In case you are not familiar with BeagleBone, here is what these boards can do:
The Beagles are credit-card sized open-hardware (all of the chips and designs are available to the public) and open-software computers that plug into whatever you have around the house. These PCs can be used for all kinds of applications like to learn programming, hobbyists for robotics.
BeagleBone Black is a community-supported development platform for developers and hobbyists. Boot Linux in under 10 seconds and get started on development in less than 5 minutes with just a single USB cable.
Here are the specifications of BeagleBone Black:
Processor: AM335x 1GHz ARM® Cortex-A8
3D graphics accelerator
ARM Cortex-M3 for power management
2x PRU 32-bit RISC CPUs
Connectivity
USB client: power, debug and device
USB host
Ethernet
HDMI (allows direct connections to TVs or monitors)
2x 46 pin headers
Software Compatibility
Angstrom Linux
Android
Ubuntu
Cloud9 IDE on Node.js w/ BoneScript library
plus much more
It ships from Texas Instruments with Angstrom Linux on board. However it’s also tuned to support Android and Ubuntu.
Raspberry Pi is a popular cheap single-board computer. Now the market for such computers is getting interesting with multiple small groups and companies coming up with good products. This market is mainly for programmers and hobbyists.
Comparison between Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black:
BeagleBone Black uses ARMv7 processor whereas Pi uses ARMv6.
BeagleBone Black has more inputs and outputs than the Pi. This will mean that you have more options to connect to sensors and other devices. This is particularly useful to build robots and DIYprojects.
BeagleBone Black costs $10 more than a Raspberry Pi. However, to compensate for that cost, BBB comes with a power supply and network cable whereas the Pi does not.
Comparison between Arduino Uno and BeagleBone Black:
The BeagleBone Black has more I/O capability than an Arduino Uno but less than ewer Arduino Due.
There are more than 30 “capes,” or plug-in boards compatible with the BeagleBone Black. These allow the device to connect to 3D printers, DMX lighting controllers, a Geiger counter, a telerobotic submarine, LCD touch screens, and more.
When you plug the BeagleBone into a Windows, Linux, or Mac computer, you can use a Web browser interface to program all the different inputs.
BeagleBone Black is currently available in limited supply (100,000 boards will be made in the first production run of BeagleBone Black which is still a good number), however by the end of May there should be bigger stock.
