Meet CHIP The World’s First $9 Computer That Could Give Raspberry Pi A Run For Its Money
When the first Raspberry Pi model came out just over three-years-ago, who would have guessed the kind of spark it'd have on the market? Since its release, there have been numerous add-ons available for it, a ton of different software crafted for it, follow-up models, and of course, lots of competition.
Well, up to this point, there hasn't been competition quite like 'CHIP'. CHIP is a brand-new Kickstarter project that aims to get some computing power into the hands of anyone, something its mere $9 price tag will help.
Each CHIP sports a 1GHz processor, 512MB of memory, 4GB of storage, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0.
CHIP may not boast monsterous performance, but its developers say that it can run a variety of software without issue - even the full-blown LibreOffice office suite. Other examples are VLC, Audacity, GIMP, Transmission, and Chromium, the Google Chrome sibling that removes certain proprietary plugins. The micro PC ships with a homebrewed version of Linux as well as a very lightweight desktop environment.
It should be noted that the $9 CHIP by itself only features an RCA-type video connector, so it goes without saying that many are likely going to want an add-on or two. A variety of bundles for the Kickstarter are available, such as a $19 one that adds a battery or VGA adapter, and a $24 one that adds an HDMI adapter (quite the jump from $9, isn't it?). For $49 or higher, you can get CHIP with 'PocketCHIP', a simple portable device that lets you take CHIP on-the-go.
As of the time of writing, CHIP has reached its funding eightfold (nearly $400,000), and there are still 27 days remaining for funding. Given what it accomplishes, CHIP's success thus far isn't too surprising.
