This is a interesting desktop computer - Gecko Surfboard. It claims to be the world's most energy-efficient desktop computer. The Gecko Surfboard does not look like a computer, it looks like a keyboard!
Everything - the CPU, hard disk, RAM, graphics card ... - is hidden underneath the keyboard. And the size of the so called desktop computer is no larger than a standard keyboard.
Gecko Surfboard is created by a Thailand based company - NorhTec. According to NorhTec, Gecko Surfboard only uses 5 watts to operate which is about 72% of energy saving if compared to a normal desktop computer which uses 175 watts to operate.
The device runs on a 1GHz x86 SoC (System on Chip) and operate fanlessly. The processor Vortex86MX which is used by its previous Gecko products was re-branded as XCore86 and was characterized as a "light-duty" processor that provides enough power to run Windows XP, Windows CE, or one of several different Linux distributions.
The device includes a RJ45 connector for 10/100 Ethernet, a headphone jack, a microphone input, two USB 2.0 ports, and a serial port. Gecko Surfboard also has two SD/SDHC slots, permitting the computer's primary storage to be solid-state.
Features and specifications listed by NorhTec:
- Processor - Xcore86 (Vortex86MX) SoC clocked at 1.0GHz
- Memory - 512MB of DDR2 RAM
- Storage - SD/SDHC card or IDE-interfaced 2.5-inch hard disk drive
- Display - VGA and composite video output (resolution not specified)
- Networking: LAN - 10/100 Ethernet, WLAN - 802.11b/g (optional), WAN - 3G module (optional)
- Other I/O: 1 x VGA, 1 x composite, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x serial, Audio - mic in and headphones out
- Power requirements - 12VDC via AC adapter (requires only 5 Watts)
- Dimensions - n/s, but no larger than standard keyboard
- Weight - n/s
- Operating system -- Linux or Windows XP
This device is definitely design for playing games and play high definition video but it is good enough to do word processing and surf the Internet.