Developing nations to test new $150 laptops

DEVELOPING NATIONS TO TEST NEW $150 LAPTOPS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jason Szep]
From Brazil to Pakistan, some of the world's poorest children will peer across the digital divide this month -- reading electronic books, shooting digital video, creating music and chatting with classmates online. Founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology academics, the non-profit "One Laptop per Child" project will roll out nearly 2,500 of its $150-laptops to eight nations in February. The experiment is a prelude to mass production of the kid-friendly, lime-green-and-white laptops scheduled to begin in July, when five million will be built. Its technological triumphs include a hand crank to charge its battery, a keyboard that switches between languages, a digital video camera, wireless connectivity and Linux open-source operating software tailored for remote regions. The project's operators say the price should fall to $100 apiece next year, when they hope to produce 50 million of the so-called "XO" machines, before dipping below $100 by 2010 when they aim to reach 150 million of the world's poorest children.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0517553520070212