back to article Intel's Compute Sticks stick it to Windows To Go, Chromecast

"Little Stick. Big Surprise." That's what Intel says about its Compute Sticks, the new 'smaller than an iPhone' mini-PCs designed for portability and ease of use The Intel Compute Stick (ICS) is perhaps best thought of as the mutant offspring of a Raspberry Pi on steroids and Google Chromecast. The offspring emerges as a tiny …

  1. x 7

    obvious use for this device is in display systems, such as doctors surgeries. Wouldn't be a problem not being able to put it on a domain as generally they are deliberately kept off the surgery domain.

    Attach it to a touch-screen and you'd have a cheap arrivals kiosk - or till

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      My GP surgery would love this

      Instead bit of paper, stuck to the wall, with helpful messages such as "So much as look at us wrong and well ******* do you", they can save paper and have this and other helpful messages on the screen instead.

    3. Nya

      Yeah very much so!

      But part of the issue is the OS. We've been testing the things for kiosks which seemed to fit them well, and a nice small form factor is a great bonus. The Bing bong version of Windows needs upgrading to Pro, but no big deal with that to enable Kiosk mode. The issue though comes if you upgrade to 10. Seems that MS has only fudged in Kiosk mode in 10, and it's an utter dogs dinner. It only supports "apps", no white list like it did in 8, and it's even picky over what app you can run. So it'll run calculator and 3D Builder, but Edge and Weather are locked out! As is any other browser since they aren't "apps". The hardware itself is pretty nice and will be ideal once MS get Win10 finished, although fudging on with 8 also works for now at least.

    4. Jim 59

      Without a wired network, it isn't going any place but behind domestic TVs. And even then you will want a network USB adapter for decent streaming performance. A general purpose server it ain't. And with Windows 8.1 on board, it won't be any kind of server.

      How does the CPU in this compare to that in the quad core Raspberry Pi 2, which also costs about a third of the price and has full server credentials? Or indeed many of the small fanless PCs now appearing on Amazon (which cost a bit more) ? Or with the banana Pi, which also offers gigabit ? The inclusion of a fan will rule it out for some of the home server crowd, like me.

      Not particularly bad, just can't see a reason to buy this thing TBH.

    5. OffBeatMammal

      for a surgery or something like that I'd probably go for a FireTV stick ... much cheaper option if you're just wanting to do a slideshow / updates on the waiting list etc (in fact I know at least one company offering retail solutions based on the FireTV stick)

    6. BillG
      Megaphone

      It's a nice form factor, very portable and you can carry it to customers to do improptu presentations. However, out of the box it requires a WiFi connection to do anything. Also, it is underpowered - kinda like a netbook on a stick. And in the first generation we saw the WiFi and the Bluetooth interfere with each other which resulted in lags in one or the other.

      As usual, you can count on Intel to fix these in the next version of the Stick.

      1. David 132 Silver badge
        Go

        And in the first generation we saw the WiFi and the Bluetooth interfere with each other which resulted in lags in one or the other.

        Fixed by a BIOS update, in case anyone is reading this article and thinking "I tried the ICS and the wifi performance was dire".

      2. Charles Manning

        "As usual, you can count on Intel to fix these in the next version of the Stick."

        Intel never, never follow through. That's why the embedded systems industry hate them with a passion.

  2. Ru'

    I think HDMI 5V supply is only required to give a minimum of 50mA so I guess it would take some doing to run the ICS from this...

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Frumious Bandersnatch

      power over HDMI

      I'm replying to both Ru' as above and also this part of the article:

      As a note, the device can't be powered over HDMI. There is hope that Intel will implement this in future versions of the stick.

      The 50mA figure is how much current the TV/monitor can take from the source (be it a graphics card or PVR or whatever). The TV does not power the source of the video signal!

      I'm almost left speechless at how sloppy the article's author is here. It's fine that they don't know how HDMI works, but I'd expect any journalist worth his salt to do at least some basic fact-checking before submitting. And as for the "there is hope that ..." bit, who is it that hopes? Intel? The author? Random newsgroup posts? This unattributed passive voice bullshit is sloppy and lazy.

      1. Richard 12 Silver badge

        Re: power over HDMI

        Presumably there's also hope that it'll run Crysis, create world peace and make a nice cup of tea.

        1. Bernardo Sviso

          Re: power over HDMI

          > Presumably there's also hope that it'll run Crysis, create world peace and make a nice cup of tea.

          Don't be ridiculous... making a nice cup of tea, is a proper art, it is.

