Ockel Sirius B – Powerful Pocket-Sized PC to Replace Your Desktop?

The tech revolution is a storm that’s been in full swing for ages, with every year bringing better performance and more features in smaller packages for every device imaginable. Whether it’s your television getting thinner, your phone getting smaller or your laptop getting lighter, everything is shrinking while offering equal or superior performance to whatever came before it. The idea of a PC that can effectively fit in your pocket is a concept that’s had some traction for a while, but the Ockel Sirius B, priced at $179 (around R2,400) really delivers on the idea of a functional CPU and put it in a palm-sized package.

The increased mobility of our tech devices is just going to become more and more relevant as jobs become less and less office bound. We went from static desktops to more mobile laptops, and the pocket CPU is the next step in that succession of keeping full desktop functionality while offering paramount portability at the same time. If you have a job where you not only travel often but you don’t feel like lugging around even a moderately full laptop bag, the Sirius B may be something to consider, let’s break down the little dynamo’s specs:

– OS: Windows 10
– Processor: Quad core Intel Atom Bay-trail 1.83 GHz
– GPU: Intel HD Graphics
– RAM: 2GB DDR3
– Storage: 32GB MMC Flash
– 3.5mm input/output
– 2 USB Ports
– HDMI Output (1980 x 1080)
– Dimensions: 123mm x 79mm x 11m  

So, effectively this has old-school, entry-level laptop specs that have been crammed into a sleek case not much larger than your phone, which then plugs directly into an HDMI display or TV. While it may have been ‘cool’ to be spec-obsessed a few years back, many consumers have realised that having a Pentagon super computer’s power accessible at all times simply isn’t necessary. While it sounds fantastic to have a slim laptop with 500GB of solid state memory and a processor capable of rendering an entire Marvel movie’s worth of CGI, the average tasks we do simply don’t require that level of computing capacity. For those involved in the creative industries that do need editing software and processing capacities there are many higher-spec portable or all-in-one computers available, but for most of us the Sirius B’s capabilities are sufficient.

That said, there is a Sirius B Black Cherry model with 4GB of RAM if you need that little extra oomph, but it does come in at a price-tag of $299 (around R4,000)

When buying any piece of tech the most important question to ask is always “What am I going to use it for most often?” – usually, the answer is simple. Browsing, document editing and office suite utilities, along with some entertainment functionality, such as video and audio playback, makes up the bulk of conventional computer usage, and the Sirius B will be able manage those tasks effectively. Of course, the main problem is that this will be yet another device to keep track of, along with your phone, your external battery bank, your headphones, and your portable speakers – but who cares, right?

Having the ability to do PC tasks almost wherever you go is in keeping with the change in modern workdays that care less and less about localised and static workspaces. Instead of needing to worry about a laptop bag, now we can have access to computing essentials that fit in our cubbyholes. If you’re in the market for a portable PC that will turn any HDMI monitor into a well-equipped computer then the Sirius B is a worthwhile candidate to consider.

You can buy the Ockel Sirius B pocket PC on the official Indiegogo page.