Raspberry Pi VS Arduino VS BeagleBoard VS PandaBoard VS Other Mini Computers.
Find Out Which One Is Best For You :
There Was A Time, When the Computers were as big as ROOMS or HALLS, and used to run on Vacuum Tubes (ENIAC) , but in today's time, it is hard to even find a good sized desktop, the microprocessors really did changed our world.
So the new trend is One Board Computers, Designed for true portable computing, these device are the new choice for developers, you can found them in microwaves, toaster, Remotes and in some bathrooms of Dubai's hotels.
So Lets Review all of them.
Arduino :
Well this Silicon Board started the era of One-Board Computers, Designed by Massimo Banzi, This board had everything a developer would want, Including a weak but Capable Processor, attachable shields (Gadgets) and much more. You can get this device for around 25 $ (the uno one). Arduino uses a microcontroller not an application processor, so you cannot run any operating system on it. You have to write your own code for a particular task, It could be Blinking LED's, IR Remote Controller, Device Controller ETC. You Don't get a video out port or Ethernet port on arduino, but you have access to 1200+ add ons that can be added to it to increase its functionality, like GSM Shield to receive GSM Signals, Or a 3.5 mm Jack and turn it into a MP3 Player .
This device is great for Programmers/developers specially if you are into open source hardware .
RaspBerry Pi :
You Might have heard about this device, The powerful single board computer, Capable of running Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Backtrack, Kali Linux, And in some cases Windows (all of them are operating systems), This device is Credit Card Sized, Weights like a Nokia N95, has multiple video-out ports (you can hook it to TV's or monitor's ), Ethernet Port (For Internet Surfing), 3.5mm Jack, 512mb RAM, USB Port, SD Card Slot, This little son-of-a-bit#h is more powerful than some old desktops :) . Though this gadget might not have so much add-ons like ARDUINO, this device still kicks ass. You can get this device 25 $.
You should get this device if you programmer, You'll Not Be Disappointed !
PandaBoard :
No man, it does not have a panda inside of it.The PandaBoard ES uses a newer SoC, with a dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU and 384 MHz GPU. Primary persistent storage is via an SD Card slot allowing SDHC cards up to 32 GB (yayy) to be used. The board includes wired 10/100 Ethernet as well as wireless Ethernet and Bluetooth connectivity. The board can output video signals via DVI and HDMI interfaces. It also has 3.5 mm audio connectors. It has two USB host ports and one USB On-The-Go port, supporting USB 2.0.This one is single board too, but a bit bigger, almost like a 7-inch tablet.The most awesome thing about this board is that it is capable of WiFi/Bluetooth and Supporting 1080p Output. And the video doesn't lag.It is a bit expensive, Priced at 170-180 $ , but its a bang for its price !
A Board for people who seek multimedia entertainment, but don't want to carry their laptop.
BeagleBoard :
This evil looking board is nothing but a weaker version of Pandaboard. The designers really did a great job giving it a "Red Dragon" Theme, makes it stand apart from all those blue-boards, On the specs,it has :720 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 core processor,HD capable' TMS320C64x+ core (520 MHz up to 720p @30 fps),256 MB LPDDR RAM. The BeagleBoard-xM is a bit more powerful than the Pi, with a 1 GHz Cortex-A8 CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and more input and output ports than you have fingers. It’s still low power, and has support for more modern operating systems than the Raspberry Pi due to the newer ARM chipset. It also have USB,MMC,S-Video Out etc. Pricing : BeagleBone coming in at $89 and the BeagleBoard-xM at $149.
Cotton Candy :
If you’re interested in the media capabilities of the Raspberry Pi, then the cstick Cotton Candy from FXI may just be the device you’re looking for. The USB stick sized system is an absolute beast, with a dual core 1.2 GHz Cortex A9 CPU, and a Quad Core Mali-400MP GPU. The stick has two main connectors – a HDMI male port so you can stick it directly into a TV, and a USB 2.0 A port to connect mass storage devices and provide power.The Cotton Candy comes with stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as Ubuntu for ARM. It comes with built in support for all major media codecs so you can start watching media straight away, even over the network with its 802.11n wireless support. This widget is priced at 199 $.
Here is how other products stand up against our Pi and Arduino :
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