Move over Raspberry Pi - here comes a 9$ computer!

[viking60]

The Raspberry Pi is cheap and excellent for learning. If you want to make a fully usable computer out of it you have to spend a few dineros though. Now we have a new star on the horizon - CHIP - it comes with Wifi and Bluetooth integrated so you do not have to sacrifice a USB port for that. And it costs 9$ - Nine Dollars - ! Connect a keyboard and a screen - including older TV's and you are good to go.

That is pretty good and you can play games on it or use Libreoffice on it. It comes with lots of apps and it is Linux driven as most of the "Internet of things" are.
CHIP does not take up much space:

And it has some power too:



You can get a full computer if you buy the Pocket CHIP that looks like an old Gameboy:

That will cost you $49 for a fully fledged computer.

This thing looks interesting.
My Raspberry Pi makes a brilliant Media Center with the Alarm OS this one should be even better.

More here

[Snorkasaurus]

- Does CHIP come with a power supply?

- Does CHIP run any OS other than Debian and are 100% of all Debian packages available to it.

- Does CHIP support Gigabit ethernet?

- Can CHIP's storage be upgraded?

- Can CHIP be plugged in to my monitor which supports both VGA and DVI ports?

- Does CHIP choke on 1080p video?

CHIP is NOT a computer. It is MOST of a computer, and has some significant limitations. While it IS cheap, nobody should call it a "$9 computer".

S.

[viking60]

The answer to your question is Yes
My Raspberry Pi feels like a fully fledged Media center or computer if you like.
I have installed Arch for ARM on it -ALARM- and Kodi.

The only thing that bothered me was no Wifi - here that is in place.
And I believe your Monitor should be OK - if I am to believe the marketing.

If you can use Libreoffice on it and do your homework on it then many people will call it a computer. Heavy gaming will be hard though.

But this thing will not be out until the end of the year so we will have to wait and see.

[Snorkasaurus]

The answer to your question is Yes
My Raspberry Pi feels like a fully fledged Media center or computer if you like.
I have installed Arch for ARM on it -ALARM- and Kodi.

The only thing that bothered me was no Wifi - here that is in place.

Raspberry Pi is also not a computer. A Pi does not come with storage or a power supply or a case. Pi's are also limited to about a half dozen operating systems they can use.

And I believe your Monitor should be OK - if I am to believe the marketing.

Nope. CHIP comes with a video out that will work on most modern televisions but a VGA adapter will cost you extra (DVI is not an available option and HDMI will also cost you extra).

If you can use Libreoffice on it and do your homework on it then many people will call it a computer. Heavy gaming will hard though.

Nope, you can not use LibreOffice on it until you purchase the appropriate addons that make it a computer (ie: case, power supply, video adapter, etc). As I said, it is MOST of a computer, but not a computer.

S.

[viking60]

You can update store and delete on the SD card like a disk - that would include LibreOffice documents. It is just not a regular one, which you can buy and add if you like.
I update my Raspberry Pi with pacman -Syu as I do with a regular Arch install.

I guess it does not matter since it will not satisfy your definition of a computer anyway.

By my definition (one of usability mostly) I say that these things are computers.

I can surf the internet write and save my letters send my e-mails and even play some games. That is computing - done by a computer.

This is not for $9 but most people have a keyboard and a monitor lying around so they do not have to spend more.

And for learning purposes these things are great - I believe the UK will start to use Raspberry Pi in the education system.

Those kids will secure a bright future for the UK (Once the teachers have grasped it).

More here

[R_Head]

According to Oxford Dictionary.

A Computer:
An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form,according to instructions given to it in avariable program.


I see that qualifies as a computer.


That is one more capable than other, that is for debate. But a car with 16 Cylinders and another with 1 Cylinder engine still a car. 3,4 doors, add on luggage/ski rack, need to pay extra for sat nav/radio.... still a car.

[Snorkasaurus]

You can update store and delete on the SD card like a disk - that would include LibreOffice documents. It is just not a regular one, which you can buy and add if you like.
I update my Raspberry Pi with pacman -Syu as I do with a regular Arch install.

On your Pi you had to buy your storage separately, on a CHIP the storage is not upgradeable (at least not by anyone who doesn't have the ability to do SMT soldering).

I guess it does not matter since it will not satisfy your definition of a computer anyway.

By my definition (one of usability mostly) I say that these things are computers.

I can surf the internet write and save my letters send my e-mails and even play some games. That is computing - done by a computer.

The CHIP can not surf, play games, or send emails for $9, it needs more hardware first.

This is not for $9 but most people have a keyboard and a monitor lying around so they do not have to spend more.

That monitor better have an analog component input connector, because a $9 CHIP does not support VGA, DVI, or HDMI.

And for learning purposes these things are great - I believe the UK will start to use Raspberry Pi in the education system.

