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New Raspberry Pi Zero micro computer is smaller, faster, and costs $5

Joshua Sherman
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Many of you probably know about the Raspberry Pi, a tiny $35 computer that’s smaller than a deck of cards, which took the world by storm a few years ago. There have been a few versions of the Raspberry Pi, and while many Americans were busy celebrating the Thanksgiving weekend, the UK-based Raspberry Pi Foundation announced their latest computer-on-a-chip: the Raspberry Pi Zero. The miniature computer is more powerful than the original Raspberry Pi and is available for just five dollars.

This newest tiny computer was such a hit that it sold out of stock just days after launch, leaving many scalpers selling the gadget online at a serious markup.

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If you’re looking for a low-cost computer to build, design, or experiment with, then you’ve likely heard about the Raspberry Pi and all the amazing things you can do with one. Raspberry Pi has been the go-to choice for those needing a low-cost, single-board computer to build, design, or experiment with, thanks to its extensible design and modest $35 price. But this time, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is going double or nothing in the war over low-cost, fully functional computers.

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The latest Raspberry Pi isn’t trying to do things faster, or add more features. Instead, it took the Raspberry Pi, shrunk it, and stuck on the lowest price ever: $5.

That’s right. For the same price as one of those fancy coffee drinks at your local Starbucks, you can buy a full-blown computer that can run Linux, automate your home, or even run your very own Seinfeld door sensor.

The new Raspberry Pi features a 1 GHz ARM processor that is 40 percent faster than the original Raspberry Pi A. It also sports 512MB of RAM and the good old GPIO ports many know and expect from Raspberry Pi devices. The device also includes a mini HDMI port for video output and a micro SD Card slot for storage so that owners can use their new Raspberry Pi Zero for hundreds of different projects, just as with the previous Raspberry Pi devices.

Of course, having a $5 price tag drew tons of interest toward the new Raspberry Pi Zero. The foundation even included a free  Raspberry Pi Zero in each copy of the Raspberry Pi-themed MagPi magazine for its subscribers. Many websites are displaying the micro computer as out of stock, but with more on the way. Meanwhile, some owners have taken to eBay, charging as much as $50 for the micro computer. There’s no word yet on how the Raspberry Pi Foundation will handle this demand and the online scalpers.

There have been cheap computers available to purchase before, but the Raspberry Pi Zero does all the things a cheap computer can do while also being part of an a massive community of Raspberry Pi geeks and hackers. It’s certainly going to make a huge impact on these enthusiasts once they figure out all the crazy things one can do with a $5 computer.

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Joshua Sherman
Joshua Sherman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joshua Sherman is a contributor for Digital Trends who writes about all things mobile from Apple to Zynga. Josh pulls his…
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