AT&T Tech Support 360September 28, 2005 8:55 AM PDT
The $100 laptop moves closer to reality
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Nicholas Negroponte, the co-founder of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, detailed specifications for a $100 windup-powered laptop targeted at children in developing nations.
Negroponte, who laid out his original proposal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, said MIT and his nonprofit group, called One Laptop Per Child, is in discussions with five countries--Brazil, China, Thailand, Egypt and South Africa--to distribute up to 15 million test systems to children.
In addition, Massachusetts is working with MIT on a plan to distribute the laptops to schoolchildren, Negroponte said.
"This is the most important thing I have ever done in my life," Negroponte said on Wednesday during a presentation at Technology Review's Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT. "Reception has been incredible. The idea is simple. It's an education project, not a laptop project. If we can make education better--particularly primary and secondary schools--it will be a better world."
He said a goal of the project is to make the low-cost PC idea a grassroots movement that will spread in popularity, like the Linux operating system or the Wikipedia free online encyclopedia. "This is open-source education. It's a big issue."
Negroponte said the idea is that governments will pay roughly $100 for the laptops and will distribute them for free to students.
The proposed design of the machines calls for a 500MHz processor, 1GB of memory and an innovative dual-mode display that can be used in full-color mode, or in a black-and-white sunlight-readable mode. The display makes the laptop "both an electronic book and a laptop," he said.
One display design being considered is a flat, flexible printed display developed at MIT's Media Lab. Negroponte said the technology can be used to produce displays that cost roughly 10 cents per square inch. "The target is $12 for a 12-inch display with near-zero power consumption," he said.
Power for the new systems will be provided through either conventional electric current, batteries or by a windup crank attached to the side of the notebooks, since many countries targeted by the plan do not have power in remote areas, Negroponte said.
The machines, which will run a version of the Linux operating system, will also include other applications, some developed by MIT researchers, as well as country-specific software. "Software has gotten too fat and unreliable, so we started with Linux," he said.
For connectivity, the systems will be Wi-Fi- and cell phone-enabled, and will include four USB ports, along with built-in "mesh networking," a peer-to-peer concept that allows machines to share a single Internet connection.
"In emerging nations, the issue is not connectivity," Negroponte said. "That was the issue, but there are many people working on it, (thanks to) global competitiveness. But for education, the roadblock is the laptop."
Five companies are working with MIT to develop an initial 5 million to 15 million test units within the year: Google, Advanced Micro Devices, News Corp., Red Hat and BrightStar, Negroponte said. He said the current plan is to produce 100 million to 150 million units by 2007.
Negroponte admits that his goals are ambitious. Currently, the world production of laptops is just under 50 million, he said.
While the initial goal of the project is to work with governments, Negroponte said MIT is considering licensing the design or giving it to a third-party company to build commercial versions of the PC. "Those might be available for $200, and $20 or $30 will come back to us to make the kids' laptops. We're still working on that," he said.
Others have launched low-cost PC ideas in the past, though MIT's project may be the most ambitious.
Last year, Advanced Micro Devices announced plans for its Personal Internet Connector--a prototype with a price tag of at least $185, with no display. And an Indian company called Novatium said it plans to offer a stripped-down home computer for about $70 or $75.
In addition, Microsoft's antipiracy-minded Steve Ballmer last year called for a move toward the $100 PC for developing nations.
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water and clothing, along with basic education. Even $100 is alot of
money for them. Where many people make less then $10 a day, I
can assure you laptops are the last thing in their mind.
water and clothing, along with basic education. Even $100 is alot of
money for them. Where many people make less then $10 a day, I
can assure you laptops are the last thing in their mind.
*OUR* students? I say tackle issues at home first. I'm damned
sick, as an american, of hearing all of the effort we're pouring
into countries abroad, when we've got high school graduates
who routinely can't read. No Child Left Behind doesn't work,
most students still don't have adequate access to technology
that's becoming more and more a requirement. And we're not a
third world country.
Most schoold districts here don't have enough qualified tech
people, many businesses here complain of a lack of qualified
techs HERE. So let's start there.
*OUR* students? I say tackle issues at home first. I'm damned
sick, as an american, of hearing all of the effort we're pouring
into countries abroad, when we've got high school graduates
who routinely can't read. No Child Left Behind doesn't work,
most students still don't have adequate access to technology
that's becoming more and more a requirement. And we're not a
third world country.
Most schoold districts here don't have enough qualified tech
people, many businesses here complain of a lack of qualified
techs HERE. So let's start there.
distribution, tech support, etc., but I'm excited about this
project. In the 1st world we see children out-pacing adults in
technological literacy, and I imagine this will be even more
extreme in the 3rd world.
How will African, Egyptian, Thai kids go about "learning the
computer"? Mostly on their own, without much help from
adults. They will benefit from not having their imaginations
stunted by technology-jaded adults. What kind of virtual
communities will they develop? How will they reach out to their
1st world peers? How many American 8 year olds are going to
start up friendships with these 3rd world kids? How might their
relationships develop into innovative, problem-solving
collaborations?
How many American kids are going to start wanting to learn
Linux so they can work on projects with other kids around the
world?
distribution, tech support, etc., but I'm excited about this
project. In the 1st world we see children out-pacing adults in
technological literacy, and I imagine this will be even more
extreme in the 3rd world.
How will African, Egyptian, Thai kids go about "learning the
computer"? Mostly on their own, without much help from
adults. They will benefit from not having their imaginations
stunted by technology-jaded adults. What kind of virtual
communities will they develop? How will they reach out to their
1st world peers? How many American 8 year olds are going to
start up friendships with these 3rd world kids? How might their
relationships develop into innovative, problem-solving
collaborations?
How many American kids are going to start wanting to learn
Linux so they can work on projects with other kids around the
world?
This article was forwarded to our class by our professor.
It is great to see the strides that are being made in this area, as I believe it to be one of the most important developments/projects of our time. Knowledge is power after all.
Good luck to all of those involved.
JD
This article was forwarded to our class by our professor.
It is great to see the strides that are being made in this area, as I believe it to be one of the most important developments/projects of our time. Knowledge is power after all.
Good luck to all of those involved.
JD
- That's right, but
-
by
September 29, 2005 6:36 AM PDT
- The billion poorest people are not footing the bill. The country buys the $100 laptop and distributes them to the citizens.
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