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Raspberry pi A+is out. The credit card size has been reduced to 5,5 x 6,5 cm compared to the previous 8,5 cm.
Basically it is the same hardware in a smaller space.


I have set up the B version and this can be a fully fledged computer.

Schools use it as thin clients that work against a server, It controls cameras drones or whatever. It will cost $20,-

Despite Microsoft's efforts to provide Windows for this ARM device they did not manage:

4. WILL IT RUN THE WINDOWS 8 ARM EDITION?

No. Even if Microsoft decided to devote all its resources to getting Windows 8 on the Pi it would not work. The Raspberry Pi lacks the minimum memory and CPU requirements, it runs on an version of the ARM processor that is not supported by Windows 8, it lacks the appropriate axis sensors… the list goes on and on. The Pi will not run Windows 8.

More here

This is not $20. This is not a useful PC without also buying a USB hub, and storage, and a network adapter for it.

If you can show me where I can buy a quiet, low-power PC that can act as an XBMC box for $20 (including shipping, and duty, and tax, and brokerage) that doesn't require buying additional parts to be functional, I will take ten.

If you can show me where to buy a quiet, low-power PC that can act as a router for $30 (with the above conditions and at least two wired network interfaces) I will buy another ten.

Calling this $20 is scummy advertising.

S.

Well the Rasberry Pi Foundation are not a commercial entity it is idealism, for the sake of education. It is not the target of Rasberry Pi to make a profit, like every commercial body.

So if you want to use it as a fully fledged PC you would buy the B version for about $30.
You need to recycle your Keyboard and your Monitor/TV but that is it. If you use it as a thin client against a computer with 6G memory and LTSP installed you can run 20 Rasberries against it. If you want flash and heavy graphics then you may want to increase the memory on the server.

If you want to control a front door camera or a drone, then you will do just fine with Raspberry A+.

But You can equip an entire classroom with fully fledged computers for a fraction of the normal cost. On power on the Raspberry would download an image from the server and that could be anything from an office suite to a server.

I can assure you that my Rasberry B is just one wifi dongle away from being just as good as Boxee box that costs $250!

That is over $200 more than I spent (Yes the flash cards are extra but you can switch them to get a multi function computer - Media center one day, and Office computer the next).

No remote control you say? Just download the free app to your Android phone and you have it (XBMC)

But it is kind of natural that you have to add components to this minimal approach to computing - which I love Kids all over the planet are learning computing with this one and it is great for that.

And it has even been used to control cars or how much power an Electric car should use. The "kids" that made this one are students on the Norwegian tech university.

viking60 wrote:You need to recycle your Keyboard and your Monitor/TV but that is it.

Oh I know that keyboard, monitor, and mouse must be purchased separately, but the ads are specifically calling the Raspberry Pi A+ a $20 computer which it is not. It is not functional until you buy storage, a network adapter, and a USB hub. It could be possible to buy a wireless addon card and use a single USB dongle to run both your keyboard and mouse but then those would be a little out of the price range for the poor folks who can barely afford the $20 PC in the first place. And I can't imagine that too many people are interested in having their PC screwed down to their desk, so they'll have to spring for a case as well. Oh wait, don't forget the power supply. Not to mention that the video head is HDMI so those of use who still use VGA and DVI monitors will have to buy a new monitor too.

viking60 wrote:If you want to control a front door camera or a drone, then you will do just fine with Raspberry A+.

You mean by using additional network or other various interface cards that are not free right?

viking60 wrote:I can assure you that my Rasberry B is just one wifi dongle away from being just as good as Boxee box that costs $250!

I have a Boxee Box. It was free.

viking60 wrote:No remote control you say? Just download the free app to your Android phone and you have it (XBMC)

Android phone? I don't have an android phone. I can't afford an Android phone!

I am not saying that a Pi is useless... I am saying that it is not $20, and should not be advertised as such. The costs in actually USING it are much higher than acquiring it in the first place. That's like saying that my i3 PC is only $100 and then finding out in the small print that I also need to add a motherboard, memory, and video card.

S.

I should also mention that the Boxee Box does not have a real "sleep" function. The power saving feature of a Boxee Box can be set to "off" but that only turns off the monitor and not the Boxee Box... so the fan is still running, and it is still consuming 9.6W of power instead of 0.4W. XBMC sleep function can be used to turn the device completely off (which may still use a fraction of a Watt depending on the device).
S.

The B option has three USB ports so you will do just fine without the USB hub.
I also have a LAN port for connecting cable. All for about $30.

Regarding HDMI and VGA; that part is true you need HDMI to connect to the TV or monitor, but there is no problem in logging in via ssh -X on lan.

I dont have an Android phone either so I use the wireless mouse as remote control since I have enough USB ports (Or I can use my wifes phone).

And did you steal that Boxee Box? It does cost $250 on Amazon

viking60 wrote:The B option has three USB ports so you will do just fine without the USB hub.
I also have a LAN port for connecting cable. All for about $30.

