This $65 Raspberry Pi competitor takes the hassle out of DIY micro-PCs

From PC World: Hobbyists are getting a lot of love, with big companies like Microsoft, Intel and IBM releasing circuit board computers to conceptualize and prototype products. Imagination is now entering the fray with its $65 Creator CI20 computer, which takes some of the hassle out of DIY micro-computing with wireless Internet, a preloaded operating system, and 1080p graphics capabilities.

The CI20 is a full-function computer with Wi-Fi capabilities that runs on Android 4.4 or Debian 7 Linux. The computer can be used to make smart electronics, robots and home automation products, the company said.

A range of circuit-board computers, headlined by the $25 Raspberry Pi, have helped do-it-yourselfers turn hardware concepts into reality. Such boards have been used to build wearable devices, robots, drones, medical devices and other smart electronics.

Each board is different in nature. A standout feature in the Creator CI20 is a powerful PowerVR SGX540 graphics core that can handle 1080p video at 60 frames per second, so it’s possible to run high-definition video through the board. The Wi-Fi b/g/n feature helps stream multimedia in and out through the board.

Graphics companies Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices also have released similar computers with powerful graphics cores, but those are more expensive. Nvidia and Imagination compete for graphics in smartphones and tablets.

View: Article @ Source Site