The first computer, ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), weighed about twenty-seven tons and took up about 1,800 square feet of space.
Over on Kickstarter, Next Thing Co. is taking funding for a project called C.H.I.P which is tiny. Actually, tiny is an understatement because this fully functioning computer is smaller than a 3½-inch floppy disk. Skepticism abound on its capabilities but according to the project’s Kickstarter page the computer is slated to have a 1ghz processor, 512mb of memory, and 4gb of storage space which is pretty amazing considering its diminutive size. Beyond that, it actually has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities allowing you to attach a wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s also described as being compatible with any screen with output methods ranging from composite to HDMI and anything in between. The sad part is that it’s probably more powerful than my laptop!
Considering that just recently we had an article covering how Twitter cut support for MS-DOS gaming in embedded tweets, those of you who were disappointed by the news will be excited to know that C.H.I.P can also play MS-DOS games. It doesn’t stop there though as the device will come pre-installed with dozen of apps and allow you to get even more through an open source community.
To say the least, it’s impressive – if not remarkable – considering that you can get one just by funding the small sum of just $9 over on their Kickstarter page and expect to get it anywhere in the world by December. I personally spend more on that getting lunch on the daily!
