This article was published on January 6, 2017

The Sirius A is a pocketable PC with more ports than your MacBook Pro


The Sirius A is a pocketable PC with more ports than your MacBook Pro

Look, I get it. The future is upon us, and everything should be wireless. And for things that don’t need to be, USB-C is an awesome do-it-all port.

But until that single-port future arrives, a lot of us rely on a litany of different connectors. That’s what makes Ockel’s Sirius A so refreshing: it’s a tiny Windows 10 PC the size of a smartphone that still manages to have more ports than most laptops released today.

Ockel gained some recognition for its similarly small Sirius B computer last year, but the Sirius A kicks it up a notch with better specs, more ports, and an touchscreen display.

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Seriously, this thing crams in full-size DisplayPort and HDMI ports, Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB-C port, a Micro SD slot, and a headphone jack. And yet Apple (and Motorola, LeEco, etc) can’t even manage the headphone jack alone nowadays.

The rest of the specs are as follows:

  • Intel Atom x7-Z8750 (quad-core)
  • 6-inch 1080p multitouch display
  • 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM
  • 64 GB or 128 GB of eMMC Flash
  • 802.11ac Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • 3,000 mAh battery (3 hours of battery life)
  • Front facing camera, microphone and speakers
  • $699 / $799 price

While Microsoft is hard at work bringing full Windows 10 to ARM processors – and therefore, smartphones – the Sirius A uses a more familiar Intel Atom chipset. I’ve previously found Intel’s Atom x7 to be plenty powerful for most productivity applications and video streaming (with less onboard RAM), so I don’t see why that wouldn’t be the case with the Sirius A either.

The stylish constellation-like bottom (an actual map of Canis Major) also serves as a heatsink.

Of course, there’s the question of who actually needs this small a computer, but Ockel sees a myriad of opportunities. As a full Windows 10 device, it can both run any mobile applications and full-featured desktop ones for a high-powered entertainment station. Or you could use it as a pocketable travel computer that you can hook up to a monitor or TV, or use via the touchscreen in a pinch.

Ockel will throw an HDMI cable in the box too, emphasizing its intended use hooked up to a larger display. The three hour battery life also means it’s not a tablet replacement, but there’s also no tablet with this many ports.

As a neat touch, once the Sirius A is connected to a monitor, it will turn the unit’s display itself into a keyboard and mouse (though, of course, you can plug in your own).

It could make for a useful secondary PC, media hub, or anything you would want a pocketable PC for. The Sirius A recently completed a successful Indiegogo campaign, and units are expected to begin shipping in May.

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