Intel Tops HP With Windows 8.1 'Stick PC'

The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is in full swing, with Hewlett Packard (HP) unveiling its $180 Windows 8.1 PC that's less than six inches square. Now, it appears that Intel is upping the ante with its Windows 8.1 computer that's just slightly larger than a USB thumb drive.

Dubbed 'The Compute Stick,' the computer-on-HDMI is just four inches long. While the exact size is not yet confirmed, pictures suggest it's about an inch wide and around half an inch thick. Despite its tiny form factor, the device is as powerful as some entry level PCs seen in the market today.

The Compute Stick: How it Works, and Specifications

The Compute Stick plugs into an HDMI port on a television set, which then acts as both a power source and screen connection for the computer. There's also a USB slot for plugging in a keyboard or mouse, plus a micro SD slot for adding extra storage.

Inside the Compute Stick is an Intel Atom Z3735f quad-core processor at 1.83 GHz, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, plus a WiFi transmitter and support for Bluetooth, which gives another option for connecting a mouse or keyboard wirelessly.

The Windows 8.1 version costs just $149. An alternate version runs a Linux-based operating system, allowing it to work with more basic hardware (1GB of RAM and 8GB storage), which is reflected in the much lower price of just $89.

Intel PC Stick Includes Cooling Fan

This isn't the first "PC on a stick" device of its kind; a similar gadget, with an identical name and almost identical specs, is available from a firm called CTL and is produced by a Chinese manufacturer.

The big difference is that Intel's Compute Stick includes a tiny built-in cooling fan. The fan allows the use of a more powerful processor, which means the computer can cope with more intensive tasks or running more applications at the same time. (Source: digitaltrends.com)

Intel believes three main audiences exist for the device. One is people on a very low budget who still want to get something that can serve as a "real" computer, including the option to run Windows. (Source: intel.com)

Business Travelers Among Potential Buyers

The second is people who want something to plug into their television set for a hassle-free way to watch online video without having to worry about incompatibilities (as is the case with many chrome-based sticks). Similar to HP's mini-PC, the Compute Stick can play virtually any video source accessible through a web browser.

The third audience is people who travel a lot for work and want the option to compute on the move without needing to carry around a laptop or even a tablet PC. Of course, such users would be reliant on hotel room TV's having an HDMI port, and would still need to carry round a keyboard and mouse of some kind.

What's Your Opinion?

Do you think increasingly tiny Windows devices serve a genuine purpose, or are manufacturers simply trying to play catch-up with lower-spec, Chrome devices of a similar nature? Can you think of another situation where Intel's Compute Stick would be an efficient and good value solution? Are the compromises on memory and storage space an acceptable tradeoff for a low cost and small form factor?