Though not quite as up-to-date as the ARM Cortex-A15 toting Exynos 5 Arndale devboard we mentioned a few month back, the HardKernel ODROID-U2 and ODROID-X2 feature Samsung's still powerful Quad-core Exynos 4412 processor but, most importantly, also feature appealing form-factors and prices that make these kits ideal for integration into a final product or to use as a humble techie tool.
The U2 is an ultra-compact offering, smaller than the RaspberryPi, starting at $69, featuring 2GB of RAM, 100Mbps Ethernet, 2 x USB 2.0 connections and an audio codec with headphone and microphone jacks. Video? Not a problem, a micro HDMI connection is supplied and for storage, options of micro SD and even eMMC are supplied. Android 4.X and Ubuntu 12.10 will be compatible out of the box, with the box, or should we say enclosure, a metal heat-sink which provides cooling and protection.
The X2 builds upon the U2, filling a larger-size shoe, however offering, in addition, a full-size SD slot and 6 x USB 2.0 Host ports. The real value-added contribution comes from further exposed pins from the Exynos chip, allowing for the connection of standard MIPI camera modules, LCD displays, I2C, SPI and UART devices, with the usual ADC and GPIO ports also available.
HardKernel is offering some very reasonable prices on some modules that make use of these ports, with a 5-megapixel camera board available for $29 and a 14in 768p LCD available at $79. The price of the X2 is $135.
For a full list of specifications, dimensions etc, head on over to the HardKernel Website, where you'll also find a slew of demo videos, like the one below.
