The Raspberry Pi Foundation unveiled a new hardware called the Raspberry Pi seven-inch touchscreen display. The latest hardware is available for just $60.
In October 2014, Eben Upton, the founder of Raspberry Pi Foundation teased users with the new hardware. Upton also said at the time that the touchscreen will hit the shelves in late 2014 or early 2015. However, it has taken months for the seven-inch touchscreen to be released.
"The whole time we've been doing Raspberry Pi we've been saying, yeah the display accessory is coming, yeah the display accessory is coming - and the display accessory is finally coming," said Upton.
The seven-inch touchscreen sports 800 x 480 pixel resolution. The screen can work with the Raspberry Pi mini-computer that has a price tag of $35. The latest touchscreen will allow users to build their custom tablets that need a screen.
Users will have to connect their mini-computer to the display via two conduits. The GPIO port will power the screen and a ribbon cable will connect to the DSI port. The Raspberry Pi Foundation also revealed that it will roll out touchscreen drivers along with an update to the Raspbian operating system, which will enable 10-finger touch as well as an on-screen keyboard. The Raspbian OS is a free operating system that is meant for Raspberry Pi devices.
The idea behind Raspberry Pi is to open a number of possibilities to budding programmers. While previously programmers had to connect their mini-computer to an external monitor, the new seven-inch touchscreen, which is made especially for the Pi will make it very easy for programmers. However, some assembly will still be required.
"Make your own 'Internet of Things' (IoT) devices including a visual display. Simply connect your Raspberry Pi, develop a Python script to interact with the display, and you're ready to create your own home automation devices with touch screen capability," per Swag.RaspberryPi.org. "A range of educational software and programs available on the Raspberry Pi will be touch enabled, making learning and programming easier on the Raspberry Pi."
The official Raspberry Pi website states that the latest seven-inch touchscreen is available via some retail stores in the U.S for $60. Swag Store is selling the hardware for £48.00 in the UK.
Check out a short video of the Raspberry Pi seven-inch touchscreen display.
