Windows 8 comes to open-source PCs with GizmoSphere board

The market for x86 open-source PCs is now a two-horse race, with GizmoSphere releasing schematics and design documents for hobbyists to build from scratch a Windows 8 computer based on open design.

The barebones PC runs on an Advanced Micro Devices G-series embedded processor, and the design documents were made available just a few weeks after the release of MinnowBoard, the first open-source PC based on an Intel x86 processor. Intel and AMD have been PC adversaries, and that now moves to the open-source hardware space.

The Gizmo board originally started shipping in January, but the design was partly closed. The board has been available as part of the US$199 Gizmo Explorer Kit sold through online retailer Semiconductor Store. Schematics, designs and other information about the board are available on GizmoSphere's website.

GizmoSphere's design documents go into detail about the components, manufacturing information and where parts were bought. Using the information, hardware makers and developers can replicate the board from scratch.

The Gizmo is compatible with Windows 8 and older versions of the OS, including Windows 7 and XP, making it a possible PC replacement. It could also be useful for developers who write applications for Windows operating systems. However, a Windows OS license would need to bought separately.

Student Exclusive: Save an additional 10% off Surface Pro and Surface RT at Microsoft Store Canada Most open-source boards, including the MinnowBoard, run Linux, which will also run on Gizmo. The Gizmo board supports Ubuntu Linux and the Android 4.1 OS code-named Jelly Bean.

The Gizmo has an AMD 64-bit G-series G-T40E dual-core CPU running at 1GHz, 1GB of DDR3 memory and 1MB of cache. Gizmo claims its board provides 52.8 gigaflops of performance. By comparison, the MinnowBoard has a single-core 32-bit Atom E640 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM and 512KB of cache. The Gizmo's integrated Radeon HD6250 graphics supports DirectX 11. It also has a DisplayPort outlet and does not support HDMI, which is a feature on MinnowBoard.

Other Gizmo features include a VGA, USB and Ethernet ports. The board does not enable UEFI boot firmware, which is one of the key features on MinnowBoard.

Raspberry Pi is the most popular, and perhaps well-known, open-source PC and finds use as a media player and in a wide range of products, including jukeboxes and aquatic vehicles. Besides hacking, open-source PCs are used to develop and test applications for mobile devices, electronics, embedded products and PCs.

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo: Alana's Secret Wrestling Move Is "Cup-a-Fart"

Here Comes Honey Boo returns for a second season on Wednesday, June 17 -- and by the looks of it, the Georgia-based family is still crazy as ever! In the premiere episode, matriarch June "Mama" Shannon decides to take her four daughters -- Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon, Anna "Chickadee" Shannon, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon and Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson -- to meet some of their favorite professional wrestlers.

PHOTOS: Breakout reality TV stars

June explains that her husband, Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson, has been working security for the local wrestling events "for many years."

"Being backstage is awesome 'cause I can show off all my butt-kicking moves," says 7-year-old pageant queen Alana. She then demonstrates her skills for the professional wrestlers. "Y'all can use it in the match to knock out people," she tells them.

PHOTOS: Stars' pageant pasts

"My secret wrestling move would be the Cup-a-Fart," Alana reveals. "You fart in your hand and throw it at your enemy's face."

VIDEO: Why June "Mama" Shannon is scared of mayonnaise

To see which family members clears the room with his or her "Monster Cup-a-Fart," watch the clip now. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo airs Wednesday, June 17, at 9 p.m. EST on TLC.

Johnny Depp Is a Fan of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

The Lone Ranger star Johnny Depp says he's a fan of TLC's reality series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Johnny Depp is Honey Boo Boo's biggest fan! The Lone Ranger actor, 50, admitted his guilty pleasure is watching the TLC reality series, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

PHOTOS: Johnny Depp's movie makeovers

"I'm a little frightened of the show," Depp told Extra about the show starring 7-year-old beauty pageant contestant Alana Thompson and her self-proclaimed redneck family. "That's the thing . . . they're probably great people, but there are bits that happen that just I am mesmerized by."

But he added, "I mean, yeah, I guess I could be called a fan."

PHOTOS: Johnny Depp and other '80s heartthrobs, then and now

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Depp confessed he spends his free time watching the "trashiest television imaginable" -- and he may have more time for in the future.

"I can't say that I'd want to be doing this for another 10 years," Depp said of his acting career, adding that he considers retiring "every day."

PHOTOS: Summer movie guide

"I think while I've got the opportunity and the desire and the creative spark to do the things that I can do right now, I should do them," he explained. "And then, at a certain point, just take it down to the bare minimum and concentrate on, I guess, living life. Really living life. And going somewhere where you don't have to be on the run, or sneak in through the kitchen or the underground labyrinth of the hotel. At a certain point, when you get old enough or get a few brain cells back, you realize that, on some level, you lived a life of a fugitive."

Follow me on Twitter @sajilpl