Raspberry Pi 2 released!

[Guest]

The nonprofit Raspberry Pi Foundation has released a new, much improved version of the super affordable mini computer aimed to get people into programming and tinkering with electronics.

The Processor is an ARMv7 quad core, which means the device will now be able to run Ubuntu - the GNU/Linux distribution most commonly recommended for beginners- and the price is the same as that of the first generation Pi when that first released - $35.

 

EDIT: As @multifrag pointed out, Microsoft will provide a Raspberry Pi 2 compatible version of Windows 10 free of charge through their developer program, though if you ask me putting Windows on a small hobbyist/tinkering computer is just wrong and the processor is ARM, so it's not like you'll be able to install any of the Windows software that's distributed compiled for x86.

Here is the full list of specs for Raspberry Pi 2 Model B:

• SoC: Broadcom BCM2836 (CPU, GPU, DSP, SDRAM)
• CPU: 900 MHz quad-core ARM Cortex A7 (ARMv7 instruction set)
• GPU: Broadcom VideoCore IV @ 250 MHz
• More GPU info: OpenGL ES 2.0 (24 GFLOPS); 1080p30 MPEG-2 and VC-1 decoder (with license); ​1080p30 h.264/MPEG-4 AVC high-profile decoder and encoder
• Memory: 1 GB (shared with GPU)
• USB ports: 4
• Video input: 15-pin MIPI camera interface (CSI) connector
• Video outputs: HDMI, composite video (PAL and NTSC) via 3.5 mm jack
• Audio input: I²S
• Audio outputs: Analog via 3.5 mm jack; digital via HDMI and I²S
• Storage: MicroSD
• Network: 10/100Mbps Ethernet
• Peripherals: 17 GPIO plus specific functions, and HAT ID bus
• Power rating: 800 mA (4.0 W)
• Power source: 5 V via MicroUSB or GPIO header
• Size: 85.60mm × 56.5mm
• Weight: 45g (1.6 oz)

Raspberry Pi blog post

Ars Technica article

The Register article

[MLG Doge]

AWESOME!

[cluelessgenius]

that cool, any idea if it will be the same form factor?

[minibois]

Cool.

Would this be a big upgrade from version 1? My brother has one and I use it sometimes too..

[minibois]

that cool, any idea if it will be the same form factor?

When looking at the picture, it seems like it yes.

[Guest]

that cool, any idea if it will be the same form factor?

The article says it's 'about the same' as the B+ model of the first Pi, which was slightly shorter and slightly wider than the standard B model.

[LAwLz]

that cool, any idea if it will be the same form factor?

Yes it is the same size as the old B model.

 

Cool.

Would this be a big upgrade from version 1? My brother has one and I use it sometimes too..

Very big upgrade in performance. Depends on what you use it for if it'll be worth upgrading or not.

 

Looks like the ODROID-C1 still has better hardware for the same price.

I am not too sure about that. The ODROID-C1 has a quad core A5 processor at 1.5GHz. The Raspberry Pi 2 has a lower clock (900MHz) but the CPU architecture (A7) is better clock for clock (by a pretty big margin). I don't know which GPU is the best but the ODROID-C1 has the benefit of Gigabit Ethernet and IR reciever. I'd say they are pretty comparable, and Raspberry Pi will have far more support (which means easier to work with).

[multifrag]

Don't forget about ability to use Windows 10. Source

[step1041]

Just ordered one from element 14/ Newark in Canada. Hopefully I managed to order it before they go to back order. It's apparently $39 here. Hopefully this will be a nice upgrade from my old model B with the 256MB of RAM.

Windows 10 support will be nice, but I hope focus still remains on Linux.

If the unit is anything like the first one, we should be able to OC the chip by 100-200mhz breaking the 1ghz barrier.

[MoDtEc]

hummm another version of raspberrys product do oc the shit out of it

mineral oil anyone?

[JAKEBAB]

This looks awesome!!! I really need to get myself one!!! especially for a nas!

[MeepLikesToBuildPc's]

Cool.

Would this be a big upgrade from version 1? My brother has one and I use it sometimes too..

