A new take on the 'keyboard computer' form factor is now available to pre-order on the internet. The Vensmile K8 Foldable Keyboard Mini PC features a rolling-up rubber mat keyboard attached to the left side of a rectangular mini-PC which itself hosts a touchpad surface. You might sense I am struggling to describe this thing, but luckily a picture says a thousand words. Please see below.
The K8 is powered by an Intel Atom X5 Z8300 'Cherry Trail' quad-core processor. This 14nm 2W SDP processor has a base/boost frequency of 1.44GHz/1.84GHz. It sports Intel HD graphics with a max resolution of 1980 x 1080, Full HD. To accompany the processor at the heart of its machine, Vensmile has equipped 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage.
Other key specs are Wi-Fi 2.4-5.8g/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 support, plus an array of ports which include an HDMI out, VGA out, 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 port, a TF card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. This rather light (277g) machine runs off a 5V 3A power input. When rolled open the K8 measures 385 x 120 x 15mm. From the pictures it looks like the keyboard is splash resistant but I notice the splash isn't big enough to envelope the electronic heart of the PC to the right...
The above hardware specs are standard fare for many an HDMI stick, tablet, or similar portable PC, so let's have a look at the Vensmile K8's particular attraction: having a full sized keyboard and decent sized multi-touch touchpad built-in/on. The keyboard looks like one of the common-or-garden flexible silicone keyboards that you can pick up for as little as a fiver but very few of which receive accolades for typing comfort. To the right of this is the attached computer 'chassis' which provides a touchpad surface over most of its upper surface area. The only other thing you need to get computing on the go is a monitor/TV.
As headlined, this Mini-PC is up for pre-order now, price cut from $249 to $199. That price includes Microsoft Windows 10 installed but I'd still bet on the 'pre-order introductory price cut' going even deeper in a matter of a few months. I think I would prefer the Pipo KB2 and a wireless mouse if priced similarly, but that Vensmile K8 rival still seems to be unavailable.
