Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

C.H.I.P. is a $9 computer that could change the world

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:59PM EST
CHIP Computer

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Can you imagine what kind of affordable computing devices would start popping up all over the world if the only thing standing between a person and his or her dream was $9? We may soon find out, if the team behind Next Thing Co. manages to deliver on its promise and make the $9 C.H.I.P. computer a reality.

DON’T MISS: This is my favorite Android phone

Next Thing Co. hoped to raise $50,000 in crowdfunding when it launched its Kickstarter campaign recently. At the time of this writing, the company had amassed 13,169 backers who offered up a total of more than $664,000 in preorders. All of this excitement over a tiny little $9 gadget…

But if it’s not just vaporware, it’s clearly worth all of this excitement.

The Raspberry Pi was an absolute game-changer when it launched at $35, tearing down walls for would-be entrepreneurs by building an affordable brain that could power the projects they envisioned. Now, imagine a similar device launches at $9.

According to the device’s Kickstarter page, the C.H.I.P. features a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage and a Linux operating system, along with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios. With such an incredibly low cost of entry, the sky is the limit for people looking to prototype or build out all kinds of computer-powered devices.

There are a wide range of funding options beyond the bare-bones $9 option, and they add things like a VGA adapter, a battery or an HDMI adapter to the C.H.I.P. There’s even a $49 option that will have your C.H.I.P. computer built into a small handheld device with a touchscreen and a keyboard.

More details can be found by following the link below in our source section. Of note, Next Thing Co. has crowdfunded and successfully launched a hardware product in the past.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.