Google is introducing a new computer that’s just slightly larger than an average USB drive. It’s called the Google Chromebit and it turns any TV into a personal computer.
Although the tiny device looks more like a Chromecast, Google’s digital media device, it does so much more. The Chromecast allows you to stream Netflix and movie files from your PC (or phone/ipad/etc) to your TV while the Chromebit works as an actual PC that fits in your pocket.
The small stick holds the same internal components as a Google laptop and plugs into any TV or external display using an HDMI port. A USB port on the Chromebit can be used to connect a keyboard or mouse (these can also be connected using Bluetooth).
Manufactured by ASUS in partnership with Google, the Chromebit uses Chrome OS software. Chrome OS, Google’s cloud-based app operating system, is built on an “open-source version of Linux and integrated with the Chrome browser and a simple media player”, according to howstuffworks.com. Google says the idea behind Chrome OS is to provide users with speed, security and simplicity in an operating system.
With less than a $100 price tag (the exact price not yet released), the Chromebit could allow anyone with an LCD TV or old PC monitor to easily upgrade their computer situation. This includes revamping outdated computer labs in schools or allowing someone in an internet café to plug in a newer PC to the available monitor and Wi-Fi. Caesar Sengupta, vice president of product management at Google said “Our goal is not just to sell some of these products, but to make computing accessible to more people.”
The last few years, Google has worked to push its Chrome OS devices into schools, taking on Microsoft and Apple for a chunk of the very lucrative education market. As of 2014, Chromebooks now hold 29.9% of the education market. Microsoft remains the leader with 39% and Apple follows with 32%. However, the release of the Chromebit this summer and its possibilities could help Google appear in even more schools over the next few years.
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Sources:
http://www.wired.com/2015/03/google-unveils-chrome-stick-turns-display-pc/
http://mashable.com/2015/03/31/chromebook-chromebit/
http://www.cnet.com/news/google-pushes-chrome-os-software-with-or-without-chromebooks/