PCs continue to evolve, fitting the power of “real” operating systems like Windows 10 into smaller chassis and increasingly versatile form factors. Today, a PC can as easily be a tablet as a desktop, and a growing number of machines are 2-in-1s that can morph from notebooks into tablets and back again with the flip or click of a screen.
Another trend is toward add-on accessories that can take one kind of PC and turn it into another. NexDock has been offering notebook-like docking stations that transform a Windows 10 Mobile smartphone into a notebook, and now the company is extending its product line to include Intel’s Compute Card.
The Compute Card is a self-contained PC that’s shaped like a credit card and is only a tiny big larger. With dimensions of 95 by 55 by 5mm, the Compute Card stuffs a CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, and wireless connectivity into one of the smallest form factors around.
Upcoming NexDock accessories will include a slot that a Compute Card can simply slide into, powering a notebook with a minimum Full HD display, a comfortable keyboard, and a touchpad. NexDock will be designing its next iteration with the Compute Card in mind while continuing to support the current Windows 10 Mobile with Continuum concept while adding in support for Raspberry Pi single-board computers and devices with USB Type-C connections.
NexDock will be timing the kickoff of its new crowdfunding campaign to coincide with Intel’s official Compute Card release sometime in mid-2017. NexDock will be providing more information on pricing and specifications for the updated accessory in the months leading up to the campaign’s launch.