These days the functionality of a device is often limited by the size of the screen it comes with, sooner or later an invention of a device that would eliminate the screen and deliver the power of a pc and web to any screen was inevitable. A Norwegian hardware and software startup called FXI Technologies has done just that by unveiling a concept USB stick unlike any other you would have ever seen. This stick codenamed Cotton Candy is a PC that has an operating system that can connect to any display (considering it has a HDMI port) and perform almost any task that a full size computer could do.
This device has been made to take advantage of the booming Cloud technology. The Cotton Candy aims to enable users a single secure point of access to all personal cloud service and apps through the users favourite operating system at the same time catering a consistent experience on any screen. The cotton candy is more of a bridge between display, the Cloud and any input peripheral. The company there by justifies its Codename Cotton candy as the device is a stick that is connected to a Cloud.
With the broad acceptance of Cloud computing and the advancement in processor technologies the concept of ”screenless PC” is a natural evolution in the form factor of computing devices. The connectivity, flexibility and multi-screen compatibility of FXI’s Cotton Candy makes it like a computer built specifically for the cloud.
Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie & Associates.
The stick comes with a USB and HDMI connector, for connecting on to devices and charging. Cotton Candy can work along with any smartphone, tablet, notebook PC or Mac and also augment existing display, TVs, set-top boxes and game console with Smart capability. Your ordinary TV can grown brains of its own to become a Smart TV with this device plugged in. You must now be wondering how a non touch screen TV could work without any input device, no worries the cotton candy comes with Bluetooth to connect with your keyboard and mouse. Or else you could just plug it into you desktop or laptop and have it running Android in a matter of seconds and make use of the in-built keyboard and mouse.There is also a Micro SD card slot that supports up to 64GB which will serve as the primary storage port.
Weighing at just 21 grams the Cotton Candy comes with a dual-core ARM Cortex A-9(1.2GHz) CPU coupled with an ARM Mali 400 MP (quad-core) GPU. The small wonder also consists of features such as WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI output and an Android operating system. It will be able to support MPEG-4,H.264 and other video formats and is capable of displaying HD graphics on any HDMI equipped screen. The price of this device is yet to be revealed. The product will be available to masses by second half of 2012.
Specifications
Quad Core ARM Mali-400MP Graphics Processing Unit
ARM Cortex-A9@1.2GHz
Connectivity
Wifi
Bluetooth 2.1Memory
1GB DRAM
Up to 64GB memory local storage (microSD)Software
Android
Ubuntu
Virtualization client for Windows, Linux, Mac, embeddedVideo / Audio / Media Support
480p/720p/1080p decode of MPEG4-SP/H.263/H.264 AVC/MPEG-2/VC1
MP3, AAC, AAC+, Real Audio
JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG
Additional video, audio and image formats can be supported through 3rd party codecsConnectors
USB 2.0 male form factor for power and connection to devices that supports USB mass storage
HDMI 2.1 with audio for connection to devices that does not support USB mass storage
The Prodejeff
1 year ago
I have to say this is impressive and cool at the same time, I´ll keep a eye on that devise.