That'll pit it against offerings from VIA and others, while offering considerably more oomph in a similar form factor -- though a mini-server slaying Core i5 option originally proposed by Intel was dropped.

ENGADGET: Intel's Core i3 NUC mini-boards set to hit market in October, power up hobbyists and OEMs

In some cases, the user account can also act as the main server for a private mini-network.

FORBES: Rethinking The Social Network: 3 Open-Source Alternatives To Facebook