The Google Chromebit
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- Head to www.squarespac... to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code michaelmjd.
Thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring this video!
Back in 2015, Google released the Chromebit - a stick PC running ChromeOS that could be plugged into a TV. And it was quickly discontinued, with only one model ever being shipped. Let's discover why!
Prototype Chromebook Video: • Google's CR-48 Prototy...
● Patreon:
/ michaelmjd
● Gear I use to make these videos: www.kit.co/mjd
Camera: amzn.to/3ipyKc5
Tripod: amzn.to/3pqxycn
Microphone: amzn.to/35UbkXb
Editing Software (Premiere): amzn.to/39kawfS
Thumbnail Editor (Photoshop): amzn.to/3lVqVN6
● Affiliate Links:
Get a FREE 30-DAY TRIAL of Amazon Prime: amzn.to/2xVmMB3
Get a FREE TRIAL of Audible: amzn.to/44CX7tN
Amazon: www.amazon.com...
● Music/Credits:
Background Music:
"Ersatz Bossa" and "Walk Through the Park" from the TH-cam Audio Library
"Mining by Moonlight", "George Street Shuffle" and "Spy Groove" by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech...
Outro Music: Silent Partner - Bet On It
Amazon Affiliate Notice: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All Amazon links that I provide will use my affiliate code with Amazon.
Some materials in this video are used under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, and research.
#MichaelMJD #ChromeOS #Chromebook
They were widely used in digital signage. Was a big problem when they stopped selling them for our existing installs
Same! We eventually went with more bulky and expensive Chromeboxes.
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
I still have like 5 of these deployed as digital signage. Wish they still sold them were so cost effective a signage.
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
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...
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!)
Would love a follow up like this
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!
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
@@MichaelMJDa creator that actually answers its community great
@@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.
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.
wonder why they made it like that?
Isn't ChromeOS based on Gentoo Linux? If everything is one binary, would that mean that it's all just one process? I feel like the scheduler and multitasking wouldn't work that way.
@@nono-yh2vi The very old versions of Chrome OS were literally just a fullscreen chrome window.
Out of curiosity is this a good thing or bad. What are the pros and cons.
@@1008md bad.
Mostly because it means updates go from being a "download this 30kb package" to "download this 3.6GB image", as well as making arbitrarty EOL dates an option.
Google no longer wants to support this device after X years, they just stop making images available for it, reguardless of if there's any good reason for it (ex, "the hardware is 10 years old and is not able to run the modern version of the OS as needed").
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.
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
@@oliverbriscoe243 ReALLY
@@oliverbriscoe243it is gentoo
@@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
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.
Hmm, yes, the binary… and the blob, of course, makes sense… how did I not think of that? Of course they decouple it, forsooth…
Many embedded systems work this way, with the whole of the OS being one monolithic image.
@@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.
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.
Fun fact: You cant dualboot chrome os!
@@Puppetmaster664 You can, but is a pain in the ass to set it up. Definetly not as straightforward as Linux
@@Puppetmaster664 Fun fact: YOU can't duelboot Chrome OS
@@xNathan2439x yes, you can with grub, but it is a pain in the ass
it not being as straightforward as Linux is very ironic considering Chrome OS is just a heavily specialized Linux distro
You can have the agonizong experience of dissapointment, from the comfort of your own TV!
Oh boy, I can smell the argument comments from here
I am not one to argue. I am indifferent.
@@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
The biggest disappointment* is your spelling.
@@encycl07pedia- not my first language and i don't mix your and you're like many native speakers. I think i'll be fine
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.
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.
Turning a pile of garbage into a slightly smaller pile of garbage
I mean, considering what schools had(and have) before chromebooks, I guess it's better, though that's not saying much.
@@BoxOfToasterswe had windows 7 PCs in 2018 at my school
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.
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.
Some ARM chromebooks can run armbian or the arm port of arch linux.
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!
Exactly fifteen minutes -- very nice
Exactly 13:30 if you have TH-cam Vanced which skips promos and other stuff. Very nice.
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.
“Still more power full than my school Chromebook”💀
What’s funnier is the os is 4 years old and has WAY more features and app support than the new versions of ChromeOS
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).
So if you put 2009 or something it would show that?
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!
