Computestik
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The document discusses Intel's new Compute Stick, a small portable PC that is only 4 inches long. It has an Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and runs Windows. Though small, it provides full PC capabilities when connected to a display via HDMI. The Compute Stick offers a compact way to access productivity apps and media on the go without needing a full-sized laptop or tablet. It is intended as an affordable secondary PC option for uses like light productivity, media playback, and accessing Windows apps anywhere there is an HDMI port.
Computestik
- 2. Introduction There were some impressively thin laptops and convertibles this year at CES. But the trophy of the tiniest PC has to go to Intel’s just-announced Compute Stick. Despite being just four inches long, it comes with everything you’d expect from a basic PC: an Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a MicroSD slot for adding more, and a USB port. It will even ship with Windows when it goes on sale in March.
- 3. Intel is attempting to deliver horsepower wrapped in up a small package for a reasonable price. The little Intel box seems to make a great home theater PC or your own unofficial Steam Machine, but even though it’s small, it’s more of a set-and-forget, low-profile stationary desktop than it is hardware you can carry around. It’s more Mac Mini than laptop, but Intel has a solution for this portability problem: the newly revealed Intel Compute Stick.
- 4. The only thing missing is the screen, which you provide by plugging the Compute Stick into an HDMI port on any old flat screen TV or monitor. You’ll also need to plug a USB cable into the device to provide power, but many TVs have those as well.
- 5. It's very light and not too much bigger than a Google Chromecast . The Stick plugs into a display by way of its HDMI 1.4a port, which will handle streaming duties. Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity lets you pair peripherals like a mouse and keyboard, while 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi gets you onto the Web. The Compute Stick can't draw power from its HDMI port, so you'll need to plug in a Micro-USB cable to keep it powered up. That Micro-USB slot sits on the left side, flanked by a full-size USB port and a power button.
- 6. Purpose Intel will be selling the Compute Stick directly, and it's not really intended to replace your laptop or tablet. That said, it's an undeniably cool little gadget. As someone who likes to travel but loathes toting a laptop around, keeping something like this with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse in my luggage would be a compact way to get a more robust computing experience than my Ipad is going to offer, without tipping the scales or putting much of a dent in my wallet. I don't expect to be able to edit photos or play World of Warcraft while I'm on the road, but this could prove to be a great tool for toting vital files and Windows apps around, and getting the full-PC experience wherever I can find a spare HDMI port.
- 7. It's just a bit bigger and bulkier than simple sticks like the Chromecast or the Fire TV stick, but they're all basically comparable in size. The stick is big enough to block one or more neighboring HDMI ports depending on how your TV or monitor is laid out, but Intel says it will bundle a short extension cable you can use to keep this from happening.
- 8. Don’t expect to fire up your favorite first-person shooter or video editing program on the Compute Stick. Performance will be similar to what you’ll get from a low-priced Windows tablet or a very low-end laptop. But basic tasks like media playback and light productivity should work run just fine.
- 9. The Compute Stick certainly isn’t for everyone, but its price will likely make it appealing to many in the developing world, as well as in education, where once-pricey, now pokey PCs tend to stick around far longer than they should.
- 10. Specification O 1.33GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735F processor O 2GB DDR3 RAM O 32GB internal storage O MicroSD slot (up to 128GB) O Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n O Bluetooth 4.0 O Full-size USB port O HDMI 1.4 O Windows 8.1 Bing
- 11. Features The Compute Stick is essentially a complete PC, but in the compact form factor of a slightly large pen drive. It connects to a TV via HDMI, but also has to be powered with a microUSB cord. It will also be available with Linux, but that version will come with 8GB of storage and 1GB RAM. That model will retail for $89, Intel said.
- 12. The Z3735F processor does not support 4K hardware decoding. Windows 8.1 Bing looks and behaves just like Windows 8.1—it’s a low-resource version preset to have Bing in all the search engines, but you can manually change that. Those who just want a cheap second or third PC will likely find the Compute Stick enticing as well. Say what you will about Windows PCs, but they’re versatile machines that can launch nearly any kind of file and run millions of programs to do just about anything. A Windows computer is the Swiss Army knife of the modern age. It’s about time someone made one that slips comfortably in your pants pocket.
- 13. Why The Intel Compute Stick Matters O While smart TVs are on the rise, you probably won’t use all of their features. That’s because it’s not a full-fledged desktop operating system running there. You can’t run Microsoft Office on your smart TV, after all. O Google’s Chromecast streams content from other connected devices. You can’t use the Chromecast without a second phone, tablet or computer. But the Compute Stick will just need a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or some fantastic wireless all-in-one keyboards to be up and running.
- 14. O The current lot of Android Stick PCs are good for gaming and multimedia, but Android itself can’t compare to Windows when it comes to getting work done in a desktop environment. Similarly, the Roku Streaming Stick is great for watching movies and TV shows, but little else. O Plus, at $149, it’s still far cheaper than our recommended DIY HTPC build. And yes, you canturn it into a Roku-like streaming device for free.
- 15. More likely, it'll find a home in small businesses, schools, and the like who want to roll out super cheap computers to their employees, since all you need is this stick, an HDMI monitor and a couple peripherals to get things cranking. Remember when the tiniest PC was a nettop that hooked onto the back of your monitor
- 16. More than just a media stick like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the Compute Stick essentially squeezes the power of a tablet into the size of a pack of gum. While it can handle media streaming duties via its HDMI 1.4a port, its other specs let you do much more. It is based around the Atom Z3735F Bay Trail processor, but other components depend on which OS you're running.