I bought the Roku Streaming Stick about a month ago and it was able to do all I wanted it to do. It was for use with a tv in my bedroom. I did not want to add another power brick behind my dresser so being able to plug the Stick into the hdmi and the plug the power cord into a usb plug all on the tv was exactly what the doctor ordered. Options for streaming are great. Only negative, probably because I have the power plugged into the usb on the tv instead of directly into the wall where the Stick would always be powered up, is the time it takes for the Roku application to initialize and present a menu.
I have two other Roku boxes and then got the stick and it sucks, way slower on everything especially on Netflix. I Google'd this problem with the stick and it said it's very common on all the reviews I made. I wish I could return it for a box!
The roku streaming stick is the best. It has killed TV and reinvented it. I use it all the time. The apps on it are great and the picture quality is never disappointing. It connects quickly to WiFi, remote and my phone's Roku Remote App. Other reviews have said that this is slightly slower than the Roku 3 box, but I haven't found it slow or lagging at all. It also depends on the app that you're using some apps are unresponsive at times but a quick switch back to the home button fixes everything.
I've had the Roku stick for a while now, and love it. Easy to set up and works great, not to mention it's compact. My college aged daughter uses it the most now, may need another soon.
The hdmi stick is great. I have a roku 2xs and recently purchased the hdmi stick. Although it initially experienced some Netflix freezing it's operating fine now, possibly resolved by a firmware update. Overall a great alternative to cable or satellite.