All,
After seeing Chuck’s email, I decided to by a Quadra to try
out myself. Here are some images and first impressions.
The base product comes with the computer, power supply, and
an HDMI cable. The Quadra itself only has 2 USB ports, 2.4 GHz
wifi, and no Bluetooth. There is a Quadra Plus package that
provides a 4-port USB hub and wifi dongle (5 GHz and
Bluetooth) for $10.00 more. I purchased the plus option.
Size-wise, the Quadra is fairly similar to the Pi. Here
are a couple pictures comparing it to one of my Pi 3Bs.
Set up is simple. The
first time I plugged in the device, it appeared to start up
but did not show anything on my monitor. After unplugging
and then plugging the power back in, the Quadra booted up
and displayed the desktop just fine. I changed the password
and the updated packages in the terminal emulator.
Right off the bat, I do
find having only 2 USB ports built in to be a little
limiting. This can be remedied with a hub as mentioned
earlier, but that can be a little cumbersome for portable
uses. According to Inovato’s website, the Quadra’s processor
(SoC) in the Quadra is on par with the Pi 3.
For now, I’ll be using
this device at home to see how it works for me.
