Raspberry Pi: Introducing the £22 credit card sized computer

Created by a group of scientists and developers who wanted to improve the state of Britain's computer science curriculum, the new device costs just £22, is based around a 700MHz ARM chip and features an Ethernet port to connect to the internet and a couple of USB ports. After plugging in a keyboard, mouse and screen, students can use the Raspberry Pi's open source software to write their own code. Harriet Green, ceo of Premier Farnell, the company behind element14, said: "The Raspberry Pi is one of the most exciting electronic/embedded computing products to be launched for decades. We believe it will provide the catalyst for a programming revolution. The opportunity to engage a new generation of engineers and computer experts is very much in our sweet spot as a company. Through our element14 community we will encourage everyone from developers, modders, coders and programmers to discuss, share and develop their ideas and fully utilise the game changing potential of the Raspberry Pi computer." Eben Upton, co founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, added: "The decline in core computing skills is something we really want to address with Raspberry Pi and the way the element14 community supports developers of all skill levels makes it a really strong partner in tackling this issue. "Overcoming the students' fear of programming for the first time is a critical step in unlocking the full potential of the smartest people in any industry. I have no doubt that having the support of a community of like minded developers will be a catalyst for success." The Raspberry Pi is available to order now at Premier Farnell and RS Components.