Raspberry Pi impressions: the $35 Linux computer and tinker toy @ Engadget.

In the end, it’s important to remember that the Raspberry Pi’s goals are not to be an everyday PC or a media player, but more like a tinker toy. It’s supposed to be a low cost computer for developing apps or a flexible and powerful option (at least compared to the Arduino) for your DIY projects. Honestly, as an introduction to the world of hardware and software hacking, the Arduino seems like a more natural and simpler entry point. For the moment, the community around the Pi is small. People are fascinated with it, but that has yet to translate into a wealth of projects, hacks or software. As production ramps up and more people figure out just how to leverage those I/O pins we expect that to change. Till then, we’ll just have to be satisfied with marveling at what it accomplishes for a lowly $35.