The $25 PC?

[Acturus]

Didn't see this posted, wasn't sure to put it here or General, so here it is:

http://www.geek.com/articles/games/g...or-25-2011055/

Game developer David Braben creates a USB stick PC for $25
May. 5, 2011 (11:35 am) By: Matthew Humphries



David Braben is a very well-known game developer who runs the UK development studio Frontier Developments, but is just as well known for being the co-developer of Elite.

Over his career his studio has brought us the Rollercoaster Tycoon series, Thrillville, Lost Winds, and most recently Kinectimals. In the background, however, Braben has been trying to tackle another problem: getting programming and general learning of how computers work back into schools.

Braben argues that education since we entered the 2000s has turned towards ICT which teaches useful skills such as writing documents in a word processor, how to create presentations, and basic computer use skills. But that has replaced more computer science-like skills such as basic programming and understanding the architecture and hardware contained in a computer.

http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploa...cb-580x435.jpg

His solution is not to create his own course, but instead to manufacture a very low cost PC that can be given to kids for free and courses built up around their use. When we say low cost, we mean so low even the OLPC would be impressed.

Braben has developed a tiny USB stick PC that has a HDMI port in one end and a USB port on the other. You plug it into a HDMI socket and then connect a keyboard via the USB port giving you a fully functioning machine running a version of Linux. The cost? $25.

The hardware being offered is no slouch either. It uses a 700MHz ARM11 processor coupled with 128MB of RAM and runs OpenGL ES 2.0 allowing for decent graphics performance with 1080p output confirmed. Storage is catered for by an SD card slot. It also looks as though modules can be attached such as the 12MP camera seen in the image above.

We can expect it to run a range of Linux distributions, but it looks like Ubuntu may be the distro it ships with. That means it will handle web browsing, run office applications, and give the user a fully functional computer to play with as soon as it’s plugged in. All that and it can be carried in your pocket or on a key chain.

http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploa...pi-330x440.jpg

This tiny, cheap PC is going to be distributed through a new charitable foundation called the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It will also promote computer science studies in schools.

As for when the Raspberry Pi device will become available, Braben says he hopes to be distributing it within the next 12 months.

[Deadgye]

If that thing is as good as the article says it is.. holy shit.

[sruon]

If that thing is as good as the article says it is.. holy shit.

Seriously

[Misterjingles]

That's amazing, but wouldn't a cheap netbook be more practical? Having a USB sized PC is nice, lugging around a monitor and all those components seems bothersome.

[Deadgye]

Netbooks don't do 1080, nor do they cost only 25 dollars. I'm immensely skeptical of it's reported video power, but if it's spot on then once again holy shit.

[Cephius]

That's amazing, but wouldn't a cheap netbook be more practical? Having a USB sized PC is nice, lugging around a monitor and all those components seems bothersome.

Would you trust a netbook to a pre-teen kid though? At least with a $25 mini computer you won't freak out if it breaks.

[Tymon]

I hope they attain what they intend to in getting kids more computer literate, but I can't help but imagine it's a pipe dream.

[Misterjingles]

Would you trust a netbook to a pre-teen kid though? At least with a $25 mini computer you won't freak out if it breaks.

More than that school handing out iPads to their kids lol.

[synistar]

I know of some private schools where you're required to buy iPads. Back in my day, best you had was a TI-89 to play phoenix or tetris.

[Cantih]

The first thing I though of is, what if you got a bunch of these things and ran them as a cluster or something.

[Kaisha]

Hope that shit goes through, because I want one. >.>


Would work well with a KVM switch.

[Omniyoji]

I know of some private schools where you're required to buy iPads. Back in my day, best you had was a TI-89 to play phoenix or tetris.

Oh man those were the days. My Ti-86 was the shit back in HighSchool. Fuck those kids and their transparent 83+s

[Ksandra]

Totally gonna buy one when/if it comes out (obviously if it stays at 25$). Even if it ends up being as powerful as advertised, I feel incline to support it in hopes of further projects like that.

[Vandole]

Oh man those were the days. My Ti-86 was the shit back in HighSchool. Fuck those kids and their transparent 83+s

people in my calculus class think im rich because i have a ti-89 titanium. its funny.

[vagus]

people in my calculus class think im rich because i have a ti-89 titanium. its funny.

Baller status.

The idea of needing an Ipad to learn is absurd. A basic PC with access to the internet is all a student needs and that can be easily created $300ish. Probaly cheaper if you buy them in bulk. As for this $25 PC. Pretty neat stuff and if it is true, i'd totally buy one and keep it in my car. Lol. Instant music system at parties.

[Crowort]

I thought the idea of this was more about the kids being given it wanting to learn about how the hardware works a.k.a 70-80s style when users were building and programming their PC not just putting logo together and installing windows.

[Cantih]

Sorry for the necro, but this thing is now up for grabs... kinda
http://boingboing.net/2012/02/29/ras...o-popular.html

Also, apparently another company has done a smaller one with higher specs, but at a $200 pricepoint
http://www.slashgear.com/fxi-cotton-...s-on-28215962/

[Djghost454]

I'm going to be ordering quite a few of these soon. Some for TV's, one for each of my trucks, etc.

[Khamsin]

I just fear it'll be a bit chuggy, like when you try to open a word processor, you'll wait a few seconds then see a white square in the middle of the screen, then wait a few more seconds then that white square will fill in with the splash screen, then wait a minute or two then the screen will go white, then wait a little longer and the menus and title bar will begin to appear and wait just a little bit longer and the cursor will start flashing, indicating you can finally type now. All that'd be missing is the popcorn noises from the HDD, if only it had one instead of an SD card. It's only 700 MHz, and I've seen how slow computers perform.

[Seanr]

700mhz running lightweight Linux, not windows