$25 (£16) PC Ready for Launch

Bare bones Raspberry Pi PC gets ready to launch

The eagerly anticipated Raspberry Pi home computer is about to go into production.

The $25 (£16) machine is being created in the hope that it will inspire a new generation of technology whizz kids.

The Pi uses an Arm chip similar to that found in mobile phones and is intended to run a version of the Linux open source operating system.

Test versions of finished devices are being checked and if all is well volume production will start in January.

The idea for Raspberry Pi came from video game veteran David Braben who was searching for a way to inspire young people to start a career in technology...

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This looks like it's got serious potential to be a game-changer. At that price almost everyone on the planet could at least have access to a PC, albeit scaled-down. It could also have the potential to encourage kids away from the passivity of game play and into the realm of... game creation.

Here's a quote from the FAQs on the manufacturer's website :

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video. We want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn programming.

Where do you see this going? Will it fulfil its potential? And what other avenues do you see it opening up?

reply to post by pause4thought


It looks like a network card or an old modem card but it's actually the whole mother board, interesting, things just keep getting smaller, thanks for sharing!

reply to post by pause4thought


Wow its was put together by David Braben the guy who made the original Elite game which was probably the first real 3d game of its type. The guy was a genius , he manged to squeeze 8 galaxies of 3d game play into just 32k of memory back in the day.

Its great to know he's still in the game and going strong

heres the specs for it :

How do I connect a mouse and keyboard?
Mice, keyboards, network adapters and external storage will all connect via a USB hub.

What display can I use?
There is composite and HDMI out on the board, so you can hook it up to a digital or analogue television or to a DVI monitor. There is no VGA support, but adaptors are available.

What about audio?
There’s a standard 3.5mm jack, or you can use HDMI. You can add any supported USB microphone via a hub.

Does the device support networking? Is there Wi-Fi?
The Model B version of the device includes 10/100 wired Ethernet. There is no Ethernet on the Model A version (which we expect to be taken up mostly by the education market), but Wi-Fi will be available via a standard USB dongle.

What are the power requirements?
The device is powered by 5v micro USB. You can read more about it here.

Is there a GPU binary?
Yes. The GPU binary also contains the first stage bootloader.

What SoC are you using?
The SoC is a Broadcom BCM2835.

Can I run power Raspberry Pi from batteries as well as from a wall socket?
Yes. The device should run well off 4xAA cells.

reply to post by pause4thought


This is a really stupid idea and will be a flop.

This will be big flop commercially ,except for the nerds and geeks who will buy it but who are hated by everyone because they are smarter and are a very,very small minority.

This is why the derogatory terms were invented for smart people just look at the word NERD.Very similar to the n word that is used to put down blacks.

Girls hate nerds and geeks and would prefer a bozo type who beats them up as they find it exciting and dangerous and "edgy".

Look at the word "geek" specially invented by the thickos and comes with that stereotyped image seen in every movie.

Everyone hates nerds and geeks even though that cell phone permanently glued to their hands nowadays was invented by geeks and nerds rather than by that boozed up thug in the pub.

It will be a flop commercially as i can right now buy a self portable contained netbook type tablet for £47 on ebay with a screen and ease of use.

Some are even cheaper and will get cheaper.

Do you really think an MTV generation kid in their right mind is going to buy something that will cause mental exertion?

reply to post by nobodysavedme


Forgive me for being a little blunt, but you seem to be suffering from rather acute nerdophobia. Standard treatment includes intensive recourse to 'Teach Yourself C++' accompanied by a year's free membership of Starfleet.

This is a really stupid idea and will be a flop.

This will be big flop commercially...

I respect you for coming in with a different perspective. But if I follow your reasoning correctly the main pitfall is that the device will only appeal to geeks. Yet looking at it from a purely commercial angle I would have thought it is cleverly priced to create a new market amongst young people who may not want to share a family PC. It should also appeal enormously to people of every age in poorer regions. (Sorry if this sounds like a marketing pitch: I have no connection with the company at all — I just think it's a truly significant innovation.)

Whether owners turn to programming may depend on whether teaching materials are made specially available to back up this stated goal of the company.

I can at least see an unquestionably huge market in the education sector, not to mention the business sector.

Do you really think an MTV generation kid in their right mind is going to buy something that will cause mental exertion?