Those kids will secure a bright future for the UK (Once the teachers have grasped it).

More here

Who said they couldn't be used for learning? In fact, who said it wasn't a computer? I am just saying it is not a $9 computer.

An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form,according to instructions given to it in avariable program.

A CHIP cannot store or process data without a power supply which is not included in the $9.

That is one more capable than other, that is for debate. But a car with 16 Cylinders and another with 1 Cylinder engine still a car. 3,4 doors, add on luggage/ski rack, need to pay extra for sat nav/radio.... still a car.

A CHIP is a car without wheels. If you happen to have wheels with the same bolt pattern lying around in your garage you can put them on and use it, or you can pickup some wheels for cheap on eBay, but wheels are not included in the base price of $9.

S.

[viking60]

All good points.
If you have the wheels in the garage then you can drive the car - though.

My Raspberry Pi needed a card (many have them around from their cameras) so I guess that was not in the cheapest price solution.

It is a good base anyway (regardless of definition) - so you can build a good and cheap solution.

My Raspberry Pi is a fully fledged media machine. No lag, snappy and plays Music and shows films as good as any.
I have a keyboard a card and a remote USB disk with films and Music files. If it had Wifi I would not have needed that.

So give this ching a chance - it has not been released yet

[Snorkasaurus]

My Raspberry Pi needed a card (many have them around from their cameras) so I guess that was not in the cheapest price solution.

I know there are also "Pi packages" that come with the required additional accessories if you happen to need them (at a cost of course).

It is a good base anyway (regardless of definition) - so you can build a good and cheap solution.

It certainly looks like it will end up being cheaper overall than a Pi... I hope some additional OS support comes along too!

My Raspberry Pi is a fully fledged media machine. No lag, snappy and plays Music and shows films as good as any.
I have a keyboard a card and a remote USB disk with films and Music files. If it had Wifi I would not have needed that.

I have a Pi B+ with raspbmc/openelec/whatever and it works fine too. I am pretty sure I read somewhere that C.H.I.P. chokes on some high quality video, but now I can't find it. I thought it was in the FAQ on their Kickstarter site. While looking, it turns out there are a lot of comments about international shipping being really expensive but I don't see any pricing for it. This is a problem here in Canada all the time.

S.

[R_Head]

I had TRS 80 64K Computer. Without a tape drive was impossible to store/save info. Without a TV no monitor also, no sound card, that was part of the board and the TV itself...

Perhaps, is not a fully assembled computer, just the minimum to be called computer by definition; a marketing ploy.

Reminds me of the toys that say "No Batteries Included" still a toy by definition, does it work? Well.... needs a power supply.

[Snorkasaurus]

I had TRS 80 64K Computer. Without a tape drive was impossible to store/save info. Without a TV no monitor also, no sound card, that was part of the board and the TV itself...
Perhaps, is not a fully assembled computer, just the minimum to be called computer by definition; a marketing ploy.

By my definition, I'd go with marketing ploy personally. I never had a TRS80 but I did have a VIC20 or two, and they came with tape drives. They also had the required connector to connect to the vast vast majority of monitors available at the time. However, I'd say that the definition of monitor has changed since then, and obviously VGA/DVI/HDMI are a lot more common today (now that they have been created). I wouldn't say that a sound card is a requirement for a computer since it isn't needed for data storage/processing... though anyone in the music or video industry might say otherwise. Ultimately I would not have called your TRS80 (without it's associated requirements) a "computer" but rather just like the C.H.I.P. I'd say it is most of a computer.

Reminds me of the toys that say "No Batteries Included" still a toy by definition, does it work, well, needs a power supply.

I can kind of see this point, but would say that there is still a significant difference between batteries and a "computer power supply". While a power supply and batteries are required parts of a computer/toy to make it work, batteries are also a consumable part. Some might argue that power supplies need to be replaced now and then, but replacing them because they are designed poorly and use cheap capacitors is not the same as "they are out of energy". Kind of like saying a printer is not a printer because it needs the toner changed now and then or that the car in the previous example stops being a car when it runs out of gasoline.

It may seem like trivial differences, but I think it is important for marketing to be honest about its products. Before the 50's came along, almost all marketing used to be directly about the products themselves, their parts, abilities, and functions... and not what they represent. A lot of marketing now is telling consumers that the product will make them happy instead of actually being completely honest and accurate about the product's description. Marketing is designed to make people want things rather than need them, and it is a slippery slope that grants products and the people who market them a lot of power over consumers that goes widely unnoticed and misunderstood.

S.

[R_Head]

A battery is a power supply. Supplies power, that generates, convert, etc... is debatable.

Yes agree with the marketing propaganda. There are many products out there that has no markets and with some clever propaganda convince people to buy them. The fashion industry is that way, branding means club membership, same with Harley Davidson, Apple products, etc...

I think on that "computer" by definition is correct, just a stretch.