Raspberry Pi release nears as PC clears quality checks

Raspberry Pi release nears as PC clears quality checks

Following a flurry of continued delays, new reports have suggested that the credit card sized 22 bare bones Raspberry Pi computer is ready to ship for the first time.

Having caught the tech worlds imagination in recent months with its back to basics approach to computing that is set to see a new generation of users given the chance to learn the inner workings of a PC first hand, the Raspberry Pi is on the cusp of hitting users doorsteps with the company suggesting the first pre-orders will finally be fulfilled in the next 7-10 days.

We just received confirmation that the Raspberry Pi has passed EMC testing without requiring any hardware modifications, Liz Upton wrote on Raspberry Pis official blog. There is still a mountain of paperwork for us to sign, and that then has to be looked over by RS Components and element14/Premier Farnell; but thats a piece of cake compared to what weve been doing all week.

Quizzed on the expected arrival time for the pocket PC that has been delayed due to the use of the wrong Ethernet ports as well as questions surrounding its safety, Upton added: at my most pessimistic, and bearing in mind that its a Bank Holiday, Id say 7-10 days.

Raspberry Pie Computer Specs

Featuring the bare essentials needed to make a PC function with little superfluous bells and whistles, the open board that makes up the Raspberry Pi is fitted with a selection of components allowing users to hook the computer up to a television screen as well as add the all important keyboard needed to allow for command input.

Available in two slightly varying forms dependant upon consumers needs, the Raspberry Pi Model A boasts 256MB of RAM and a single USB port whilst the Mod el B variant adds a second USB connector and a network connectable Ethernet port.

Both versions of the Raspberry Pi computer feature the ARM1176JZFS 700GHz single-core processor and Videocore 4 GPU capable of Full HD Blu-ray quality video playback. An SD card is needed for storage.

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard, an official spokesperson for the charity based Raspberry Pi parent company has announced. Its a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video.

The spokesperson added that the purpose behind the basic Linux based PC is to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn programming.

Have you been caught up in the excitement surrounding the upcoming Raspberry Pi release? Have you pre-ordered yourself a micro PC? Let us know via the T3 T witter and Facebook feeds.

Via: WSJ