Will This $25 Computer Change the World?

Looking for an inexpensive computer that can run 3D video games?

Check out the new $25  Raspberry Pi computer that has enough power for Quake 3. All you need to do is plug it into your TV with an HDMI output.

The Raspberry Pi foundation created the computer. Here’s a few choice nuggets about it.

• The computer is for educational needs.  The idea is to enable kids to learn about manipulating and programming computers.

• The Raspberry Pi foundation wants to open-source the technology so “a company in China can produce a million computers” for developing countries and schools, according to Business Insider. The foundation believes third parties will begin developing Raspberry Pi devices in the middle of 2012.

• The multimedia performance of the Raspberry Pi is “substantially better” than the smartphone’s Tegra 3 chip, according to Eben Upton, executive director of the Raspberry Pi foundation. He added that the Galaxy S 2 is the only smartphone that comes close to it.

• The Raspberry Pi foundation is a not-for-profit so they will not be making money off the computer.

• Approximately 10,000 of the computers will be available either once or twice a month with a limit of 100,000 that can be produced in a year.

Here’s how these personal computer companies are reacting to the news:

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ): HPQ shares recently traded at $25.76, up $0.14, or 0.55%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $21.50 to $49.39. Volume today was 1,998,627 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 20,345,200 shares. The company’s trailing P/E is 7.76, while trailing earnings are $3.32 per share.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL): DELL shares recently traded at $14.73, down $0.03, or 0.2%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $12.99 to $17.60. Volume today was 1,319,854 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 21,707,100 shares. The company’s trailing P/E is 7.58, while trailing earnings are $1.94 per share.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL): AAPL shares recently traded at $405.35, up $0.23, or 0.06%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $310.50 to $426.70. Volume today was 1,840,822 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 16,315,500 shares. The company’s trailing P/E is 14.64, while trailing earnings are $27.68 per share.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM): IBM shares recently traded at $185.52, down $0.66, or 0.35%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $145.96 to $194.90. Volume today was 563,122 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 5,544,300 shares. The company’s trailing P/E is 14.62, while trailing earnings are $12.69 per share.

To contact the reporter on this story: Debbie Baratz at staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Damien Hoffman at editors@wallstcheatsheet.com