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Speech Recognition Using the Raspberry Pi

Posted by timothy on from the cheaper-than-my-watch-and-more-versatile dept.

aonsquared writes "In a previous Slashdot story, I demonstrated a voice-controlled robotic arm using the open-source speech decoder Julius. This time, I have managed to port the system to a Raspberry Pi to control the same robotic arm, and as usual, posted the tutorial and source code. Some negative reviews of the Raspberry Pi are starting to appear, and they're missing the educational point of this device — I'm hoping this will counter the naysayers, and help inspire a new generation of hackers, as well as also bring open-source speech recognition the same attention as proprietary solutions (i.e Siri) are getting!"

74 comments

  1. Wash away your sins with MyCleanPC... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Nearly four months ago, I noticed that my internet connection was very sluggish. Eventually getting fed up with it, I began to seek out software that would speed up the gigabits in my router. After an hour of searching, I found what at first appeared to be a very promising piece of software. Not only did it claim it would speed up my internet connection, but that it would overclock my power supply, speed up my gigabits, and remove any viruses from my computer! "This is a fantastic opportunity that I simply can't pass up," I thought. I immediately downloaded the software and began the installation, all the while laughing like a small child. I was highly anticipating a future where the speed of my internet connection would leave everyone else's in the dust.

    I was horribly, horribly naive. Immediately upon the completion of the software's installation, various messages popped up on my screen about how I needed to buy software to remove a virus that I wasn't aware I had from a software company I'd never once heard of. The strange software also blocked me from doing anything except buying the software it was advertising. Being that I was a computer whiz (I had taken a computer essentials class in high school that taught me how to use Microsoft Office, and was quite adept at accessing my Facebook account), I was immediately able to conclude that the software I'd downloaded was, in fact, a virus, and that it was slowing down my gigabits at an exponential rate. "I can't let this insanity proceed any further," I thought.

    As I was often called a computer genius, I was confident at the time that I could get rid of the virus with my own two hands. I tried numerous things: restarting the computer, pressing random keys on the keyboard, throwing the mouse across the room, and even flipping an orange switch on the back of the tower and turning the computer back on. My efforts were all in vain; the virus persisted, and my gigabits were running slower than ever! "This cannot be! What is this!? I've never once seen such a vicious virus in my entire life!" I was dumbfounded that I, a computer genius, was unable to remove the virus using the methods I described. Upon coming to terms with my failure, I decided to take my computer to a PC repair shop for repair.

    I drove to a nearby computer repair shop and entered the building with my computer in hand. The inside of the building was quite large, neat, and organized, and the employees all seemed very kind and knowledgeable. They laughed upon hearing my embarrassing story, and told me that they saw this kind of thing on a daily basis. They then accepted the job, and told me that in the worst case, it'd be fixed in three days from now. I left with a smile, and felt confident in my decision to leave the computer repairs to the experts.

    A week later, they still hadn't called back. Visibly angry, I tried calling them countless times, but not a single time did they answer the phone. Their negligence and irresponsibility infuriated me, and sent me into a state of insanity that caused me to punch a gigantic hole in the wall. Being that I would require my computer for work soon, I decided to head over to the computer repair shop to find out exactly what the problem was.

    Upon entering the building, I was shocked by the state of its interior; it looked as if a tornado had tore through the entire building! Countless broken computers were scattered all about the floor, desks were flipped over, the walls had holes in them, there was a puddle of blood on the floor, and worst of all, I saw that my computer was sitting in the middle of the room laying on its side! Absolutely unforgivable! I soon noticed one of the employees sitting behind one of the tipped over desks (the one that had previously had the cash register on top of it); he was shaking uncontrollably and sobbing. Despite being furious about my computer being tipped over, seeing him in that state still managed to make me less unforgiving. I decided to ask him what happened.

