We all remember the FXI TECH Cotton Candy USB thumb drive computer, we showcased last year on the site. Which housed a 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU, quad-core GPU ARM Mali-400 MP , Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, micro SD card slot for storage(64GB max), and a HDMI jack. FXI Cotton Candy had been dubbed the worlds smallest computer in a thumb drive; development units went on preorder in February of 2012 and was expected to ship in March of 2012.Now that march has come and going and we are well into May; some have begun to call the device vaporware. So we put out a call to FXI TECH with some pertinent questions about their the status of Cotton Candy…….
I Want Candy – Official Statement
The Cstick Cotton Candy development units are delayed beyond the original March ship date, due to some hardware modifications and extended software testing. Scandinavian pre-orders start shipping this month, with the balance of the pre-orders shipping throughout the Summer. At this time, pre-orders are closed as we have gone beyond our expected volume of orders.
Questions
1. Since taking Pre-orders in February with an expected available date in March, which has come and gone. Some are calling the FXI Cotton Candy Vaporware, what do you say to that?
Answer- FXI decided to change the plastic cover on the device. This change has allowed us to also add a micro USB port for adding more input devices and peripherals. The new plastic also enhances the durability of the product. We have included some photos of the final plastics and packaging taken right off of our production line. It’s looking great! Cotton Candy will be very nice to carry in a purse, briefcase or pocket and will remain protected with its’ rubber USB and HDMI covers.
2. How soon can we expect a release?
Answer- Development units will begin shipping this month and the balance of the orders will be fulfilled throughout the Summer. Orders are being delivered first to those in our hometown of Norway and Scandinavia, closely followed by other geographical regions. You will be notified by email when your pre-order is ready to ship, and at that time, you will be asked to pay for the device. Be sure to respond promptly!
FXI Cotton Candy branded consumer device delivery will be better estimated as we move forward in the development process, therefore at this time we do not wish to estimate an exact date.
3. Your closest competitor in the market is the Raspberry Pi, how do you differentiate yourself from them?
Answer- Truly, we don’t see them as a competitor. If anything, the popularity of their device validates the form factor of micro-computing, however, their product has a very specific target audience that requires much different feature sets and performance points, and that’s education. Cotton Candy has much higher performing components as well as patented and patent-pending FXI USB functionality for any screen (including laptops) computing. We are rooting for the success of Raspberry Pi. Our respective target markets are plenty big enough for each of us.
4. The FXI Cotton Candy will be launching with ICS, so can we expect a custom UI overlay or will it be running stock Android?
Answer- The first development devices will support standard Android. The Cstick Cotton Candy platform brings immense value to a variety of consumer electronics devices and markets, including but not limited to, Cloud Service Partners, Content and Game Publishers, IPTV and OTT Operators, Mobile Device Vendors, Mobile Operators, Mobile Phone Makers, and PC Makers. Therefore, in addition to the FXI Cotton Candy, we expect a variety of unique OEM branded products will be making their way to market in different form factors.
5. In the past you mention support for several OS, besides Android. Windows and Ubuntu to be specific. What is the time line for those versions release?
Answer-Currently the plan is to support Android ICS and Ubuntu Linux.
6. Looking towards the future, will you be offering different models, in terms of specs?
Answer- While FXI plans to intro its own device, the company is truly developing a micro-computing platform. Cotton Candy has garnered a great deal of interest from commercial partners. We have been approached about a wide range of global commercial and strategic partnerships, which are in development and may have different features or form factors, but we are not able to discuss these at this time. That said, some of the vertical markets we are driving forward include Cloud Service Partners, Content and Game Publishers, IPTV and OTT Operators, Mobile Device Vendors, Mobile Operators, Mobile Phone Makers, and PC Makers.
At FXI, we strive to provide you with the most complete version of the product that you were expecting, and for that reason delays have happened. We hope this helps clarify the current status of deliveries. Please keep an eye out in the next few weeks for photos and video from the lab. Ongoing updates will be available via our newsletter, the FXI blog, on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and within the Cotton Candy community –www.cstick.com.
So there you have it; delay was caused by hardware change, in design and additions. First set of preorders will ship this month,with Norwegian and Scandinavian preorders shipping first and the rest will be throughout the summer. We hope to get a review unit soon. We we will tell you how well the device fares. Till then enjoy the renders and stay tuned for more updates.
