Raspberry Pi Foundation becomes the best-selling computer manufacturer in the UK
The Raspberry Pi Foundation recently sold its five millionth microcomputer en route to becoming the best-selling computer manufacturer in the UK.
That figure pales in comparison to some of the world’s major PC makers like Acer, Dell and Lenovo but it is quite remarkable considering it just passed the two million units sold mark only 15 months ago and only ever anticipated selling a few thousand units over its lifetime.
The original Raspberry Pi went on sale in February of 2012, selling out in a matter of minutes. The initial surge of traffic crashed the company’s website. One of its distributors, Premier Farnell, said at the time that orders were coming in at a blistering 700 per second by the end of the first week of availability.
In November 2013, the foundation revealed it had crossed the two million units sold milestone.
Not content to rest on its laurels, the foundation has released multiple revisions over the years. Its latest board, the Raspberry Pi 2, launched earlier this month with a speedier quad-core CPU and more RAM. What really makes the Pi 2 special is its ability to run Windows 10 which will be free for its owners (and free for most everyone else, too).
The Pi 2 isn’t without its flaws, however, as a recent hardware bug demonstrated. Firing a xenon-based camera flash or a laser pointer at the bare board will cause a brief lapse in power which is enough to reboot the computer.
OpenELEC Version 5.0.2 and RaspberryPi Hotfix 5.0.3 Released
OpenELEC is an embedded operating system built specifically to support the Kodi media player hub (formerly known as XMBC) and to run on most available hardware, and now version 5.0.3 for RaspberryPi and version 5.0.2 for the rest have been released. This new stable version not only brings the name changed media hub, but also a list of security improvements and new drivers.
“The OpenELEC team is proud to announce OpenELEC 5.0.2. OpenELEC-5.0 is the next stable release, which is a feature release and the successor of OpenELEC-4.2. The headline change is the update from XBMC 13 (Gotham) to Kodi 14.1 (Helix) and the big switch from XBMC to Kodi branding. Due to the potential for typo-bugs and breakage from Kodi renaming YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO MAKE A FULL BACKUP before performing a manual update,” wrote the developers.
Notable changes include a version bump from v3.16 to v3.17 of the Linux kernel and a switch from OpenSSL to LibreSSL following the heartbleed disclosure. The latest Nvidia drivers have also been added as well as a new Mesa patch from upstream and support for PROJECT-based multiple noobs builds. The full change log and downloads can be found on the official site.
Raspberry Pi 2 sells half a million in three weeks
Only a few weeks in the shops
After only a few weeks in the shops, Raspberry Pi 2 sales have reached the 500,000 mark.
Raspberry Pi Foundation chief Eben Upton noted that the new model accounts for one in 10 of all Raspberry Pi devices sold so far.
It is a bit staggering that ten per cent of these was sold in the last 14 days, and it looks like the Pi 2 the curve always on the up.
This means that 5 million Raspberry Pis have been sold since its inception in 2012, making it the best selling British computer ever.
The cheap, credit-card sized computer sold 2m units by the end of November 2013, 3m by the summer of 2014 and over 4m by the end of 2014.
The board's main market are educational institutions across the world and the industrial sector, in which the Raspberry Pi has been used to power various machines and control systems.
The original Raspberry Pi went through three iterations, adding more memory and shrinking the size of the board. The Foundation launched a follow up, the Raspberry Pi 2, which is six times as fast as the first version this year, hoping to create a more capable general purpose computer for the same sub-$35 cost.
The previous record was set by the 5million selling Sinclair ZX Spectrum from the 80s and the BBC Micro, which sold only 1.5m units and was discontinued in 1994.
The Raspberry Pi looks set to eclipse records set in the 1980s, with demand for both the new Pi 2 and the original remaining strong three years on.
Let’s cut right to the chase: This thing rocks. The new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B fixes the most glaring issues of the three-year-old original Pi, and even better, it manages to do so at the same $35 price point of its predecessor. This credit card sized-mini PC delivers a shocking amount of value for the money.
Don’t head into this thinking the RP2 is some sort of radical leap forward, however. As Apple has done with the iPhone, the Raspberry Pi 2 is an evolutionary tweaking of the first model’s then-revolutionary concept. Most of the new model’s features are exactly the same as the original, which helps to ensure full backward compatibility. But the changes the Raspberry Pi Foundation did make were very welcome ones indeed.