    A few moments passed where the entire r

  2. Existentialist Armageddonism! by YouWillUseMyCleanPC · · Score: -1, Troll

    About eight months ago, I was searching around the internet to find out why my computer was running so slowly (it normally ran quite fast, but had gradually gotten slower over time). After a few minutes, I found a piece of software claiming that it could speed up my PC and make it run like new again. Being that I was dangerously ignorant about technology in general (even more so than I am now), I downloaded the software and began the installation. Mere moments after doing so, my desktop background image was changed and warnings that appeared to originate from Windows appeared all over the screen telling me to buy strange software from an unknown company in order to remove a virus it claimed I had.

    I may have been ignorant about technology, but I wasn't that naive. I immediately concluded that the software I'd downloaded was, in fact, a virus. In my rage, I broke numerous objects, punched a hole in the wall, and cursed the world at the top of my lungs. I eventually calmed down, cleared my head, and realized that the only remedy for this problem was a carefully thought out plan. After a few moments of pondering about how to handle this situation, I decided that since I barely knew how to properly handle a computer, I should turn it over to the professionals and let them fix the issue.

    Soon after making the decision, I drove to a local computer repair shop and entered the building with my computer in hand. They greeted me with a smile and stayed attentive the entire time that I was explaining the problem to them. They laughed as if they'd heard it all before, told me that I'm not the only one who has trouble operating computers, and then gave me a date for when the computer would be fixed. Not only had they told me that the computer would be completely repaired in at most two days, but the price for their services was surprisingly low, and to top it all off, they even gave me advice for how to avoid viruses in the future! I left the building feeling confident in my decision to seek professional help and satisfied knowing that such kind-hearted people were the ones doing the job.

    The very next day, I received a phone call from the computer repair shop whilst I was at a local library researching computer viruses. I had stumbled upon a piece of software that appeared to be very promising, and I was about to do more research on it, but seeing as how I required my computer as soon as possible, I decided to put the matter on hold. Upon answering the phone and cheerfully greeting the person on the other end, I was greeted with a high-pitched shriek. Startled, I asked what was wrong. A few moments passed where nothing was said, and suddenly, the person on the other end said to me, in a low voice oozing with paranoia, "Come pick up your computer." They hung up immediately after saying that, and I couldn't help but notice that they sounded as if they were on the verge of tears. I briefly wondered if it was due to stress from work, and then drove to the computer repair shop to acquire my computer.

    I was positively dismayed upon entering the building. The inside of the computer repair shop looked nothing like the image from my memories. There were broken computer parts scattered throughout the room, ceiling tiles all over the floor, blood splattered in every direction I looked, and even a human toe on the ground. After processing this disturbing information, I began panicking and frantically looking around for my computer. I spotted an employee covered in blood sitting up against the wall, and noticed that his wrists had been slashed open. Thinking quickly, I ran up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, shook him around, and began screaming, "Where is it!? Where is my computer!?" After a moment of silence, he passed away, completely shattering my expectations. Such a thing! "What a meaningless individual," I thought.

    Enraged, I tore the building up even further than it already had been in my desperate search for my computer. Eventually I discovered a door leading to an area that was normally o

    1. Re:Existentialist Armageddonism! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      wtf did I just read and why did I read it?

  3. Would be most interesting ... by i-reek · · Score: 1

    If only the Raspberry pi I ordered April 2nd had been delivered yet. Register expressions of interest indeed.

    1. Re:Would be most interesting ... by CajunArson · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Lol... I ordered mine on March 3 and the last update I got says it might ship in about 2 weeks... maybe...

      I like a lot of things about Raspberry Pi, but they made a big mistake by overhyping the product. The next closest competitor I can think of is the Beagleboard, and while the Beagleboards are more expensive they aren't insane (still $100) and have a much more mature software and developer ecosystem.

      --
      AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
    2. Re:Would be most interesting ... by i-reek · · Score: 1
      Heh, I bought a Beagleboard about a month ago because of the wait for the Raspberry pi.

      Maybe they are in cahoots with each other ;)

    3. Re:Would be most interesting ... by Anrego · · Score: 2

      Indeed.

      There is a metric tonne of interest out there. The community doesn't exist yet because no one can get their hands on the damn thing!

