The laptop will use an inexpensive LCD display, Linux operating system and a hand crank to recharge the battery.
The laptops have wireless networking capability with each other, and work is being done to provide internet access.
Expected ship date is late 2006 or early 2007.
Not everyone thinks providing laptops to children living in extreme poverty is a wise use of resources, for example Johann Christopher Arnold, a member of the Bruderhof Community, provides an alternate point of view in the article Stones Instead of Bread.
Mr. Arnold has some points but he lost me early with his referal to his thought (however fleeting) that "computers are the mark of the beast." followed by, "I myself use computers a lot, and see them as a necessary evil."
I think there is a certain hyperbolic intent to the article given it's one of the "Daily Digs", which as the website says are, "not meant to be a One-Way Street", but a forum to begin discussion. There are a lot of thoughtful comments following the article.
I think of a computer as a tool, neither inherently good nor evil. Should kids (or adults) give up socializing, talking, playing outside and spend all day on a computer? Of course not. Does that mean we shouldn't have computers? Of course not.
I think the $100 laptop, is a great idea. I can imagine kids learning about all kind of things that could help them, their families, and the society we live in. Things like spread and prevention of disease, small scale plants for water purification, small scale electrical generating plants using hydro, solar, wind or other alternative energy, not to mention aiding general educational basics; reading, writing and math.
In some areas of the world without a communication infrastructure these laptops have a tremendous potential for changing society for the better through sharing practical information that people can use where they live. I can't help but think in some places in the world, the ability to learn about other people will decrease hate, begin to undermine learned prejudice, and eventually make the world a smaller more loving place for everyone.
The $100 laptop seems like a very good example of "give a child a fish and she eat's for a day vs. the teach a child to fish and feed her for a lifetime."
WSJ.com - The $100 Laptop Moves Closer to Reality
WashingtonPost.com - MIT Is Crafting Cheap -- But Invaluable -- Laptops
Design Continuum is collaborating on the laptop's design. The Design Continuum Web is full of cool articles about other design they are involved in. I love the people page showing the faces of the people who work in that company. Much more friendly than the org chart or faceless name list typically used.
