The Google Chromebit

[@bend8353]

They were widely used in digital signage. Was a big problem when they stopped selling them for our existing installs

[@Marenthyu]

Same! We eventually went with more bulky and expensive Chromeboxes.

[@planefan082]

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

[@GameEnding]

I still have like 5 of these deployed as digital signage. Wish they still sold them were so cost effective a signage.

[@bend8353]

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

[@bend8353]

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...

[@Marenthyu]

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!)

[@MarcoMaurice]

Would love a follow up like this

[@MichaelMJD]

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!

[@mutestingray]

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

[@Leo-bk4me]

​@@MichaelMJDa creator that actually answers its community great

[@Marenthyu]

@@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.

[@claytontdm]

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.

[@oliverbriscoe243]

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

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@oliverbriscoe243 ReALLY

[@insertusernamehere4549]

@@oliverbriscoe243it is gentoo

[@comensal]

@@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

[@JessicaFEREM]

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.

[@bedgegog]

Hmm, yes, the binary… and the blob, of course, makes sense… how did I not think of that? Of course they decouple it, forsooth…

[@ernestnatiello]

Many embedded systems work this way, with the whole of the OS being one monolithic image.

[@JessicaFEREM]

@@ernestnatiello Back when windows 8 was popular, google made a "windows 8 mode" that would basically give you a chromebook experience within windows, and would also automatically pin the app launcher that chromeOS had into the windows taskbar.

[@emdotrod]

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.

[@Puppetmaster664]

Fun fact: You cant dualboot chrome os!

[@JulianSauco]

@@Puppetmaster664 You can, but is a pain in the ass to set it up. Definetly not as straightforward as Linux

[@xNathan2439x]

@@Puppetmaster664 Fun fact: YOU can't duelboot Chrome OS

[@papelito1020]

@@xNathan2439x yes, you can with grub, but it is a pain in the ass

[@TorutheRedFox]

it not being as straightforward as Linux is very ironic considering Chrome OS is just a heavily specialized Linux distro

[@shreeney10]

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!

[@singletona082]

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.

[@ethanpschwartz]

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.

[@theol1044]

The Chromebit comes from an era around 2015 when Stick PCs were all the rage, and even Intel jumped on the train (Intel Compute Stick).

[@stef5037]

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.

[@itskdog]

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.

[@Leoions]

Some ARM chromebooks can run armbian or the arm port of arch linux.

[@MissGradenko1914]

​@@LeoionsOr PostmarketOS

[@benzhere]

Exactly fifteen minutes -- very nice

[@comedyreliefguy5112]

Exactly 13:30 if you have KZbin Vanced which skips promos and other stuff. Very nice.

[@syd5099]

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!

[@yxcine]

Wow your 20 years old

[@syd5099]

@@yxcine yes I am, I'm actually turning 21 next Saturday

[@yxcine]

@@syd5099 wow happy early birthday:) i hope all your dreams come true

[@syd5099]

@@yxcine thank you!! :D

[@yxcine]

@@syd5099 You welcome:)

[@StacyEdenton]

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.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

You can have the agonizong experience of dissapointment, from the comfort of your own TV!

[@TheLivingCatastrophe]

Oh boy, I can smell the argument comments from here

[@TheLivingCatastrophe]

I am not one to argue. I am indifferent.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@TheLivingCatastrophe 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

[@encycl07pedia-]

The biggest disappointment* is your spelling.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@encycl07pedia- not my first language and i don't mix your and you're like many native speakers. I think i'll be fine

[@ScooterFett]

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

[@SleepingComputerEXE]

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).

[@conkerlovesHipHopHarry23]

So if you put 2009 or something it would show that?

[@llyinx]

“Still more power full than my school Chromebook”💀

[@SSG_Productions]

What’s funnier is the os is 4 years old and has WAY more features and app support than the new versions of ChromeOS

[@farx4070]

Hey Michael! Enable developer mode on the chrome bit and get access to local dev terminal that way!

[@kingzach74]

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.

[@xavithefluffydragon]

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

[@jperih]

Lenovo has a device this year that is very similar.

[@XsaviXander]

I want google to do another chromebit. Reminds me of those Android TV sticks and Intel TV sticks.

[@Bolt451]

​@@XsaviXanderIntel?

[@Markandpreston]

An MJD video on my birthday… Just as I like!!

[@christiangalaz482]

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.

[@vlc-cosplayer]

"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.

