Dev boards are great when trying to get a high pin count (non DIP package) microcontroller prototyped for your next project. There are some SMD breakout boards (you can see one of those in the picture connected to his dev board). But working with just a breakout board can be a bit of a pain since the connections to the board can be hard to maintain since the package is so small. If you are in need of a breakout board for a PIC24 this might be just what you need.
Via: Dangerous PrototypesÂ