Kangaroo Plus Gets Just Enough of an Upgrade With Better Hardware


KangarooPlusA company called InFocus might ring a bell for those of you who heard about that $99 mini Windows PC, called Kangaroo, back in October of 2015 (the 30-year old company is also known for developing and manufacturing projectors and projector accessories). It sure wasn’t the first of its kind, as there are multiple options for portable PCs these days, but this one fell into the realm of PC dongles like the Intel Compute Stick, which simply connects to any display and you’re good-to-go. So why are we hearing about Kangaroo just three months after its release? Two words, it’s upgraded.

KangarooPlus1The initial Kangaroo device was loaded with an Intel Cherry Trail Atom x5-Z8500 processor, just 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. Seen as a meager amount of both storage and RAM, InFocus listened to the needs of its customers and amped up the new Kangaroo Plus. For a higher price, you’re able to put more PC in your pocket.

KangarooPlus2Although the Kangaroo Plus sports the same Cherry Trail processor, built-in fingerprint scanner, and compact size that measures the same 3 x 5 x.5 inches, these aren’t the areas that needed addressing. InFocus doubled down in other areas (doubling what both the first iteration and the Intel Compute Stick have), boasting hardware to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Connectivity ports on the device stayed the same, including a micro USB 2.0 port, microSDXC card reader, plus 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. There is a detachable dock that houses an onboard battery that lasts about 4 hours, plus an HDMI port. Since you’re going to get a better product than the original $99 iteration was, you’re going to have to throw down $170 for the Kangaroo Plus.

Intel will be allegedly releasing its very own upgraded Compute Stick soon, upping the hardware and storage, but undoubtedly it will cost a bit more. It is hard to tell just how much these two go head-to-head considering Intel’s PC dongle doesn’t require any sort of separate dock to get all of the connectivity you desire. But don’t forget, the Kangaroo Plus docking system is great for “shuttling the PC around between monitors, putting that pocket-form to good use” (PC World). Therefore, when the two are compared by looking at price, that might just be the deciding factor. Unlike the Kangaroo, there is no operating system installed on the Kangaroo Plus, therefore Windows users- you’ll need your own license. Others can simply install Linux, or whatever OS pleases you. The new Kangaroo Plus is available for purchase on New Egg.

Topics: Technology News Mini / Nano PCs Tech Reviews

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