
Intel Compute Stick Review: Don’t Buy It - kjhughes
http://gizmodo.com/intel-compute-stick-review-don-t-buy-it-1699377058
======
nickysielicki
The author did not seem to seriously consider that the use case of this is not
intended to be an HTPC replacement / equivilant.

Just because it follows the form factor of the chromecast and firestick does
not mean that it needs to match that ease of use on a TV.

I don't buy this review. The author doesn't seem to understand the niche that
this device is best for.

~~~
deeviant
Do you care to enlighten us on what niche this device is best for?

~~~
nickysielicki
It's a chromebook that runs a full OS. What this device is good for:

* Grandma and Grandpa need a PC to read their email, watch YouTube, and maybe make a christmas card in Word. They don't care about playing Dark Souls II because they're not 12 year olds. They just need a cheap computer that isn't their eMachine from 2005. This outperforms it.

* I want a web terminal in my kitchen for reading recipes, or in my garage for watching YouTube tutorials and running some obscure software to program my car.[1]

Why is it better than a chromebox/book?

* You need / want software that isn't available in a browser. And with this device, you don't have to hack on the BIOS to boot another OS.

Where this device is beaten:

* I want to a dedicated device to stream Twitch or Netflix (Get a $30 set-top device meant to do graphics intensive things, not a general computer)

[1]:
[http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=175](http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=175)
// my brother uses an old laptop for this currently.

~~~
thejrk
No way would I give this to my Grandma.

------
irascible
Meanwhile the 150$ Chromebook I bought is still working flawlessly after 2+
years. Best cheap ass lap top I've ever had.

------
Arzh
> You would think a computer expressly designed to plug into a TV would have
> an option for overscan correction, yes? You’d be wrong—the Compute Stick
> doesn’t support that at all.

I could have sworn that win8.1 has overscan correction. I don't really think
that is a failing of the hardware, unless it's a failing in the graphics
driver, which I don't think it is but I need to investigate further.

The rest of the review is equally awful.