  3. Robert Knight

    We supply an alternative Stick PC which runs Windows 8.1 Professional/Enterprise and unlike the Compute Stick, has 2 x USB ports and an audio socket - the latter makes it ideal for voice and video (USB webcam) using Skype for Business/Lync, WebEx etc.

    This device can be AD joined/managed and is targeted at businesses wanting to provide a low cost home/flexible working solution which is secure for data at rest (BitLocker PIN + TPM - the device has a TPM using Intel Platform Technology) and can leverage existing investments in VPN etc. used for Windows 8.1 laptop & tablet remote working deployments.

    Able to run standard Office task such as email, Word, PowerPoint etc, as well as Intranet/Internet apps/content, these are effectively Hybrid BYO where a user's own monitor, keyboard and mouse are used together with their wired (via USB dongle) or wireless broadband.

    http://www.losingthewires.com/connectsolve_rwkr_miniv2.php

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. John Robson Silver badge

        @1980s_coder - well respected

        Interesting self description - given a couple of posts I've seen recently which mention your name in slightly less glowing terms.

        Also - do we respect (beyond basic human respect) other commentards anyway?

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

          1. John Robson Silver badge

            Not quite sure I'd consider upvotes as an indication of being liked...

            We've had at least a couple of good discussions in the past, but I'm not sure I'd say I considered any other commentard as "well respected".

            Mine was more a comment on the generally dismissive style on these forums than any reflection on the level of respect between commentards on these - in hindsight it could prbably have used an emoticon.

            1. This post has been deleted by its author

            2. JeffyPoooh
              Pint

              "...more a comment on the generally dismissive style on these forums "

              Pfft.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            "Over 5000 upvotes in the last six months kind of implies that people here like me."

            People agree with / like your posts - they don't necessarily like you.

            I'm not following your posting history, but I think there are plenty of fellow commentards who have gained 5000 upvotes simply for submitting "MS/Linux sucks" comments. Bob Vistakin comes to mind right now...

            And, you can drop the decade old Crysis jokes. Other than that - carry on.

            1. This post has been deleted by its author

            2. jason 7

              Indeed I reckon anyone here could run up 10000 upvotes in 6 months if they just picked the as you say "MS/Linux/OSX sucks" threads to post the appropriate tired old clichés.

              We really need a posting filter to edit out any of the well worn clichés and replace them with -

              "I'm either not that bright or just posting for easy/lazy upvotes!"

            3. Anomalous Cowshed

              5000 upvotes

              If you had 5000 upvotes would you not have a silver medal? I understand it only takes 2000 upvotes to get one...

          3. Teiwaz
            Devil

            The masses are capricious...

            "You're entitled to your opinion, but I think there are a lot of people here who would jump to my defence. Over 5000 upvotes in the last six months kind of implies that people here like me."

            Bread and circuses etc.

            So long as your comments are entertaining and stay within popular opinion.

            The moment you post something slightly unpopular, however.

            1. you get a disagreeing post and a down vote,

            2. It snowballs

            3. before you know it, your 'stock' is worthless

            1. This post has been deleted by its author

              1. jason 7

                Re: The masses are capricious...

                Would be a nice feature if you could just block out any AC posts.

                Is that a feature already?

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: The masses are capricious...

                  I will post AC if the content is important to the subject but valuable as phishing bait.

                  Plus they have threatened to throw me out of the cross dressing, furries rubber ropes and and manacles flower arranging club if my identity gets out.

                  1. David 132 Silver badge
                    Gimp

                    Re: The masses are capricious...

                    Plus they have threatened to throw me out of the cross dressing, furries rubber ropes and and manacles flower arranging club

                    "Oh my, Vicar. Such a delightful arrangement of dahlias. And what an unusual place to put them.

                    Is it not a little uncomfortable?"

              2. Teiwaz
                Holmes

                Re: The masses are capricious...

                "But what I find entertaining is that people think that I care."

                I really don't think people care that you don't care.

                'The masses are capricious' post was merely a general observation based on personal experience here and on other forums. It was not a criticism, threat or bathtub filled with concrete.

                The last person I know who 'egocentrically' talked about how many people he thought liked him, hung himself from a tree three months later, so, 'Mind your head' as the health advert goes.

                I have observed that '1980s_coder' generally posts sensible, constructive comments, but everybody has off-days.

          4. IsJustabloke
            Trollface

            Over 5000 upvotes in the last six months

            I suspect there may be a few more down votes to balance that after this little exchange....

