Google TV on it might be the easiest way to generate decent sales.but to be fair for a device with no screen ,no touch layers and the chips driving it,no battery,no storage,no sensors,no cameras and so on, even 100$ is a bit much.
100$ is too much for the hardware,look at the hardware and prices in a media streamer and an ipod touch and compare that to this. Plus this is a device without a defined purpose,you can't really price it high.
Put against the cheapness and the charity feelgood factor that raspberri pi brings to the table (a project that incidentally began its life in the thumbstick formfactor), this has very little going for it, except a little bit more horsepower and a touch more RAM.
And the cheapness of raspberry pi cannot be overstated: the cheaper version is a mere $25, and the full version tops out at $35. What amounts to pocket change for a fully featured ARM PC, happy to run whatever you can compile for it.
Raspberrypi only has arm 11 700MHz which is a lot slower than exynos (I had one in my last phone) and also only has rca (standard def) out vs hdmi. I'm sure FXI want to get compensated for their time and effort in getting android working on here in a way which works differently depending on whether plugged in/interfacing with a tv or pc, peripherals etc.
You may be able to do that on raspberry pi but I sure as heck can't be bothered to sort it out. Obviously it's a lot cheaper but then it does have very different capabilities. As usual it's horses for courses and I'm sure FXI will find an audience.
RasPi very definitely comes with HDMI out. Other than the processor and the memory, they're near identical devices. Even despite that horsepower difference, I struggle to think of applications where the cotton candy really fills a niche where the RasPi doesn't. The RasPi is cheap enough that permanently taping one to the back of your TV is genuinely an option, for example.
A dual core SoC is 12-15$ and prices are only going down.This one does have wireless networking and Bluetooth and is a comercial product,they got to make a profit,still the cost can't be too high.
Yeah, it is much like an raspberry pi with an high-end SoC and in the original form-factor. But I find it good: more option, and one more place to point people asking for higher-end versions of raspberry pi.
A similar device is CuBox. Not a thumb stick, but very small, and with more connectivity.
Honestly, I don't see this getting much use as a stand-alone device, i.e. plugged just with a power cord, display and a controller of sorts.
But it has some incredible potential if they develop a good set of interoperability features and APIs over the main usb port. Features that would really rock: - to be plugged in to a PC's USB port for power, and take audio/video input from it, appearing as an external display/sound device from the PC's POV; - dynamically toggle-able forwarding of the extra mini-USB input it has to the main USB port, working as a sort of transparent USB hub at times and then as a full USB host at others; - ability to wake up the PC that it is plugged into from sleep/hibernation and also to put it back to sleep
That might result in turning any normal PC into something like the newly announced Lenovo X1 Hybrid, easily switching between the SoC and the PC
I wonder if there is any audio on there? Together with a display this would make great presentation devices for status boards in offices or shop windows. But sometimes you'd want some audio with that.
Also does anybody know of USB solutions to drive a few I/O switches for physical start buttons or light and proximity sensors?
Looks like an engineering demo of "look how small we can make a computer". This doesn't add much (beyond updated hardware) over a BeagleBoard or a Pandaboard... you've still got to carry around a powered USB hub *with* A/C adapter, usb keyboard, usb, mouse, usb ethernet.
You pretty much have to connect a rat's nest of wires to get this to work.
Develop a "tablet shell". Basically, the shell would be a display and battery. Open a door, pop in the Cotton Candy, and voila! Functioning tablet.
Imagine upgrading your tablet's internal specs every year or two for $150. Also, I wonder how many perfectly usable touch screen displays are gathering dust/headed for the garbage every year.
I agree with you. But I give a plus - Unfortunately I have not a hardware company -
Anyone can design a Phone + a Tablet, + a laptop and it works at TVs
Then the user that buys this "empty" cases + battery plug his/her Cotton Candy at the device he/she wants to use having the same computer but different interface.
As it is Android + Ubuntu it can be your only computer. And you will use it at yours different sizes cases with desktop + battery or even a desktop computer that is a monitor or a touch monitor with a dock for the Cotton Candy and similar.
And any upgrade you can buy only one cotton candy but keep all your cases that usually have more duration than SoC state of the art or even second best.
Of course, at this time the Phone case would have to be a only WiFi phone, connect via Bluetooth with other cheap phone or have phone hardware made inside.
If it has phone hardware it can work as a "cheap phone" without the CC and as an smartphone with the CC plugged.
I do not know why even them do not put this option at their home page, it would give them a lot more of target. Even at the brand market, with bigger sales than direct to customers.
I could see some potential in this for businesses once Windows 8 for ARM is released. You could take this with you and run presentations on it. Just plug into an HDMI port on a TV and you're rolling. It'll be interesting to see how this little thing plays out in the real world.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
17 Comments
Back to Article
lbeyak - Monday, January 9, 2012 - link
I'm not sure what I would use it for yet, but it seems pretty cool to me.jjj - Monday, January 9, 2012 - link
Google TV on it might be the easiest way to generate decent sales.but to be fair for a device with no screen ,no touch layers and the chips driving it,no battery,no storage,no sensors,no cameras and so on, even 100$ is a bit much.mpschan - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
Really? $100 to much for you?Curious what you think it's worth then. MicroSD slot, HDMI, USB, micro USB, an ARM chip, memory, and the board and software to connect them all ...
