Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

http://thepihut.com/
cheap as chips

You can buy this piece of computer hardware for the price of a pint

The Raspberry Pi Zero is smaller than a credit card and is designed to bring programming to everyone.

RASPBERRY PI HAS developed a reputation for cheap computing hardware, designed to help teach those about programming and DIY computing in schools and developing countries.

Now it has launched a new computer board called the Raspberry Pi Zero and it costs $5 (€4.71).

The device is smaller than a credit card and can run a number of applications including Minecraft, Scratch (a programming service for kids) and Sonic Pi.

“We still meet people who tell us cost is a barrier to entry,” said Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton. “Since the Raspberry Pi 2 effort wound down in February, we’ve been asking ourselves what we could do to maybe take a little more of the cost down”.

We really don’t think we’ll be able to make it any cheaper than this. We’ve gone down from [the price of] four lattes to one latte.

The number of Pi Zero units produced will range in the tens of thousands, according to Upton, and will be able to run Raspbian, a version of Linux designed for the Pi.

For those interested, the hardware comes with 512MB of RAM, a 1Ghz single-core CPU, a mini HDMI (supporting 1080p) and micro-USB port, and micro-SD slot. It’s 40% faster than the first Raspberry Pi which was released back in 2012.

If you want extra features like USB ports or Ethernet ports, you will have to purchase a separate peripheral.

The hardware is only on sale in the UK and US, but if you’re interested in a DIY computer project, you won’t be able to say it’s too expensive to start.


Raspberry Pi Foundation / Vimeo

Read: A bug caused Google to bury rivals like Yelp and TripAdvisor in its search results >

Read: Here’s how you can create your own custom keyboard shortcuts >

Your Voice
Readers Comments
23
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.