BBC reports that the $100 laptop has gone into production and the first batch of machines should be put into the hands of children in developing countries as soon as by October 2007.
It is believed that initially the $100 laptop is going to cost nearly $176 but with ramped up production they hope to eventually bring the cost down to $100.
The laptop has a rugged, waterproof case and is as energy efficient as possible. In other words, it is built to cope with the harsh and remote conditions found in areas where it may be used, such as in deserts or on mountains.
Fig: The current price breakdown of the laptopThe laptop needs an order of magnitude less power than a typical laptop. That means you can power it by solar or human power like by using a foot pump. The $100 laptops will be powered by a low power AMD processor and will be running Linux.
While governments of many third world countries have pledged to buy the laptops to be distributed to students, I am sad to say that India is not one of them. One of the positive effects of distributing these laptops to children could be the drastic reduction in the number of books they have to carry to and from school and which can be replaced by a lightweight laptop. I remember the heavy load of books I had to carry to school each day. It was truly back breaking.
Read the full story at bbc.co.uk
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