[skoenig]

The Magicstick is a PC on a stick that you can plug into the back of a TV or projector.

It runs Windows 10 on basically the same platform as a Surface Pro 3 but it's $99. Because it's a full Windows 10 machine it can happily play media from your network and stream media from services such as Amazon Video, NetFlix, Hulu, BBC etc. Kodi, MPC-HC all work fine on the platform (I have a Tronsmart ARA X5 which is the same platform). They say it will ship in time for xmas and they've already hit 3 stretch goals so there's extra free swag included.

It's nearing the end of the fundraising period and has working prototypes so a bit less risky. Videos aren't great but show it working... I'd rather they spent money making it better anyway.

There's three versions the One, One+ and Wave with a few variants in between that you can get by paying for incremental upgrades if you wish.

They're all a stick form factor and can be powered over USB meaning no brick, dual boot (W10/Android), HDMI 2, IOT Remote, MicroSD, decent WIFI and a few USB 2/3 sockets. Both claim 4K playback (of HW accelerated codecs presumably)...

I don't know if the z8700 handles 10bit HEVC in H/W or hybrid mode.



One
z8300 (possibly z8350)
Up to 4k @ 30fps
2gb RAM (can go to 4gb)
32gb MMC (can go to 64gb)
802.11 a/b/g/n to up 300mbps
1 x USB3
2x USB 2
[S]$99[/S] $139

One+
Like One but with
z8500 (possibly z8550)
4GB Ram
[S]$165[/S] No Longer Viewable

Wave
z8700 (possibly z8750)
Up to 4k @ 60FPS
8gb Ram
64 GB MMC
802.11 ac/n up to 1gbps
USB 3.1 Type C
2x USB 3
[S]$249[/S] $329

Wave + (recently added)
CPU not specified but likely the same as Wave(?)
128GB eMMC + 128GB SD
Fully Activated Windows 10
USB 3.0 LAN/Ethernet adapter cable
$499

They're setup to dual boot (unlike the Ara) but have Windows 10 Home Trial on it...a genuine key will cost you $30 from eBay probably so if you keep W10 you'll have to factor that in. They've hit 3 of the stretches so you get the following thrown in for free:

- a small HDMI extender cable for easier placement
- USB 3.1 Charger
- Hibernation Battery (the unit has enough power to hibernate if you simply pull it out the power)

It's possible they may also ship with the newer and slightly faster z8x50 variants of Cherry Trail it all depends on timing apparently.

More info on the Magic Stick project here http://igg.me/at/magicstick/x/1979944

[skoenig]

It's nearly over! I went in for a One+.