Asus Chromebit CS10

ASUS Chromebit CS10 is the latest computer-on-a-stick.

It’s about the size of a candy bar and as you can already guess from its name, it runs Google’s Chrome OS, the same Cloud-based operating system that powers Chromebooks and Chromeboxes.

But unlike Chromebooks, the ASUS Chromebit CS 10 does not have have a display, but makes it possible to convert any TV or computer monitor with an HDMI port into a Chrome OS-powered computer. This is not a new concept, but just the latest offering in a very popular line from computer vendors.

Measuring just 12 cm long, the Chromebit CS10 s said to be the smallest Chrome OS device, and it supports Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Aside from serving as an on-the-go computer that fits in your pocket, it can be used to power a digital signage and self-serve kiosks.

Figure 1: ASUS Chromebit CS10 connected to a TV

All that is made possible on the hardware side by a quad-core Rockchip RK3288C processor and an ARM® Mali™-T624 GPU that delivers full HD 1080p video. Its 16 GB eMMC storage capacity and 2 GB of RAM is right up there with most of the Chromebooks and Chromeboxes already in the market. Internet connectivity is made possible by dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, with Bluetooth 4.0. The device sports one HDMI port and a USB 2.0 port.

Figure 2: Asus Chromebit CS10 specifications

I think at just $85.00 USD, the price of the Chromebit CS10 is just right. I might just be tempted to buy one this week, not so that I can just own a Chrome OS device, but just to see how easy or hard it would be to load a favorite Linux distribution on it. More information about the Asus Chromebit is available here.