ECS LIVA Core announced, first Intel Core M mini PC

At the opening day of Computex in Taiwan, ECS announced the next-generation LIVA mini PC will be powered by an Intel Core M processor. Dubbed, the LIVA Core, the mini PC is the first use the new chip outside of ultrabooks.

The LIVA Core will run on a low-power Core M 14nm processor paired with 4GB of RAM. Native support for M.2 SDD is available but the basic setup comes with 64GB eMMC storage.

The LIVA Core also has Intel 802.11 ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 built-in, supports wireless display (WiDi) and Windows 10 Cortana voice assistance via dual microphones.

In addition, ECS also showed a newer version of the LIVA X which comes with a nicer-looking chassis. The LIVA X2 sports the older configuration which uses an Intel Atom processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB eMMC.

Check out our review of the ECS LIVA X here.

The post ECS LIVA Core announced, first Intel Core M mini PC appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

ECS LIVA Core announced, first Intel Core M mini PC

At the opening day of Computex in Taiwan, ECS announced the next-generation LIVA mini PC will be powered by an Intel Core M processor. Dubbed, the LIVA Core, the mini PC is the first use the new chip outside of ultrabooks.

The LIVA Core will run on a low-power Core M 14nm processor paired with 4GB of RAM. Native support for M.2 SDD is available but the basic setup comes with 64GB eMMC storage.

The LIVA Core also has Intel 802.11 ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 built-in, supports wireless display (WiDi) and Windows 10 Cortana voice assistance via dual microphones.

In addition, ECS also showed a newer version of the LIVA X which comes with a nicer-looking chassis. The LIVA X2 sports the older configuration which uses an Intel Atom processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB eMMC.

Check out our review of the ECS LIVA X here.

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ECS LIVA Mini PC Kit lands for Php8,888

Earlier today, ECS launched their LIVA Mini PC Kit in the Philippines. The LIVA is among the smallest, if not the smallest, desktop PC kit in the world.

We first saw the LIVA in Computex Taiwan last June during their design-your-own LIVA competition.

The hardware configuration is pretty basic and resembles that of a netbook, nettop or Windows tablet. Here’s a typical specifications.

ECS LIVA Mini PC Kit:
Intel Bay Trail-M 1.6GHz dual-core processor
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3 RAM
32GB or 64GB eMMC
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 2.0 port
USB 3.0 port
VGA port
HDMI Port
GigaBit LAN
microUSB port (for power)
Windows 8.1 64bit

You can take a look at what’s inside the kit here.

The 32GB variant is now available in some PC stores for a suggested retail price of Php8,888.

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Inside Look: LIVA Mini PC Kit

The folks from ECS Taiwan sent us the latest model of their LIVA Mini PC Kit. The kit still needs to be assembled, just like a regular desktop PC but it only took us a few minutes to set up the whole system.

liva-parts

ECS claims the LIVA is the world’s smallest PC and, as such, most of the parts and peripherals are miniaturized to fit in such a small box.

The motherboard is the basis for the size of the whole rig and it is only as wide as a 5-inch smartphone.

liva-heatsink

The Atom processor is already soldered into the board and covered by a larger aluminum heat sink (in orange) for better heat management. The 2GB RAM module is also soldered to the board as well to save space.

live-board

The back side of the motherboard is the socket for the eMMC slot for internal storage. This allows for option to upgrade the storage from the default 32GB to 128GB.

liva-back

Shown below is the eMMC chip, before it is attached into the board. It’s a little bigger than a regular microSD card. This is user-replaceable so if you want to upgrade the capacity in the future, just open the box and unscrewed the chip from the board.

live-storage

The rear side of the board is where all of the ports are placed, protruding a bit so they fit into the box later once it is assembled. There’s a VGA port and an HDMI port for display out into a monitor or TV.

The two USB ports are stacked on top of each other with one having USB 3.0 support.

live-ports

There’s a LAN port as well if you don’t want to use the built-in WiFi radio. The micro-USB port is for the power adaptor. This means you can also power up the LIVA using a regular powerbank.

ecs-liva

The hardware configuration is almost the same as that of a Windows 8 tablet.

LIVA Mini PC Kit:
Intel Bay Trail-M 1.6GHz dual-core processor
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3 RAM
32GB or 64GB eMMC
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 2.0 port
USB 3.0 port
VGA port
HDMI Port
GigaBit LAN
microUSB port (for power)
Windows 8.1 64bit

liva-pc

Our only problem with the set up si that the two available USB ports are already taken by the mouse and keyboard so there’s nothing left to plug into the USB port. We were able to manage this by using a 4-port USB hub and use a Bluetooth mouse instead.

liva

We saw a lot of LIVA PCs in Computex last June for an ECS competition to dress up their PCs. You can check them out here.

The LIVA Mini PC retails for about NTD$5,500 in Taiwan.

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LIVA: World’s Smallest Windows-Based Mini PC

We first saw these at the ECS Booth in Computex last week and the company claims it’s the world’s smallest Windows-based Mini PC Kit. Called LIVA, this small box is powered by an Intel Bat Trail M chip.

live-design

At first, they all look small plastic toys but inside these little polycarbonate boxes are fully-functional PC kits, complete with a motherboard, CPU, RAM, eMMC storage and ports like HDMI, USB and VGA.

worlds-smallest-pc

The box measures 118mm x 70mm x 56mm and looks like a miniaturized desktop PC. ECS was running a design contest where participants submitted custom designs of their LIVA PC. That’s why all of the kits you will see here are painted and decorated — but they all work properly and all you need is an external monitor to hook it up with.

liva-ecs

At the back of the device, you have a VGA port, HDMI port, USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 port, GigaBit LAN port, micro-USB port. The device can be powered entirely by a regular powerbank.

computex-liva-pc

As for the specs, the LIVA is powered by an Intel Bay Trail M processor, 2GB DRR3 RAM, 32GB eMMC storage, has WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GigaBit LAN.

liva-pc

We eventually found some of them for sale at the Guang Hua Digital Plaza when we went out for gadget shopping during our last day in Taiwan. The retail price was around NTD$5,500 for the whole kit.

liva

We’ll be doing the unboxing and posting some more videos and photos of the original kit over at TeamTechSquad over the week-end.

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