Marvell is joining the rush of chip firms with their own hardware platform aimed at helping developers with its Kinoma products. The Kinoma products include a set of tools, a Javascript runtime that is designed for the needs of connected devices and a piece of hardware that functions as a mobile Raspberry Pi-like device that also contains a touchscreen, microphone and a speaker.
The chip firm is known for providing the silicon for devices made by Google, Blackberry, Sony and other big brands, but it wants to make sure it can reach the people building the next generation of connected consumer devices that people are prototyping in their garages and then throwing up on crowdfunding sites. The hardware platform costs $99 as part of an Indiegogo campaign that was launched at South by Southwest this weekend and is now fully funded.
The Kinoma Create will retail for $149, which is kind of steep compared to a Pi, but might be better compared to something a bit more robust like TI’s Beagle boards. But the key here is that it’s not a raw board (although you could access that if you wanted). The goal, according to Peter Hoddie (pictured above), VP of the Kinoma platform, is to build something a little higher level so people who found the Pi a bit intimidating could start building products and playing with connected hardware too.
