$25 Computer to Entice Kids into Programming

Game developer David Braben's PC on a USB stick to include HDMI and run Linux in 1080p

With the actual cost estimated at around $200, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project may be nowhere near its $100 target. However, game developer David Braben's (of Transport Tycoon and Kinectimals fame) endeavour, the Raspberry Pi Foundation, aims to achieve much more at a fraction of the OLPC's cost by deploying its ULPC (Ultra Low-cost PC) for $25.

The specifications are impressive despite the unbelievably low price. What looks like a naked USB stick actually holds a 700 MHz ARM11 processor mated to 128MB of SDRAM. The yet unnamed ULPC may not match up to current-gen cutting edge tablets and smartphones with 1GHz dual-core processors, but to put things in perspective, the iPhone 3G was outfitted with a 412MHz version of the same ARM11 CPU. The very spartan product website fails to mention the fact that the ULPC includes Wi-Fi connectivity and web browser, as confirmed by Braben through a tweet.

No details available on the GPU, but the ultra low-cost PC supports OpenGL ES 2.0 standard, capable of delivering 1080p video through the attached HDMI port. An HDMI port may sound counter-intuitive, considering the PC will inevitably be targeted at developing countries, but it makes sense from a design perspective as adding an analogue video interface requires a bulky and costly digital to analogue conversion chipset.

The pint size computer also features a USB 2.0 port that can be used to hook up keyboards, mice, and other peripherals through an external powered USB hub. Storage is addressed with cheap and ubiquitous flash-based SD memory, accessible through the attached SD card slot. Early prototype images hint at expansion in the form of additional modules that can be attached through a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) connector, such as the camera module visible in these snaps.

The Raspberry Pi is capable of running Linux, which should help keep costs low and make it versatile enough to handle word processing, video, and web browsing. However, going by Braben's statements, his ULPC may not be a rival to the OLPC project. The usual approach to computers in education has followed the ICT format that trains kids in superficial computer applications such as word processing, presentations, and basic computer operational skills. In contrast, with the Raspberry Pi's predilection towards Linux, Braben wants kids to delve deeper into programming and computer science. In a nutshell, learning how stuff works, rather than just learning how to work stuff.

This philosophy is further bolstered in a possible application postulated by Braben in a YouTube interview: "In theory, they could be given away to the child, with other ways of funding it. What they would do with it is, they would be able to engage in a lot of things that we're all consumers of but not actually creators of: understanding how you put together little scripts that might run websites, that might look at things like Facebook and Twitter, also email." It seems that Braben fully intends to venture a step further than the OLPC.