- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
Basically more everything. 2x Cortex M33 cores with floating point, 520KB ram, more PIOs, bunch of secure boot stuff (I have mixed feelings about this), and can boot to a mode with risc-v cores instead of the M33s.
Meanwhile, Texas Instruments offers an overpriced sbc that is less user friendly and probably loaded with security vulnerabilities since it was designed for IoT applications https://www.ti.com/tool/BEAGL-PLAY-SBC#supported-products
That’s more like an old school raspberry pi (runs Linux etc), not like a Pico. I didn’t know about that specific version but variants of the Beagleboard and Beaglebone have been around forever (longer than the raspberry pi). They are better than the rpi in some ways, and at least some of them are more open, but Rpi knocked the rug out from under them in cost and performance. I wouldn’t be so sure of the security of the wireless Pico either.
TI isn’t in the business of marketing and selling these types of devices to hobbyists etc.
They tried, look at the TI Launchpad boards. They are still around but less emphasized now. Some of them are actually pretty nice, or were during their day. The originally MSP430 one sold for a long time for $4.30 and later ones were in the $10-20 range depending.
This is a completely different category of device.
My point is that its one of their few offerings, and that they really aren’t even trying to be competitive when we all know they could and probably should.