37 
This thing’s about the same size as a USB stick from the early 2000s, but packs in a whole lot more. It’s a dual-core computer, complete with HDMI output, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.
It’s the FXI Cotton Candy, a much more consumer-friendly option for those tempted by the Raspberry Pi but a little intimidated by the latter’s technical demands. For around £125 buyers get a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor built by Samsung with accompanying ARM Mali-400 GPU, Android or Ubuntu pre-loaded as the OS, plus support for MPEG-4 and H.264 video formats.
It’s being marketed as a “cloud computer” to be used as a companion device for smartphones, or to be stuck anywhere there’s a need for a tiny little networked video player. A mobile without a screen, to do with as you please.
Orders should be ready to go out by March, a little after the Raspberry Pi’s February due date. [Cstick via The Verge]
The Black Samsung Galaxy S III Looks Super Smart and Svelte and Is Ready For Your Pre-Order
iPhone 4S Pre-Orders Are Live
You Can Pre-Order the iPad Mini Right Now
I’ve said this elsewhere, but if you need to plug this into something else to run the OS on it, what’s the difference between this and having a linux distro loaded on a bootable USB stick?
Well… the main thing is that this can plug straight into a display or tv while a usb stick needs an actual computer to run the distro
RTA. It’s a USB stick-sized computer, not just an OS on a flash drive.
…which you still need to connect to something else in order for it to be useful. The only benefit is that it’ll act as a computer when hooked up to a TV or other non-computer.
” what’s the difference between this and having a linux distro loaded on a bootable USB stick”; you need a friggin big desktop or laptop to run that.
With this, you don’t – you just need whatever is there… like a TV.
You go to a hotel… you carry this, you have a computer. If you have a USB Linux distro you need to bring your laptop and/or desktop.
So yes, the only benefit is that you can hook it into something that isn’t already a computer… and make it a computer. Oh and it’s small. Oh and it’s pretty cheap (In comparison to a tablet/PC/Laptop).
I like the fact that it runs Android and Linux, although I’m not convinced that the increase in price for more processing grunt is worth paying for when alternatives like gumstix and Raspberry Pi are around.
Side note: Obligatory Raspberry Pi comment as there will be an announcement tomorrow at 6am GMT expected to detail how to get one.