For a while now, tech companies have been trying to get you to plug a computer into your TV; in the quest to conquer the living room, computers on a stick are generally seen as the next step. Asus and Google, though, are making a hard push to get in your living room even by that standard, with the Chromebit, an $85, full-featured computer.
Google and Asus have more or less admitted the Chromebit is as much for businesses as it is for home use; for example, they imagine hooking up a Chromebit to a TV to create an instant kiosk for businesses. But for a tiny computer, it’s got some good specs; a quad-core Rockchip RK3288-C processor and an integrated Rockchip Mali T764 graphics chip, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, drive the computer part, and there’s a USB 2.0 port. It supports Bluetooth and WiFi, as well, which isn’t bad for a computer that weighs slightly less than 3 ounces.
The main question, of course, is two-fold: One, do you really need a computer plugged into your TV, and two, how long will it last? Chrome OS is a notorious RAM hog, and older Chromebooks are starting to chug. Similarly, rumors are going around that Chrome OS is not long for this world and everything will be based around Android. Still, it’s a compelling price point, and if you want to hook up a computer for parents or kids, it might be the best option out there.
(Via Mashable)