Because the performance changes are the big difference in the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, let’s dig into that first. Powered up Pi
The Raspberry Pi 2 includes three basic, powerful upgrades. It replaces the single-core, 700MHz ARM11 processor of the original in favor of a far more powerful quad-core, 900MHz ARM Cortex-A7 chip; it doubles the available RAM from 512MB to a full 1GB; and it packs four full USB ports, twice the amount of the original Model B. (Four USB ports first appeared in the incremental Raspberry Pi Model B+ model released in July 2014.) Brad Chacos The original Raspberry Pi Model B (left) and the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B (right). The extra USB ports rock. Beyond the upgrades, the micro-PC uses the same VideoCore IV 3D graphics processor as its forefathers, but that was already a (relatively) beefy processor that punches above its weight class with full 1080p video output capabilities. The Raspberry Pi 2 also features an Ethernet port, a full HDMI port, a jack for combined 3.5mm audio and composite video, and a micro-SD card slot. Tinkerers will appreciate the 40 GPIO pins (the original Model B had 24), and CSI and DSI connectors for direct connections to expansion boards, displays, and more.
Collectively, the upgrades add up to dramatically improve the Pi’s performance. U.S. Pi supplier Element14 sent me a Raspberry Pi 2. I had an old, original Raspberry Pi Model B already knocking around my office. I loaded each up with the recommended Linux-based Raspbian 3.18 operating system stashed in the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s NOOBS installer tool and got to benchmarking. The results were astonishing.
First, I ran a pair of browser-based benchmarks in the included Epiphany browser to see how performance stacks up in real-world situations. As you can see in the graph below, the Raspberry Pi 2 chewed through Sunspider roughly 3.5 times faster than the first Model B. The Raspberry Pi 2's Sunspider performance, compared against the original Raspberry Pi Model B. (Click to enlarge.) The results when I ran Google’s Octane benchmark were even more illuminating. The Raspberry Pi 2 delivered a total combined score of 318, while the original Model B crashed repeatedly when attempting to run the test. (But to put things in proper perspective, my 2013 Moto X smartphone—a capable, but not high-end phone when it launched—scored 3247 using the Chrome browser, and it took far less time to run the test.)
I also wanted to test the new processor’s capabilities directly, so I installed the Sysbench benchmarking tool and ran its CPU test. The RP2 delivered much improved single-thread performance over the Raspberry Pi Model B, but the real boost came in multi-threaded performance, thanks to the shiny new quad-core processor. Using the full power of the new processor, the Raspberry Pi 2 was more than five times faster than its single-core predecessor, and that’s without touching the RP2’s baked-in overclocking capabilities. Zoom! The Raspberry Pi 2's Sunspider performance, compared against the original Raspberry Pi Model B. (Click to enlarge.) The performance increase provides tangible real-world benefits as well. While it took the Model B a full 1:01 to boot up, the Raspberry Pi 2 hit the desktop in a mere 33 seconds. What’s more, actually using the Raspberry Pi 2 is a far more pleasurable experience. Programs and websites no longer take forever to launch in Raspbian (though you still won’t confuse the Pi 2 for a full-powered PC). Navigating the menus in the home theater PC-focused OpenELEC operating system is far more fluid on the new hardware.
Simply put, you can actually use the Raspberry Pi without wanting to scream and pull out your hair at the excruciating slowness. That, paired with the extra USB ports, makes for a staggering improvement in sheer usability. The Raspberry Pi 2 software experience
Along those lines, the stark Raspbian operating system comes preloaded with helpful software, including the aforementioned Epiphany browser and even a free, stripped-down version of the blockbuster Minecraft game created just for the Raspberry Pi. A central “Pi Store” points you to more than 100 additional games and apps, including productivity tools like the LibreOffice suite.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s goal with these devices is to introduce people to programming, however, and it shows in software that’s preinstalled on Raspbian. You’ll find versions of Wolfram Mathematica, Python program creation tools, and Scratch, an animation coding IDE for kids. Brad Chacos Get used to seeing the command line terminal. Here's the stock Raspbian desktop. That focus on teaching the basics of computer science permeates the entire Raspberry Pi experience. While the installer is well laid-out and will get you up and running in mere minutes, you will need to roll up your sleeves and delve into the command line. Just getting this thing running is an educational experience in and of itself for people weaned on Windows.
