Developing Nations To Test New $150 Laptops

New Scientist ^ | 2-13-2007

[blam]

Developing nations to test new $150 laptops

15:43 13 February 2007
NewScientist.com news service

From Brazil to Pakistan, some of the world's poorest children will peer across the digital divide this month – reading electronic books, shooting digital video, creating music and chatting with classmates online.

The non-profit "One Laptop per Child" project, founded by MIT academics, will roll out nearly 2500 of its $150-laptops to eight nations. The experiment is a prelude to mass production of the kid-friendly, lime-green-and-white laptops, scheduled to begin in July 2007, when five million will be built.

Its technological triumphs include a hand crank to charge its battery, a keyboard that switches between languages, a digital video camera, wireless connectivity and a version of the Linux operating system tailored for remote regions.

The project's operators say the price should fall to $100 apiece next year, when they hope to produce 50 million of the so-called "XO" machines. It could then dip below $100 by 2010 when the aim is to reach 150 million of the world's poorest children.

"We're pledging to always drive the price down," says Walter Bender, the group's president of software and content. "Rather than continuing to add features to keep the price inflated, we're keeping the feature set stable and driving the price down."

A string pulley, which Bender likens to a "salad spinner", will soon replace the hand crank. A minute of pulling generates 10 minutes of electricity. The display switches from colour to black and white for viewing in direct sunlight.

Food and medicine

State educators in Brazil, Uruguay, Libya, Rwanda, Pakistan, Thailand and possibly Ethiopia and the West Bank will receive the first of the machines in February's pilot, before a wider distribution to Indonesia and a handful of other countries.

[avg_freeper]

I wonder what they taste like.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

The ones with the exploding batteries?

[randog]

...reading electronic books, shooting digital video, creating music and chatting with classmates online.

Uhhm, right.

[BigBobber]

I guess I'm paranoid. I see thousands of these ending up controlling IEDs and killer drone planes.

[Maceman]

From Brazil to Pakistan, some of the world's poorest children will peer across the digital divide this month – reading electronic books, shooting digital video, creating music and chatting with classmates online.

Since the world's poorest children live in the world's most despotic and brutal hell holes, I doubt they will be allowed by the governments to do much peering across the digital divide -- except perhaps among Muslim extremists who will encourage the children to learn how to make bombs online.

Assuming of course, that there is connectivity, which I'm sure is lacking where these children live.

[steel_resolve]

Will these new laptops allow the posting of Al Quaeda snuff flicks? If so then expect the developing world to be snapping them up.

[I see my hands]

Wampum for trade.

[reagan_fanatic]

Here it is.

[3dognight]

I see lots of kids freeping.

[tcrlaf]

I was just thinking the same thing...

[Deguello]

They will make their money on the lap tops by selling 2 year Internet contracts.

[ASOC]

Cool stuff


Hummmm-
3 years late
50% over projected cost
forced to run Linux


Must be an IT project.

[Thrownatbirth]

I guess the men there will be nostalgic for days when there was prOn-in-the-jungle.

[1Old Pro]

wireless connectivity

how???

[miliantnutcase]

jungle pr0n lol..

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

door stops?

[cinives]

LOL I had the Compaq "sewing machine" variety a while ago ... quite a while ago ... gee I'm so old I forget when ... :)

[cinives]

You might say that they at least have a reliable OS.

[miliantnutcase]

I thought they would be better off teaching these people new techniques for growing crops, creating irrigation, basically how to feed themselves. I guess that was stupid all these people want is their direct tv, and internet pr0n.