The Google Chromebit
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2024
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Back in 2015, Google released the Chromebit - a stick PC running ChromeOS that could be plugged into a TV. And it was quickly discontinued, with only one model ever being shipped. Let's discover why!
Prototype Chromebook Video: • Google's CR-48 Prototy...
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#MichaelMJD #ChromeOS #Chromebook - Наука та технологія
They were widely used in digital signage. Was a big problem when they stopped selling them for our existing installs
Same! We eventually went with more bulky and expensive Chromeboxes.
I've heard Fire TV sticks work great for those nowadays, some digital signage software apps are available for it
Or for more basic uses it has a web browser and media player apps
I still have like 5 of these deployed as digital signage. Wish they still sold them were so cost effective a signage.
Not sure how many we had but was in the 1000's never knew how much cheaper they were at the time compared to a decent chrome box. We used them for waiting room advertising, Airport monitors, even for monitors for a camera system to watch the techs service your car at a national oil change place. Now I have an old one running a small monitor for my bathroom tv
The fire sticks are more locked down, and have a restrictive end user license for commercial use. Also even these ASUS chrome sticks had a high failure rate running 24/7...Think the firestick would be even worse. Guess thats why a commercial chrome box is 3-4x the price of the chromebit...
We used these Chromebits for Digital Signage.
Absolutely disheartening they were discontinued - chromeboxes are way more bulky, PiSignage keeps crashing and there just isn't a "proper" replacement.
We still have a good few working, but most eventually died or were replaced.
Sucks mainly because they don't get current versions of Chrome anymore, making them incompatible with some modern dashboard-type things.
If you want the "HDMI Extension Cable" from them, we got plenty floating around. They are rubbery things that bend a bit.
I can also share some insights into the Enterprise Management of them, if you want! (You did mention this usecase at the end of the Video - it unlocks a big range of things for the Device!)
Would love a follow up like this
I saw your tweet about this, and thanks so much for offering to share some insight! My email is on my channel's about page if you want to get in touch there. I appreciate it!
The only alternative I found was Xibo, but it is a real pain to get working. I lost countless hours trying to get that stupid platform to work. Though, once you get running, it works decently well. We are running them on some low powered Windows mini-PCs
@@MichaelMJDa creator that actually answers its community great
@@MichaelMJD I'll reach out later today!
Also youtube mobile is aweful in that regard - it does not show the E-Mail in your about section, but I'll find it on PC later.
fun fact: everything about chromeOS is a single binary, so every single thing including the web browser, desktop, and login screen is all rendered with the same binary. it's one solid blob. they're just now starting to develop tools to decouple the OS from the web browser/desktop.
this does mean that every time you update the browser you need to reboot.
wonder why they made it like that?
Isn't ChromeOS based on Gentoo Linux? If everything is one binary, would that mean that it's all just one process? I feel like the scheduler and multitasking wouldn't work that way.
@@nono-yh2vi The very old versions of Chrome OS were literally just a fullscreen chrome window.
Out of curiosity is this a good thing or bad. What are the pros and cons.
@@1008md bad.
Mostly because it means updates go from being a "download this 30kb package" to "download this 3.6GB image", as well as making arbitrarty EOL dates an option.
Google no longer wants to support this device after X years, they just stop making images available for it, reguardless of if there's any good reason for it (ex, "the hardware is 10 years old and is not able to run the modern version of the OS as needed").
Hey! You can access the shell by putting the chromebook into dev mode, then hitting ctrl+alt+t on the desktop and typing "shell". It should bring up a Gentoo Linux terminal. The "linux" option you were looking for is actually a VM running Debian.
it's not gentoo... it's chrome os
I know it's based on gentoo, but it's deviated so far that it can't be called that anymore
@@oliverbriscoe243 ReALLY
@@oliverbriscoe243it is gentoo
@@oliverbriscoe243it is what it is, ever heard of MIUI or HyperOS which is a phone UI based on android, whatever how much have it modified, it is what it is, it’s still an android
Honestly a Chrome OS mini/stick computer isn't a bad idea for some people. But then again if you're really want to use Chrome OS on a desktop you can just download Chrome OS Flex or other Chrome OS forks and you can dual boot it with your primary operating system.
Fun fact: You cant dualboot chrome os!
