 |
The latest 100 USD laptop model. (Photo: CNet) |
The non-profit project OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) has just showcased the first 100 USD version that could potentially go into production, as the device has integrated computing hardware into its design model.
Walter Bender, the software president of the OLPC project, stated that this is an important event because both the design and hardware specifications have been presented separately before.
The newly announced systems come in vibrant orange cases, alongside green, blue, and yellow options. However, this is not yet the final design. They are equipped with an 800 x 480 pixel screen, while the official specifications of the OLPC project are 1,200 x 900 pixels.
OLPC plans to release the 100 USD laptop, running on the Linux operating system, in early 2007. These products will not be distributed through retail outlets but rather through large government-related projects.
The goal of the OLPC organization (founded by Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of MIT Media Lab, in 2005) is to provide millions of children in poor countries the opportunity to use computers as a learning tool. However, this is not the only ambition to create low-cost devices. Two chip manufacturers, Intel and AMD, along with the American software giant Microsoft, are also developing similar systems.
P.T.
