Google is set to launch the Chromebit, a portable Chromebook in a USB stick, in India.
On Tuesday, Dec. 15, the company announced that it would be launching the Asus-made ChromeBit in the country in January 2016.
The Chromebit will carry a Rs. 7,999 price tag in the region, which is equivalent to $120, making it more expensive than in the U.S. where it costs $85. Google also revealed that Asus will be launching two new Chromebooks alongside the Chromebit.
"AsusBit needs to be attached to a monitor, a keyboard and mouse. Asus will be launching the ChromeBit and two new Chromebooks in January. The ChromeBit will launch for Rs.7,999," said Caeser Sengupta, VP for Google's next billion initiatives.
The Chromebit has already launched in the U.S. and is fueled by a Rockchip RK3288 quad-core processor. The device has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of onboard storage.
Google said the USB stick is tinier than a candy bar and it can transform your device into a full computer. How? Simply plug in the Chromebit to any monitor or display and the transformation is done! One can attach the Chromebit to an external display via an HDMI connection.
The device brings an upgrade for any existing PC by converting into a Chromebook. Chromebit will be handy for businesses and schools alike as they need not to invest in new devices and can upgrade the old ones.
The Chromebit also has a USB 2.0 port which can be used to link peripherals such as a mouse or a keyboard. The device also offers support for Wi-Fi 802.AC and Bluetooth 4.0. It has an ARM Mali 760 quad-core GPU and a Smart Ready controller.
The Chromebit runs on the Chrome OS, which is based on a Linux kernel. The USB stick from Google will be available in three hues: silver, orange and blue.
It will rival the Intel Compute Stick with the price tag of Rs. 9,000 or about $136, which is more expensive. Whether the Chromebit will catch on with consumers in India remains to be seen.
