HOT TOPIC: The $100 Laptop
Volume 2, Issue 40 - June 25, 2006"Nicholas Negroponte of MIT announced his One Laptop Per Child initiative this past school year, hoping to make portable computing a reality for all children by getting an inexpensive, durable, functional laptop with wireless capability in the hands of students. While educators in North America took sides marveling or chuckling at Negroponte’s vision, it soon became apparent that he wasn’t even thinking of launching his initiative in the techno-rich west, but in third world developing countries where his innovation could truly make an impact. People stopped gawking and started seriously discussing the implications for making technology this readily available worldwide.
The original prototype was a squeamish green and yellow, running the Linux operating system and applications to help keep costs down. Made out of durable plastic, it ran on batteries that could be recharged by turning a crank, making jack-in-the-box comparisons unfortunate but obvious. The laptop could connect to the Internet wirelessly by piggybacking on the connection of another nearby user. You can read the announcement of the original design at http://news.digitaltrends.com/article10519.html.
In more recent updates the crank is gone and other improvements have been made, while competitors are jumping into the race to create affordable portable computing. For your final issue of volume 2 of the D12, I offer you more than a dozen resources on Negroponte’s initiative, as well as alternative designs which may also be receiving attention in the months to come. Imagine every child having their own personal laptop with them as they advance through their school career!"
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