Pack your Raspberry Pi into an underpowered laptop for $100
The Raspberry Pi has already found its way into a number of unusual applications from DIY cell phones to Gif-capturing cameras. Now, a recently launched IndieGoGo campaign aims to put it somewhere more familiar: your lap. The PiKasa is essentially a laptop shell. It doesn't sport a 3D-printed chasis like the Pi-Top but does feature a 7-inch LCD display over a ruggedized keyboard, a smattering of connectivity ports and charging cables -- basically, everything you'd need except the actual computer bits and power supply.
Should the project reach its $25,000 funding goal in the next two weeks, the PiKasa is expected to retail for $99. Project donors can pre order a unit for less: $75 to $89 depending on how soon you sign on. Of course, there's also the $35 for the Pi itself, plus $10 for the battery and another $25 in shipping to get it from South Africa (where it's produced) to your house. So in the end, you're paying more than what you would for, say, a Chromebook for something with a fraction of the functionality that you have to build yourself. At least you won't have to deal with bloatware.