          5. This post has been deleted by its author

            1. David 132 Silver badge
              Coat

              Yeah but how many of those 5000 were you running a Perl script?

              My dog just stepped heavily on the keyboard. It's entirely possible he just wrote that Perl script.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                "My dog just stepped heavily on the keyboard. It's entirely possible he just wrote that Perl script."

                Hi dog I'd like to connect to you on linkedin, we have clients all over United Kingdon looking for tallented people like you.

                1. x 7

                  ""My dog just stepped heavily on the keyboard. It's entirely possible he just wrote that Perl script."

                  Hi dog I'd like to connect to you on linkedin, we have clients all over United Kingdon looking for tallented people like you."

                  back at that Muslim ownded computer company between Blackburn and Burnley, one of our chaps once offered a job over the phone to a customers cat......

                  This was back in the days of Windows 98 and the customers PC had been completely FDISKed and formatted. Customer denied all knowledge and said it must have been his cat walking across the keyboard.

                  To which our support techy said (in broad Glaswegian) "In that case tell the cat it can have a job here: it knows more than half our support staff do". I was listening in at the time, doing a quality audit of the call and totally pissed myself laughing. The customers reaction was priceless and unprintable. He didn't get his RMA - we made him rebuild the PC from scratch over the phone

                  1. David 132 Silver badge
                    Happy

                    My dog thanks you both for your kind job offers, but has asked me to point out that my original comment was merely an attempt at a droll observation on the similarity between any given Perl script and random keyboard-mashing gibberish.

                    Besides, I don't think he's cut out for a programming job - being a labrador, he's smelly, hairy, tends to drool and slobber a lot, is wildly enthusiastic about any random crap he finds, has no social skills, and wants to hump everything in sight.

                    Oh, wait. Never mind.

          6. Jim 59

            I would have thought that blatent advertising of somebody's own product, which is against the forum rules, was much more socially unacceptable than anything I've posted.

            The post was informational and relevant to the story, not the contrived plugging you imply. I read about the guy's alternative product with interest.

    2. Robert Knight

      I should also add that it's running Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise as well as Windows 8.1 Pro/Enterprise.

    3. Cody

      pricing?

      What's the pricing?

      1. Charles 9

        Re: pricing?

        It's in the article: $110 for the cheaper 1GB model with Ubuntu, $149 for the more expensive 2GB model with 8.1 Bing. Since it supports USB booting, you're free to change the installed OS within reason. Still, for a media playback device, it sounds tempting...but did anyone try this stick out with the new H.265 standard?

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

          1. Sandtitz Silver badge

            Re: pricing?

            Since it supports USB booting, you're free to change the installed OS within reason.

            But it voids the warranty.

            Warranty void if generic OS is replaced with another one?

            Perhaps in the "Land of the Free", but elsewhere your warranty will still be valid.

            The world is more than just Windows and Ubuntu.

            UEFI and GPT are 10 year old tech and according to Wiki FreeBSD should support them both.

            Is OpenBSD < FreeBSD?

            1. This post has been deleted by its author

              1. Kubla Cant

                Re: pricing?

                Technically true, but actually trying to get the warranty honoured without going to court over it would probably be a big time sink.

                That seems unlikely unless you purchase from a dodgy source. Most online traders realise that reputational damage is worth more than the cost of replacement goods - especially as they probably have an agreement to return faulty items to the manufacturer.

                Also, any warranty, would only cover hardware faults (try getting your computer replaced because of Windows bugs!), so it should be immaterial what O/S you install.

          2. Teiwaz
            Meh

            Re: pricing?

            "The world is more than just Windows and Ubuntu."

            Even if both just make you go 'meh', it's 50% batter than a few years ago when it seemed to be Windows or nothing windows.

          3. David 132 Silver badge

            Re: pricing?

            But it voids the warranty. And also, does it support MBR booting over USB or just UEFI/GPT?

            I checked on an ICS I have here. UEFI only. Secure boot can be disabled, but no (apparent) provision for installing new keys - only re-installing the Intel platform key.

            1. This post has been deleted by its author

    4. whereistheanykey

      Thin client cost is absurd

      I did recently look at the compute stick among others for a thin client but we have a couple of requirements that eliminated quite a few solutions.

