Anyone looking for a cheap laptop?

[Alfie.Ilkins]

Hi,

Saw this and thought some of you might be interested.  I'd like to see how this works out, might make an interesting toy.

Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of MIT's Media Labs, says he is developing a laptop PC that will go on sale for less than $100 (£53).  He told the BBC World Service programme Go Digital he hoped it would become an education tool in developing countries...

//http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4243733.stm

[Stonehenge]

Sounds like a pda. There are lots of devices that have chips in them and could be called computers. I do think computers will become much cheaper and smaller in the future. The computer on a chip is the holy grail of research. One problem is the bulky size of storage and memory. Almost everything else can be minaturised a lot. Another problem is heat generated which needs to be disposed of and wastes a lot of power. One day, we will have computers built into our clothing or a small object we carry around that will have the power of supercomputers today. They will likely be connected to the internet IV which will be able to move info at 1000 terrabits per second.

This will lead to the ability to live in a virtual world of one's own creation. But that's another subject.

Stoney

[Susanoo no Mikoto]

interesting thought..

[Orb]

http://laptop.media.mit.edu



What is the $100 Laptop, really?

The $100 Laptop will be a Linux-based, full-color, full-screen laptop, which initially is achieved either by rear projecting the image on a flat screen or by using electronic ink (developed at the MIT Media Lab). In addition, it will be rugged, use innovative power (including wind-up), be WiFi- and cell phone-enabled, and have USB ports galore. Its current specifications are: 500MHz, 1GB, 1 Megapixel. The cost of materials for each laptop is estimated to be approximately $90, which includes the display, as well as the processor and memory, and allows for $10 for contingency or profit.

Why not a desktop?

Desktops are cheaper, but mobility is important, especially with regard to taking the computer home at night. Recent work with schools in Maine has shown the huge value of using a laptop across all of one's studies, as well as for play. Bringing the laptop home engages the family. In one Cambodian village where we have been working, there is no electricity, thus the laptop is, among other things, the brightest light source in the home.

How is it possible to get the cost so low?

First, by driving the display cost below $25. We are exploring five different options for this, looking at possibilities such as projected image or roll-to-roll printed display. Projection is the primary candidate at this time, and will bring the cost of an approximately 12" diagonal display to below $20. Electronic ink, invented at the Media Lab, is another option.

Second, we will get the fat out of the systems. Today's laptops have become obese. Two-thirds of their software is used to manage the other third, which mostly does the same functions nine different ways.

Third, we will market the laptops in very large numbers (millions), directly to ministries of education, which can distribute them like textbooks.

[X. Torris]

The $100 Laptop will be a Linux-based, full-color, full-screen laptop, which initially is achieved either by rear projecting the image on a flat screen or by using electronic ink (developed at the MIT Media Lab). In addition, it will be rugged, use innovative power (including wind-up), be WiFi- and cell phone-enabled, and have USB ports galore. Its current specifications are: 500MHz, 1GB, 1 Megapixel. The cost of materials for each laptop is estimated to be approximately $90, which includes the display, as well as the processor and memory, and allows for $10 for contingency or profit.

Jeebus, that has better specs than my laptop.  Screw the Third World countries, I need one!