The CutiePi is a tablet computer that’s a little different from most tablets on the market. It’s a relatively inexpensive tablet. It’s designed to run a Linux-based operating system with a custom, tablet-friendly user interface. It has a built-in handle that also works as a stand, and an open hardware design. And the CutiePi is powered by a Raspberry Pi Compute Module.

When the CutiePi went up for pre-order through a Kickstarter campaign last year, the goal was to ship a computer with support for a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ Lite. But now that the first units are about to ship to backers, the makers of the CutiePi have announced an upgrade – the tablet now works with a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4.

The good news is this means the brains of the tablet will now be a computer module with a 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A72 quad-core processor rather than a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 quad-core chip. The bad news is that if you already have a Raspberry Pi CM3+ Lite that you’d been hoping to use, it won’t be compatible with the redesigned CutiePi.

CutiePi’s makers say the tablet will begin shipping to Kickstarter backers in April, but folks who missed out on the campaign can now place a pre-order for $199 for a tablet that should ship in July. The full retail price is expected to be $229.

For that price you’ll get a tablet with an 8 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel IPS LCD touchscreen display, version 2 of the CutiePi motherboard, a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Lite with 2GB of RAM and a Broadcom BCM2711 processor, a 5,000 mAh battery, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, a 5MP camera, USB-A and USB-C ports, a micro HDMI port, and a microSD card reader.

It’s designed to run Raspberry Pi OS with the CutiePi Shell user interface, but theoretically any software that’s compatible with Raspberry Pi hardware should run on the device.

via CNX Software and Hacker News

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5 replies on “The $199 CutiePi tablet is now powered by a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4”

  1. I hope it will be available as a kit, I would prefer to print my own case without that weird handle that you can never really get out of the way and use a more traditional tri-fold type of cover/case with it.

  2. I hope the final product looks a bit better. Even the promo shots you can very obviously tell it was 3d printed, and not printed very well either.

  3. I tend to think, if they’d have just asked nicely, pi-corp would have sent them some pi4’s without the eth port and usbs soldered down. Then you could have a 8GB pi4 in this form factor, using the back as a heatsink.

    1. They’re going for cheapness, which is why the included module has lower specs. Since they’re using the module and not a board which has been hacked apart, it is easy for someone to buy this tablet, buy an 8GB compute module, and switch them out. The module itself is at least a third of the price of this tablet, but if you want it, you can have it.

  4. Kinda cool.

    I’d want a more powerful Pi in there before I’d be tempted, but really like to concept.

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