Imagine a desktop computer that you could fit in your pocket, and no, I don’t mean a cell phone.
Raspberry Pi is a Linux-based computer that is the size of a credit card. It contains a 700MHz processor and half a gigabyte of RAM, making it usable for most basic computer use.
Although the small form factor would lead you to believe it has no room for ports, it has an SD slot for storage, USB ports, HDMI output, audio import and much more.
With such a device, users can run Android 4.0 Ice Cream mobile applications, and it even has its own “Pi Store” for applications developed specifically for the device.
The one bonus for such a small, bare bones computer is the extremely low price point. For only $35, it’s quite obvious why pre-orders were sold out in less than a day with one distributor selling more than half a million units. The low price is also helping students from developing countries gain computer access they otherwise might not be able to get.
One allure with a small and simple device is the ability for users to hack the device to their liking. Such hacks that have been developed so far are for iPhone users to command Siri to open their garage door and many more. With time, more and more hacks will develop as its popularity grows.