14 DAY TRIAL // FXI just made an item that, if one were to wax poetically, can be succinctly described as the flash drive that is not a flash drive.
More precisely, though, outwardly, it has the appearance of a flash drive unit, whereas the interior is anything but.
Granted, there is enough space for a micro-SDHC card reader, so buyers can give it flash storage space if they so wish.
Still, in the end, the Cotton Candy is a cloud-client computer, or at least a small gizmo that can turn HDTVs or full-fledged PCs into something of the sort (so this report says, at any rate).
One end of the device has a USB port, while the other has an HDMI connector.
Plugging it in an HDTV, along with a wireless keyboard and mouse, provided said peripherals have Bluetooth or WiFi, will leave owners with a cloud desktop.
The operating system is either Android or Ubuntu and, whether people believe it or not, the Cotton Candy has all the computer parts crammed together in an 8 x 2.5 cm frame (3.1 x 1 inches).
Then again, it would probably be more accurate to say the newcomer has more in common with high-end smartphones than computers.
The ARM Mali-400MP quad-core GPU complements the ARM Cortex-A9 processor (has a frequency of 1.20 GHz).
FXI also put in 1 GB of RAM (random access memory) and, of course, the Bluetooth (2.1 + EDR) and WiFi b/g/n.
One needs only plug the USB port, after which the OS will load on its own. Connecting an Android smartphone and using its touchscreen for input is possible as well.
Unfortunately, the device will only start selling during the second half of next year (2012). At least the price of $200 (148 Euro) and the weight of 21 grams speak in its favor.