 "Google Chromebit")
The Google Chromebit by Asus looks like an oversized Wi-Fi dongle which connects to your TV via the HDMI port. It draws power from the bundled power adaptor. The Chromebit also sports a single USB port.
Starting up, one comes across the familiar Chrome OS interface. The software automatically searches for a keyboard and mouse. It works best if one has a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard around. Or use a powered USB hub.
The good news is since the Chromebit supports the AC wireless standard, one can stream media files faster. But, the Chromebit can't do what a Chromecast can. One can stream files to the Chromebit, but using other DLNA based apps found for the Chrome OS. Also, cloud services such as OneDrive and Dropbox are supported. The Chromebit is good for browsing, word processing and also a few games, besides listening to music and watching movies. Despite the ARM quad-core processor, and 2GB of RAM, it stutters while multi-tasking.
At Rs 7,999 the Google Chromebit by Asus is in a curious space. On one hand people would be more comfortable using Windows 10 "sticks", which cost roughly the same; on the other, the flexibility and ease of use of the Chrome OS is unparalleled. Buy it if you want an inexpensive computer which is child-proof or you love tinkering around; the Chromebit can be easily hacked to run Linux as well!
