Computers you can hold in the palm of your hand

A credit-card sized computer that is becoming a big hitter in the IoT and educational space. And given that it's priced at only $35, it's easy to see why it's so popular.

The latest version is the Raspberry Pi 3 model B and features the following spec:

• 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A53
• 1GB of RAM
• Broadcom VideoCore IV graphics
• 4-watt power consumption

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The Raspberry Pi gets even smaller, in both size and price. At only $5, this is almost a disposable computer, and yet is has enough power to handle many IoT or homebrew projects.

Despite the size, there's room for a microSD card slot, mini HDMI port, and micro USB data port.

• 1GHz single-core ARM1176JZF-S CPU
• 512MB of RAM
• 0.8-watt power consumption

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A coin-sized Linux computer that is totally open-source, and costs $20. This is a small, low-cost, totally open-source (both the hardware and software) computer that's ideal for projects such as IoT or building your own custom router.

• 360MHz MIPS CPU
• 32MB of RAM
• 8MB of flash memory
• Ready equipped with header pins for sound, USB 2.0, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi

VoCore

At $155 this is a bit pricier than many other small computers, but it does come with beefier specs to allow it to cope with more demanding tasks.

• 2.41 GHz dual-core Intel Celeron J1800 CPU
• 2GB of RAM (upgradable to 8GB)
• 32GB of flash memory
• Intel HD graphics
• Windows 10

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At $9, C.H.I.P. is a perfect demonstration of how cheap computing has become. You get what would only a few years ago have been desktop power on a tiny board.

• 1.0GHz CPU
• 512MB of RAM
• 4GB of storage
• Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

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If you want to take Google's Chrome OS for a whirl, then why not pick up a palm-sized Chromebox, such as this Asus Chromebox. Starting at around $150, these represent excellent value for money.

• Intel Core i7-4600U or Intel Core i3-4010U or Intel Celeron 2955U CPU
• Intel HD Graphics 4000/4400
• Up to 2GB of RAM
• 16GB of storage
• 2xUSB 3.0, HDMI, RJ45
• SD card slot
• Chrome OS

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Like tiny computers, but hate the fact that there's no way to upgrade them? The Acer Revo Build might be the system for you. You add to this system by snapping on new parts, such as the optional storage or graphics modules.

For $179 you get:

• 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Celeron N3050 processor
• 2GB DDR3L RAM
• 32GB storage
• Windows 10

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For those of you looking for a small Linux system, the MintBox Mini might be just what you are looking for. At $295 it's not cheap, but you do get quite a decent spec:

• AMD A4 Micro-6400T SoC featuring Radeon R3 graphics
• 8GB of RAM
• 64GB storage
• Linux Mint

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