$100 Laptops for the World

Posted on June 2, 2006  Comments (5)

$100 Laptop from MIT OLPC project

The MIT Media Lab is developing a $100 laptop to provide affordable and appropriate technology to all parts of the world. One Laptop per Child is a non-profit created to pursue this project (which is independent of MIT).

What is the $100 Laptop, really?
The proposed $100 machine will be a Linux-based, with a dual-mode display—both a full-color, transmissive DVD mode, and a second display option that is black and white reflective and sunlight-readable at 3× the resolution. The laptop will have a 500MHz processor and 128MB of DRAM, with 500MB of Flash memory; it will not have a hard disk, but it will have four USB ports. The laptops will have wireless broadband that, among other things, allows them to work as a mesh network; each laptop will be able to talk to its nearest neighbors, creating an ad hoc, local area network. The laptops will use innovative power (including wind-up) and will be able to do most everything except store huge amounts of data.

This is another wonderful example of engineering a better world. The challenges are still large. Making such an audacious plan work will not be easy but if they pull it off the potential benefits are enormous.

UN debut for $100 laptop for poor by Jo Twist, BBC News

Our $100 laptops will run on human power, Rediff

5 Responses to “$100 Laptops for the World”

  1. Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Blog Archive » Safe Water Through Play
    July 12th, 2006 @ 2:02 pm

    […] $100 Laptops for the World […]

  2. Bringing Eye Care to Thousands in India
    September 11th, 2006 @ 2:17 pm

    […] Another great example of applying technology to improve people’s lives. More on appropriate technology projects. It is great to see the focus on improving people’s lives, and using technology to do so. […]

  3. $100 Laptop Update
    January 10th, 2007 @ 1:00 pm

    […] The project continues to move forward even with the bumps along the road – it is quite an ambitious plan. […]

  4. Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Sub $100 Tablet in 2011
    May 30th, 2010 @ 7:20 am

    […] OLPC and Marvell partner to design a line of tablets – $100 Laptops for the World – A Child’s View of the OLPC Laptop – Apple’s iPad by curiouscat […]

  5. Anonymous
    October 9th, 2011 @ 9:14 am

    $100 Laptops for the World, this is so good news.

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