@@Puppetmaster664 You can, but is a pain in the ass to set it up. Definetly not as straightforward as Linux
@@Puppetmaster664 Fun fact: YOU can't duelboot Chrome OS
@@xNathan2439x yes, you can with grub, but it is a pain in the ass
it not being as straightforward as Linux is very ironic considering Chrome OS is just a heavily specialized Linux distro
We use these at my job for displaying Google Slides of brand news and employee stuff. In the depths of company documents, it still calls for offices to have "Chromebits". We still use ChromeOS sticks at new locations, but I have no idea where they're getting them.
Exactly fifteen minutes -- very nice
Exactly 13:30 if you have UA-cam Vanced which skips promos and other stuff. Very nice.
I was one of the people that had the prototype chrome book and even with the many issues ranging from underpowered hardware to Google itself? I kinda miss that little machine and do think those sort of thin client devices really do have a place in the ecosystem.
I manage a literal fleet of these ASUS Chromebits. I’m familiar with the update process if you end up needing the image file. Also if you end up figuring out how to install Linux on one, I’m about to retired them all, so that might make me reconsider.
One problem i had on my old chromebook was when it stopped getting OS updates that also meant it stopped getting Browser updates so after a few years it was unable to browse the web properly anymore as more and more websites stopped working, i remember spotify specifically just flat out stopped being able to play music, and it stopped being able to play 1080p youtube videos because it was stuck using an unsupported codec or something. worst part was because it was an older ARM based model i couldn't even put another OS on it, so it was literally e-waste.
They're finally fixing that by removing the browser from the OS and replacing it with the regular Linux version of Chrome, meaning it can continue being updated even when the hardware is EOL.
I remember wanting this so badly when I was younger because I desperately wanted to get out of the laptop lifestyle, cool to finally see it being used in practice!
Wow, Chrome OS is 15 years old!? I remember when they gave us chromebooks for the first time in school. I was around 11 years old at the time (2014) and I remembered how cool these Chromebooks were to me and how they changed the way we learned. Now a days, I only use chrome if I had to write a document or make a presentation. Its so much easier than using office!
Wow your 20 years old
@@h3nryII yes I am, I'm actually turning 21 next Saturday
@@syd5099 wow happy early birthday:) i hope all your dreams come true
@@h3nryII thank you!! :D
@@syd5099 You welcome:)
You can have the agonizong experience of dissapointment, from the comfort of your own TV!
Oh boy, I can smell the argument comments from here
I am not one to argue. I am indifferent.
@@NBS_Studios_Official honestly it's just a silly exagerated comment, it is true that i dislike theese devices but everyone's free to use what they want
The biggest disappointment* is your spelling.
@@encycl07pedia- not my first language and i don't mix your and you're like many native speakers. I think i'll be fine
From what I understand, the copyright year in the About page is automatically updated based on whatever year the OS is set to (whether it automatically gets the time and date from the Internet or is set manually).
@Michael MJD...
Very interesting.
We surely appreciate you walking us through the technical aspects and procedures and your thinking-out-loud approach that enables us to peer into your mind's eye and your thoughts as you're going through the processes.
Thank you for sharing.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
It would be very interesting for you to produce a review for the "Xtra-PC" USB drive?
Did not expect to see this thing, but I love the vid so far!
But who actually wants to use Chrome OS? Most Chromebooks are bought for schools because they are cheap.
i live in denmark and EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE!
lucky we got computers..
@@khaliil12mm I'm sorry for your loss, i wish on no one the burden to use this disgrace of an operative system
Cheap only in US I suppose, because where I live for some reason they cost close to a traditional laptop, which can run Windows or Linux.
Between the ability to extremely limited the use of the OS as well as the integration around Google classroom and other like school dedicated services
@@khaliil12mmwait until you see turkey...
Definitely could see this working great for business conference rooms to run Teams on for Teams Meetings. It is way cheaper than an SFF desktop, has a lightweight operating system, and a ridiculously tiny form factor.
“Still more power full than my school Chromebook”💀
Turning a pile of garbage into a slightly smaller pile of garbage
I mean, considering what schools had(and have) before chromebooks, I guess it's better, though that's not saying much.
An MJD video on my birthday… Just as I like!!
honestly they could definitely do a second more modern run with the bit since things have evolved since whenever that was made to pack much more power into it
Lenovo has a device this year that is very similar.
Hey Michael! Enable developer mode on the chrome bit and get access to local dev terminal that way!
i don’t need to watch michelMJD video’s to know that they will be an absolute bangers.(i like em instantly)
Imagine using _ because name was taken (I used them for looks)
@@_lun4r_ imagine using numbers (jk I used to use both)
Hey Michael mjd your videos are so funny to watch 😂😂 happy tuesday
I got to test the CR-48 when it released and I thought it was amazing for the time. I spilled beer on it and it never worked again, but I think I might still have the device kicking around.
