Which Platform?

There are so many boards available!

To put things into perspective, how do today's boards compare with the initial IBM PC? They are 4~16 times more powerful than the original IBM PC, and 16~64 times more powerful than the Apollo 11 computer!

How to pick the right board? Instead of the board only, we need to consider instead a broader picture, the platform. The platform includes the board but also the associated software and other elements, as the users' community, the support and the services.

All the boards mentioned below run on the Wiring / Arduino framework.

For the Internet of Things, please go to IoT: Which Platform?

(1) 2 GB, micro-SD card — (2) 320x240 pixels x 64 k colour — (3) touch screen — USD85
(1b) 800x480 pixels x 64 k colour — (2b) 4 GB, micro-SD card — (3b) touch screen -- USD35
Prices as at October 2012

Looking for...	the reference with a wide choice of add-ons and libraries	a cost effective introduction to micro-controllers	more power with a 16- or 32-bit micro-controller and a debugger	a compact board with enough I/O pins
Go for...	8-bit Arduino Uno 32-bit Arduino Zero Pro	32-bit LaunchPad MPS432 at USD13 32-bit LaunchPad Stellaris now Tiva C Series at USD13	32-bit LaunchPad MPS432 with RTOS capabilities 16-bit MSP430F5529 LaunchPad	8-bit and 32-bit Microduino 32-bit Teensy 3.0 and 3.1 32-bit RedBearLab WiFi mini with CC3200 and RTOS
Or try...	8-bit Arduino Mega2560	LaunchPad MSP430 at USD10 with Educational BoosterPack at USD25	PIC32 chipKIT Uno32 with external chipKIT PGM	8-bit Digispark 8-bit Arduino mini Pro
Comment	Most of the Arduino boards rely on 8-bit MCUs and may seem antiquated or over-priced.	Texas Instruments offers unrivalled value with the 32-bit ARM LaunchPad MSP432 and CC3200.	All the LaunchPad boards feature a built-in hardware debugger, and the MSP432 runs on RTOS, both supported by embedXcode.	Three interesting solutions with a highly compact DIP form-factor.

Shields

The shields plug in directly on the main board. This eases installation and avoid many cables!

Each main board has its own collection of shields, and even the word shield can change, as the BoosterPack for LaunchPad or the cape for BeagleBone.

USB Plugs

If most of all the boards use USB connection, there are three different kinds of USB plug:

left: type B
center: mini-B (deprecated)
right: micro-B

So it is safe to check you have the right cable at hand.

To learn more about which board uses which USB plug, go to Boards and Plugs.