Tiny computers are so awesome. From the so-loved Raspberry Pi to a good ol' Chromecast HDMI stick, portable mini-computers are usually very functional, and very reasonably priced. The one thing that could make streaming devices this even better though, is if they were programmable; surely it would help the Internet of Things (IoT). The $55-$140 CuBox is all of that, and rather than being a bare board, its an adorable little box-shaped open PC.

The little 3 ounce, 2 x 2 x 2 device is a streaming box made by Israel-based company SolidRun, who first started creating the programmable mini-PC back in 2011 when the business began. It boasts 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, runs a Vivante GC2000 graphics processor, and is built around a Freescale I.MX6 Quad Core system-on-a-chip (SoC). It also runs Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, comes with Android pre-loaded with the option to run Linux (Network World).

Use it to stream your favorite media, TV, as networked storage, or as a fully functional, personal computer. More storage is available by upgrading from the CuBox original to the CuBox-i2, or for twice the memory, the CuBox-i4Pro, which still only weighs in at 3.2 ounces. The company CEO, Kossay Omary claims that this is currently the smallest computer in the world (Israel 21). With so many others competing for such a cause, it validated Omary, that going in this direction over three years back was a good idea. It sure was. The IoT is a “growth vehicle”, and we're getting more and more into the idea of computers communicating with computers. Therefore, why would we want large, bulky devices all around our homes? Small is where it's at.