They say its up to 6x faster

[step1041]

This looks awesome!!! I really need to get myself one!!! especially for a nas!

It would work as an extremely cheap NES, but the 10/100 Ethernet is a bit of a bottleneck in my opinion. Although for $35 there isn't much to complain about.

[qwertywarrior]

edit

[c3p0_]

What about bananapi? Isn't this gen 3 already. While the bananapi has a sata port.

[Sanctuary2808]

Sounds even better for emulating. Wonder if it will be better at emulating things like N64.

[Mr crabcake]

I thought people were trolling at first but it's true! And backwards compatible with old raspberry Pi software

[qwertywarrior]

Sounds even better for emulating. Wonder if it will be better at emulating things like N64.

it could already be done on the first one

google Mupen64Plus-RPi

 

more compatible emulators

http://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-emulator/

[XTankSlayerX]

---

Info on the newly released Raspberry Pi 2

There are two key changes on this new model: its processor is now a lot more powerful and it includes twice as much RAM. What doesn't change is just as important: it still sells for only $35.

"It's a major leap forward in terms of computing power for users," says Mike Powell, a technology development manager for Pi distributor Element14. Powell believes that the Pi 2 will open up a lot of new opportunities because of its added computing power. "A whole wave of new applications are now possible," he says.

To get more specific, the Pi 2 is running a quad-core ARMv7 processor clocked at 900MHz (the foundation says that it expects power users to clock it even higher), and it includes 1GB of RAM. Aside from that, it's pretty much the same as the latest "Model B+" Pi board. It supports up to 4 USB connections, its primary storage is a Micro SD card, and it all fits on a small green board. The Raspberry Pi Foundation says that performance increases will vary depending on what you're doing with it, but on the whole, they're going to be substantial.

Microsoft is throwing its weight behind the newly announced Raspberry Pi 2 today. The Raspberry Pi Foundation's low-cost computer was an instant hit when it first debuted in 2012, and the new Raspberry Pi 2 now includes a more powerful processor and twice as much RAM. While you’ve never been able to officially run copies of Windows on the Raspberry Pi without resorting to an old version or tricks and hacks, Microsoft says it’s "delivering a version of Windows 10 that supports Raspberry Pi 2." t’s not clear exactly what version of Windows 10 will be available, but Microsoft is handing it out for free to the Maker community through its Windows Developer Program for IoT later this year. With the pricing of the Raspberry Pi 2 and Microsoft’s free copy of Windows 10, you could have a full PC for just $35 later this year. We’ll have to wait to hear more information from Microsoft on how Windows 10 will function on the Raspberry Pi 2, but the company says it’s planning to reveal more "in the coming months." It's likely that this version of Windows 10 will only run modern universal apps, as the Raspberry Pi 2 includes an ARM-based processor.

Source for Microsoft backing the Pi 2: http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/2/7962179/raspberry-pi-windows-10

Source for Announcement of the Pi 2 sales: http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/2/7954617/raspberry-pi-2-announced-on-sale

[Sauron]

HELL YES! Although, if it has the same app compatibility of windows RT we might as well just install linux...

[Levent]

I expect shit ton of issues because of the broadcom chipset.

[shadowblitz3]

this thing will sure be a hit

[LAwLz]

Remember, it's not the x86 version of Windows. Don't expect any of the normal Windows programs to work.

[Guest]

ahem

[GoodBytes]

So Windows RT is dead, but Windows 10 for ARM CPU will exists. If so, strange, but fantastic news.

i say strange, because Raspberry Pi is an ARM CPU, and Windows RT run on ARM processors. So, why isn't Windows 10 ARM edition available for Surface 1 and 2? Maybe it doesn't have some CPU technology needed? Interesting. Only time will reveal the reason I guess.

This is very exiting! If you can go on the web and download, like we are doing now with our Windows, ARM version of programs, that would be killer. And it could mean that Windows 10 can run on Beaglebone and other similar mini embedded systems.

Back in WIndows RT days (Windows 8.0), people jail broken them and recompiled many open source projects as ARM based to run them on Windows. So I see the same happening with Windows 10, but no jail braking needed.