[HH] Cubieboard

[Tom Metro]

Bennett Marks wrote:
>>Tom Metro wrote:
>>     http://www.indiegogo.com/cubieboard
>> 
>>     Specs:
>> 
>>         1G ARM cortex-A8 processor, NEON, VFPv3, 256KB L2 cache
>>         Mali400, OpenGL ES GPU
>>         1GB DDR3 @480MHz
>>         HDMI 1080p Output
>>         10/100M Ethernet
>>         4GB Nand Flash
>>         2 USB Host, 1 micro SD slot, 1 SATA, 1 ir
>>         96 extend pin including I2C, SPI, RGB/LVDS, CSI/TS, FM-IN, ADC,
>>     CVBS, VGA, SPDIF-OUT, R-TP..
>>         Running Android, Ubuntu and other Linux distributions
>> 
>>     Aside fro the I/Os, I'm not seeing much here that distinguishes it from
>>     RPi (which recently boosted its RAM to 512 MB).
>
> Big differences:
>   SATA connector
>   Better/More extender pinouts
> $59 vs. $35

I mentioned those.


>   1Gbyte memory vs. 512 Mbyte
>   1Ghz vs. 700Mhz

I seem to have glossed over those. Thanks for pointing them out. Those
are notable differences.


>   MALI graphics vs. Broadcom

What do you think is the practical consequence of that? I don't know
enough about either GPU to know how they compare. I'm guessing the Mali
GPU might be more openly documented. Perhaps has an open source driver?


>   No CSI or DSI

What's that?


>   4Gb NAND Flash

Good point, though built-in Flash just adds complication for hobby-scale
use. Now you've got to go through some hoops to load code onto it.
Cheaper in volume, but for one-off projects easier to load code onto an
SD card. And never a problem with bricking a unit.


>   uSD vs. SD

Not much practical difference there. The smaller cards are a bit
trickier to handle and usually need an adapter to be mounted on your
desktop/laptop.


> It'll all come down to if they can deliver, and what kind of support the
> dev community generates.

The Kickstarter campaign so far doesn't suggest it is going to go over
big, but we'll see.

I'm sure there will be a half dozen others like this trying to ride on
the coattails of the RPi's success. Eventually one of them will hit on
the right combo of features and price point, while offering better
openness than the RPi.

 -Tom