$100 seems VERY nicely priced. I'm shocked it's that low.
jjj - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
100$ is too much for the hardware,look at the hardware and prices in a media streamer and an ipod touch and compare that to this.Plus this is a device without a defined purpose,you can't really price it high.
elmicker - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
Put against the cheapness and the charity feelgood factor that raspberri pi brings to the table (a project that incidentally began its life in the thumbstick formfactor), this has very little going for it, except a little bit more horsepower and a touch more RAM.And the cheapness of raspberry pi cannot be overstated: the cheaper version is a mere $25, and the full version tops out at $35. What amounts to pocket change for a fully featured ARM PC, happy to run whatever you can compile for it.
http://www.raspberrypi.org
Even at $100 Cotton Candy would struggle to justify its cost vs RasPi.
JNo - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
I think that's a disingenuous comparison.Raspberrypi only has arm 11 700MHz which is a lot slower than exynos (I had one in my last phone) and also only has rca (standard def) out vs hdmi. I'm sure FXI want to get compensated for their time and effort in getting android working on here in a way which works differently depending on whether plugged in/interfacing with a tv or pc, peripherals etc.
You may be able to do that on raspberry pi but I sure as heck can't be bothered to sort it out. Obviously it's a lot cheaper but then it does have very different capabilities. As usual it's horses for courses and I'm sure FXI will find an audience.
elmicker - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
RasPi very definitely comes with HDMI out. Other than the processor and the memory, they're near identical devices. Even despite that horsepower difference, I struggle to think of applications where the cotton candy really fills a niche where the RasPi doesn't. The RasPi is cheap enough that permanently taping one to the back of your TV is genuinely an option, for example.jjj - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
A dual core SoC is 12-15$ and prices are only going down.This one does have wireless networking and Bluetooth and is a comercial product,they got to make a profit,still the cost can't be too high.Manabu - Friday, January 13, 2012 - link
Yeah, it is much like an raspberry pi with an high-end SoC and in the original form-factor. But I find it good: more option, and one more place to point people asking for higher-end versions of raspberry pi.A similar device is CuBox. Not a thumb stick, but very small, and with more connectivity.
Visual - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
Honestly, I don't see this getting much use as a stand-alone device, i.e. plugged just with a power cord, display and a controller of sorts.But it has some incredible potential if they develop a good set of interoperability features and APIs over the main usb port.
Features that would really rock:
- to be plugged in to a PC's USB port for power, and take audio/video input from it, appearing as an external display/sound device from the PC's POV;
- dynamically toggle-able forwarding of the extra mini-USB input it has to the main USB port, working as a sort of transparent USB hub at times and then as a full USB host at others;
- ability to wake up the PC that it is plugged into from sleep/hibernation and also to put it back to sleep
That might result in turning any normal PC into something like the newly announced Lenovo X1 Hybrid, easily switching between the SoC and the PC
Conficio - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
I wonder if there is any audio on there? Together with a display this would make great presentation devices for status boards in offices or shop windows. But sometimes you'd want some audio with that.Also does anybody know of USB solutions to drive a few I/O switches for physical start buttons or light and proximity sensors?
JarredWalton - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
It sends audio over HDMI, but there's no mini-speaker if that's what you're asking.RandomUsername3245 - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
Looks like an engineering demo of "look how small we can make a computer". This doesn't add much (beyond updated hardware) over a BeagleBoard or a Pandaboard... you've still got to carry around a powered USB hub *with* A/C adapter, usb keyboard, usb, mouse, usb ethernet.You pretty much have to connect a rat's nest of wires to get this to work.
RandomUsername3245 - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
This being said, I'd be tempted to buy one for $100!! It would be really sweet if it included an ethernet port, though.Tanclearas - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
Develop a "tablet shell". Basically, the shell would be a display and battery. Open a door, pop in the Cotton Candy, and voila! Functioning tablet.Imagine upgrading your tablet's internal specs every year or two for $150. Also, I wonder how many perfectly usable touch screen displays are gathering dust/headed for the garbage every year.
mitcoes - Friday, January 13, 2012 - link
I agree with you. But I give a plus - Unfortunately I have not a hardware company -Anyone can design a Phone + a Tablet, + a laptop and it works at TVs
Then the user that buys this "empty" cases + battery plug his/her Cotton Candy at the device he/she wants to use having the same computer but different interface.
As it is Android + Ubuntu it can be your only computer. And you will use it at yours different sizes cases with desktop + battery or even a desktop computer that is a monitor or a touch monitor with a dock for the Cotton Candy and similar.
And any upgrade you can buy only one cotton candy but keep all your cases that usually have more duration than SoC state of the art or even second best.
Of course, at this time the Phone case would have to be a only WiFi phone, connect via Bluetooth with other cheap phone or have phone hardware made inside.
If it has phone hardware it can work as a "cheap phone" without the CC and as an smartphone with the CC plugged.
I do not know why even them do not put this option at their home page, it would give them a lot more of target. Even at the brand market, with bigger sales than direct to customers.
Ambictus - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - link
I could see some potential in this for businesses once Windows 8 for ARM is released. You could take this with you and run presentations on it. Just plug into an HDMI port on a TV and you're rolling. It'll be interesting to see how this little thing plays out in the real world.