      - Windows 8.1 Pro/10Pro (which the stick didn't have and license upgrade costs are then not worth it)

      - Dual screen support

      - extra peripherals such as Pin Entry devices and receipt printers

      NUC's/brix were discussed, but the final cost + windows license made them 2 expensive. Not 2 mention the pain as to when hardware failures occur. (after u purchased ram/disk)

      In the end we contacted a major hardware vendor directly, got special bid pricing and bought the lowest end PC+upgrade the CPU slightly, with Pro license. Still saved about $400 per "thin client" vs known thin client companies. And the size of the PC is the same/very similar to existing SOC thin client we have. For management their domain connected and our existing managment software utilised for PC's is used (which we already had licenses for). Cost savings went to installing GRID cards in our new servers.

      Compute sticks are a good alternative to chromecast, kogan android stick, roku3, rasberry pi, etc. But personally i would buy a Lenovo Ideacentre Stick 300 which is slightly cheaper with the same cpu/ram/disk/windows 10.

    5. OffBeatMammal

      @Robert Knight - your site lists no prices. How does it compare to the Intel device? I like the higher horsepower yours offer, but if it jumps the price from a ICS class to NUC then it's as interesting

  4. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. AdamFowler_IT

      I'll check the chipsets tomorrow, but the 2gb also has 32gb storage, while the 1gb has 8gb storage. Otherwise identical.

  5. GitMeMyShootinIrons

    Thin Client...

    Might make a nice Thin Client for an RDS/Citrix/Horizon View solution, let alone as a media consumption device with more grunt than Chromecast etc.

  6. ElReg!comments!Pierre
    Meh

    Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

    Seems like a waste of money to me. A Raspberry Pi will do while setting you back only $25.

    As a desktop replacement, why not, although the need for peripherals probably means that you'll be better off building cheap bottom-of-the line PCs for roughly the same price (with a "home directory on USB stick" solution if need be). These can be maintained and upgraded, too, unlike the sticks which will be dead once any one of the components -including connectors- craps itself.

    1. Charles 9

      Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

      The Pi tends to be underpowered in media playback last I checked, especially at 1080p and/or H.265, and firsthand experience tells me it tends to hang when trying it for extended periods. The article notes the ICS handles 1080p smoothly (albeit probably using H.264).

      1. ElReg!comments!Pierre

        Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

        The Pi tends to be underpowered in media playback last I checked, especially at 1080p

        Really? Perhaps it's your setup, I don't seem to have any problem with the one hooked up to my beamer, and it's only a 2nd-gen (the 2-USB, 512M RAM one). Hard to imagine performances degraded with newer models.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Charles 9

        Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

        Because the Pi is ARM-based, which pretty much requires a blob since ARM implementations differ from setup to setup and there's no standardization concerning these setups: most of which are in fact protected as trade secrets. Furthermore, some of the stuff in the Pi's CPU is actually protected by patents which requires licensing.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

          1. Jim 59

            Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

            I just don't "get" the reasoning being this Pi love-in. It's not an open system by any stretch of the imagination, and there are much better comparable systems out there. Heck,...

            The Pi is an open system by the accepted definition of that term over the last 35 years. Viz, open systems based on Unix vs. the bespoke systems they partly/largely replaced. This doesn't mean that every single byte of software has to be GPL.

            What makes the Pi/Pi2 better than almost all competing products is the enormous support base and user base that now exists around the world. Products like the Mintbox are technically great, but the support base is non existent by comparison. When OS upgrade time comes, this matters.

            1. BinkyTheMagicPaperclip Silver badge

              Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

              No, it really isn't. As far as I can see the GPU is still almost entirely closed, and it's not as if another one can be swapped in.

              If it was similar to wireless chipsets or some graphics cards, where the firmware is uploaded to the card and then it can be controlled that might be 'open enough', but from the looks of things it's an opaque library that's almost impossible to port to another OS. That is not open.

          2. Frumious Bandersnatch

            Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

            re: OpenBSD runs without binary blobs and [Pi] is not an open system by any stretch of the imagination

            I suspect that you're getting most of your downvotes because you're dissing the Pi (among other things), but I'd be interested to know which ARM platforms that OpenBSD runs on "without binary blobs". As I understand it, all ARM boards need a "Board Support Package", which basically seems to be the equivalent of the BIOS on a PC. Also, AIUI, these tend not to be open-sourced as manufacturers are in competition with each other and treat the inner workings as trade secrets.

            The biggest problem with ARM and binary blobs, though, seems to be with the graphics infrastructure. ARM's own MALI drivers aren't open source so people have to try to reverse-engineer what they're doing and try to emulate them. Obviously the quality of the free drivers will vary depending on the specific platform.

