[Gadget Industry] bills it as “a PC inside a Mouse“, but that depends on your definition of a “PC”. This is a Personal Computer inside a mouse, yes, but there’s nothing IBM-compatible about the tiny ARM board he squeezes inside what’s normally a peripheral — it actually started life as a smartphone, which only takes this build up a notch compared to starting with a single-board computer like a Pi.
Specifically, he starts with a Galaxy S21 5G. Starting with a Samsung means he can leave the stock Android alone and just take advantage of Samsung’s DeX desktop mode, rather than layer a Linux environment on top or replace the operating system entirely with something like Postmarket OS, which are both viable options.
With the battery compartment removed, the phone guts fit with shocking ease in the once-wireless mouse. Of course that’s not a great thermal environment, but that’s what the brass is for. It acts as a heat spreader, which is about as much thermal management as the phone had from the get-go, so it should work well enough. It seems to in the video, certainly. If thermal throttling is a concern, while it’d be hard to fit in a mouse, there’s no beating liquid cooling.
A novel concept executed in a way that surprised me with each step.
Bravo!
Bizarro am make new invention.
Me slide heavy CRT around table surface while this stay still.
A dream came true : The Mouse is the Computer! I had this idea some years ago but my abilities to create one were too limited.
Pretty well executed. Seems like the keyboard would be the more sensible place to put it but I’m open-minded
I do agree – but with android you don’t “need” a keyboard don’t you? Probably not even in that “desktop mode”.
Well Android doesn’t “need” a mouse either …
“computer in keyboard” is one of earliest form of personal computer: Commodore 64
Cool, yes. But I’m bummed that it’s playing Minecraft and not (dons flameproof suit) Doom.
I think the title is perhaps missing something?
Indeed. Thanks!