[Arm-netbook] ATX motherboard

[Alexey Eromenko]

OK, let me write it down:

What product is the ultimate for the ARM PC market ?

1. Neo-ITX form factor (like VIA APC)
Neo-ITX is great, because it allows to construct mini-PC (like Mac
Mini) as well as full PC tower.
2. ARM SoC (Allwinner A10?) with 1080p 2D output and hardware video decoders
3. GNU/Linux and Android drivers for it
(network/audio/2D/3D/hardware video decoder/WiFi/...)
...your company will have to develop & test them. (or ask the SoC vendor...)
3.a. preferably Open-Source drivers, but closed-source binary-only
drivers are better than no driver (for "nice-to-have" features, like the 3D GPU)
4. external Ports:
4.a. Ethernet (like VIA APC)
4.b. 4x USB (like VIA APC)
4.c. DVI or VGA (like VIA APC)
4.d. HDMI (like MK802 and VIA APC)
4.e. power supply (like VIA APC; so it could power all 4 USB devices
connected to it)
4.f. MicroSD or Full SD slot for storage (like VIA APC)
4.g. Audio ports: analog output (head-phones) and analog input
(micro-phone) (like VIA APC; for VoIP)
5. internal ports: (upgrade-ability)
5. SATA 1 or 2 ports (like traditional PC)
6. RAM: 1 GB on-board required for basic Linux desktop. Having more is better.
(RAM slot is a huge bonus; Alternative: is to use upgradeble CPU+RAM
module, like this project does)
7. Flash: at least 16 GB on-board storage (so that dual-boot image can
live on it)
8. WiFi chip + antenna on-board (like MK802)
9. Slim design (optional; up to 2cm max. height) (unlike VIA APC,
which is too high, so it limits non-PC use-cases, such as mounting on
the back of an LCD monitor. Slim design could result in a mono-block
PC, product like Apple iMac)
10. Dual-boot image: Android 4.x (with Google Play) + GNU/Linux OS (with KDE),
Debian or Kubuntu (so users could choose which one to boot from).
Advanced users could format the extra space (from 2nd OS) to use with
one OS, but new users
should see both operating systems on boot menu. It is a form of
hedging your bets.

Such an ARM PC, if priced under $100, could make a killing.
This machine will target 2 communities: Android buyers and GNU/Linux
buyers. Much easier to sell.

Why ?
The VIA-APC as a concept is GREAT. But it falls short in many details.

Let's analyze the VIA APC for a bit:

has ARM11, 800 MHz (VIA wondermedia 8750 SoC)
512 MB of RAM
2 GB of internal flash
ports:
VGA (good) (converters VGA->DVI are much cheaper than HDMI->DVI)
4x USB (very good, no need for USB hub for most people)
neo-ITX form factor (good, as it can be mounted into existing small
mini-ATX & ITX cases with it's holes)
HDMI (for modern TV users)
Power supply (no need for USB powered hub)
Analog audio output + input (great idea for VoIP; no need to buy USB audio card)

Best point:
In short : the PC-like external I/O ports are very strong part in this
design, along with Neo-ITX form factor.

Problems in VIA APC $49 design:
1. Android OS (v2.3, it is touch-oriented, very hard to work with
mouse + keyboard)
Fix: needs Linux: Ubuntu-LTS or Debian-stable.
Video drivers are only for Android, not for Linux.
Without hardware video decoder drivers for Linux, the machine cannot
be used for HD video.
As for Android machine - VIA lacks Google Play Market.
Without Google Play, it is difficult to get Android applications,
which will scare off users.
Recommended fix: ship with dual-boot OS (Android and Linux,
[Debian-or-Ubuntu]), so users can choose at boot-time. Android image
must have Google Play.
2. RAM 512 MB: not enough to power full Linux/KDE desktop.
It will constantly swap. (for instance a fresh install of Debian 6.0
x86 with KDE takes ~700 MB RAM before starting any apps)
Fix: boards needs at least 1 GB RAM
2.a.  +RAM slot for DDR3 SDRAM module. (optional, for future upgrades, PC-like)
Fix: RAM slot is a very good idea for neo-ITX sized platform. (in
addition to 1GB on-board RAM)
*if RAM slot is impossible, then put 1 or 2GB RAM on-board.
3. Storage: internal flash 2 GB is enough for Android, but not enough
for Linux/KDE. 8 GB is minimum.
Fix: put 8 GB or 16 GB flash on-board
4. 2D: 720p is full stop. >80% of PC monitors selling today are 1080p.
Running them in 720p (1280x720) degrades text quality, so the machine cannot be
used for text.
Fix: use display controller and SoC capable of 1080p 2D output.
5. no SATA port: cannot use internal SATA HDD for extra storage and
cannot use DVD drive.
Fix: put 1 or 2 SATA ports on board.
6. (optional) no WiFi: about 50% of users do need WiFi. Surely it can
be added on USB, but if it is inexpensive (under $8 for chip+antenna), it
would be nice to integrate on-board.
Using USB WiFi is inelegant and may create problems with drivers not
matching Linux.
7. overall: the VIA 8750 SoC chip is a crap. (ARMv6, soft-float, and
all of above)

I hope my analysis was informative for you !
-- 
-Alexey Eromenko "Technologov"