'$100 laptop' production begins (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Five years after the concept was first proposed, the so-called $100 laptop is poised to go into mass production.

Hardware suppliers have been given the green light to ramp-up production of all of the components needed to build millions of the low-cost machines.

Previously, the organisation behind the scheme said that it required orders for 3m laptops to make production viable.

The first machines should be ready to put into the hands of children in developing countries in October 2007.

"There's still some software to write, but this is a big step for us," Walter Bender, head of software development at One Laptop per Child (OLPC), told the BBC News website.


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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6908946.stm

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Galadima

OLPC beats the Hell out of NCLB!

[rateyes]

1. Good news! K&R

:kick:

[BlueJazz]

2. I've seen one of them...They're Amazing!!!!!

[jeff30997]

3. I must be tired...

I thought the title of your post said:"$100 lapdance".:)

[Warren DeMontague]

4. My wife knows a couple of the people behind this thing.

I think it's great. What a great idea. :thumbsup:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. This is wonderful and inspiring on so many levels !

I'm an educational technology pro and while I'm not convinced computers (as in 1 computer/1 student) are a panacea, it's fandamntastic someone pushed this through!

[madrchsod]

6. this is the next leap forward in our civilization.

the the first time in history everyone in the world should have access to all the knowledge of the world. a Library of Alexandra for the 21st century and what we must prevent is some thing burning it down.

[KG]

7. the powers that be are in for a rude surpise

forget the stupid segeway, the $100 laptop could revolutionized the world...

[eppur_se_muova]

8. Factfile: XO laptop (BBC)

The One Laptop Per Child project is one step closer to releasing the completed machine to millions of schoolchildren in the developing world. But what makes the computer so unique?

To ensure the laptop is robust and can be maintained as easily as possible it omits all moving parts. It has no hard drive, CD or DVD drive. As it also packs a low power processor it has no cooling fans.

Storage: Instead of a large hard drive the laptop has 1GB of flash memory, similar to that used in some digital cameras.

The memory can be expanded using an SD memory card slot underneath the screen or by plugging in peripheral devices through the USB ports.

Files can also be backed up on to a "school server" - a larger computer installed in a classroom - or via an online system provided by search giant Google.


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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6679431.stm