            So basically, just to reiterate, I'd be very interested in hearing which platforms OpenBSD works best on and, more importantly, whether it uses MALI (essentially this "binary blob" you're complaining against) or, in the case of a free driver, whether it's up to the level of the proprietary driver?

            1. Richard 12 Silver badge

              ARM without binary blob means no GPU

              You can usually get a basic framebuffer running without using any binary blobs. Most ARM Linux BSPs do this for boot splash.

              However, you cannot get any hardware graphics acceleration unless you use the binary blob that from ARM, Broadcom, Vivante etc.

              They don't publish how their GPUs work because that is a mixture of patented works and trade secrets, which they can't/won't divulge.

              1. Frumious Bandersnatch

                Re: ARM without binary blob means no GPU

                you cannot get any hardware graphics acceleration unless you use the binary blob

                That's exactly what I suspected, Richard12. Someone talking out of his arse, I think.

    3. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

      The big winner here is that it is packaged up nicely. For most people (IMHO) this is a very important point.

      Whilst the PI will do the job I really don't want any more cables cluttering up the back of my TV.

      The USB Stick packaheing makes it easy to take with you when you are travelling. Take a PI and the TSA Goons will think it is a Bomb and before you know it, you are the US No-Fly list.

      What price then?

      1. IsJustabloke
        Coat

        Re:you are the US No-Fly list.

        Sounds like a result tome....

        1. David 132 Silver badge
          Happy

          Re: Re:you are the US No-Fly list.

          Sounds like a result tome....

          Typo? Or inadvertent witticism?

          "Is he on the no-fly list? Did he fail the security screening? Come to me, my TSA minions! Bring me the *dun-dun-dun* Result Tome! Or the Bad People Grimoire! Or the Once-Unfavorably-Compared-Us-To-The-Stasi Palimpsest!"

      2. Salts

        Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

        @Steve Davies 3

        Nope they will open your bag, search it and put a little note in saying it was locked and they broke the lock, which by law they say they are entitled to do(not going to argue) that suitcase contained 4 RPi, 3 Arduino, 2 small logic analysers(USB Type), ultrasonic range finders, temp sensors, 1 NAS Box, 1 chromebook, 1 thinkpad ..... You get the idea :-)

    4. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: Yours will be for movies over ethernet?

      I have a question...

      How cheap do such gadgets have to get before the fanboys will realize that they can stop arguing about (for example) the pros and cons of Raspberry Pi versus Intel C.S.; and just bloody well buy one of each (if you want)?

      To make the point clear, if they were £1.49 each, would you still argue? Answer: 'Yes' you would.

      Why do fanboys assume that we need to choose only one?

      Limited funding?

      Limited HDMI ports?

      Daft residual habit left over from the days of expensive gadgets? [<- THIS.]

  7. Sykobee

    In the main, a cheap Chromecast or even a Raspberry Pi 2 (in case) is a better option for the streaming video box. The Chromecast in particular is "plug it in and forget about it" and has good integration with computers, tablets and phones for casting content (and it's great to not have another remote to lose).

    Obviously if you want a computery computer then the Chromecast is out. One use case could be a person stuck in hotels a lot - plug it into the TV and have a working PC without having to lug a laptop around with you. OTOH hotel TVs are pretty crap, and you still need to carry a keyboard and mouse/trackpad...

    Chromecasts are often free with streaming video purchases, so the barrier to entry isn't really there, HDMI+power source notwithstanding.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      But Chromecast for the most part needs another device to control it. It can't be a computer in and of itself, so it can't run things like Kodi. With the ICS, you can install Kodi or the like on it and then control it with whatever's handy: a wireless KB/M in one or perhaps an inexpensive Media Center receiver and remote.

      1. tsdadam

        The Amazon Fire TV Stick fits nicely between Chromecast and ICS. Can install Kodi, Plex and others on it for your own media, doesn't need a phone/tablet to control it (although you can), and comes with a bluetooth remote and on-screen navigation. Cheap too!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          The Fire stick, internally, is very VERY similar to the Raspberry Pi - almost exactly the same chip with regard to processing power and GPU (Videocore4) - just has Wifi etc.

    2. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge

      Chromecasts are great for streaming and casting but they are not standalone systems. For digital signage use I am looking at Android TV/PC because of their low cost; about the same as Chromecast, more compact and cheaper than an equivalent Pi or an Intel stick.

