Endless creates one of the world's cheapest PCs that the company hopes would allow modern technology to finally get into the hands of billions of people who cannot afford to buy computers.
Dubbed "Endless Mini," the $79 desktop computer boasts strong specs and features along with Internet access at a price that will absolutely make it an enticing venture in a number of developing regions.
"The hardware is not the reason people are buying it," said Endless' CEO Matt Dalio. "This is the computer that people are buying instead of the nicest Mac in the world... because that thing is useless without the Internet. So it's the [applications], the feature set. With that said, the hardware is essentially a delivery mechanism, and it does it as fast as I need it to."
The Endless Mini comes with an ARM Cortex A5 processor that runs at 1.5 GHz along with a Mali-450 GPU. Other features include 1 GB RAM, solid state storage of 24 GB, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, GbE port, 3.5 mm audio port and composite video output.
The PC is also packed with tens of thousands of well-loved Wikipedia pages, an open source browser, a health app, a music player and educational videos from Khan Academy. All of these can be accessed readily even with no connection. When it does become connected, the system automatically refreshes the apps with the newest available information.
While the device's $79 price tag may not turn it as a profitable venture, Dalio said that earning profits could come from selling accessories. It should be noted that the Endless Mini does not come with a mouse, keyboard and even a monitor.
Users can opt to use their TV as the display for the PC. The system is designed to run a custom version of Linux.
"Endless comes with a browser for when you have Internet," said Endless. "Each computer is preloaded with a full encyclopedia, educational lectures, recipes, health information, and over 100 other apps, making it the perfect solution where Internet is expensive, slow or unavailable."
Apart from the $79 model, users can also choose from other available models in order to suit their needs. These include the $99 Endless Mini which comes with an added 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Next is a model simply dubbed "Endless," which is priced between $189 and $229. The former comes with 32 GB eMMC and SD storage while the latter has 500 GB HDD. Other features of the "Endless" model PCs include Intel Celeron N2807 dual-core processor, 2 GB RAM, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GbE port, 3.5 mm audio jack and an integrated speaker.
