Hardware Review: PocketCHIP

One of my co-workers backed the CHIP Kickstarter and got four of them in the mail recently. One of them landed on my desk and I've been playing with it for a few days.

It's a neat little computer and the way they've standardized their expansion modules ("DIPs" in CHIP-speak) makes me think of how the Arduino popularized the "Shield" concept. I'm looking forward to seeing what people do with this once it gets more widespread.

Another thing, which is small but important, is what they've done with power management. First, they've put a connector for a one-cell LiPo battery on the board. Second, they've put a power management chip on the board that can charge the LiPo from USB power and seamlessly switch from USB to LiPo power. Finally, they've put a power button on the board. This, in my view, makes it very suitable for certain types of embedded systems.