Google’s finally selling its $85 Chromebit dongle, but you should buy the

Given that USB hubs exist, owners could very well connect multiple devices to it.

It’s compelling, if only because the cheap price compels you to consider new places where you might want a computer.

But since it has a desktop/notebook-style operating system, you’ll need a keyboard and mouse to navigate.

The Chromebit won’t be able to rival the big boys in terms of performance, of course, but it has enough under the hood to deliver a competent Chrome OS experience, which favors lightweight web apps that don’t need a ton of horsepower. It has a Rockchip processor – a relatively new class of chip that can’t handle too many tabs or video at super high resolution. This little device can be plugged into any TV or monitor that has an available HDMI pot to turn it into a Chrome OS PC. If you’re looking for anything more than that, you’d best look elsewhere.

Google is trying to change the way we think about computing and with its Chrome OS, it believes that the future is one which is always connected and in the cloud. Many people have found real uses for Chromebooks – it’s entirely possible to get 90 percent of what most of use computers for done on them. It’s ideal for basic tasks such as web browsing, listening to music and watching videos, among others.

Google touts the Chromebit as an affordable way to turn a TV or monitor into an “easy to maintain, secure, and manage” PC.

Combined with our rich partner ecosystem of…apps from StratosMedia, Telemetry, Arreya, SignageLive, Wondersign, Nutrislice, Chrome Sign builder and many others, we [can] support any scenario. To promote this, Google has introduced a program for businesses called the Single App Chrome Device Management, which is priced at $24 per device per year, and allows for online monitoring of the digital kiosks and signage, as well as alerts if something goes wrong. Its a heavily portable device and you can go for it in case you don’t go for the Chromecast. “You can also get live updates about system usage and capture screen grabs to see exactly what viewers see”, Google said. Just like that device, it comes with a dedicated charger, but unlike the Chromecast, it also features a USB port. The Rockchip-based Chromebit comes in “Cacao Black” and “Tangerine Orange”, but overall, it’s a pretty unassuming device that’s mostly meant to disappear behind your screen anyway (hence why I’m not sure why there is an orange version).