      That thing VIA is going to be putting out might end up crushing them if production doesn't ramp up soon.

    4. Re:Would be most interesting ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      mine arrived yeasterday from element 14, with a t-shirt gift, fantastic. Ordered another one from farnell shipped in 6 weeks, I'm going to make a presence reader via barcode, previeous hardware was a 200€ nettop.

    5. Re:Would be most interesting ... by bunratty · · Score: 1

      I used a PandaBoard in a robotics project recently. It's pretty powerful and full-featured, though it costs $182.

      --
      What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
    6. Re:Would be most interesting ... by arth1 · · Score: 1

      I like a lot of things about Raspberry Pi, but they made a big mistake by overhyping the product. The next closest competitor I can think of is the Beagleboard, and while the Beagleboards are more expensive they aren't insane (still $100) and have a much more mature software and developer ecosystem.

      No, the cheapest way is to buy a cheap router or access point. No, you won't get a video port, but you'll get more RAM, persistant storage, multiple ethernet ports and other advantages, like a case and power supply.

    7. Re:Would be most interesting ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just don't say that on the official forums, or the PR head honcho will threaten to ban you and RasPi fans will joke about handcuffing you naked to a lamppost (which, unlike criticism of the level of hype they're pushing, is allowed by the forum moderators).

    8. Re:Would be most interesting ... by hairyfeet · · Score: 2

      Well there is also the grandfather of them all,the Arduino which at $78 for the starter kit isn't bad at all, and if you want even cheaper they have the netduino for just $34, damned close price wise to the Pi. the nice thing about the Arduino is there are so many prebuilt modules you can just mix and match and build pretty much anything you want.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  4. What do I use mine for? by Jesterace · · Score: 1

    I have a Raspberry Pi, but now I'm more so sitting at the point of wtf do I use this for? I was originally thinking maybe some low power server to run a BNC or something small. Media player is another idea but I have enough devices that will play/stream media hooked up to my television.

    1. Re:What do I use mine for? by i-reek · · Score: 5, Funny
      You could always give it to me.

      Then we solve both our problems :)

    2. Re:What do I use mine for? by Hatta · · Score: 1

      You could slashdot with it.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    3. Re:What do I use mine for? by PT_1 · · Score: 2

      I have a Raspberry Pi, but now I'm more so sitting at the point of wtf do I use this for? I was originally thinking maybe some low power server to run a BNC or something small. Media player is another idea but I have enough devices that will play/stream media hooked up to my television.

      Have you considered getting one of the extension boards, which allow for circuit prototyping? I intend to use mine (when it arrives) to process the signal from a Nasa Jove receiver, but there are tons of other circuits you could build. It's probably true that everything you can do with a Pi you could also do with a standard PC; but it seems to me that things like the Pi, which fit on a stand-alone circuit, just seem more... Fun. :-)

    4. Re:What do I use mine for? by Larryish · · Score: 1

      No, he couldn't "slashdot" with it.

      The current interface on the Slashdot website, even with all the "fruit" turned off, will slow a dual-core Linux box with 2 gigs of ram to a crawl.

      I believe it is because the thing loads EVERY GOD DAMNED POST for each story and then expands them a few at a time as you scroll down.

      A 100 post story loads fairly quickly, a 600 post story takes 30 seconds to load, and then another 10 seconds every time you scroll down or try to click "Reply to This".

      Whoever designed the current interface for Slashdot needs to update their C.V. on the way out the door.

      Ass holes.

    5. Re:What do I use mine for? by Hatta · · Score: 1

      I'm actually posting this from a 266mhz PII with little trouble. Classic discussion system and noscript do the trick. Though I agree with you, it's really badly implemented. Those steps shouldn't be necessary.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    6. Re:What do I use mine for? by IrquiM · · Score: 1

      Dude - you need to uninstall Ubuntu!

      --
      This is blinging
  5. Engadget review negative? by supremebob · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I wouldn't consider the Engadget review to be negative. They tried to use the board for things it wasn't designed to do (like play Youtube or Flash videos), and it failed to do so. Big deal. The people who are actually trying to buy these boards would likely know better.

