These days I try to keep it as minimalistic as possible, and even as an avid Mac user there are certain instances where I NEED to use Windows, and I think I might have found the perfect solution, all for under $100 dollars.
The product is the InFocus Kangaroo Mobile PC, which is a fully functional Windows 10 desktop PC you can actually put in your back pocket and use with you when you’re traveling, or even from your living room couch when you’re too lazy to actually pick up your own computer.
Now sure, you could easily get a netbook or some tablet that’s running a half-baked version, but what if you have a strict budget, or simply only use Windows on a case-by-case basis? What if you don’t want to shell out money for a monitor and all of the fixings? This little PC is here to change the game.
Already I’ve been using it to browse the web, check emails, as well as playing some online games, all from my 65-inch television in my living room. I’m actually typing this review now courtesy of my Vizio and Kangaroo’s innovative way to use Windows. For example, I ran the Kangaroo side by side with my mother’s tablet that she spent $249 on Groupon with, and the Kangaroo blows it out of the water COMPLETELY. If not in overall looks, but in specs as well.
The Kangaroo is only about two inches in height and three inches in length so it’s as transportable as you will get for a product that does EVERYTHING. There are a lot of co-workers of mine that carry their iPads to and from work to do PowerPoint slides or presentations from their tablets which is not only a hassle if you don’t have the proper equipment, but there are a host of unnecessary cords they have to have, and processes that make what should be seamless more and more complicated. For lack of better words, the team over at Kangaroo and Insight did a bit of forward thinking in regards to this awesome product.
“Kangaroo is the first product to allow you to use the same PC for all applications, in any environment,” Lawrence Yen, director of Kangaroo product marketing, said in a statement. “Unlike stick PCs and other pocket PCs, Kangaroo works with all of your existing devices and can be docked at home or tossed in your bag to use anywhere, powering and providing Windows 10 access on the go. You can access any file, any time without worrying about access to a network, upload and download times or file corruption. With its power, capacity and features, Kangaroo will change the definition of mobile computing.”
For less than $100, you can bundle this with a Bluetooth keyboard and any house TV, or a hotel if you’re traveling, and have your own personal laptop without having to attempt to browse with a hotel remote or tethering your phone, thus wasting your data. The version of the Kangaroo that I received is only 32gb (which is fully expandable courtesy of a microSD card up to 128gb or a hard drive which is not included), but it’s also running a solid 2GB of RAM which is great if you’re running traditional programs such as Office or casually browsing the web. Now as you know, 32gb isn’t what you’ll actually get after unboxing as Windows does need an allotted amount of space for its programs, so it’s more like 19gb after it’s all said and done. For those of you with families, this is a great tool to have when you have children who want to use their computer to do light browsing, and you’d like to monitor their usage, especially from a larger screen.
One feature that I did not get a chance to test out was the ability to stream Steam or Xbox from the Kangaroo as I do not have either.
The Kangaroo itself though comes in two parts, one being the computer and the dock that houses the two USB2.0 ports and an HDMI port. But don’t fret, as you do not need both together at all times to run, as the larger computer portion can run for up to 3.5 hours by itself without the dock being attached. Kangaroo says four hours, but I saw performance lag a bit after the three-hour mark. But they do include AC wireless and Bluetooth 4.0 into the Kangaroo so the trade-off for the speed comes with the battery life. I found when I had the Kangaroo plugged up charging on my nightstand, the performance never shorted out or glitched at all.
There’s obviously some iPad functionality for those of you who would like to have an iPad and wants to use a tablet’s screen to run Windows, without jailbreaking your device or purchasing third-party “window-like” apps that don’t actually run the program as it should. This will set you back just a bit not only in price but in time as there’s separate software you can download from Kangaroo’s website, as well as an adapter that you would have to purchase via Apple or a third-party vendor. There’s also an app that needs to be downloaded which is a bit cumbersome, but once you have it set up, everything runs seamlessly. At the time of this review, my iPad Pro hasn’t arrived so I haven’t had an opportunity to test this out myself, but when I do, I will make sure to use this.
Overall, the Kangaroo has become a product that I use at home, and more importantly at hotels that attempt to charge for their internet usage instead of including it in the pricing. This is the PERFECT product, especially for the holiday season when you want to show your family all those photos from when it was warmer, and you didn’t bring your laptop with you, because who wants to pass around their phone when you can have everyone gather in front of the television this Thanksgiving?
If you’d like to find out more information regarding the Kangaroo, and possibly purchase one or two this holiday season, you should head over to their site today! Source: Manufacturer supplied Review Unit
What I like: Transportability is everything, and Insight/Kangaroo got this right the FIRST time!
What Needs Improvement: I’d personally like to see a bigger internal gigabyte models, for those who don’t carry (multiple) SD cards
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Diehard Apple fanboy, and lover of all things tech. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Greg enjoys spending time with his wife, family, and friends, live sporting events, good bourbon, Tetris, and pizza. In that order.