BBC NEWS | Technology | UN debut for $100 laptop for poor
This is fabulous! If it truly works, and can truly be made so cheaply, and if corporations get behind it, and buy them and send them to those who need it, we could certainly spread literacy, education, and learning around the world. How cool!
BBC NEWS | Technology | UN debut for $100 laptop for poor:
A prototype of a cheap and robust laptop for pupils has been welcomed as an "expression of global solidarity" by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The green machine was showcased for the first time by MIT's Nicholas Negroponte at the UN net summit in Tunis.
He plans to have millions of machines in production within a year.
The laptops are powered with a wind-up crank, have very low power consumption and will let children interact with each other while learning.
"Children will be able to learn by doing, not just through instruction - they will be able to open up new fronts for their education, particularly peer-to-peer learning," said Mr Annan.
He added that the initiative was "inspiring", and held the promise of special and economic development for children in developing countries.