Intel's $150 "Compute Stick" Turns Your TV into a Windows Desktop

Intel has just brought forth the ability to turn any television set into a fully fledged Windows 8.1 PC with the help of a mere HDMI dongle. Dubbed the Intel Compute Stick, the device may be of particular interest to those hooked on Netflix, and a promising alternative from other similar devices such as Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. Other than TV and movie streaming capabilities, the Compute Stick is geared more towards basic features that suit work more than play, as the dongle hosts only a quad-core 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of solid state storage — hardcore gamers may now head back to the homepage. It does however support WiFi and Bluetooth, as well as both a full-size USB and microSD port for storage expansion. In a nutshell, as long as you have an HDMI monitor around (plus keyboard and mouse of course), plug this little guy in and you’ll have yourself a working computer. Head here for the Intel Compute Stick’s full specifications, which retails for $150 USD.