Why choose Arduino?

• Arduino is cheap: only $30. Other controllers like NXT are well over ~$200
• Arduino is free software: unlike other microprocessors, you have to buy the chip to get a copy of the software
• Arduino is cross platform, you can use it on all Windows, Mac and Linux. Others like Basic Stamp only work on Windows.
• Arduino's code is straightforward: just digitalWrite(pin, value) to control a digital pin, no complex bit-shifting and bitwise programming required
• Arduino is new tech: Arduino Uno released in 2011