Move over Raspberry Pi - there's a new pocket-sized computer that wants to steal your thunder
What is it?
A new microcomputer (main picture), priced just £50. It’s made by Imagination Technologies, a Hertfordshire-based company better known for building processors that handle graphics in iPads and other mobile devices. The company hopes it will rival the credit-card-sized PC Raspberry Pi, which has been a huge hit with computing enthusiasts and amateur programmers since launching in 2012. You can pre-order the Creator CI20 at http://store.imgtec.com/uk, with units due to be posted at the end of January.
How is it different to the Raspberry Pi?
It’s a lot more powerful, and has been dubbed ‘the Raspberry Pi on steroids’. The most significant difference is the Creator CI20’s CPU, which has double the clock speed. 'Ihis means it can perform tasks more quickly.
It also has 1GB RAM, almost double the Pi’s 512MB. Furthermore, unlike the Pi, it has flash storage (4GB), which you can add to using an SD card. Its connectivity is better, too: it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 built in, neither of which the Raspberry Pi can boast.
For graphics, it uses a version of the Imagination chip that is also found inside Apple’s iPad. It handles 1080p video at 60 frames per second, letting you play high-definition videos.
Can I run Linux on it?
Yes, like the Pi. But unlike its fruity rival it also comes with Android 4.4 built in, providing a cheap way to learn how to develop phone and tablet apps. This may make it more attractive than the Pi to children keen to turn a passion for gaming into a career.
Is the Raspberry Pi better in any way?
Yes. The Model B+ Pi (www.snipca.com/14677) has four USB slots, two more than its new rival. And it’s still much cheaper than the Creator CI20, at less than half the price - the new Model A+ costs just $20 (around £15). This will continue to make it more popular with teachers eager to introduce pupils to programming at a price that falls within their school’s budget.
Another advantage the Pi has is that it has already proven to be a great success, spawning many websites, forums and books that give instructions, offer advice and suggest projects. It has a thriving online community, as you can see on the official site (www.raspberrypi.org/community), and there are also lots of Pi accessories, such as the Fuze robot arm.
Owning a Pi is like joining a club where the members never run out of amazing ideas. It remains to be seen if the Creator CI20 captures the imagination as deeply. Will it, for example, inspire devices as innovative as the BrewPi (www.brewpi.com), which uses the Raspberry Pi to monitor the fermentation temperature of wine and beer?
But is the Creator CI20 easier to use?
Yes. It has a lot more functionality built in, which means less fiddling around to make it work. But for many people it is this very fiddling that makes the Pi such a rewarding piece of kit. Some critics have said that the Creator CI20 feels like a do-it-yourself computer that doesn’t require you to do much yourself.
But the Creator CI20 will appeal to people who find the Pi too basic. You should consider buying one if you feel you’ve outgrown the Pi, and want a new programming challenge. It has a duller name, but it can do a lot more.