Combine the stick-shaped Chromecast form factor with the rock-bottom computing value of the Raspberry Pi and you’d end up with something like Google’s new Chromebit. The device, set to be released this summer, is a micro-PC of sorts, capable of plugging into any display and instantly transforming it into a full-fledged computer.
Google’s Chromebit runs Chrome OS, the company’s lightweight, casual operating system. Chrome OS remains a very Web-heavy experience, relying on Google’s suite of cloud software desktop apps, like Google Drive, to power a browser-based computing experience.
Chrome isn’t a good fit for power users of any stripe, but with plans to price its new Chromebit stick at less than $100, Google isn’t gunning for those folks anyway. The Chromebit connects via USB and HDMI and will feature a Rockchip 3288 system-on-a-chip processor, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of local storage.
We’ll have to wait a little while to see how the tiny Chromebit sizes up, but two new Chromebook notebooks launched alongside news of the teensy new computer: Haier’s Chromebook 11 and another Chromebook from Hisense, both on pre-order now for $149.
Photo via Google
