Gumstix shocked the embed-o-sphere today by unveiling a new board-level computer that’s neither the shape nor size of a gum stick. The “Pepper” board is based on a 720MHz TI Sitara ARM processor and is supplied in a bundle that includes a Yocto-built Linux filesystem on microSD, a 4.5-inch touchscreen LCD, and a DC power supply.

In addition to the Pepper board’s TI AM3359 system-on-chip (SOC), the board includes 512MB DRAM, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 wireless, a microSD slot, a console port, audio I/O, and a pair of USB OTG ports.

The Pepper kit includes a 4.5-inch touchscreen LCD
(click each image to enlarge)

Size-wise, the Pepper kit’s SBC (single-board-computer) matches the form-factor of the company’s Chestnut43 expansion board for the company’s gum-stick-sized Overo modules, which also are based on TI OMAP ARM processors. To support projects and experiments, the Pepper SBC includes expansion headers for interfacing with I2C, SPI, UARTs, pushbuttons, LEDs, and other user-added circuitry.

The TI Sitara AM3359 SOC integrates a single 720MHz ARM Cortex-A8 applications processor, plus a PowerVR SGX 3D graphics acceleration engine and a slew of I/O interface controllers. The AM33vx family block diagram appears below; refer to TI’s website for specifics on the AM3359.

TI AM335x block diagram
(click image to enlarge)

The Pepper SBC is currently available as part of a $250 plug-and-play bundle, consisting of the SBC, a 4.3-inch LCD with touchscreen, a 5V power supply, and a bootable microSD card containing Linux. For further information, visit Gumstix’s website