Speaking of which, another cool tidbit: When Microsoft releases its version of Windows 10 for the Internet of Things, it will be made available free of charge to Raspberry Pi 2 users. Counting pennies
Element 14 You'll need a microSD card to run the Raspberry Pi 2, and likely a microSD card adapter to install an operating system on the itty-bitty storage device. Be warned, however, that getting the Raspberry Pi 2 up and running is likely to cost your more than the $35 price tag, though you might have most of the accessories you need already. Here’s a full list of what you’ll need to use the micro-PC:
A 5 volt micro-USB cord capable of drawing at least 1200mA from the wall. Any micro-USB tablet charger should work just fine. (Note that using add-on devices like the camera can increase the Raspberry Pi 2’s power needs.)
A USB keyboard and mouse
A microSD card with a compatible operating system installed. 4GB works, but a greater storage amount would be better if you plan to save files, install additional software, et cetera. You can purchase microSD cards with Raspbian preinstalled from Element14 and other Raspberry Pi suppliers.
An HDMI cable or combined composite video/3.5mm audio cord
A monitor or television to connect to
An Ethernet cable or USB Wi-Fi adapter
You should probably buy a case to shelter the exposed board as well, to avoid potentially damaging it.
Element14, the U.S. Raspberry Pi supplier that supplied us with our review sample, sells pretty much every Raspberry Pi accessory you could ever need. Bottom line
Element 14 This new generation of hardware doesn’t change the value proposition of the core Raspberry Pi experience itself whatsoever—an experience that clearly resonates, as more than five million Raspberry Pi models have shipped worldwide.
It still rocks as a maker tool. It still rocks as a teaching tool for budding computer programmers. It still performs admirably as a potential itty-bitty storage server or low-cost home theater PC. You still wouldn’t want to use this for your primary computer—not that the Raspberry Pi 2 is intended for that.
What the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B does is take all of the use cases the original Raspberry Pi excelled at and supercharge them. This thing is a beast compared to its predecessor, and the extra duo of USB ports makes it far easier to use. (Begone, USB hubs!) If you’ve want a cheap way to dip your toes into computer programming, the maker movement, or Linux, the Raspberry 2 comes very highly recommended. The Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 2 Model B
4.5/5
At a Glance
The Raspberry Pi 2 bears a strong resemblance to its forefathers, but with fewer design headaches and dramatically improved performance. View full product specs »
Linux.com have just released benchmarks of the new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B with its improved processor and RAM. Benchmarking a Pi is always interesting as you must find applications which are reasonable for this device to use, with webserver software being a decent choice to compare to ODroid-U2, Radxa and the Beaglebone Black. openSSL 1.0.1e,DES and AES cbc mode ciphering and Blowfish were all tested with the Pi performing slowly but improved from the previous generation and certainly decent for a $35 piece of hardware. In addition both a full KDE desktop and KDE/Openbox were successfully installed with Openbox the recommended choice. Get all the results right here.
"Released in February, the Raspberry Pi Model 2 B is an update to the original board that brings quad cores for six times the performance of the original, 1 gigabyte of RAM for twice the memory, and still maintains backwards compatibility. The many CPU cores are brought about by moving from the BCM2835 SoC to the BCM2836 SoC in the Raspberry Pi 2."
PiKasa Will Transform Your Raspberry Pi Into A (Kinda-Sorta) Laptop
Many wonderful things can be and have been said about the Raspberry Pi — it's adroitness as a programming learning tool, its remarkably low cost-of-entry, the strong and varied community that has developed around it, the user creativity it inspires, its oh-so-oh-so-cool factor — but one thing never said is that it provides a clean, well-contained user computing experience. That's because, well, it doesn't.
The truth is that the typical Raspberry Pi system is precisely the opposite, presenting as a chaotic jumble of cables, cords, wires, USB hubs, peripheral devices, and various power supplies. It is still marvelously useful, though, and provides a ton of techy fun for boys and girls and adults alike, provided all of the pieces are rightly connected at the same time and nobody...touches...anything.
Enter the tragically-named PiKasa*, a RaspBerry Pi housing kit that promises to turn your tiny credit-card computer into a standalone and portable, underpowered laptop-ish device for just $75-$99 (the price depending on whether you opt to jump aboard the PiKasa Indiegogo project in the hopes it gets funded by April 15th, or wait instead for full-tilt production). And for your money you get an ABS plastic shell with a small footprint (roughly the size of an A5 booklet) that you can plug your Raspberry Pi into, which includes everything needed to transform it into a fully operational computer system, including:
7-inch 800 x 480 resolution LCD panel
HDMI interface circuitry to drive the LCD
built-in keyboard with splash-proof silicon rubber keymat overlay and 4 hotkeys aligned to the screen
audio amplifier
speakers
power supply
Five (5) USB ports
Ethernet port
2-volt DC power converter
Li-ion battery charger
carrier bracket to hold your Raspberry Pi in place
Careful readers will note that a battery is not included with the PiKasa kit, however a single cell 3.7v lithium-ion battery is all you need to get the PiKasa up and running.
