Skip to main content

Braben’s $25 Raspberry Pi to launch next month

raspberry pi 2You might remember a brief blip about video game veteran David Braben and his low-cost mini-computer project named the Raspberry Pi a while back. Well, it seems like he’s finally finished developing the computer and may be ready to launch in January.

The new version is a little bigger than the USB sized prototype but is still roughly the same price, and price was arguably the main point of the project. Braben wanted to make it easy to distribute the starter computers among high school students in order to develop interest in programming at an early age.

The Raspberry Pi has now been split into two versions: One priced at $25, and one at $35. The 25$, Quake 3 Arena running device is packed with the prototypes same 700MHZ ARM 11 processor, runs Linux and has the same USB and HDMI ports. The latest version has128MB of RAM, uses an SD card and has an audio and RCA video jack. The $35 model gets you the same specs, plus 256MB of RAM and an Ethernet port.

Raspberry pi beta board
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The boards are currently being fine-tuned—undergoing electrical, hardware and software testing. The team is shooting for January, but it should be noted that this was moved from the original hope for the end of 2011. Aside from the general January release, there is also an auction for a select few to receive a device this month.

Braben stated in an earlier demonstration of the Raspberry Pi prototype that he wished to improve on the way high schools taught computer classes, which mainly focused on office skills. He wanted school goers to be enthusiastic about creating the products they typically consume. The video below shows off the device running a Star Trek Demo as well as some computer graphics in 1080p.

Via Raspberrypi.org

Jeff Hughes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.
Best color laser printers for 2024: tested and reviewed
A Brother printer on a counter in front of a brick wall.

The best color laser printers can be a great investment, saving you quite a bit of time and money. For shoppers worried about the long-term ink costs, you'll find color laser printers surprisingly affordable. Laser printers use toner, which lasts a very long time, delivering a low cost per page for monochrome documents and fast color prints. The best color laser printers offer quick performance and reliability to help keep your home office or small business productive.

If you need to scan documents for record-keeping and photo capture or want the convenience of a color copier, an all-in-one color laser printer is an essential tool for your small business or personal use. For a small added cost, you get expanded capabilities. That's why every model on this list is an all-in-one from the best printer brands.

Read more
The 5 best Wi-Fi adapters for PC in 2024
The Ugreen AC1300 Wi-Fi adapter in a desktop PC.

Whether you're designing it yourself or getting a pre-built PC, it can be easy to get a computer and realize that it doesn't have a native Wi-Fi adapter. Or, maybe it does, but you're internet speeds are getting faster, game downloads are getting bigger, you've already upgraded your router and need an adapter to match your newfound power requirements. No matter the situation, an external Wi-Fi adapter that you can add to your PC setup or even laptop setup will be worth your time. Here, we investigate the best Wi-Fi adapters for PC use. Most are incredibly affordable and just snap into a free USB port and start working.
The best Wi-Fi adapter for PC in 2024

Buy the

Read more
How to pin a website to the taskbar in Windows
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Windows includes many interesting tools, but if you’re like many people, more and more of your digital life is happening in your web browser and nowhere else. That being the case, you’ll want to keep your most important websites close at hand. The easiest way to access them in Windows is the Start menu and the taskbar, treating them more or less like programs in and of themselves.

Although easy overall, getting a website from your browser to your taskbar is slightly different depending on which browser you’re using.

Read more