I’d like to thank CompuLab for sending the development team three MintBox Mini. I just received mine :)

The box mimics the unit itself:

You’ll even find screws at the back :)

Our great relationship with CompuLab is illustrated on the side. Along with the unit specs, it’s great to see our two logos there. We’ve been working together for a very long time now, so that feels very nice.

Inside the box there’s:

the MintBox Mini

a power adapter with removable extensions for (in my case) US and EU sockets

a wireless adapter (which will take one of your 5 USB ports to give you Wifi connectivity)

a DVI / HDMI adapter

a com / serial adapter

a jack / cinch cable

a manual for the Fitlet (which is the same unit as the MintBox Mini but without the Mint branding)

The power adapter is much smaller than the one used in the MintBox 2. Its cable still has that screw-on system to ensure the connection with the unit doesn’t get loose.

As the name suggests, the Mini is minuscule. I knew it was small, I knew it was pocketable (and it does indeed easily fit in my jean’s pocket, although with the cable, mouse and all you’ll probably use a bag anyway) but it’s even tinier than I realized.

Here’s the Mini beside a tennis ball and a 13″ Macbook Pro:

From the top:

Here’s the Mini compared to a Dell mouse.. roughly the same dimensions and they both weight more or less the same.

The green casing is made of metal and feels cold to the touch. It will feel hot when powered on as it is used as a heat sink (the Mini has no fans inside and should be completely silent).

As usual, the unit packs a lot of connectivity options:

The quality of the materials is very good and the unit looks very nice.

The size though… I just can’t get over it :)

I look forward to testing the unit and seeing how it runs. If I manage to find some time between the Cinnamon 2.6 feature-freeze in 4 days, MATE 1.10, and the Betsy upgrade path I need to open, I’ll share my impressions on a more in-depth review.

Allez, back to work! :)