Google’s candy bar sized Chromebit can turn any old monitor or TV into a computer for $85
Earlier this year, Google had announced Chromebit, a little pack-of-gum-sized stick that fits into the HDMI port made in partnership with ASUS. This Chrome OS-based computer on an HDMI stick can turn any screen into a computer. Now, the device is officially going on sale for a reasonable amount of $85.
The Chromebit CS10 features a sleek design and is about the size of a small candy bar. It measures 12 centimeters long and weighs just 75 grams. It plugs straight into an HDMI slot of any screen that you have going spare. The device’s specs are Roctkchip RK3288 processor with quad-core Mali 760 graphics, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 2×2 dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a single full-size USB 2.0 port on one end. Each unit also comes with 100GB of free cloud storage from Google for two years.
It is basically a cheap Chromebook, with the screen and input devices removed, and it provides a neat, portable means of carrying around a computer. It is available in black or orange.
But, there are few caveats also. As Google’s Chrome OS is just a browser, one cannot expect it to run Windows or Mac apps on this thing. However, Chromebit is good enough for basic web browsing such as it can be streaming video on your TV at home, plugging into a monitors for a self-service kiosks in stores or showing presentations in conference rooms.
This is the latest device that runs Google’s Chrome OS. In order to build some of the cheapest laptops ever, the platform has been stripping down all computing capabilities. Now, Google and Asus have taken that one step further by even getting rid of screen, battery, keyboard and trackpad.
Apparently to be launched on Tuesday, the Chromebit will be available through Amazon, Fry’s and Newegg for $85, as soon as their listings refresh to have it.
