Old XP PC or TV? Google's $85 Chromebit will turn them into Chrome OS devices

[bittermann]

Have an old XP machine or TV with a USB port? Now you can turn it into a Chrome OS with their new Chromebit stick. Read the entire details at ZDNet.

Google and Chromebook partner Asus have launched the Chromebit, a thumb-sized device that can make any display with an HDMI port a Chrome OS-based computer.

The device went on sale in the US today and is available from Google's store for $85, well within the $100 range it announced earlier this year when it revealed the computer on a stick. Prices haven't been announced for Europe, however at today's exchange rates the Chromebit would cost £56 and €79.

The device adds another cheap computing option for consumers, who can buy a number of Windows 10 laptops and Chromebooks for under $200 or Intel's Intel Compute Stick running Windows, which costs about $120, and even less for the Linux version.

For owners of Google's Chromecast, setting up Chromebit should be a familiar affair with both devices lacking a battery and therefore needing to be plugged into a power supply.

The Chromebit similarly connects to the HDMI input on a TV or computer display and requires a separate keyboard and mouse connected via Bluetooth or a USB dongle.

Source: ZDNet