Hardware

Photos: Low-cost PCs around the world

By // July 18, 2006, 8:44 AM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Researchers at the MIT Media Lab have a plan for getting $100 laptops in the hands of millions of people around the world. One notable feature of their prototype is a hand crank for providing power in places where electricity is undependable or unavailable.

    MIT Media Lab

  • The yellow and green case gives the machine a playful quality, MIT Media Lab Chairman Nicholas Negroponte said.

    MIT Media Labs

  • Brazil's first official stab at a low-cost computer for the masses was the Popular PC, in an initiative launched in 2001. Many components, including a flash drive, were to be built domestically to avoid high import taxes, but the project never got off the ground. That version was to cost around $250. A subsequent version of the Popular PC used a more conventional architecture that pushed the price tag to the neighborhood of $600. The program went into limbo in 2002 with a change of government.

    Popular PC initiative

  • The Mobilis Wireless laptop from Indian technology firm Encore Software features a 7.4-inch LCD screen and six-hour battery life. It costs about 15,000 rupees, or about $277.

    Encore Software

  • The Mobilis desktop is powered by Intel's XScale PXA255 200/400MHz processor and has 128MB of SDRAM. It comes with a carrying case that hides a full-size, roll-up keyboard and opens up as a desktop stand. Its price tag is 10,000 rupees, or $230.

    Encore Software

  • The Personal Internet Communicator from Advanced Micro Devices features Microsoft software, including Internet Explorer, the Windows Media Player and a version of Windows. The device is sold through Internet service providers, which will set the local price; it was listed at $185 without a monitor when it debuted.

    AMD

  • The Amida Simputer is a product of the Indian companies Bharat Electronics and PicoPeta Simputers. It runs Linux, uses a stylus, and has a 206MHz processor, 64MB of RAM and two USB ports.

    PicoPeta Simputers

Researchers at the MIT Media Lab have a plan for getting $100 laptops in the hands of millions of people around the world. One notable feature of their prototype is a hand crank for providing power in places where electricity is undependable or unavailable.

MIT Media Lab

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...