Pupils win out as BBC dishes out a million free Micro Bit computers to schools

ARM, Freescale and Samsung have welcomed the full technical launch of the BBC Micro Bit pocket computer that will be given to all Year 7 children in the UK in the Autumn. The companies have supported the project from concept to reality in close partnership with the BBC's engineering teams. Find more detail on today's announcement in the BBC media centre. Simon Segars, CEO ARM, said: "Technology is now as much a part of childhood as riding a bicycle or kicking a football but going from user to innovator is something we still need to encourage. The BBC and Acorn Computers, where ARM technology was first created, came together 35 years ago to develop the BBC Micro and that inspired the engineers now at the forefront of shaping our increasingly connected world. The new BBC Micro Bit has even greater potential because it can inspire boys and girls toward a career in technology at a time of unprecedented demand for science and engineering skills across all areas of the global economy." Geoff Lees, senior vice president of microcontrollers, Freescale Semiconductor, added: "The Internet of Tomorrow is bringing almost limitless possibility to interact with the world around us and the new BBC micro:bit with its unique ability to detect and measure both movement and direction, as well as sensing location and surroundings, should truly encourage more young people to get involved and to experiment and create in the digital world. The BBC Make it Digital initiative is set to play a critical role in helping to unleash imagination and creativity within the next generation technology innovators and visionaries of tomorrow, and this aligns perfectly with our own commitment to world-class education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)." Andy Griffiths, president of Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, said: "At Samsung, we're very excited to bring the Micro Bit to life with the BBC. Our engineers are enabling the micro:bit to communicate with everyday digital devices such as phones and tablets to allow young people to code inside and outside of the classroom. It's a great way to showcase the capabilities of this technology and we're looking forward to seeing how creative people can get with coding, whether that's programming their micro:bit to take a 'selfie' via their phone camera or coding it to flash when they get an incoming call, the possibilities are limitless."