Don't forget power supply, and storage, and a case.

viking60 wrote:Regarding HDMI and VGA; that part is true you need HDMI to connect to the TV or monitor, but there is no problem in logging in via ssh -X on lan.

The problem is that these things are being marketed as "Even poor children in Africa can have a computer" when in fact it is not that simple. Poor children don't have an extra keyboard and mouse and power supply lying around like I do. And they can't eBay a case for US$2 because they don't already have a computer (or even a bank account). And they can't just run down to Best Buy to pickup whatever HDMI monitor is on sale like I can. These devices are novelties for geeks first and an educational tool for poor kids second.

viking60 wrote:I dont have an Android phone either so I use the wireless mouse as remote control since I have enough USB ports (Or I can use my wifes phone).

I got a USB remote off eBay for about seven or eight bucks that works fine, and has a thumbpad for mouse movement and buttons for clicks (no cell plan required).

I found an excellent article here that describes a situation similar to the misleading marketing of Raspberry Pi's.

S.

Snorkasaurus wrote:Don't forget power supply, and storage, and a case.

Forgot to mention that powersupply is also included (at least it was with mine). And the Flash card is a storage supply, but clearly you want to attach a disk with movies and music if you make a media center.

Snorkasaurus wrote:The problem is that these things are being marketed as "Even poor children in Africa can have a computer" when in fact it is not that simple. Poor children don't have an extra keyboard and mouse and power supply lying around like I do. And they can't eBay a case for US$2 because they don't already have a computer (or even a bank account). And they can't just run down to Best Buy to pickup whatever HDMI monitor is on sale like I can. These devices are novelties for geeks first and an educational tool for poor kids second.

Yes well, that depends on your definition of poor I guess. The poor children in Africa did in fact get this in school so it is not a lie. But they are far from having a computer each at home.
And there is no cheaper solution. You may argue that it is not cheap enough but then again; what is?

It is a fact that poor people don't have internet access and maybe not even elektricity, but don't blame that on Raspberry Pi

viking60 wrote:Forgot to mention that powersupply is also included (at least it was with mine). And the Flash card is a storage supply, but clearly you want to attach a disk with movies and music if you make a media center.

Is the flash card also included? I would not want to have large local storage on one if I had one for XBMC, I would want to attach to my samba shares (hence the need for a network adapter). If I had one to serve as a router I still would need only minimal local storage but at least two NICs of course.

viking60 wrote:Yes well, that depends on your definition of poor I guess. The poor children in Africa did in fact get this in school so it is not a lie. But they are far from having a computer each at home.
And there is no cheaper solution. You may argue that it is not cheap enough but then again; what is?

I am sure that there are poor children in Africa who are working on Pi's. But I highly doubt they just pulled a USB hub, USB mouse, USB keyboard, 5V power supply, cute transparent case, flash card, and HDMI monitor out of the closest to use with it. Nor did they just call up Sympatico to order Internet service. Those things were either donated by someone, bought by their school, or given to them for public relations. My issue is that the marketing, promotional material, and reviews like to describe the $20 computer as if those people really do have access to those kinds of spare parts. I think it would be fair to say that these sources are comparing the Pi to a $100 rather than a $500 or a $2500 computer. But someone who does not have $100 for a computer also does not have $40 a month for Internet service. Perhaps Canada is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to bandwidth per dollar, but I think it is fair to say that "poor folks" are not going to have access to reasonable bandwidth for less than $10 a month. Anyone who has ten bucks a month to spend on Internet service CAN in fact afford a $100 computer.

I am not arguing that there are cheaper solutions or that a Pi is not cheap enough... but rather that the device is being touted as a $20 computer when in fact it is only MOST of a computer for $20.

viking60 wrote:It is a fact that poor people don't have internet access and maybe not even elektricity, but don't blame that on Raspberry Pi

Again, I don't blame the Pi, I blame the people advertising it as a computer for $20. If people started selling motherboard/memory/CPU combinations as "whole PC's" I don't think that would be fair, nor would it be any better to sell motherboards alone as "PC's". if you walked in to your local computer store and said you wanted to buy a PC and the sales guy offered you something without a case or hard drive you'd slap him (at least I would hope that you would).

S.

Snorkasaurus wrote:Is the flash card also included?

No it isn't.

Don't get me wrong... I'd LOVE to have a low-power PC that I could use as an XBMC box for $20. I just don't think there is one. I'd also LOVE to have a low-power PC that I could use as a router for $20. But there ain't one of those either. Hell, to be honest I would be willing to pay $50 for either... but that is still not going to get me what I am looking for.

S.

Hi

need only an usb3 for adding harddisk's hub and let run his own Server in the house
and this, really fast with usb3 an couple of TB disk's

my English it's maybe not so well, but anyone can maybe speak with him or in
the R-PI forum for adding this .. an usb3-slot by side of usb2

best regards
blacky