    The reviewer didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing... they complained about having to type in the startx command to start the GUI, for pete's sake. If anything, the review did a better job of making Engadget look bad than the product they were reviewing.

    That said, it's easy to think of negative things to say about the Pi... like the lack of supply. I've been on the waiting list for one for over a month now, and I haven't even been given an estimated shipping date at this point.

    1. Re:Engadget review negative? by i-reek · · Score: 2

      The reviewer didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing ...If anything, the review did a better job of making Engadget look bad than the product they were reviewing.

      I couldn't agree more. In fact, every "negative" review I've heard/read has come down to unrealistic expectations of what a device with these specs can do.

      That said, it's easy to think of negative things to say about the Pi... like the lack of supply.

      As I said earlier to someone ... we could make some happy campers if those people disappointed with their Raspis passed them onto those people disappointed they haven't got one yet ...

    2. Re:Engadget review negative? by CajunArson · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When I first saw the Engadget review I thought it was a little bit off-kilter since it was trying to use the Pi for desktop & media playback use instead of for simple programming or embedded projects.

        Then I remembered that lots of the demonstrations shown off on the Raspberry Pi website show using the Pi for the same purposes, especially with the heavy emphasis placed on XBMC. I think part of the issue with the Raspberry Pi is that the developers need to focus more on realistic usage scenarios for the device so that reviewers have the correct expectations going into the review.

      --
      AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
    3. Re:Engadget review negative? by SilenceBE · · Score: 5, Informative

      I wouldn't consider the Engadget review to be negative. They tried to use the board for things it wasn't designed to do (like play Youtube or Flash videos), and it failed to do so. Big deal. The people who are actually trying to buy these boards would likely know better.

      The reviewer didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing... they complained about having to type in the startx command to start the GUI, for pete's sake. If anything, the review did a better job of making Engadget look bad than the product they were reviewing.

      That said, it's easy to think of negative things to say about the Pi... like the lack of supply. I've been on the waiting list for one for over a month now, and I haven't even been given an estimated shipping date at this point.

      "They tried to use the board for things it wasn't designed to do"

      Funny that you say that

      What’s a Raspberry Pi?

      It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video.

      http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs

    4. Re:Engadget review negative? by SilenceBE · · Score: 1

      That whole XBMC thing was brilliant from a marketing POV. By laying the focus on XBMC a lot of people had the impression that it was a very capable board. "Because when it can handle 1080p movies it must be powerfull no ?"

      Then again the foundation marketed the thing as a capable little PC which can play games , where you can do word processing, spreadsheets, etc. I really don't understand the criticism against the engadget reviews that they try out basic stuff like browsing. Shouldn't we anno 2012 expect from a "capable PC" that it can do browsing ?

    5. Re:Engadget review negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This in Engadget. They probably saw Julius and the Raspberry Pi as nothing more than a potential threat to Siri, so they automatically went out of their way to deride it.

    6. Re:Engadget review negative? by LWATCDR · · Score: 3, Informative

      I think that the Pi was supposed to be a desktop system. It has a HDMI port and can decode 1080p video. That is a desktop device. Flash is a none starter for sure but YouTube should have worked.
      The Pi is really cool but I think it has real issues at this time.
      1. The GPU is not being used well. From what I hear X is not yet using the GPU for acceleration.
      2. Limited RAM.
      3. Slow IO. SD cards are not very speedy.
      The first they can fix. The third might be fixable with using a USB Hard drive or a NAS.
      It would be great if this could run say OpenOffice and play videos well. Schools and libraries could have whole labs of them all running form an inexpensive NAS and with a print server.
      As a hacking tool this is great. For a general education tool it could also be really good but limited right now. As a programing education tool it could be really good, Do they have Squeak running on it yet? I know Python is up and working and they have a BBC Basic for it.
      The thing is that this is a developers release. It isn't soup yet. It is really cool and full of potential but Endgadet was reviewing it as a finished product which it really isn't yet. I do think it is good that it showed it's curent limitations so the developers can work on eliminating them.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    7. Re:Engadget review negative? by Svartalf · · Score: 5, Informative

      But it can do browsing and other things. The Endgaget reviewer went and did several boneheaded things- whether out of ignorance or deliberation will be left as a determination by the reader...

