The new 4té computer, first shown by R-Comp‘s Andrew Rawnsley at the recent virtual London Show, has now started shipping to customers that have already ordered them – and while R-Comp says it will take two to three weeks to fulfil those back orders, that does mean there is still time to order one if you want yours to arrive in time for Christmas.
The 4té, if you need reminding, is a Raspberry Pi 4-based system housed in a case designed by Wi-Fi Sheep’s Tom Williamson. The computer runs RISC OS Direct – the ‘flavour’ of RISC OS being promoted by RISC OS Developments Ltd.
Apparently, a part-shipment from the Far East was delayed – part of the ongoing effects of the global pandemic – which in turn delayed the release of the computers. Customers are gaining some extras as a result, though, because the time wasn’t lost; it gave R-Comp the opportunity to develop a suite of software specific to the machine, with titles that some readers might recognise as being very similar to titles shipped with ARMbook computers – 4téTools, 4téSetup, 4téLock, amongst others.
These tools allow easy configuration of various aspects of the machine, including the ability to activate ‘Big Mode’ – which can be useful on extremely high resolution displays – or trading off heat for performance, and so on. Retro gamers and users of emulation software are catered for with specific enhancements to support their needs, and a range of tools are provided to help keep network management simple – including password-protected remote access.
Another of those extra applications is 4téBrowse, a web browser that supports both HTML 5 and JavaScript, and benefits from some 4té-specific features.
This extra software is actually extra extra software, because even before this was put together, there was to be a wealth of commercial software included with the machine – over £250 worth of applications covering everything from games to graphics, and sound to security, and much more.
Andrew Rawnsley commented on the project, saying “The 4té hardware and software has been one of our largest custom projects, from design through to hardware and software. The computer has our most extensive and elaborate software suite ever, and packs amazing performance, yet runs silently and is our lowest priced computer ever!”
More details about the 4té can be found on its page on the Armini website.