Naturally, a PiKasa-housed Raspberry Pi is never going to compete with the Apple MacBooks, Dell XPS 13s, or Microsoft Surfaces of the world (or even the new super-low-priced Chromebooks announced this week for that matter, considering the total cost with Raspberry Pi and battery and $25 shipping included comes in at $150-$175). In fact, you cannot even close the lid on a fully assembled PiKasa-RPi system, as with a standard laptop. No, but what the PiKasa will do is allow you to more easily employ a Raspberry Pi (Type 1 and Type 2, and all versions of same, are supported). And it could hardly be easier to do so, as users need only connect their Pi to the carrier board inside the PiKasa housing, refit the back panel, and turn on the device via the integrated power switch to get the system going, ready to run whichever applications are loaded on the RPi's SD card.
“Imagine your Raspberry Pi almost as an appliance, standing on a desktop or counter. It’s beautiful and neat in white and grey with a brilliant 7” (800 x 480) HDMI LCD display angled perfectly for viewing.” says Ian Harrison, CEO of The Content Company (the South African company behind the PiKasa project). “It’s your energy monitor or your home automation system, your internet of things manager or your ZX Spectrum, your media player or games console, the instant messaging device that you give to your parents, or your weather station, or pretty much everything else that a Pi can be. And now on top of it – it’s really nicely packaged too.”
* PiKasa = Pi, plus Kasa, for Casa, meaning 'house' (which is quite the cute moniker, but is also one that is sure to bump up against Google's ubiquitous Picasa software...and lose).
Microsoft unleashes Windows 10 preview for Raspberry Pi 2
Microsoft's Build 2015 conference is well underway, and following the launch of a new Windows 10 preview build yesterday, the company has released a separate developer preview today that's targeted at the "Maker" community.
The Windows 10 IoT Core Insider Preview - a name only Microsoft could come up with - is now available for developers to download and play around with. The specialized build of Windows is designed to support devices like the Raspberry Pi 2 and Intel Minnowboard Max, allowing device builders to get the most out of the limited hardware of these boards.
According to Microsoft, Windows 10 IoT Core gives device builders "world-class development tools, the power of the Universal Windows Platform, direct access to hardware capabilities, and the ability to remotely debug, update, and manage the software" that runs on development boards like the Raspberry Pi 2.
Currently, the preview build is rough around the edges, and Microsoft warns that developers looking for a commercial-quality release should wait until later this year. However the IoT Core preview is stable enough to test programs on, and Microsoft is hoping that the public preview will give them feedback on how to make the platform better as a whole.
Alongside the launch of the Windows 10 IoT Core Insider Preview, Microsoft has also announced a partnership with Arduino, making Windows 10 "the world’s first Arduino-certified operating system".
The partnership brings several open-source libraries to the Arduino platform. Windows Virtual Shield for Arduino gives developers wireless access to sensors from a Windows-powered device like a Lumia 530, while Windows Remote Arduino allows Universal Apps to send commands to an Arduino wirelessly for execution.
Como usar um Raspberry Pi para controlar o calor na sua casa
Nas estações mais frias gostamos de chegar a casa e poder sentir o conforto de uma temperatura ideal e constante, e como para muitas famílias não é pratico estar sempre a acender a lareira, usamos os aquecedores, uma fonte de calor relativamente rápida, constante e regulável.
O problema de muitas famílias no mundo é mesmo o consumo deste tipo de equipamentos. Muitas vezes esquecemos-nos de os desligar, ou estes atingem temperaturas mais elevadas do que o estritamente necessário.
Sabia que com apenas um Raspberry Pi, umas tomadas e uns relés, podemos ter um sistema que nos faz poupar imenso tempo e dinheiro?
Este projeto tem o objetivo de manter a temperatura +/- constante de uma divisão. Utiliza sondas DHT22 e DS18B20 e com intervalos de atualização de 30 em 30 segundos.
