At last year's Consumer Electronics Show, Intel introduced its Compute Stick, the impressive device that has the ability to transform any HDMI TV or display into a computer.
Now, the company has made some impressive improvements, announcing the next generation of its Compute Stick as CES 2016 in Las Vegas on Wednesday to include a new and improved entry-level option that features an Atom processor, as well as two other models that are packed with sixth generation Core M3 and M5 processors.
The new entry-level Compute Stick features an Atom x5-z8400 quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, and an SKU option with preinstalled Windows 10. The device has also been improved to feature Intel's Dual Band Wireless AC 7265, Bluetooth 4.0 and 2x2 antenna array.
The Atom chip Compute Stick can still transform an HDMI display into a functional computer, but now features two USB ports so you can finally connect a keyboard or other peripherals.
The Compute Stick with Intel Atom processor is available now for a retail price of $159.
However, what techies will be most excited about are the faster options that are packed with M3 and M5 chips, the same processors with which some high-end laptops are equipped.
Both sticks have 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The consumer has the option of Intel's vPro technology to protect data, user identity and network access with the SKU option with the M5 model, whereas the M3 model will comes with Windows 10.
The M3 and M5 Compute Sticks also have Intel's Dual Band Wireless AC 7265, along with Bluetooth 4.1 that allows the consumer to connect right out of the box.
These two models only have one USB port, but each has two additional USB ports on its power charger so the user can still plug in peripherals.
Intel's Compute Stick with Core M3 processor retails for $399, the M5 processor model for $500. Both will be released in February.
Source: Intel
