Popular Raspberry Pi Sells Out Fast

By Paul Thomson :: 11:58 AM

The Raspberry Pi mini computer, a stripped-down simple circuit board contraption that was originally developed to help teach computer science basics, has quickly sold out of its US allotment, according to the only retailer selling the device, Allied Electronics.

“Due to limited supply of the Raspberry Pi Model A, we are not offering preorders or backorders on the product at this time,” the company said. “The Raspberry Pi Model A will only be available for purchase when we have inventory on hand to fill the order.”

Model A, the $25 option which includes less features and memory than the $35 Model B, sold out in just a few hours yesterday. Hobbyists and techies alike have been eager to get their hands on the mini computers since they were announced last year. Allied Electronics still has the Model B in stock.

The beauty of the Rasberry Pi for tinkerers is that, with the right know-how, you can configure one to do just about anything. It has a 700-megahertz processor and 128 megabytes of RAM – this means it has processing speeds and memory capacities that are just a little less than most smartphones. An SD card slot on the device provides easy storage, and it has jacks for video (HDMI) Ethernet (Model B) and a USB port for keyboards or other input devices.

Users have configured their Raspberry Pi devices to do everything from play games to control robots and sensors. Watch the video below for a few samples of what people do with their Raspberry Pi boards: