The OLPC (One Laptop per Child) organisation has just announced a 
change in the delivery date for the first shipment of its 
intended-to-be-world-changing $US100 laptop computers. Changes of 
shipping date for a new (let alone a first) model are no great 
surprise in the computer industry where projected shipping date are 
always changing - but this date was moved from 2Q2007 to - NOW! - 
albeit in extremely limited quantities.

That any at all are being shipped is significant as it almost 
transforms the product from vapourware to reality. Hopefully.


    http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/NL/704B43685F54E8CBCC25721F00351B05


OLPC is an initiative aimed at putting $US100 (no typo) laptops in the 
hands of educators in "3rd world" countries worldwide

At last.

Innovative high resolution low low power LCD.
Target 4 Watt system power running.
Inbuilt 802.11b/g extended range low speed (2 Mbps) wireless mesh 
networking to allow distributed access to internet.
Unit can relay radio messages with main cpu off.
Fedora core.
512 kB Flash , 128 MB RAM, ...
VGA colour camera (640x480, 30 Hz)
Optional hand/foot cranked add on power generators.

MUCH more detail in Wikipedia article.

First "shipment" is a meagre 50 units as an introduction with 1000 to 
follow in January.
Introductory price is $US146/unit (you may have to buy in multiples of 
100,000 and be a government to get this deal).

Target is 1.5 million units and $US100 price by 2008

Excellent overview here

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child

Notional orders:

    Nigeria        1 million
    Libya            1.2 million plus satellite internet and server 
per school
    Massachusets
    Maine
    Thailand
    Egypt
    NOT India.





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Home

        http://www.laptop.org/

Own Wiki

        http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Home

More

        http://wiki.laptop.org/go/One_Laptop_per_Child


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