One million Micro Bits - a stripped-down computer similar to a Raspberry Pi - will be given to all pupils starting secondary school in the autumn term.

The BBC's director general Tony Hall said the device should help tackle the fact children were leaving school knowing how to use computers but not how to program them.

"We all know there's a critical and growing digital skills gap in this country and that's why it's so important that we come together and do something about it," he said at a launch event in London.

The Micro:Bit has changed significantly since it was announced: the device now has a friendly rectangular shape, designed by Shoreditch hardware startup Tech Will Save Us. The board now houses an ARM Cortex M-O processor and an accelerometer and magnetometer, as well as the prexisting 5x5 LED matrix display and two face buttons. It will also offer Bluetooth LE capability, USB, and a combined croc-clip/edge connector, which will allow children to connect the Micro:Bit to similar boards such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi. The coin cell has also been swapped for a AAA battery pack for use when untethered from a PC.
The board will be accompanied with an online coding environment that will include Blockly, Python, and Microsoft's TouchDevelop platform; the BBC has partnered with a number of education startups including CodeClub, Coder Dojo and Decoded to provide educational support for the device.

The BBC does not see Micro Bit as a rival to similar computing devices such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Galileo and Kano, but rather hopes it will act as a "springboard" to these more complex machines.
The tiny programmable machine is still a prototype and the BBC is working with several partners, including chip-designer Arm, Microsoft and Samsung, to get the end product right.
When it launches in September it will be compatible with three coding languages - Touch Develop, Python and C++.
The device is tiny - fitting easily into the palm of a hand. Children will be able to create text via a series of LED lights and they will also be able to use it to create basic games.
The final version will have a Bluetooth link enabling it to be hooked up to other devices such as a Raspberry Pi.

Before the end of the year, the device will also be available for sale to customers in the U.K. and other points around the globe. Presumably that includes the U.S.