A Raspberry Pi rival, name UP Core is expected to begin shipping to Kickstarter backers in August this year. The single-board computer, which is capable of running several operating systems including Windows 10, Android, and Ubuntu, offers better performance than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B but for a slightly higher price of $89 as opposed to $35 of the Pi 3 Model B.

The specifications for the device are as follow:

CPU: Intel Atom x5-Z8350 (2MB Cache, up to 1.84 GHz)

GPU: Intel HD 400 Graphics

RAM: 2GB / 4GB onboard DDR3L-1600

Storage: 16GB / 32GB / 64GB eMMC

Video & audio: 1x HDMI, 1x Full eDP, Audio via HDMI and I2S (from Docking)

1x USB 3.0 Host, 2x USB 2.0 pin header

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4 GHz

Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE)

The UP Core is an extremely powerful contender in the single-board market, coming second in one Octane 2 benchmark test, vastly outperforming the main player in the market, the Pi 3.

Going forward, the makers of the UP Core have stated that their third-party hardware and software ecosystem is growing and that it works well with the board. Some of the hardware and software allow the board to be used for industrial automation, vending, digital signage, IoT, home automation, and robotics.

The single board machine presents an alternative to the likes of the x86 Arduino-compatible UDOO maker board which also launched its campaign on Kickstarter last year.

Source: TechRepublic