The Asus Chromebit ($85 as tested) takes the functionality of a chromebox, like our Editors' Choice Asus Chromebox M004U, and shrinks it down to the size of a USB flash drive. It plugs right into a free HDMI port on your HDTV or monitor, and gives you access to everything on the Web, including streaming video services, cloud-based apps, and many of the Web services that don't always have corresponding apps on mobile devices like phones and tablets. The Chromebit is easy to set up and use, and is one of the simplest ways to get to cloud and streaming services on virtually any large-screen display.

Design and Features

Chrome OS–based systems like chromebook laptops and chromebox desktops give users easy access to Internet services. A lot of what we do with our computers every day, like reading news stories, watching videos, and working online, takes place in a browser. The Chromebit takes that concept and puts it an even smaller package. The device looks like a slightly larger, rounder USB flash drive, with an HDMI plug on the end (instead of a USB Type-A connector. It measures 0.67 by 1.2 by 4.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 2.65 ounces, so it will disappear behind almost any HDTV. It's a cinch to take on the road, and plug into the HDTV in your office conference room, a friend's house, or even a hotel room. Like the similarly sized Intel Compute Stick, it can be packed in your daily commute bag, so you can take it everywhere you go.

The unit we tested is Cacao Black, which matches the color of many HDTVs, but you can also buy one in Tangerine Orange. There's only one configuration, so each Chromebit is identical under the skin.

Setup

The Chromebit plugs right into an HDMI port on an HDTV or other large display. You may need to use the included HDMI extension cable if space is tight, but I was able to plug directly into my 50-inch LG HDTV. The Chromebit uses a proprietary AC adapter instead of the micro-USB cable that the Intel Compute Stick uses. That means that you won't have the opportunity to use the spare USB port on your HDTV to power the Chromebit, but it's not much of a disadvantage in the grand scheme of things. Sure, you'll need a free AC power plug, but the AC adapter's cord is fairly long.

Once plugged in, the system boots to a screen where it asks you to pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. This is the preferred method to interact with the Chromebit. You can also plug a USB dongle for a wireless keyboard/mouse combo or a USB hub into the single USB 2.0 port on the Chromebit to connect a wired keyboard and mouse. Since the keyboard and mouse aren't included, make sure to budget for them. I was able to quickly pair a Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard and a Logitech V470 Bluetooth travel mouse during testing so we could interact with the system. This is a marked improvement over the experience that we had when we reviewed the Intel Compute Stick, which required us to hook up a USB mouse before we could get to a Bluetooth pairing screen. If you take the Chromebit with you while you travel, we'd definitely recommend carrying a small Bluetooth keyboard and mouse along with it.

Next, you'll be prompted to connect to a Wi-Fi network and log into your Google.com account. Like all Chrome systems, the Chromebit will automatically sync your Chrome browser bookmarks, browsing preferences, Chrome Web apps, and any extensions you've downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. Within 30 seconds of setup, I was using the same Chrome browser setup that I have on my Mac, Windows, and other Chrome OS desktops and laptops.

Once connected to the Internet, I was able to watch streaming video services like Amazon Prime, Disney Movies Anywhere, Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. That's an improvement over set-top devices like Apple TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick, or the Google Chromecast ($29.98 at Walmart) , because the Chromebit has access to more services. As long as the online service you are using can stream to a browser, you can view videos and listen to music on the device. About the only drawback to the Chromebit is that it's not currently fully HDCP compliant, so some services like Amazon Instant Video are limited to Standard-Definition (SD) video instead of 1080p HD. Google says that a future update to Chrome OS will address this shortcoming. YouTube videos displayed at the correct 1080p HD resolution.

Using the Chrombit at the 1,920-by-1,080 resolution of a 1080p HDTV makes sense for viewing videos, but it makes text small and harder to view from 12 to 15 feet away. I changed the screen resolution to 1,280 by 720 or 720p, which makes Web apps and websites easier to read from across the room.

I was able to log on to my Live.com account and access Word Online to create and edit documents in native .doc and .docx formats. Google Docs and Google Drive are Chrome's default cloud-based services, but I could access Apple iCloud, Box, and Microsoft OneDrive just as easily as I could log on to Facebook and Twitter. This is a good thing, since you won't be able to install legacy Windows apps on the Chromebit.

The Chromebit is limited to a single HDMI-out plug, one USB 2.0 port, and wireless connectivity via 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0. That's not too bad if you're going to be simply connecting it to an HDTV in your living room, but power users will want more connectivity like a USB 3.0 port, an SD card slot, or multiple-monitor support from a DisplayPort. In that case, you'll probably want a larger (and more expensive) Chromebox like the Acer Chromebox CXI-i38GKM, the Asus Chromebox M004U, the Dell Chromebox, or the Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny Desktop.

The system is equipped with a ARM-based Rockchip RK3288-C processor with integrated Rockchip Mali T764 quad-core graphics, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of embedded MMC (eMMC) Flash Storage. These specs are pretty standard for Chrome devices, particularly at budget price levels. The Rockchip processor is found in other inexpensive systems like the Asus Chromebook Flip (C100PA-DB02) and the CTL Chromebook J2, while the Intel Compute Stick has an Intel Atom processor. The Chromebit comes with a standard one-year warranty.

Performance

While the Chromebit can't run our traditional Windows-based benchmark tests, it's simple to get a sense of how the system will react in day-to-day situations. In anecdotal testing, it booted up in only a few seconds, and was ready to go before I got settled in the couch. My four homepage tabs loaded quickly, just as fast as they did on a Mac and a Windows PC on the same broadband connection.

Keeping six or seven websites active in tabs didn't seem to slow performance too much, even when a couple of the sites were streaming 1080p HD videos. The 4K videos I tried to stream from YouTube during testing were a little too much for the Chromebit's processor and 2GB of memory; they started to stutter after a few seconds of playback. Other videos at 1440p, 1080p, and 720p HD resolution played smoothly.

There's no cooling fan needed for the CPU, so the Chromebit is silent in operation. Waking the system from sleep is easy; just move the mouse or tap the keyboard, it monitors Bluetooth for activity, and wakes instantly. That's a lot easier than having to reach behind the HDTV to turn on a PC like you have to do with the Intel Compute Stick. The Chrombit is technically always on as long as it's plugged in; there's no Power button.

Conclusion

The Asus Chromebit can be a versatile and convenient media-streaming device if you consume your music and video content from within a browser. And unlike other media streaming devices, the Chromebit also works as a PC, allowing you to access your files on numerous cloud-based services. At $85, it's priced to be an impulse buy, and it's certainly less expensive than the $150 Intel Compute Stick, though the latter does have a microSD slot and runs a full Windows OS. The Asus Chromebox M004U remains our Editors' Choice for chromeboxes, since it offers more functionality and connectivity, but admittedly, it's twice the price of the Chromebit. If you simply want to turn a spare monitor or HDTV into an instant-on all-in-one PC, then the Asus Chromebit is an easy and very inexpensive option.

Asus Chromebit 4.0 See It $68.78 at Amazon Canada MSRP $85.00 Pros Costs less than $90.

Simple to set up and use.

Same size as a large USB stick.

Plugs directly into an HDMI port in a monitor or HDTV.

Operates quietly. View More Cons Only 16GB of local storage and 2GB of RAM.

Requires bundled HDMI extension cable in tight quarters.

Lacks SD slot.

Keyboard and mouse not included. View More The Bottom Line The Asus Chromebit is a Chrome OS-based device that's no bigger than a USB flash drive. At less than $90, it turns an HDMI-equipped HDTV or monitor into a large-screen, all-in-one desktop PC.

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Further Reading