$25 computers sell for over $3,000, money goes to charity (Yahoo! News)

First run of ultra-cheap Raspberry Pi computers hits eBay for a good cause

The?Raspberry Pi project has the potential to revolutionize low-cost computing. With an expected retail price of just $25, the tiny PCs ? which are barely larger than a USB memory stick ? are powerful enough to handle daily web browsing, email, and even?moderate gaming tasks with ease. But before the diminutive devices hit the market, the Raspberry Pi foundation is auctioning off?the first 10 units on eBay, with all proceeds going to charity.

While it might seem crazy that a $25 PC could even fetch more than $100 on an auction site, the significance of the Raspberry Pi project (along with the funds' charitable destination) has helped to boost the bids up and over the $3,000 mark. The funds raised by the 10 tiny computers will be applied to the foundation's own charity, which helps to provide computers to schools with outdated technology.

The Raspberry Pi project has a long and storied history: it when Eben Upton of Cambridge noticed a steadily declining computer science movement within the country's school. After building a few prototypes of tiny, super-affordable PCs, renowned U.K. video game designer David Braben joined the team, and helped raise funding and awareness for the project. Now, after years of development, the Pi is set to launch by the end of the month.

[via?The Verge]

This article originally appeared on Tecca

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120105/tc_yblog_technews/25-computers-sell-for-over-3000-money-goes-to-charity

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