      XBMC does do what they're claiming it does. It DOES run Quake III:Arena. The thing is...you can't just nab any old Linux binary and run it. You have to code to leverage the GPU to get it to do many of the heavy load-lifting things and only the things they showcased before release have been made to work that way.

      The biggest thing (and they never changed their tune...you lot may have not been paying attention...) is that they've said from the beginning that this was intended for computer science education , not as a general purpose computer (though you CAN make it that way with a bit of effort- effort, I might add, that's being done by several of the distributions working on producing a version of their project for the R-Pi...).

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    8. Re:Engadget review negative? by Svartalf · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It needs software tuned/em for it. It CAN do all of those things. Expect Flash to play? Sorry...Flash for Linux isn't even available on ARM from Adobe except as an embedded application you have to bundle if you're an embedded systems vendor.

      There's more like that. The biggest problem YOU and others seem to have is what a PC really does and the like. A Pandaboard would've failed many of the review items that the Endgadget reviewer did. But...it's a dual-core A9 and it CAN do all those things...so long as you have applications. Lightspark might bring Flash to the R-Pi and other ARM devices...but you'll need to make it work with OpenGL ES before that'll happen.

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    9. Re:Engadget review negative? by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      Yes, they say that. At the same time, it is hard to expect to be able to open lots of tabs in a browser running in a computer with 256MB or RAM.

      You'll get an easier life with a spreadsheet or a word processor. It does probably run well most of the games available on Debian (and is overkill for both GCompris and Childsplay, that are what they'are probably testing), and plays high-definition video, like they say.

      --
      Rethinking email
    10. Re:Engadget review negative? by oldredlion · · Score: 2

      I couldn't agree more. In fact, every "negative" review I've heard/read has come down to unrealistic expectations of what a device with these specs can do.

      Exactly. Some people seem to be expecting a low-cost general purpose device, rather than a cheap introduction to programming. Programming doesn't need expensive hardware, it needs thought and logic.

    11. Re:Engadget review negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      How about the fact that it is a Broadcom SoC and Broadcom won't give you the data sheet! (and also provides binary blobs of questionable code quality)

      I think I've mentioned it before, but this EOMA-68 form factor board looks much more interesting. It will likely be cheaper and will have a faster Allwinner A10 SoC which features ARM's MALI400MP GPU which has open source drivers.

      Did I mention the 2160p Hardware-accelerated Video playback and the array of interfaces? (USB, NAND, SATA-II, etc..)

      I sincerely hope that this project or something similar produces hardware sometime soon and can overcome the hype so we aren't stuck with the Raspberry Pi as the defacto replacement for the AVR for the foreseeable future.

      (No offense to the guys that made the R-Pi, you guys did good work, you just chose the wrong sock (I know the principal does work at Broadcom))

    12. Re:Engadget review negative? by makomk · · Score: 1

      3. Slow IO. SD cards are not very speedy.

      Apparently modern high-speed SD cards didn't originally work at all due to a bug. As in, the system wouldn't even boot with one in the SD card slot. That's supposedly fixed but only by disabling the fastest modes on the SD interface; the developers reckon it's physically impossible to support them without a major hardware redesign.

    13. Re:Engadget review negative? by Man+On+Pink+Corner · · Score: 2

      I couldn't agree more. In fact, every "negative" review I've heard/read has come down to unrealistic expectations of what a device with these specs can do.

      Maybe somebody should tell the Raspberry Pi people. As the author of the review repeatedly points out, he did nothing but evaluate the manufacturer's own claims.

