C.H.I.P. is a Tiny Computer That Costs Only US$9

Impressed by Raspberry Pi because it’s so small and affordable? Here’s a “computer” that is even smaller, and it costs from as low as US$9 – that’s about RM33.

Currently available for backing on Kickstarter, C.H.I.P. claims to be the world’s first US$9 computer. It has pledged for a goal of US$50,000 and has already surpassed that goal by over ten times at US$600,427 at the time of writing. It runs on Linux, and works like a typical computer so you can do your work, browse the web, and even play games using a tiny chip.

It comes preloaded with dozens of useful apps and if it’s not enough, the team behind CHIP says that there are over 1,000 apps for you to download from the open source community.

The most basic CHIP costs only US$9, which includes one CHIP and a composite cable for maximum bare-bones enjoyment. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, with optional ports for VGA and HDMI.

Specs wise, CHIP has a 1GHz processor on board, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. There are several options for you to pick – CHIP with battery or a VGA adapter costs US$19 each, or if you wish to plug it easily to most television and displays, CHIP with an HDMI adapter costs US$24.

That’s not all though, there’s a rather interesting gadget for the chip called PocketC.H.I.P. – CHIP made portable. It has a 4.3” resistive touch display, QWERTY keyboard, and 5-hour battery (3,000mAh). Just plug chip into the “Pocket”, and you’ll have something that looks like a smartphone.

There are more options for you to pick from, the most basic US$9 CHIP will ship anywhere in the world by December 2015, while the rest are expected to ship in May 2016. Sadly though, shipping to Malaysia costs double the price of CHIP, adding on US$20 (over RM72) to any purchase.

Check out C.H.I.P.’s Kickstarter page for more information.

(Source: Kickstarter via: TechCrunch, Engadget)