Google is going way beyond Chromecast with its latest HDMI dongle, the transformative and affordable Chromebit.
The Google Chromebit, made by Asus, turns any TV with an HDMI jack into a full-fledged Chrome OS PC - and it costs just $100 (about £70, AU$130).
The Chromebit comes in blue, silver and orange, and it swivels to fit in any HDMI port.
Google's Chromebit uses a Rockchip RK 3288 chip and quad-core Mali 760 graphics, 2GB of memory, 16GB of solid state storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a USB 2.0 port on the end.
Borrowed bits
As Gizmodo points out, this is not a wholly original idea. Chinese companies already sell Android-based TV dongles - which also use the Rockchip processor - and Intel in January announced a Windows 8,1-based HDMI gadget clumsily dubbed the Compute Stick.
The site said this entry-level Chromebit won't be the only version, either, and that Asus isn't the only company with one in the works.
The first Google Chromebit should launch some time this summer.
- Roku Streaming Stick is a decent Chromecast alternative
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