CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer • Hacker News Board

CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#1

Post by andre33 » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 7:19 PM UTC

CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer
ardevon.com

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#2

Post by Zekio » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 7:33 PM UTC

I think projects like these are great, so I spend 139 usd to just support the project

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#3

Post by andre33 » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 7:38 PM UTC

Zekio wrote: post #2

I think projects like these are great, so I spend 139 usd to just support the project

It's really cool. I wish the gameboy-ish case you can put it in was a bit thinner, but give it a couple of years..

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#4

Post by beambot » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 7:50 PM UTC

And then you have the $12 Gonkai phone with 32-bit 260MHz CPU, quad-band GSM, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and an OLED display plus keypad for the UI.

http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=3040

Western "open source" pales in comparison to the hacker communities in Asia.

EDIT: To be clear... CHIP is a very cool effort. But the headline is entirely too sensationalist; it is not the "world's first $9 computer."

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#5

Post by JulianWasTaken » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 7:51 PM UTC

beambot wrote: post #4

And then you have the $12 Gonkai phone with 32-bit 260MHz CPU, quad-band GSM, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and an OLED display plus keypad for the UI. http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=3040 Western "open source" pales in comparison to the hacker communities in Asia. EDIT: To be clear... CHIP is a very cool effort. But the headline is entirely too sensationalist; it is not the "world's first $9 computer."

I'm not sure why you'd call that "pales", those specs are widely different...

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#6

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 7:56 PM UTC

JulianWasTaken wrote: post #5

beambot wrote: post #4

And then you have the $12 Gonkai phone with 32-bit 260MHz CPU, quad-band GSM, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and an OLED display plus keypad for the UI. http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=3040 Western "open source" pales in comparison to the hacker communities in Asia. EDIT: To be clear... CHIP is a very cool effort. But the headline is entirely too sensationalist; it is not the "world's first $9 computer."

I'm not sure why you'd call that "pales", those specs are widely different...

[deleted]

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#7

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 7:59 PM UTC

JulianWasTaken wrote: post #5

beambot wrote: post #4

And then you have the $12 Gonkai phone with 32-bit 260MHz CPU, quad-band GSM, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and an OLED display plus keypad for the UI. http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=3040 Western "open source" pales in comparison to the hacker communities in Asia. EDIT: To be clear... CHIP is a very cool effort. But the headline is entirely too sensationalist; it is not the "world's first $9 computer."

I'm not sure why you'd call that "pales", those specs are widely different...

[deleted]

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#8

Post by yuvadam » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 8:07 PM UTC

This SoC has notoriously bad kernel and firmware support. I'm expecting similar devices with much better support to hit the market by the end of the year.

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#9

Post by geon » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 8:08 PM UTC

beambot wrote: post #4

And then you have the $12 Gonkai phone with 32-bit 260MHz CPU, quad-band GSM, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and an OLED display plus keypad for the UI. http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=3040 Western "open source" pales in comparison to the hacker communities in Asia. EDIT: To be clear... CHIP is a very cool effort. But the headline is entirely too sensationalist; it is not the "world's first $9 computer."

> with 32-bit 260MHz CPU

The Chip has a 1 GHz CPU and 1/2 GiB RAM. The Gonkai has 8 MiB RAM...

Apples are way better than oranges!

Re: CHIP – The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

#10

Post by lifeisstillgood » Sat, Jul 04, 2015, 8:12 PM UTC

For me projects like this is where OLPC has found its new home. The poorest of the world are still at huge disadvantage- but that their children could be gifted a working Linux box for a day to a weeks wages, with the access and education that potentially opens, means an end run around needing governments to get their acts together.

It does not fix clean water, immunisation or physical security I know - but sub 20usd computers are a boon to the next two generations. Probably more so than our kids generations unable to reach past the retina display.