscribers also get 1 Terabyte of cloud storage free.
 
"Where mobility falls short today is in storage and productivity and Windows (software)," Fujioka said. "We absolutely believe this is that next wave of mobility that really is an integrated solution."
 
Amplicity will likely get some attention because Fujioka and the others behind The Hive have multiple tech successes to their credit. He and fellow co-founder John Hui also are among the founders of Fuhu, which makes popular child-oriented Nabi tablets.
 
Hui advanced the economical PC movement as the principal founder of eMachines, which back in 1998 made PCs available for less than $400.
 
Chief operating officer Steven Wang is a PC industry veteran who most recently worked with Foxconn, the Taiwanese tech manufacturer well-known for its part in making Apple's iPhones and iPads. Foxconn will also be making The Hive's portable PCs and other products.
 
The company has been in talks with Microsoft for more than two years about a deal for Windows CE and Window 10 operating systems as well as Word, Excel and Powerpoint on the PCs. Discussions are ongoing to include upgradeable versions of productivity software from companies such as Adobe, ArcSoft and Corel.
 
"We believe the next couple years is really going to be focused on bringing a lot of cloud and software computing to the mainstream," Fujioka said. "Once you really have the power of the PC and that modularity to increase storage and increase battery life, you have got a lot of flexibility."