Intel Compute Stick
It look a little longer than expected, but Intel’s Compute Stick PC is up for pre-order through some online stores.
The stick-sized computer is available in the US in a choice of Windows or Linux flavours.
Regardless of operating system, the Compute Stick comes with an Intel Atom quad-core processor, 2Gb of RAM, 32Gb of storage and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. It plugs directly into a monitor or TV via HDMI, and is powered through a Micro USB jack on the side of the stick. There’s also a full-sized USB port, and Bluetooth 4.0 for connecting a mouse and keyboard.
Price: From $89
Acer Revo One RL85
The multifaceted Acer Revo One RL85 can be a PC, but it also can sit in a corner and serve as a media player or be used for backup storage.
At just 15.5cm tall, the desktop can have storage capacity of up to 6Tb in three slots, but the entry-level model comes with just a 60Gb solid-state drive. There is support for multiple drives in RAID configurations, which is important when backing up and syncing data between multiple hard drives or over a network.
It is also possible to control the desktop remotely through an iOS and Android app called Acer Revo Suite, which allows users to watch movies, view pictures and access other multimedia files stored in the PC. That gives it appeal as a multimedia centre, especially if the desktop is connected to a TV set.
The desktop also comes with a remote control, which can function as a minikeyboard and a scrolling device. Another app, called Acer Smart Control, allows multimedia files to be streamed from mobile devices to the PC and on to a connected TV.
At the back of the PC are two USB 3 ports, two USB 2 ports, an Ethernet slot, and two display – HDMI and DisplayPort – ports. In all, the desktop can support up to 8Gb of DDR3 DRAM. An oddly placed SD card slot sits on top of the PC. The desktop comes with 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Price: From $249.99
Roku 2
Roku has upped its game in the media streaming market with new features for its Roku player and a new version of the mid-range Roku 2. New features include search and My Feed to better compete with the liked of the Google Chromecast, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
Roku already makes some of the best media streamers on the market but things are about to get a whole lot better for new and existing customers. The firm is bringing search functionality to its range of Roku players as well as an interesting new feature called My Feed.
Search is a pretty self-explanatory feature but it’s particularly handy in this case as not only can you search for channels (apps) – useful since there are more than 1,400 – but you can search for content across apps. You can search for a film, actor, director or TV show and the results will tell you where you can stream that content from.
Not only will it search across channels, it will also rank the results via price and also show you channels which has the content which you haven’t installed.
My Feed is a great feature if there are particular films you want to watch but they haven’t arrived on streaming services such as Netflix. You can browse a list of movies which are currently being shown in the cinema and add the ones you like the look of to your feed by following them – similar to following someone on Twitter – you’ll then be notified when that title is available on your Roku.
These new features are available for US Roku owners from today while those in the UK and Ireland will receive it early in May. There’s more good news as the iOS and Android versions of the Roku app will be updated with the search and My Feed features – in early May.
Price: From £69
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