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Cheap Laptop Initiative
One special interest
consumer group wants to provide a cheap laptop computer to
the masses. This computer would be ultra-durable, brightly
colored, powerful, and change the way that school children
in developing countries learn.
The cheap laptop computer would cost around $100 and be
tough and kid friendly. And since producing power for the
laptop might be a problem for students in developing
countries, the hundred dollar laptop has a hand crank to
generate the operational power necessary. The Massachusetts
Institute of technology has been charged with the task of
creating a prototype for this computer.
Some have wondered just how useful the included wireless
connections will be in places where the Internet does not
exist or is too expensive. They are also been concerns about
the cheap laptop computers remaining in the hands of
children, despite their bright and distinctive colors.
Leaders of this cheap laptop computer project, dubbed the
“$100 Laptop Initiative”, envisioned a computer that can
substitute for computers, textbooks, libraries, maps, and
more - all in one product.
In an effort to keep the cost down, the designers of the
cheap laptop computer decided to implement “open source”
software so that there are no problems with obtaining
licensing fees. The computers will run on less memory in
order to keep the costs down. And the designers were also
able to obtain a cheap processor similar to ones used in
home computers.
One of the problematic areas of creating this cheap laptop
computer was the display screen. In normal laptop computers,
the display screen alone can cost more than $100. But in
order for this model to be effective, the designers needed
to find a display that would be much cheaper, around $35.
The display also needed to be versatile enough to be read
vertically like the pages of the book.
Designers of the cheap laptop computer even considered
colored and design with their concept. While they did not
want a color that would make teenagers reject the laptops,
they did want a color and design that was distinctive enough
to keep the computers out of the hands of unscrupulous
adults.
Designers of the hundred dollar cheap laptop computer are
confident that it will be a welcome addition to education
systems around the world. Some countries that have already
expressed interest are Brazil and Thailand.
By: Brenda Moore
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