PICAXE-28X1 microcontroller chip. Enhanced PICAXE28 chips with 8x memory and many additional features such as i2c bus support.
The PICAXE 28X1 is the same chip found in the 28 pin starter kit and is used and tested with a lot of example code on line. The newer enhanced PICAXE 28X2 chip may not be compatible with some code examples - yet.
PICAXE is a neat entry-level microcontroller system that is relatively cheap to get started with. The chip is programmed with a simple serial connection and the BASIC development environment is free! PICAXE has some excellent educational applications and support, and is a great entryway into more complicated embedded systems. If you're look for a place to start with microcontrollers, PICAXE is a great way to go!