The low-cost Raspberry Pi Linux computer is set to become available for purchase later this month for $35. The firm behind the budget computer announced on Monday that the first batch of boards will enter manufacturing on February 20th and will be available at the end of the month. The single-board computer is equipped with a 700MHz processor, 256MB of RAM, SD card support and both HDMI and RCA outputs. Despite the low cost and small size — which is roughly equal to a credit card — the Raspberry Pi computer is powerful enough to run games such as Quake III Arena and power 1080p video, however the company intends for the device to be used in schools to teach the basics of computer science. A second Raspberry Pi model with 128MB of RAM will be released for $25 at a later date.

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The Raspberry Pi Foundation is preparing to launch a new ultra-affordable Linux-powered computer next month that is the size of a credit card. It’s so affordable, in fact, that it will cost just $25 or $35, depending on how much RAM the buyer requires. In an interview with Edge, Raspberry Pi Foundation head David Braben said, despite the size and low cost, the Raspberry Pi computer is powerful enough to run games such as Quake III Arena and power 1080p video. The company will launch just 10,000 units to developers next month, mostly in the United Kingdom. “At the moment we’re appealing to techy people because we want people to give their time for free, writing software and improving things, porting them from other places, and putting them into the public domain, essentially, so we can use them for education,” Braben said, noting that he hopes to turn the developer board into a consumer-friendly device next year. The Raspberry Pi is equipped with a 700MHz processor, 128MB or 256MB of RAM, support for an SD card, and both HDMI and RCA outputs.

Read [Raspberry Pi Foundation] Read [Edge]

Beginning on September 18th, AT&T will offer a new $25 GoPhone prepaid plan that will include 250 minutes and unlimited messaging. Starting on the same day, customers can opt to sign up for a new $10 international long distance plan that offers 250 minutes of calling to more than 50 countries. The minutes for both plans expire after 30 days. GoPhone customers will also be able to roam in Canada at a rate of $0.39 per minute. Text messages in Canada will cost $0.25 per message sent and $0.20 per message received. AT&T currently offers thirty different GoPhone devices ranging from basic handsets to more advanced Android or Windows Phone-powered smartphones. The plans do not require a contract and unsubsidized phone prices range from $19.99 on the low-end to $500 on the high-end.

Prepaid Calling Never Looked So Good: New $25 Monthly GoPhone Plan

AT&T Customers Can Also Choose New $10 International Long Distance Package GoPhone Roaming Now Available in Canada

Dallas, Texas, September 12, 2011

Key Facts:

• Starting September 18, GoPhone customers can choose a $25 monthly plan which includes 250 nationwide voice minutes and unlimited, nationwide messaging every 30 days.
• Also starting September 18, AT&T* will begin offering a $10 International Long Distance package for prepaid customers which includes 250 minutes to over 50 countries for 30 days.
• GoPhone roaming now available in Canada.

Customer Benefits

GoPhone options are better than ever. AT&T’s prepaid customers can enjoy unlimited nationwide messaging and 250 minutes of domestic calling for $25 per month starting September 18. Earlier this year, AT&T launched an unlimited talk, text, and web plan for $50 per month with no long-term commitment (data not included on smartphones).

Also on September 18, customers can purchase a new international long distance feature—250 minutes of international calls to over 50 countries—for only $10 a month.

With the new $10 international long distance feature, minutes can be used to call international landline numbers to all countries on AT&T’s designated list. Calls to mobile numbers are included in Canada and a number of additional countries.

For more information, please visit att.com/gophoneintLD starting September 13.

GoPhone Roaming in Canada

GoPhone customers can now enjoy service as they travel to popular areas in Canada such as Montreal, Niagara Falls and Vancouver. Pricing includes:

• Voice – $.39 per minute (no surcharges)
• Text – $.25 per message sent, $.20 per message received

Quotes

“We’re constantly exploring ways to add value to the GoPhone user experience,” said Judy Cavalieri, vice president, Voice and Prepaid Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Being able to enhance roaming capabilities in Canada and offering affordable international long distance plans allow customers to enjoy the amenities of global travel with talk, messaging and data without ever having to worry about long-term commitments.”

GoPhone Portfolio

AT&T offers a broad selection of plans and handsets for prepaid customers. With options such as the LG Thrive™ — the first Android smartphone available for GoPhone users launched in April — AT&T is steadily adding to prepaid value. Quick messaging devices, feature phones and smartphones with no long-term contract, credit check, or deposit are available options of which customers may take advantage. Smartphones require a separate data package to access data/web services.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

The $25 Monthly Plan includes 250 nationwide airtime minutes and unlimited domestic text, Instant Messaging, picture and video messages for a charge of $25 every 30 days.  Nationwide airtime over the 250 minutes will be charged at 10 cents per minute.  Unused airtime minutes do not rollover. Minutes included in this plan may not be used for International calls.

