In the early hours of April 1st, an announcement from Asus – which turned out not to be an April Fools prank came through. The announcement was for a cheap, ChromeOS powered HDMI dongle that would allow you to turn any monitor with a HDMI port into a working computer.
The applications for the Asus Chromebit range from digital signage to kiosk PCs, or a cheap, yet reasonably powerful desktop PC replacement. Originally planned for release in the American ‘Summer’, but Asus has just advised the dongle will finally be hitting the market in Q4. The Chromebit will be available in three colours – Blue, Orange and Grey/Black, though Asus hasn’t announced which will be available here.
Chromebit Specs:
- OS: Chrome OS
- CPU: RockChip 3288-C
- Memory: 2GB LPDDR3L
- Graphics: Integrated Rockchip® Mali T764 (Full HD, plays up to 1080p)
- Storage: 16G eMMC
- TPM (Trusted Platform Module): YES
- Wireless: Dual Band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth V4.0
- Interface: 1 x HDMI ; 1 x USB 2.0; 1 x DC-in Jack
- Power Supply: 12V, 1.5A, 18 W Adapter
- Dimension: 123 x 31 x 17 mm
- Weight: 75 g
How much it will be when it arrives, and where you’ll be able to purchase it from aren’t yet known but more details will be available closer to launch. The Chromebit was originally announced at US$99, however there has been speculation that it could drop even lower in price by launch – we’ll find out soon.