I still have mine it’s working great still whenever I need it
I have some Xreal Air glasses, that would be fantastic for this. Portable battery and the right display adapter with those glasses would make a great portable system.
I think Amazon still sells little compute sticks like this running Intel Atoms and Celerons, would also be cool to check out
Nice to see an os/2warp box, my once fav os
my school had a bunch of these used in conjunction with boxlights for teaching... and eventually moved to the Chromebox instead, still in conjunction with boxlights for teaching
15 Years in Chrome OS?!
My works uses chrome boxes (running chrome os) in the self serve kiosks for ordering food, I suppose if chrome bit was still supported they could use that?
yoooo i waiteddd
thx u made my dayy
4:28 love the wallpaper!
considering buying one of those chromebox for an elderly. Thanks for the review and advices!
Feels Good to be early on an MJD video. :D
Can relate :]
I get chromebooks and flash a open source bios on them and then install linux and have been wanting to get my hands on one of these to see if it would work on them to have a tiny linux stick
Bro's experiments never fails to entertain us !
The Camera, Files, and Calculator are actually all shortcuts too. They don’t go to specific pages that anybody can access from any device, but rather built in within Chrome.
Looks pretty good for home and media. Do you can install linux like as lubuntu ?
Seeing The Box Design Made Me Feel Nostalgic
Reminds me of an old HP stick I ran a Plex server off of, it was excellent
The only chrome based system that wouldn’t break😂
0:31 Chromebook’s are actually very good for their respective use in education due to its simplicity for Web-browsing. Although I won’t lie the first time I had mine it only had 500MB of storage.
Used to run about 10 of these in a building for digital signage with Chrome Sign Builder, once they became EOL I replaced them with cheap Chromeboxes which have 10 years of support.
I guess you could say the Google Chromebit bit off more than it could chew... 😂
The older Fire sticks were actually smaller, a lot smaller. You'd be amazed at how small the first gen Fire Stick was. I think they made them bigger over time maybe because they were having thermal issues, or they wanted to cram more performance in or both.
Useful Video.
Could you try installing Chrome OS Flex on this device? Maybe this will let you updates to the newest Chrome OS Version.
aside keyboards with trackpads built in alot of the adapters for lg devices let you connect multiple devices to them by using their software to configure the connection, also there are keyboard mouse pairs that use one usb as well
3:54 epic gaming setup 🤯
I suppose that if it allows you to print documents from the office suite that you could use it for a business, and you could always use it to do presentations. In your spare time you could even use it as an emulation device and use a Bluetooth controller to play games at least through the PS1 era.
Sincerely, If they would made these types of devices even cheaper ($40-$50 dollars), I would actually prefer it to any of the Android TV sticks/boxes in the market, having a desktop interface and a normal browser with extensions compatibility is a huge advantage at least for me.
"normal browser with extensions compatibility" - sideload Kiwi Browser, it has support for extensions!
"desktop interface" - there's a few apps that can give you a desktop interface (Andronix, UserLAnd, Termux w/ XFCE...), they're just a bit janky.
i thought this came out in 2021.
1 HOUR AGO THIS WAS POSTED!!
The Chromebit is a very unique device. I tested one when they were first released and was quite unimpressed. It was slow, and quite awkward to use, compared to other ChromeOS computers
How is it unique? It's a budget Intel Compute Stick crippled by ChromeOS. So unique! Were you not aware that this device is a relatively locked down option in a category of a form factor?
@@awesomeferret Exactly!!! My similar age and price Intel Compute Stick is still very usable until this Chromebit..
As a possesor of an Acer Chromebook Spin 713, I would be interested to see you in a future video trying to install a traditionnal Linux distribution on a Chromebook
I have seen some keyboards and mice combos that use one dongle for everything.
Didn't Intel and maybe some others make Windows PCs on a stick around that same timeframe. It was a cool idea.
Be Interesting if you made a vid on what will happen if you plugged it in to the chromebook that supports HMTI
13:45 Yeah, sure, that's a decent idea, but instead of going with a restricted web-centric device, one could simply get an Android-based stick pc with the exact same specs on the cheap, or a FireTV stick, with both having more to offer than the ChromeBit. Hell, the launch price of this thing (if what my google-fu didn't fail me) cost 90$ and frankly, for a Rockhip-powered cut-down web device, that's just waaaaaay overpriced. If anything, that pricetag was approaching full-up x86 StickPC with a Bay-Trail or Cherry Trail money, or alternatively - like 4 1st gen FireSticks that (unlike this bugger) could be used straight out of the box..