Devido à incerteza das sondas DHT22, pois elas nem sempre dão os valores, o código em Python consegue contornar essas situações. Caso uma situação dessas aconteça o Raspberry Pi ficará a recolher valores da DHT22 em ciclos de 3 segundos até obter valores válidos. Requisitos
Para a elaboração deste projecto, necessitamos dos seguintes equipamentos:
Raspberry Pi
[DS18B20]
[DHT22]
Instalação Primeiro de tudo certifique-se que o seu Raspberry Pi está atualizado.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade Após a atualização devemos proceder ao download dos drives da DHT22.
$ git clone git://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-Raspberry-Pi-Python-Code.git
$ cd Adafruit-Raspberry-Pi-Python-Code
$ cd Adafruit_DHT_Driver
Para se certificar que a sonda está 100% instalada execute o seguinte comando
O “2302” é o tipo de sonda e o “4” é o PIN a que a sua DHT22 está ligada na GPIO do seu Raspberry Pi.
sudo ./Adafruit_DHT 2302 4
Caso não obtenha valores válidos verifique a ligação dos pinos da sonda.
Tendo a DHT22 a funcionar correctamente, temos agora de verificar se as DS18B20 estão funcionando como esperado.
$ cd/sys/bus/w1/devices/
$ ls
Deverá ver agora uns “números estranhos”. Calma, isso apenas são os IDs da sondas ligadas ao Raspberry Pi.
Deverá apontar esses valores para editar nos ficheiros “.py”.
Após apontar os ID’s desejados devemos efectuar os seguintes comandos. Ao copiar para a sua janela de SSH retire os “<” e “>”.
$ cd<ID da sonda>
$ cat w1_slave
Deverá obter um valor “t=temperatura”, acha o valor muito grande? Calma, está multiplicado por 1000.
Agora vamos efectuar o download dos ficheiros necessários.
$ cd
$ git clone git://github.com/adrianobrum/Aquecimento-Central.git
$ cd Aquecimento-Central
$ ls
Poderá verificar que existe dois ficheiros idênticos, o “temp_data.py” e “temp_control.py”. – “temp_data.py” – Ficheiro que será utilizado para obter informações das sondas. – “temp_control.py” – Ficheiro que irá controlar as saídas GPIO do Raspberry Pi. Agora será feita a edição do ficheiro “temp_data.py”. Basta alterar os ID’s entre os “<>”.
ledMode( 17, GPIO.HIGH if temp1 < 21 and temp_c1 <= 19 else GPIO.LOW )
ledMode( 18, GPIO.HIGH if temp1 < 21 and temp_c1 <= 20 else GPIO.LOW )
Após a edição, caso deseje executar o ficheiro quando o Raspberry Pi iniciar deverá abrir o “cron”.
$ crontab –e
E adicionar a seguinte linha no final.
@reboot sudo python /home/pi/temp_control.py
Agora deite-se no sofá e aprecie a temperatura do interior da sua casa. Alguma dúvida, questão ou sugestão podem contactar o autor através da seguinte desta página.
Thinking pink
After three years being a naked circuit board the Raspberry Pi Foundation has launched an official case.
The Official Raspberry Pi case is a convertible unit enclosed with a white lid. A snap-on pink cover provides access to the internals. In either configuration, the case provides access to all the primary ports, including the micro SD slot, and the power and activity lights can be seen..
According to the Raspberry Pi Foundation it struggled to perfect the design and it spent a lot of time asking for changes and the moulding company to press out some new cases.
Spokesman Gordon Hollingworth wrote in the Foundation's bog:. "We went through literally dozens of imperfect iterations – lumps here and there, clips that didn't clip, inconsistent colours, ill-fitting parts, bits dropping off the case, incongruously fragile and snappy corners – and eventually we gave up and moved our business to a company a little more used to the type of high quality injection moulding that we required."
The end result is a case that "now clips together cleanly and stays clipped together, all the interfaces are 'just right' the colouring is perfect and it can be made in the quantities we were hoping for," says Hollingworth.
The case costs only £6 from the Raspberry Pi Swag Store, with an additional £3 for delivery. It's designed to fit the new Raspberry Pi 2, which was released earlier this year.
This Raspberry Pi turns into a tiny Super Nintendo
The Raspberry Pi has proven to be the fruit of choice for clever tecchies and inventors everywhere, leading to a fascinating array of technical creations that amuse, mystify and outright dazzle.
