AOPen plans to soon ship a tiny PC-compatible computer that has some superficial styling cues that seem borrowed from Apple’s Mac mini, and now Calgary, Canada-based performance PC maker VoodooPC is getting into the act. The company on Thursday announced the Voodoo Idol Mini PC.
Featuring a 6.5-inch square chassis, the Voodoo Idol is a small system that VoodooPC said is designed as a secondary PC in the home. Like AOPen’s design, the Voodoo Idol features a Pentium M processor.
While AOpen appears focused on offering value-priced versions of the computer — their systems will start at US$399 if you opt for Linux instead of Microsoft Windows — VoodooPC focuses on performance, so the Idol Mini PC starts at US$899.
The Idol uses a Hitachi hard drive that spins at 7200RPM, touts DVI monitor connectivity, an integrated Ethernet interface and slot-loading DVD burner. Customers can configure the Idol with the operating system they prefer.
Both AOPen and VoodooPC’s systems appear based on a reference design first shown by Intel.
VoodooPC’s Web site had not been updated with information about the Idol as MacCentral posted this article.