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  • Author Author: Catwell
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Nine bucks can net you a CHIP from Next Level Co that can fit in your pocket

Catwell

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Next Thing Co’s CHIP is a pocket-sized powerhouse that lets you code, play games and everything else a basic PC can do (via the CHIP kickstarter)

 

Small pocket-sized PCs can be found everywhere. Most come in the form of maker tools such as the Raspberry Pi, BeagleBoard or the Arduino (among loads of others), however these types of boards are typically used in DIY projects rather than used as stand-alone computer. Of course, there are other tiny computers that are used like a typical desktop (surfing the web, editing, Photoshop, etc.) including Intel’s NUC, ASUS’s Chromebox and Zotac’s Zbox Pico. The problem with those ultra-small PCs is the cost, which range anywhere from $100 and up- several times over what the Raspberry Pi costs.

 

Thankfully, high prices are not a factor with Next Thing Co’s CHIP- the world’s first $9 computer. The company recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their insanely affordable PC and have surpassed their target goal of $50,000 by over 1.2-million with several weeks left to go. So what does nine-bucks net you? An Allwinner R8 processor (running @ 1GHz), 512Mb of RAM and 4Gb of storage. Strangely, there is no Allwinner R8 processor, rather Next Thing Co modified an Allwinner A13 SoC with integrated Flash and RAM, which helps keep the cost of the board down.

 

The board may be small (about the size of a credit card), however it isn’t lacking in the features department, which includes onboard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB/micro-USB ports and an audio jack. It also has the capability to connect to any monitor from the very old VGA jack to the newer HDMI port through the use of add-on shields. CHIP also works with any USB-based keyboard and mouse without the need for drivers to be installed.

 

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Pocket CHIP allows users to take their PC anywhere and is powered by a 3000 mAh battery.

 

Interestingly enough the board already has its first accessory add-on in the form of a Gameboy like housing known as Pocket CHIP. The board simply snaps into the housing, which features a 4.3" 470px x 272px screen with resistive touch, full QWERTY keyboard and a 3000 mAh battery. It also has a line of GPIO pins on the top edge for those who want to use the board in their projects. Next Thing Co preinstalled the mainline Linux as the board’s operating system along with several apps to get things running including the Chromium web browser, LibreOffice and the Scratch coding tool that helps users to learn how to program. Not bad for a PC that costs a mere $9, however the add-on shields will set you back an additional $10 to $15 depending on the board and the Pocket CHIP will set you back an additional $40- yep more than the PC itself.


Keep in mind.. $9 sounds great, but there is no community around this board yet. Raspberry Pi and Beaglebone have so much support, pre-written code troves, and countless projects. The CHIP is a while to go to hit this ease level.

 

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