Cheap Kids&#39; Laptop: &#39;Ultimate Learning Tool&#39;
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If the One Laptop Project keeps its promises, the small green US$100 laptop could very well revolutionize teaching in developing nations. Computerworld Denmark asked Jan Soelberg, an expert from the school of education at the University of Aarhus, to try the computer.
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The One Laptop Per Child Foundation indicated Monday that it might begin selling a version of the "$100 laptop" it is now producing for educational use. The system would become available by the holiday season for a price of about $350 USD.
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By Peter Svensson  It seems like a great idea: making a computer that's somewhere between the size of a cell phone and a laptop, for people to carry around and surf the Web.
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InfoWorld - Discussions are under way to put an Intel microprocessor inside a version of the&#160;One Laptop Per Child&#160;(OLPC) project&#39;s &quot;$100 laptop&quot; for children in developing countries, according to representatives from both parties.
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By TOBY WALNE  A COMPUTER is a standard piece of kit for today's student, but buying the latest technology need not break the bank. It is possible to buy a reliable computer for less than Pounds 500 and there are plenty of student discounts for software and peripheries.
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A low-cost laptop, designed for children in developing countries, will go on sale in North America.
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The consumer electronics gizmo that offers many functions in a small package is what's compelling back-to-school shoppers to open their wallets.
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The XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child project is going on sale: buy two, get one. But it's still a good deal.
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Designed for schoolchildren in developing countries, these inexpensive, stripped-down portables are drawing lots of interest from the gadget set.
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The debate is centered on whether cheap laptops are the best way to improve education in the developing world.
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Intel is working on an updated version of its&#160;Classmate PC&#160;designed for schoolchildren in developing countries, part of a wider effort to spur demand for low-cost laptops.Based on the company&#39;s&#160;upcoming Silverthorne processor, the new Classmate PC will likely be sleeker and have longer battery life than the current version, according to Navin Shenoy, general manager of Intel&#39;s Asia-Pacific operations.&quot;It&#39;s fair to say that there is a Silverthorne-based Classmate design in the works that would likely come out coincidentally with the microprocessor,&quot; Shenoy said, adding that Intel has not determined pricing for the new laptop design.Silverthorne, which is billed as being easy on both power and the pocketbook, is part of Intel&#39;s Menlow platform that also includes the upcoming Poulsbo chip set. The dual-core chip is scheduled for release during the middle of this year and is central to Intel&#39;s plans for small, handheld computers that Intel calls MIDs, or Mobile Internet Devices, and low-cost laptops, like the Classmate and Asustek&#39;s Eee PC.The current Classmate PC is a big-boned, 1.4 kilogram machine with a 900MHz Celeron M processor and a 7-inch screen. The laptop runs Windows XP and comes with Wi-Fi, 256MB of RAM and 2GB of flash memory in lieu of a hard disk. These specifications won&#39;t send a gamer&#39;s heart racing, but they are enough to get the intended job done.Priced at around $285, the Classmate PC is roughly $100 more expensive than the&#160;One Laptop Per Child Project&#39;s XO laptop, the Classmate&#39;s main competitor. Intel has said volume production would bring down the Classmate&#39;s cost to about $200, but the low-cost laptops have so far grabbed more headlines than sales.Even so, Intel&#39;s Classmate PC development efforts have had a wide impact, largely thanks to the Eee PC, which uses many of the same components but has a thinner, more stylish design.Consumer enthusiasm for the Eee PC largely caught Intel off guard. When the low-cost laptop, which also uses a 900MHz Celeron M processor, was announced at the Computex trade show last year, Intel expected Asustek to announce a $199 laptop for education customers. But the Taiwanese computer maker had other ideas and declared -- to the surprise of Intel executives -- that the Eee PC would instead be marketed to consumers in markets around the world.While the Eee PC&#39;s price tag climbed substantially from the original announced price, at $400 or so the small laptops remain a relative bargain and users have been snapping them up as fast as Asustek can make them.As other computer makers show interest in following Asustek&#39;s lead, Intel has embraced the low-cost laptop as an important product segment for the consumer market, as well as the education market.&quot;We think that there&#39;s going to be a wide variety of multinationals and local OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] who decide to go after this segment,&quot; Shenoy said.
