FXI Technology Cotton Candy Cstick

FXI technologies was founded in 2006, but has ceased operations since then, this page will serve as an archive/reference of all products and technology that they represented and built.

FXI Technologies was offering the worlds first ever screen microcomputer – a single hardware/software cross-platform that offers the same graphics performance and feature set per pixel as in higher end devices (like the PS3).

Their first device, called the Cstick: Cotton Candy, has been well received in the market as the pioneer in a new category of thumb sized computers also called micro or minicomputers or PCs on a stick.

FXI reference designs were based on open source and offer device OEMs and mobile application developers a variety of rich opportunities to develop products that defy the limits of screen size and walled-garden ecosystems.

Consumers and enterprises benefited from the unprecedented portability, security and computing flexibility of the any screen microcomputer.

What was Cotton Candy?

Cotton Candy is the first generation, any screen microcomputer from FXI Technologies’ line of Cstick device platforms.

It is a USB stick sized computer that provides a single, secure point of access to a user’s personal cloud services and apps through their favorite operating system, while delivering a consistent experience on any screen.

The device serves as a companion to smartphones, tablets, and notebook PCs and Macs, as well adds smart capabilities to existing displays, TVs, set top boxes and other media that supports USB mass storage.

Cotton Candy packs the most computing performance into the smallest size and is the only microcomputer that can be used with laptop and PC screens as well as HDMI displays and TVs.

It’s patented any screen architecture combined with its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities and support for both open source Linux or Android operating systems, makes the device ideal for providing a completely uniform computing experience across the world of screens.

HD computing on any screen
Most computing power per cubic inch
Quad-Core ARM ® Mali™ 400MP GPU
Dual core ARM ® Cortex ™ A9 1.2 GHz CPU
1 GB DRAM + Up to 64 GB local storage
Takes control of any USB or HDMI device
Interfaces with any USB/Bluetooth peripherals
Connects to Internet via WiFi
Supports all major operating systems and device environments
Patented any screen technology
Extremely low power
Patented security features
Mobile components, PC performance

BYOD Enterprise

Challenge

Mixing personal and business applications and data has the potential to introduce malware such as viruses that can infect devices and possibly lead to the compromise of corporate information.

Enterprises must keep data secure for various confidentiality and business reasons.

How to ensure the privacy and security of employer data on a BYOD device?

Solution

With Cotton Candy, business data is locked and remains in the cloud or company-controlled servers, with proper security. Consequently, if the device is lost or stolen, the data is not on the device itself.

Benefits

Cotton Candy enables connectivity to the internet and the cloud and the VPN from anywhere, on any screen – including laptops.
Works within corporate networks.
Customizable.
Supports open source Android and Linux.
Reduces equipment costs and Network Overhead (and the monitoring of your network, unless your using an open-source monitoring program, like Nagios).
Lowers BYOD risks.
Increases reuse and sharing of monitors and accessories.

Consumer Entertainment

Challenge

Consumers are often limited to streaming content to one screen in general at one location.

Also the fragmentation driven by owners of closed ecosystems lead to inefficiencies that cause frustration among users

Solution

Cotton Candy is a complete computer platform that allows a single, secure point of access to all personal cloud services and apps through your favorite operating system, while delivering a consistent experience on any screen.

The device can serve as a portable, secure thin client on PCs, Macs and notebooks as well as a set top box, gaming system, cloud computer and more.

Benefits

Cloud computing for the masses.
Enjoy a familiar computing experience on any system, while surfing the Internet freely, using typical programs and accessing sensitive files without the concern of intermingling data or leaving behind personal files and passwords.
HD video and performance gaming on the go.
Access cloud entertainment everywhere and share it on any screen.
Easy to use.
Lightweight, portable and durable.
Works with Bluetooth, Wifi and RF peripherals from smartphones, to remotes to keyboards and game controllers.

Development Platform

Challenge

Content aggregators and software and game developers strive to make a consistent user experience across all screens, but to get there they all must contend with the high level of fragmentation in computing power in TV-sets, tablets and computer screens.

Solution

Cotton Candy represents one platform providing one user experience on all devices.

Cotton Candy allows any Intel processor-based laptop or PC with a USB connection to be used as a thin client to the Android or Linux Ubuntu operating systems running on the Cotton Candy.

Use multiple SD cards to house multiple OS – for instance one Android and one Linux. With Cotton Candy you can boot from separate Micro SDs.

Benefits

Cotton Candy supports all major operating systems and device environments.
Familiar user interface across all screens improves productivity.
Affordable.
Portable.
Open source Android and Linux code (learn more Coding on CodersEye.com).
Leverage FXI kernel and OS drops.
Interact with Cstick technical forums and support.
JTAG and Serial Connector debug boards available.

Digital Signage

Customer

Retail advertising, retail branding, corporate communications, restaurants, corporations, education, government, hospitality.

Challenge

Employing digital signage typically requires complex integration's of individual components from multiple sellers; this usually results in high total cost of ownership and limited scalability, along with possible network troubleshooting in order to make the system work correctly.

Additionally, many digital signage deployments are PC-based so they are exposed to the same security problems associated with PCs.

Solution

Cotton Candy is a cost-effective and high performance digital signage solution. It decodes MPEG-4, H.264 and other video formats and display HD graphics on any HDMI equipped screen.

Content can be controlled via smartphones, keyboards, mice and other USB peripherals.

Benefits

Easily display your brand messages and images on any screen.
Add smart capabilities to existing displays and TVs, while providing security. The data is processed in Cotton Candy and stored in the cloud.
Works with most Bluetooth, RF and Wi-Fi peripherals.
Use your smartphone as a remote.
Completely customizable.
Minimal expertise or support required to deploy.

Smart TV

Customer

Subscribers of media services that need to be delivered via a standard Set Top Box

Challenge

Smart TVs integrate streaming video, digital video recordings and Internet content running complete operating system software. The only problem is that all those hot features come at a high price.

Solution

Keep your old TV, connect Cotton Candy with an HDMI TV, plug in a USB power cord to an electrical source, then manage your on-screen media with a SmartPhone, Bluetooth/WiFi mouse and keyboard, or a Remote Control.

Benefits for consumers

Access Cloud apps and documents, play games, surf the web, view photos and HD video on the big screen with friends, colleagues and family.
All your personal media can be shared and enjoyed on whatever screen is convenient wherever you go.
HD quality entertainment on any screen.
Carry it in your pocket or purse, lightweight, durable.
Maintain privacy when you want it.

Benefits for Service Providers

Branded Cotton Candy allows service providers to build an ecosystem around the device, this enables the subscriber to access the services from anywhere, potentially increasing service consumption and recurring revenue.
Sell a variety of accessories.
Great companion product to smartphones and tablets.

Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy is the first ever Cstick platform and the only any screen computer currently on the market to device makers and software developers today.

In the size and form factor of a USB memory stick it holds a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1 GB RAM, wireless connectivity and graphics and media processing power to drive a 1080p HD display.

Cotton Candy’s versatility, flexibility and any screen connectivity make it ideal for:

Corporate Any Screen Computers
Custom Branded Entertainment Devices
Management of Confidential Documentation
Digital Signage
Cloud Computing on the Go
Big Screen Entertainment
Making Any Screen Smart
Running Android or Linux on Any PC or TV
Developing Software Applications

Cstick Platform

What defines the Cstick Platform?

Any Screen technology and a revolutionary form-factor enabling a wide range of new use cases.

With the ability to go anywhere and make any computer, or indeed any screen, a thin client for your personal computer, and a secure access point to the cloud, the possibilities are virtually endless.

Processor

Cstick utilizes the best in high-end multi-core embedded CPUs in order to provide the heavy lifting required by PC-class applications and compatibility with an enormous software ecosystem.

Graphics

Market-leading GPU technology for acceleration of anything from advanced User Interfaces to console-class gaming and real-time digital signage, all in HD resolutions.

Media processing

Acceleration of both legacy and cutting-edge media formats, equally suited for web browsing and premium content distribution.

Connectivity

High-speed internet connectivity and standard interfaces for display, power and communication are a crucial part of the ability to be anywhere and connect to anything at any time.

Ecosystem

Cstick software stack is built on widely supported OS distributions and FXI provide both binary and source releases in order to let developers customize the platform according to their specific needs.

Any Screen IP

Other micro and minicomputers claim to bring smart technology to “dumb” screens, but the FXI Cstick: Cotton Candy is the only product designed to work with HDMI and USB interfaces.

Translation, FXI’s patented solutions allow for connecting and interfacing with the Cstick compute platform through standard file storage protocols from ANY SCREEN – including Mac, Linux or Windows laptops, monitors and TVs.

Run Android on your Mac or Linux on your Windows laptop, while maintaining the integrity of the content on each device.

No matter what screen a Cotton Candy visits, it delivers a uniform, secure and completely private computing experience.

How it Works

There is complete separation between Cstick and whatever host environment and OS / computer it is connected to.

The host computer simply becomes a thin client for Cstick making it perfect for virtualization of work and private computer environments, bring-your-own-device scenarios, and as a key or “gatekeeper” for secure cloud access.

Through the FXI Any Screen IP™, Cstick is able to utilize any resources present in the host, such as keyboards, mice/touchpads, display and audio output, and even the networking capabilities of the host computer if desired. Interact directly with Android on the device to debug apps, play games and more.

No custom drivers are required meaning that no additional software installation or administrator access is required in order to connect a Windows / OSX / Linux computer to Cstick.

Any computer or other electronic device that supports file system access to removable storage can utilize the FXI Any Screen technology found in the Cstick platform.

For Android

The hardware capabilities of Cotton Candy enable it to run a wide variety of different operating systems for different purposes and preferences.

A single device can switch between different operating systems simply by switching between different microSD cards.

FXI provides official releases of Android ICS and Ubuntu Linux for Cotton Candy, both in binary and source form, with the source code releases forming the basis for anyone wanting to port new OSes to the platform.

Android

The Android code base for Cotton Candy is built on a 3.4 Linux kernel and based on the widely support Android ICS releases from Linaro.

For Linux

Linux

The standard Linux code base for Cotton Candy is built on a 3.4 kernel and based on the widely support ARM Ubuntu releases from Linaro.

This page is here to serve as a reference to FXItech.com and their technologies, we are in no way affiliated with them or the product mentioned above.

This page is for historical reference and reading. No copyright infringements intended.