India Reveals New $35 Computer

A couple of years ago the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced they had developed a prototype for a $100 laptop computer. Nicholas Negroponte, of the MIT Media Lab, created a nonprofit organization called One Laptop Per Child that was dedicated to getting these new cheaper computers into the hands of poor children (and put them on a more even level with the rest of the world).

But there were a couple of problems with that vision -- as wonderful as it was. First, it turned out that the computers actually cost closer to $200 than the originally estimated $100. Second, even the $100 price would have put the computers out of range of affordability for most of the world's poor children. The organization depended on donations or governments to purchase the computers and give them to poor children (usually through school systems). So far, this has only had limited success.

Now it looks like the government of India has done even better. They claim to have developed the prototype of a computer that will only cost $35 (see picture above). The computer was developed by students in IT colleges in India.

The new computer is a touch-screen tablet computer that operates off solar power (so it can be used even in homes and communities with electric power). It uses a Linux operating system and has no hard drive (using a memory card instead). And it has the capability to do word processing, web browsing and video conferencing.

The government says it is now looking for a company to manufacture the new low-cost computer. They also hope to get the price down to $20 or even less in the near future. If they can get the computer mass-produced at a price of $35 or less, this would be a real boon to poor children. It would make it much cheaper and easier for school systems to get the computers into the hands of their students. Even more important, that would lower the price enough so even the poor could save up enough to purchase the computer.

I hope they can get this done. It could be a giant step forward for much of the world's population.