Google unveiled the Asus-made Chromebit dongle, a compact stick running Chrome OS back in April. Now Asus and Google have launched the Chromebit.
The Chromebit can be plugged into the HDMI port of any regular monitor or TV to transform them into a full-fledged Chrome OS desktop PC offering 1080p output. It is able to run most web apps on it. It can be used to play movies and TV shows from Google Play, or from other media streaming service providers like Netflix or Hulu.
Since it has a fanless design, if it gets too hot (over 35-degress), Chromebit will shutdown automatically to prevent overheating.
The Chromebit is equipped with a quad-core Rockchip RK3288-C processor with four ARM Cortex-A17 cores and Mali T764 GPU aided by 2GB RAM. On-board storage is 16GB. Other features include WiFi 802.11ac (dual band), Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0 port and HDMI port. Unfortunately, there is no microSD card slot for storage expansion.
The Asus Chromebit ships with an HDMI extension cable and adhesive hook and loop stickers, so that you can hide the device behing a display or position it out front for easier access to the USB port. It also comes with a seperate DC adapter that provices power.
The Chromebit is priced at $85 (Rs. 5600) and initially will be available in the U.S through Amazon, Newegg, Fry's Micro center, B&H Photo, NCIX, Canada Computers and Memory Express starting today. Soon after, it will be made available in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and UK as well.
Google has introduced new line up of Chrome OS products including its cheapest Chromebooks to date all priced below $250 and a brand new thumb drive like Chrome device called Chromebit. The new Chromebooks's include ASUS Chromebook Flip, Asus Chromebook C201, Hisense Chromebook and Haier Chromebook 11. They all are fast, lightweight and have all-day battery life The Hisense Chromebook and Haier Chrome book 11 have 11.6-inch displays, quad-core Rockchip 3288 processors, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and promises all day battery life.
The Haier Chromebook 11 will be available from Amazon while the Hisense Chromebook will be sold via Walmart for $149 and will be available by mid-April
The Asus Chromebook Flip is Google's first convertible Chromebook for consumers. It has a 360 degree hinge that allows you to flip the screen behind and go from laptop to tablet mode. It features 10.1-inch HD touchscreen and is powered by Rockchip processor and can be configured up to 4GH RAM and 16GB SSD. It measures just 0.59 inches thick and weighs less than two pounds. "The Chromebook Flip has a great keyboard and a touch screen for immersive experiences like gaming and educational apps." The ASUS Chrombook 201 features a 11.6-inch display, Rockchip quad-core processor, 2GB or 4GB RAM and 16GB SSD.
The Asus C201 price starts at $169 while the Chromebook Flip comes with a price tag of $249. Both the Chromebooks will be available via Amazon later this spring.
Lastly coming to the most interesting product the Asus Chromebit is small pen drive like dongle. You can plug it into a display via the built-in HDMI port to turn it into a computer. Google adds "By simply plugging this device into any display, you can turn it into a
computer. It’s the perfect upgrade for an existing desktop and will be
really useful for schools and businesses.”.
The Chromebit features Rockchip 3288 processor with ARM Mali 760 quad-core GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, HDMI, USB 2.0 port, WiFi 802.11 ac and Bluetooth 4.0
The Chromebit will cost less than $100 and will be available later this summer.
Google on its blog also mentioned that 11.6-inch Chromebooks for $199 to 15-inch Chromebooks for $499 will be arriving in the coming months from Acer, AOPEN, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and LG.
