Negroponte And The One Hundred Dollar Laptop
By Ryan Hagen

If you don't already know who Nicholas Negroponte is, you soon will. Negroponte is spearheading one of the most anticipated projects in technology this century -- The One Laptop per Child project. And after years of hype and anticipation, the project has nearly come to fruition.

The project is designed to connect millions of children in the developing world by offering the XO-1 - a basic, inexpensive, durable computer - otherwise known as the "one hundred dollar laptop." Negroponte, who studied at MIT, says the project is designed for children because children "get" computers at a young age, and with the ability to be connected early, development will occur exponentially.

The idea of laptops in remote jungles and villages with no electricity or Internet capabilities may seem a little far-fetched, and a few years ago it would have been, but the XO-1 seems to have covered all of the bases. The laptops are powered by a hand-crank and require far less power because of the simplicity of the design. It also features built in wireless mesh networking that makes it possible to connect with any other XO-1 in the area, forming a make-shift intranet. As well, any laptop that is connected to the Internet automatically shares the connection with any other XO-1 that it is connected with.

In order to keep the cost low, the XO-1 needs to be purchased in bulk. Prices are driven down further by the use of free and open-source software. As of right now, the laptop goes for $188 per unit, but the goal is to get the price down to $100. Negroponte has already visited many leaders in developing nations to secure bulk orders.

However, Negroponte and team have come up with a great idea to slash prices even further by offering the XO-1 to developed nations as well. This Thanksgiving they will introduce a one-day promotion called "give one get one", where North Americans will be able to purchase one of these laptops for themselves, providing they buy one for a child in the developing world as well.

We will have to wait and see if the one hundred dollar laptop project lives up to hype and expectations, but for now the future looks bright. The XO-1 is set to launch worldwide next spring.

www.paretologic.com
http://www.safesurfer.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Hagen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Negroponte-And-The-One-Hundred-Dollar-Laptop&id=917419