Wow your 20 years old
@@h3nryII yes I am, I'm actually turning 21 next Saturday
@@syd5099 wow happy early birthday:) i hope all your dreams come true
@@h3nryII thank you!! :D
@@syd5099 You welcome:)
0:21 Gotta feel bad for Linux when its beat out by the "Who f'n knows" category
The only chrome based system that wouldn’t break😂
Another Google device where they quickly threw in the towel....
hate chrome
i don’t need to watch michelMJD video’s to know that they will be an absolute bangers.(i like em instantly)
Imagine using _ because name was taken (I used them for looks)
@@_lun4r_ imagine using numbers (jk I used to use both)
Hey Michael! Enable developer mode on the chrome bit and get access to local dev terminal that way!
I feel like if schools got more expensive computers then junk chromebooks maybe students would take care of them more
Try Asus Stick PC (TS10) please.
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.
15 years later, and it's still more useless than a regular Linux distro.
Fax
saying first is dumb, trust me, no one cares if you are first
First
@@linusgsebastian... you son of a-
Next.
Okay, but I have one of those that runs Windows...
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
The Windows versions of these were called "Intel Compute Sticks". They came with Windows 8.1.
@@Linus7671 oooo cool
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..
It was widely available for about $69. Still a lot for what it is.
@@firesurfer So, generally it was available at roughly 15$ 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)
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
I guess you could say the Google Chromebit bit off more than it could chew... 😂
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
Chromestick
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
Lenovo has a device this year that is very similar.
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.
"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.
I am getting a cromebook that's been refurbished for my birthday
Have fun!
15 Years in Chrome OS?!
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.
It's the Chromebookmark
(comment originally just said "Chromebookmark")
The Amazon Firrestick is an imitation of the Google Chromecast.
The Chromecast is a scaled down version of this device.
Completely skipped its existence?
Theres one reason I hate ChromeOS, the inability to run .exe files.
It's not windows, Chrome OS is Arm
@@MB-yw7up What?
@AUTOCARR0T He is trying (with as little effort as possible) to explain WHY ChromeOS can't rub .exe files, but honestly that's not super important. I don't care why this car has bad fuel economy, it has bad fuel economy and therefore I don't like it
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
15 years? That reminds me of
Minecraft 15 anniversary
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.
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.
Can you please confirm that Chrome OS devices (Chromebooks, Chromebox) CAN NATIVELY read/write to NTFS formatted HDDs?
I have an old boxy Windows 7 Dell PC that I want to get rid of. However, I also have a 1Tb and a 2Tb external USB backup HDDs, both formatted in NTFS... I know that you HAVE TO install 'Total File Commander & the NTFS patch' for Android phones/tablets (a bit of a faff but hey). BUT... I read somewhere that Chromebooks ARE NATIVELY compatible with NTFS formatted USB sticks and such... I really want to quite the bulky, cumbersome, personal data hungry MAMMOTH of Windows10/11 and switch to Chrome OS, but, THIS part is vital to me as those two HDDs have all of my old files, pictures and a HUGE collection of music and films that I REALLY do not want to lose...
Please help...
Thanks
😎🇬🇧
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.
Didn't Intel and maybe some others make Windows PCs on a stick around that same timeframe. It was a cool idea.
Be Interesting if you made a vid on what will happen if you plugged it in to the chromebook that supports HMTI
Wow how nice, I own a chromebook and an Asus laptop! They're both very cheap in quality but I still use them either way...
I don't understand Chrome OS. Anything that can run Chrome (most things) can do what it does and more
It's all about security. They are totally locked down and immune to viruses. This means A LOT to most users.
@@firesurfer most users being businesses and schools lol
Could you try installing Chrome OS Flex on this device? Maybe this will let you updates to the newest Chrome OS Version.
I think Amazon still sells little compute sticks like this running Intel Atoms and Celerons, would also be cool to check out
good music!
Lol nice
Back in 2018 I bought a Chromebook and it was a terrible experience, it was slow and can't play games on it
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
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?
@@awesomeferret Exactly!!! My similar age and price Intel Compute Stick is still very usable until this Chromebit..
My company uses these to run a slideshow in the lobby 24-7
This is more scary than the USB Killer
The thought of ChromeOS on my monitor sends shivers down my spine…
I still have mine it’s working great still whenever I need it
fun fact most fast food chains use chrome books for their kiosks
got an idea: try putting postmarketOS on it, since it's a Veyron model that probably packs an RK3288 chipset.
I wonder which Chrome OS version you'd end up with on the Chromebit if you switched to the Beta channel.
Nice to see an os/2warp box, my once fav os
Are you Warped ? DOS RULES ! 🤣🤣🤣
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)
I have seen some keyboards and mice combos that use one dongle for everything.
Would be cool to see if you could get Linux running on it
PuppyLinux might do it...I'm running it on a 25 year old IBM Thinkpad; pretty sure there's an ARM-capable version...
