Some of you may have heard of Cotton Candy, the first USB thumb drive Android computing device. Cotton Candy was designed by FXI, and when connected to a computer, the thumb drive launches Android 4.0 and allows you to use your desktop OS outside of that window. Sounds fantastic on paper, right? Of course, one of the main problems with Cotton Candy is its price point, a daunting $200. Everyone looking for an affordable alternative, meet the MK802 Android PC on a Stick.
The MK802 is available right now from AliExpress for $74. That $74 price tag will net you a device with a 1.5 GHz Allwinner A10 processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 4GB of storage. It will also ship with Android 4.0, but you will likely be able to install other operating systems of your choice such as Ubuntu or the variety of other Linux flavors out there. The device is really tiny - measuring 3.5 inches x 1.4 inches x 0.4 inches - so it will definitely be something you can carry with you. The MK802 has HDMI ports instead of connectors, so if you want to hook it up to your TV you will need to use cables rather than plugging it directly into your set. There is no remote control supplied, but because the device has USB Host support, you will be able to connect a mouse and keyboard in order to work with the device. It also has a Micro USB port, a microSD card slot for extra storage, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi to connect your home network.
You'll be making a few sacrifices going with this device instead of Cotton Candy, but for less than half the price many of you should consider the drop in specs acceptable. Furthermore, since Cotton Candy is still in a limited-run production phase and not widely available for the general public yet, that makes the MK802 an even worthier choice. The Cotton Candy has a 1.2 GHz Exynos dual core processor, while the MK802 has only a single core chip. The former device also has HDMI connectors rather than ports, so you will be losing some convenience there.
How many of you would consider picking one of these up? Are any developers or potential developers out there interested, or even regular tinkerers who would just like to play around with Android 4.0, either on your TV or on the PC? Let us know in comments below!
Comment