When you think of cotton candy, the first image that probably pops to mind is that airy confectionery so often found at carnivals and fairs. With the introduction of FXI’s Cotton Candy, however, the word takes on a whole new meaning.
The Cotton Candy is, simply put, the world’s smallest computer, measuring 3 inches in length. While it might not be made of sugar, it is totally sweet (had to do it). The tiny computer comes equipped with dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, ARM Mali-400MP GPU, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and a micro-SD slot. On opposing ends is a USB and an HDMI-out for all types of uses and a mini-USB to attach any peripheries.
This little doodad allows users to plug into displays that support USB mass harddrive and connect to personal cloud services. So instead of lugging around a big laptop to your next business trip, you can ultimately have this thumb drive along with a mouse, keyboard and electrical source and plug into an HDMI TV and presto, computer with access to your personal files, games, apps, etc. You can also plug into any standard computer monitor or computer.
The company introduced this tiny computer in November 2011, however the actual unveiling at MWC this year showed a much sleeker design and various colors for the cap-ends. The Cotton Candy does not have any pre-installed OS, so users will have to go online to register and download either Ubuntu or Android 4.0.
Pre-orders are available for the Cotton Candy at the going price of $199 and is expected to ship March 2012. For those that want something similar but easier on the pocket, there’s also the Raspberry Pi which will be on sale on February 29, 2012 for $35. It is pretty much the same concept, just not as pretty.