[@TheTigerBeast]

This video: Shows what chromebit is and what it can do: nah Updates chromebit for half the video: sure Classic MJD :)))

[@iiTsFaded_]

Turning a pile of garbage into a slightly smaller pile of garbage

[@BoxOfToasters]

I mean, considering what schools had(and have) before chromebooks, I guess it's better, though that's not saying much.

[@nicklamn]

​​@@BoxOfToasterswe had windows 7 PCs in 2018 at my school

[@Sweeps_]

i don’t need to watch michelMJD video’s to know that they will be an absolute bangers.(i like em instantly)

[@_lun4r_]

Imagine using _ because name was taken (I used them for looks)

[@Gemdation]

@@_lun4r_ imagine using numbers (jk I used to use both)

[@rzzcp]

3:54 epic gaming setup 🤯

[@Stiky_Piston]

Did not expect to see this thing, but I love the vid so far!

[@CntrazZombie4]

0:21 Gotta feel bad for Linux when its beat out by the "Who f'n knows" category

[@reeveho1384]

Isn't chrome os based on Linux?

[@AlexanderTheBest]

It's the Chromebookmark (comment originally just said "Chromebookmark")

[@FubarMike]

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.

[@ComeAtMe]

I still have mine it’s working great still whenever I need it

[@irusdev5457]

Nice to see an os/2warp box, my once fav os

[@3DLasers]

Are you Warped ? DOS RULES ! 🤣🤣🤣

[@JustAPersonWhoComments]

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

[@awesomeferret]

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?

[@_w_w_]

@@awesomeferret Exactly!!! My similar age and price Intel Compute Stick is still very usable until this Chromebit..

[@HenPlayer1]

15 Years in Chrome OS?!

[@bk109]

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..

[@firesurfer]

It was widely available for about $69. Still a lot for what it is.

[@bk109]

@@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)

[@frcasual]

The only chrome based system that wouldn’t break😂

[@RyzesTechZone]

I think Amazon still sells little compute sticks like this running Intel Atoms and Celerons, would also be cool to check out

[@FloatSamplesGT710]

Bro's experiments never fails to entertain us !

[@BuildyGavryu]

Seeing The Box Design Made Me Feel Nostalgic

[@brurmonemt]

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.

[@Mas0nAnimations]

Feels Good to be early on an MJD video. :D

[@BoxOfToasters]

Can relate :]

[@brickman409]

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.

[@Jdogrey1]

Okay, but I have one of those that runs Windows...

[@Solarsplash64]

On a tv? That’s cool, I used to do online school on tv by using an hdmi thing from my pc to the tv

[@Linus7671]

The Windows versions of these were called "Intel Compute Sticks". They came with Windows 8.1.

[@Solarsplash64]

@@Linus7671 oooo cool

[@TruthDoesNotExist]

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

[@YogurtSnipe]

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.

[@Pixelplaygod]

15 years? That reminds me of Minecraft 15 anniversary

[@draconicruns]

slightly unfortunate you didn't try get it to run at 1080p, but really cool and interesting video

[@CamiloTohsaka]

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.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

Funny that an $85 stick from 2015 has a faster CPU than the Nintendo Switch. I know Iwata liked "lateral thinking with withered hardware" but maybe they could have left out the camera and touchscreen and accelerometer and put in a faster CPU. But no, Nintendo wanted bells and whistles, not decent hardware.

[@Colinetic]

I guess you could say the Google Chromebit bit off more than it could chew... 😂

[@penelopetiberti2637]

considering buying one of those chromebox for an elderly. Thanks for the review and advices!

[@incompetech_kmac]

good music!

[@SeanPennII]

Lol nice

[@RyansChristmasStation]

4:28 love the wallpaper!

[@Brixster]

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.

[@JasonCrosen]

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.

[@kylespevak6781]

I don't understand Chrome OS. Anything that can run Chrome (most things) can do what it does and more

[@firesurfer]

It's all about security. They are totally locked down and immune to viruses. This means A LOT to most users.

[@tyler6602]

​@@firesurfer most users being businesses and schools lol

[@TrashedPandaGaming]

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

[@PaintyMations757]

Im currently using a Chromebook rn and seeing this just a Chromebook on an HDMI brick is unbelievable 0.0

[@ja.8077]

I actually really like my Chromebook, I basically just use it for KZbin and movies. Works great with a USB c to HDMI adapter to display to a TV.