The International Long Distance Package includes 250 minutes of international long distance service to landline numbers in specific countries for 30 days. The list of countries and details about making calls to international landline and mobile numbers can be found at att.com/gophoneintLD. Countries and/or call destinations not included on the list will be charged at standard pay per use rates for international long distance. For details on pay per use charges go to att.com/gointl.

AT&T is prepared to make sacrifices in an effort to sway the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission in favor of its planned $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile, Reuters reported on Friday. On August 31st, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against AT&T in attempt to block the merger, a move that is said to have caught both AT&T and T-Mobile USA’s owner, Deutsche Telekom, off-guard. “AT&T is pretty determined that they can find a solution, and they are pretty confident,” one source told Reuters, which noted AT&T’s “two-track” plan that includes possibly selling off as much as 25% of T-Mobile, including customers and spectrum, if the deal is approved. It is still unclear who could be a potential customer for the assets, however, as the government could investigate Sprint or Verizon Wireless if either carrier chose to purchase those assets. Reuters said U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle will preside over the case and said Huvelle is known for moving swiftly. AT&T has asked for an expedited hearing and the case could be heard within the next two months.

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If you’re looking to get a new Android device on the nation’s largest wireless carrier — and don’t mind buying online — listen up. Amazon Wireless and the Amazon Appstore are teaming up to offer Android handset purchasers a little added incentive. Now through Sunday, May 1st, customers that purchase any Verizon Wireless Android device will receive a $25 credit to the Amazon Appstore. You heard that right. Buy yourself a ThunderBolt, DROID 2, DROID X, DROID Pro, Fascinate, or any other Android set to cash in on this promotion. “The combination of Amazon Wireless and Amazon Appstore is unique in the industry because it provides customers with a one-stop Android shopping experience,” writes the company. “Amazon is excited to start offering customers promotions that give them a bonus once they get their phone.” No word on if the DROID Charge, which will be available on April 28th, will be eligible for this promotion. 

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Recently, China unveiled the Tianhe-1A supercomputer at the Annual Meeting of National High Performance Computing in Beijing. The Tianhe-1A has a staggering 14,336 Intel Xeon processors and 7,168 NVIDIA Tesla GPUs. What happens when you pump 4.04 megawatts of electricity through all that silicon? Well, LINPACK clocks the machine’s performance at 2.507 petaflops; the U.S. based Cray XT5 Jaguar, which did hold the top supercomputing spot, is benchmarked at 1.75 petaflops. The Tianhe, which cost $88 million to build, will be used for large scale scientific experiments and computations.

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Yesterday, Apple announced that its iPhone 4 smartphone would be available for purchase in China beginning on September 25 at 8:00 AM. The device will retail for CNY4,999 (~ $745) for a 16 GB model and CNY5,999 (~$894) for a 32 GB model. Apple also noted that China Unicom will also be selling the device and could provide subsidies with a new 2-year contract.

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Today, Walmart announced that it would be launching a self-branded wireless service titled Walmart Family Mobile. The new wireless service will utilize T-Mobile USA’s GSM network and will offer unlimited calling and texting for $45 per month; additional unlimited lines can be added for $25. Data usage can be pre-purchased at the rate of $40 per gigabyte and unused megabytes roll over from month to month. The Motorola Cliq XT will be Family Mobile’s high-end offering at launch ($249) and the cheapest offering will be a $30 set from Nokia. Walmart also sells pre-paid wireless options from Verizon Wireless (Straight Talk) and Sprint Nextel (Common Cents). The service will launch next week in Walmart retail stores across the country.

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Ok, so maybe our ninjas weren’t done for the day! We have good news and we have bad news; which do you want first? The bad news is that BlackBerry users on T-Mobile have a pair of outages coming their way. The first is scheduled to be a nice 8 hour block tonight from 9:00 PM until 5:00 AM PST tonight. The second will be tomorrow for 4 hours between 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM PST. The good news, aside from the fact that the timing is decent if everything goes according to plan, is that the outages will result in a shiny new BIE/BIS 2.5 upgrade. That’s right people, it’s coming! HTML, MSN and Hotmail support, AOL push-email support… It’s always best to end on a high note. Hit the jump for the full T-Mobile slide outlining the plans.