Shortly after developing its cheapest car, New Delhi has set its target
for rolling out the cheapest laptop for only $10, according to an
Economic Times article.
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangladore and the Indian Institute of Technology have already begun researching the $10 notebook, which would be primarily designed for educational use.
Producing a $10 notebook will not only rectify computer illiteracy and e-learning issues in India, but also for the rest of the world, said D Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development.
The One Laptop Per Child organization spearheaded the movement to produce an affordable education device for children in third-world countries. The organization's current offering, the XO, costs $188 and includes a 433MHz processor, 256MB of RAM and a special touch screen for pointing and drawing. OLPC's goal since 2005 has been to produce a sub-$100 computer, and the organization hopes to reach that mark by end of 2008. Other computer manufacturers have been producing inexpensive notebooks as well. Jointech is offering a its JL7100 mini laptop for $99, and the NPX-9000 is selling for $130.
Can New Delhi produce an adequate educational device for $10? After looking at the barebones specifications of the Jointech and NPX-9000 units, I'm skeptical. Nonetheless, several companies putting their heads together can only benefit this movement toward improving education with technology.
Source: Wired Blog Network