If you catch the next generation early enough, who knows. Kids / young people actually enjoy stimulation. They only vegetate when stimulation is withdrawn or they're left to spend hours with computer games with little input from parents. (An unsupervised Playstation / X-Box in the bedroom can arguably represent a step backwards — though even those games are not without merit in terms of stimulation, in good measure, and if age-appropriate.)

Personally I think the possibilities for this device are endless.

Originally posted by pause4thought
reply to post by nobodysavedme

 

Forgive me for being a little blunt, but you seem to be suffering from rather acute nerdophobia. Standard treatment includes intensive recourse to 'Teach Yourself C++' accompanied by a year's free membership of Starfleet.

This is a really stupid idea and will be a flop.

This will be big flop commercially...

I respect you for coming in with a different perspective. But if I follow your reasoning correctly the main pitfall is that the device will only appeal to geeks. Yet looking at it from a purely commercial angle I would have thought it is cleverly priced to create a new market amongst young people who may not want to share a family PC. It should also appeal enormously to people of every age in poorer regions. (Sorry if this sounds like a marketing pitch: I have no connection with the company at all — I just think it's a truly significant innovation.)

Whether owners turn to programming may depend on whether teaching materials are made specially available to back up this stated goal of the company.

I can at least see an unquestionably huge market in the education sector, not to mention the business sector.

Do you really think an MTV generation kid in their right mind is going to buy something that will cause mental exertion?

If you catch the next generation early enough, who knows. Kids / young people actually enjoy stimulation. They only vegetate when stimulation is withdrawn or they're left to spend hours with computer games with little input from parents. (An unsupervised Playstation / X-Box in the bedroom can arguably represent a step backwards — though even those games are not without merit in terms of stimulation, in good measure, and if age-appropriate.)

Personally I think the possibilities for this device are endless.

share a pc?

most homes already have 2 pc

so does mine.one is actually a retired pentium II so that is 3.

you can't watch tv if this gizmo is connected.everyone will be watching your stuff on the tv.

you cant lug your 20kg tv around or put in your pocket.

teens won't be able to watch hardcore porn privately.porn is very important for teens after stimulation by MTV soft porn.

i already said you can buy a computer notebook for £47 with screen,keyboard,mouse,portability,etc.

the chinese will copy/clone this device for half price within a month and put this deluded guy out of business minus his shirt.

i will be proved right again.


you watch and see.


and then you can eat your hat.

reply to post by nobodysavedme

share a pc?

most homes already have 2 pc

Maybe in your country..please try to see beyond where you live.

you can't watch tv if this gizmo is connected.everyone will be watching your stuff on the tv.

you cant lug your 20kg tv around or put in your pocket.

teens won't be able to watch hardcore porn privately.porn is very important for teens after stimulation by MTV soft porn.

Most new monitors come with a HDMI input and any monitor will work with this if you have a simple HDMI to VGA coverter socket so you are not forced to have to watch it on the TV. People do use computers for other stuff than porn you know? There is a whole world of technological applications outside your bedroom.

It obvious you dont understand the technology being presented here. Plenty of developers are very interested in this hardware already including the mobile giant Nokia. This cheap tech will open up all sorts of possibilities beyond a simple personal PC and is certain to be a winner especially in education.

reply to post by nobodysavedme


You make a good case & I understand where you're coming from. However

most homes already have 2 pc

so does mine.one is actually a retired pentium II so that is 3.

A lot of people would take this device over old PCs, any day. The fact it has HDMI alone speaks volumes.

you can't watch tv if this gizmo is connected

Nothing to stop you putting a TV dongle in the USB. (And not being able to watch TV at the same time as using the PC is simply not enough to kill the product.)

As for it not being a portable device, that misses the point. It's not aiming for that market, which is already pretty saturated.

the chinese will copy/clone this device for half price within a month and put this deluded guy out of business minus his shirt

Maybe. But at this price the margins could prove a challenge, even to the Chinese.

There are still a lot of unknowns. It is still weeks from launch, and no-one has even tested one yet. But provided it delivers you too may end up eating your hat.

reply to post by pause4thought


This is great. I read that there is a bare bones $100 computer being used in India and Africa. The new trac phones are less than $50 and have internet access.

reply to post by NotThat


I think opening up entirely new markets is one of the main issues. Imagine the difference it could make to millions of people around the world who'd otherwise never have access to a PC. It will affect their education not just in a formal sense, but also in the sense of personal research for the purpose of learning and expanding horizons. It's got to be a winner.

