An innovative PC from ModeCom that heralds greater portability
It’s not often that I get to see a truly innovative product, but this latest release from Polish company ModeCom certainly falls into that category. Basically it’s a PC squeezed into what has the appearance of a large flash drive. While the name 'FreePC' is just a play on words – at a price of £130, it certainly is not free – there’s no doubt that it’s a remarkable feat to fit a PC into such a small space, (11.0 x 3.8 x 1.0 cm), but let’s firstly have a look at the PC itself.
The ModeCom FreePC is an Intel Atom based machine, with a Bay Trail-CR Z3735F Quad Core processor running at 1.33GHz. It has integrated Intel HD graphics, supporting upto a full 1080p display via an onboard HDMI port. The unit has 2GB of on-board DDR3 RAM, 16GB of on-board storage (more on that later), in built wi-fi and low energy Bluetooth 4.0. Other ports on board include a standard USB 2, mini-USB 2 and a further mini-USB 2 for the power input; there’s also a MicroSDHC for further storage that supports cards upto 64GB.
The unit is supplied with a pre-installed version of Windows 8.1 and a month’s trial of Office 365 Personal; it also has a typical range of Windows Apps installed. Although it’s pre-installed, Windows still has to be setup in the normal way. So you have to through the usual personal data and of course set up your wi-fi, which requires that you have a Microsoft Account. If you don’t, (as I didn’t) you have to register one before you can finish the setup procedure. This then requires verification from another machine, which could be a potential problem for users without one; however once completed you’ll arrive at the familiar Windows 8.1 desktop. Initially you have to set it up with wired keyboard and mouse but after that you can use Bluetooth equipment, which will free up the USB ports.
At this point I have to say it’s a pretty impressive piece of kit. It’s very slick to use, in fact it has a surprising turn of speed and is not the least bit sluggish. Of course I’ve only used the installed apps so I don’t know how it would perform with more processor hugging applications. However, given the performance it seems capable of, I don’t see that being a problem.
What could be a potential problem though is the on board storage space. Although it’s advertised as 16GB the OS only recognises 10GB, which equates to 9.29GB of useable space; and of that once Windows is setup you’ll find you only have 4.38GB left. So advertising this as “High-capacity 16GB Flash disk for your favourite multimedia files” is a bit misleading. However the facility to install a 64GB Mini SD Card will overcome this deficiency.
While it’s a novel device, it can’t be considered a standalone product. Like any other PC you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, screen and a power source in order to use it. So unless you cart these items along, you couldn’t use it while travelling, or in your hotel room for example. In these cases a standard Windows phone, tablet or netbook/laptop would be a better proposition, because they’re obviously self-contained.
Having said that, for someone who doesn't own a PC, but has a TV with HDMI connectivity; the ModeCom PC could allow them to get online and possibly form the basis for a multimedia hub. Also it would be easy for IT technicians to carry one around so they could connect to different workstations in a networking environment; giving them instant on site access to their own programs and utilities.
Another point worth mentioning in closing is that the unit gets very hot when it’s used for more than a couple of hours. However it didn't have any affect during the review period, so perhaps that’s its normal operating temperature. Joe Lavery
A very nice little gadget, but not all that practical for serious users.