Next
Thing wants $50,000 to finish development of the credit-card sized Chip
computer.
The
gadget, due to go on general release in early 2016, could become yet another
rival to the popular Raspberry Pi barebones computer.
The
Chip shares some technical elements with the Pi in that it is built around an
Arm chip but it includes some networking technologies, such as wi-fi and
Bluetooth 4.0, that are not present on the standard Raspberry configuration.
The
gadget can run a version of the Linux operating system and connects to monitors
and displays via a basic composite connector.
Next
Thing is also planning to make a version of the Chip into a handheld gadget
called the Pocket Chip that will sell for about $49.
The
first finished Chip boards are due to reach backers in December. Though some
people who sign up to be a "kernel hacker" backer will get theirs in
September.
Since
launching on Kickstarter, the project has proved popular and has already
exceeded its funding goal.
Currently
almost 13,000 people have pledged more than $645,000 (£416,000) to the project.
But
experts warned that the Chip's low price tag only covered the basic board.
Writing
on hardware news site Bit-Tech, Gareth Halfacree said the Chip had
"sacrificed a few features" in its desire to be smaller and cheaper
than the Pi.
He
pointed out that beefing up the graphical abilities to match the Pi raised the
price to $24 - far closer to the $35 that the Raspberry Pi 2 costs.
He
added that shipping charges outside the US could also make the Chip more
expensive than it first appeared.
The
computer is also launching into a market getting increasingly crowded with
small, powerful computers.
These
range from barebones boards aimed at hardware hackers through to entire
computers on USB sticks chips made by Intel and Google.
The
Chip computer is the second project Next Thing has funded via Kickstarter.
Its
first was a digital camera called Otto powered by the Raspberry
Source: BBC News
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