The Pi Boy Portable is a prime example. Build using the Raspberry Pi, customized 3D-printed shell parts and a small screen, Thingiverse user Jooxoe3i has created a tiny portable Super Nintendo console built for retro gaming on the go.
The Pi Boy Portable build is inspired by a combination of custom eye-boggling inventions including adafruit's DIY Raspberry Pi Gameboy and Carasibana's Super Game PiSP, a PSP-shaped SNES retro handheld.
Not being content with just one homemade Nintendo handheld, Jooxoe3i made the Pi-Boy Classic, which is a teensy-small Game Boy-styled handheld that plays SNES games and original Game Boy games. And since it's about 75% the size of an original Game Boy it fits easily into your pocket.
If you happen to have your own MakerBot 3D printer the Thingiverse forums have step-by-step instructions for every single project, so you can make your very own Pi Boy or Pi Boy Classic.
Microsoft has launched Windows 10 now and everyone is talking about it. A lot of people have already upgraded while just as many wait for their downloads to finish. There are of course also those who don’t want to upgrade or aren’t eligible for the free upgrade and then there is them that own a Raspberry Pi.
Yes, you read that right, you can also get Windows 10 for that tiny $35 pocket PC as well as other mini-systems such as the MinnowBoard Max and Intel Galileo. Okay granted, this isn’t the full desktop version, but rather the IoT (Internet of Things) version and you’ll need an already upgraded PC with the normal Windows 10 to get started. But from there on it is an easy task.
The Windows 10 IoT Core tools are available to download directly from Microsoft. Flash it onto an SD card and boot up your Raspberry Pi and get coding and controlling. Windows 10 IoT Core will boot automatically after connecting the power supply. This will take a few minutes. Once the device has booted, the DefaultApp will launch and display the IP address of RPi2. You can now connect through PowerShell or SSH to your freshly installed Windows 10 Pi. Files and guides can all be found on Microsofts site and it is truly as easy as following a checklist.
Microsoft Releases Slimline Windows 10 for the Raspberry Pi
Microsoft has unveiled a developer-focused, Windows 10 edition designed for the Rapsberry Pi. Windows 10 IoT Core is targeted towards small form-factor devices and doesn’t utilize the default Windows shell. This means you create your own Universal Windows App and construct a visual frontend. To access these creation tools, you need a development machine running Windows 10 (Build 10240) and Visual Studio 2015.
The operating system is built around software development and encourages new and existing developers to make Windows Apps. The software supports the standard UWP languages such as C++, C#, JavaScript and Visual Basic. There is also a wide array of tools to help with debugging and ensure systems like Node.js and Python are integrated into the toolset without feeling too different.
The Microsoft blog post shows the company’s intentions to create an open-source community of developers who can share and discuss projects on Github. The Raspberry PI is a fantastic learning tool for coders and can create an assortment of unique, yet cheap devices. I’m not convinced if this software package is enough to deter people from a Unix-based environment. Possibly, the focus on is commercial usage and marketing hardware as being invented on a Microsoft development platform.
Clearly, Microsoft is trying to push their own struggling App Store and compete with the Apple Store and Android’s Play Store. Giving developers the tools to create interesting projects is an important step but is it already too late?
Official 7-Inch 480p Touchscreen Display Accessory Arrives For Raspberry Pi
It might have taken nearly an entire year to arrive, but the official touch display for the Raspberry Pi is here. Fortunately, the long wait isn't being met with an overpriced product - that'd be rather atypical of the Raspbery Pi foundation. Instead, you'll be able to get a very capable 7-inch touch screen for about $60 USD.
With a resolution of 800x480, this is far from being a "high-resolution" panel, but the feature set more than makes up for that. It takes advantage of the RPi's DSI connector, which allows users to continue using the HDMI port for other purposes - and it is possible to use both the touchscreen and external display at the same time. Another cool perk: the chassis can be had in a variety of different colors, including purple:
It should be noted that the frame itself is a £10 add-on. Other perks include being able to power the touch display from the RPi itself (meaning, just one power connector), and being able to affix your RPi itself on top of the RPi's PCB, as seen in the shot above. For a DIY solution, this sure is an elegant one.
For a breakdown of what this touchscreen is capable of, and an overview of all of the different configurations you can use it in, I'd highly recommend checking out the video above.
All told, if you purchase an RPi, its power supply, and this touch screen, it will run you ~£83. Based on the quote of $60 for the touch screen itself, the kit should run about $100~110 in the US.
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