    14. Re:Engadget review negative? by Man+On+Pink+Corner · · Score: 2

      Some people seem to be expecting a low-cost general purpose device

      Gee, I can't imagine where they could have gotten that impression.

      This just in: Marketing is important. It should not be left as an afterthought or as a secondary task for developers, any more than product development should be done by marketdroids in their spare time. Ric Romero has more at 11.

    15. Re:Engadget review negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Almost everyone already has a desktop/laptop built in the last 30 years, all of which will work fine as an "introduction to programming" or "introduction to computer science" or whatever. You absolutely do not need the Raspberry Pi for this, and getting it to work is a complete hassle vs a million developer tools already available.

      The Raspberry Pi is a cheap hobbyist electronics tinkering tool - one of many, but certainly quite cheap for its power. It is absolutely not a computer science learning tool, and it annoys me to knkow that we have yet another "business-friendly" government which will enthusiastically spend on something it doesn't really understand.

    16. Re:Engadget review negative? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Maybe they can fix it for the next rev. Frankly I would just use it for a boot and then go with a NAS myself.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    17. Re:Engadget review negative? by i-reek · · Score: 2

      I wonder how the reviewer would go evaluating the Aberciser manufacturer's claims.

      Would he get a little shirty when he didn't get washboard abs and tons 'o' chicks?

      Or would he have a good look at what the thing actually was and begin his evaluation from there?

    18. Re:Engadget review negative? by DarwinSurvivor · · Score: 1

      I didn't see anything on there about web browsing, flash videos or even a GUI for that matter. 90% of the information on there is directly hardware related.

    19. Re:Engadget review negative? by DarwinSurvivor · · Score: 1

      Not to mention they tested it with the ENGADGET website. That site is so javascript-heavy it rivals Facebook!

    20. Re:Engadget review negative? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't consider the Engadget review to be negative.

      I would consider it to be ignorant. For example, XBMC is not a distribution of Linux. XBMC Live is, though. Finding "compatible" apps for Debian arm is as simple as using apt-get; finding apps that will run comfortably in a low-memory situation is probably what they are complaining about, but you can't tell that from the article. Etc.

      The reviewer didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing

      You had me at clue.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    21. Re:Engadget review negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      where did you get this information???? :/

    22. Re:Engadget review negative? by godefroi · · Score: 1

      How about this (from the very first question):

      The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video. We want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn programming.

      --
      Karma: Poor (Mostly affected by lame karma-joke sigs)
  6. CPU by Dan+East · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Shouldn't they be able to throw more powerful, dual-core CPUs into the Pi pretty trivially? It would mainly be a matter of whether there is enough demand at a higher price point. I would think a dual core, 1 GHz processor would make a tremendous difference spec-wise.

    I think one of the primary hurdles is that there are mobile-optimized apps, and then there are power-hungry desktop apps. The pi is technically a desktop machine from the software standpoint, but it really needs mobile apps due to its slow ARM CPU. For example, I'm sure Opera Mobile would perform fine on that hardware, but how do you get it to run without Android, Windows Mobile or iOS?

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:CPU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      No, they cannot trivially use a CPU. They are currently using a GPU.

    2. Re:CPU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Pi is not supposed to be a desktop replacement. The Endgadget guy was a jackass for reviewing it on that basis.

      It is supposed to be an underpowered machine you can hand to a low-income child, teach them a few visual python commands, and let them play with. The fact that it can't run Quake or a browser properly is a feature, because if it could, the kid would just figure out how to run it and start goofing off.

    3. Re:CPU by Maddog+Batty · · Score: 2

      The fact that it can't run Quake ...

      Then again... http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/1139

      --
      wot no sig
    4. Re:CPU by Svartalf · · Score: 3, Informative

      No. It'd raise the price up past where they're at right now. A dual-core config with a similar sweetheart deal on the SoC's is available as the Pandaboard- and it's priced at $179- there's a hint in that that MANY are missing, especially the reviewers without a clue that make themselves and the site actually look bad.

