Anyone using PC sticks? Any good use for them?

[taquito]

Anyone using PC sticks at home? What are the advantages of using it? If want to watch TV and also check emails, use ms office/excel etc, is it good to use PC sticks or got other better options? Thanks!

 

[Proximus]

Anyone using PC sticks at home? What are the advantages of using it? If want to watch TV and also check emails, use ms office/excel etc, is it good to use PC sticks or got other better options? Thanks!

Raspberry Pi 4

 

[watzup_ken]

Raspberry Pi 4

While I feel Pi 4 is a good compact PC, I have to admit there is certain level of learning curve there. So unless one is comfortable with messing around in a new OS, I will not recommend a Pi. This is based on my own experience.

For TS, even a cheap Android box will suffice. Of course when using MS Excel, don't expect it to be as quick as a full fledge laptop/ desktop. Also the limited amount of ram may be a problem.

 

[wwenze]

Ahh, yes, they used to be a thing in like 2012. I remember buying one for my parents' dumb TV.

One of the most useless thing I have bought.

 

[Ye_Rongtian]

Can use it to watch Netflix / YouTube / any videos

 

[Proximus]

While I feel Pi 4 is a good compact PC, I have to admit there is certain level of learning curve there. So unless one is comfortable with messing around in a new OS, I will not recommend a Pi. This is based on my own experience.

For TS, even a cheap Android box will suffice. Of course when using MS Excel, don't expect it to be as quick as a full fledge laptop/ desktop. Also the limited amount of ram may be a problem.

I beg to differ...

Raspbian installation have come a long way and it is very simple to install.

1) Download and unzip the "Raspbian" image from the Raspbian website
- download Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit) with desktop and recommended software

2) Download and install balenaEtcher

3)Plug in your uSD card

4)Launch balenaEtcher, select the Raspbian Buster, your uSD card, and then click Flash.

5) Insert the uSD card into the Pi, connect LAN, HDMI to the TV and you are off to the races...

It will boot into GUI where all the required apps such as Chromium, LibreOffice..etc are already installed.

 

[taquito]

it will be used by elderly in 80s, dont think raspberry is good idea?

 

[Proximus]

it will be used by elderly in 80s, dont think raspberry is good idea?

Well I agree and disagree....

Let's not confused with setup and usage. Assuming TS do the proper setup and the Pi GUI usage is as like normal Windows machine at the end of of the day since you mentioned about office apps.

If you get PC stick running Windows, you also have to "teach" them what to click to launch apps.

PC stick is much more expensive than Pi (I gotten mine at < $130 all in) and it is much more powerful than the PC stick.

Good performance PC stick easily > $300

If above is way to complicated, then your best bet will be Chromecast or Android Box but then there is the same learning curve on how to use the GUI just like Pi.

Here my Pi running headless (remote VNC), just to show you the GUI.

 

[watzup_ken]

I beg to differ...

Raspbian installation have come a long way and it is very simple to install.

1) Download and unzip the "Raspbian" image from the Raspbian website
- download Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit) with desktop and recommended software

2) Download and install balenaEtcher

3)Plug in your uSD card

4)Launch balenaEtcher, select the Raspbian Buster, your uSD card, and then click Flash.

5) Insert the uSD card into the Pi, connect LAN, HDMI to the TV and you are off to the races...

It will boot into GUI where all the required apps such as Chromium, LibreOffice..etc are already installed.

I've used a Pi4 earlier and aware of the steps to get it to work. But I feel you are assuming that people will be fine to go through these steps, as oppose to buying a PC/ Android box that is ready to use out of the box. Which is why I mentioned clearly, there is some level of learning curve as oppose to a ready to use out of the box device.

In addition, Pi4 don't come with cooler, case, charger, micro HDMI cable and storage out of the box. Which means you need to separately procure or buy as a bundle and install them. For people that don't mind exploring/ DIY, I would certainly recommend a Pi. For those looking at plug and play, I would recommend looking elsewhere.