Hasta La Gadget!

No software update is quite so sweet as one that brings improved performance, and that’s exactly what Raspberry Pi users can expect from the latest Debian-based OS known as Raspbian. Optimized specifically for the $35 computer, Raspbian introduces more comprehensive support for floating point operations, and with that, a faster web browsing experience. The latest release also brings improvements to the firmware, kernel and applications, and is recommended as the distribution most appropriate for general users. An SD card image of Raspbian is now available for download, so do yourself a favor and snag it today.

Filed under: Desktops, Software

Raspberry Pi announces Raspbian, an optimized OS upgrade with performance improvements abound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier today we told you that the teeny tiny Raspberry Pi is now available for general order without any quantity restrictions in place, but the Raspberry Pi news isn’t stopping there. A 5-megapixel camera add-on for the super-small and super-cheap computer has been announced as well, and it’s expected to cost between $20 and $25. Not too bad, so long as you’re okay with spending nearly as much on the camera as you did on the Raspberry Pi itself.

For its part, the camera doesn’t seem to add too much bulk to the system, but additional bulk is essentially unavoidable when the computer is only the size of a credit card. The camera – which attaches to the Raspberry Pi through a ribbon cable – should be available sometime within the next three months, so if you’re dying to put the add-on to the test, you don’t have much longer to wait.

Introduced back in April, the Raspberry Pi quickly took the world of computers by storm. It racked up an insane amount of pre-orders in a short amount of time, and even though the Pi is primarily aimed at getting kids interested in programming through inexpensive means, consumers made it clear that they wanted in on it as well. Founder Eben Upton told CNET that there is still a backlog of orders to fill, but with the Raspberry Pi Foundation producing 4,000 units per day, he hopes that it will soon be able to catch up with demand.

Unfortunately, Upton didn’t delve into specifics as far as a release date is concerned when he announced the camera during the Raspberry Jam event in Cambridge, England, so it looks like we’ll be left waiting for more official word on when this camera will become available. Stay tuned.

Raspberry Pi 5-megapixel camera add-on announced is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Raspberry Pi made quite a splash by offering a cheap way of computing to students or developings using a 700Mhz ARM11 processor. Now a Korean company has created a similar board utilizing a much more powerful quad-core Exynos processor from Samsung. The ODROID-X will clock the CPU at 1.4Ghz and come with 1GB of RAM, a Mali-400 GPU, six USB ports, an Ethernet port, an SD card slot, micro HDMI, and microphone/headphone jacks.

It’s a very compact solution too at 3.5 by 3.7-inches. Naturally, the processor is compatible with Android, and Ubuntu can also be booted using the board, something that the Raspberry Pi can’t claim. We’ve seen various USB sticks running Android making the rounds, plus smaller media players based around Cortex-A9 processors that run Android too, so this new ODROID-X board should fit quite nicely into that category of computing.

Still, you’ll be paying a lot more for this than you would the Raspberry Pi. While the Pi cost $35, the ODROID-X comes in at $129. Then there’s the matter of putting it in some sort of casing and booting software your software of choice, but it might be an interesting option for resellers hoping to sell a cheap yet powerful media player or mini Android computer.

[via Ars Technica]

ODROID-X trumps Raspberry Pi with quad-core CPU is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We talked a lot about the Raspberry Pi since little device first debuted. It’s a cheap little computer designed to run a free operating system making it ideal for tinkering and cobbling together your own HTPC for the living room. Modder Ben Heck has constructed a very cool project using a $35 Raspberry Pi to create what looks like a wooden Commodore 64.

Heck modeled his Raspberry Pi keyboard after a BBC Micro-inspired keyboard with a custom wood closure. The keyboard has cartridge slots and an add-on experimenters kit. The top cover over the keyboard has hinges and can flip open giving the machine vintage look. The DIY computer has an on-off switch, Ethernet connectivity, and video/audio composite ports.

Other features include a 5 V DC output and a USB hub so you can attach peripherals like flash drives or amounts. The experiment kit attached to the device uses C++ programming language. If you’ve wanted something unique to do with your Raspberry Pi, this might be the ticket.

Raspberry Pi gets a Heck of a nice keyboard is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Raspberry Pi is certainly one of the more interesting DIY computer components that we have come across so far, simply because you will need to purchase a chassis, monitor and other essential peripherals separately, never mind that the “brain” of the computer will cost you a mere $35. Having said that, how far does $35 worth of chips are able to bring you these days? It will not be enough to play Diablo 3 or all of the latest games, but at least it gets the job done in terms of checking your emails and surfing your favorite new sites.

With the Raspberry Pi, this Linux-powered computer can also double up as a media center, a remote client for logging into a Windows PC, or even as a notebook – but how about transforming it into a classic gaming console? This is what happened to this particular iteration of the Raspberry Pi, where it will load emulators for old school video game consoles including the SNES. One thing’s for sure, its processor is faster than anything from the 16-bit era, so even if it runs under the umbrella of an emulator, the end result is still pretty smooth to the eyes.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: FishPi relies on Raspberry Pi to help it cross the Atlantic, Raspberry Pi support arrives for Chromium OS,