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?
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
The name was such a wasted opportunity, I would've gone with Chrome on a Stick
Someone should put a really light distro of Linux on this
Congrats on your first video of the year. It has been my dream to get pinned by a TH-cam channel with over a thousand subscribers
What about using Mr. Chromebox's script to try and install full UEFI firmware for Linux or Windows. Also, you might still be able to access the Linux terminal for ChromeOS, just not the Linux Terminal for the Debian container.
Pressing Ctrl+Alt+T will almost always (even the oldest Chromebooks) get you a terminal for the actual OS, its very locked down but you can do things like browse the filesystem including adding "folders" into the files app etc. if you have developer mode turned on you have even more access by typing in 'shell' and getting right to bash
Good luck running anything on that ancient arm chip lmao
It’s a rockchip that thing is lucky to run chrome os
@@Juanguar I know haha, but worth a shot to try. I don't think it uses the same firmware that most ChromeOS devices use anyway
I think the bootloader for arm chip is entirely different for arm. Mr. Chromebox only cover x86 based chromeOS device. PostmarketOS is probably the best bet for arm based chromeOS device
@@kaitoharrison872 I figured, I never used an arm based ChromeOS device before so I wouldn't know
@@noahhill8483 yeah you can think of them as android devices that happen to run chromeOS
I cannot stand chrome OS. it's- so useless.
Linux applications without needing a Linux pc? Native android emulator?
Waiting for a ps5 in a stick
this was most liekly made as a sort of competitor to the intel compute stick probably
Interesting, the Chromebit actually sounds like something you would install LibreELEC on.
It is tbh
15 years 15 minutes
Chrome OS is the single most limiting operating system i've ever used
I'd love to see the thing hacked to run a regular version of Linux
You updated chrome browser fiest time. Second time trying do ChromeOS it seems. I would never want to use chrome oa. Always hated it.
I put Windows 10 on a Chromebook
Cool!
Whats next? Goldstar gwhd5000 window ac in a stick?
2006 Chevy silverado in a stick
Hey Michael I was looking on Miiverse on my Wii U and I saw this post “I can run Linux on Wii U?” And then someone replied with “Ask MJD” but I cannot find your email in your channel bio so I decided to ask here because I remember the video where you ran Linux on a Wii so why not try it on a Wii U? So if you have a Wii U then I wanna see that that would be cool. And as stated before i know this should be an email but I cannot find your email in your channel links. Thanks! (The idea was from Alvaro on Miiverse)
Let’s just take a look at running a computer OS(?) on your TV… that’s a pretty tiny demographic. Chrome has tried several different markets over time and the only one remotely successful has been the Chromebook… and I’m pretty certain that most of that 2% market share is from schools and they donate most of those so does it really count? Zonin Linux is working on a management console for their OS that is going to, at the very least, rival the Chromebook. But, to be even remotely successful, they will need to donate a bunch of Chromebookish devices to make a dent in the Chromebook in school market.
i watching this on older chrombook from 2019 mine on 103 on dev setting mine also got Linux tab
Honestly, I bought myself one of these and used it as a streaming device and when I just wanted to play around with ChromeOS....
I loved it when it was out..... but in the end, it was easier to just use my playstation for streaming and I got bored of it.....
I wish they'd update it. Mine has an obsolete browser that can't load most of the pages I want and its the most annoying thing in the world. Honestly, fuck ChromeOS.
a wise man (me) once said:
if it can run youtube, google docs , zoom and other work apps it’s all you would need from a chromebook.
I regret buying a chromebook so damn much but luckly I managed to sell it so I could buy a T480 with real linux c:
“I do wish the chromebit returns” - Literally no one
I have one of them plugged into my smart TV just because I got it for free a few years.
"I am a huge fan of chromebooks because a normal PC has WAY too much functionality, power and freedom for my smooth brain." -average chromebook user
Waough
first
I wanted to like chrome os so bad. Def had a few chrome books over the years. Ultimately the os is incomplete
Can I confirm that... Chromebooks/Chromeboxes CAN NATIVELY read/write to Microsoft - NTFS formatted drives??? Like, I have a bulky old Windows PC, and am considering switching to a Chrome OS device, and, I have two External USB backup HDDs (1Tb and a 2Tb) that have a whole bunch of files, music, films and such...
😎🇬🇧
ChromeOS sucks, I don't understand how anyone could willingly use it
The thing about Chrome OS is that Google develop it. I don't like or trust Google.
I got a Chromebit from a charity shop unsure what it was and it was only £30.