Continuing the trend of miniaturizing and mobilizing entire computer systems, Intel has come up with a compute-on-a-stick device that comes pre-installed with either Linux or Windows 8.1.
The Compute Stick, as it is aptly referred to, measures about four inches long and includes within it a quad-core Intel Atom processor. It also has an HDMI output, USB port, and microSD card slot.
When describing the Compute Stick, Intel said it has “built-in wireless connectivity, on-board storage, and a microSD card slot for additional storage.”
Some of the obvious benefits include economy and convenience, with Intel summarizing that the Compute Stick offered “everything you love about your desktop computer in a device that fits in the palm of your hand.”
The Compute Stick is expected to be positioned against other low-cost, plug-and-play devices that can instantly transform any large-display device into a functional computer, including Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, and SolidRun’s HummingBoard.
In terms of the differences between the Compute Stick’s Windows 8.1 and Linux versions, Lee Matthews of Geek.com says that since the Linux Compute Stick has Ubuntu pre-installed, it will cost less. It will have 1 GB or RAM and about 8 GB of storage. He concluded that all-in-all, it will have enough power for basic computing tasks.
The Windows 8.1 version, on the other hand, has 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage. As such, it will carry a slightly higher price point of $149, which, as suggested by Matthews, might be attractive to budget-conscious organizations looking for creative ways to stretch their technology dollars.
SlashGear’s Nate Swanner described an interesting scenario where the Compute Stick could come in particularly handy: “If you were holed up in a hotel room, the dongle would be great for productivity so long as you had a keyboard and mouse with you.” He added that with the Compute Stick, “you are essentially taking the PC mobile, with an operating system in the form of an HDMI dongle.”
The Compute Stick is expected to begin shipping during the first quarter of 2015.
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