USB Stick Contains Dual-Core Computer, Turns Any Screen Into an Android Station

Source:
blog.laptopmag.com...

Is that a USB key in your pocket or a dual-core computer? Today, Norwegian company FXI technologies showed off a USB stick-sized portable computer prototype, complete with a dual-core 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU (same as in the Galaxy S II), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI-out and a microSD card slot for memory. Codenamed Cotton Candy because its 21 gram weight is the same as a bag of the confection, the tiny PC enables what its inventor calls “Any Screen Computing,” the ability to turn any TV, laptop, phone, tablet, or set-top box into a dumb terminal for its Android operating system.

This is amazing, a dual core processor and operating system , all the size of your USB memory stick! It does not talk about the memory (RAM) but I assume you have to use the micro SD slot for it.Lets just hope the recession will not stop the development of the new technologies..

Holy smokes that's cool! Now it just needs a dvd drive.

It got 1 GB of RAM.
Yeah, it's a nice thing, but I don't really see many people buying it. Maybe when Windows for ARM is released!

EDIT: Okay, actually turning any monitor into a "smart monitor" is kinda cool, it would be a nice upgrade for many TV's out there!

reply to post by Hydroman


And it could use a built in photo printer, if there is any room left after the dvd drive is added. I want one. I see lots of deviant uses for this. I would like to see this with linux, that would be sweet!



ok just watched the vid. Linux is a choise os.. Anyone know a msrp? Or when this is coming out?

FXI hasn’t set pricing yet for the Cotton Candy, but expects it to cost considerably less than $200 per unit. That’s not bad for a full-fledged computing device the size of a cigarette lighter. 

reply to post by TrappedSoul


Android is fine, if you need it for Youtube, Skype and basic Internet Access . Using Linux here, it works great and it is doing what I expect it to do .

Really, the largest part of most computers these days is the interface mechanisms.

Computers powerful enough to do most of the things people want them to do (aside from gaming and multi-tasking in the extreme) can all be contained within a very small area - far smaller than a keyboard and screen users would find comfortable.

As for a couple of the comments about Microsoft - they are already a step ahead of the game. One of the major areas of computers in the years to come is going to be in cellular phones. The Android operating system is also sitting very pretty for the transition. In another five years (if not before then), most people will be using their phones for the social and financial functions of the internet, as opposed to their computer.

Just take this device and expand it into the volume of a smart phone with similar interface capabilities (and processing power increases as allowable). There's the death of the netbook (which will ultimately be regarded as a transitional product class).

Heres one called rasberry pi, similar to the fxi devic, but with lower end specs, will cost $25 and should be available at the end of december.

Rasberry Pi

WOW not only is it 1.2ghz its dual core. You said something about the memory, it probably acts as virtual memory like how your computer uses part of the hard drive as ram when the ram over flows. I knew this was coming but I did not know it would be this soon. 1.2ghz DUAL CORE WITH OUT A HUGE HEAT SINK!!!! If we are moving this fast then in 5 years silicone will be a thing in the past and Bio tech will be the futer of computers.

reply to post by 8ILlBILl8


It's a 32bit ARM processor..... not anything approaching the power and design of your desktop, or even laptop processor architectures.

Think about it like a very powerful phone or portable media player. They can make it consume quite a bit of power without having to worry about the battery and life of it, since it is going to be plugged into another source (such as a TV or monitor).

It will be powerful enough to do some internet browsing and some video streaming/playback - but you're not going to be playing much in the way of games on it. It will be horribly underpowered in this respect, even by comparison to first-generation netbooks.

However, devices like this should not be underestimated - you're looking at giving the average person far more access to information. The internet has transformed how we learn, how we shop, and how we communicate. Even ten to fifteen years ago, most of what we are doing now was not possible - phone conferences were expensive services for business managers and executives, the internet was quite limited - consisting largely of a few domains and libraries of university publications. Distributed business models, e-learning, VOIP conferences, screen-sharing, etc was all either in its infancy or still in someone's list of "wouldn't this be awesome!?"