Subscribe
Sign in
CHIP — The world's first nine dollar computer (pre-launch)
10
Replies
@melik_shah I feel like getting internet to the world is the more important element to educating the world. Would love to see them collaborate with some other organizations to put something together along those lines.
I definitely like the concept of a super small and cheap board, but you will have to use shields to use hdmi anyway which takes away from the magic.
You do get wifi/bluetooth built in but wifi is pretty simple to add to a Rpi for $3 with a usb dongle. I've also never been a huge fan of bluetooth for dev, would rather just connect to the internet and send api calls. I could be underestimating the wireless mouse/keyboard thing but I bet that's more of a hassle than you want it to be.
Maybe I'm missing something but it just seems like a raspberry pi broken up into separate pieces. You lose built in hdmi and 2 usb hubs for a cheaper core and built in wifi/bluetooth. Personally I'd rather have the usb hubs because I can easily add bluetooth and wifi with those but can use them for lots of other things like usb cameras and projectors (computer vision with 2 usb ports!). The udoo neo is also interesting and is more jacked up with stuff which fits more with my dev process. https://www.kickstarter.com/proj.... I feel like I want the chip core but insertable into a udoo neo so I can use arduino code, get some extra built in sensors, and still get the cheap board at the end. Kinda like intel edison and galileo but a little cheaper and with some extra sensors/utility.
It might be surprisingly amazing because of its cost for early stage production, but these dev boards are more for prototyping and you'll move towards a custom board in time anyway. Either way I love all the additions to the IOT space and think were about to experience a major explosion of products once devs start to catch up with whats out there.
Would love to hear other perspectives on this, because they are annihilating their goal.
@blainehatab I am leaning towards agreeing with you. The $9 computer promise loses its charm a bit when I add the HDMI adapter and the price is now $29 (with shipping).
It is a cool product, and I still may back, but I already have many RPi's and can't see how this would be more advantageous than those.
It is awesome to see prices on hardware continuing to drop as it will lead to many more innovative products. And choices are great, jus don't know if this one is for me.
@blainehatab I guess this could be a cheaper alternative to the Raspberry Pi for simple projects where you only need to connect a few sensors to wifi without the need for display out or extra USB ports.
@blainehatab I think Chip is for different use cases than Pi. I'm personally using Pi many times in headless mode, working with sensors, just needing the output to a server or small display max, where HDMI screen would be overkill. The bluetooth + wifi combo in that price point is quite amazing, although with Pi Zero you can probably come pretty close. I think Chip is great hardware hacking / R&D platform for integrating with various other devices & sensors (80 pins!). The lipo connector and charging circuit is extra bonus for smart object / toy prototypes.
@kimitobo I definitely agree this and the Pi Zero are better for sensor only projects. Also the particle is a pretty amazing tool for something like that as well.
SandStorm