  8. Charles 9

    For the record, Intel has a spec sheet on the STCK1A32WFC, the higher-end of the ICS's. According to the spec, the CPU is an Atom Z3735F which is one of those with a built-in graphics unit. According to ARK, it's your basic Intel HD Graphics units with a clock range going from 311-646 MHz. According to Kodi, it's enough for H.264 up to 1080p but not H.265.

  9. MacroRodent
    Unhappy

    Windows Tax again

    The RAM's soldered on so forget upgrades and ponder buying the Windows version and installing Ubuntu rather than making do with a wimpily-specced machine.

    Seems the Windows tax is taking on new forms...

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. BinkyTheMagicPaperclip Silver badge

        Re: Windows Tax again

        Yes. Even if OpenBSD was in use, more is better. Whilst OpenBSD is reasonably parsimonious with memory, run GNOME and a heavy browser session and it'll breach 1GB.

      2. MacroRodent
        Linux

        Re: Windows Tax again

        Is 1GB of RAM really such a limitation? Does your application really need the 2GB version?

        Beside the point. If I want to have 2Gb machine instead of 1Gb for running Linux, I shouldn't be forced to buy Windows alongside it. And given the choice, one really should use the bigger machine for Linux, if one wishes to use modern desktop software on it.

        1. x 7

          Re: Windows Tax again

          but its Windows with Bing on a low-spec machine - so Microsoft provide the licence for free

          1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Windows Tax again

      and then there is the

      Windows has decided that this is not a genuine version of Windows

      Event.

      It has gotta phone home from time to time.

    3. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: Windows Tax again

      'soldered RAM' to 'Windows Tax' so-called 'logical' leap

      I have another question...

      How bloody cheap and small do gadgets have to get before we can move past the old fashioned PC-centric thinking that the RAM, mass storage, and CPU need to be upgradeable?

      If the ICS was £1.49 and built around a tiny SoC, would you still ask if the RAM could be upgraded?

      Answer: 'Yes' you probably would.

      Exasperating...

      1. jelabarre59

        Re: Windows Tax again

        > How bloody cheap and small do gadgets have to get before we can move past the old fashioned PC-centric thinking that the RAM, mass storage, and CPU need to be upgradeable?

        $5?? (sorry, should I be writing that in Pounds or Euros instead?)

        Sorry, Just joking about that. But the point is I should be able to get a device that already *has* the memory/storage I want *without* having to buy an OS I don't want. And remember that regardless of how much storage you have, it will (eventually) not be enough. So some form of storage expansion will always be needed (one of many reasons I would never buy a whyPad).

  10. Mevi

    power button

    I considered one of these for the downstairs wall-mounted TV to keep things tidy, but how do you press the power button when needed?

    Otherwise, the stick and it's trailing wires will be sticking out of a side HDMI port... yuk

    Still just as cheap to velcro a SILENT 7" windows tablet to the back of the TV, too.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Chris Evans

      Re: power button

      Lots of USB/microUSB powered devices nowadays don't have power switches which is why you can buy USB cables and PSU's with in-line power switches!

      Tri Googling: pi power extension cable with switch

    3. AdamFowler_IT

      Re: power button

      At a guess, they'd expect this device to be always on.

      1. JeffyPoooh
        Pint

        Re: power button

        "...device to be always on."

        In spite of always being on, when you sit down and try to use it, Windows and various applications will decide that it's the perfect time to start checking for, downloading and installing updates.

    4. David 132 Silver badge

      Re: power button

      I considered one of these for the downstairs wall-mounted TV to keep things tidy, but how do you press the power button when needed?

      I believe there's a BIOS switch to "power on when AC power is restored" (or words to that effect), so you can switch it on and off with the TV power.

  11. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. 0laf

      Was just thinking that the option of a right angled HDMI would have been good.

      1. AdamFowler_IT

        The included ~10cm HDMI extender covers different scenarios I guess, and a right angled HDMI would have made the device bigger/less compact.

  12. Fuzz

    buisness use on AD

    Whilst it's perfectly possible to make this device work with Windows Pro and join it to a domain you will run foul of licensing terms unless you buy retail (not VLK) licenses for windows pro. Windows Pro VLK licenses are always upgrade licenses so require you to already have a copy of Windows Pro on the device you are using. I also think that as a business device they are hampered by being wifi only.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. razorfishsl

        Re: buisness use on AD

        It is a massive fail.........

        A USB2.0 can be completely saturated by less than a 100BT, not to mention that most if not all USB to ethernet chipsets are actually USB 1.0..... yes yes know it says USB 2.0 on the pack but it is a lie.