It was widely available for about $69. Still a lot for what it is.
@@firesurfer So, generally it was available at roughly 15$ under the RRP listed by AnandTech (and a couple of other sites). Still, that's either a similarly specced Android box (with a bundled controller) or a Firestick (and change, since that initially retailed at 40$, but I got a couple for 20 within months of the launch)
slightly unfortunate you didn't try get it to run at 1080p, but really cool and interesting video
É possível instalar chromeOS Flex ?
Wow, I had one of these! I even used that exact Logitech keyboard you showed, too, lol. To be frank, the chromebit is really bad. Chrome ran like shit and could only handle about 2-3 tabs before the 30hz video output crawled to a sluggish 8fps. I still probably have it lying around somewhere, but I don't intend to dig it up. When Chrome OS added support to run Android apps from the play store, the chromebit was one of the few devices to be neglected from the update.
I used chromebooks a bit in school; the camera app is actually a carryover from the Chrome OS software intended for use on chromebook laptops with webcams. The fact that it's still present on a port of the OS to a tv stick is quite hilarious.
It's the Chromebookmark
(comment originally just said "Chromebookmark")
Okay, but I have one of those that runs Windows...
When I was 13 she thought getting me a chromebook would allow me to play any game I wanted......that was around 2014 and steam os wasn't even thought yet to be on chromeOS
I used to really want one of these
I love mjd videos
could it support the latest release using chromeOS flex?
I think the intel compute stick killed this idea. You could get one running windows and then a cheaper one with ubuntu I think. That is infinitely more useful.
my school recently retired their G4 HP chromebooks so imma try and fannagle one and try to get it to run MSC cromulently
Id love to see a video where you install the earliest version you can, and you can run ubuntu 16.04 on there very easily.
we have 4 of these at work. i still need to experiment with them as they are just chilling in a drawer
got an idea: try putting postmarketOS on it, since it's a Veyron model that probably packs an RK3288 chipset.
I love your videos
seems cool
What kind of display does it have?
all apps on chrome os even the ones like calculater camera and settings are web links that u can get to from the chrome browser
fun fact most fast food chains use chrome books for their kiosks
That Chromebit was A SUS device. Aside for jokes, is really interesting the size and the capabilities to have a non-smart TV with a web browser and its size.
How unfortunate its End of support and the lack of Linux terminal.
I set these up for digital signage at my old company. We had distinctly pink ones because I guess they were cheaper. haha
I have the Chromebook with the same guts: The C201PA. I always thought those of us with ARM CPUs would have Android support first. I thought wrong. To seal the deal, last ChromeOS update broke Bluetooth mouse support. 😒
great videos
My company uses these to run a slideshow in the lobby 24-7
I love the look and feel of chrome os but I will not spend almost as much on a BETTER MacBook or windows laptop for a Chromebook and the cheaper Chromebooks are just not that great (My Chromebook can't even handle a 1080p video sometimes, and its pretty recent)
Im currently using a Chromebook rn and seeing this just a Chromebook on an HDMI brick is unbelievable 0.0
You could get the latest Chrome OS update and see what kind of modern websites work on it!
This is so cool
Congrats on your first video of the year. It has been my dream to get pinned by a UA-cam channel with over a thousand subscribers
Try Asus Stick PC (TS10) please.
This is more scary than the USB Killer
The thought of ChromeOS on my monitor sends shivers down my spine…
good music!
I never used Chrome OS before. I'd really like to try it. I got a lot of old deices that coul really use some modern light OS ( or somewhat recent underpowered Windows laptops )
11:25 "it's so Rad dude"😂
I have one of these. They were adequate when they were new-ish, but they don't support Android apps like modern Chrome OS and I was furious when I dug it up out of storage, updated and restarted 3 times, and it couldn't support UA-cam TV (that my mom signed up for). They really should have included an extra USB port or an SD card slot instead of going the Apple route of removing all useful ports.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd just get a mini PC box instead.
Crazy device.
Can we try installing chrome os flex in this?
Can you do a video where you install windows or another system on it ?
I wonder which Chrome OS version you'd end up with on the Chromebit if you switched to the Beta channel.