Oct 29
Uruguay Buys First $100 OLPC Laptops
The first official order, of 100,000 machines, for the so-called “$100 laptop” has been placed by the government of Uruguay. The order will be a boost for the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) organisation behind the project which has admitted difficulties getting concrete orders.
“I have to some degree underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a cheque written,” Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the organisation, recently told the New York Times. However, he said he was “delighted” with the first deal.
It is durable, waterproof and can be powered by solar, foot-pump or pull-string powered chargers. It includes a sunlight readable display so that it can be used outside and has no moving parts.
OLPC aims to sell the laptop for $100 or less. However, over the last year, the machine’s price has steadily increased and now costs $188.
From November 12, people can buy a machine for themselves as well as one for a child in a developing country. The Give 1 Get 1 (G1G1) programme will initially distribute laptops to Cambodia, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Haiti. More at BBCNews, Laptopgiving.org, OLPC