Low-Cost MIT Laptop Nearing Production

Low-Cost MIT Laptop Nearing Production

Written By
Carmen Nobel
Carmen Nobel
Nov 28, 2005
1 minute read
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U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan unveiled the first working prototype of the $100 laptop last week at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis, Tunisia.

The $100 laptop is a joint project of the MIT Media Lab and the One Laptop per Child association, which plan to distribute the computers to schoolchildren in underdeveloped nations.

/zimages/6/28571.gifRead morehereabout the $100 notebook project.

Due by early 2007, the Linux-based machine is so energy-efficient that a hand crank provides sufficient power to operate it, according to Media Lab officials.

It includes Wi-Fi support so that many children can gain access to a single Internet connection through a mesh network.

According to an FAQ list on the Media Labs Web site, creating a $100 laptop was a matter of using a cheap display and keeping software to a necessary minimum.

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