[Arm-netbook] So this is kind of interesting, I thought...

[Christopher Havel]

https://hackaday.com/2018/09/17/a-1-linux-capable-hand-solderable-processor/

A (barely) hand-solderable Linux-able ARM SoC. US$1 each if you buy a full
reel from a questionable supplier, and the package is a 176-lead LQFP (!)
with half-millimeter pitch (!!) -- but still only ~US$3 for qty/1 from
reputable sources, and it is /technically/ hand-workable if you've got a
temperature-controlled iron with the right tip and a particularly steady
hand. I'm impressed.

The bad news, though, is that it's an Allwinner part with all of the usual
baggage. The /worse/ news is that it's actually ~6yrs old and plods along
at 1GHz. Somehow I just don't see it running Android 9.0 Pie without
melting down spectacularly -- although, it might be adequate for running eg
Linux Mint or something similarly lightweight...

I wonder how cheaply one could manufacture a complete all-in-one PC with
one of these...? Back-of-the-envelope calcs makes me think one could
compete with those ~US$100-150 Atom z8300/z8350 MiniPCs on eBay and Amazon
and AliExpress (none of which have screens built in, mind you), but I've
been wrong before, for sure...