The Intel Compute Stick, a snazzy $150 dongle that can turn anything with an HDMI port into a full-fledged Windows computer, made a bit of a splash when it touched down at CES 2015. And now it's landing for real, preorders have started at Amazon and Newegg.
The slight catch is that the retailer on Amazon seems to be listing the good version of the stick (Quad-core 1.33GHz Intel Atom with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of solid state storage) for $180 right now, with a 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, Linux version for $130. Meanwhile Newegg's got the good one for $150 plus shipping.
And then it's also worth noting that between January and now, the playing field has changed juuuust a touch. Google's dongle that turns any TV into a ChromeOS machine has been announced—and for cheaper—but if you have designs on running Windows applications on your TV, the pricier Intel stick is still the way to go.
How does it hold up under pressure? We don't know just yet but you can bet we'll put it through its paces as soon as we get our grubby little paws on one. It looks like the stick actually touches down on May 6th, and we can't wait to mess with one. [Liliputing]