Reminiscing the 1980 Home Computers

The idea may seem weird or bizarre to many in the young generation. But, the idea of having PC functions integrated into a keyboard is nothing new as such. It rather feels like PCs completing their full circle.  What many of the older tech geeks may recall from their early ideas, several of the 1980s home computers actually packed a similar functionality.    Well before PCs got too complicated, various home computers in the 1980s including BBC Micro, Commodore Amiga and ZX Spectrum. It actually fitted PC motherboards into the keyboard and could also be connected to television screens.

Raspberry Pi 400 Specifications

For those of you who maybe don’t know much about Raspberry Pi Foundation, it had also launched the Raspberry Pi 4 model last year. Raspberry Pi 400 offers much of the same specs but takes another leap with its keyboard eliminating much of the setting up hassle. A few cables, monitor, a mouse along with the new Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard and you are good to go. Once it has been set up, it allows you to surf the web, start programming, enjoy 4K media streaming and more. But, many of its specs continue to be similar to its Pi 4 predecessor. Raspberry Pi 400 setup is powered by the 64-bit, quad-core Broadcom BCM2711 Cortex-A72 SoC that runs at 1.8GHz. It offers an HDMI port for audio output, a horizontal 40-pin GPIO header on the rear of the keyboard to add physical HAT extensions and a built-in heatsink. It measures 286mm × 122mm × 23mm and comes with 78- or 79-key compact keyboard variants based on your location. Additionally, it offers 4GB LPDDR4-3200 RAM and a MicroSD card slot for OS and data storage.

Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit Pricing

Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard + computer – $70Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit – $100

If you want to buy the basic Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard with a computer, it will cost you $70.  But, what we would personally like better is going for the entire Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit for $100. It includes the Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard and mouse, a micro HDMI cable for the display, USB-C power supply, an SD card that comes with pre-installed Raspberry Pi OS and a Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Guide. But, here it is also worth noting that while the Raspberry Pi 400 is a great piece for children and young computer enthusiasts, it is not really designed for hardware geeks if you are planning to open it up.  Raspberry Pi user manual particularly adds that there are no user-serviceable parts inside the Raspberry Pi 400. Opening the unit instead invalidate the warranty and may damage the product too.

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