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    5. Re:CPU by Svartalf · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And run a browser properly? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UWwUEPh9EI

      Quite simply, unless you know what you're doing, you're probably better off NOT trying to use/get one right at the moment. It's intended for technical and deep embedded type applications right at the moment. It COULD be a desktop replacement for some categories of things- but it's a bit raw for many of those uses right at the moment.

      Hell, unless you get it "right" you're not going to be able to use a Beagleboard, Beaglebone, or Pandaboard for a desktop replacement. It's very possible to do this with the R-Pi or any of those boards- but the reviewers in the large have been idiots or jackasses trying to do things that they honestly knew better or should have.

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    6. Re:CPU by tp1024 · · Score: 1

      Well, if they'd design it now, they'd probably put an Allwinner A10 SoC into it. But that was only available at the end of last year. (With actual products shipping this year.) Pretty good graphics and a Cortex A8 with up to 1.5GHz for $7.

    7. Re:CPU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      That's very unlikely. These devices achieve their low cost because of the System On a Chip (SOC) design. The board layout and everything else is built around that Broadcom SOC. Simply "swapping it out" with something else would mean respinning the entire board and having to resubmit for all their qualifications. It's not trivial by any means.

    8. Re:CPU by makomk · · Score: 1

      They wouldn't because it's designed by Broadcom staff. Now, if some hardware hacker in Shenzen was designing a Chinese Raspberry Pi equivalent then they might well stick an Allwinner A10 SoC in it.

    9. Re:CPU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pentium IVs with CRTs are going for scrap, and they have a plethora of well-supported software (Linux or Windows). This is not better.

  7. My rasberry pi doesn't recognize speech by kelemvor4 · · Score: 0

    My rasberry pi doesn't recognize speech because I can't buy one! I've been registered on the various sites for quite a while, and I guess they're just not making any more of these. Rasberry pi was an interesting idea but it's complete lack of availability seems to have killed it.

    1. Re:My rasberry pi doesn't recognize speech by Svartalf · · Score: 1

      They're becoming available right now... If you were in the queue for one from Farnell at the release, you should be getting one by end of this month (My story...). After that they'll be fufilling orders for these as fast as they can crank them out and you can then pre-order them.

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  8. But can it.... by JWSmythe · · Score: 1, Redundant

        But can it identify pie? Sometimes I need a computer to determine what kind of pie a pie is. Is it raspberry pie, raspberry cobbler, raspberry rhubarb pie, raspberry jam sandwich, apple pie, apple crumb pie, or apple cobbler. Could it identify doughnuts too? I hate thinking I'm about to eat a Boston cream doughnut, just to find out they put that nasty lemon filling in.

        Voice recognition has already been done.. Dessert identifiers, *that* is the future! Desert identifiers would be useful too, but may be slightly off topic.

    --
    Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  9. Beowulf Cluster. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes. Fund it.

    But in all honesty, it'd be a pretty interesting project to perform, and equally it would also be an affordable small-scale version of large-scale networking that can be taught in classes.
    A rack could probably be built to host them fairly easily out of wood.
    Now it is just to test how much it can max out the all the inputs and outputs at the same time for maximum throughput.

    That is, of course, after the supply issues are all ironed out. When things become more stable, should be pretty exciting.

  10. Pi's great by networkz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I got mine yesterday (after my co-workers tricked me into thinking I'd not get it)..

    It's slow like the Engadget guy said.. not up to HD media playback in a fast manner, though that should change once the software's optimised.

    However, it's crazy low power, size and features mean I can make my own mini-nas/access point/controller for my caravan which runs on solar.

    So many different ways to apply the Pi, as long as your aren't expecting it to be a fast desktop PC!

  11. raspberry pi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    It's small and doesn't use much power, but it's at least twice the price they're advertising.

    $35 for the device, $6 for shipping, $14 duty+tax = $66... Then you need a power supply (I had one already) and an SD card $15. So my Pi cost me >$80..

    Still a neat device, but don't be swayed by the "$35" price.

