Asus and Google first unveiled the Chromebit, an HDMI dongle with the Chrome OS operating system pre-installed, back in the tail-end of March, and 8 short months later, it’s finally available to order. In the States at least, anyway. While it’s taken a while to come to market, it’s also a little cheaper than originally envisioned, coming in at $85 instead of $99.
It’s great that the Chromebit is a little cheaper than expected with its $85 price tag, but what exactly does it do? Well, it plugs directly into the HDMI slot on your computer monitor or television, and because it has Google’s Chrome OS pre-installed, it behaves just like a Chromebook or Chromebox. All you have to do is add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to navigate your way around.
The Chromebit gives you access to things like Google Plus photos, the Chrome Web Store, the ability to edit documents and worksheets, watch videos, basically everything you can do on a normal Chrome OS device.
At just $85, the Chromebit naturally doesn’t offer the level of specifications that you see on the Acer Chromebook 15 (reviewed here), but it will get the job done.
Specifications:
- Rockchip ARM processor
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB Internal storage
- 802.11 a/b/g/n/AC WiFi
- Bluetooth 4.0
- USB port
- Dimensions: 123 x 31 x 17mm
- Weight: 75 grams
Included in the box is a 1 foot HDMI cable, power adapter, as well as fittings to attach the Chromebit onto the back of the monitor/television. For the moment, the Chromebit is only available in the US via Amazon, Newegg and Fry’s, in orange and black variants for $85. It is scheduled to become available in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the UK at some point.
Come comment on this article: ASUS and Google launch the Chromebit, bringing the Chrome OS to a monitor or tv for $85
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