Heh.. same here also a backer , yet have no direct use case at the moment. Though I also own two Raspberry Pi's and a Beaglebone black that are fun to play with, I guess I just like the fact that this is just Python without the overhead of a complete Operating system.
I'd describe it as a microcontroller breakout board with a built-in Python interpreter. I've also got Pi's, and make extensive use of lower level MCU breakout boards (e.g., 16 bit, programmed in C) for prototyping. It's easier to throw a micro at a problem than to coax a PC to work as a real time computer. And there usually has to be some kind of electronic interface anyway, so why not a micro?
The Python board will do a couple of things. First, by studying the design, I'll get a gentle introduction to a micro that's much more powerful than anything I've ever dealt with. I'll see what kind of code is needed to manage such a beast. Second, I'll learn the tradeoffs between a higher level language and C for embedded projects.
