Chromebit Explained

The Chromebit is a stick PC running Google's ChromeOS. It is able to be plugged into any display via HDMI to act as a personal computer. Keyboards and mice are able to be connected over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The device was announced in April 2015 and began shipping November 2015.

Functionality

A Chromebit uses a display with an HDMI port to control a desktop variant of the Chromebook netbook, which runs Google's ChromeOS operating system. ChromeOS 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 multimedia and web content from an Android or ChromeOS device 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 Windows 10.^{[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. The Chromebit has a total RAM capacity of 2 gigabytes and 16 gigabytes of flash memory.

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]

Notes and References

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