'$100 laptop' to sell to public (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Computer enthusiasts in the developed world will soon be able to get their hands on the so-called "$100 laptop".

The organisation behind the project has launched the "give one, get one" scheme that will allow US residents to purchase two laptops for $399 (£198).

One laptop will be sent to the buyer whilst a child in the developing world will receive the second machine
***
The offer to the general public comes after the project's founder admitted that concrete orders from the governments of developing nations had not always followed verbal agreements

Nicholas Negroponte told the New York Times: "I have to some degree underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a cheque written."
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6994957.stm

Political leaders not good for their word? Well, thank goodness that's not something we've ever had to deal with in this country! :sarcasm:

[deminks]

1. I suspect his brother could have told him that.

He could have told him a lot of things, I also suspect.

[NMMNG]

2. Bravo

Now that the giving is up to individuals perhaps they'll get somewhere.

[Junkdrawer]

3. Link to the XOGiving site:

http://www.xogiving.org/

[kineneb]

4. I am going to purpose this

for an international project for my Rotary club.
Kids, check.
Education, check.
International goodwill, check.
Sounds good to me.

Also check out the specs for the laptop. They are not bad; perhaps a bit slow, but more than adequate for many things. The computers are better than my old IBM 600e (still works and happily running Kubuntu), which has 366MHz, and has about the same amount of RAM. The 600e has a 20GB harddrive, instead of a 1 GB flash memory.

But new, for $100, and so much more durable... not bad at all.

[Clintonista2]

5. Ummm.. what's a kid in a developing country gonna do with a laptop?

[Junkdrawer]

7. Learn n/t

[Clintonista2]

9. How are they going to power it?

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Hand crank. nt

[Junkdrawer]

13. Many ways, including wind-up....

The XO is Linux-based, with a dual-mode display—both a full-color, transmissive DVD mode, and a second display option that is black and white, reflective, and sunlight-readable at three times the resolution. The laptop will have a 500MHz processor and 128MB of DRAM, with 500MB of Flash memory; it will not have a hard disk, but it will have three USB ports and an SD-card slot for expansion. The laptops will have wireless broadband that, among other things, allows them to work as a mesh network; each laptop will be able to talk to its nearest neighbors, creating an ad hoc, local area network. The laptops are designed to be extremely power efficient, enabling the use of innovative power systems (including wind-up).


http://www.laptop.org/en/vision/mission/faq.shtml

[supernova]

12. Talk to kids in other countries

and possibly not feel so alone, traumatized by war/famine,

Do their homework, play games, the same as kids in the developed world do.

I think this is a wonderful idea. I was considering today if it would be possible to invest in this company.

[Zoigal]

6. Morning newspaper reported

that the laptops would cost $188 instead of $100, and that people
in the US and Canada who participated in the "Give One, Get ONe" promotion
would pay $400 each, with the profit going toward laptops for poor countries.
Article was in Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA. p

[MisterHowdy]

8. if I lived in a developing country, I would rather have good food and medicine

but thats just me though.

[Clintonista2]

11. exactly

[Bluebear]

15. PHOTO: Some kids not enjoying their computers :)

[Clintonista2]

18. Well, just as long as they're not enjoying it...

I geuss it's ok then. :sarcasm:

[Junkdrawer]

14. The "teach a man to fish" thing is proving to be a better idea...

micro-credit instead of Care packages....

[Marrah_G]

16. They help with that also

www.gatesfoundation.org

They give massive amounts of money to global health, education and development.

[mondo joe]

17. Kids in developing countries need opportunities to prosper as well.

This is a good thing. A very good thing.

[foo_bar]

19. that's a good idea, you should organize a campaign

In the meantime, literacy and some attempted technological parity with the too-much-food nations has no real downside, even if the laptops themselves aren't edible. Ancient (maybe) Chinese secret.