Even if this is not a commercial success it will advance the art of computer design by leaps and bounds. First by lowering the price threshold and secondly by making us rethink what is a computer - in much the same way the first generation of smart phones had us rethinking the computer. The fact the designers are willing to break with the Intel/Microsoft paradigm is only great news. Linux? Love it. Arm RISC? Love it - will teach a new generation about better programing and tighter code - no more bloated code. This device could easily dominate in the world of embedded microcontrollers which still heavily rely on older chipsets.

This is great.
they went to a lot of trouble to build a computer for $100.
that was for the poor countries.
now we have this. the poor countries just plug it into a TV !
add a old key board and a usb adaptor for it.
and you have all you need. oh power supply to.

they just need to make a cheap screen for it.
and you have a very cheap lap top.

reply to post by buddha


Something like this will draw very low power, I'm sure you could run it from a photovoltaic cell, assuming you could find a suitably low-power monitor for it - something along the lines of a Gameboy or Nintendo DS screen, which can be run from batteries. This could make a good "survival" PC.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


An interesting thought!

You might like to cross-reference this: How to make a solar-powered phone charger from scrap!

The number of applications is growing even as we speak...

reply to post by nobodysavedme


You have grabbed the wrong end of the wrong stick, in the wrong forest which happens to be in the wrong country...

This is aimed as an educational tool and is made by the very same people who brought us the BBC Microsystem and Acorns which, until recently, still populated classrooms up and down the country. It is designed to get students interested in the hardware/software side of IT, rather than simply being taught how to use MS products, which is what most IT lessons in the UK are currently geared for.

This isn't a "commercial" release anymore than the BBC Micro or Acorn computers were. It isn't aimed at "Joe Bloggs Jr" or his mates to tempt them away from X-Boxes or Intertron Porn.

Originally posted by nobodysavedme
the chinese will copy/clone this device for half price within a month and put this deluded guy out of business minus his shirt.

i will be proved right again.


you watch and see.


and then you can eat your hat.

I was being quite polite in my first post, but then I caught this little snippet...

What an arrogant person you are, mainly because you have woefully failed to understand what it is this is about.

Secondly, where do you think the components are made? Same place as every other component! China copy it? They already made it! This isn't about making money, but if you're a Yank then I suppose that's all you guys seem to think about. This is about providing the tools so that the next crop of kids going through school can fill the shoes of the British software pioneers that are all getting a bit old and rusty. This is tied in with a drive from Government about getting more programmers, not users, so Britain can maintain it's edge in computer science (and yes, we have an edge)

this is awesome and a great idea....

now all they need is some kind of kids block buster movie where they utilize one in some really cool way and every kids will have one if not several...

kids would love this if it was made to be cool...

im 30, and im thinking of all the fun I could have with one... lol...

it will come down to marketing...

the open source community is the most awesome community on the internet...
a 8 year old, can go there, and actually find someone to help them do whatever they are trying to do. Seriously..

its always great to get kids involved with stuff like this at a young age...
i didn't become a computer programmer, but I got my start on TI calculators... used to spend hours making little games... i see this as a REALLY COOL ti calculator that has internet and you can hook it up to a tv...

and if it happens, my son will be getting a few

im not holding my breath though, everytime there is news of something like this, it ultimately either, doesnt happen, or doesn't make it to the states...

reply to post by baphomet420

im not holding my breath though, everytime there is news of something like this, it ultimately either, doesnt happen, or doesn't make it to the states...

It's right on the verge of being launched, so this looks like an exception.

Will the device be available internationally, or just in the UK?
We intend to ship worldwide from launch. We may establish a distribution network in due course.

From the manufacturer's FAQs

And I have to say your post seems to have caught the spirit of the project very nicely.

It seems what is missing is them admitting what will happen. This is a business card size computer that can download and play hd files directly to the television. This is a tiny personal, or family media entertainment center that with a usb hub can be nearly any gaming system or family video archive, anything with minor upgrades.

And its the size of a business card or just a bit thicker with batteries and case and inputs
Amazing