New
#30
. . .so it is a geek thing, and really not much more. . .:)
Depends on your definition of geek I guess. The GPIO pins let you interface with and control other devices. You can connect sensors and servos etc. Robotics etc. It's a nice device for a project where a full PC would be overkill, or take up to much space. Arduino and Beaglebone are also popular. Have a look around here and you'll see what I mean. https://www.adafruit.com/ They can often do things fairly easily, that are overly complicated to do on a traditional PC. Even by itself it has many uses.
Hey @alphanumeric , have you heard about the Banana Pi? It's a chinese version of RPi which I think is the main reason why RPi2 was created. The Banana Pi is more powerful that the first version of RPi. :) I almost got a Banana Pi before.
But, but, but . . . I have Microsoft Office for Android tablets on my RCA tablet, which has ARM processor, KitKat OS (might be a show stopper for Pi)1 GB RAM, Dalvik runtime with a 10.1" display.
And I'll bet you can use an apk to put KitKat (Android 4.4) onto the Pi. :)
Granted, this version of Office has only Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but those are what most folks use anyway.
I'd also hazard a guess that if Microsoft can do it, so can others.
That version of office is not the x86 version. More like the office RT they coded to run on the Surface RT. That's my understanding anyway. There was a plan to port Android 4 to the Pi but it fizzled out. The old ARM processor used was the road block. The new one on the Pi 2 B makes it easier to run Android. I wanted Android so I could run Netflix. I should be able to do that in Windows 10 with the Netflix App so I won't likely bother with Android. Not unless the new port of Android shows up first. If that happens and I'll have a look see.
The latest Pi's are fairly easy to setup. You put your OS on an SD card and plug it in the built in card reader. Plug a cell phone charger into the Pi's micro USB port for the power supply. Connect a monitor to the HDMI port. Then a USB keyboard and mouse. It's the same connectors you see on a PC. Putting your OS on the SD card correctly is what takes the most time. There are several operating system compiled for the PI available. Downloads | Raspberry Pi