$12 Laptop Proposed By Researchers For Developing World

As the prices of educational laptops for children in developing countries creep upward, a group of researchers attempts to create a new, even lower-tech computer that would cost as little as $12.
Computers

While wandering the streets of Bangalore, India, in February during an internship for Qualcomm, 27-year-old graduate student Derek Lomas stumbled across a contraption that looked quite similar to the original Nintendo console that he played video games on as a kid in the 1980s.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[shupikai400]

As a citizen of an African 3rd world country where basic paper, pen, text books, and even chalk for the blackboard is not available, this would be a blessing. Truly life changing!

[loki]

Yeah, sounds great. But if you get American capitalist involved, you'll get a laptop for 12 dollars. keys will cost 12 dollars each. special priority batteries will cost 112 each. extra memory as it will only come with 10 meg, will cost 50 per meg. Oh , did you want an OS and basic applications? thats 1000. And there will be a reoccurring monthly usage fee of 12. 85 ( excluding federal, state, and made up- because we can taxes . Now thats good old American entrap-reneurship for ya.! If you can suck the poor dry, your not a good capitalist. Not by American standards at least.

[deepintheheartoftejas]

So, based on this picture, it'll teach kids how to use a mouse, manipulate a typical game controller, and AIM A FRICKING GUN??

[EarthToZoey]

How freaking cool !

[bikerdude]

Why not just back the extraordinary effort by Nick Negroponte and his $100 computer venture? Nick and his associates have been working on this project for quite a while and have invested a lot of money. What he is proposing is a way to connect children, whether in poor American or the plains of Africa to worldwide information. The facility for individuals to contribute either locally or globally is already set up. We bought one of his machines for my grandson and he loves it. The plan permitted me to purchase a machine for him and to provide funding for one more...
This $12 stuff is a pipe dream if you read the article...

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

I want to know when is this country going to start taking care of our own. We have working families that can't even afford healthcare. Why can't we help our children. The education system in our country is going down. We send jobs to china, india and other asian countries. When are we going to help americans. I am a second generation daughter and my husband came from germany. We have worked hard and never asked for charity. I have a grandchild that is 2 yrs old. I would love to get her a computer. Something isn't right with our government. Why does our government hate the american people.

[KillTheMessenger]

Your granddaughter needs a lot of things. A computer is not among them. I did not have a computer of my own until I was 20 and that was a piece of junk from the surplus store that I coaxed back to life. I got my first PC when I was 25 and needed a machine to write my thesis on. I worked every day for over a year for that piece of (admittedly back then advanced) hardware.

If I were you I would make sure that your local school board hires teachers who can take a stand when it comes to teaching evolution and who can explain cosmology to a teenager. Computers are just tools to use knowledge. Without knowledge they are as useful as a hammer to the armless.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

Well bud if your right than why are kids having to type their homework on computers to turn into class. I would like my granddaughter and other children in this country to have a leg up just like the school districts in the higher income level have. What is wrong with that. Everyone should have a equal playing field. I don't know how old you are but the kids today are using computers for class work. It is a fact. I take her to the library and read to her.

[bikerdude]

When we get rid of this self-serving republ i can administration and get some progressives in office who will work for the good of ALL the people, not just their "have more" constituency....

[PieInTheSky]

How many kids in the U.S. don't have computers?

[KillTheMessenger]

How many kids in the US don't have a math teacher who actually understands math?
How many kids in the US don't have a physics teacher who actually understands physics?
How many kids in the US don't have a biology teacher who actually understands biology?

Nearly all of the kids who go to public school.

Simply put: a computer without math and science knowledge is good for exactly three things: playing games, browsing the dumb side of the internet and downloading illegally copied media files.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

You are such a negative person. If you think we are all on the dumb side than why are you here. You aren't bringing anything to the table but being a whiner. Stop already go off the computer and have a cup of coffee bud. KillTheMessenger are you a very sad republican? Just wondering.

[bikerdude]

Millions and millions. What is worse, most of the "computers" in use are being used as game providers with little or no thought to education.

[1jadednewyorker]

Too many to count! The problem is the kids dont have acess to the internet either. Go to any urban library and see the kids lined up for assistance with projects.

My nephew attends an urban parochial school . The teachers will not allow him to turn in any project that is hand written.So he rides his bike 1 mile to the library to type his homework. (crazy!)

And below I dont think it has to be an all or nothing Maybe just maybe a kid in the developing world will disover a way to purify the drinking water w/the help of a computer/internet acess.

[KillTheMessenger]

A teacher who does not accept hand written homework needs to be fired. They have failed to understand what intellectual achievement is.

Shakespeare copied his works by hand and Einstein wrote his theory with a pen. At least Einstein might have been lucky to have a secretary to type his stuff for him, but you can almost bet your life on it that he did not type himself.

[Podewumun]

Better the "developing world" should have cheap computers than safe drinking water.

[bikerdude]

Lack of safe water is the provence of their corrupt/uneducated governments. Providing computers and associated educaton to the population will permit them to find their way out of their pronounced misery.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

Yeah, god forbid that an american might find anything good for the world. All we export today besides our jobs is war.