Prompt's TechBlog

For several years now various organisations have been attempting to design a computer suitable for widespread use in the developing world. The primary problem is that of cost, for a computer to be even vaguely viable for widespread adoption in the world's poorest countries it would need to cost a fraction of what we pay for PCs in the west. Other problems include unreliable or even non-existent power supplies in most of the target regions, harsh environmental conditions (heat, dust, etc.) and of course the usual reliability issues that arise from being bounced around by boisterous children.

As yet nobody has managed to crack the problem, but Professor Nicholas Negroponte of MIT's Media Labs believes that he's come up with a design that solves all of these problems. His design for a cheap Linux based PC does away with the hard drive and replaces it with Flash memory storage, which is more reliable than a conventional hard disk due to the lack of delicate moving parts. The machine can be powered by a clockwork mechanism, not unlike the well known clockwork radios which were designed for much the same purpose. Best of all, if Negroponte's figures all add up then the machine should initially cost less than $100, and the price should fall to a more affordable level as manufacturing is ramped up.

It's still early days, since the design has yet to reach the prototype stage, but the initiative is being supported by some big name backers. You can read the full story at the BBC.