The Intel Compute Stick, a pocket sized computer on a stick which is based on Intel quad-core Atom processor and Windows 8.1 with Bing OS is now available worldwide.

With plenty of reviews around, most of them agree that Intel's Compute Stick is a nice system that can transform any display with HDMI input into an entry level system, but they also note that it is nothing else but an entry level system, something that will not be enough for a lot of people.

Based on Intel's Atom Z3735F BayTrail quad-core CPU clocked at 1.33GHz base and 1.83GHz Turbo clocks with Intel HD Graphics and 2GB of DDR3 RAM, the Intel Compute Stick does have its downsides, including the fact that it needs power, just like any other similar HDMI system and also features a small fan that becomes audible during heavy use, something that similar products on the market do not suffer from.

The rest of the specifications include 32GB of internal flash storage expandable via microSD card slot and 802.11bgn WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 for connectivity.

The Intel Compute Stick is a cool concept and is, after all, quite cheap, since the Windows versions retails at US $149, while the Linux Ubuntu version is expected to retail at US $110.



Source: Intel.com.