[@Leakayd]

Be Interesting if you made a vid on what will happen if you plugged it in to the chromebook that supports HMTI

[@keithrutowski2264]

I feel like if schools got more expensive computers then junk chromebooks maybe students would take care of them more

[@kyunamii]

Mr. Michael MJD never fails to upload another banger. she chrome on my bit till i OS

[@UltraCenterHQ]

This is more scary than the USB Killer

[@WebOSDevelops]

The thought of ChromeOS on my monitor sends shivers down my spine…

[@Ambedge]

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

[@UltraPoyoColt]

This is honestly pretty cool how chrome OS was released on a fire stick like device! Don’t know how I would use it, but still very cool!!

[@B9M3]

Didn't Intel and maybe some others make Windows PCs on a stick around that same timeframe. It was a cool idea.

[@djneo92nl]

we have 4 of these at work. i still need to experiment with them as they are just chilling in a drawer

[@k4jusz3k]

yoooo i waiteddd thx u made my dayy

[@jperih]

I own about 650 of these, enterprise-managed in kiosk mode, running a custom-built chrome app that drives our digital signage. Lenovo is releasing the spiritual successor to the Chromebit this first quarter, which is exciting.

[@Allthephones]

Congrats on your first video of the year. It has been my dream to get pinned by a KZbin channel with over a thousand subscribers

[@ericwilson9457]

My company uses these to run a slideshow in the lobby 24-7

[@bland9876]

I have seen some keyboards and mice combos that use one dongle for everything.

[@btarg1]

Stick computers are very cool in general, like the intel Atom stick that could play half-life 2. Hopefully we see more in the future

[@joshuavella5563]

fun fact most fast food chains use chrome books for their kiosks

[@starfox.64]

got an idea: try putting postmarketOS on it, since it's a Veyron model that probably packs an RK3288 chipset.

[@encycl07pedia-]

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 KZbin 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.

[@elGuille_uy]

can we all appreciate this video and how good it is (i didnt even watch the video yet i just commented this to get likes)

[@samuels1467]

I remember being interested in chromeOS in the beginning... But it seems so useless nowadays, real laptops with the ability to run Linux or Windows are cheap. I've never seen a chromebook in my life, although I heard they are a lot more popular in the US.

[@candidcamel]

Perfect video!

[@awesomeferret]

Why no immediate mention of why all the video is stretched? Or did I miss it?

[@natjoe4763]

This was a trip down elementary school Chromebooks

[@nolanmales]

By the way, the 100gb for 2 years Google drive storage works for whenever you buy a normal chrombook too.

[@galacticboy2009]

The Amazon Firrestick is an imitation of the Google Chromecast. The Chromecast is a scaled down version of this device. Completely skipped its existence?

[@CoasterMan13Official]

That reminds me, I've gotta pick me a candidate for a new laptop.

[@lukchem]

Could you try installing Chrome OS Flex on this device? Maybe this will let you updates to the newest Chrome OS Version.

[@anon_y_mousse]

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.

[@xaq7745]

I wonder which Chrome OS version you'd end up with on the Chromebit if you switched to the Beta channel.

[@khaliil12mm]

Im Back On Michael MJD yay

[@dragosbogdan3450]

Looks pretty good for home and media. Do you can install linux like as lubuntu ?

[@1sola]

There's a line of chrome computers named Chromebases that have the same form factor as an iMac, and run ChromeOS. My old school had about 70 of them

[@OwlNetwork1]

There is Chromebox too, its like a mini pc or mac mini.

[@iamalittler]

Reminds me of an old HP stick I ran a Plex server off of, it was excellent

[@bubirkanal7490]

Try Asus Stick PC (TS10) please.

[@That_one_bordahopper]

11:25 "it's so Rad dude"😂

[@TheNewton]

I believe tvs, and laptops/monitors, not being made to have easily accessible internal ports , a dongle bay, is why hardware like this gets only limited traction. And for laptops things like hdmi passthrough to easily repurpose laptop screens.

[@TheAppleExperence]

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?

[@superaviation001]

Someone should put a really light distro of Linux on this

[@qjesse]

I set these up for digital signage at my old company. We had distinctly pink ones because I guess they were cheaper. haha

[@RadikAlice]

The name was such a wasted opportunity, I would've gone with Chrome on a Stick

[@I401]

Now a challenge. Try to install a different OS on it that supports arm.

[@chikyuuP]

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)