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(InfoWorld) - When Intel says its Classmate PC is built to be rugged, the company isn't kidding. This little laptop feels ready to take the worst a 10-year-old could offer. The Classmate PC, with its distinctive blue cover, wasÂ designed by Intel for schools in emerging markets. Intel gave me one to play with for a week, offering a rare chance to take a close-up look at the laptop. Intel says the Classmate PC is "almost kid-proof," and the beefy design backs that up. The case measures 24.5 centimeters wide by 19.6 centimeters deep. With the screen closed, it measures 4.4 centimeters thick. The laptop's 7-inch screen -- which offers a resolution of 800 pixels by 480 pixels -- is guarded by a thick housing and the laptop's body has a protective bumper. The laptop itself is well built and surprisingly heavy for its size, weighing about 1.4 kilograms. Other laptops with a 7-inch screen are significantly lighter, coming in at 900 grams or less. Most of the Classmate PC's weight seems to come from its six-cell battery, which gives the laptop three to four hours of battery life. The ruggedized case probably adds a bit of weight as well. At any rate, the Classmate PC is still lighter than a bag full of books. Compared to theÂ One Laptop Per Child project's XO laptop, the Classmate PC feels better suited for the classroom environment. I had the chance to briefly try an XO prototype recently and was not impressed. Compared to the Classmate PC, the XO seemed lightly constructed and the case flexed easily. To be fair, the XO laptop that I saw was an engineering prototype, and not a final production model. Let's hope the final version of the XO is more rugged. The heart of the Classmate PC is a 900MHz Celeron M processor, not Intel's fastest chip but good enough for the job here. The Classmate PC came with Windows XP installed, Wi-Fi, 256MB of RAM, and 2GB of flash memory instead of a hard disk. As Windows XP booted up, the Classmate PC began looking for a teacher's computer. The laptop is designed to be used as part of a network, not as a standalone machine. In the classroom, the Classmate PCs can be monitored by the teacher's computer, allowing the teacher to view what each student sees on their screens. Teachers are also able to send information from their screens to every Classmate PC in the room. Since there was no network for the Classmate PC to find in my test, the system continued to boot as a standalone PC. To test its performance, I tried watching a YouTube video, which played smoothly, although at times the system seemed to be pushing its limits -- most likely due to the limited amount of DRAM installed. The Classmate PC's keyboard was too cramped for me to type comfortably, but I liked the round trackpad. In actual practice, the keyboard size shouldn't be a problem; this machine is designed for children, not adults. Among the smart touches evident in the Classmate PC design, Intel chose to place the power socket on the right side of the laptop's case, instead of the rear. This allows the laptop to be charged in a classroom storage rack that helps keep them safe and reduces classroom clutter. Another touch that struck me was the absence of an Intel logo on the Classmate PC. Intel isn't shy about branding, and it's good to see they've apparently resisted the urge to use their logo here, since I've seen pictures of other Classmate PC samples with the Intel logo. Corporate logos and marketing don't belong inside schools. Overall, the Classmate PC is an impressive product. Intel has done a good job with the design and manufacture of these laptops. Â
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Also: Gadget lets parents track kids' every move. Read these stories and more from around the Web on News.com Extra.
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itâs also a powerful learning tool, according to Apple. Audio has always had a place in the classroom but it is normally in the form
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A laptop under US$100 could reach desks if a new venture formed by former chief technology officer of One Laptop Per Child, Mary Lou Jepsen, can deliver on its promises.
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The One Laptop Per Child organisation sets up a program to deliver laptops to the poorest US children.
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InfoWorld - Intel Corp. wants to see its low-cost Classmate PC help transform they way students in developing countries are educated. And the company is not alone. The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project also hopes its low-cost XO laptop can close the &quot;digital divide&quot; that exists between the developed world and emerging markets.