A small UK-based non-profit computer company, setup by game developer David Braben, is planning to release a miniature computer, called Rasberry Pi, in January that will only cost $25.
The tiny Linux-based PC comes with everything you’d expect from a computer; USB port, audio output, HDMI connection, LAN connection and even a SD card slot.
Originally designed for UK students who couldn’t afford expensive computers, the creators soon realised that there was more demand and interest from selling the device in developing countries.
It’s not the first time we’ve come across the low-cost computers for the developing world. There’s been the One Laptop Per Child, which cost $100 for an Internet-ready laptop, and the $35 tablet in India, which ran Google’s Android operating system, CNET reported.
Unlike those machines Raspberry Pi is also programmable thanks to the Linux OS, which should allow owners to hack and modify the 1.4-ounce machine at will.
Raspberry Pi, which is a UK-based non-profit, hopes to open source the design of its computer so that it can be manufactured and sold in developing countries.
In an interview with Business Insider, Raspberry Pi’s executive director, Eben Upton, explained that because the company can’t make any money from the computer, it doesn’t have any incentive to keep the design of the device a secret.
“We do hope third parties will be able to manufacture clones. We can expand the concept without having to expand the capital base,” Upton said.
There will be two versions of the computer. The $35 version comes with 256MB of RAM, and the $25 one comes with 128MB.
Be sure to check the video here, where the mini computer is put through its paces with some high def films and games.
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