# Entire Computer Built Into USB Thumb Drive



## Draconis (Mar 16, 2007)

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/20/entire-computer-built-into-usb-thumb-drive/

I thought folks would find this interesting.



> Norwegian company FXI Technologies showed off an amazing USB stick-sized portable computer prototype on Friday, Nov. 18. Code-named Cotton Candy because its 21 gram weight is the same as a bag of the confection, the tiny PC enables what its inventor calls "any-screen computing": the ability to turn any TV, laptop, phone, tablet, or set-top box into a dumb terminal for its Android-powered operating system.
> 
> Packed in its tiny body is a dual-core 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU (the same processor as in the Galaxy S II), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI-out and even a microSD card slot for memory.
> 
> ...


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

I saw that at Gizmodo. The specs caught my eye:


> It's about the size of a normal USB stick, 8cm x 2.5cm and 21 grams, but packs both USB 2.0 and HDMI-out plugs. It's powered by a dual-core 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU-the same one that powers the Galaxy S II-and employs a microSD card slot for data storage. It also includes 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Cotton Candy currently uses the Android 2.3 OS but can also support Ubuntu as well as a virtualization client for Windows, Linux, Mac.
> 
> The device is designed to work on anything with a screen and USB port....


 Depending on the source, it will be available sometime in 2012 for around $200. That to me makes it a very interesting concept.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

All this miniatureness makes you wonder just how much longer can a hard drive hang on as a storage device.


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## Draconis (Mar 16, 2007)

Good point on the storage. 

I was also wondering if you could fit something like a Roku box on it...


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> All this miniatureness makes you wonder just how much longer can a hard drive hang on as a storage device.


Yeah, it kinda makes you think with a miniSD Card and access to cloud storage....


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

phrelin said:


> Yeah, it kinda makes you think with a miniSD Card and access to cloud storage....


Not just cloud storage, but also cloud computing with Google Docs for office features (replacing MS Office), Mint.com for finances (replacing Quicken), music.google.com (replacing Window Media Player or iTunes), etc.

If you have a network connection the average person can probably live with the above.


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