Is there stable support for this architecture in GCC and related projects? That is, is there a standard-conforming open toolchain?
Otherwise I wouldn't even bother.
Otherwise I wouldn't even bother.
That aside, I am really glad they went with PSoC5 (ARM Cortex-M3 architecture) instead of the cheaper PSoC3 (8051 architecture). This makes it easy to prototype on the PSoC5 and then move to a more specialized Cortex when they hit performance limits.
Finally, I don't see mechanical drawings, however, I hope they spaced the parallel connectors on freeSOC n*0.1" apart. One of the frustrating things about Arduino is that the spacing on the shield connector is non-standard, so you can't simply plug it into a breadboard.
The bigger one almost certainly not -- it's arduino compatible and the gap on one side is visibly smaller than the other. Also, it's not clear if the big one will have pins dropping down below the board (just looks like female headers).
This thing seems to occupy an interesting point in the hobbyist ecosystem. The processor is several times more expensive than other chips with similar raw processing power (like TI's Stellaris LaunchPad, which sells for $5) but the I/O peripherals are vastly more flexible. It looks like a fantastic device for prototyping and experimenting.
The mbed board is similar to the mini, but with an online IDE (not a fan) and community. There's not much difference in price there, at least not from the mbed suppliers here in the UK vs the kickstarter prices.