Pine A64, a $15 Palm-Sized 64 bit Quad Core Computer Built For Innovation

December 14 2015, 03:10

A new single-board 64-bit based on a Quad Core ARM Cortex A53 1.2 GHz CPU is now being promoted on Kickstarter targeting both electronic enthusiasts and designers looking for a simple, affordable and expandable Linux and Android platform. The platform will enable an affordable entry into the 64-bit world, for new exciting developments.
 

To make innovation more affordable, PINE64 - the name of the company combines two constant variables, Pi and Euler’s Number e, plus 64 for 64 bit, obviously - announced Kickstarter availability of two powerful 3.125" × 5” 64 Bit Quad Core supercomputers starting at $15: Pine A64 & Pine A64+. The versatile single-board computer is an open source platform for both hardware and software, while capable of running today’s most advanced 64 bit version of Android Lollipop 5.1.1 and Linux. Pine A64 could be the foundation to build interesting projects, from tablets to gaming and new media-playing devices.

PINE64 will also enable interesting applications to control 3-D printers, robotics and connected home devices, since it will be the most affordable platform able to support 4K video streaming. The platform is fully open source and software applications include but are not limited to Android 5.1, Ubuntu Linux, openHAB, OpenWRT, XBMC and more.
 

Developed to work with multiple modules and software, the Pine A64 platform is a simple solution for cheap DIY projects, and exploration into coding and programming. “PINE64 set out to create a simple, smart and affordable computer that gives people access toward making their next big idea come to life,” says co-founder Johnson Jeng. “We provide a powerful 64 bit Quad Core single-board computer at an exceptional price and remain compatible with multiple open source software platforms to build a community of creativity and innovation.”

Under the hood, the 3.125 x 5” Pine A64 board includes a 64 bit Quad Core ARM Cortex A53 1.2 GHz CPU, dual core Mali 400 MP2 GPU, 512MB DDR3 SDRAM, a MicroSD slot to support up to 256 GB expansion, 10/100 Mb Ethernet port, and two USB 2.0 hosts. Two HDMI ports allow 4K video playback and multi-channel audio output, while wireless applications can also be explored with Bluetooth 4.0 and optional Wi-Fi 802.11bgn connectivity.

The board already features a 3.5 mm stereo output mini-jack with microphone support and a built-in 3.7 V lithium battery charging circuit. Hardware security is enabled by trustzone security system, Digital Rights Management (DRM), information encryption/decryption, secure boot, secure JTAG and secure efuse.

At $19, the Pine A64+ platforms already includes 1GB DDR3 memory, optional system upgrades, a 5 Megapixel camera port, 4 lanes MIPI Video Port and a Touch Panel Port.

Pine A64 can be purchased optionally with the latest Android software built in, or the user can upload the latest version of Linux. The miniature supercomputers are scheduled to ship in early February 2016 for Kickstarter backers.
www.pine64.com | Visit the project on Kickstarter here
 
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