Chromebit

The Chromebit is a stick PC running Google's Chrome OS operating system. When placed in the HDMI port of a television or a monitor, this device turns that display into a personal computer. Chromebit allows adding a keyboard or mouse over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The device was announced in April 2015 and began shipping that November.

Chromebit

The Asus Chromebit installed to a TV
Manufacturer	Asus; Google
Introduced	March 31, 2015
Cost	US$85[1]
Type	Stick PC
Memory	2GB
Connection	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Ports	HDMI, USB
Weight	Asus Chromebit 75 g (2.6 oz)
Dimensions	Asus Chromebit 123 × 31 × 17 mm (4.8 × 1.2 × 0.67 in)

Functionality

A Chromebit turns a display with an HDMI port into a desktop variant of the Chromebook laptop, which runs Google's Chrome OS operating system. Chrome OS primarily supports a single application, a web browser, thereby relying heavily on an Internet connection for software functionality and data storage.[1]

Chromebits have a superficial resemblance to the Chromecast, another Google device. But whereas the Chromecast is designed to display video and still images on a television or other large-screen display, the Chromebit is a self-contained personal computer.[2] The device competes against the Intel Compute Stick, which offers similar plug-in functionality using two other operating systems, Windows 8.1 and Ubuntu.[3][4]

Technology

Internally, the first Chromebit resembles a standard Chromebook laptop.[5] The device features 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, as well as a USB 2.0 port at one end. The other end swivels, enabling it to fit into a variety of HDMI slots.[2]

Availability and models

Google announced the Chromebit on March 31, 2015. Google and Asus began shipping the first model that November.[6][7] The Chromebit no longer received updates after November 2020.[8]

Announced	Brand	Model	Processor	RAM	Storage	Size
March 2015	Asus	Asus Chromebit CS10	Rockchip RK3288	2 GB	16 GB

References

1. "Chrome OS is here to stay".
2. Hollister, Sean (March 31, 2015). "Google's Chromebit Turns Any TV Into a Chrome PC for $85". Gizmodo.
3. Kessler, Derek (March 31, 2015). "Google Chromebit packs an entire Chrome OS computer into an HDMI stick". androidcentral. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
4. "Intel® Compute Stick". Intel. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
5. Bell, Karissa (March 31, 2015). "Google debuts the Chromebit, a Chromebook dongle for under $100". Mashable.
6. "More Chromebooks, for everyone". Google Chrome Blog. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
7. "This $85 Device Turns Any Screen into a Computer". US News & World Report. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
8. "Auto Update policy - Google Chrome Enterprise Help". support.google.com. Retrieved 2020-04-27.