Raspberry Pi

Thecorpora has launched an Indiegogo campaign to get the Q.bo One robot into the hands of kids, educators, developers and robot enthusiasts. The open source desktop bot is described as easy to build, simple to program and easy to hack.​

​Last week, Asus officially released its own project board challenge to the immensely popular Raspberry Pi in the shape of the Tinker Board. Now Huawei has joined the fray, but a high price tag will likely keep its HiKey 960 way beyond the reach of many makers, hobbyists and amateur enthusiasts.

Asus has announced US availability for its Raspberry Pi challenger, the Tinker Board. The single board computer boasts a quad-core processor supported by 2 GB of system memory, UHD video playback and Hi-Res audio support, and a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi double act. It does cost slightly more than a Pi though.

The UK's JustBoom believes that a Raspberry Pi 3 with an audio add-on attached can essentially do the same job as high-end power amps, media streamers and DACs, but at a much lower price point. Intrigued, we agreed to take a power amp and a DAC board for a test drive.​

The pisound board from Blokas Labs is described as an ultra-low latency soundcard and MIDI interface for the Raspberry Pi. It features hi-res stereo input and output jacks, MIDI ports and a multi-purpose button that means peripherals don't need to be connected for the system to work.​

​Since the launch of the very first Raspberry Pi, more than 12 million units have been sold. In November 2015, an entry-level addition to the family called the Pi Zero was announced. Now, a wireless-ready Zero has been released – the Pi Zero W.​

Computer engineers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have developed a prototype that aims to keep the cloud local by wrapping it around the user, in the form of a microcomputer-embedded jacket.

Microsoft joined the smart mirror fray at its Build conference in March demoing its own Magic Mirror. It has now explained the tricks behind the concept and provided those who don't mind a little DIY work with the tools to build their own​.

The 5 megapixel OmniVision camera sensor at the heart of the Raspberry Pi camera module released in 2013 has been retired in favor of Sony's 8-megapixel back-illuminated IMX219 CMOS sensor. Makers are promised improved image quality, high sensitivity and low noise.

Artificial electronic eggs called "EggDuinos" are getting plopped in the nests of three critically endangered vulture species, in order to study their habitats.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has reported that more than 8 million Pis have shipped since the original Model B computer went on sale. Now the Pi 3 has been released, which features a processing brain that's 10 times faster than the original board and comes with cooked in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

It's now over three years since the first cheap-as-chips Raspberry Pi project boards started shipping. There have been numerous attempts to steal Pi's thunder of late, and the Raspberry Pi Foundation has responded with a new addition called the Pi Zero, which comes with a US$5 price tag.