Following Michael Gove's mention of the Pi in his recent speech on shifting the emphasis in ICT lessons to programming, the launch of the credit-card sized, minimum cost device has triggered massive educational interest.

"Initiatives like the Raspberry Pi scheme will give children the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of programming," according to Gove.

The launched model retails at £22, but an even cheaper one is expected later on this year around the £16 mark.

Pi features:

• Runs on open-source operating system Linux
• Can be linked to a typical computer monitor, keyboard, mouse and other peripherals
• Ethernet port, so enabling high-speed internet connectivity.

Despite the impressively low cost, the Pi is already experiencing competition from other stripped-down computers on the market