Little stick packs a punch
It's pretty amazing to think that a full-fledged computing experience can now be crammed into a package about the size of a USB thumb drive. There are several examples out there, including Lenovo's new IdeaCentre Stick 300, a tiny PC powered by Intel's Bay Trail-T platform.
The Stick 300 features an Intel Atom Z3735F, a 22nm quad-core part clocked at 1.33GHz to 1.83GHz and 2MB of cache. It also has 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage space, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
Lenovo's little device measures just 15mm thin. Oddly enough, it will ship with Windows 8.1 even though it won't be available until October, well after Windows 10's July 29 release date. Nevertheless, you'll be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for no cost.
Like other compute sticks of this nature, you plug it into an HDMI port on your TV or monitor. Once you add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you're left with inexpensive PC capable of basic computing chores and specialized tasks, such as a smart multi-media hub.
"Designed for consumer usage in the home and on-the-go, the new pocket-sized compute stick is powerful enough for entertainment and web browsing, while affordable enough for existing PC owners to justify owning a second or third mobile PC option," Lenovo says. "The ideacentre Stick 300 expands the mobile computing experience and options for savvy shoppers and is suitable for use in the home, dorm or office, while simultaneously offering portability and convenience for travelers."
Lenovo says pricing will start at $129 for the stick, possibly indicating that higher end units will be available, perhaps with more RAM or storage.
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