This looks interesting. video http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html

Kind of gimmicky in my opinion...Most of us sit a good distance from our televisions, and as such, reading the "fine print" of most web pages, emails, etc is kind of difficult without the vision of a hawk.It could be plugged into a monitor on a desk, but the website does not mention if it supports bluetooth, so you'll need a wired keyboard and mouse - might as well use a laptop or chromebookFor (commerical) digital signage there's already several HDMI connected solutions out there that cost a lot less than $150 (beaglebone from TI for example)For watching streaming media, Chromecast, Amazone FireStick, ROKU, all cheaper and offer a more television optimized interface.

I do use a Chromecast, Not 100% happy with it, this device would do what it does not.As for the "Wired keyboard and mouse" I do not think that is necessary, Though I am using a wired keyboard on this laptop, which does not have blue tooth, the mouse is wireless (Receiver plugged into usb port) on my other net book (which has Blue Tooth) I do not use BT (yet) but the KB is doubled (Wired and wireless) and the mouse likewise (Wired and wireless) using the same kind of dongle on the USB port. Along with 2 RS232 adapters and a Sound card when I get it fully set up, which should have been today but Amazon sent the sound card to my MAILING address, roughly 1,000 miles (rounded) from my physical address.

The sleekness of an HDMI mounted computer is kind of lost when you have to start plugging USB device cables and wireless receivers into it... maybe Intel will find a niche to market this to, but I'm not buying one :)

People with no imagination here.Think of this as the Model-T of what's coming.A full blown computer in a thumb drive, all blue tooth.The only limitation is the human interface.I've seen keyboards that fold up the size of a deck of cards.

The amazing part is having it run Windows- there have been a bunch of similar sticks in the Linux world for quite a while, not to mention the $35 Raspberry Pi, which makes a great media server.

Intel Compute Stick, Windows 8.1 on HDMI TV ! | Good Sam Community

13 Replies

strollin
Explorer
Jan 22, 2015
8.1 Van wrote:
Anyone could build a small Android PC AKA a smartphone but not a Windows 8.1 PC.

Baloney. It isn't any harder to build a small Win 8.1 PC than it is to build a small Android PC.

Within a year, the market will be flooded with these Win devices and the cost will probably drop below $100. The main roadblock to someone doing this with Windows instead of Android in the past was that Windows cost $$$ while Android was free. Windows with Bing is the main reason a small Windows PC like this is possible.

We are also seeing low cost Win 8.1 tablets that can now compete against low cost Android tablets because of Win 8.1 with Bing.
strollin
Explorer
Jan 22, 2015
1775 wrote:
This looks pretty good. I can see uses for it. Anything that you want on a smart TV can be added to any TV with a USB port and you don't have to rely on Chromecast or any of the other devices to have specific apps - if it is on the web it is available with this. One thing that will make or break this is the video driver that it is using and how well defined the HD picture will be on the TV.

I think you meant it can be added to any TV with an HDMI port, not USB.
1775
Explorer
Jan 21, 2015
This looks pretty good. I can see uses for it. Anything that you want on a smart TV can be added to any TV with a USB port and you don't have to rely on Chromecast or any of the other devices to have specific apps - if it is on the web it is available with this. One thing that will make or break this is the video driver that it is using and how well defined the HD picture will be on the TV.
8_1_Van
Explorer
Jan 19, 2015
strollin wrote:
GordonThree wrote:
Speaking of imagination, since it doesn't need a battery or a screen, why is it so big? Why not take the guts of a Nokia phone, strip out uneeded and put it in a box - should be a lot smaller without those two "big" parts.

Intel cpu are still power hogs compared to their ARM cousins, I imagine the bulk of this gizmo is a heatsink for the Atom chip. Wonder how much Intel paid Microsoft to give up on its ARM version of Windows - having that take off would have really opened some doors.

The Android world did this quite a few years ago. If interested google "Android mini pc" and you'll find lots of them.

Anyone could build a small Android PC AKA a smartphone but not a Windows 8.1 PC.

http://www.amazon.com/Screen-Smallest-Android-Smartphone-Quadband/dp/B00LDMYZB4
strollin
Explorer
Jan 17, 2015
GordonThree wrote:
Speaking of imagination, since it doesn't need a battery or a screen, why is it so big? Why not take the guts of a Nokia phone, strip out uneeded and put it in a box - should be a lot smaller without those two "big" parts.

Intel cpu are still power hogs compared to their ARM cousins, I imagine the bulk of this gizmo is a heatsink for the Atom chip. Wonder how much Intel paid Microsoft to give up on its ARM version of Windows - having that take off would have really opened some doors.

The Android world did this quite a few years ago. If interested google "Android mini pc" and you'll find lots of them.
5er4ever
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
I have been waiting 12 years now for this to hit the market!:B

Pen PC

As long as it is available when I am in the long term care facility.
My son will pick one up for me. He is a good boy.:)
8_1_Van
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
GordonThree wrote:
Speaking of imagination, since it doesn't need a battery or a screen, why is it so big? Why not take the guts of a Nokia phone, strip out uneeded and put it in a box - should be a lot smaller without those two "big" parts.

Intel cpu are still power hogs compared to their ARM cousins, I imagine the bulk of this gizmo is a heatsink for the Atom chip. Wonder how much Intel paid Microsoft to give up on its ARM version of Windows - having that take off would have really opened some doors.

Too big ? Show me a smaller Windows 8.1 PC.
GordonThree
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
Speaking of imagination, since it doesn't need a battery or a screen, why is it so big? Why not take the guts of a Nokia phone, strip out uneeded and put it in a box - should be a lot smaller without those two "big" parts.

Intel cpu are still power hogs compared to their ARM cousins, I imagine the bulk of this gizmo is a heatsink for the Atom chip. Wonder how much Intel paid Microsoft to give up on its ARM version of Windows - having that take off would have really opened some doors.
Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Jan 16, 2015
The amazing part is having it run Windows- there have been a bunch of similar sticks in the Linux world for quite a while, not to mention the $35 Raspberry Pi, which makes a great media server.
Fizz
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
People with no imagination here.

Think of this as the Model-T of what's coming.
A full blown computer in a thumb drive, all blue tooth.
The only limitation is the human interface.
I've seen keyboards that fold up the size of a deck of cards.