Ayan's Blog

An OLPC?

Remember the $100 computer that was to be given to children in the Third World Countries under the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) Project? The cost went up to $200 and then they started a program through which you could buy a PC here and one would be donated to a child in Africa? It was an ambitious project, one that unfortunately, did not succeed.
Fast forward to today. India has announced the $10 computer. This 10″ X 5″ gadget called the Sakshat actually resembles a palmtop. It is a wireless e-learning device with 2GB RAM, Wifi and wired ethernet. Due to some initial hiccups, the cost is currently somewhere in between $20 and $30. India, however, is confident that they can bring down the cost over time.
India will use its initial production to hand these out to primary and secondary school students free of charge. All textbooks will be available free of charge for wireless download on these devices. Imagine the money they will save on textbooks!!!