# Cotton Candy

> single-board computer

**Wikidata**: [Q3063477](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3063477)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Candy_(single-board_computer))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cotton-candy

## Summary
Cotton Candy is a $199 Norwegian single-board computer that ships in a Stick-PC form factor and boots both Android and Ubuntu. Designed to plug directly into a display’s HDMI port, it turns any screen into a pocket-sized PC.

## Key Facts
- **Price**: US $199 (2012 list)
- **Form factor**: Stick PC (dongle that plugs into an HDMI port)
- **CPU**: ARM-based SoC with Mali GPU
- **Operating systems**: Android and Ubuntu (dual-boot)
- **Country of origin**: Norway
- **Manufacturer website**: http://www.fxitech.com
- **Wikidata ID**: Cotton_Candy_(single-board_computer)-GX4X8P
- **Freebase ID**: /m/0h_f55pw
- **Sitelink count**: 3 (English, French, Russian Wikipedia editions)

## FAQs
### Q: What is Cotton Candy?
A: Cotton Candy is a USB-stick-sized computer that plugs into an HDMI port and runs Android and Ubuntu. It was marketed as “any screen computing.”

### Q: How much did Cotton Candy cost?
A: The launch price was US $199, positioning it between hobby boards and full PCs.

### Q: Who made Cotton Candy?
A: Norwegian start-up FXI Technologies designed and sold the device under the Cotton Candy brand.

### Q: Can it run desktop applications?
A: Yes—when booted into Ubuntu it provides a full Linux desktop; in Android mode it behaves like a tablet interface.

## Why It Matters
Cotton Candy was among the first commercial computers to squeeze an entire system into an HDMI dongle, predating the Intel Compute Stick and Amazon Fire TV Stick by more than a year. By combining the low power of ARM with the openness of Ubuntu, it offered developers a palm-sized platform for digital-signage, kiosks, and lightweight desktops without the clutter of cables or separate boxes. Its $199 price point made pocket computing accessible to educators, tinkerers, and emerging-market users who needed a second PC but could not afford a laptop. Although FXI Technologies dissolved before mass-market adoption, Cotton Candy’s “plug-and-forget” concept accelerated the Stick-PC category and influenced later HDMI compute sticks from major OEMs.

## Notable For
- First widely publicized ARM Stick PC to dual-boot Android and Ubuntu
- Pre-dated the consumer HDMI compute-stick boom by ~18 months
- Shipped in a form factor smaller than a pack of gum while providing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB host
- Demonstrated Mali GPU performance in a pocket-sized Linux desktop

## Body
### Hardware
Cotton Candy measures roughly 8 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, enclosing an ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core SoC, a Mali-400 MP GPU, 1 GB RAM, and up to 64 GB microSD storage. Power comes through a USB port on the device; HDMI 1.4 supplies video and audio to the display. A full-size USB-A connector accepts keyboards, hubs, or storage, while onboard Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 handle networking and peripherals.

### Software
The unit ships with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and Ubuntu 12.04 images on internal flash. Users choose the OS at boot via a switch on the case. Both environments share the same kernel, simplifying driver maintenance. FXI released kernel source and an Ubuntu rootfs tarball, enabling community ports to Fedora and Debian.

### Market Reception
Announced at CES 2012, Cotton Candy garnered press for its size but faced supply delays. Small production runs reached developers by mid-2012. Critics praised the concept but noted thermal throttling under sustained load and limited graphics drivers for Linux. Sales figures were never disclosed; FXI Technologies filed for bankruptcy in Norway in 2014, ending firmware updates.

### Legacy
The open kernel tree and hardware schematics remain archived on GitHub and enthusiast forums, sustaining small-scale educational use. Cotton Candy is cited in academic papers on mobile SoC thermals and cited by later stick-PC vendors as prior art.