Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Asus' new Chromebit isn't the first computer-on-an-HDMI-stick, nor is it the fastest or the most flexible. You're going to be able to do more with a Windows PC, just as a cheap Windows laptop can do more stuff than a Chromebook despite having similar hardware to do it with.

But ChromeOS feels like it might actually be a better match for the sort of hardware that will fit inside an HDMI dongle (at least until that beefier Core M Compute Stick from Intel comes out, assuming it doesn't have major hardware problems). For $90, Asus will sell you a full ChromeOS device running on ARM hardware, and while neither of those two things are going to blow anyone away, they're actually pretty well paired if you're looking for something that walks the line between PC and appliance.

Look and feel

The Chromebit looks and feels nice, not that it especially matters for something that will primarily live buried behind a TV or monitor or receiver somewhere. It's a sleek plastic tube with a bit of heft to it, and it fits in the bare minimum of ports. You've got one male HDMI connector underneath a removable cap you'll probably lose, a power jack on one side, a USB 2.0 port on the end for peripherals, and a security lock slot underneath to deter theft. You don't get a microSD card slot like the one in Intel's Compute Stick, which is understandable since ChromeOS relies overwhelmingly on cloud storage. But there's no microUSB port to power the device using a port on the back of your TV or monitor, an unfortunate omission.

You should prepare to buy Bluetooth peripherals to use with the Chromebit if it's possible, partly because there's only the one port and partly so you don't have wires running up behind your TV or monitor. But if you have a monitor with an integrated USB hub, you can just connect the USB port to your monitor and use the monitor's ports for peripherals instead. You're still talking about USB 2.0 speeds, though, so don't expect lightning fast transfer speeds from connected USB hard drives or SD cards.

The hardware is totally fanless, and while it gets warm during use there shouldn't be any danger of overheating if you stick it behind some screen in a poorly ventilated area.

Setup

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Specs at a glance: Asus Chromebit CS10 OS Chrome OS CPU 1.8GHz quad-core Rockchip RK3288 RAM 2GB DDR3 GPU ARM Mali-T624 HDD 16GB eMMC SSD Networking 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 Ports 1x USB 2.0, HDMI connector (male) Size 4.84" x 1.22" x 0.67" (123 x 31 x 17mm) Weight 0.16 pounds (75g) Warranty 1 year Starting Price $89.99

Plug in the Chromebit using the HDMI extension cable Asus gives you and the stick's power adapter, and you're ready to begin setup. There's no power button—the stick just defaults to being on when it's plugged in. If you shut it down, it will stay off until you press a button on a paired Bluetooth device, at which point it will automatically turn back on (a power button would be nice, though).

One word of warning: make sure that the TV or monitor you're plugging the Chromebit into is powered on before you power on the Chromebit so that it can properly detect its maximum resolution. On both a Vizio TV and a Dell monitor, powering on the Chromebit and then turning on the screen resulted in an incorrect maximum supported resolution of 1024×768. Powering the monitor on and then plugging in the Chromebit was enough to get it working at 1080p (4K isn't supported).

The first time you turn the Chromebit on, it will automatically try to pair with any nearby Bluetooth keyboards and mice that are in pairing mode, much like OS X will try to do if it doesn't detect any keyboard and mouse. This is a nice touch—Windows still won't do this, making setup more difficult if you're using Bluetooth accessories rather than wired ones or ones that use an IR receiver.

If you're a technical type and you want to tinker, the Chromebit supports Developer Mode the same as any other Chromebook or Chromebox. To enable it, turn the Chromebit off, and then stick a paperclip into the small pinhole on the bottom of the device. You'll need a wired keyboard to complete the process, though, since ChromeOS' pre-boot firmware UI doesn't recognize paired Bluetooth accessories. Once paired, we had no problems at all with responsiveness or devices coming unpaired (this was a problem for us with Intel's Compute Stick, if you'll recall).

Once everything is up and running, this is just ChromeOS, with all the limitations (with a few exceptions, you're confined mostly to browser-based apps and extensions) and virtues (ease of management and maintenance, low price) that implies. Aside from its relatively small size, it's the internal hardware that really defines what it's like to use the Chromebit.

Listing image by Andrew Cunningham