Gizmodo
The Media Lab at MIT has come up with a brilliant way to make sure children all over the world will have access to technology. Specifications for a $100 wind-up powered laptop were announced today through Media Lab cofounder Nicholas Negroponte, though the original proposal was discussed at the Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland. Hoping to work with his nonprofit group called One Laptop Per Child, Negroponte is in discussions with developing countries like Brazil, Egypt and South Africa to give out up to 15 million test systems to children. The design for the super cheap computer calls for a 500MHz processor, 1GB memory and dual-mode display that could be used in color or black-and-white sunlight-readable mode. Power will be either a wind-up crank (as mentioned) on the side of the computer, conventional electric current or even batteries. Also included is WiFi, four USB ports and something called "mesh networking," that will let many machines share a single Internet connection. The five companies chipping in with MIT to develop the initial 5 million computers are Google, Advanced Micro Devices, News Corp., Red Hat and BrightStar.
The $100 laptop moves closer to reality [CNET]
$100 Laptop - No Child Left Behind
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9:30 AM on Thu Sep 29 2005
By johnb
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3 comments
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Forget about children in the developing world: *I* want one of these. Reflective screens, high-definition display, flash storage, long battery life. Sounds like the ideal laptop. Why can't I buy one?
Oh, also, how about a photo or mockup of one of these $100 laptops? MIT Media Lab has a gallery here>.
Well...most people in the "developed" nations won't want one for the same reason why thse same folks don't ride a bike instead of driving their big gas hungry SUVs (or in our case, a gas guzzling German convertible)...speed and convenience. It will be a "few more years" before a $100 laptop will replace a Sony Vaio or an Apple G4. Eventually...sure, but by then, the VR 3D holographic software programs will probably not run that well on a 500MHz, 1GB environment. Four function calulators are practically free now... I can't remember that last time I actually used one? I guess my point is...looks great on paper and an important effort to spread knowledge and increase the general well being of the world, but not something you will covet once you have experienced graphics of the XBOX 360 :-)
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