APC 8750

The APC 8750 is an android personal computer board (motherboard / mobo) manufactured by VIA Technologies Corporation. It is an Android PC system which ships with the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) version of the Operating System (OS).

WM8750 Processor and K9GAG08U0F Memory

The CPU is the WonderMedia PRIZM WM8750 System on Chip (SoC). It has a powerful GPU with 1080p decode rate, and 720p encode rate capable of rendering High Definition (HD) video. As well as the VIA 800 MHz Processor, DDR3 512 MB memory, and 2 GB NAND Flash, there is also a BIOS chip which holds the firmware. The board has fully functional high speed USB ports for communication, and can be used to connect external storage devices and compatible keyboards.

VIA Technologies

VIA have been in the electronics industry for many years and for the most part of it have been leaders in motherboard design. There is a good chance that the computer you are using already has a motherboard or chipset made by VIA technologies.

Review

Android is an exciting Linux based operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance. Purchased by Google, and released to the open source community under the Apache License, Android is currently the leading software for mobile platforms. With the power of Google behind it, Android has become the leading platform owning the worldwide market share. As manufacturers follow the trend of Android compatible motherboards it is likely that the Android OS will dominate the mobile market just as Microsoft dominates the personal computer market.

This is an impressive little board measuring just 17 cm × 8.5 cm with a wealth of innovations and capabilities. Raspberry PI, VIA, Intel, and a number of manufacturers are also developing a credit card sized computer, and it is not a difficult goal considering SoC architecture has been around for over a decade.

Using the Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX standards, the APC 8750 is ahead of the competition, because the cases for these boards are already available. The board also uses existing standards and creates new ones, which is the right approach to take in this industry. The good news about this board is that it ships with the power supply adapter, which is 9 V / 1.5 A, 13.5 W.

For sale / Where to buy

The boards are likely to be sold on eBay and online through the product website.

This Article Continues...