  12. yet another by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Slashtardvisment for the raspberry pi - it's getting tiresome

  13. To those finding it hard to work with Raspberry Pi by KreAture · · Score: 2

    It's a full system devboard using proper operating system and coding-style, not a Arduino.
    It's not ment for anyone to just develop the next big thing but for people with a base level of competance.
    Sorry if this ruins your dreams.

  14. Custom code by jones_supa · · Score: 2

    Can I program some ARM code ground-up using RaspPi? A simple "operating system" or make it some embedded gadget. Is it worth it and where should I begin?

    1. Re:Custom code by rrohbeck · · Score: 2

      Maybe here.

      --
      thegodmovie.com - watch it
    2. Re:Custom code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can I program some ARM code ground-up using RaspPi? A simple "operating system" or make it some embedded gadget. Is it worth it and where should I begin?

      Yes, of course, but if you have to ask it means you will have a long way up the hill.

  15. no I/O pins by Chirs · · Score: 1

    The biggest problem with a router/access point is that you don't get the extra I/O pins, which makes it less useful for hacking physical projects.

    1. Re:no I/O pins by aztracker1 · · Score: 2

      Many routers actually have IO headers internally, as well as sometimes exposed via extra contact points on one of the ethernet ports... If you look at the OpenWRT developer forums you'll see that what you said isn't quite true.

      That said, having an actual video out is a pretty nice to have... Though when you need closer to a full system, there are other options at the $200 price range, mini/micro-itx etc. Though larger than a Pi or BeagleBoard, you'll get more power, flexibility and compatibility.

      --
      Michael J. Ryan - tracker1.info
    2. Re:no I/O pins by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 2

      Though when you need closer to a full system, there are other options at the $200 price range, mini/micro-itx etc. Though larger than a Pi or BeagleBoard, you'll get more power, flexibility and compatibility.

      If you're prepared to spend $200, you can have a gumstick or some cotton candy, both of which are not bigger than a USB stick, much smaller than a raspberry pie.

  16. not fair to include shipping by Chirs · · Score: 1

    my brother and his buddies got together and ordered a dozen of them, so shipping per board is significantly less. Most people buying these will have a usb charger of some kind laying around (I know I've got several), and many people will have spare SD cards as well.

    I'd estimate my brother might have spent $45 on his, maybe less.

    1. Re:not fair to include shipping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1. Only one board per customer at present, so no deals on shipping. One order, one Pi, one postal charge.
      2. Chargers cannot lay. Hens lay, chargers lie.

  17. cross compiler by Chirs · · Score: 2

    It's easy enough to write some arm assembly and then cross-assemble it on another machine and copy it over.

    I wouldn't start from scratch though, you'd have to do full system bringup. Better to run your app in assembly on top of Linux.

  18. Running YouTube on it ... working ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7qoFfC6nvI

  19. Educational toy? by mikelang · · Score: 1

    What about making it compatible with LEGO Mindstorms? That would be strong argument for education value of tinkering, wouldn't it?

  20. Raspberry Pi USB power problems? by rephlex · · Score: 1

    There are multiple Raspberry Pi users on the official Troubleshooting forum experiencing hardware problems with their Pi. It appears the Raspberry Pi has problems with USB, specifically with powering peripherals that require 140 mA or more. Look here: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5830

    This situation causes a voltage drop that results in the USB voltage becoming out of specification. This has resulted in malfunctions with USB devices such as Wi-Fi dongles, even when connected to the Pi via a powered hub. Also, there appears to be Ethernet problems caused by this "excessive" (but well within USB specifications) current draw: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6037

  21. Fantastic! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How jaded have we become that people are responding negatively to this? This kid has hacked up a robotic arm that responds to frickin voice control! He's released the code as open source! No he's running it on a tiny dirt cheap computer!

    This is fantastic!

  22. RS quicker to deliver Pi than element14 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    On feb 29 (day one), I ordered a board from element14 (although a number of hours late so I missed the initial batch), on March 10th I also registered my interest at RS.

    The RS one has just been shipped, no news yet from element14.

    So based on my limited test, RS are quicker.