Now, a Bay Area company called NexDock, has developed a docking station for the device that will let it be used as a 14-inch PC while reducing overall environmental impact.
As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the Intel Compute Card is basically a thinly sliced version of the Intel Compute Stick introduced in April 2015 and features up to a full 7th-gen Intel Core vPro processor at 6W TDP, fanless cooling, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a USB-C port. The idea is to transform the way companies develop, maintain, use and repair equipment, and Intel decided that the credit-card sized form factor would be an ideal fit for its modularity and convenience in swapping out units for both business managers and consumers.
A company called NexDock is developing a mobile computing dock for the Compute Card equipped with a 14-inch display, a built-in battery and Bluetooth keyboard, letting the device to be transformed into a full-fledged portable notebook with the main advantage of a completely modular design. Rather than going through the process of replacing an entire notebook, the NexDock now lets people to buy the docking station once while swapping out Intel’s compute hardware during regular upgrade routines.
The company’s docking base doubles as an ergonomic tablet grip for handheld use and includes a built-in kickstand for watching videos or connecting it with a wireless keyboard and mouse. While the Compute Card gets inserted into one end, the other end features a removable USB-C module that allows for various connectivity ports depending on a user’s needs – an “Office” module with Ethernet, HDMI and three USB ports, an “Extra Battery” module” with higher charge capacity and dual USB ports, and a “Standard” module with dual USB ports.
The NexDock started as an Indiegogo project for Windows 10 smartphones last year and the company says the updated revision for Compute Cards will be available sometime in mid-2017. The original dock retailed for $149, while pre-order customers from the first batch were able to get it for $119, so this pricing may be indicative of the final product but is subject to vary as well.
Intel has said it will have more information on specs, availability and pricing of its Compute Card sometime in June. Its first partners will include Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sharp on the consumer side and Seneca Data, InFocus, DTx, TabletKiosk and Pasuntech on the commercial side, with everyone set to announce their own units separately.