        Pull the datasheet for the internal chipset you will see "USB 1.0" silicon core ' compatible with USB2.0.

        Which is either a USB 1.0 that can be recognized by the EXTERNAL 2.0 or a 1.0 with a bit of a tweak to get 2.0 working/recognized.

        So here you have a spanking new device, attached to a networking system that cannot pull your old granny out of bed...

        That is before we even consider that the Ethernet chipset on most cheap shit USB setups has NO internal ram buffer.

        ... sorry whats that ? , you recieved a byte...... thanks..

        ... sorry whats that ? , you recieved a byte...... thanks..

        ... sorry whats that ? , you recieved a byte...... thanks..

        ... sorry whats that ? , you recieved a byte...... thanks..

        Well i'm glad that is only 1500 unnecessary interrupts I had to deal with.......

        and thank goodness there are NEVER any packet errors or oversized blocks.....

        good job USB can handle single byte communication.... oh sorry it cannot.......

        let's not even get into the fact that if anything takes your SINGLE USB down you cannot get back into the device without a full reboot.

        Buying ANY Stick without USB AND Ethernet built in (AND on separate internal hub silicon)is a waste of time and money, except.... :-), them being used as disposable 'hacks'..

        No Mr robot... just fuck off with your raspberry pi to re-program climate control... FFS use a Stick or gumstik better still buy it of TaoBau and get the 'dark army' involved.....

        It's way smaller...... and the TV crew won't have to hollow out the wall to get the fucking thing to fit in the back box....

    2. Sandtitz Silver badge

      Re: buisness use on AD

      Whilst it's perfectly possible to make this device work with Windows Pro and join it to a domain you will run foul of licensing terms unless you buy retail (not VLK) licenses for windows pro

      Why is that? Sure you can use Pro licenses in a domain, that's the key differentiator between Pro and non-Pro (previously "Home").

      The non-pro version can be upgraded with the purchase of an upgrade code. It's a 10 minute process to enable the Pro code and after a reboot the OS is Pro.

      I also think that as a business device they are hampered by being wifi only.

      Not only that but the lack of RAM/SSD space and poor CPU limit this to thin client territory; the stick can't be secured with a Kensington; if the RAM/SSD/anything breaks the whole stick is landfill; monitors are usually equipped with DP, though the adapter is cheap; you can't plug in a second monitor easily - I'm not really fond of Displaylink monitors.

      I'd rather take the cheapest NUC or something similar if one had to do thick client work.

  13. This post has been deleted by its author

  14. Trollslayer
    Thumb Down

    HDMI power?

    This is just for hot plug detection not powering devices.

    1. AdamFowler_IT

      Re: HDMI power?

      I found many sources claiming the next version would be fully HDMI powered, such as http://liliputing.com/2015/06/intel-compute-stick-roadmap-core-m-and-64gb-model-in-2015-broxton-models-in-2016.html - but since I haven't got one to test, I don't know.

  15. Yugguy

    Expense

    It's what 120 to 150 quid?

    My chromecast was 30 quid and does EXACTLY what I want and need it to do. It streams video/audio/display.

    As to needing another device, who has a chromecast who doesn't also have a smartphone/tablet?

    And I can control what is cast very easily from the said smartphone.

    1. AdamFowler_IT

      Re: Expense

      You could also buy a mirrorcast or similar dongle if that's what you want to do, this is a standalone unit. Everyone's needs are different :)

  16. David Lawrence

    oh deary me

    When will people learn the difference bewteen "it's" and "its"?

    I got it when I was ten. The author of this article either doesn't understand, or can't be arsed.

    1. Ru'

      Re: oh deary me

      Their there they're, its allright...

      1. David 132 Silver badge
        Headmaster

        Re: oh deary me

        Don't loose your temper over it (he said with baited breathe).

        I could care less.

        Note for the sarcasm-impaired: there are 4 deliberate spelling/phrase errors above, agreeing with David Lawrence and Ru' and parodying the diabolical standard of written English on the intertubes. If, and only if you find more than 4, then feel free to laugh at me.

    2. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: oh deary me

      Commendations to you for being brave enough to stand against the dumbing down monsters.

  17. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    Performance

    The CPU is surprisingly decent, despite its Atom name - it didn't miss a beat playing 1080p videos locally. This changed when testing over Wi-Fi - 720p videos played fine running from a SMB share; but 1080p was completely unplayable.

    Video playback should have little or nothing to do with the CPU. And Wi-Fi is perfectly okay for 1080p: my RasPi is on Wi-Fi connection and manages 1080p very well.

