Anyone for a slice of Raspberry Pi?

Earlier this year Raspberry Pi was released, and on its first night, the two websites distributing the device were slowed to a snail’s pace - such was the volume of interest in getting one! Months later and demand has finally slowed to a point where you only have to wait a mere 3 weeks to get one…

For those of you who weren’t aware of it, Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized, Linux based computer. It’s not pretty to look at, it looks little more than a circuit board with a handful of jacks welded to it, but this modest sized, ugly duckling is actually a pretty powerful bit of kit.

It’s got 256MB of RAM, a 700MHz processor, 2 USB ports, an SD card reader, an Ethernet port and a HDMI out port and a 3.5mm audio jack. You just need to provide an SD card, an SD card reader so you can write the OS image to your SD card, a micro USB cable to power it (a Blackberry or Android charger works fine), a HDMI cable and a HD TV to connect it to, a USB mouse and keyboard and an Ethernet cable.

While the device is looks like a novelty it’s actually got similar graphics power to the first Xbox. It was developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of stimulating the teaching of basic computer science in schools, and inspiring the young generations to take up an interest in technology. It runs a Debian Linux kernel which is free, so no costly windows licensing, it’s also easy and quick to install and there are a multitude of tech forums and websites offering basic walkthroughs of how to set up and configure it.

With Christmas around the corner it’s the perfect educational present for anyone interested in finding out a bit more about how computers work. But how much will it cost? That’s the best bit. The model B version of cost approximately £40. But if you’re buying for Christmas, remember the devices are still in high demand, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time for the order to be delivered…