    This device only makes sense for people who need a minimal Windows install.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Windows 8.1! Are we living in the dark ages!

    1. AdamFowler_IT

      I have heard the Win10 version is coming very soon, just reboxed/different OS loaded, same hardware.

  19. Chris Evans

    Power from HDMI!

    "the device can't be powered over HDMI. There is hope that Intel will implement this in future versions of the stick."

    It is never going to happen, the power line on an HDMI display is designed for EDID and the standard says devices should draw 50mA maximum! You couldn't even run a Pi model A+ on that.

  20. Jim 59

    Just had a thought. This thing might be a good way to get a proper browser on your TV, if it is fast enough to run explorer quickly.

    The RPi2 runs a browser much quicker than the Pi1, but it is still too slow for serious browsing.

    1. AdamFowler_IT

      Browsing was quite decent in my testing. I've used a RPi2 before for XBMC, and it was too slow for my liking.

  21. tekHedd

    Windows... for Bing?

    I was totally with you right up until "Windows 8.1 for Bing," at which point I tuned out.

    1. AdamFowler_IT

      Re: Windows... for Bing?

      It's a strange label, but I didn't notice any difference to the standard Windows 8.1 Home Edition.

      1. David 132 Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: Windows... for Bing?

        It's Windows Home with Bing set as the default search engine and in a couple of other places. The supposed subsequent search traffic/revenue to Microsoft allows them to offer the OS free-as-in-beer to OEMs for small, low power devices (I think the criteria are something like "2GB ram or less, up to 32GB storage").

        So

        1) no "windows tax" on this device

        2) there's nothing to stop you setting the search back to Google/DDG/whatever, or installing Firefox, or even zapping the OS and installing some variant of Linux.

        As someone mentioned briefly above, the BIOS has a "Boot OS" option which offers only Windows 8.1 32bit or Ubuntu (14.04 LTS x64, IIRC). I suspect that is because those are the only two SecureBoot keys present. Whether you can disable SB or install new keys, or indeed whether that BIOS option affects the Boot OS in some other way, I haven't checked. Can find out if anyone's interested.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I must admit I never have and never will discuss my size with my mother. Now Ashley Madison's another matter entirely, wahay!

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    All it needs is the herb compartment

    and this thing can double as a vaporizer when it's time to take a break from computing.

    1. David 132 Silver badge

      Re: All it needs is the herb compartment

      Personally I think it more resembles a Kazoo.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Simply appalling!

    Could Intel explain why they have to produce a separate, crippled hardware version for Linux ? To me it would seem much more efficient to manufacture one single hardware model and load any OS they might please since it's no big deal.

    1. David 132 Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Simply appalling!

      Could Intel explain why they have to produce a separate, crippled hardware version for Linux ? To me it would seem much more efficient to manufacture one single hardware model and load any OS they might please since it's no big deal.

      Embedded / digital signage customers who want the lowest possible cost and won't pay for extra flash storage or RAM that they're not going to use (kind of a big deal if you're buying thousands of these things).

      It's not about "crippled hardware for Linux" - if you want to run (a supported variant of) Linux on the better unit, there's nothing stopping you. As I mentioned in a comment above, the "Windows 8.1 for Bing" edition on the ICS is provided by Microsoft at no cost to OEMs (AFAIK), so you need have no worry that by purchasing the 32GB/2GB unit and subsequently installing Linux, you're still contributing to Microsoft's coffers.

  25. ScottME

    No thanks

    Why would I want this behind my TV rather than a Roku stick at less than half the price?

  26. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Other competition..

    The other competition for this (besides other PCs) is the ARM TV sticks. I got one like a year or two ago for $80, and it's down to closer to $50 now. The one I got shipped with a slimmed down Ubuntu -- I found the slimming unneccessary and installed the regular (non-Unity) desktop, that ran fine too. This isn't like the ARM version of Windows where technically it's Windows based running on it but none of the usual software -- very few Linux software is x86-specific*, even looking through the software catalog to install more software, you wouldn't know this was an ARM if someone didn't tell you.

    *For that matter, qemu-x86_64 is supposed to allow running 32-bit or 64-bit x86 Linux binaries on (in this case) ARM Linux, although you then need to have 64-bit or 32-bit x86 libraries installed somewhere (Just like 64-bit x86 Windows and Linux need 32-bit libraries to run 32-bit apps.)

  27. razorfishsl

    Massive fail.... with the inbuilt fan.

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